St. Aloysius Football 1922-3

History of Crusader Football

1922: Quick Fall

Brother Paul, S.C.

The school on Esplanade and Rampart had an enrollment of 500 counting the grammar grades. Brother Paul Couffort, S.C., born in France, succeeded Brother Albert as principal. Brother Fabian took over from Brother Gerald as Athletic Director.

The Prep league was divided into two groups:
Class A, consisting of the larger and heavier teams: Holy Cross, Jesuits, St. Aloysius, Warren Easton
Class B: Manual Training, New Orleans Academy, Rugby Academy, Verrina

Johnny Brown returned for his second year as head coach after a surprisingly successful maiden season. "Fatty" De Laney, former back for the independent R.O.D. team, assisted Brown.

And assistance he would need. A Picayune article previewing the upcoming season had this to say.

St. Aloysius College turned out to be the "dark horse" of the Prep League last year. The team will most probably be looked upon again this year in that light, as the team is considerably weakened by the loss of seven "letter" men. ... Brown is working with a bunch of new and raw material.

Brown may have worn out his young team with frequent scrimmages at City Park. Knowing that he did not have the horses of the year before, he scheduled only four games. Gone from the slate were the older, independent teams. To make matters worse, two of his stalwarts from '21, tackle Louis Federico and HB J. Frigerio, had transferred to Warren Easton.

1922 St. Aloysius Varsity Football Team

The Saints once again began the season with sister school St. Stanislaus. SA had held the Rocks to 25 points in 1921. They wouldn't come close to that in this contest.

Sunday, October 8: St. Aloysius vs St. Stanislaus @ Bay St. Louis MS 3:30

SA
0 0 0 0 0

SSC
19 20 6 12 57

TD: Schiro 2, Baron 2, F. Martin 2, Gex
PAT: Martin, Jaubert, Schiro

SA lineup: Helmke LE, Norbert Michel (C) LT, Esposito LG, soph. Carl Schumacher C, Vinot RG, soph. Anthony Bologna RT, jr. George Jaubert RE, LeBlanc QB, sr. James Terrell LH, Martin RH, Charles Jaubert FB
Subs: Jr. Tim Duggan, fr. Frank Donze, sr. Pierre Archinard

Charles Jaubert and captain Norbert Michel were the only starters returning from 1921. FB Jaubert was cited as "the star for the St. Aloysius team."

Starting two sophomores in the line, SA was much too light to give SSC any trouble. Most discouraging, the visitors not only failed to score but also didn't achieve a first down while Stanislaus rolled up 25.

The Rock-a-Chaws showed their talent the following week by defeating the defending Louisiana champion Warren Easton Eagles 9-0.

Pierre Archinard

Thursday, October 19: St. Aloysius vs Holy Cross @ Heinemann Park 3:30

SA

0

0

0

0

0

HC

7

0

6

0

13

TD: Schloegel 2; PAT: Aillet

SA lineup: Terrell LE, Michel (C) LT, Duggan LG, Schumacher C, Vinot RG, Bologna RT, G. Jaubert RE, LeBlanc QB, Martin LH, Archinard RH, C. Jaubert FB
Subs: Jr. Vincent Guercio, Donze, Helmke, Esposito, soph. Charles Carriere

James Terrell

This game was Holy Cross's first Prep contest ever after losing 12-0 to the The Roamers, 1921 Independent League champions. Coach Leo Ernst's Micks (as they were called at that time) wore green and gold in honor of the college in South Bend IN run by the Holy Cross order.

HC captain George Schloegel, "easily the star of the game," scored both TDs. The first score came early in Q1. After a series of plunges and end runs put the ball on the SA 25, Schloegel shot a pass to Clesi to the 1. George than drove through C for the TD. Aillet kicked the goal from placement.

In Q3, Schloegel drove through and blocked a punt, scooped up the pigskin, and raced 30y to the EZ.

An interesting incident occurred in Q4 after the Saints drove the ball to the HC 20. An SA substitute reported to referee Claiborne Andrews and then spoke to QB LeBlanc. Andrews penalized the Saints 15 yards. Why? In those days, the players on the field were expected to compete on offense and defense without interference from the sideline. So the substitute violated the rules by speaking to another player when he joined the huddle!

In the last three minutes, SA generated its best drive of the contest. With the ball on the HC 40, Jaubert ran 15y off tackle. Then QB LeBlanc gained 5 over center. Jaubert plunged all the way to the one. Alas, as the teams lined up for the next play, the whistle blew to end the game.

Little did the Saints know it, but they had just experienced their only scoring chance of the entire season.

