Email about the Great Teams of Pennsylvania Tournament  Fall 2005
 

Great teams tourney

WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA!? I can't wait to see how things play out.? Of course, my biases would tell you that you don't even need to play the

bracket because that Johnstown team would be everyone else!!!!? Seriously though, I forwarded this to the other guys at my site, I'll also put a link on the site to check it out.?  

Douglas E. Keklak

 

Tom: Thanks, Doug. I am excited about this. Wait until you see the game summaries. It has everything but the play-by-play. I hope to do more in the future. There have been so many great teams in Pennsylvania. And this computer simulation is fairly realistic in that you could play the same game 20 times and have different scores each time with either team winning

Yeah, what about the great Smoke Run Bear's teams from the 40's with Frank "Dutch" Elling? They were awesome and the head cheerleader. hmmm I think her name was Mabel, was a die-hard fan. Rumor has it that she ended up marrying good old "Dutch and had like 3 kids, one who was a standout wrestler at Mo Valley and Lock Haven State College.  Yeah, he even beat out a stud named Jim Murray (New York boy), but it didn't surprise me. The Elling kid was relentless!

 

Anyway, back to football. Let's get that Smoke Run Team on the list! Wasn't George Close the quarterback?  He threw to Muzzy Montoro if I remember correctly?  Can't remember that far back now though, Sonny!

 

Great job on the tournament even though you missed some of the best!

 

John Bortash -Portage Township Class of 1943

 

Tom - 

I played on the 1971 Neshaminy Redskins - so this should be fun. 

Will results be published Saturday night in real time or on Sunday morning in static format? 

Looking forward to our opener against the "boys" from Harrisburg Tech.  And I normally like Shorty's picks - but not on this one as the '71 'Skins don't take kindly to predictions of a second place finish in a two-team contest. 

Love the site - it's great!  And it makes it easy for a Californian to get updates on PA ball and all the news a fella needs to know. 

Bruce Traney - Fullback

As a former Pennsylvanian (Indiana County District 6) who lives and works in Turkey I wanted to say THANK YOU to you and your helpers for developing your site that has helped keep me updated on PA Football results all season! Keep up the great work and know that you are very much appreciated!

Sincerly,

Terry Huber

 

Tom: Hi, Terry.. We take great pleasure and satisfaction being able to serve many former Pennsylvanians all over the country and the world. Thank you for taking the time to email us. All the best to you.

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I like the tourney set-up. WOW, you did your homework! Nice work, I can't wait to see who ends up in the final. 

Berwick won, beat Nameth, I can't believe it. I thought for sure they would get beat. Even Shorty had Beaver Falls picked.

 

I love it, ya even got stats and a wrap-up on the game. THUMBS UP!!

Frank Kastreva

 

Tom: Frank, I owe the research to Hal Wilson. I merely designed and modified a gaming program and inserted as many as the real life stats as I could. Any of these games could go either way. They were all such fantastic teams. We hope to continue this and make it even better. Thanks for the note.

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To whom this may concern:
 

    I am writing as a proud citizen of Johnstown and its historic football past. What's ironic about that statement is that I don't even go to Johnstown and I have only been alive for two successful JHS seasons (1988 & 2004). I am 17 years old and I attend to nearby Bishop McCort (called Catholic High) in Hal Wilson's articles. I am a senior captain on this year's team and also a nephew of Gene Buchan a sophomore on the 1958 Trojan Squad.

 

    I really enjoy the articles about Johnstown and Windber posted on your website. I've gone to many libraries searching for information on their historic football pasts but the only information I seem to find is from #24 Gene Buchan. I was just wondering where all this information was found because I want to learn more about these great teams.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

 

Sincerely:

Dan DeFrances

 

Tom: Dan, I'll pass your note on to Mr. Wilson. He is the master of football research for the great old teams. Thanks for the note and all the best to your team. Regards to your Uncle Gene. I hope he is enjoying a visit to the past when his great team played.

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First, I enjoy your website and the info it provides.  I produce the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review High School Edition, a weekly look at WPIAL football.  I like to use your site as a reference to teams from the Central and Eastern parts of the state.
 

The Hal Wilson challenge is an interesting debate.  I understand you picked these teams at random, but I'm sure your getting irate mail from all around, asking why certain teams aren't in the bracket, so I figured I'd just pile on:  what about last year's Pittsburgh Central Catholic team?  I know it's easier to look at more recent teams, but they were completely dominant at the big-school level.  They were the first team in Pa. history to go 16-0.  A few things:  They beat Justin King's Gateway team twice.  They shut down LeSean McCoy and shut out McDevitt.  In their three PIAA playoff wins, they outscored opponents 137-17 (I doubt many big-school teams in PA have been that dominant in the last three playoff games) and it would have been worse if not for a few late scores in the state final.
 

