Saint Michaels College - Hilltop Yearbook (Colchester, VT)

Page 78 text:

nessy, Jim Whitlock and Joe Hermans from the freshman material of last year, Doc had the nucleus of a strong team. In addition to these men, Eddie Krupinsky, Ray Borzelleca, Dick Klaess and Ernie Despirito gave further insur- ance for a successful season. Using the T formation, Doc drilled the backs in all its intricacies and developed two fine quarterbacks in Ernie Despirito and Eddie Kru- pinsky. Jack Daly and Billy Hart were sure ground gainers in the broken field, while Len Tyl, Don Dennis and Carl Zucknieovich were to supply the power when a line plunge was called for. Marty Conley, Ronnie Coleman and Ray Borzelleca added depth, speed and power to the halfback posts. In the meanwhile, Bill Piscione and Barry Branon were whipping the line into shape, and we do mean whipping. They worked the boys hard but the work bore fruits which were sweet to the taste. CSt. Michael's taste, that is.j John Wojceichowski, John Suzio, john Hennessey and Bob Knight guaranteed strength on the ends of the line. The tackles, joe Hermans, Stan Yan- kowski and jim Conboy displayed plenty of drive and Clem Ferris and jim Whitlock were excellent guards, but it was in Dick Klaess, the center, that the surprise of the season was uncovered. His steady work on offense and his brilliant defensive game were climaxed by his selection for all-state honors. This was the situation on the eve of the all- important Hrst contest with our arch rivals from across the Winooski, the Catamounts of UVM. U.V.M. N OUTWEIGHED but never outfought team of Purple Knights tore the lid oft the 1948 football season on Saturday afternoon, September 25, by defeating the Catamounts of the University of Vermont. In accomplishing this 15-2 victory over their bitterest rivals, the pigskinners from the hilltop notched up the first win over Vermont in varsity competition since the baseball team turned the trick in 1947. It was also the first victory by a Varsity football squad from St. Mike's since 1933 when they won the state title. When the smoke cleared away the Knights found themselves on the short end of the statis- tics but on the long end of the score. Vermont had eleven first downs to our five, the Catamounts rushed the ball 164 yards to St. Mike's 36, only in the air did the Knights surpass the Catamounts, we had 65 yards gained to their 35. The game was a thriller from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. For the first ten minutes Vermont held a decided advantage but then the Knights started to roll. Krupinsky com- pleted a short pass to Bob Knight for a first down, then Eddie again hit the glue-fingered

Page 77 text:

Varsity Football N the evening of November 13, Head Coach Doc Jacobs and his aides, Bill Piscione and Barry Branon, a St. Michael's alumnus, could look back on a highly successful season. Their and rapidly rounded into shape. The victory over the University of Vermont in the initial game can, in a large measure, be attributed to the excellent physical condition of our boys. FOOTBALL TEAM 1st row-Coach Jacobs, Whitlock, Deignan, Daly, Ferris, Hart, West. Znd row-Coach Piscione, Brennan, Wojciechowski, Conley, Borzelleca, Knight. 3rd row-Fitzgibbons, Galerneau, Fioroni, Conboy, Tyl, Krupinsky. 4th row-Klaess, Suzio, Coleman, Yankowski, Savoit, Hermans, Zuchknieovich. Sth row-Mgrs. Fraser, Maiorano, Hanlon, Brennan. charges had just won five of seven games and had yielded a total of only 15 points all year. The season started for the players with a two weeks' sojourn at Camp Holy Cross on the shores of Lake Champlain. Here the boys under- went gruelling physical exercises, lost excess poundage accrued during the summer months, Groundwork in the fundamentals of the game was also stressed at the training camp and the out- look for the season was bright. With such estab- lished players as Clem Ferris, jack Daly, Marty Conley, Bob Knight, Len Tyl, jim Conboy, and Stan Yankowski returned from last year's squad, plus Billy Hart, john Wojciechowski, jack Hen-

Page 79 text:

Knight and this time he went all the way. With St. Mike's ahead 6-O, UVM took the ball and rolled to our ten where the great Purple line rose up and stopped them. At this point the Knights took over on downs but a punt by Ray Borzelleca was blocked. Ray recovered the ball in the end zone but Hobie Cook fell on him there, giving the Catamounts their only score of the game. In the second half the superb conditioning which was the result of the stay at Camp Holy Cross began to pay off. Each Knight walked off the field as fresh as when he went on but some of the Catamounts were dragging their tails. In this half the Purple and Gold dominated the play. E jim Whitlock blocked a Vermont punt and our boys were on their way to a second touchdown which was scored a minute later when Billy Hart took a hand-off from Eddie Krupinsky and crossed over from about five yards out. Ernie Despirito converted and the Knights led 13-2. It can be said that no one man outshone his fellows in this game but the play of the line was outstanding. Three times they forced the Cata- mounts to hand the ball over on downs when they were but a short distance from pay dirt. Five thousand people were in attendance and they left the stands with that feeling of satisfaction engendered by seeing a good game. However, the happiest of all were the Michaelmen supporters, from Father Lyons on down. They left Centen- nial Field with smiles that reached way around back. CHAMPLAIN RESH from their opening win over Vermont and with the team at full strength, the Knights traveled across the lake on the following Saturday, October 2, to take on the Blue Jays of Champlain College in Plattsburg. The weather for this game was much cooler than it had been the preceding Saturday and so were the Purple Knights. Yet it was only their inability to convert an extra point which cost them the ball game. The Knights could not get started in the first half and the Blue Jays, led by Bill Powell, a fine back, tore through the line, seemingly at will. Only a couple of inspired goal line stands by the forward wall kept the Purple from being more than seven points in arrears at half time. Doc's locker room pep talk must have been a scorcher for right from the kickoff that started the second half the Knights looked like a new team. The line was far more alert and the backs resembled the boys who were instrumental in bringing about the victory over Vermont. Jack Daly was particularly adept in this half. He pitched a thirty-five-yard pass to Hennessey for St. Mike's six points, then late in the game he scampered through tackle for a forty-yard gain, the longest of the day by either team. The boys received their share of bad breaks in the game but it was a poor showing in the first half which beat them. It can be attributed most likely to a letdown after the great win the week before. Len Tyl, the pride and joy of West Rut- land, and Marty Conley are to be commended for their great defensive work in this game.