Tuesday, October 24: St. Aloysius vs Warren Easton @ Heinemann Park 3:30

SA

0

0

0

0

0

WE

27

12

13

0

52

TD: Toomer, McCarroll, DiFranco, Wilson, Owen, Frigerio, Robertson
PAT: Owen 4, Newlin

SA lineup: Terrell LE, Michel (C) LT, Duggan LG, Schumacher C, Vinot RG, Bologna RT, Guercio RE, LeBlanc QB, Archinard LH, Martin RH, C. Jaubert FB Sub: Esposito

This matchup had disaster written all over it from the beginning. Easton could have won the game playing its second and third strings. Coach Perry Roehm's first string played the first half, building a 39-0 lead. Utilizing a "great air attack" engineered by QB-captain March Owen, the Eagles scored on their first four possessions.

Q1: Taking the kickoff, SA went three and out. When Jaubert attempted to punt, Easton blocked it. The Eagles then marched to the 1 thanks to some nice runs by HB Gene McCarroll and FB Anthony DiFranco. Thurman Toomer took the ball over, and March Owen kicked goal. A little later, Owen intercepted a pass. On the next play, McCarroll skirted RE for a 25y TD. Owen again converted. The play seemed to unnerve Brown's lads. With the aid of two long passes to Gordon Wilson, Easton scored two more TDs.

Q2: Aloysius came back with a bit of fight to hold the Old Gold and Purple to just two scores. One came as a result of a long pass from Owen to Wilson. The other came after a series of line bucks brought the oval to the 4, from where Owen scored.

Q3: Assistant Coach Alf Rousseau's second string took over and added 13 points. Tom Robertson tore around LE for 20, and Frigerio, facing his old team, followed with a gain around the opposite side to the 1. On the "jump shift" Frigerio took it over. Later, with the ball at midfield, Adam Harper fired a pass to Robertson who raced 25y for a TD. Another pass, this time to RE Newlin, added the point to reach 52.

Q4: Although worn down, the Saints were able to play High's "varsity scrubs" to a standstill.

On October 26, the SA "Juniors" defeated Ligouri High School (a forerunner of Redemptorist) 63-0 @ Audubon Park. Sr. Robert Saucier, Bremer, Mares, and Pinan starred for the Saints. Other players were LeBlanc, Mauraras, jr. Henry Neyrey, Reich, Buffa, fr. Harry Stille, Crissey, and Leaumont. (Some of the names may have been misspelled in the Picayune.)

Friday, November 17: St. Aloysius vs Jesuit @ Heinemann Park 3:30

SA
0 0 0 0 0

Jes
14 25 6 19 64

TDs: Armstrong 3, Rive 2, Villavaso 2, Fisher, Ross, Fitzwilliams PAT: Rive 3, Armstrong

SA lineup: Terrell LE, Michel (C) LT, Duggan LG, Vinot C, Esposito RG, Bologna RT, sr. Malcolm Joanen RE, C. Jaubert QB, Archinard LH, Martin RH, FB Schumacher Subs: Donze, Guercio, LeBlanc

What a difference a year makes. After losing to the Jays only 14-7 in 1921, SA was never in this game. Malcolm Joanen, who had been a regular the year before, appears in the lineup for the first time, presumably missing the previous contests because of injury. No penalties were called in the snappy game.

Q1: The Jays' first TD came after Ike Armstrong returned SA's first punt to the 20. After a 5y run, Armstrong sprinted around end. As he neared the goal line, he fumbled, but a teammate receovered. Two plays later, Carl Fisher plunged over from the 1. Emile Rive drop kicked the PAT. After the Saints couldn't move, Armstrong took the punt and waltzed 45y to the EZ. Rive again converted.

Q2: Jesuit put four more TDs on the board. Rive set up the scores with gains of 30 and 40y at a time.

Q3: Aloysius showed a stubborn defense against the Jay reserves, holding them to one score. Jesuit coach Bill Daly played every healthy player in uniform but only after the first team played three quarters.

Q4: SA made its only first down in Q4 on a pass against Daly's "scrubs." However, the boys in red and black faltered and surrendered three more TDs.

Malcolm Joanen

Summary

Aloysius ended the dismal season 0-4. The Saints failed to score a point while giving up 186.

In December, Jesuit upset Easton 6-0 to win the 1922 Prep Championship.

1923: More Misery

Brother Paul hired a new coach for the school's third gridiron season. Milton "Hippo" Phillips had played FB for St. Stanislaus. He faced a formidable task because nothing had changed in the Prep league. Easton and Jesuit remained the powers with everyone else several notches below.

The New Orleans Prep School Athletic Association held its annual meeting September 25. Brother Julius Ford, S.C., represented St. Aloysius at the meeting. The A Division of the league would consist of Jesuit, Warren Easton, St. Aloysius, Holy Cross, and Delgado Trades School. The B group included Rugby Academy, New Orleans Academy, Verrina, Manual Training, and Soule Academy.

