42 - Meet The 1942 Mineral City Tigers Tournament Team

Leo M. Thomas 23, of Endicott, Nebraska, has been employed as teacher and athletic coach at Mineral City High School, ending the Board of Education's long seasrch for an Athletic Director in November.  Thomas, who is married, graduated from the Nebraska State Teachers College and coached one year at Davey High School in Nebraska.


MINERAL CITY - First-Year Head Coach Leo M. Thomas, who assumed his new duties as mentor at Mineral City High School, started from scratch in his effort to rebuild athletics at the Tiger school.  While at Nebraska State Teachers College he earned 2 varsity football letters as a halfback, 2 varsity letters as a basketball guard and one track letter as a broad jumper and quarter-miler.  Thomas succeeds C.J. Hanner who resigned before the school term ended last year.

The new Tiger skipper started off with a squad of 18 in preparation for the 1941-42 cage season and only 2 Seniors were among the aspirants for varsity jobs.  The squad had 3 lettermen from last year's varsity quintet:  Junior guard Tom Smitley (19), Senior forward Ray Houze (12), both of whom were starters last year and Sophomore guard Ever Jones, who was a sub.  Junior guard Bill Jones and a pair of promising Freshmen, forward Leland Swinford and guard Gene Smitley were possible starters.  Swinford at 6-feet is the tallest of the lot.

The remainder of the varsity squad is composed of:

Junior Don McKinney
Sophomore Guard Jack Greegor
Freshman Forward Charles Baker
Freshman Guard Gale Duebner

The 8 contingent includes:

Senior Vernard Schuman
Junior Charles Miller
Junior Forward Jack Pingstock
Junior Dick Wilson
Junior Walter Zurfley
Freshman Gil Fiddler
Freshman Seward Shuman
Freshman Don Steinbaugh

Last year Mineral City finished in a tie with the Stone Creek Golden Panthers for 9th place at 1-9.  This year the Tigers finished dead last without a single win...0-10.  A win in the tournament would make their day!


The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

42 - Meet The 1942 Midvale Blue Devils Tournament Team

MIDVALE - Second-Year Head Coach Pete Wolfe's Midvale Blue Devils Basketball Team, defending Tuscarawas County and District Tournament Honors will begin their defense of the titles with a less powerful combine than he had last year.  In 1941 the Blue Devils reached the State semi-finals and had traveled further than any League team ever.

Coach Wolfe opened the season with only 2 veteran performers.  He had 3 lettermen returning, but one of them, guard Lloyd Swinderman, has been handicapped by a knee injury suffered in 6-man football.  Little guard Calvin "Tod" Hostetler (13), All-Ohio last season and Dale Ford (10), another  guard, are the other veterans who are expected to lead the Midvale cagers.  Gene Young, Charles Souers and Urban Hawkins, reserve players last season, are expected to receive the other starting calls.

Others looking for action are: Freshman center Gene Hawkings, Senior forward Tom Golder, Roger Briggs, Pete Faniola, John Gibbs, Ed Hines and Carl Myers; although, only Hawkins, Golder, Briggs and Faniola are considered top-notch candidates for varsity berths.  Other team members:

Senior Guard Gene Lindsey
Hunter
Renicker

Midvale finished in 4th Place in the League last year with a 7-3 record.  This year the Blue Devils finished in a tie with the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates in 7th Place at 4-6.  Coach Wolfe nearly won it all last year in the tournaments in his 1st year at Midvale, but this year will be a real challenge for him and his devil cagers.


The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

42 - Meet The 1942 Gnadenhutten Indians Tournament Team

Gnadenhutten Indians 1942 Tournament Cheerleaders:  Jane Miller - Winifred Wolfe  and Jean Kohl.


GNADENHUTTEN - In preporation of the County Tournament, 1st-Year Head Coach Ralph (Blondie) Gartrell has been working his squad on the polished boards.  Gartrell came to Gnaden this year as successor to Ed Sears who resigned to enter the Air Corps after 4 years of coaching the Indians.  He is a brother of Ken Gartrell who is the Head Coach at Dundee.

