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History of Crusader Football |

Brother Ralph, S.C. and Monk Zelden
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1935 marked the second year of the duo overseeing St. Aloysius football: head coach Sam "Monk" Zelden and AD Brother Martin, S.C.
- Aloysius opened the year with the greatest enrollment since the school opened: 738. The freshman class comprised the biggest chunk with 220. The fifth-graders numbered the least, only 35.
- The school colors would change to Crimson and White for the basketball season, presumably because of new uniforms. However, for one more gridiron campaign, SA would take the field as the Purple and Gold Panthers.
- Coming off a winless season, Zelden's squad worked hard to improve. The institution of lower level teams at the school would pay dividends down the road. Brother Ralph coached the second team, corresponding to today's JV. Brother Aquinas directed the third team, which had a weight limit of 120 lb. Monk and Brother Martin also established a 90-lb developmental league of four teams composed of students in the early grades.
- All eight teams worked out at Crescent Park on the riverfront at the foot of Esplanade Avenue.
- Aloysius had established a reputation as a team with a loyal, vocal following that inspired them to play hard against larger opponents. Leading the cheers would be three boys chosen by Brother Maximin from more than 15 candidates: Edgar Fontaine, Singleton Neyland, and Frank Burke.
- One important rules change for 1935 mandated that helmets must be worn as part of the uniform.
- Jerry Becker, expected to start in the backfield, was injured during spring workouts. Then, the Friday before the first game, he fainted in class and was taken to the hospital. He would definitely miss the opening game.
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The varsity roster as listed in the first Aloysian of the school year:
St. Aloysius Panthers 1935
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No. |
Player |
Position |
Weight |
Height |
Class |
1 |
Allyn Roussel |
G |
133 |
5-7 |
Jr. |
2 |
Eddie Gruber |
QB |
138 |
5-8 |
Jr. |
3 |
Alvin Noullet |
E |
150 |
5-9 |
Jr. |
4 |
Whitey MacKay |
HB |
153 |
5-7 |
Jr. |
5 |
James Thibaut |
FB |
172 |
5-11 |
So. |
6 |
L. O'Brien |
E |
145 |
5-8 |
? |
7 |
M. Kraus |
E |
155 |
6-0 |
? |
7 |
John Stroebel |
E |
181 |
6-1 |
Fr. |
8 |
Daniel Camp |
G |
180 |
5-10 |
Jr. |
9 |
Joseph Quintas |
T |
188 |
5-10 |
So. |
10 |
David Ellis |
T |
180 |
6-2 |
Jr. |
11 |
William McNamara |
T |
165 |
5-10 |
Sr. |
13 |
Zachary Strate |
E |
130 |
5-6 |
Sr. |
14 |
James Millet |
C |
150 |
5-9 |
Sr. |
15 |
Fred Michon |
T |
160 |
5-10 |
Jr. |
16 |
Joseph Terrell |
QB |
126 |
5-4 |
Sr. |
17 |
Henry Schopfer |
C |
148 |
5-9 |
Jr. |
18 |
Raymond Bonanno |
HB |
135 |
5-8 |
Jr. |
19 |
William Cooke |
G |
148 |
5-8 |
Sr. |
20 |
Warren Mayronne |
FB |
138 |
5-9 |
Jr. |
21 |
Gerald Becker |
HB |
148 |
5-8 |
Sr. |
22 |
Ernest Casadaban |
E |
150 |
5-6 |
Sr. |
23 |
Richard Petre |
G |
150 |
5-8 |
Jr. |
24 |
William Reynolds |
HB |
140 |
5-9 |
Sr. |
1935 St. Aloysius Panthers

Sunday, September 22: St. Aloysius vs Leon Godchaux @ Reserve (aft.) |
SA |
0 |
13 |
7 |
0 |
20 |
| Res |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
TDs: SA Thibaut, Noullet 2; Res Stein
PAT: SA Thibaut 2 (PK), Res Gautreaux (PK)
First downs: SA 13, Res 7;
Penalty yds: SA 75, Res 20
Rushing: SA 223, Res 73; Passing: SA 3-10/78, Res 5-15/89 |
SA lineup: Jr. Alvin Noullet LE, jr. David Ellis LT, jr. Allyn Roussel LG, sr. James Millet C, jr. Richard Petre RG, sr. William McNamara RT, sr. Ernest Casadaban RE, jr. Edmund Gruber QB, Whitey MacKay LH, jr. Raymond Bonanno RH, so. James Thibaut FB Subs: Sr. William Reynolds, John Stroebel, L. O'Brien, jr. Daniel Camp, sr. William Cooke, so. Joseph Quintas, sr. Zachary Strate, jr. Warren Mayronne, jr. Henry Schopfer, jr. Fred Michon

Al Noullet
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The Panthers traveled upriver to open the season against a "small but scrappy" Reserve eleven before 500 fans. It took Zelden's squad only one game to eclipse its 1934 victory total.
