East Ridge High School - Musket Yearbook (Chattanooga, TN)

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Pursued by hefty Baylor linemen, Mike Odom legs the pigskin to- ward a total of 78 yards rushing for the evening. PIONEERS FEATURE EXPLOSIVE GROUND GAME AND RUGGED DE-EENSE IN '64 MODEL the grasps of a Red Bank Lion. a reverse, wingback Freddy Nunez attempts to Continuing in their winning ways the following week, the Pioneers drubbed the Ooltewah Owls with the aid of four long runs and a blocked punt by the score of 33-7. After being initially scared by the Owls, the Pioneers exploded, scoring on runs of 84, 49, 51, and 48 yards by Mike Odom, Richard Julian, Johnny Hodges, and Paul Pierce respectively. The Pioneers' defensive unit played their usual hard-nose game, adding a TD to East Ridge's final total by way of a blocked punt by Capt. Bobby McLeroy. Against McMinn County the following Friday, the Pioneers rolled up over 300 yards total offense and coasted to an easy 45-6 victory over the Cheerokees. The offensive machine was led by Mike Odom and Paul Pierce, both scoring two touchdowns apiece. Ends John Jeffery and Robert Weir also scored, Jeffery's tally coming on a recovered fumble and Weir's TD upon a 5 yard pass from Wayne LeFevor. The Baylor Red Raiders, resplendent after a 20-7 conquest of top-rated Oak Ridge two weeks earlier, invaded Shanks upon the following Friday. A grim, hard-nosed, rock-ribbed defensive battle was waged by the outmanned Pioneers, yielded only one long freak touchdown in losing 6-0 to the Mid-South champions. Baylor's head coach Jim Worth- remarked following the game, We were lucky to get out of there alive. The East Ridge boys deserved to win the they were a better football team this night. With the Pioneers' offensive machine stymied by Baylor's huge wall, the East Ridge defense substituted desire and determination for pure brawn and responded with an equally defense. Led by Capt. Bobby McLeroy with 12 unassisted tackles to his credit for the evening and tackle erry Cooper, the defensive unit held the highly touted Baylor offense within East Ridge's 10 yard line upon one occasion. 83

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. . as Johnny Hodges holds the ball for Jerry Luth- er on a PAT attempt. Behind a wall of blockers, Mike Odom Sprints 35 yards for a TD against the McMinn Cheerokees. 82 A familiar sight for m-any opposing line hackers . . .

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PIONEERS CLOSE OUT SEASON WITH IMPRESSIVE STRAWBERRY BOWL WIN Following East Ridge's brilliant game against the Baylor Red Raiders on the previous Friday, the Pioneers could only manage a 14-0 win over the hapless, winless Tyner Hilltoppers. Following a lethargic, scoreless first half, Mike Odom scored from the 8 yard line after a timely fumble recovery by Jackie Miller on the Tyner 12. Also, in the last five minutes of the game, the Pioneers managed to crease the scoreboard on a Julian-to-Weir pass good for 10 yards. Enraged as a result of their colorless showing against Tyner the previous week, the Pioneers completely humbled BGA by the score of 61-7 the following Friday. Mike Odom scored four touchdowns personally and passed for yet another, while Johnny Hodges con- tributed two. Not to be outdone, John Jeffery and Ralph Guider contributed one 6-pointer apiece. The defense again rose to the occasion, as Captain Bobby McLeroy led his cohorts in holding BGA to 125 yards total offense. In a boiling cauldron of dust at Hixson on Halloween night, the Pioneers nipped the Wildcats by the score of 10-7 on the strength of Jerry Luther's 41 yard field goal. Luther's long boot came on the heels of Mike Odom's 2 yard plunge in the second quarter, ending the Pioneer scoring for the evening. However, the game was far from over, as the Pioneer defense, although receiving one long, constant test in the second half, never cracked. 84 Perhaps, they didn't need those halfbacks' all, as a host of Pioneers waylay one from Baylor faboveJ and Notre Dame Cleft . In the first annual Strawberry Bowl Dayton, Tennessee, Johnny Hodges Mike Odom sparked the Pioneers to glittering 17-7 win over the Soddy Dai Trojans. Following a scoreless first ha wingback Johnny Hodges scored tv quick touchdowns, one on a 22 ya1 scamper up the middle and the other c a 20 yard pass from Ralph Guider. La in the fourth quarter, Jerry Luther addf his second field goal of the season, thu Odom along with Hodges carried t brunt of the Pioneer attack while Jo Jeffery, Robert Weir, Richard Julia Bobby McLeroy, and Kenneth Hob proved stellar on defense. The main c in the staunch Pioneer defense, McLer received the honor of Times' Linema of the Week for his efforts. providing additional insurance. Mil U . U . I , h 1 I o o