If returning lettermen mean anything the Tribe will be one team to watch in this year's tournament.  None of the 11 boys now included on the Indian varsity team were lettermen from last season and 2 of them, Seniors center John Metzger (96) and forward Don Miller (21), won All-District recognition in last spring's tournament play.

The remaining veterans on the squad are Junior guard Ken Kohl (10), Junior guard Bill Lockett, Junior Ralph Long (9), Senior forward Bill Schreiner (10), Senior Dale Shull, Senior forward Al Galbraith and Senior Bob Kopp.  Seniors Elmer Morrison and Glen Montague, other promising lads, complete the varsity squad.

This band of indians finished in 2nd place in the League race with a record of 8-2 last season and then went on to cop the Consolation Championship for the 2nd Consecutive year.  This season they won the League title without a single loss with a record of 10-0.  They won it all for their 1st ever League Championship.  It's no wonder they are picked to win this year's tournament.


The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

42 - Meet The 1942 Dundee Bulldogs Tournament Team

DUNDEE - The largest basketball squad ever to report for practice in the history of Dundee High School...19 boys...reported to 3rd-Year Head Coach Ken Gartrell of the Bulldogs when the season began.  Coach Gartrell had 7 lettermen from last season's team in the group and were expected to send out one of the best teams the school has had in recent year.

The team was also one of the best dressed.  The school had purchased new blue uniforms for road games and white for home games.  The players wore knee length socks for the 1st time and the cheerleaders were outfitted in military style uniforms of red, white and blue.  The uniforms were red with white overseas caps and white military boots.

Veteran cagers back for Coach Gartrell's combine this year were forward Milton Fruchey (56), guard Carroll Saam, guard Buck Machan (26), center Paul Jones (25), guard John Zaugg, Sophomore forward Paul Laubacher and Senior Paul Stress.  Fruchey was an All-County Tournament selection as a forward and Jones similarly was an All-County choice.  Saam was the leading scorer on the Bulldogs' reserve squad last season and saw considerable varsity service.  Machan, also a bright light last season, is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 180 pounds.  He will probably be the pivot man or guard this year with Saam and Fruchey at the forwards and Jones and either Zaugg, 6 feet 2 inches, or Laubacher, a Sophomore, at the guards.  Last year the Bulldogs were 11-9 during the regular season, but came up in the county tournament to reach the finals where they lost to the Midvale Blue Devils.  They were eliminated in the Sectional meeting by the Berlin Blue Jays of Holmes County.

In the League last season Dundee finished 8th with a 3-7 record.  This year the Bulldogs were in a 3-way tie with the Stone Creek Golden Panthers and Strasburg Tigers all at 6-4.

Other members of the team are:

Forward Jerry Bussinger
Senior Forward Ray Landis
Senior Don Malone
Sophomre Clayton Heid
Freshman Zane Brugger
Freshman Bill Fankhauser
Freshman Charles Fender
Freshman Fred Frutig
Freshman Dick Klein
Freshman Bill Sexton
Freshman Bill Smith
Freshman Forward Jack Welsch


The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

42 - Meet The 1942 Bolivar Cardinals Tournament Team

BOLIVAR - Although he has lost 5 lettermen by graduation last year, 2nd-Year Head Coach John A. Major of Bolivar High School has 4 veterans returning of whom he built his team.  Coach Major went to Bolivar in the middle of last season when Coach George Wrentmore left to join the Air Corps, but he carried on the start made by Wrentmore and won the League pennant; although, the Cardinals were eliminated from the county tournament by the Midvale Blue Devils in the 1st game.

The 4 boys who won letters with the champions last season and who are now back to help defend it are Junior forward Warren Klink (63), who received All-State Honors last year as a Sophomore, forward Calvin Jones (14), center Russ Ross (17) and guard Bill Zutavern (3).  The remainder of the varsity combination came from last season's reserves, but the Cardinals are expecting to be limping for sometime yet.  Ross did not join the squad for 4 months during the regular season or so, because of torn ligaments in his ankle and another of the group was ineligible until the 2nd semester because of grades.