- Q1: The pigskin stayed near midfield throughout the period.
- Q2: The Panthers finally began to click. "Pete" Bonanno rifled a made-to-order pass to sophomore FB Jimmy Thibaut who ran the remaining 4y to the EZ. Shortly afterward, a 70y march culminated in a 24y pass from Bonanno to speedy E Al Noullet for a 13-0 halftime lead.
- Q3: SA continued to dominate, but fumbles and other miscues prevented a larger lead.
- Q4: Noullet broke loose over RT and raced 68y for the clinching TD. Late in the game, HB "Tiny" Stein intercepted Bonanno on the Reserve 47 and wove through the whole SA team to avoid a shutout for the home team.
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Pete Bonanno

Jimmy Thibaut
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Saturday, September 28: St. Aloysius vs McGill Institute @ Loyola Stadium 8 pm |
SA |
0
|
18 |
6 |
7 |
31 |
| McG |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
TDs: SA Noullet 2, Bonanno, Mayronne, Becker, McG Adams
PAT: SA MacKay, Schopfer McG Adams (PK)
First downs: SA 12, McG 8, Penalties: SA 5, McG 0 |
SA lineup: Noullet LE, Ellis LT, Roussel LG, Millet C, Camp RG, McNamara RT, Casadaban RE, Gruber QB, MacKay LH, Bonanno RH, Thibaut FB Subs: Schopfer C, Petre RT, Sr. Gerald Becker HB, Reynolds HB, Cooke RT, Mayronne FB, O'Brien RE, Quintas RG
The Aloysian expected a good crowd since Loyola hosted Spring Hill of Mobile the night before. In addition, "various classes have broken all records in their demands for tickets." A pep rally after recess on Friday in the auditorium gave students a chance to rehearse old yells, learn new ones, and sing the school song several times. Another pep meeting was held that afternoon.
2,000 witnessed the Panthers gain revenge for an 8-6 defeat in Mobile the year before. Loyola's new electric clock timed the 15-minute quarters.

James Millet |
- Q1: Most of the period consisted of a punting duel between "Whitey" MacKay and Adams for Ed Overton's Yellow Jackets. SA finally started to move from their 25, reaching the 15 when the quarter ended.
- Q2: On the first play, Bonanno, "star triple threat HB," skirted LE for the TD. Thibaut's placement failed. After the ball changed hands several times, C James Millet recovered Adams' fumble on the SA 48. On the first play, Noullet got loose on an end around to the 20. After two line plays failed to gain, Bonanno rewarded Noullet with a TD toss. In the closing minutes of the half, Bonanno intercepted Adams' aerial on the McGill 40. Before the visitors could say "boo," Bonanno hit Noullet for another tally to top off Aloysius's highest-scoring period since exploding for 28 in Q2 against Stanislaus in '32.
- Q3: The INT bug struck Adams again. This time it was junior Warren Mayronne who grabbed the ball on his own 42 and returned it to paydirt.
- Q4: Sr. HB Gerald Becker capped a 54y march with a scoring run from inside the 5. MacKay tossed to Henry Schopfer for the EP. McGill finally came to life two plays after the kickoff when Marke passed 23y to Adams who ran 30 more to the EZ. With Zelden giving subs playing time, the game ended with McGill in possession on the SA 25.
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Warren Mayronne

Gerald Becker
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Next came St. Stanislaus for the fourth straight year. "Wop" Glover's team opened its season with a 31-12 victory over Moss Point.
Saturday, October 5: St. Aloysius vs St. Stanislaus @ Bay St. Louis (night) |
SA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
| SSC |
7 |
6 |
7 |
14 |
34 |
TD: SSC: Garriga, Cripps, ?, Gerchow; SA ?
PAT: SSC ?

J. MacKay |
- Q1: The Cats got off to a bad start before a "large gathering." SA fumbled the opening kickoff, and SSC recovered on the 20. Garriga took the ball over from there.
