Watseka High School - Watchekee Yearbook (Watseka, IL)

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BASEBALL Leff ro Ri ghr--- 2nd Row---Coach Ralph Dodson, Leroy Henning, Bill Bingham, Frank Redman, Paul Sorenson, Paul Sears Mr. George Sprau, 'lst Rowv-Darrell Decker, Doug Shonts, Lynn Flach, Howard Gordon, Ray Ralph, Henry Eilfs, Ronny Park inson, Jim Flesher---Omitfed--Gene Eilers. 1 . Warriors Baseball Schedule Home Away May 2l Donovon 6-5 May l8 Donovan l-2 June l4 Hoopesfon l5-4 May 25 Milford ll-6 June 25 Gilman 3-2 June 4 Gilman 8-6 July 2 Paxton lO-2 July 5 Hoopesfon l7-3 July 16 Gibson City 9-l July 18 Paxfon l4-l July 23 Ranfoul 7-3 July 20 Gibson City 5-3 July 26 Ranfoul 6-0 55

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TRACK lfid' if 9 9 QQAQS-5', lg 5, , S-. lx D K xx'-H Standing--Bud Garfield, Tom Davis, James Barnhart, Bill McGill, Preston Moore, Paul Sorenson, Bert Tunks, Don Clauser, Sam Foster, Lou Goetz, Bill Bingham. Kneeling--Don Wene, Gerald Gregory, Charles St. Germain, Milton Brady,Harry Kaufmann, Ronnie Waters, Joe Koonce, Henry Eilts, Lynn Flach. TRACK The track season opened on Friday, April 20, at Gilman. Gilman won with O.M.S. following. Watseka placed third. The score was 84, 34, 32. We progressed in the second meet at O.M.S.' as O.M.S. racked up 59 points to win. Watseka totaled 49 points with Paxton accounting for 43 points. We gained revenge on O.M.S. in our third meet with them. Onarga was the third school par- ticipating in the meet at O.M.S. Watseka--NM, O.M.S.--585, Onarga--2l. At Sheldon, the Warriors led the Rams of Sheldon. Milford third all the way. However, the Rams overtook the Warriors to come out on top. Rams--67 ?f3g Warriors--5655 Milford--27. The county track meet at O.M.S. brought out a determined Warrior squad which eventually was crowned county champions. The first five teams rated in this order: Watseka--37 V55 Gilman-- 34Mj Sheldon--32 V55 O.M.S.--2725 Central--l9 V5. The district track meet was held at Kankakee. Jim Snedden, one of our most valuable men, was the only one who placed. At Rantoul, the Warriors came out fourth in the Wauseca League track meet. Jim Snedden broke his stride on the last low hurdle and took a hard tumble on the cinders. 54 'T 1 1 - l

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T T T BASEBALL The Watseka Warrior nine, last season had the most successful campaign in the baseball history of the school. They were downed in their opening tilt but they then came back with twelve triumphs in a row. They also emerged the champions of the Wauseca Summer Baseball League with eight straight triumphs without a defeat. The Warrior nine opened their season on May 18 by traveling to Donovan to lose in a pitcher's duel 2-l between Lefty Sears and Donovan's Roger Lareau. Three days later after the Warriors opening game defeat, Donovan moved to the Warriors happy hunting grounds. The Watseka bats came to life for a 6 to 5 triumph. Watseka moved to Milford on May 25 to avenge a defeat suffered one year previous. When a Warrior batsman popped the ball into the air with two out in the last inning and Watseka on the short end of a 6 to 4 score, it looked as if Milford would win again. The Milford infielder dropped the ball and before the final out could be posted against the Warriors, they had tallied seven times. Watseka had turned a 6 to 4 defeat into a ll to 6 victory. Gilman played host to Watseka on June 4 but the Watsekans did not treat their hosts very well as they tipped the Owls in a closely contested game 8 to 6. The Warriors were now ready to go into battle for the Championship of the Wauseca Summer Baseball League. They were out to dethrone last years undefeated winners, the Hoopeston Corn- ierkers. Watseka and all of the league was to run into bad weather in their schedule and were therefore compelled to play rescheduled games. Watseka's first step in dethroning the Cornierkers was on June I4 when they husked the Jerkers on the home diamond by a I5 to 4 count in an abbreviated contest. Watseka played host to Gilman in an out-of-the-league encounter on July 25. Bill Bingham, Warrior short-fielder, slid across the plate from third in the inning with the winning run as a Warriors 'batsman whiffed and had to be thrown out as the Owl Catcher dropped the ball and therefore had to throw to first to get the batter out. The score was 3 to 2. Paxton's Mustangs were corralled on Warrior hunting grounds on July 2 in another abbreviated contest by a 10 to 2 score. Paul Sears hit a double md a triple while Henry Eilts crossed the plate for three markers. The diamondeers of Watseka traveled south on July 5 to face Hoopeston's no-hit, no-run pitcher, Skip Biedenkopt. Bill Bingham led the Warrior attack against the no-hit pitcher by getting four hits and scoring five runs while the Warriors romped to an easy l7 to 3 win. On July l6, Gibson City visited' Iroquois's County Seat and were sent home with a stinging 9 to l drubbing. Doug Shonts hit a homer and a double for the winners while Lefty Paul Sears threw a one-hitter at the losers. Watseka, on July l8, played on Paxton's newly erected diamond. Doug Shonts held the Mustangs to two hits in a l4 to l win. Henry Eilts, Warrior Centerfielder, walked four times and crossed the plate with four runs. The Warriors traveled to Gibson City on July 20 in which a victory would mean the Champion- ship. Doug Shonts doubled Frank Redman home with the winning tally in an extra inning, 5 to 3 victory which made the Watseka Warriors winners of the league crown. Watseka was now shooting for an undefeated league title as Rantoul moved into town on July 23. The game was close for a few innings but the Watseka boys broke loose with a four runs outburst and scored a 7 to 3 conquest of Rantoul's Eagles. The Warriors closed their season at Rantoul on July 26 by shutting out the Eagles 6 to0 behind the two hit pitching of Doug Shonts. The Watseka Warriors had a season to be proud of, in winning twelve of their thirteen games. The Warriors knocked over their league opponents with ease in marking up 81 runs to the opposi- -tions l6. Watseka lost eight seniors from the championship squad via graduation. They were Frank Redman, Paul Sears, Henry Eilts, Bill Bingham, Gene Eilers, Lynn Flach, Ray Ralph and Le- Roy Henning. The Warriors have a fine bunch of ballplayers left for next season to help keep the league title for Watseka. 56