Palo Verde High School - Olympian Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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Football- I 968 Titan Gridders Ended Season With 2-7 Record Palo Verde suffered a disappointing football seasan and ended with an over- all 2-7 season record. The Titans fin- ished fourth out of five teams in the southern division AAA-4 conference with a 2-6 record. Head coach for the foot- ball team was Van Howe. Assistants were Larry Weimer as a scout for the team, Dick Palm as a line coach and Lynn Kanouse as backfield coach. Catalina and Amphi were defeated at the hands of the Titans, the scores being 13-7 and 15-13 respectively. Palo Verde played one of its best games against Arizona state runner-up Doug- las as they lost by only one touchdown. lniuries depleted the team during the season. This caused Coach Van Howe to iuggle his lineup week after week. None of Palo Verde's starting backfield in the first game finished the season. Senior Mike Bingham led the team in passing with 21 completions in 56 attempts for 342 yards and 2 touch- downs. After Bingham was iniured, Ju- nior Rene Ruiz stepped in and threw 15 completions in 41 attempts for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore Buddy Droegemeier was the team's leading rusher with 283 yards on 52 carries. Bill Johnson, a junior, carried the ball 52 times for 204 yards, Steve Gunzel, a senior, and Droege- meier were the team's leading receivers. Gunzel caught 11 passes for 132 yards and Droegemeier caught 11 passes for 166 yards. Sophomore Mike Polivchak was the team's leading scorer with 18 points. Defensive tackle Bill Orinski was named to the 1968 All Division football squad for his outstanding achievement during the season. Orinski was a senior. Coach Howe hopes to have 11 letter- men returning for the 1969 season plus a strong J.V. team which ended with a 5-3 record. VARSITY FOOTBALL RECORD Palo Verde Opponents 14 Tucson 39 12 Pueblo 1 3 15 Amphi 1 3 6 Alhambra 27 0 Salpointe 27 7 Douglas 14 6 Sunnyside 27 13 Catalina 7 7 Rincon 37

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Gridders Fell to Tucson in Season Gpener Tucson High School rouTed Palo Verde in The season opener and firsT conference game 39-14. The Badgers conTrolled The game and afTer Three periods ran The score up To 39-O before The TiTans could geT on The scoreboard. P.V.'s firsT score came when Bill Johnson inTercepTed a pass inside his own end zone and ran iT back The lengTh of The field. Carl Riney also scored for The TiTans laTe in The game when he compleTed a drive by plunging over from The one-yard line. Palo Verde's leading ground gainer was Tom SToops wiTh 69 yards on 15 carries. Palo Verde losT iTs firsT home game as Pueblo slipped pasT The TiTans 13-12. The TiTans failed To score for Three quarTers as The Warriors ran up a 13-O lead, missing Their firsT exTra poinT. In The lasT quarTer The TiTans scored Their firsT Touchdown on an 18-yard pass by Mike Bingham wiTh STeve Gunzel receiving, bringing The score To 13-6 as P.V.'s exTra poinT aTTempT failed, Wifh 53 seconds lefT in The game, Buddy Droegemeier plunged across The one-yard line To bring The score To 13-12. Again, The conversion aTTempT failed. Palo Verde's firsT win of The season was over The Amphi Panihers in an exciTing game, 15-13. IT was a come-from- behind vicTory for The TiTans wiTh Rick Davis scoring The decid- ing Touchdown laTe in The game. The TiTans Two-poinT margin came on a dispuTed call in The Third period when an Amphi player was downed in The end zone while fielding a punT. Halfback Roger King carried The ball 12 Times for a ToTal of 57 yards, as Mike Bingham led The TiTans in passing wiTh 117 yards on 4 compleTions including a 46-yard Touchdown pass To Bill Orinski. During the October 11 game, played against Amphi, Titan quarterback Mike Bingham 1161 broke through the Panther line in an attempt to gain yardage Sophomores Buddy Droegemeier 125i and Mike Polivchok 1811 stopped an Amphi Panther while running back a kick-off. Rick Ranne rushed in to assist. for Palo Verde. Although the Panthers scored the first touchdown, the Titans came on strong in the second half and won their first victory of the season.