Slatington High School - Reflections Yearbook (Slatington, PA)

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players was Helen Pfromm, a forward, who could outscore every girl in the league. Girls who were captains or were known for their ability in basketball from its inception up to the discontinuance of the league included! Margaret Roberts. Marie Schertzinger, Agnes Caskie, Helen Pfromm, Mary Jones, Ruth Stettler, Roma Roberts, Ruth Paules, Lillian Jones Alice Panles, Anna Messner,Eleanor Kern, Margaret Hughes, Mary Pavclko, Almede Newcomer, Roberta Yenser, Anna Schierer, Esther Dilliard, Dorothy Roper, Dorothy Berlin, Evelyn Schneck, Doris Roberts, Carrie Paules, Oneda Smith, and Kathryn Schaeffer. The girls' league pennant Williams was the teams, while not in the league, basketball team won the in 1918 when Helen L. coach. After that the attaining highest place played many hotly con- tested games. The three-part floor sys- tem was generally used, making the game somewhat slower than it is to-day. The earlier teams were fully equipped with middies, heavy serge, pleated bloomers, long socks, and well-padded knee guards. The teams in the basketball league included Palmerton, Northampton, Cata- sauqua, Allentown, Bethlehem, Tamaqua, and Easton. Games with Lehighton, East Mauch Chunk, Emaus, and Nazareth were also played. Since the league is no longer in existence, the girls' basket- ball teams have played games with Emaus, Palmerton, and Moravian. basketball is no longer for Lehighton, Since one and onW'athletic activity for girls, the game has become a minor sport. Girls are participating in gym ball, playground ball, and The basketball teams High School should soon be to becoming winning ones club, volley hiking. of Slatington on their way because the benefits of the physical education pro- gram begun in 1935 under the direction of Miss Arnold and Mr. Williams will be felt. With a systemitized program of physical development our boys and girls are expected to show remarkable improve- ments. Then, too, the modern afforded by Smith Hall, our new gymnas- facilities ium, which was dedicated on December 9 to the memory of Mr. Norman Smith, the man who coached our first pennant-win- ning team, should aid in bringing forth from our future teams the best that is in them. Smith HaD.is a remarkable building. The gymnasium is entered through a bean- tiful lobby where are located a ticket booth and a cloak room. The flooring is of slate in various colors. blue, green, and red. The gym itself presents an at- tractive appearance. With a buff ceil- ing and light blue steel girders as the overhead scheme, a marvelous color ar- rangement is apparent in the woodwork finishings which are of knotted Pine. The court is 48 by 75 feet, standard collegiate size. The entire dimensions of the floor are 55 by 81 feet, There are 24 rows of seats, with accommoda- tions for 1500 people. The gymnasium is so constructed that all spectators may have a clear view of the entire playing court. At the eastern end of the court is a stage, 43 by 26 feet. A beautiful ma- roon velour curtain with gold trim off- sets the rustic pine finish. This stage makes an ideal place for the seating of the band which plays for all home bas- ketball games. Plenty of ventilation is afforded in the gymnasium. Beneath the stage gre large tubes where the foul airis carried away. On the sides of the seats there are numerous ventilators. are seven easy exits. Two of to the rear of the structure, open upon the lobby. The up- of the seats are flanked by enclosure which provides suf- There them lead while five per tiers the glass ficient natural light to eliminate the l'U9338'-I

