The Sugarcreek-Shanesville High School Pirates can see nothing but an "off" year ahead during the Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball season which opens Friday night, but 8-year Head Coach Earl Sundheimer and his crew are looking up to tournament time. Then, with a schedule of 19 games behind them, the Pirates and their mentor, shown above, figure the experience of the season will make them a tournament threat. In the picture are Coach Earl Sundheimer, Forward Don Shepfer - Guard Bob Becker - Forward Marne Blick - Center Arden Miller - Guard Don Hershberger and Guard Phil Hostetler.
SUGARCREEK - The years when the dopesters of the county's Class B Basketball League leave the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates out of their prognostications are few and far between, but this happens to be one of them. Head Coach Earl Sundheimer, meeting the issue squarely, has done the next best thing. Without experienced talent and a not-very-big squad, the Pirate chieftain has arranged a schedule of 19 games and hopes that when the tournament rolls arond he will have developed a team which may go places.
Of the 1st 10 men in Pirate garb last year, Sundheimer has but one man on this season's squad. He lost John Harmon - Cliff Moomaw - Paul Andrews - Don Ridle - Walter Drake - Harold Gonter - Quentin Burkey - Junior Miller and Alpeter. The one man returned is Forward Don Shepfer. And the next best he has in the way of experience are Guard Don Hershberger and Center Arden Miller, both of whom played some with the 2nd team a year ago. So this year's Pirate crew will be built around those 3 unless unforseen developments drop a couple of "Horse Haggertys" into Sundheimer's lap. Along with those 3 returning will be Guard Phil Hostetler - Forward Marne Blick - Forward Jim Jones - Guard Bob Becker - Gene Ladrach - Guard Ken Zimmerman - Lester Mizer - Guard Frank Berger and Forward Walter Zechiel. And that just tells the tale of Sugarcreek-Shanesville for this season.
Coach Sundheimer's shortage of players is a natural thing, he says, in view of the fact that there has been very little material coming in with Freshman classes. This year; however, there was a noticeable pickup and the Pirates are working out a very promising group of freshies. Among them are the Smith twins, Merle and Earl, - Junior Moomaw - Gene Becker and Nolan Kaser. The coach plans to use them freely in Reserve games this season and have them ready for next year's slate.
Ragersville is making its annual contribution to the Pirate squad in that 4 of the group Sundheimer plans to use on his 1st string come from that village. They are: Gene Ladrach - Ken Zimmerman - Lester Mizer and Frank Berger. But with all that contribution, this appears very definitely one of the "down" years for Sugarcreek-Shanesville. But, the Pirates always come back. It may be next year and most certainly not later than 2 years from now.
Of the 19 games on the Pirate schedule, 10 are with League opponents and others are with Berlin, Newcomerstown and Walnut Creek outside the League and Strasburg and Bolivar in the League.
Wednesday, November 17, 1937
Clyde Shaffer, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
No comments:
Post a Comment