Successful Season
Windber High School's three football teams finished a very successful season with a 24-2-1 record. The 24 wins, two losses and one tie bettered last year's 21 wins, five losses and one tie.
The Windber Varsity finished their season with nine wins and one loss. The lone loss was a six to nothing setback by Adams. The Ramblers scored 342 points, 51 touchdowns and 36 extra points, while the opposition scored only 75. Last year the Varsity had a 7-2-1 record.
Windber 'I"' team went undefeated this season with nine straight wins to become the only undefeated "B" team Windber ever had. The Windber "B" team scored 345 points, 52 touchdowns and 33 extra points, with their opponents only scoring 19 points. Last year the Windber "B" team finished with seven wins and two losses.
The Windber Freshman team also had a good season with six wins, one loss and one tie. The freshmen scored 124 points, 19 touchdowns and 10 extra points, against 38 points scored by the opponents. Last year the Windber Freshmen had a 7-1 record at the end of the season.
Windber Loses First
Adams piled up a lead in the first half and then held off a Windber rally to take a 67-63 win in the opener of their basketball season.
This was Windber's first loss after an opening game win over Shade Township. Slonac bagged 21 points on seven field goals and seven fouls until leaving the game midway in the fourth quarter. Kitt was next in line with 20 points. The entire Adams team is over six feet in height with the exception of Steve Slonac.
Ken Solden, Rambler center, scored 16 points with Joe Sendek close behind with 15 points. Adams made 19 of 38 fouls while Windber converted 19 of 31.
Windber lost Ken Solden and "Skip" Flori on fouls in the fourth quarter. In this quarter Windber made nine field goals and 10 of 16 fouls to try to pull the game out of the fire but Milan Buchan's tall Hornet squad scored four field goals and four of eight fouls to hold the lead.
Boswell Back Leads Grid Scoring Parade
Don Winovich, halfback for the Boswell Bears of Jenner-Boswell - Jennerstown Joint High School, captured district scoring honors for the 1953 football season with a total of 152 points in 10 games. Ile succeeds Fred Chicado of Shade Township-Central City Borough Joint who had 172 points in 1952.
Winovich scored 89 points in three games to climb to the top. He scored 24 touchdowns and eight extra points. He was tops in most touchdowns scored.
Park Baker, Conemaugh Township's sophomore halfback, was second with 132 points on 22 touchdowns.
Other players hitting 100 or more points were Bobby Lane of John Carroll, 110; Joe Slonac, Adams, 109; John Ostrosky, South Fork, 107; Bob Hudy, Windber, 102; Jimmy Banks, Meyersdale, 101, and Harold Price, Everett, 190.
Bob Dutzman of Windber took top honors in points after touch-downs with 34 conversions in 441 tries. Ron Telenko of Conemaugh Township was second with 23 extra points.
The world-famous Delaware Water Gap is located in picturesque Monroe County.
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Banquet Held For W. U. S. Players
A banquet was held Dec. 2 honoring the football players of Windber High School. The banquet was field at the Scalp Level V. F. W. home.
About 175 persons attended the dinner. J. Irving Whalley, representative in the Pennsylvania Assembly, was toastmaster.
Ernest B. Cassler, Windber High School principal, spoke briefly and introduced the coaches, head coach John Kawchak, and assistants John Lochrie, Alex Atty and Joseph Flori. Atty, in turn, introduced all of the players and student managers.
Clyde E. Bounds, school superintendent, also spoke and introduced school board members.
M. L. Berkey, Lions Club president, announced that all senior members of the football team and senior managers would be presented jackets by the club at a later date.
Introduced were Richard Mickle, faculty athletic manager; Thomas Durst, assistant faculty manager; Mike Durbin, former Windber grid player and now coach at Hollidaysburg; Joseph Paterno, assistant coach at Penn State; Gordon Emery, art instructor at Windber, and Louis Lambert, music director.
Charles (Rip) Engle, head football coach at Pennsylvania State University, gave soiree advice at the banquet when he said, "Don't settle for less than a worthwhile education if you plan to go to college."
Another visitor was Ronald (Link) Younker, Windber native on the Penn State grid team. Engle said Younker has developed into one of the top men at Penn State and had that determination that makes good football players. He said Younker is a B average student.
Entertainment was by Joe and Pete Furfari, Johnstown accordionists.
Boys Help at Stadium
On November 22 some of the boys from the high school volunteered to work at the stadium to fix the baseball diamond.
The job of hauling stones and clearing up the stadium was completed.
These are the boys who helped: Andrew Tokarsky, Terry Fagan, Chuckle Baughman, Ralph Facciani, Dudley Hunt, Bill Keller, Bob Hudy, Bob Halcovich, Tom' Kanas, John Hajnos, Joe Kush, Ed Hordubay, Bob Dutzman, Nick Becky, Fred Greene, Mike Salko, Ben Domonkos, Chuck Finnegan, Pete Seese, and Larry Wirick.
Linda: He's so romantic!
When he speaks to me he always calls me "Fair Lady."
