Port Huron High School - Student Yearbook (Port Huron, MI)

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BASKETBALL The team that started the 1939-40 season was one of the most inexperienced in the 12- year coaching history of “Brick ' ’ Fowler. The Reds played a tough schedule during the year dropping decisions to Flint Northern, Jackson, Grand Rapids Union, Toledo Waite, Toledo Libby, Mt. Clemens, Grosse Pointe, Lansing Eastern, and Ford Trade. Port Huron defeated Hazel Park twice, Ford Trade, Mt. Clemens and Ferndale. Although the rather poor record of five victories and nine defeats does not show it, the Red-Whites lost three games to the foes by five points or less which is a very narrow margin in basketball. Loose ball handling and lack of height was the direct cause for the early season defeats for Port Huron. In the later games Coach “Brick” Fowler experimented with some of the sophomore talent but without much suc- cess, although the boys played a good brand of basketball. The 1939-40 captain, Ernie Tallman, showed excellent judgment in making various decisions throughout the season besides playing a good brand of basketball at his guard position. Letters were awarded to the following men: Captain Ernie Tallman, Ralph Ingerson, Gor- don DeLacy, Bob Lewis, John Sanderson, Bob Hobden, John LaForge, Don Schatzline, Bill Truscott, Jack Dobratz, Jack Goss. A1 Petrossi, and manager Dave Gorte. Ingerson, Goss and Petrossi will be eligible for the 1940-41 season. Hobden, Schatzline, Truscott, and Dobratz have two more years ahead. Don Schatzline has been elected captain for next season. Next year’s team will probably be built around Hobden, forward; Dobratz, cen- ter; Schatzline and Truscott, guards. 1939-40 BASKETBALL SEASON Grand Rapids Union 25 — Port Huron 21. Port Huron started off the ’39-’40 season with a defeat at the hands of Grand Rapids Union. Although Port Huron was leading by four points at the half, very loose ball handling on the part of the Reds was responsible for their loss. Johnny LaForge, who was high point man with ten points, and the defensive work of Bob Lewis featured the Port Huron play. Flint Northern 37 — Port Huron 20. Superior play on the part of Flint Northern, last year’s state class A title holders, easily de- feated the Red-Whites. The Flint Northern team also took advantage of its greater height in scoring the victory. The highlight of the Reds ' playing was Johnny LaForge, who again led Port Huron’s attack with nine points. Jackson 32 — Port Huron 21. The lack of height again resulted in a Port Huron defeat at the hands of Jackson. Jackson’s tight defen-

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•pigskin Paraii? St. Clair 0 — Port Huron 39. Due to a heavier and superior line. Port Huron started the season by easily defeating St. Clair. Port Huron needed only a straight running game for the line was very good on offensive. St. Clair’s punting featured their play. Ferndale 0 — Port Huron 0. Through a full game of cold, rainy football Port Huron battled a lighter, faster, and superior Ferndale team to a nothing-nothing tie. There were no outstanding plays or players due to the heavy downpour of rain. Sarnia 0 — Port Huron 12. This an- nual game was played at Sarnia with the first half being played under Canadian rules, with neither side threatening to score. The second half, played under American regulations, was more exciting with Port Huron going over for two touchdowns. Mt. Clemens 6 — Port Huron 0. Al- though Mt. Clemens brought a heavier line here, the play of the Port Huron forward wall stood out throughout the entire game. A Mt. Clemens back received the Port Huron kick-off at the half and ran it back 90 yards for the only score of the game. Jackson 19 — Port Huron 6. Port Huron played and lost its first game of the season under lights. Jackson had the advan- tage of speed and weight and used it to a great extent in the last half when they made two of their touchdowns. Helwig and Richert brought the crowd to its feet several times but even their brilliant plays were not enough to stop Jackson. Hazel Park 6 — Port Huron 6. This was the first home night game in the history of Port Huron High School. After two scor- ing threats had failed. Port Huron finally scored in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Hazel Park came right back with a 9 3 -yard run for a touchdown. Like Port Huron’s their try for the extra point failed. Pontiac 6 — Port Huron 0. Port Huron invaded Pontiac with the Little Brown Jug in their possession. The big Reds outplayed Pontiac throughout the game with some mag- nificent football. Even the outstanding play of Glen Leonard failed to stop a sixty-yard returned punt that counted for Pontiac’s only score. Grosse Pointe 0 — Port Huron 18. The Port Huron Red-Whites closed their sea- son and continued their jinx over the Grosse Pointe team with a victory. Although the Pointers had a heavier team, the speed of Port Huron was too much for them. Bob Richert, scored all three touchdowns, and Don Free- land’s blocking and tackling featured the Port Huron victory.

