Christian Brothers Academy - Purple and Gold Yearbook (Syracuse, NY)

Page 47 text:

PURPLE AND GOLD Page 45 l ' Football , Season The football season of 1925 was the most won- derful C. B. A. ever had. It was such because of the obstacles to be overcome and the glorious record achieved. Playing eleven games against the best teams in New York C. B. A. was bested only once. The Brothers' boys might justly claim the football leadership of the greater part of the state. They defeated the champions of Northern New York in the Ogdensburg game. They con- quered the champs of Central New York in the Central game. They ran rough shod over the best team in the west in the St. joe's game. Even the most stubborn of critics could ask for no more than this. Early last fall the prospects for a real football team were exceedingly dark. There were only a few veterans. The squad of forty was com- posed almost entirely of new men with little or no experience. Besides this, the coach was new to C. B. A. and the fellows had to change their style of play to conform with his. It requires but a glance at their record to see how admirably they did this. But the worst obstacle they had to face was the bad weather. A football team never went through a season under more unideal con- ditions than C. B. A. did in '25. Some games were played in rain, some in snowg they were all played in slush and mud on the worst fields imaginable. But, little daunted, the team fought through all obstacles, to the last chalk mark of a successful campaign. There was one characteristic of this team that caused it to tower above all others. It was its wonderful spirit and dogged determination not to lose. Time and again they started as the under dog, only to emerge victorious, often by over- whelming scores. What other team could come from behind so consistently to win? It meant condition and fight and spunk, qualities which no one can say this machine did not have. Starting out with a handful of green material, Mr. Fairman molded one of the finest grid aggre- gations that ever represented C. B. A. Ten vic- tories and one defeat is the great record achieved by this squad. Ten men played their last game for C. B. A. in the final against St. Joe's, but they carry with them the memory of the wonderful season of 1925 and it will be a long time before it and they are forgotten at C. B. A. THE SEASON'S RECORD: C. B. A ...... 14 Solvay ............ . . 0 C. B. A ...... 20 Solvay ..... . . 0 C. B. A ...... 19 Fayetteville ..... .. . . 0 C. B. A ...... 7 Onondaga Valley. . . . . 0 .C. B. A ...... 12 Oswego .......... .... l 5 C. B. A ...... 25 Watertown ....... . . 0 C. B. A ...... 6 Eastwood ......... . . 0 C. B. Al ...... 20 St. Aloysius, Rome. . . 6 C. B. A ...... 10 Ogdensburg ....... . . 0 C. B. A ...... 12 Central ..... . ..... . . 7 C. B. A ...... 19 St. Ioe's, Buffalo. . .. . . 2 s

Page 49 text:

PURPLE AND GOLD Page 47 Basketball Superlatives are lacking to speak adequately of C. B. A.'s stellar year in basketball. It was a continued climbing from Vernon to Passaic! Each game was but another step up the ladder to success. It is true that the team slipped once or twice but in the long run this onlyadded to their glory. Never in the history of scholastic basket- ball in Syracuse has a team been supported so well. The school gym was packed for the small- est games. The fight for seats at the major con- tests began weeks before the game. Records and comparisons are good indications of a team's strength, but there is no mark so infallible as the following it has. From start to finish, it was a truly wonderful season. Even in the opening games, the Brothers, team ran up huge scores, showing the air tight defense and beautiful ability to handle the ball that carried them through. As the season pro- gressed and harder games became more preva- lent, the condition of the team became evident. The continued successes at the end of the season were due mainly to the ability of the players to keep going from start to finish. At the Glens Falls Tournament C. B. A. was pitted against the pick of the Eastern States. Here again the Colden Tornado swept everything before it. And, as a fitting crown for their labors, the Brothers' aggregation humbled the invincible Passaic, exacting full revenge for the defeats suffered at the hands of the Jersey Wlonders in previous years. Looking backward, it was a great year for C. B. A. In twenty-two starts, the team slipped only twice. Any quintet that had the honor of conquering the Purple and Gold cagers, may well be proud of itself. just as in football, the spirit and spunk displayed by that stellar squad were without parallel. They were gentlemen in vic- tory and perfect losers in the face of bitter de- feat. Every place they went, C. B. A. is now known for its clean athletes and good sports. The reputation of C. B. A., Syracuse, has been widely broadcast and in future years other representa- tives of our Alma Mater will look up to the '25- '26 five as the shining example of what a C. B. .-X. team should be. Names of players in cut on preceding page: Back Row Cleft to rightl Bishop, Frey, Allen, Dutton, Sheedy. Seated: Byrne, Howe, 'Asst. Manager: Brother Edward, Faculty Director, Coach, Ed. Kearney, Dwyer. Front: Maloney, Captain Freddie Mesmer, Ryan. THE RECORD : C.B.A. Op. Dec 4-Vernon at Syracuse .... Dec 11-Oswego at Syracuse .... Dec 23-Fulton at Fulton ..... Dec 30-Central at Syracuse.. . . . jan. 6-Oneida at Syracuse. . Jan. 14--Manlius at Syracuse .... Jan. 15--Canastota at Canastota.. jan. 22-Oswego at Oswego ..... Jan. 30-Sherrill at Sherrill. Feb Feb Feb 55-Sherrill at Syracuse .... .6-St. joseph's at Syracuse... 12-Canastota at Syracuse. . C.B.A. Up. Feb. 19-Oneida at Oneida .... .. . .32 2.3 Feb. Z6-Aquinas at Syracuse ....... 17 - 13 Mar. 4-Manlius at Syracuse ....... 22 23 Mar. 5-Fulton at Syracuse ........ 47 9 Mar. 12-Aquinas at Rochester ...... 7 8 Mar. 13-St. .loseph's at Buffalo ..... 31 17 Mar. .30-Fort Plain at Fort Plain. . . 47 21 Glens Falls Tournament Apr. 7-Horace Mann, N. Y. City.. 26 10 Apr. 8-St. John's Prep., Danvers, Mass. ..... . ............. 44 21, Apr. 9-Passaic High, N. I. ....... 41 34