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rn;> » rtUMfi u i k n»wm i;. i»; The Homecoming Game: A Look Back iNOTE: FLimdealer files record homecoming football games back until 1944. While there is mention of a McHenry football team back until the year 1923. there is no indication in accounts of those games of any game during a given year being a "homecoming" game.) ( , The year was 1944. McHenry was nearing the end of a very successful season, which included a five-game winning streak. The final home game of the 1944 season found the- Wtrriors scheduled to play Marengo. The contest was designated as "homecoming", honoring past graduates of the school, as well as the present team. McHenry won that first homecoming game, defeating Marengo 1S-0 Morris Crouch was the Warrior quarterback in 1944, and he rushed for one touchdown in the game and passed to Paul Overton for another. Thirty-four years later, homecoming is still very much apart of the high school season. Friday night, at 8 p.m., the Warriors will battle Zion-Benton in the annual game. And while McHenry has not fared well in recent homecoming games, losing 10 of the last 12 played, it hasn'talways been that way. In fact, McHenry won the first four homecoming games it played. Following the '44 victory over Marengo, the Warriors came back the next year to humiliate St. Mary's of Woodstock 32-0. Fred Svoboda captained the '45 team. The '46 game found McHenry trip Burlington 13-6. That year, Carol Marticke and Hugh Murphy were crowned homecoming queen and king. The homecoming win streak continued in 1947, with Lake Geneva the fourth victim, 32-20. Margaret Bolger and Tom Kent were named queen and king. Burlington ruined the win streak in 1948, beating McHenry 13-0. Still, the defeat couldn't put a damper on the weekend festivities, which included the crowning of Marita Williams and Leslie Olsen as queen and king. Nineteen forty-nine marked the first tie game in the homecoming series, with Harvard battling McHenry to a 6-6 deadlock. McHenry's touchdown was scored by Don Freund on an eight-yard run, while Harvey Nye and Marcella Szarek were named king and queen. Harvard and McHenry tied again in 1950, this time 20-20, before die '51 season began a string of four years in which the Warriors were victorious in the homecoming battle. The '51 season was a memorable one, and was made more so by the homecoming victory, 26-13 over Lake Geneva. Paul Marke led the Warrior attack, gaining 131 yards rushing, and scoring on runs of 20 and 55 yards. Unfortunately, McHenry was beaten by Harvard 190 the next week, losing the league title. Tom Huemann keyed the 1952 homecoming victory, scoring three touchdowns in a 394) romp over Marengo. The season might best be remembered because a game against Burlington was cancelled because of a polio epidemic in Wisconsin. Nineteen fifty-three was a big year for Art Barbier. He was named homecoming king, opposite Donna Dowe, and also scored a touchdown as the Warriors dropped Woodstock 13-6. Red Stilling scored the other McHenry touchdown. The 1954 game featured one of the most spectacular finishs of any homecoming game. McHenry scored twice in the final moments to stun Burlington 21-14. Frank Oeffling scored two touchdowns in the game, one on a 54-yard run. Ed Cepulis blocked a punt in the game for a safety. Zion-Benton, this year's homecoming foe, made its first appearance in 1955, and proved to be rude guests, walking away with a 20-6 victory. The next year, McHenry lost to Crystal Lake, 254), the first time McHenry had lost two homecoming games in successive years. McHenry still couldn't find the key to victory in '57, tieing Dundee 12-12. The Warriors scored on an 89-yard punt return by Jack Schaefer, and on a 2-yard run by Matt Eichinger. Ardelle Oeffling and Dennis Conway were named queen and king. The losing streak continued in '58 and '59, with Crystal Lake winning both homecoming games. The Tigers turned the trick 21-19 in '58, and 6-0 the next year. Ron Creutz scored two touchdowns in the '58 game, while the '59 contest may be recalled best because because it was played the day after a tornado ripped through Edgebrook Heights. •> The 1959 season was a good one for McHenry, as they finished second in the conference, one-half game behind Woodstock. The Warrior defense allowed just 25 points to be scored against it that entire season. In 1960, the Warriors again found the winning key, dumping Zion- Benton 14-0, which brings us to the 1961 game. Nineteen sixty-one was a memorable year all around for McHenry football fans. It was the year of an undefeated North Suburban conference championship. And what better way to top off a flawless season than with a 60-0 victory over Woodstock. It was a record-setting performance in many ways. The 60 points were the most ever scored in a NSC game, the nine touchdowns were also a record, as was a 98-yard interception return by Ron Freund. Bill DeCicco quarterbacked the '61 team, which finished 6- 0-1 