Radcliff High School - Torch Yearbook (Columbus, GA)

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ATHLETICS AT RADCLIFF-1947-48 I Continued D back in the last few minutes of the last period, trying to win by making a touchdown. The score was then 12-7. We did manage, however, to sum up enough energy to stop them on the one-foot line. Here we took over and kept the ball for the remaining few minutes. Radcliffe was a happy bunch of boys when the final whistle blew. Almost immediately after the whistle, the rain began to come down. We were dog tired and ate our dinners in reserved quietness for a team that had just won an important game. We rode home in subdued silence, having suffered injuries to four of our best men. Having gotten home, we met a tyro in Hutto High of Brainbridge. They scored first and the stands went wild. Here was a team that was threatening to take Radcliffs pants off, but they never should have done it. The Maroon Tigers lashed his tail in anger and when the fur had stopped flying, we were out front by a score of 33-18. The Hutto boys fought well but they just didn't have it. Soith Girard was the next on our schedule of foes for the season, and they were more than ready. We were a bit cocky over this game. But after the first few minutes we knew that we had a fight on our hands. It was not until the last few minutes of the iirst half that we finally got a score. Ages, again, snatching an impossible pass out of two Girard players' hands, and with the aid of beautiful blocking, twisted the remaining few yards to pay dirt. The half ended 6-0 in our favor. In the second half Girard was as tough as ever, stopping everything we could throw at them. Then, to add insult to injury, they gathered in a touchdown and the score was 6-6. What a game! The fans were getting their money's worth. As the game drew tenser in the last few minutes Girard grew desperate and tried a game on a pass into the fiat side. That was just too bad, for Scales was over there and gathered it in and scampered 65 yards for a score. Evidently, stunned by the sudden turn of events, Girard fell victim to an old reverse and Pough drove across for the last marker of the night. It was a great gamel Girard deserved better but it just wasn't in the books. ' Two weeks later we picked on Van Buren, of Eufaula, Alabama, for our next victory. They were no trouble and the affair wound up 38-7 in our favor. November 12th came around and we were all set for our Home Coming, which was to be with Hunt High, of Fort Valley, Georgia. There were the usual parade and festivities before the game. The squad was in the pink' and we whipped them in easy style for a 20-0 victory. Their team was com- parable to those of previous years. ' -'Cl 49 jif - 1.3

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ATHLETICS AT RADCLIFF-1947-48 Athletics at Radcliff for the school year was limited to football. This policy was adopted by our principal at mid-term, however, in spite of this curtail- ment, we did have a most successful season. Beginning in mid-September our squad worked hard for the opening game with the strong and powerful Wash- ington High, of Atlanta. There was not enough time and not enough of our first-string players retumed in time for conflict. We bowed to a superior team, the score being Washington High 19, Radcliff High 6. The big factors in our defeat at this game were lack of conditioning and team work. This will be understandable when it is known that we had only two weeks to prepare for what was the hardest game on the entire schedule. Of course, we knew beforehand that this would be our hardest game of the season, but we couldn't do any better under the circumstances. Washington High just had a better team at the time. We do believe if we had met this team at a later date we might conceivably have won from them, as in most of our games for the season. Homer Ages was our shining star. Our second game was with Thomaston High of Thomaston, Ca. We had two weeks of rest and just that much more training before this game, and we really showed signs of the training, the final score was 56-0 in our favor. Against the weak opposition our backfield scintillated on almost every play. Our forward wall was not pierced all evening long. We were never in danger of being scored upon. Every man in uniform had a chance to try his ability in this game. At this point it looked as if we had worked ourselves into a well-oiled piece of machinery. Future games bore out this idea. Here we discovered wealths of reserve material, much to the delight of the coaching staff. We were three deep at most positions. Even though the third man was not as good as the first. He was in most instances as capable as the iirst of our average opponents. Game number three came along on October 10th, and we went over to Augusta, Ga., to meet the strong and highly touted johnson High. We were very sluggish after the long ride by bus. Having arrived only a few minutes before game time. During the first half we had no trouble in offense or defense. On the second play we had no trouble also for Homer Ages broke off tackle and zig-zagged forty-five yards for a touchdown. The blocking and tackling was good for most of the first quarter, but fatigue, due to the long ride, soon began to take its toll. We plugged out another touchdown to lead 12-0 at the end of the quarter and lapsed into an uncomfortable grudge of not being quite able to click. In the second half we were on the defensive most of the time. Our energy had gone, leaving us only our nerves to give us the spirit to play on to the finish. Then johnson began to move and before we awoke she had a touchdown by air route. Still we could not mount an offensive that would last long enough to pay off. johnson came thundering -asf 48 fav- Q i

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0 . ATHLETICS. AT .BADCLIFF-1947-43 ' qcwfiwap Eight days later we took on the 1946 State Champions, Dasher High, 'of Valdosta, Georgia. They had a very good team but it must not have been the championship team of the previous season. We were never in danger from anything they had to offer. On the other hand, our backs ripped their line for long gains time after time. Pough, McCray, Leanord and Ages were unusual in their elusiveness and pass defense. Thanksgiving Day was to have been the game of games-Radcliff vs. the mighty and proud Spencer High. We don't really know why, but they de- faulted. Radclilt claimed the State Championship and was invited to the COLA BOWL in Columbus on Christmas Day. Their opponent was Rosenwald High of Panama City, Florida. They were Florida's State Champions, and had not been defeated. Christmas Day came and with it came what was to decide the championship of the entire Southland. ' Rosenwald scored lirst and the battle was on. Radcliff roared back and in a iew minutes the game was all tied up even again. It was then that the Maroon and White warriors showed their mettle by tuming on the heat and running away from the Floridans. Rosenwald only threatened once more and that resulted in a safety for them. We scored in every quarter and sewed up the game in grand style, winning by the one-sided score of 39-9. We were the champions. It was a well-eamed victory from a worthy foe. In a linal summary it might be said, quite truthfully, that our line was not superior, in every respect, to any opposing line we met all season. This does not mean that our line was invincible, but it does mean that it was a veteran line with plenty of speed, power and know-how. As high school lines go, it was a fairly big line, our ends being the lighter portion. Our largest taclde, Slick Hartman, weighed 212 pounds, Willie Sluggy Glenn, a first string tackle, weighed 175 lbs. Paul Cook was really outstanding as a tackle for his first year, although he is in the Senior Class and will be graduated. Cook was trying to till a mighty big hole left by the failure of Roosevelt Watson to retum. The other tackles, who were first-year men, and who will retum next year, are Frank Thomas, Eugene Watson and Robert Herte. The guards who were our mainstay and graduate, were Albert McCruder, Eddie Chambers and Richard Moore. The other guards who gave splendid service, were Hal Stroy, the first string, Johnnie Davis and Ray Harris. These last-named boys will be back next season. At end, Robert Allen, who will graduate, Lenwood Cameron, Robert Dorsey, Harry Criliin and Edgar Scale, did a line job all season. The last two names mentioned were utility men, and played every position except quarterback. Our reserve strength in the backlield was based ,around james Dunham, Thomas Williams, Robert Williams and Frank Mathis, who promised to be a -+3 50 53+ - 5 f