- Q2: The Panthers tried a pass that was partially blocked and intercepted by Cripps who traveled 40y for the second TD. Late in the half, the visitors blocked a kick and returned it for a score, but the play was called back because of offside.
- Q3: Early in the period, the Rock-a-Chaws scored on a sustained drive. Several times, it looked as if the speedy Panther backs might get going, but after a few substantial gains the drives ended with punts.
- Q4: A Panther punt from deep in their own territory was blocked and recovered in the EZ for another SSC TD. The Rocks scored again when Gerchow snagged a 30y pass and raced the remaining 20 to the Promised Land. The visitors finally got on the board late in the period on a 60y drive. On the conversion, MacKay tried to run when he found no open receiver and was tackled in the backfield.
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Sunday, October 13: St. Aloysius vs Commercial High @ Loyola Stadium 2:30 |
SA |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| Com |
0 |
13 |
6 |
6 |
25 |
TD: Com Erdman 2, Hoffman 2; SA Noullet
PAT: Com Parmalee (pass from Hoffman)
1st Downs: SA 5, Com 10; Penalties: SA 50y, Com 45 |
SA lineup: Noullet LE, Ellis LT, Roussel LG, Millet C, Camp RG, McNamara RT, Stroebel RE, Gruber QB, Becker LH, MacKay RH, Thibaut FB Subs: Petre RG, Schopfer C, O'Brien RT, Casadaban RE, Mayronne FB, Quintas RT, Reynolds HB, Michon LE, Bonanno RT/HB, Cooke RE
Commy Coach Pete Miller had lost his star HB Pete Calagno to a broken collar bone in the 6-6 tie against defending state champion Holy Cross. A crowd of 3,000 watched his backups burn the Panthers with aerials "under a blazing sun."
- Q1: The Aloysian complained about the officiating of Johnny Lynch, who was a prominent college official. A number of penalties slowed play in the first few minutes. Commy's Ed Hoffman won the punting exchanges, nailing one out of bounds on the 4. But that only set the stage for the longest run in prep history to that point, a 96y ramble by "Nookie" Noullet who started on an end around, cut sharply off T, then reversed field to evade the tacklers. Commy responded with a relentless drive inside the SA 5 before being stopped inches short of the final stripe. Bonanno boomed a 50y punt from the EZ.
- Q2: Commy finally scored on a 6y completion from Floyd Voltz to Charles Erdman. Then Erdman threw a bullet to Roy Parmalee for the go-ahead point. Later in the period, Voltz passed from the SA 30 to Hoffman who ran the final 12 to the EZ. Before halftime, the Cats completed a 30y pass. Two plays later, Noullet went off RT 12y across thegoal line again, "but to no avail for the terrible tempered Mr. Lynch was on the spot a nd penalized the Panthers 15y for an 'illegal shift.'" In that era, that penalty usually meant that the backfield did not come to a complete stop after doing the "Rockne shift" just before the snap.
- Q3: Erdman dropped back to pass but, finding no one open, broke loose and, "after dodging and twisting through the Panthers tacklers," raced 45y to paydirt.
- Q4: Commy topped off the scoring with a 30y shot from Voltz to Hoffman, who caught the ball on the tips of his fingers while on the dead run.
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Johnny Brechtel had moved from Behrman to the Canal Street public school for this season. He inherited a team led by Jimmy Cajoleas, the "Gallopin' Greek," who would be used sparingly in the Aloysius clash because of injury. Panther senior T William McNamara would also be absent with an bum hip. Sophomore Joseph Quintas, who outweighed Mac by 23 lb, would replace him. Nevertheless, the Eagle line, averaging 175, would enjoy an advantage of close to 20 pounds per man. A crowd estimated at 2,000 watched the rare Friday afternoon contest.