in the league, and clinched the title later in the season with a 21- 19 win over Barrington. Gayle Bonder and Bob Beckenbaugh were named queen and king. EARL WALSH I Hear SPORTS EDITOR Oh, that Bill Dumalski! Just because the Cubs beat the Phillies in the last series of the season, he thinks the Cubs belong in the play-offs. Those Cub fans come up with some weird ones, but this tops 'em all. I felt his pulse to see if he was OK. Two readers have mentioned lately that this column never says anything against people. Don Lowrey said, "You never downgrade anybody." Don doesn't think much of big time sports writers who beamed on the Cubs and Sox when they were big winners, then got out the hatchets when fates changed the picture. Tom Evans, after letting me know I am getting long winded in my advanced years, came through with the thought that this column won't ever get in trouble since nobody ever gets slammed here. Those remarks are ap­ preciated even if I must confess there are times when I would like to let somebody have it with both barrels. Then I remember that this column is for sports and for fun. I like it that way and hope my readers agree. People often say, "Put this in your column". They cover many subjects. Then comes a blast at Federal, State, County, or Local governments. Mostly Federal and State. State and County seem to rate more white hats. Such columns and editorials have a place in newspapers. Nope. That is not for So I Hear. Let's have fun. An old saying : When somebody stood in your line of vision, you let them know by telling them - "You make a better door than a window." Why is it that bills always arrive before the letter you have been waiting for? The A1 Blakes and the Hugh Fannings travelled through Ireland and thought the countryside was beautiful. A1 brought me a directory that shows more Walsh names than you will find in the Chicago telephone directory. They didn't stay long enough to come home with a brogue. It's all over for the Kansas City Royals for another year. Just watched the New York Yankees win the clincher. There's no joy in Kansas City or in Johnsburg tonight. Most of you know that Johnsburg's Chuck Hiller is the third base coach for the Royals. There's no joy in this corner either. When the White Sox couldn't take it, my choice was the Royals and Chuck. Sorry, Lawrence Welk, baseball came first tonight. We sports fans live and die with our favorite teams. Think of the strain those team members are under. Now comes another situation. No Yankee lover am I - an American League fan I am. So now comes the World Series with the Yankees playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's getting between the devil and the deep blue sea. * Larry Nimsgern, Ray Smith, Morrie Crouch and Tommy Sutton took their wives on a weekend trip a few hundred miles north in Wisconsin to play golf. That's right! To play golf. Even the birds know which direction to go this time of year. If you kept your sports section from Friday, take another look at the old time Johnsburg baseball team. George Frett came in and identified everybody on the picture. Here they are: Front L to R: Nick Freund, Father George Nell, Johnny Niesen, Will Smith, John A. Miller, Ben Freund. Standing L to R: Pete Freund, John Freund (Freund's Dairy), Martin Sch- mitt, Manager, Joe E. Miller (George says they called him "Curly" in those days), Mike Schaefer. Thanks, George. SPORTS COPY DOS AND DON'TS Please type or have somebody type for you. Double space. Do not crowd too much on one sheet Write on one side of the paper only. Remember Deadlines: 10 a.m. Monday for Wednesday issues. 10 a.m. Wednesday for Friday issues. Late copy will probably be used in following issue. Thank You! Palatine defeated McHenry 13-6 in the '62 homecoming contest, with the Warriors tallying on a 35-yard run by Ted Freund. Freund was named king that year, opposite CamiDe Lopez. John Hickey and Val Peterson were homecoming royalty in 1963, while McHenry defeated Crystal Lake 14-6 on the football field. Nineteen sixty-four found McHenry dumping Libertyville 12-7 enroute to a second place conference finish. The Warriors lost only one game that year, but it cost them the conference title, 39-13 to North Chicago. Jeannie Jo Benoche and Dick Bitterman were named queen and king. John Reinboldt scored on a 47-yard run for the only Warrior touchdown in a 20-6 loss to Dundee in the *65 game, while Rich Lossman and Chuck Re illy keyed a 27-0 victory over Zion-Benton in the 1966 contest. Lossman gained 173 yards in 24 carries in the game, while Reilly scored three times. Kandy Thompson was crowned the '66 queen by the '65 winner, Donna Colborn. An incredible streak of miraculous victories started the '67 season, but the homecoming game was a 7-0 disaster against Dundee. Candy Fossum was crowned queen. In 1968, McHenry squandered a 12-0 halftime lead, losing 27-18 to North Chicago. West campus was dedicated that year, and JoAnn Freund was named queen. Few people remember