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sive tactics kept the Red-Whites’ offense well checked during most of the game. This defense held Port Huron to a lone field goal in the second period. LaForge and Don Schatzline shared the Port Huron scoring honors with six points apiece. Ferndale 24 — Port Huron 30. The Port Huron Red-Whites snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Ferndale, 30-24. Port Huron took over the leadership in the first period and although outscored in the late minutes of the game managed to check the threat and win. The steady shooting of Johnny LaForge again featured the game for Port Huron. Grosse Pointe 30 — Port Huron 25. By defeating Port Huron, Grosse Pointe won its second game in a 14-game series with the Red- Whites. The Pointers played a great defensive game in the first half to lead 18-10, but in the late periods the Reds outscored their rivals 15- 12. The Grosse Pointe defense caused the Red- Whites to shoot from well out on the floor and wild passing handicapped the Port Huron team at crucial moments. Mt. Clemens 16 — Port Huron 29. Port Huron at the end of three quarters got their attack clicking against Mt. Clemens in the Bath City, and rang up 12 points in the final quarter to make a 29-16 score out of what had been a contested game with their traditional rivals. This victory was the tenth in thirteen starts for a Port Huron High School basketball team coached by Brick Fowler. It was the Bathers sixth straight loss. Lansing 49 — Port Huron 28. Lansing Eastern took their revenge on Port Huron High School and defeated them 49-28. Missed shots tell the Port Huron side of the game while Eastern did everything right and were never in the hole. In a wild second half in which Eastern scored 25 points Port Huron lost control of the ball by wild passing. Coach Brick Fowler at- tempted to break Eastern s spell with frequent substitutions but it was to no avail. Hazel Park 34 — Port Huron 36. In this game Port Huron got off to a slow start and was trailing 11 to 1 9 at half time but they came back in the final quarter to win. In the third period the winners picked up speed and near the end of the session were within two points of a tie. Early in the final quarter Don Schatzline made the score 26-26 and a few seconds later he repeated to give his team a two point lead. Clever stalling helped to hold the margin the rest of the route. Ford Trade 21 — Port Huron 26. Port Huron won the first of a two-game series with Ford Trade when the Reds trounced the Traders 26-21 . The Red-Whites piled up an 18-11 edge in the third period and then watched the lead fade out and vanish when Ford made the score 21-20. These baskets aroused the Reds and with less than three minutes to go they made the score 26-21. Just to make the victory sure the Reds played a stalling game in the final 90 seconds. Mt. Clemens 25 — Port Huron 18. Mt. Clemens Bathers did the unexpected when they nicked Port Huron’s Reds, 25-18, for their first victory of the basketball season. The Reds romped over the Bathers in the first game of the scries in Mt. Clemens and for a while in the third period it looked as though they were going to repeat. But fate and the Bathers crossed things up in the last quarter of a very fast moving game. Toledo Waite 26 — Port Huron 24. Toledo Waite defeated Port Huron by a two- point margin in a game that gave the crowd lots of excitement. I he Red-Whites fast passing attack was very effective against Toledo’s man to man defense in the first half. In the second half Waite shifted to a zone defense which checked the Reds’ attack and enabled Toledo to obtain a two-point lead in the late minutes of play. Don Schatzline, Red Guard, was high point man with twelve points. Ford Trade 29 — Port Huron 19. The Red-Whites continued their losing streak by losing to Ford Trade School by a ten-point margin. It was a very slow game with neither team showing much scoring ability. Port Huron scored only seven points in the first half. Be- sides the defeat, the Red-Whites also lost the services of Bill Truscott for the remainder of the season. Bill injured his leg when he crashed into a wall during the game. Toledo Libby 23 — Port Huron 13. Toledo Libby played a very good defensive game in defeating the Red-Whites 23-13. The height of the Toledo team greatly aided them in their victory. The first half was rather lacking in action; the score being 9-4 with Port Huron on the heavy end at the half. Libby, however, came to life in the second half to score 19 points which clinched the game. Johnny LaForge was high point man with 1 1 points. Ralph Ingerson scored the other Port Huron goal. Hazel Park 24 — Port Huron 27. Port Huron finished the ’39- ' 40 basketball season with a victory over Hazel Park. This game was probably the fastest seen in the last few years in the Port Huron gym. The Red-Whites were leading by ten points at the half but the Parkers came to life in the last two periods to cut down the lead to three points. Bob Hobden. making his first start with the Port Huron var- sity, proved to be the spark plug of the Reds ' attack. Johnny LaForge was high-point man with ten points.