Paxton High School - Reflector Yearbook (Paxton, IL)

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Del Lunde, six foot guard, was the surprise of the season. Not expected to play a very important part in varsity basketball this year, Del turned up as the most improved player on the squad and garnered a guard position for the entire basketball season. There are two more years for this boy who is expected to send Paxton to a couple of sectionals in the next two years. Gale Hedrick teamed with Lunde at guard position this year to make the defensive part of the team an all-sophomore affair. When Gale transferred from Fisher High last year, that school lost a big, hard-rebounding guard, and Paxton gained a valuable boy. Jeb McKinney is a junior this year and so will be back to scrap for a forward post on the ’35 quintet. A letter-man in basketball for three years now, McKinney’s strong points are his drive on under-basket shots and his ability to make long attempts. Bud Larson, better known as the “minute man,” is another senior who has played his last hardwood game for Paxton. He has been a letterman for three years and has held the interest of the fans every time he has played. WON 20—LOST 7 Paxton, 35; Gilman, 21 (T) “ 24; Rossville, 17 (H) 18; Rankin, 19 (three overtimes) (T) “ 32; Roberts, 12 (H) “ 40; Onarga, 22 (H) “ 31; Gibson City, 27 (H) “ 32; Rankin, 15 (H) “ 18; Rantoul, 19 (T) “ 20; Melvin, 23 (T) “ 34; Piper City, 12 (H) “ 29; Gibson Citv, 15 (T) “ 20; Kempton, 17 (H) “ 22; Rossville, 20 (T) “ 17; Rantoul, 23 (H) “ 26 ; Onarga, 19 (T) “ 24; Robei-ts, 22 (3 overtimes) (T) “ 46; Melvin, 16 (H) “ 45; East Lynn, 22 (Invitational) “ 33; Gibson City, 21 (Invitational) 12; Rantoul, 19 (Invitational) 16; Gibson City, 21 (County) “ 48; Cabery, 10 (County) “ 27; Melvin, 14 (County) “ 45; Kempton, 23 (County) “ 26; Saybrook, 16 (District) “ 23; Bellflower, 16 (District) 10; Rantoul, 12 (District) Total Points—Paxton, 753; Opponents, 493. Average Points per game—Paxton, 28; Opponents, 18.

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BASKETBALL ♦ ♦ TWENTY victories out of twenty-seven games. That’s the record made by the P. C. H. S. quintet for the 1933-34 basketball season. This record, incidentally, happens to be the best that we fans have had to boast for a long time. To be really accurate, this is the best season Paxton basketeers have ever had. Winning eleven and losing three also happens to be the best a reserve five has ever done. Now that we’re all through with the records and what not, we’ll begin with the opening of the season and see just how these aforesaid victories were made. About forty boys responded to Coach Hankenson’s first call for basketball, and out of that number only four were lettermen- However, that had little to do with the formation of the team as a senior from a three-year school, several sophomores, and a junior beat out all but one of the lettermen. When the season began, the team lined up like this: Stine and Higginson, forwards; Harrington, center; Lunde and Hedrick, guards. It was this group of boys who had the most to do with how our season’s wins and losses totalled. When the Rantoul game in the semi- finals of the district tournament ended basketball for the year, it was this same bunch of fellows who were in there scrapping for a shot at the district title. Here’s a little resume of the letter-men. Everett Stine, forward, was elected captain of the team. Nearly always good for five points, probably the best shot on the squad from the sides and corners, and letterman for three years, Stine should be more than proud to look back over the record he helped to make this past season. Bill Higginson, a forward, and for part of the season a guard, was by far the most aggressive man on the team. A regular ball hawk and a good side shot, Bill quickly captured the fancy of the local crowds besides playing a bang-up game in every way. It’s been a long time since Paxton has had a center who could score as much and as consistently as Harrington. A product of a three year school, an excellent pivot shot with a height of six feet three to top it off, Harrington had more than a profitable season with the locals this year. He was cocaptain with Stine.

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MINOR SPORTS BASEBALL UNDER the direction of Mr. Swin-ne.v, Paxton’s nine, which was organized only last spring, is going places in a big way. The first four games of the season all turned into victories, with two of them being Iroquois County tilts. Incidentally this is the first year Paxton has entered the above-mentioned league. Gibson, Armstrong, Buckley, and Gilman have all received defeats at the hands of the Paxton outfit at this juncture of the season. Bill Higginson and Vernie Orr, while handling the pitching assignment, have already turned in two no-hit victories, something to shout about in any man’s league. Johnny Reep and Don Lewis take care of all the receiving. Del Lunde spreads his six feet of lank over the initial sack, Jack Curran holds down second, Dick Nelson is at third, and Everett Stine at short. Kenny Jones is at left, Bud Larson in center, and either Higginson or Orr, whichever isn’t pitching, covers right field. Captain Jack Curran, Lewis, Orr, Nelson, Stine, and Larson are the regulars who are lost to next year’s team. The other members of the squad, who will help round out the ’35 team, are Bud Flora, Tom Curran, Bill Chartier, and Bud Van Antwerp, freshmen; Gale Hedrick, sophomore; and John Thompson, junior. TRACK P. C. H. S. track has been at a low ebb the past few years, but Coach Hankenson seems to have an extremely successful remedy for that particular situation by working mainly with first and second year talent. This outfit, the frosh-sophomore team, has, to date, turned in the best record of a team of its kind in the history of Paxton track. Winning a trio of dual meets and placing second in a pair of quadrangular tiffs is the fine record compiled by these boys. From the varsity team Bob Swanson stands out in the dashes and broad and high jumps; Butch Burkard, the star long distance runner, and Don Lewis, a broad jumper and 880 runner, are the best point winners outside of the boys on the afore-mentioned freshman-sophomore team. All three of these boys will be lost to next year’s team, as they are seniors. Following is a list of the boys who have participated in the meets so far: Bob Sw’anson, Clarence Nuss, and Chuck Cornelison are the main dash men. Burkard, Lewis, Decker, Kirk, Ryan, and Marshall execute all the distance runs. Hancock, Cornelison, and Stone take care of the hurdling. The leading broad jumpers are Swanson, Lewis, Jones, Smith, and Hancock; while Henry, Barr, Nuss, Smith, and Swanson make up Coach Hankenson’s weight department. The pole vault has its share of hopefuls in Hancock, Jones, and Archer; and the quarter mile is run by Bus Healy and Lewis. The last event, the high jump, has quite a field of applicants in Bob Swanson, Henry, John Swanson, and Kirk.