David Starr Jordan Junior High School - Dolphin Yearbook (Palo Alto, CA)

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Av? Vs! - V , c K 2-J 1333528 J? gig ,Swag . W iii i 15 13 Q3 3 'ilggw Ei L to R: lst row-Michoud, Piers, Hamby, 'Valencia, Grohe, Coleman, Hubbard, Roberts, Stark, Rhoades, MacCurdy, Lowe, McClellan. 2nd row-Duncan, Stennis Pappas, Weissbluth, Oakes, Mitchell, Martin, McPhail, Baer, Leal, Northway. 3rd row-Mr. Dunham, Fregulia, Clavelli, French, Clarke, Bowman, Smith, Lockhart, Munsey, Bridges, Olpin, Marsh, Williams, Mr. Cavender. The football season ot Jordan was one of the highlights of the year, with the T955 Dolphin varsity winning six, tying one, and losing none. The turnout for the team was so large that a lightweight team was farmed, under the direction of Mr. Hill. The 'll5's, al- though they practiced every day, played only two games: they saueeked by Sequoia, 7 to 6, and whipped Wilbur, 28 to l2. The varsity, basing their attack on the Split-T, was such a versatile club that Coach Cavender later added some single wing, double wing, and buck-lateral series. The first game, at night, was against Bellarmine and the Dolphins won easily by a 26 to 6 score. In the first half Claude Valencia scored twice, with QB Don McPhail running over the conversions. The Bells, after some desperation passes late in the game, finally scored when Spooner of Bellarmine hit his end in the end zone for six. However, Jordan racked up two more TD's to run away with the game. In the Menlo game, the Dolphins looked sketchy in the first half, as the line buckled often. Fortunately, Menlo didn't have much of a punch, and never got beyond their own 50-yard line. In the second quarter, McPhail hit Valencia with an up-and-out pass, and Jordan went ahead. Shortly after, Larry Oakes took off around end for 30 yards and another score, McPhail and Frank Mitchell carried for the extra points. In the last quarter, Mitchell ploughed over the line again, and Mike McClellan passed to Gordon Lockhart, making the final score Jordan 21, Menlo 0. Fremont, although a weak team earlier in the year, gave Jordan a rough time before succumbing, 7 to 6. The game was marred by poor blocking in the line and sloppy running by the backs, plus numerous fumbles and penalties. When the going got really tough, however, the Dolphins tightened up and held Fremont on the 20-yard line, and after .lordan took over McPhail pitched out to Oakes on a QB optiona and Oakes turned the corner and sped downfield 70 yards for the winning touchdown, with McPhail running the winning point over with a QB sneak. Playing Bellarmine for the second time, the Dolphins really got rolling, and even though Coach Cavender cleared the bench, the club ran up a 41-to-6 score. Bellarmine started out fast, by scoring on an 80-yard pass-and-run, but then the varsity got down to business and smashed the Bells. Valencia, enioying one of his best days, ran wild on the gridiron and scored three times-once from 45 yards out, and twice from within the 20. Mitchell, Oakes, and Bill Munsey also scored, the latter 'making a beautiful downfield run, smashing over the last defender as he bowled into the end zone. Mitchell ran over four conversions, and McPhail passed to George French for the other. Against an inept Carlmont team the Dolphins were at their best-and even the linemen got into the act with the newly in- vented Bowman Series in which Big Bob Bowman left his tackle spot to carry the mail. Coach Cavender, warming up his aerial attack for the Wiibur game, turned Don McPhail loose and McPhail pitched for two scores, with Valencia and Mitchell receiving. Carlmont tried to tear a page from the Dolphin air-force, but the quick-footed Jordan defenders snatched Carlmont's second air attempt, as Oakes intercepted on his own 35 and scampered all the way to score. Carlmont then put together a sus- tained drive, and dented the Dolphin goal-line twice. However, after their kick-off, McClellan pulled a neat QB sneak and fooled everybody as he sneaked around end and then raced 60 yards down the sidelines to score for Jordan again. Late in the last quarter Carlmont scored again, but the final score was 41 to T9 in favor of the Jordan varsity. On the strength of their tremendous record, Jordan went into the Wilbur game a one-touchdown favorite, but the fact that the odds never hold on the Jordan-Wilbur game plus the fact that Mitchell had a had case of poison ook, Bowman had the flu, and John Roberts was out with a locerated finger made things look evener. Coach Ernie Leydecker, of Wilbur, had the Warriors higher than a kite for the big game, and when on the third play of the game Jordan's QB McPhail sprained his ankle and had to leave the game, the Warriors took heart and smashed through the Dolphin line time and again, as Ernie Stevenson led Wilbur to a I2-to-6 halftime lead. Jordan kicked off to start the second half, and Stevenson ran the ball right back down into Jordan territory where Wilbur continued to smash into the line until the ball rested on the 5-yard line. For three downs the Jordan line held, but with 4th and l to go, Wilbur ploughed through and converted to take a commanding I9-to-6 lead, and it looked like Wilbur was not only going to upset the favored Dolphins, but make the game a runaway for the Warriors. McClellan, calling a clever series of plays, worked the ball down to the Wilbur 30, where the drive slowed down. Oakes went back to punt, and on a fake-punt dodged the Wilbur ends and then battled his way through the Wilbur line, and once free zoomed over the goal to make it I9 to 13, when he also carried over the conversion. The tide of battle had turned, and both players and rooters had sensed it was iust a matter of time until Jordan would wear out the shorter Wilbur bench. The Dolphins, who couldn't pass with McPhail out, had to crack a iammed-up line but Oakes, Mitchell, Munsey, and Valencia ripped apart the Wilbur line time after time for a few yards each carry, but the clock was moving faster than the backs. Finally, after a slow, torturous, but sure advance, Mitchell took a hand-ol? and cut inside end, and then cut back over center to race I5 yards for the score. With only seconds remaining, McClellan pitched out to Oakes for the conversion, but Oakes was nailed iust short of the goal line, and the score stood tied at I9 to T9. Jordan managed to get the ball with I5 seconds remaining, and a hobbling McPhail came in to try a desperation pass, but the Wilbur team knew what to expect, and two long heaves were batted down, and the game ended all tied up. It was a moral victory for Wilbur, but as, Coach Cavender said about Jordan, . . . it takes a real team, with a lot of guts, to come back the way our boys did. There is no doubt about it, the 1955 Jordan varsity racked up a great season record be- cause the team wanted to play, and wanted to play hard. Later, at the Football Banquet, Mitchell was named the Outstanding Back, French the Outstanding Linemanp Bowman re- ceived the Palo Alto Times Award for consistently fine play, and Valencia was named the Most Valuable Player on the team. Mr. Cavender Head Coach Mr. Dunham Assistant

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Sports f Q. a 1' . L91 Mitcham Wqmon Munseq FA 1 A--Q Coleman Bridges

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L ro R: lst row--Bill Birch, Jim Barger, Barry Boothe, Roger Santos, Dave Tonkin, Elliot Smith, Roland Mays, Gary Mickelson, Steve Earle. 2nd row-Peter Brown, Shaun Kelly, Mike Cassidy, Bob Winkler, John Ravichio, Doug Elliott, Steve Jest, John Reed, Ken Stern. Lightweight Football Mr. Hill Mr. DiBari Head Coach Asslslcm