Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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26 THE MAGNET Especially, so, the class the January 1916, because they have done much toward the development of athletes for at least two of these championship teams. However, there is but one varsity representative, Jennings Young, who will graduate with the class of January 1916. The other varsity men who have graced our class have either quit school or have graduated with other classes. When we entered the high school in January 1912 the basketball season of that year was at its height. This team, under the leadership of Carl Cleeland, went through the season without a defeat and won the championship of Western Pennsylvania for the season of 1911-12. This was one of the fastest teams which have ever represented Butler High School, as some of the best teams in Western Pennsylvania, including the strong Central High and Kiski Academy teams fell before their onslaught. The quintette was composed of Cleeland, Bernlohr, Wise, Ketterer and Thompson. Under Captain Fred Bernlohr, the team of 1912-13 played a hard schedule of fourteen games, losing but four of them. Two of these defeats were administered by the strong Kiski Academy team, who completely out-classed every Prep, school team which they met that season. The team which won the championship of 1913-14 was made up of Young and Douthett, forwards; Wright, center ; Lewis, McCandless and Watson, guards. This team, under the captaincy of first Lewis and later Wright, went through the entire schedule with but one defeat. The team ended the season in a blaze of glory by twice defeating Peabody High in post-season games. The class of January 1916 feels especially proud of this team because of the fact that four of the five regular letter men were members of our class at that time. These were Wright Watson, McCandless and Young, of whom Young alone remains to graduate with us. With McCandless, Young and Watson as a neucleus, Coach Price built up another championship team for the season of 1914-15. McCandless was chosen captain. Winters and Byerly were chosen by Coach Price to fill up the gaps which were made in the team of 1913-Y4 by graduation. However, ill-luck seemed to pursue the quintette from the very start, and the first two league games were dropped to our old rivals, Peabody and Central High of Pittsburgh. Right on top of this double defeat, Byerly received a badly sprained ankle and was forced to retire for the rest of the season. Soon after this, Young got his foot hurt and was kept out of several games. But, not daunted by all these misfortunes, Coach Price set about to rebuild the team. The thorough way in which he did it was clearly shown by the wonderful record which the team made during the remainder of the season, and what we didn’t do to Peabody and Central on our home floor isn’t worth mentioning. The team finished the regular season tied with Peabody for first place. The game to decide the championship of Western Pennsylvania was played off in Trees Gymnasium, Pittsburgh, March 20. Two special car loads of rooters accompanied the team to the Smoky City, and the aggregation from Butler completely out-played, out-guessed and out-cheered the Peabody crew, and we were finally returned champions of Western Pennsylvania by a 22 to 20 score. The team which won the second successive championship from Peabody lined up as follows: McCandless and Young, forwards; Watson, center; Winters and Barbary, guards. Because of the fact that different men were placed at the basket guard position at different times during the season, only four regular men earned their “B’s.” Three of these, Young, McCandless and Watson, were members of our class.

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THE MAGNET 25 3iiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii£ | ATHLETICS | | By Coral M. Cunningham. = iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirH BASKETBALL. Of all of Butler High School’s major sports, basketball holds first rank. More interest is taken in this game, probably because of the high order of the teams which are put on the floor and which are always strong contenders for championship honors. During our sojourn of four years in this institution, teams representing the B. H. S. have twice won the W. P. I. A. L. championship, and during an earlier season, while not a member of the big league, our team defeated the best teams in this part of the state without the loss of a game. This is a record of which the student body and the supporters of high school athletics should feel proud.

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THE MAGNET 27 One strong factor in the continued success of our team is Coach Price, whose unremitting, never-say-die spirit has undoubtedly been a big cause of the championship being brought to Butler and retained here through so many different years. In the past six years in which he has had charge of the basket ball team in Butler High, he has won four championships of Western Pennsylvania. Three of these have come in the last four years. And now, as we stand on the threshold of another season, knowing nothing of what the future may hold for us, we, as a class, earnestly hope, and believe, that the teams which represent the Gold and White in time to come will be of that high calibre which has always marked the teams of Butler High School in the past. FOOTBALL. Football, though not supported so well as basketball in Butler High School, is, nevertheless, an all-scholastic game and is worthy of much greater consideration. The team representing Butler High in the season of 1912, the first to pass under our observation as Freshmen, played a hard schedule of six games, winning half of them. This team was captained by Mel Craig, who played tackle. The team of 1913, under the direction of “Hap” Parker, was one of the most formidable and best-balanced gridiron machines which has ever represented the Gold and White. The team went through the season winning five out of six hard-fought games. The one defeat was administered by New Castle on their own grounds, who trounced us by a 6 to o score. The other teams on the schedule fell before Butler High’s warriors by decisive scores, and as a season’s record, B. H. S. rolled up a total of 118 points to their opponents’ 9. Jennings Young, of basketball fame, played in enough games to earn his letter, and is the sole representative of our class on this memorable team. However, two of our classmates, Thompson and Ross, played on the “scrubs” and were strong factor in whipping the Varsity into shape. The season of 1914 was not much of a success. The team representing the school that year did not win a single game out of a schedule of six, and as such things are best forgotten, we will let it pass at that. However, two stars on the team were Young, at half back, and Thompson, at guard, both of whom are members of our class. The season of 1915 was a success in many ways, although no great laurels were heaped up by the team. “Bill” Younkins, of Washington and Jefferson football fame, was appointed coach, and, working with Capt. Winters, a team was produced that won 4 out of 7. The “B” men were Capt. Winters, Bliss, Mort-land, Young, Aiken, Barbary, McBride, Miller, Campbell, Shanor, McDowell, Lowry, Thompson and Heinzer. Young and Thompson were again the repre-resentatives of the Class of January 1916, and both played good football, the work of Thompson, at guard, being especially commendable. Three of our class were members of the second team, and were a great aid to Coach Younkins in rounding the Varsity men into form. These were Ross, Keefer and Cunningham. BASEBALL. Baseball, as a major sport in Butler High School, has always been marked by a decided lack of interest on the part of the student body, and each season encounters its own financial troubles. Nevertheless, there have been some good teams placed on the field in the past four years. The team of 1912 was captained by Don Emery and coached