Lou: Force of habit, my dear. He's a bus driver.
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Athlete Of The Month
The issue of the Hi-Times is sporting Bill Keller as Athlete of the month.
Bill, a senior from 302, is 17 years old, weighs 150 lbs. and stands 5’ 9”. He hails from Scalp Level, and can usually be seen
BILL KELLER
with John Hajnos, Dudley Hunt, or Bill Foltz.
Bill enjoys watching the Arthur Godfrey show or being with a certain Mary K. In school he chooses study for his favorite subject, and Miss Murphy as his top teacher. Bill picks red as his favorite color, and chili as the dish he'd call delicious.
As far as sports are concerned, he likes them all, but The Brooklyn Dodgers, Pee Wee Reese, and Michigan State rate high with him.
Bill is quite athletic himself, as a varsity center, for the Windber Ramblers. He played football during all four of his high school ,years. Bill's also on the wrestling squad this year.
Bill's plans for the future are quite uncertain, although he'd secretly like to be Windber's number one dogcatcher.
A Hero's Job
He's not the tackle, end or guard;
He doesn't score TD's,
But he works hard at every game
And does his best 'to please.
No flashy uniform he wears
To marls him as a star;
Yet he is always out in front
To help his team go far,
You never hear his praises sung;
He's no sports' page pride and joy
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Windber Cage Schedule
The Windber High School basketball team will play 22 games this season and the wrestling squad will have 10 matches.
Three regulars are back with the Ramblers cage team this year. They are Joe Sendeck and Bob Halcovich both seniors, and Ken Sold-en, junior. Sophomores Richard Depolo and Gwynn Gahagen and senior Fred Green are other players who will see considerable action with the varsity. Last years reserves who are seeking positions are Bill Bundy, Alf Flori, Bob Rhodes, Tom Botlock, and Paul Gerfy.
Lost from last year's team are Jim Kaplan, district high scorer last year; Matt Klena, Bill Hughes and Bill Rainey.
The Ramblers opened their season December 1 with Shade Township at Windber.
This year will be the sixth straight year for Coach Steve Kaplan, who has not had a losing season in his tenure.
In his first year, 1948-49, the Ramblers split even in 24 games. Kaplan has guided the Ramblers to 82 wins and 56 losses in five years as head coach of the Ramblers cage team.
The wrestlers, District 5 champions last year, have opened their season December 10 at Somerset. Alex G. Atty will coach the boys for the sixth year.
Included are home-and-home matches with Bedford, Johnstown and Conemaugh Township and single matches with Somerset, Everett, Indiana and Boswell.
Basketball
Dec. 4-at Adams.
Dec. 8-Altoona.
Dec. 15-Johnstown Catholic.
Dec. 22-Richland Township.
Dec. 28-at Richland Township.
Jan. 5-Westniont.
Jan. 8-at Indiana.
Jan. 12-Conemaugh Township.
Jan. 16-Johnstown Catholic,
War Memorial.
Jan. 22-at Ebensburg.
Jan, 26-Johnstown.
Jan. 29-at Ferndale.
Feb. 2-Indiana.
Feb. 5-at Westmont.
Feb. 9-Ferndale.
Feb. 12-at Altoona.
Feb. 16-Ebensburg.
Feb. 19-at Johnstown.
Feb. 26-at Conemaugh Twp.
Mar. 2-Adams.
Mar. 5-at Shade Township, afternoon.
But to the team he means a lot for he's the Water Boy!
 -Reading, "Red and Black"
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Windber Cages Shade
71 - 44
On Tuesday, December 1, Windber High School won their first basketball game of the season with a 71-44 win over Shade Township.
Coach Steve Kaplan's Ramblers took an early lead and went on to show margins in the first three quarters. In the last quarter the Windber reserves and Coach Dick Cable's Panthers scored 11 points apiece.
Ken Solden was high scorer for Windber with 11 field goals and three fouls for 25 points. Joe Sendek, senior guard, also hit the double figures with 12 points.
George Strongosky, the only returning letterman for Shade, was high scorer with 11 points and Mike Palya was second high with 10.
Windber converted 11 of 21 fouls while Shade made 12 of 28 tries. Windber also won the junior varsity game, 59-33.
Varsity summary:
Windber
Halcovich, f
Green, f
Solden, c
Sendek, g
Flori, g
Gahagen
Botlock
Bundy
Gerfy
Rhodes
De Polo
Totals |
|
G
3
0
11
3
4
4
1
0
0
0
0
30 |
|
F
1
1
3
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11 |
|
T
7
1
25
12
8
8
2
0
0
0
0
71 |
Shade
Palya, f
Pasierb, f
Curaney, c
Strongosky, g
Tvardizik, g
Bestvina
Kabala
Totals
| |
G
5
1
1
4
1
4
0
16 |
|
F
0
1
6
3
1
1
0
12 |
|
T
10
3
8
11
3
9
0
44 |
Windber20 21 19 11-71
Shade 9 14 11 11-44
Referees-Costa and Bossi.
The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Lehigh Valley Railroad were both chartered., in 1846.
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