East High School - Exodus Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

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In the following 51 season, Coach K's cagers began to show signs of improvement by playing better than a . 500 season and many of their heart-breaking defeats were by very narrow margins. The Bedford games were lost, two in a row, by one and two points. Bill Eneix, another of our classmates, made the team that season. The '52- 53 basketball season is the one which the coach worked hard to make his most successful, starting off the season with a 44-29 win over Bedford. Even though January graduation meant the loss of seniors Andy O, who is an important play-maker, Steve Stoyko, Hank Rocco, Bill Eneix and Vic Kovacic, the coach still has good material in his giant ball hawks to complete an excellent hardwood season. TRACK The track squad contained the fewest athletes from our January ’ 53 class--Tom Kotnik and Hank Rocco, both lettermen and both highjumpers and hurdlers. Tom placed in the indoor and outdoor Senate Meets during his senior year, the best of his jumps being a clear six feet while Hank placed in the indoor meet in his tenth grade year- in his best jump he cleared the bar at five feet ten inches. The three years here at East saw two different track coaches, George G. Dales and Carl Bauer. Both have had excellent track material to choose from among the boys at East. Those senior boys who worked on the track squad have contributed greatly to the development and prestige of this sport at East. TOM KOTNIK HANK ROCCO

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There was a change of schedule in the 1952 football season. Instead of the traditional opener against Shaw, the Blue Bombers met a powerful Elyria eleven. New senior faces were seen on the Bomber squad that night--Tom Kotnik at right offensive guard, Don Dearth, middle linebacker on defense and Hank Rocco, offen- sive right half-back. Even though the Blue and Gold had the powerful quarterbacking of Andy O the Elyria team had too much experience for the Bombers’ green team. East went down 26-0 before the Lake Erie League champions as the defeated team. Inexperienced as the team was, it ended the Senate schedule with two wins, three losses and one tie. The Bombers were helped along greatly by the accurate throwing arm and soft passes of Andy Okulo- vich. Whenever sports are mentioned, the January ’53 class will always remember its all-round athlete, Andy, whom many newspapers and sports writers have called the best high school quarterback in the state. In addition Andy contributed greatly to baseball on his second base position and to basketball by playing guard. BASKETBALL Entering East in January, 1950 the class was plunged right into the midst of the basketball season. Andy Okulovich, Vic Kovacic, Hank Rocco and Steve Stoyko were members of the sophomore class who were later named to the varsity squad by Coach Eugene T. Krakowiak. The coach, who had only recently started his career at East High, planned to rebuild the team for the coming two years with the help of these boys.

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COMMITTEES Prom Committee Evone Anderson Steve Stoyko Shirley Kufrin Marianne Hawran Shirley Bond Janet Sefcik Don Dearth John Relic Phil Simon Jim Brand co-chairmen Miss Lillian Aitken Senior Adviser Senior Dance Effie Vassos Howard Kretzer Joyce Powell Rose Giangiobbe Jo Anne Hayes Bill Evitts Beverly Koshel Ronald Bond Eugene Stermole Ed Sabath Roy Ebihara Rae Merkle Bill Eneix Don Dearth co-chairmen Yearbook Carole Morgan Editor Ray Gibson Arlene Christen Barbara Parish Betty Bruce Adolph Spagnolo Donna Armonas Larry Rufin Edith Brown Hank Rocco Vic Kovacic Dean Dudley