the 1969 loss to Woodstock. That', because it rained so hard that the nobody stayed around for the finish. For the record, Woodstock won 42-0, and in commenting on the game, Bert Hageman wrote in the Plaindealer: "This was no ordinary rain shower either. By the end of the game, the middle of McCracken field resembled the trench lines of W.W. I." Hie Warriors got back on the winning track in 1970, tripping libertyville 14-12 when quarterback Ron Miller scored on a two- point conversion after completing a touchdown pass to Don Prazak. The '70 game is significant in that is is the last homecoming game McHenry has ever won. In the years since, there has been a 13-0 loss to Crystal Lake, a 21- 10 loss to Zion, a 38-14 loss to Lake Forest, a 19-13 loss to Crystal Lake, a 10-0 loss to Mundelein, and a 43-26 loss to Lake Forest. Of the six, the '74 game deserves special mention. Played before what probably was the largest crowd to ever witness a Warrior football game, Crystal Lake jolted an unbeaten McHenry team 19-13 in double overtime. It was the first overtime game in the history of the conference, and sent the Warriors reeling to a third place conference finish. That, of course, is all in the past. At hand is a game against Zion- Benton. Can the Warriors break the six-game homecoming losing streak? A possible answer is below. & A Look Ahead! On paper, Friday night's homecoming football game between Zion-Benton and McHenry looks like a mismatch. The high-flying Zee-Bees are 3-0 in the North Suburban conference, while McHenry has just the opposite record, having lost all three conference starts. However, football games aren't won paper, or any other {dace for that matter, except the football field. Come Friday night, fans attending the game can expect to see one heckuva football game. Why, when the records indicate a rout, is there any reason to believe McHenry will make a game of it-and even win? There are several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it's the homecoming game. Past performances in homecoming games aside, a football team is always fired up for this special, annual event. But more important than it being homecoming, is the fact that Friday night is the last chance McHenry has to prove it belongs with the "upper echelon" of the North Suburban conference. Coach Bill Day and his staff believe the team belongs there, the players believe it, and the fans who braved the rain two weeks ago and the cold wind last week must certainly believe it. Taken collectively, the three conference losses indicate a dreary beginning to a bleak season. However, close examination of each of the losses incidicates that the record should be more like 2-1 than 0- 3. The Libertyville lost (18-13) came after the Warriors built up a 13-0 halftime lead, and narrowly missed scoring clinching touchdowns at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half. Certainly, one more score to make it 19-0 would have broken Libertyville's spirit. The Mundelein loss (14-12) was played in a quagmire. The Warriors failed to pull it out only because time expired and neither of their two-point conversion attempts was successful following a pair of fourth period scores. Even last Saturday's 22-0 loss to Lake Forest was not necessarily a case of losing to a better team. A brutal wind played havoc with McHenry's passing game, while Lake Forest's wishbone offense kept the ball safely on the ground. Commentary Thus, McHenry has not looked bad in any of the three losses. And now comes Zion-Benton. It is McHenry's last chance to prove where it rightfully belongs in the standings. Sure, there are three games remaining after Friday, and none of them will be easy. But Crystal Lake, North Chicago, and Crown are not contending for the league title, whereas Zion-Benton is--and McHenry should be. An old coach once said that he would have a good team once his players "learned" how to win. For McHenry's varsity football team, Friday night may be the night the players "learn" how to win. Warriors Can't Dent Lake Forest Defense It's funny how misleading a final score can be. Take for example i#)ce Forest's 22-0 victory over McHenry Saturday afternoon. The final score indicates a lopsided victory void of ectitemcnt for Warrior fans. And that couldn't be farther from the tmth. Saturday, handicapped by a swirling wind, the Warriors did a lot of things right, and if this team ever learns to win, somebody had better lot* out. Certainly there were miscues. There were eight penalties which cost McHenry over 80 yards. There was also the inability to move the ball into the end zone, despite having it in Scout territory on nearly a half dozen occasions. However, the penalties could be attributed to aggressive play, and the inability to score was more a tribute to the Scout defense (four shutouts in five games), and the brutal wind than the lack of a potent offense. In actuality, the playing conditions, as they were, gave the Scouts an edge before the game started. That