Johnny Brechtel
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Friday, October 18: St. Aloysius vs Warren Easton @ Loyola Stadium 3 pm |
SA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| WE |
12 |
9 |
0 |
12 |
33 |
TD: Saunders 3, Battle, Brinkman; SAF: Ozenovich
PAT: Battle (run)
1st Downs: SA 3, WE 13; Penalties: SA 50y, WE 35 |
SA lineup: Noullet LE, Ellis LT, Roussel LG, Schopfer C, Petre RG, Quintas RT, M. Krause RE, Gruber QB, Bonanno HB, Reynolds HB, Thibaut FB Subs: Camp RT, Michon HB, O'Brien RT, MacKay HB, Mayronne QB, Becker HB, Cooke LT, Millet LE
- Q1: Easton drove 63y for the first TD with agile HB "Uly" Saunders doing most of the damage up the middle and scoring the first of his three TDs for the afternoon. The PAT kick went wide. During the closing minutes of the period, Joe Galliano, who would become one of the winningest prep coaches in New Orleans and a volunteer assistant under Bob Conlin, grabbed an INT off QB Eddie Gruber. That led to Saunders' second TD, a 40y run during which he evaded at least six Panthers.
- Q2: The third Eagle TD was set up when Louis Ruello blocked Bonanno's punt and recovered on the 10. Saunders plunged over for the score, and "Tuttie" Battle turned the corner for the EP. Forced to punt deep in their own territory, the Saints suffered a safety when the bad snap went into the EZ where MacKay corralled it before Old Gold and Purple tacklers buried him.
- Q3: The determined Panther defense kept the Eagles off the scoreboard in the period, the highlight of which was a fight between Noullet and Johnny Marshall of Easton, resulting in the ejection of both from the fray.
- Q4: Making no headway on the ground, the Panthers took to the air. However, Battle picked off a Bonanno pass and raced 35y to the Promised Land. Shortly after that, Zelden halted the game to protest to the officials that fans were interfering with his players on the bench. SA finally got a scoring chance following Schopfer's INT off Battle to the Eagle 34. Alas, the threat ended with a fumble. The last score of the afternoon came from the SA 20 when Billy Brinkman took one of Battle's heaves and scurried the remaining distance unhampered.
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Henry Schopfer |
Friday, October 25: St. Aloysius vs Jesuit @ Loyola Stadium 8 pm |
SA |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
| Jes |
6 |
7 |
13 |
0 |
26 |
TDs: Jes Antonini 2, Smith, Friedrichs; SA Noullet
PAT: Smith (place kick), Hooper (pass from Friedrichs)
1st Downs: SA 5, Jes 14;
Penalties: SA 5y, Jes 50
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SA lineup: Noullet LE, Petre LT, Peter Judlin LG, Schopfer C, Roussel RG, Ellis RT, O'Brien RE, Gruber QB, Becker HB, MacKay HB, Thibaut FB Subs: Camp LG, Krause RE, Reynolds HB, McNamara LG
4,000 turned out on a brisk evening to see if the Saints could score their first victory over the Blue Jays. As the TP said, "The Panthers are always at the peak of their game when Jesuit is the opponent." However, SA was banged up, causing Peter Judlin to advance from the junior team to the starting LG spot. Once again, Zelden's boys would face a bigger, deeper opponent.

Eddie Gruber
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- Q1: Jesuit got on the board first as the result of a 54y march. George Antonini got it rolling with 7 at RE, followed by 20 in the same spot by L. G. Friedrichs. Two runs by St. John Smith advanced 13y closer. From the 14, Antonini circled LE to paydirt standing up. The kick from placement for the EP was blocked. After SA was forced to punt, Jesuit drove to the 30 due to the runs of 12 each by Friedrichs and Eddie Bordes before the defense stiffened.
- Q2: The next TD resulted from some Jay razzle-dazzle. Smith broke loose on his own 25 and raced to the SA 34 where he lateraled to Antonini who was finally hauled down on the 5 by MacKay and Noullet. After the Panthers held for two plays, Smith bucked over C from the 3 for the score. He also converted from placement. The Cats finally gained their initial first down on the last play of the half when MacKay flipped a "lucky lateral" to Noullet for 11.
- Q3: A Panther fumble at the beginning of the half set up another Jay drive that ended in the shadow of the SA goal posts. MacKay punted out to the Birds' 45. Numerous line plunges netted two first downs and put the ball on the 30. From there, Antonini followed good interference around RE to the EZ. Zelden complained that Head Linesman Johnny Oulliber blew his whistle prematurely which halted tacklers, but the play stood. The try from placement sailed wide. After another punt to the Jay 36, Antonini connected with Friedrichs to move the pigskin to the 11. After two line plunges, Friedrichs scored on a reverse. A pass from L. G. to Hooper added the 26th point. Late in the period, with the Jay second string on the field, Gruber brought the crowd to its feet when "the dimunutive signal barker of the Cats" faded back to his 20 and let fly to Noullet, who snagged the oval on the midfield stripe and outdistanced the Jay backfield down the sideline to score standing up Δ�€“ another long TD for Nookie, 70y this time.
