Replacing the boy who wore those big shoes and that No. 5 jersey in the center of the above picture is quite a job, but Head Coach M.R. Helwig and his squad at Midvale High School are taking it on with one big swing. The shoes and jersey were those of Frank Baumholtz, the Midvale Blue Devils' All-Ohio forward last year, shown in the center. Grouped around are the Blue Devils who will carry on from where Baumholtz left off. In the picture: Forward John Hawkins - Harold Meese - Guard Bernard Turrin - Center Bill Stevenson - Head Coach M.R. Helwig (5th year ?) - Guard Don Spence - Center Dick Belknap - Forward Bob Swinderman - Walter Beahm and Fred Schumaker.
MIDVALE - When Frank Baumholtz, that handsome, smooth-working, point-getting basketball player and all-around athlete from the Midvale Blue Devils, matriculated at Ohio University in Athens this fall, about 90 percent of Tuscarawas County's cage fans---all of them familiar with the sparkplug of the Eastern Ohio District Champions---were of the opinion that he took Midvale's chances for cage fame this season with him. Not so - as the coaches preparing to battle it out at some time or another during the winter with the Blue Devils will testify and as Coach Helwig, head-over-heels in work at the Devils' camp, will modestly admit.
Helwig, former Bolivar Cardinals High School star, piloted 12 boys through the District Tournament and to the semi-finals of the State Tournament at Columbus where Baumholtz won fame as an All-State forward. And of those 12, exactly 8 are back again this year to defend the District Championship and make a new bid for county honors that so narrowly averted their clutches last season. Three of the remaining 8 players are lettermen and all of the other 5 saw plenty of action last season for Coach Helwig and Midvale had the kind of a team that gave the substitutes plenty of work.
Along with Baumholtz, Helwig lost Francis Herron, center - Dick Taylor and Arthur Price, guards. But he still has of his lettermen John Hawkins, Baumholtz's unsung running mate of last season - Bill Stevenson, perfectly capable guard and Dick Belknap, promising center who received plenty of polish last year.
On 1st draft, it appears that the 3 lettemen will get another "M" this season and that one of the Swinderman boys will pair with Hawkins at forward and that Bernard Turrin will get 1st call for the open guard position. But, there's still plenty of competition and plenty of room for it, according to Helwig. Two more experienced boys who will go out with the 1st Ten are Alva Hale and Harrold Meese.
The carrying of 10 men on his 1st string is Coach Helwig's answer to the change eliminating the center jump. He doesn't plan to use the "race horse" style unless forced to, but he very well plans to be prepared for it.
The Midvale Reserve squad will come from a group of 20 working hard for positions. This group includes: Bob Baldwin - Frank Morrison of Roswell - Gerald Young - Rodney Truman - Willard Stafford - Millard Meese - Dale Paulus - Adrian Ford - Laird Walker and Ray Davis and that's only part of them.
If Midvale is to keep pace with its last year's record, a man-sized job is already awaiting it. After shooting through a season of 10 League games and winning 8 of them, the Blue Devils entered the tournaments; got to the District and through the back door offered by the Consolation Division of the county joust then marched to the semi-finals at Columbus. In tournament play alone they worked 12 games losing only 2. This season a schedule of 18 games awaits their opening bid at Bolivar Friday night. Ten of the games are with other Class B League opponents and the other 8 outside the loop's jurisdiction.
Monday, November 15, 1937
Clyde Shaffer, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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