was because Lake Forest ran from the 'Wishbone' formation, which is strictly a running allignment. The Scouts' quarterback did not throw a pass the entire game, with the winners using an aerial attack only on two halfback option passes. Neither was successful. Meanwhile, Warrior quarterback Pete Prust was putting the ball in the air 28 times, completing 12, a remarkable total given the wind factor. Besides the passing of Prust and the receiving by Marty Nuss (who caught eight passes for the second consecutive game), another bright spot for McHenry was the play of its defensive unit, which never quit despite have to contend with a dazzling wishbone attack. Also, there was the play of Tim Oakley, who started in place of the injured Marty Deener, and rushed for 95 yards in 12 carries, far and away the best rushing performance by a Warrior this year. In fact, except for a diving tackle, Oakley might have put McHenry on the scoreboard early in the first quarter, a score which could have changed the complexion of the game. Alas, Oakley was brought down on the Scout 16 after a 50-yard sprint, and after three plays went for naught, a fourth down desperation pass was Intercepted. Following that interception, the Scouts drove 63 yards for their first score, tallying on a 36-yard run by Tom McMaken, the only time in the game a Lake Forest runner was able to break completely free from the Warriors' swarming defense. The Scouts scored again in the second peripd, but not before the McHenry defense forced them to use 12 plays to go 66 yards. The winners closed out the scoring in the third period, taking the second half kickoff 64 yards in nine plays. Meanwhile, McHenry, trailing, was forced to go to the air, and while the offensive line afforded Prust good protection, the Warriors were unable to make lightening strike for a long score. McHenry now has until Friday to gear up for the annual homecoming game, this year against powerful Zion- Benton. The Warriors are now 0-3 in the North Suburban conference, while Lake Forest and Zion-Benton share the top spot with Libertyville, each at 3-0. In the sophomore contest, Lake Forest exploded for 20 points in the final quarter'to break open a close game and down McHenry 40-13. Warrior touchdowns were scored by Greg- Mroz and Brian Roberts, each of whom tallied on short runs. SCORI NG-STATt STICS McHenry Warriors 0 0 0 0 0 Lak* Forest Scouts t • • 0 22 lstQt. l:S2~Lak* Forest: Tom McMaken 34-run. (Run failed.) Sixty-three yard drive in seven plays following a pass interception. 2nd Qt. . °*v* °'»nn ,"run (McMaken run.) Sixty-six yard drive in 12 plays followin« McHenry punt. 3rdQt. 7:24-Lake Forest: Brian Moore J-run. (Glynn run.) Sixty-four yard drive In nine plays following second half kickoff. TEAM STATS McH » 23-120 M 1M 12-20-1 2-0 M7 4-31.7 LF 14 53-254 0 294 0-2-1 3-1 7-75 3-33 1st downs yds. rushing yds. passing total yds. passing fumMes-lost penalties punts-ave. INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing McH.-Oakley 12*5, Toll if son 7-11, Prust 4-7. L;F "°i,vnn 23 *2- McMaken l2-7», O'Connor *-1t, Moore 7-4*, Sorenson 4-12, Keller 1-4. Receiving McH.--Nuss 0^4, Oakley 2-14, Pliner 1-7, Anderson l-l. L.F.--NONE. Passing McH.-Prust l2-for-2l with l int. and 0 TDs. L.F.-Glynn0-for-i with0int.and0TDs. Keller O-toyTwith l Int. and0 TDs. SPRING GROVE FIRE DEPARTMENTS ANNUAL FALL DANCE Saturday, October 15th at 8 P.M. DANCE TO BOB "BEEF" FREUND'S ORCHESTRA St Peter's Church Hall in Spring Grove PRIZES & REFRESHMENTS DONATION - $1 00 THEY'RE HERE! IN TIME FOR THE WORLD SERIES AND FOOTBALL! OUR BRAND NEW 1978 ZENITH AND RCA MODELS HAVE ARRIVED. WHY NOT DRIVE OUT > AND BROWSE THROUGH OUR NEWLY REMODELED SHOWROOM...WE THINK YOU'LL LIKE WHAT YOU SEE. AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE LOW PRICES I THE ORIGINAL" 7224 Barnard Mill Rd. Wonder Lake, III. Nature Photography Workshop October 29 Are you interested in- One of the most challenging and enriching outdoor pur­ suits? An alternative to hunting and fishing, but with unlimited seasons and horizons? Then by all means come to the fall Nature Photography Workshop sponsored by the McHenry County Audubon and the McHenry County Con­ servation District. Even if you don't plan to use a camera, a superb slide show entitled "Nature Nearby" will be shown. Place - Crystal Lake Nature Center, 330 N. Main street. Time and Day - October 29, 8 p.m. Instructor, Chuck Hudson, Interpretive Naturalist with McHenry County Conservation District. Free beginner techniques as well as advanced will be covered. Any questions call 338-1405. Join In McHenry's $lOOO SCRAMBLE COMING MONDAY, OCT. 17TH ,$1000 is Hidden in McHenry's city limits Inquire at McHenry area Chamber of Commerce office - 385-4300 Game Hens Rock Cornish Game Hens are young, immature chickens-- usually five-to-seven weeks of age--that are tender-meated with soft, smooth-textured skin, and do not weight more than two pounds (ready to cook). RENTALS ALL OCCASIONS 1214 N.Green