- Q4: The ball changed hands often with neither side threatening.
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The Fortier Tarpons were a "mystery team" because of their inconsistency. They had defeated St. Stanislaus handily as well as Holy Cross but lost to Easton. Monk would again be short-handed as MacKay had fractured an ankle. Thibaut would take over the punting chores. The Aloysian: "Already a triple threat on offense, Jimmy has been shifted on defense and now backs up the Saints forward wall." Bonanno returned after a brief illness, and Dave Ellis had finally gotten rid of his leg injury. To make matters worse, Noullet had been hampered most of the week by a head cold but had "sweated it out." Yet the two-week layoff had some beneficial impact on the squad's performance.
Saturday, November 9: St. Aloysius vs Fortier @ Loyola Stadium 8 pm |
SA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| For |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
TD: Gore, Juncker
PAT: Ryan (place kick); Frois (place kick)
SA 5, For 12; Penalties: SA 15, For 5
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SA lineup: Gruber LE, Ellis LT, Cooke LG, Schopfer C, Camp RG, McNamara RT, Reynolds RE, Roussel QB, Noullet HB, Mayronne HB, Thibaut FB Subs: Bonanno LE, Krause RE, Judlin RG, Cooke RT, Millet C, Michon RT
- Q1: 1500 watched Fortier stop SA and then drive for a TD. After Pat Ryan returned the punt to the 35, Ryan, Norman Juncker, and Dave Gore alternated carries to the SA 17. Then the Tarpons caught the Cats by surprise. A "beautiful lateral" from Ryan to Gore put 6 on the board. Ryan place kicked the PAT. From that point, the game devolved into a punting duel between Thibaut and Ryan.
- Q2: SA slowly gained an advantage in field position until they took over on the Fortier 45 with a few minutes left in the half. Thibaut fired to Gruber to the 20, then Noullet skirted E for 17. But Thibaut fumbled, and Bray recovered for the Fish. Ryan kicked out of danger.
- Q3: The punting duel continued. Each team moved the chains only once in the period.
- Q4: Halfway through, Gore connected with Covert for 33y to the SA 23. Gore tossed to Pipes for 5 before Juncker went off tackle for the clinching TD. Frois booted point 14. The next time Fortier got the ball with 2 minutes left, they started a drive, making four firsts to the 23 when the game ended.
Ray Scheuering's Behrman Bees sported a 4-3 record in his first year following the departure of Johnny Brechtel, the founding coach of the program. It was also the Bees first year in Class A. Practically the entire team that won the 1934 B Prep Championship returned, led by field general "Red" Camp, cousin of Panther G Daniel. All-league HB Vernon Clasen posed the greatest offensive threat. For once, Monk's squad would not face a weight disadvantage. Both schools celebrated homecoming.
Sunday, November 17: St. Aloysius vs Behrman @ Westside Park, Algiers (aft.) |
SA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Behr |
0 |
0 |
12 |
7 |
19 |
TDs: Camp, Clasen, Lala
PAT: Camp (pass from Lala)
1st Downs: SA 5, Behr 10; Penalties: SA 5y, Behr 30
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SA lineup: Gruber LE, McNamara LT, Camp LG, Schopfer C, Petre RG, Ellis RT, Reynolds RE, Roussel QB, Noullet RH, Mayronne LH, Thibaut FB Subs: Bonanno RH, Stroebel RE, Noullet LE, Cooke LG, Gruber QB, Roussel LG
- Q1: The "fair-sized crowd" saw the Panthers completely outplay their "Algerian rivals" during Q1. SA held Behrman without a first down in the period but made only two themselves and penetrated only as far as the enemy 35.
- Q2: The ball stayed in Bee territory most of the time. "Dee" Lala thrilled the crowd when he almost returned a punt for a TD. He fielded Thibaut's punt on his 35 and broke to the sidelines behind fine blocking. Only Noullet's speed prevented the score as he pushed Lala out on the 18. After two runs netted only a single yard, Dee gained 8 around E. But on fourth down, Harper fumbled, and Ellis recovered on the 12. The half ended scoreless a few minutes later.
