Derry Borough High School - Derrian Yearbook (Derry, PA)

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Basketball Squad With mostly inexperienced boys, Coach Bucci's chances for a winning team were slim. Nevertheless, he lost no time in molding five boys into a team that brought glory to the school and pride to the players. Our stellar center, Walters, who led in scoring for the team, was the third highest scorer in section XIII, and just one point out of second place. Tom Wingard. who sank goals with either his right or left hand, played an important ro'e in De-rry's most successful basketball season. With no previous varsity experience, Bob Gontz was in tiptop form when Derry met Derry Township: and his ten points helped to upset this team. Boyd Baughman, playing his first season of varsity barketball, was the best ball hawk of the team. Time after time, Boyd took that ball from the reach of boys much taller than he. It was Boyd who held Johnston, the scoring ace of Ligonier, to two foulsff--his total score of the evening. One of the best defensive guards ever turned out by Derry was Brick Toner. All Pat needed to say was, Red, do this g and it was done. Since Brick was seldom removed for a substitute. he was an iron man who formed an important cog in our team. Henry will leave a big hole in Bucci's lineup for 1940. When anyone was ejected from the game because of personals, the coach always signalled for Tony Sylvester to substitute. Kenneth Fulcomer will be remembered for his all-around playing against Hurst when he substituted for the ailing Wingard. Ken, for making live goals that evening, is given the credit for Derry's decisive win. When several of the regulars hit a slump, Hugh Akins was brought up from the Junior Varsity. This candidate showed himself worthy: for in an important game with Ligonier, he scored the first three points, which helped to lead the Derry boys to victory. , Although George Toth was probably the smallest player, he will be remem- bered for that football-like pass down the floor to Walters at Youngwood. This goal helped Derry to climb the steep ladder in section XIII. Although Tom Henry and Dominic Gasbarro, seniors, did not see very much varsity service, they helped a great deal to toughen the boys for varsity battles. Holmes Yealy and Dalton Bryson, who started out with a bang, were hard , pressed by other candidates but will probably make varsity history nsext year. QQ f f Personnel: + X V Forwards: Wingard, tGontz, Fulcomer, Akins, Yealy. Centers: iWalters, Bryson, Hen- ry Guards: i'iBaughman, Toner, 'tSylvester, Gasbarro. Managers: :fiBridge, Werner. Coach: Bucci Assistant Coach: Williams. VARSITY SQUAD Front Row: Boyd liaughrnzin. Henry Toner, Thomas Wingnrtl, Robert Gontz. Gem-go Toth' K,.nm.th FUI, eomer. Coach Bucci Back Row: Dominic Gzusharro. Tony Sylvester, Dalton Bryson, Robert Walters, Holmes Yenly. Thomas 5 Henry FIFTY-SEVEN

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FOOTBALL RESUME CContinuet-D 'Ina ' ' t. FOOTBALL SQUAD L.E. lEarnh:irt ' Sylvesterlf Ifennem in' L.'l'. Humphreys llelle llonne IMG. MPBl'00Ulv Gray L. Akins' Henry R.G.E.G:islml'i'o J. Allison' R.T. Gillis' H. Allison' R.E. Rooney' Fritz Q. Bi'idi.te ' Winirard' L.H. Toth' Gontz' R.H. Walters M:i5:retti F. Toner' ll. G2lShZll'l'0' Received letter ziwiirtls Football Team ln Action Well-conditioned and looking much better, the boys returned to the New Derry field the next week as hosts to Saltsburg. Humphreys, stellar tackle, put Derry ahead when he blocked a punt and fell on the ball over the goal line. A thirty-yard run by Bridge and a fourth-period drive added two more scores. giving Derry their only victory of the season, 19-0. Another road journey took Derry to Ligonier to battle an ancient rival. Lig- onier, with the best team in years, broke the jinx to score a 6-0 victory for the first time in three years from Derry. Buell took a lateral pass and raced thirty yards for the only score. In the final period the light Derry team marched to Ligonier's ten-yard line, but a fumble stopped the drive and prevented a score. Bridge, the light Derry quarterback, starred offensively. An invading Leechburg Class A team, which had held the powerful Vande - grift team to a 7-6 score, was much surprised when the game ended with a score of only 14-73 for Leechburg had come to Derry set on a one-sided display, but Derry made them struggle for their close victory. Toner, Akins, and Humphreys starred defensively. Walters made it tough for Leechburg offensively and climax- ed the afternoon with a forty-yard run for Derry's only score. With the stonewall defense of Derry's line. the classic battle with Blairsville on Armistice Day has already gone down in history. Outweighed fifteen pounds per man, the Derry forward wall held Blairsville to two first downs. After watching this masterful exhibition displayed by the Derry line, Coach Bucci ex- claimed after the game, We had no luck, boys! Derry made eleven first downs in rolling Blairsville all over the field, but two breaks gave them a 13-0 victory. Rooney, a freshman end, and E. Gasbarro, Akins, and Magretti-all sophomores --aided in making this history. The usual banquet given by the lVlen's Club on December G proved to be a real event. It was a Corrigan Affair, in which the boys treated the patrons for the patience displayed by them as they stood by us in defeat. Mr. Abraham, capable attorney from Greensburg, was the principal speaker. Doctor Witherspoon, president of the Men's Club, gave gold footballs to the seniors, after this, letters were distributed bv Mr. McKelvey and Coach Bucci. Besides the players, June Craver and Helen Stiffler, cheerleaders, and Anthony Mastrorocco, manager, also received letters. l Il TY-SIX

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Basketball Resume i i l l i The first te to taste defeat at the hands of the Derry High quintet Was Blairsville After leading throughout the game, Derry weakened in the fourth quar- ter but survived the test with victory. When Blairsville came to Derry, they again met. stiff opposition from the Bucci quintet. With twelve points each, Yealy and Wingard played an important part in winning this game. After leading 6-4 at the half, Derry faltered in the second half and met defeat at the hands of Scottdale. Yealy and Walters sparked Derry's attack, the latter getting eleven points to lead the scoring for both teams. Again Derry took to the highway, this time to Latrobeg for the first. time in many years. the two teams met on the hardwood. Only after a scoring spurt in the third quarter was Latrobe able to turn back the determined Rams A strong alumni team was repulsed when Walters began his scoring spree of the season. After trailing 17-12 at the half, a revamped Derry team returned to the floor and was able to overcome the alumni's lead and score a victory. In a return game with Latrobe, Derry again faltered in the second half to lose the game. The margin of victory was decided at the foul line, for each team had seven baskets. In the final pre-league game, Scottdale was again able to turn the tables on Derry. Walters was again high scorer with fourteen points. When East Huntington visited Derry for the first league encounter, we began our drive for league honors with a win. Although the Derry five was able to win. the boys failed to work together smoothly. With that over-confident attitude drilled out of them. Derry's quintet traveled to Youngwood. After a hard-fought battle in which Walters and Wingard scored all of Derry's points, We still had a perfect percentage with two wins and no losses. The Kaiser-coached five rallied in the last period but fell short of victory by three points. Another league Victory, and another star was uncovered as Derry walloped Hurst. In scoring ten points, Gontz led the team to victory. Through the snow storm the Derry cagers motored to Mt. Pleasant to meet Culler's five. A never-to-be-forgotten contest resulted. With the score 19-19 at the end of the game. and with Walters and Bnughman out on personals, the Derry boys lost in an extra-period entanglement. I lFTY-EIGHT