By the way, I am in no way tied to Central Catholic.  I didn't go there, my kid will not go there and I have zero rooting interest.  I just know that in my humble 15 years of covering high school football in PA, Ohio and West Virginia, that was the best team I had ever seen.  I played against the 1987 North Hills team in summer camps and scrimmages and they made my team look silly, but I don't think they would have touched this team, not the way they were playing at the end of the year.

Again, great subject for debate.  Keep up the good work.
 

Craig McConnell - Fox Sports

 

Tom: Hi Craig,
I agree.. I think the PCC defense was the best I have seen in my years of following PA high school football.
The 16 teams chosen were not necessarily the best 16 ever, but rather 16 chosen from the articles Hal Wilson has done on some of the great teams of PA.  Naturally, he focused on teams of the past initially.  I intend to do this again next season and will include some of the more recent teams.. (I will need individual stats, ie Eugene Jarvis rushing stats - for any teams I use so I can more accurately portray their performance). If you have those individual stats, it would be very helpful.

Eventually, we will have all of the winners (or maybe the semi-finalists) meet to decide the greatest PA team of All-Time (mythically, of course as played in my computer game).
So far, I've received very little irate mail...  as I think most understand that this selection of teams is not represented at THE greatest 16... but as I explained above.
I thought it would be interesting to put the stats into my computer football program and play from some of the teams Hal Wilson has so far featured.
The Central Bucks teams also will be considered.. and maybe the recent Manheim team that edged Pine-Richland in that blizzard.
I also have as an objective to revive some of the great names/players/coaches in our great PA high school football  history.
Thanks for your email. I truly appreciate it and your interest in what I'm attempting to do.
Hey, maybe we can talk John (Kerry) Stroh of Pittsburgh Fox into featuring the finals.. or even do a tournament of the great WPIAL teams of all time!  I knew Mr. Stroh when he wrestled for Phil Lochkuff of Shikellamy and have talked with him at state wrestling championships.. I've also chatted with Trennie at Heinz Field and at the Steeler Training Camps.
 

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I know you said that the teams were picked at random, but were the Central Bucks West teams of the mid 1990's considered with the teams that were on the list to be picked from? 

Christopher Heleniak
 

Tom: Hal Wilson didn't feature those team as yet.. thus they were not considered in the original picks. They most certainly be in the near future.. BUT I will need their stats..  I'm not sure if Mike Pettine kept all of that.. maybe you can point me in the right direction to get that?
I can't include any team if I don't have their roster and stats along with their team results... not just 15-0 but who they beat and by what score.
The more details, the better.

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I think you should have used the 1938 Northampton High team. There are a lot of people in the Lehigh Valley that feel they would have beaten some college teams

Rodger Hahn

 

Tom: Please read the details as to how the first 16 teams were chosen. I thought I explained that fairly well.
We produced a newspaper the past seven years. The past three Hal Wilson did feature stories for us on SOME of the great all-time PA High School teams.
He chose the ones to do and tried to balance East and West. He tried to choose those HE felt were the best. He continues to add teams. Surely, you understand this can not be done all at one time. We have had other inquiries and suggestion over the past couple years and we pass those on to Mr. Wilson. I'll do the same with yours.
Please know that it does help to supply some details, i.e. the team roster, a team photo if possible, stats and results for that team and the individuals. You see, we cannot (even as good as Hal Wilson is) pull that out of thin air. We are more likely to cover teams who are suggested "IF" we get detailed information sent along to us.
We don't expect this to be a once and done thing. So, hopefully, you will see your team in the near future.. and maybe you'll sent along some details of this great team.
Thanks for your interest and your suggestion.

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Tom: Steve, Can you get me the stats for the individuals and the complete results .. ie 9/1/86   Marian 35   North Schuylkill 0  etc
If so, we'll consider adding your team for the next go-round.  Thanks for the note / information
 

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Love this idea of mythically matching great teams in PA football history. I have to tell you though that in 1955, I traveled up to the "coal regions", possibly Pottsville but not sure with my big brother and some of his cronies...but we came away thinking that either one of the Harrisburg High Schools could have beaten either team. No way to know of course but lots of plays that were not made. It was a bitter cold night and I'm sure that had a lot to do with the miscues. I didn't see the '48 SteamRollers, but they always played us (John Harris, Harrisburg ) tough. Love your web-site, keep up the good work.
James Musser

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