Lester Prairie High School - Prairiette Yearbook (Lester Prairie, MN)

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1939 - '40 BASKETBALL TEAM FIRST ROW- Bruce Birkholz, William Ernst, Harry Elliott, Clyde Beise, Kenneth Noim in SECOND ROW- Coach Falk, Orland Kruschke, Howard Wroge. Orval Birkholz, Itol ml Schmidt, Harold Lemke. Agmar Spleiss, Capt. elect for 1940-41 was absent when the picture was taken. 1939 - '40 BASKETBALL SEASON Lester Johnson, St. Paul 15 Lester Hutchinson 19 Lester :11Howard Lake 15 Lester Silver Lake 11 Lestei Silver Lake 15 Lester 24 Glencoe 18 Lester Brownton 11 Lester Cent1'al 10 Lester Hutchinson 19 Lester Glencoe 17 Lester Hamline Frosh 28 Lester Brownton 26 Lestei Central 21 Lester Howard Lake 20 it Overtime DISTRICT TOURNAMENT Lester 20 Hutchinson 22 Another outstanding team for Lester High! Three men were lost from the team: Eugene Daggett, Eldor Spleiss, and Oscar Rolf. Lettermen returning were: William Ernst and Clyde Beise co-captains, Howard Wroge, Agmar Spleiss, and Kenneth Norman and com- promising the rest of the squad were Bud and Bruce Birkholz, Harry Elliott, Roland Schmidt, and Orland Kruschke.

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1937 - '38 BASKETBALL SEASON Lester Chisago City 25 Lester 20 Hutchinson 17 Lester Silver Lake 29 Lester 32 Brownton 19 Lester Hutchinson 15 Lester 24 Central 17 Lester Central 24 Lester 19 Glencoe 17 Lester Glencoe 8 Lester 24 Watertown 22 Lester Holy Trinity 28 Lester 32 Holy Trinity 14 Lester Watertown 28 Lester 22 Brownton 10 Lester Silver Lake 15 DISTRICT COMPETITION Lester Hutchinson 24 Lester 18 Brownton 13 Lester Glencoe 21 Lester 19 Olivia 14 REGIONAL COMPETITION Lester 31 Lynd 34 Lester 19 New Ulm 21 In '38 Lester High enjoyed a new deal in their basketball history. Under Coach Foster, Lester attained the highest heights a Lester team has ever accomplished, this being the first and only Lester team to win a district basketball championship. With a new gym, a new coach, and new equipment, a new standard in team morale was cre- ated which probably accounted for most of the team's success. Coach Foster and his Fosterites were given a banquet at the end of the season, Rollie Johnson of WCCO being the principal speaker. All members of the A and B squads were pre- sented with sweaters, the A squad receiving monograms and gold basketballs. 1938- '39 BASKETBALL SEASON Lester 15 Howard Lake 21 Lester 22 Brownton 14 Lester 20 Mpls. South 31 Lester 19 Central 9 Lester 33 Hutchinson 11 Lester 22 Glencoe 26 Lester 56 Silver Lake 12 Lester 31 Brownton 21 Lester 16 Central 14 Lester 32 Howard Lake 20 Lester 30 Glencoe 31 Lester 43 Silver Lake 18 Lester 18 Hutchinson 11 1939 TOURNAMENT Lester 44 Danube 16 Lester 30 Glencoe 28 Lester 42 Bird Island 11 Lester 28 Hutchinson 38 The '38-'39 season started out with as much enthusiasm as the year before. Lester lost only two members of the championship '38 team - Howard Ernst through graduation and Jim Maetzold having transferred to Red Wing. Other lettermen returning were: Eugene Daggett, captain of '38 and '39 team, Eldor Spleiss, William Ernst, Oscar Rolf, Clyde Beise, and Kenneth Norman. Agmar Spleiss and Howard W1'oge earned berths on the '38-'39 teams besides letter- men returning. The team did not seem to be able to get going, losing their opening games to Howard Lake and Mpls. South. The team kept improving as the season progressed and by tournament time they were in full stride. The hi-light of tournament play was Lester's victory over Glencoe in the semi- finals. Glencoe defeated Lester twice during the season. The setback that was hard to take was the defeat at the hands of Hutchinson who Lester High had defeated twice during the season handrunning. It was a spirited Hutch team that came on the floor to upset the Lester High boys. Hutchinson went on to win the Regional and represent District 12 in the State Tournament. Again Eugene Daggett was placed on the mythical All-District Teamg Eldor Spleiss also received All-District award making it the second straight year that two Lester men were chosen.

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Harry Falk succeeded Roy Foster as basketball coach, and with Coach Falk came a new brand of basketball. Something never witnessed by fans in Lester Prairie. Set plays were used entirely by the team, and it was very successful. All of which can be seen by the team's record. The '40 team established a new record in Lester High basketball, having been undefeated in dis- trict competition during the season play. Two games lost during season competion: one to Ham- line Frosh and the other to the Kappa Gama Chi Fraternity of Hamline University. A hi-light of the season was L9St61',S surprising victory over St. Paul Johnson 16-15. The Johnson team was much larger than Lester's, eight men being better than six feet. It was de- fense that won this game for the locals and also many other games during the season. Twice Lester beat Hutch for revenge of the defeat they took in the finals of the district the year before, but it was Hutchinson and their Tigers that again beat Lester in the second round of the tournament play by a surprising 22 to 20 upset. Lester was again a favorite in this game, but the Hutchinson jinX was evident. The last quarter rally by Lester fell short. Again for the third straight year two Lester men were placed on the All-District team, Clyde Beise and Agmar Spleiss receiving the awards. William Ernst, who had been out the en- tire season with a broken arm received in an interclass tournament several years before, re- ceived the sportsmanship award. at t e N? 'A WC. 9 -5 'f '-- 'iffa ff! ggi , f -L ll ll - J x . ff f .... Y1 buds F4455