Out of The Past
1949: Fayette County may be making some football history Did you ever know that Fayette County, more specifically Uniontown and Masontown, might have figured in some national football history?
We didn’t either, until a couple of notes were discovered while rummaging in the old files for the bits of information that comprise this weekly jog into the past. And while on this “jog,” thank you readers for the many nice comments received about our weekly efforts. They are most welcome.
So, let’s jog back into the past, awayyyyy back to this week in 1949.
Yes, we are well into baseball season, but for the moment let’s swing over into football. At the time, the late Bob Wood was sports editor of the Morning Herald, and in one of his columns for this week away back then, “Splinters” (that was what we called him) reminisced about some events, sort of a bits and bites column.
Did you know that Randy Palladino, playing football for Uniontown High back in 1925, had his brief moment in local football history?
As Splinters recalled, Uniontown was playing Donora and scored on what would be the next-to-last play of the game, earning the Raiders a 12-12 tie. Uniontown then lined up in a drop-kick formation to try for what would be the winning PAT.
But instead, kicker Cece Connelly passed complete to Palladino for the clinching point. It was noted in the column “this was probably the first extra-point pass completion in Western Pennsylvania scholastic ranks.”
And it will stand as just that until somebody comes up with proof positive to the contrary.
And in a second historical note, Splinters recalled the most famous coaching name around here, Gene (The Old Fox) Franks, who made Masontown a by-word in scholastic football for so many years.
The Fox coached winning teams that set records for defense that have never been equaled, and probably never will be, when you compare his ratio of shutouts to games won and winning seasons overall.
But as Woods noted in his column, and a very good reason for the defensive success of his teams, “Gene Franks, dean of county football coaches, employed the five-man line in football long before the first book was ever written on that defensive maneuver in football.”
Knowing The Old Fox and his knowledge of the game, does his innovative defensive moves really surprise anybody?
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In scholastic track that week so long ago, Scottdale repeated as WPIAL-B champion, with 40 5/6 points, ahead of Brentwood’s 37.5. Centerville was sixth with 13.1, Jefferson (9) 8th, and Cumberland Twp. 9th (5.7). Scottdale had a triple winner in Ron Hollenbaugh, and John Zerilla had a first and second, plus a leg on the winning mile relay team. Unfortunately, no times were reported.
Mount Lebanon won the “A” championship in the finals at Connellsville, with 33 1/4 points. Connellsville was 6th (13). Regis Kosisko won the discus (132-5) and Ed Knight was second in the mile and fourth in the 880, both qualifying for the state finals. Other Coker results were: Regis Steindl, 5th, javelin; and Donn Delligatti, 6th, mile.
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In local baseball competition:
-High School – Jefferson beat Marion, 18-1 (no 10-run rule then), and advanced to the second WPIAL playoff round, against Uniontown. Gray homered, pitcher Chuck Coles tripled, and Decker doubled.
Jefferson then eliminated Uniontown, 3-2, getting three in the first and making them stand the rest of the way, advancing to the quarterfinals. Leadoff batter Sukina walked, pitcher Boo Lucosky then got two outs, but Coles tripled, Decker walked, Steinmiller singled, and when the ball got away in the outfield Decker raced around with what proved to be the winning run.
-Big 10 Baseball – Oaks padded its Southern Division lead by downing second place Hopwood, 8-1, as Krofcheck pitched a 5-hitter. Joe Nicosia homered and Phil Ferrati hit two triples.
Angells walloped Bobtown, 14-6, on Harry McCloud’s 7-hitter. Glod homered, and Frank Goode, Al Yasechko, and Steve Polink had three hits.
Coolspring downed Milano’s, 5-3, as Mel McCoy worked a 7-hitter and fanned eight. Cooley hit a triple, and Buster McBride homered, doubled, and singled.
Colonial Legion 4, Colonial Three 3. Andy Locke had two hits and M. Softcheck and E. Marhefka two doubles.
Nemacolin got two in the eighth and nipped Angell’s, 3-1, on Herbik’s 5-hitter. Joe Goode tripled.
Mike Hozak pitched a 1-hitter and fanned 12 as Coolspring collared Fairchance, 7-0. Bus McBride had two hits.
Eddie Fields worked a 3-hitter as Oaks blanked Milano’s, 10-0. Bartges had two hits, and Kasmala, Patch, Fields, and Taylor hit doubles.
-Fort Mason League – Joe Petcheny pitched the win and fanned 11 as Edenborn downed Pals Club, 11-4. Joe Kakish hit two triples and George Biscup a triple and double.
Robena beat Gates, 5-2, as Bruno Vitz worked a 6-hitter and fanned 11. Alex Bartock hit two doubles and Bob Haley had three hits.
Jack Smodic homered and Wendell Shea had two hits as Gates beat Palmer, 6-3.
-County League – Ralph scored in the second to edge Searights, 1-0. Galie pitched a winning 2-hitter and Nicklow tripled.
Hovanec had three hits as Collier beat Enany Motors, 9-5. Hrezo had four hits for Enany’s.
-American Legion League – Masontown edged Uniontown, 3-2, Joe Kontik’s 3-run homer in the first getting all the runs. Tommy Hlebinsky worked a 3-hitter. LP Bill Brown fanned 10.
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In other sports action:
-George Buerger got the district’s first hole-in-one this season, on the ninth hole at Uniontown CC. It was his third career ace.
-Uniontown Coal Barons split with Butler, losing 5-3, and then winning 7-6. Then the Barons swept New Castle, 4-1 and 10-2, the latter featuring a Bob Williams grand slam.
-Ermo Lacko was elected president of the Fayette Dux Bowling League. Richard Tantlinger is vice-president, James McGrath treasurer, and Wilmer Fichthorn secretary.
-The Mike D’Auria Loft of Connellsville won the weekly competition of the Connellsville Homing Pigeon Club, covering the 140-miles from Newark, Ohio, in 12 hours, 51.17 minutes.
-Marion High scored six in the fifth to defeat Redstone, 6-4, and win the Fayette County Coaches Assn. baseball championship tournament. Hits by F. Manown, Yusko, Watson, Comadena, Clickovich, Turke, Showman, and Livingston, around three wild pitches, sent in the runs.
-The Pirates? They lost to Brooklyn, 6-1, to stand 14-19, in sixth place, six games back of first place Boston.
Jim Kriek is a Herald-Standard correspondent.