Ponce de Leon High School - Cavaleon Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

Page 101 text:

Playing eleven night games here and six day games away, P0nce's baseball team encountered a record num- ber of opponents for any one year. Remaining from last year's squad were just five lettermen. They were Bud Smethurst, Dutch Kirkland, Ray Pierce, Dick Fandry, and Tom Day. Scattered around the in- field this year were Kirk Westcott on first base, Dutch Kirkland at the key- stone sack, Talbot Tram- mell at shortstop, and Ray Pierce holding down the hot corner, third base. Following are the games and the results: Against Ponce OPP- Redlands 7 0 Lake Worth 0 2 West Palm Beach 6 5 Ft. Lauderdale 5 4 Homestead 3 9 Edison 3 9 Miami High 2 6 Redlands 9 3 Ft. Lauderdale 6 3 Edison 5 4 Lake Worth 0 3 West Palm Beach 4 9 Miami Beach 3 7 Andrew Jackson 6 3 Andrew Jackson 13 l Miami High 1 4 Miami Beach 3 0 In the outfield were Dave McDonald, Jack Keena, Bud Smethurst, Julio Clarke, Dick Fandry, Fred and Rob- ert Scheiss, Ray Pierce, Tom Day, and Kirk Westcott. Stepping up to the mound this year were three new- comers and two lettermen. Bud Smethurst and Tommy Day pitched for the Caval- ier sackmen last year. These two lads have plenty on the ball and completed a successful season. Bill Dav- is, fresh from California, is a curve-ball specialist. A southpaw, he won three and lost three games this sea- son. Dave Callender, a right- hander, won one game this year. He has a nice hook and a swift ball. Vic Dacy, the other freshie, also played good ball. ' Dcmaldea Behind the plate was sophomore Jack Keena. Dave McDonald also caught sev- eral games. .lack Keena led the bat- ting with a .425 average: Dutch Kirkland seconded with 343, and Dave Mc- Donald batted .311. Top. left to right, top row: Keena, Day, Smeth- urst, Daniels, Vogt, Hartnett, Clarke, Ander- son, McDonaldg Bottom row, Dacy Callender, Westcott, Davis, Pierce, Wells, Trammell, Fandry. Lower left: Ray Pierce snatches a high one. Lower right: Bill Davis winds up.

Page 100 text:

Lengthening their lead in the final seconds of play, Edison's Big Ninei' championship team edged a dogged Ponce quintet, 40 to 27. With but four minutes to play in the game, the Lemon City slickers led by one meager point, 27 to 26. But experience told the tale in those trying moments and the Raiders came out on the left hand side of the ledger. Evenly-matched games may be fun to watch, but they're tough to lose. At least the Cavaliers thought so when they were jolted by Jackson 36 to 35 in an overtime thriller played at the Edison gym. Biggest upset of the season came when Kentucky Military lnstitute's crack cage quintet visited our perspiration-parlor and were rudely kicked 31 to 29. The K.M.l. basketeers led all the way till the last quarter, when the Ponce cagers got to work and shoveled twelve points into the bucket while tying up K.M.I. with six. Center Tilson scored twenty-two points for the visitors, while .lack Bras- ington swished the sphere five times through the ring to pace the home at- tack with ten points. Ponce's Baby Cavaliers, the BM squad, defeated a majority of their opponents, as did the freshmen, who reached the finals of the district junior high tour- nfllllent. Seniors leaving the team this year are .lack Brasington and Bobo Rath. Fred Gahr is the only HB squad member graduating. 98

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Left to right: Jay Clarke, Sam Daniels, Bobby Miller, Tommy Blakey, George Corrigan, Gerald Monsalvatge, and Pic Brannon. 71651214 100 Experience was the keynote of Ponce de Leon's ten- nis hopes this spring. With four lettermen returning, our net chances looked very bright at the time of this writing. Four opponents filled the '45 tennis slate. First the netters met the Beach racqueteers at Flamingo Park, then Fort Lauderdale's fine team visited us at the Coral Gables Country Club the following week. Miami High was next in line, and the Gables netmen played them at Henderson Park. ln their final match of the season, the Cavaliers met Edison on the Country Club courts in our other home contest. Sam Daniels, resuming his '44 number one position, led the Cavalier netters. In the order named, the rank- ings went from one to seven, Sam Daniels, George Cor- rigan, Gerald Monsalvatge, Pic Brannon, Jay Clarke, Bob Miller, Tom Blakey. However, Sam, George, Gerald, and Pic are the returning lettermen. To the state tournament at Rollins College Ponce sent up four players early in the month of May. They had a good opportunity to come home victorious. Manager of the tennis squad this year was George Corrigan. The seniors who graduate this year will leave a large gap in the tennis lineup. Sam Daniels, George Corrigan, Pic Brannon, and ,lay Clarke have all played an excellent brand of tennis, and replacements for them will be hard to find.