- Q3: Scheuering decided to attack by air. Taking the ball on its 40, Behrman scored in two plays. Lala passed to Clasen for 13, then hit Camp for the TD. "Rock" Roussel blocked Lala's place kick. The Bees started another drive on their next possession, making three first downs to the 24. But Clasen fumbled, and Schopfer recovered. Noullet took the ball on his patented end around but fumbled and recovered for a loss of 8. On the next play, he dropped back in punt formation but fumbled the low pass and fell on the ball to lose another 8. Thibaut then shanked a punt out on the Panther 14 to put Behrman back in business. Lala banged over LT to the 2, then repeated the play for the score. Dee's pass for the 13th point fell incomplete. Aloysius ripped off three firsts in a row, including a long pass from Gruber to Noullet to the 28. But on fourth down, the Bees rushed the passer, causing a wild throw.
- Q4: The teams slugged it out in midfield. Finally, Behrman took over at the 50. Clasen circled RE for 12, then 13 more on a reverse. After a plunge for 7, Lala went off-tackle to the 15. From there, he fired to Clasen who took it in stride into the EZ. Dee connected with Camp for the PAT. The game ended soon after.
The Panthers had completed nine straight quarters without scoring a single point. |
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The 0-6-1 Holy Cross Tigers were rebuilding after reaching the state finals in '34. All-Prep G Bill Daly led an inexperienced club. "Red" Wilkson, "towering tackle," was set to return after missing time with a bad foot. The contest provided the Panthers with their last chance to escape the Class A Prep cellar.
Sunday, November 24: St. Aloysius vs Holy Cross @ Loyola Stadium 2:30 pm |
SA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| HC |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
TD: Daly
1st Downs: SA 8, HC 15; Penalties: SA 20y, HC 5
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SA lineup: Gruber LE, Ellis LT, Cooke LG, Schopfer C, Petre RG, McNamara RT, Stroebel RE, Roussel QB, Noullet LH, Mayronne RH, Thibaut FB Subs: Camp, Judlin, MacKay, Michon, Reynolds
- Q1: HC lost two fine scoring opportunities. The first came after recovering Noullet's fumble on the SA 28. Three plays brought the Tigers to the 4, but Iggy Frey fumbled, and Roussel recovered on the goal line. Thibaut punted out of danger to midfield. Dalier tossed to Davis for 29y. David Crespino gained 5 in two tries. Dalier tried passes on the next two downs, but the Panther rush forced incompletions to end the assault.
- Q2: The Tigers moved from midfield to the 11 with Crespino and Davis doing most of the damage. But Petre gobbled up Crespino's fumble on the 15 to stave off the onslaught. Thibaut ran for 10 out of punt formation before Roussel fumbled the ball back, LeCroix recovering on the 20. Two plunges by Crespino gained 9. But HC couldn't gain the extra yard and ran out of downs. More punts and fumbles ensued until SA had the ball on its own 38 a half-minute before halftime. As Schopfer dropped back to punt, Daly shifted unobserved from his regular position in the interior of the line to the end. From there, he rushed unhindered and blocked the kick, picked it up on the bounce, and ran untouched to paydirt.
- Q3: The Tigers made two first downs after receiving the kickoff before bogging down. Daly punted out on the 8. The Saints then mounted their only threat of the afternoon. Thibaut connected with Roussel for 40, then hit William Reynolds for 34 to the 18. Noullet gained 8 but then lost 5. Two Thibaut incompletions turned the ball over.
- Q4: The teams exchanged punts until, halfway through the final period, a 65y boot pinned SA at the 6. Thibaut punted out only to the 34. Crespino swept E for 16 before fumbling on the 15, Daly recovering. Crespino ran twice more to the 6, but then Davis fumbled, and Mayronne recovered for the Panthers. Despite running out of time, Thibaut punted out to midfield.
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Iggy Frey

Richard Petre

William Reynolds
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As in 1934, the Panthers ended the season in Mississippi, this time with a Thanksgiving game against Pascagoula. Once again, SA would miss several players. Bonanno was still out with a touch of the flu. Judlin had also been hampered by a bad cold for the last two games.
