Matewan High School - Magnolian Yearbook (Matewan, WV)

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Football hogged the spotlight from the other two sports in '56-57 the first as a result of the Tigers' victory over the Williamson Wolfpack in the history of the school The highlight of a great 8-I -I season under Coach Ellis Fields was the tallying of the lone score by senior Ron Whitt with less than five minutes to go for the coveted Victory over the Wolfpack. This year's team, destined to live in the memories of M.H.S. students for many years, scarcely knew the meaning of the word losers. The scores for the best re- cord in recent years were: Matewan I3 Elkhorn City 6 Matewan l 8 Liberty 6 Matewan 7 Wayne 6 Matewan 2l Guyan Valley 7 Matewan l3 Man 6 MATEWAN 6 WILLIAMSON O Matewan I4 Burch 0 Matewan 26 laegar 2 Matewan 0 Ceredo Kenova 0-Tie Matewan 6 Van 7-Loss The lone loss came at the hand of Van on a mud-laden field . Ironically enough a former coach at M.H.S. was the winning coach. This team assembled, in this writer's estimation, the greatest forward wall ever controlled by a Matewan coach. Coaches Field and Hugh Miller had nothing but praise for boys like Jim Keatley, Alben Warf, Jim Marshall, Lewis Ball, E. Miller Cope, Scrappy Johnson, Dallas May, Larry Williamson, Ted Murphy, and Joe Opauski who composed the line. The backfield, not as highly publicized but deadly in its attacks included Ronnie Whitt, Craig Mankin, Arnold Norman, Pete Akers, and Jim Bailey. As a result of their team play, three boys were placed on the first all-area team and one on all-state. Practically every starter received numerous votes in the all-area selections. The boys mentioned above were Ron Whitt, Jim Keatley, and Scrappy Johnson. Jim Keatley became the first Tiger gridder to be named to a first team berth on the All-State team. In Jim's junior year he was listed on a second team berth. Jim Milmige, former great at Magnolia, coached the youthful Basketball team which finished the regular season with a 9-I2 mark. With only one senior listed on the squad, Melmige, evidently decided to plan for the future as numerous sophomores dotted the line-up from time to time. Roy Phillips and Sonny Hatfield polled positions as regulars although only sophomores Scrappy Johnson and Larry Williamson represented the juniors, and Ron Whitt the only senior. 'Taking a foresight into the coming baseball season, this writer sees the passi- bility of a state championship. With such veteran pitchers as Craig Mankin, Ronnie Whitt, and James Clark, coupled with some timely hitting, the Tigers could very easily rack up an unbeaten season. Coach Melmige is relying heavily on the hitting of Fred Tiller, Jim Keatley, Al Warf, and Craig Mankin in quest of his first suc- cessful season as the new mentor of the hardball sport. 'The annual went to press before the baseball season started. 69

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FLOOD STORY JANUARY 29, 1957 The school term of 1956-57 will be a memorable term for M.H.S. students. Something vary rare, a 13 day vacation in February, came to pass as a result of the worst flood in the history of the town of Matewan . School returned to session three weeks after the fateful morning of January 29, a Tuesday moming. The day began such as one expected in January, with a slight drizzle falling. There was some talk of a possible flood but a look at the somewhat raised Mate Creek quieted many of the rumors. The students attended their home- room classes as usual, but, during the five-minute break before the 9:00 period, word quickly spread that water was rising in the street above the underpass down town. Mr. John Anderson, the principal, sensing the situation too, sent an announcement through-out school stating that school would be dismissed at the close of the 9:10 period. Tension mounted as numerous students, heading downtown, observed that the water had risen to such a point that cars were not attempting to go through the water, much to the dismay of many students who live below Matewan, however, the bus made it through. By this time it was eleven o' clock and the river was rising at an estimated 18 inches per hour and therefore backing up at a much higher rate. Local towns people, as a result of past floods, had assumed the practice of parking their cars on the school lot which was, supposedly, above flood level. Much to horror the backwaters did not stop at the level of the school parking lot. As a result approximately twenty cars and trucks were completely covered. A school bus was listed among the casualties at M.H.S. Complete destruction faced the town about ten o'clock when the third of four giant gasoline supply tanks gave way to the water and emptied it's entire contents. A great hush fell over the town when the fire department passed a no smoking ban because of gasoline covered waters. At approximately this same time, water entered the Jones 's Drive-lnn in the extreme north end of town. The water continued its fantastic rising spree until the wee hours of the morning when it reached a stand still, then the river slowly and deliberately started its decline. Some various land lwaterj marks which will serve as a reminder of the flood of '57 for many years to come include: water two feet over the clearance of underpass which is marked 11 ft. 6 in. Four feet over Kentucky West Virginia bridge in lower end of town, five feet above floor in gym, only the roof showing of City Motor, two feet of water in Jones' Drive-Inn. The flood has now passed, though hardship is not a thing of the past. Today people stand on the bridge in the lower end of town and look down upon the smooth, muddy waters of Tug River. It is almost beyond their comprehension that this quiet river could rise 40 feet in 16 hours and bring maior diaster to the quiet, serene town of Matewan. But sorrowfully they say to themselves, It did--in '57. 70