BHS Classes of 1950 and 1951

Copyright © 2018                                      John F. Oyler

May 24, 2018

BHS Classes of 1950 and 1951

This month the Bridgeville Area Historical Society “Second Tuesday” workshop series returned to its review of the history of Bridgeville High School, this time focusing on the classes of 1950 and 1951.

The summer of 1949 found local high school football fans full of optimism. Although there were only four players returning who had been starters on the previous year’s championship team, the supporting cast appeared to be ready for another competitive season.

The backfield featured quarterback Elmer Villani, halfbacks Ken Beadling and Roger Bradford, and fullback Lou Cimarolli. The line included end Aldo Mosso, tackle Bob Verdinek, guards Don Emma and Bill Wolf, and center Anthony Capozzoli, all Seniors, plus underclassmen Ken Hofrichter at tackle and Walt Maruzewski at end. Four other Seniors – ends Al Abood and Howdy Collins, fullback Sam Patton, and guard Bob Collavo – would provide valuable assistance as well.

Their first game was a 41 to 13 romp over West Bethlehem. According to Don Colton this game was a last-minute addition to the schedule. After its showing the previous year, it was difficult to find Class B opponents willing to play Bridgeville. Without the Gardner System points provided from the West Bethlehem victory, the locals would not have qualified for the Class B championship game.

The only real competition Bridgeville had that season was from Scott Township’s Clark High eleven. Clark boasted a number of fine players, including three who would go on to have outstanding professional careers – Bernie Faloney, Jim Schrader, and Joe Zombeck. Late in the game with the score tied at fourteen apiece Bridgeville stopped a Clark drive inside its ten-yard line, then ran off three consecutive long running plays culminating with Lou Cimarolli scooting twenty yards for the deciding touchdown.

That season I was a Penn State Freshman, “farmed out” to Clarion State Teachers College, so I missed most of the games. I was able to persuade one of friends to loan me his ’37 Chevy so I could haul four of my buddies home to see the South Fayette game. The car was a disaster; it stalled every time we stopped for a traffic light, including once on Grant Street in front of the William Penn Hotel.

We finally got to the game at half time and found Bridgeville ahead 28 to 0. No rivalry upset that evening! After my mother fed us bountifully, we set out for the return trip to Clarion. In those days college kids had classes on Saturdays! No traffic problems in the middle of the night, but also no open gas stations. After coasting down hills with the engine turned off, we finally limped into an open station at Shippenville and bought a quarter’s worth of gas.

According to my brother, Bridgeville’s future playoff opponent, Trafford, had the evening off so they came here to scout our team and were full of boasts about the upcoming game. The game was scheduled to be played at Graham Field. I decided to hitchhike to the game and to bring my double-barreled shotgun with me so I could hunt with my brother and our father the next day.

It’s hard to believe today, but I had no problem “thumbing a ride” nor getting into the stadium despite carrying a weapon. I probably should have loaned it to the Trafford team; it turned out to be the most one-sided playoff game in WPIAL history, a 64 to 0 rout. Cimarolli’s scored four times; his shortest touchdown run was sixty five yards long.

Fallout from the wonderful season included spots on the Class B All-Star team for Beadling, Capozzoli, and Cimarolli; a robbery of the safe in the High School (fortunately Dr. Colton had already deposited the $700 check of receipts from the playoff game); and widespread speculation on Coach Hast’s future. From a list of attractive jobs, Hast elected to move to North Catholic as head coach. He never again matched his achievements at Bridgeville.

In addition to the triumphant football players the Class of 1950 was filled with other outstanding members. Emil Borra, Bob Harris, and Bill Norcik all went on to Penn State and were key members of nationally ranked soccer teams there. After receiving an Air Force ROTC commission, Harris had an impressive career in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, culminating as its commander with the rank of Major General.

Don Colton was Class President; we believe he was the first BHS graduate to earn a Ph. D. It was in musicology, from Indiana University in 1964. His academic career culminated at the University of Evansville as Chairman of the Music Department.

Kathleen Banks was Class Treasurer; ironically our workshop was being conducted in the building named in her honor in recognition for her service to our community. She was also one of the Commencement speakers. Don Gates became a successful attorney; Paul Rankin, an equally successful dentist.

Louise Tonarelli was May Queen; June Piazza, Maid of Honor. Also in the Court was Virginia Keefner, whom we all remember as Mrs. Skip Colussy.

The ’50 soccer team ended the season with a 3 to 2 win over South Fayette that appeared to have clinched another WPIAL championship for BHS. Unfortunately, three of them had participated in a Junior Cup game for the Heidelberg Tornado. This violated WPIAL rules and caused the title to be forfeited to South Fayette.

The next football season began with Tiny Carson as head coach and Al Como as a newly hired assistant. They beat Clark 6 to 0, thanks to a touchdown by Paul Koval, then saw their win streak stopped at 26 when Carnegie upset them 7 to 0 on a last-minute touchdown by Ray Keisling. They went on to lose two more games, to Meadville and Chartiers, ending up with a respectable six and three season.

The team included Amos Jones and Don Brown in the backfield, Ken Hofrichter at guard, and Ralph Hofrichter and Lloyd Crawley at tackle. Amos joined the Navy and was killed in the crash of a Neptune reconnaissance plane on a glacier in Iceland in December 1953. The other four all went to Westminster College and lived long, productive lives. Life is hard to understand.

The Korean War was beginning to take its toll. Class of ’48 alumnus Harry Stringer was the first fatality. Captain William Shadish, Class of 1942, was listed as a prisoner of war. A medical doctor, he eventually spent nearly 1000 days as a POW, providing invaluable services to fellow prisoners. Another Bridgeville man, Larry Donovan, credited Shadish with saving his life. Shadish’s experiences are chronicled in a book he wrote, “When Hell Froze Over”.

President of the Class of 1951 was Leonard Durbin. Patricia Day was May Queen, with Arlene Toney as Maid of Honor. Chuck Degrosky was a popular member of this class; his contribution to the founding and early days of the Historical Society was invaluable.

The audience for this particular workshop included ’51 Class member Paul Love, and four underclassmen at that time – Dale DeBlander, Russ Kovach, Ron Rothermund, and Joe Oyler. Their feedback was extremely constructive.

I started to comment that Paul was the perfect representative for his class – solid citizen, dependable, “nice guy” – when I realized that the same could be said about the other four. They are all classic examples of the best of our generation, the kind of folks who make life worthwhile. Sandwiched between the heroes of the “Greatest Generation” and the rabble rousers of the “Baby Boomers”, the “Silent Generation” members very capably helped rebuild the world after World War II. It is no coincidence that these five men are the heart of our Octogenarian Brunch Club; I couldn’t ask for better friends.

Next month our “Second Tuesday” workshop will focus on George Washington’s second visit to western Pennsylvania, the ill-fated Fort Necessity campaign in 1754. It is scheduled for 7:00 pm, Tuesday, June 12, at the History Center. The following month we will discuss the BHS Classes of 1952 and 1953.