Thursday, November 28: St. Aloysius vs Pascagoula @ Pascagoula (aft.) |
SA |
0 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
12 |
| Pas |
14 |
6 |
0 |
7 |
27 |
TD: SA Thibaut 2; Pas Rolle, Watts, Dees, Bosarge
PAT: Pas Dees 3 (place kicks)
1st Downs: SA 9, Pas 11;
Penalties: SA 15y, Pas 1
Passing: SA 7-17, Pas 2-5
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SA lineup: Reynolds LE, McNamara LT, Camp LG, Schopfer C, Petre RG, Ellis RT, Stroebel RE, Gruber QB, Roussel HB, Mayronne RH, Thibaut FB Subs: Judlin, Noullet, MacKay, Petre, Michon, Cooke, Millet
The highly-rated Mississippi Panthers, "one of the best teams in America" according to The Aloysian, looked to keep sharp against a big city team before entering their state playoffs. A crowd of 1,500 turned out on Turkey Day.

John Stroebel
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- Q1: The home team started strong with two scores in the opening period. M. Hudson passed to Wilbur Dees for 51y to the 8. But L. Watts lost 3, then 5. But Amos Rolle got all that and more on a spinner play over RG to the EZ. Dees booted the EP. Later, Watts recovered Gruber's fumble of a punt on the SA 39 to set up a short drive. Hudson rattled off 30y, but Watts was thrown to the 18. On the next play, Watts "with some fancy running, slipped away from two would-be tacklers to score." Dees made it 14-0.
- Q2: Still another SA fumble gave the ball away on the 32. Hudson threw a pass that was deflected by Mayronne but flipped high in the air and fell into the waiting arms of Dees in the EZ. Dees placement missed the mark. The visiting Panthers finally broke their string of scoreless quarters at 14. Petre pounced on Rolls' bobble on the Pascagoula 29. Noullet, who for some reason hadn't started, entered the contest and contributed to a pass-run drive that carried to the 1, from where Thibaut broke the drought. Jimmy's PAT kick was blocked.
- Q3: "The second half found the hard-charging SA line stopping the opponent's much talked about razzle-dazzle to a standstill. Both teams had to take to the air."
- Q4: After a scoreless third period, Pascagoula got moving again when Hudson, on his way to the ground, lateraled to Bosarge who carried the mail to the 10. Rolls gained 2 on two line plunges. Again, Hudson pulled his last second lateral trick to Bosarge who scampered into the EZ. Dees converted to make it 27-6. Zelden's never-say-die squad responded with a 61y march. Two beautiful pass completions to John Stroebel advanced the spheroid to the 1 from where Thibaut tallied his second TD of the game.
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The Aloysian boasted about the impression the Saints made on the Pascagoula players and fans.
- Wells of Pascagoula asked, "How did the prep league teams beat Aloysius?"
- Pascagoula followers rated the contest as the most exciting they witnessed all season.
- In its review of the season, The Aloysian chose as "Most Humorous Incident": "The Mississippi official claiming he was too busy looking at his watch to see Gruber get hit from behind not five feet in front of him."
| Jesuit defeated Easton in their annual finale to win the Class A Prep championship and earn the right to meet Baton Rouge for the South Louisiana Championship. The Jays revenged their only loss of the year with a 20-14 victory at Tulane Stadium. Then, following in the footsteps of Holy Cross from 1934, Jesuit lost to Byrd in the state title game, also at Tulane. |
No Panther made the Picayune's All-Prep team, not even Al Noullet. However, he along with David Ellis, Allyn Roussel, Henry Schopfer, Jimmy Thibaut, and Eddie Gruber merited Honorable Mention.
Summary
2-8 marked an improvement only because 1934 had ended 0-8. Still, not winning a single league game proved disappointing. The defense played well, but the offense produced only 12 TDs in 10 games. Six of those tallies were by Noullet on runs and passes, including 68 and 96y runs and a 70y pass reception.
Nevertheless, hope for better days rested on two facts:
- The return of many key contributors: Noullet, Roussel, Gruber, Thibaut, Ellis, Schopfer, Bonanno, Mayronne, and Petre.
- The expanded program of younger teams that the two Monks, Sam and Martin, had initiated.
The Aloysian expressed its pride in the perserverance of the gridders.
Crippled and weary from defeat and with innumerable obstacles staring them in the face, our team stayed on and went ahead to outfight and morally defeat what is touted the best high school team in America. Teams may come and go, but we take off our hats to the eleven of '35, the scrappiest football team ever to grace the halls of our dear old Alma Mater.
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CONTENTS
1935 Season
Reserve
McGill
St. Stanislaus
Commercial
Warren Easton
Jesuit
Fortier
Behrman
Holy Cross
Pascagoula
Summary
1934 Season
Summary of the 1920s
Crusader Sports History Home
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