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UQD8'-1 i.i,-,.....l----- overnight. Our high school team, when it played in Lehighton, remained over- night. These first games were independent ones, not league games: for it was not until shortly after 1918 that the Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Leaque admitted Slatington as a member. Games between the different high schools were sometimes planned just at a moment's notice. For instance, in the 1919 season, our varsity team had a game scheduled with Stroudsburg, and on the same day Northampton wanted a game with Slatington. Our second team was sent to Northampton: it emerged victorious after playing an extra period. A few of the outstanding basketball stars developed during the seasons of l9l7-l918-l9l9- were George Rauch, Allen Rauch, and Irl Rauch, three brothers, Russell Keener, Wallace Kern, Walter Dettmer, Carl Schertzinger, and Allen Keener. In the 1920 season George Rauch, Willis Ringer, John Craig, Malcolm Meagher, Paul Craig, Homer Paules, Dale Smith, Elvin Costenbader, Chalmer Evans, Daniel Rauch,and Webster Mann starred on the court. In 1918 Mr. Hausman was succeeded by Mr. Norman Smith as coach. Under Mr. Smith's coaching, the Slatington teams gradually improved until in the 1924-25 season, the team composed of William Beidleman, Harrison Dilliard, Richard Newcomer, Samuel Newcomer, and Lloyd Williams, our present instructor in phy- sical education, and the substitutes Carl Fritzinger, James Fritzinger, Del- mar Hartline, Sherwood Peters, and John Williams took second place in the league Other high schools that belonged to the league that season were Allentown, Both- lehem, Catasauqua, Northampton, Palmer- ton, Tamaqua, and Easton. In the following season of 1925-26, Slatington took first place kxthe league with Carl Fritzinger, Sherwood Peters, James Fritzinger, John Williams, and Delmar Hartline playing on the first team, with William Beckley, Robert Da- vies, Robert Pierce, Robert Prestwood, and Dean Shenton as substitutes. During the 1925-26 season Lehighton Whitehall, Emaus, and Stroudsburg took the places in the league which had been vacated by Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem, and Tamaqua. It was during the uoffn season that Slatington High School lost by death one of its best loved and greatest basket- Mr. Norman Smith. In his ball coaches, place as head coach was elected Mr, Da- who won for us the champi- vid A. Kern, onship in the league in the 1926-27 sea- son. For three years after the winning of the pennant, Mr. Kern kept the team in second place in the league: since then our standing has been variable. From 1932 to 1934 we placed from third to sixth. In 1935 we were definitely back in third place. At present we are in an athletic slump. Mr. Kern was succeeded at the coaching helm in 1955 by Mr. Fred T. Maass and assistant coach Lloyd Wil- liams. Our boys apparently went into a slump because the playing conditions of all those other league schools far sur- passed those of Slatingtonz but new that we have the best floor in the league we may look forward to the time when our team will again be a leader in the cir- cuit. Although boys' basketball was begun in 1907 in the high school, it was not until 1917 that the first girls' basket- ball team was organized. The Girls' basketball was a member of the Girls' Lehigh Valley Scholastic League until the league was abolished two years ago. Coaches for those teams were the Misses Helen Williams, Dorothy Maxwell, Maude Evans, Agnes Caskie, and Dorothy Berlin. Outstanding among the

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:UQ562 use of electric lighting during the day. For the evening games sufficient illumi- nation has been provided. To accommodate the players, there are spacious locker and shower rooms which can be reached easily. Our second most important sport is football. Although a team representing Slatington High School played football as early as 1906, the game is really in infancy, since the first football team that played under our school's name had but one or two high school boys on it and assumed the high school's name only as a means for securing games with sur- rounding schools. This first team's big rival was Kutztown Normal School. From 1906 to 1911 no football was played by either the school or the local community. In 1911 a few high school boys began to play football. They had no eligibility or training rules, no coach, and particular system. Even at this period occasionally an outsider was allowed to play. Members of this early team will remembe1'an amus- ing incident that occurred whencnr foot- ball team had a game with a neighboring high school. One of our players, a ma- ture-looking boy, who was actually about twenty-five years of age, aroused the doubts of one of the opposing players as to whether this youth was a student or not. Our team heartily assured the doubtful lad that this full-grown man of ours did Wbelongn tothe school, that he was our janitor. Actually he was in no way connected with the school. After the 1911-13 period football was discontinued until Mr. Fred T. Maass and Mr. Lloyd Williams assumed in 1935 the coaching duties of both basketball and football. Because of the absence of this fame for so many years, the funda- mentals of the game were new to the boys that reported most of whom had never even witnessed. a football game. The first season was not successful from the standpoint of wins and losses, but the boys who participated learned the rudi- ments of the game. They were rewarded for their efforts with one tie-game out of the seven games played. The second year, 1936, the improved play of the team brought better results as the boys won two out of the seven scheduled games. The third year showed further improvement, the team winning two games and tieing one. Our big football rival, as in other sports, is Palmerton: other opponents have been Emaus, Catasauqua, Whitehall, Coplay, Northampton, Lehighton, and Stroudsburg. It will not be very long before the Slatington High School football team will be one of the strongest teams in the Lehigh Valley. It requires years to develop winning football teams. After we have developed a football spirit sec- ond to none, our football record will show a decided improvement. Baseball is our next ranking sport. It was begun about 1907. A few of the outstanding players in the early years of baseball were Harry Steckel, Norwood Hankee, the best pitcher that the team had, Harvey Steckel, and Edwin Beaehler, the manager. From 1909 to 1919 the mainstays of the teamwwre Lloyd Roberts, Allen Maxwell, Walter Cole,Norman Kuntz, George Minnich, Earl Steckel, Roy Camp- bell, Alfred Miller, Charles Moyer, one of the first managers, Edward Bachman, James Snyder, Earl Sauerwine, a capable manager of the team, Lawrence Haines, Edmond Jones, Norman Smith,Ray Stettlgr Matthew Meagher, Francis Scheffler, Lame renee Roberts, Harry Jones, Lawrence Moyer, Alfred Neff, Lewis Panles, and George Pierce. Our early opponents were .Berwick