Phillips welcomed six veterans from last year's team: Captain Anthony Bologna, 160-lb Tim Duggan, Meyers, Pascal Tarantino, Frank Donze, and Vincent Guercio. According to the TP's pre-season article, "the Saints are going to have a fast team this season, but exceedingly too light an eleven for the first division, averaging only 130 pounds."

According to the TP, Brother Julius lined up a game October 5 against the Audubon Juniors at Audubon Park and October 14 with the St. Stanislaus Reserves. But no report of either game can be found.

Brother Julius, S.C.

Tuesday, October 30: St. Aloysius vs Warren Easton @ Heinemann Park 3 pm

Easton had waltzed 52-0 in 1922. That was nothing compared to what happened this season.

SA
0 0 0 0 0

WE
28 28 6 34 96

TD: Gene McCarroll 4, Eddie Rickeson 3, March Owen 2, Tom Robertson, Silverstein,
O'Pry, Phillips, Piccaluga PAT: Owen 11, Williams

SA lineup: Sr. Placide Lewis LE, Giordano LT, soph. Frank Donze LG, sr. Tim Duggan C, soph. Anthony Cuccia RG, jr. Francis Giacona RT, sr. Pascal Tarantino RE, jr. Anthony Bologna (C) QB, Kassel LH, sr. Bernard "Red" Egan RH, sr. Norbert Michel FB

After the starters rang up an incredible 56 first half points, Coach Roehm put in the second team for the second half. The Saints held their own, 6-0, in Q3 before falling apart in the last stanza.

QB March Owen drop kicked 11 PATs for a total of 23 points in the game, exactly 1/3 of Boys High's total.

The third and fourth quarters were only 10 minutes long rather than the standard 12.

Friday, November 9: St. Aloysius vs Jesuit @ Heinemann Park 3 pm

SA

0

0

0

0

0

Jes
14
0

14

14

42

TD: Henry Juge 2, Johnny Menville 2, Paul Drouet, Billy Seiman; PAT: Menville 6

SA lineup: Dwyer LE, Bologna LT, Donze LG, Duggan C, Cuccia RG, Giordano RT, Helmke RE, sr. Milton Steckler QB, Egan LH, Reich RH, Harold Jordy FB Subs: Lewis, Guercio, Tarantino

Phillips shook up the lineup. Harold Jordy, who had played for Stanislaus against SA the year before, took the field at FB and starred for the Saints.

The TP writer acknowledged that "the Aloysius team showed a marked improvement in its play." 42-0 wasn't even half as bad as 96-0.

The highlights of the scoring were a 20y scamper on a "criss-cross" play by Billy Seiman in Q1, a 45y punt return by Johnny Menville in Q3, and a 30y run by Paul Drouet in Q4.

Thursday, November 15: St. Aloysius vs Holy Cross @ Heinemann Park 3 pm

SA

0

0

0

0

0

HC

7

10

13

0

30

TD: D. Genelle, L. Nalty 2, Walsh; FG: Nalty; PAT: Nalty 3

SA lineup: Dunn LE, Bologna (C) LT, Donze LG, Dwyer C, Giordano RG, Duggan RT, Helmke RE, Lewis QB, Egan LH, Vincent Guercio RH, Jordy FB Subs: Steckler, Tarantino, Cuccia, Kassel, Michel, Giacona

More personnel shakeup by Coach Phillips, with senior Tim Duggan (a future doctor) playing his third position in the line.

The unique aspect of the game was a 35y FG by Nalty.

One Q3 TD by the Micks came when Walsh recovered a bad snap from the 3y line into the EZ.

HC finished 3-6, with the other two victories coming against independent teams (Galvez Street Tigers and Gretna Pioneers).

Thursday, November 22: St. Aloysius vs Delgado

This game was listed on the schedule published at the beginning of the season. However, no article on the game appeared in the TP on November 23. It is entirely possible that attrition so depleted the Panthers that Brother Julius and Coach Phillips decided to shut down the season.

Jesuit defeated Easton 9-7 to win its second straight Prep crown. A FG by Menville was the difference.

Summary

Another winless season. The football program was regressing, not advancing. Phillips had an idea he hoped the administration and the Prep association would approve for 1924 that would give SA students some chance of success in football.

One bright spot was T Anthony Bologna making second team Class A All-Prep as selected by William Walmsley, the referee for all prep contests. In his article unveiling his selections, Walmsley wrote: "Coach 'Hippo' Phillips of St. Aloysius had a real task on his hands. He had nothing but green and inexperienced players with which to build his team, and no coach could take the material he had and finish near the top the first year out."

1924 Season

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