Thus the immediate outlook of the Cardinals is far from rosy.  Coach Major's reserves last season didn't have a very impressive record and his 2nd string this season was handicapped by the lack of size and experience.  Coach Major is a graduate of Ohio Northern and was at Batesville for 2 and a half years before coming to Bolivar.

Last year Bolivar finished in 1st Place in the League with a record of 9-1.  This year the Cardinals dropped a notch to finish in a tie with the Tuscarawas Broncos for 2nd Place and an 8-2 record.  Other mebers of the team are:

Guard Joe Huffman
Center Class
Forward G. Augsberger
Forward Lab


The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

42 - Meet The 1942 Baltic Eagles Tournament Team

BALTIC - A man-sized job is cut out for 1st-year Head Coach Armand H. Falace, Baltic High School's new basketball coach, if the Eagles are to occupy a high place in the sun of the County Class B Basketball Tournament this year.  Coach Falace's team had only 2 lettermen returning from last year:

Senior Forward Walace Hahn
Junior Forward John Young (7)

They were the nucleus around which the mentor has built his team.

Last year Bill Lint (52) and Glenn Regula (63) were lost to the squad through graduation and a back injury took a 3rd veteran, Paul Huff (21).

Coach Falace, a graduate of Ohio University and who coached at Shade for 2 years and Henrietta last season, looks forward to improved tournament play.  Last year Baltic placed 7th in the League standings with a 5-5 record under then 4th-year Head Coach L.P. Wartiainen.  This year the Eagles finished in 10th at 1-9.

Other current members on this year's team are:

Junior Guard Junior Ackerman
Senior Center George Christner (4)
Junior Guard Jim Friend
Sophomore Forward Arthur Limbacher
Junior Forward Bob Regula
Freshman Center Max Regula
Sophomore Guard Bob Reidenbach
Guard M. Schlarb


The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

*Point total carried over from preceding tournament years.

42 - 20th Annual Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball Tournament (1942)

DOVER - The basketball tournament season bursts on Tuscarawas County in full bloom Thursday night when the 11 teams of the county's Class B League begin the competition which ultimately leads down the glory road to District and State Championship contests.  Opening at Memorial Hall here with a program of 4 games Thursday night, the county event will continue through this weekend and wind up the following week with the qualification of 3 teams...winner, runner-up and Consolation victor...for the Sectional meeting which will be held at Memorial Hall the 1st weekend in March.

The Midvale Blue Devils, winner of the Eastern Ohio District title for 2 straight years, is given little chance to withstand the gruelling competition of the county event, much less survive Sectional and later District play to successfully defend its title.  The Blue Devils last season won the county tournament and went through the Sectional and District meets to annex its 2nd straight title.  Second-year Head Coach Pete Wolfe's crew defeated the Dundee Bulldogs 29-24 in last year's county Championship game, while the Gnadenhutten Indians...leading Champion this season...went into the Sectional meeting by virtue of a 22-20 triumph over the Strasburg Tigers in the Consolation final.

Gnaden, with its League title and record of 20-1, is accorded the unwanted role of favorite with the Bolivar Cardinals, the only team to reverse the Indians during the season, picked as the number 2 combination.  But it's a long and rocky road leading to tournament laurels and especially when the contestants must be continually facing such opposition as the Stone Creek Golden Panthers, Strasburg, the Tuscarawas Broncos and the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates, all capable of upsetting even the strongest of the quints in the county and thus throw the race wide open for all comers.

Thursday night's opening show in the tournament puts the Mineral City Tigers and Stone Creek on the floor to raise the curtain at 6PM with the other 3, Bolivar vs Baltic, the Port Washington Purple Riders vs Tusky and Dundee vs Sugarcreek-Shanesville.  Friday night Gnaden and Midvale open the program at 7PM with a regular tournament game followed by Strasburg against the winner of the Mineral City-Stone Creek tilt at 8PM.  The Consolation Division begins action at 9PM with the loser of the Mineral City-Stone Creek contest facing the loser of the Baltic-Bolivar tangle.

The teams continue the elimination Saturday and return next week for the semi-finals and finals.  Edward Adams of Akron and John Gabor of Alliance will referee all tournament games.


Tuesday, February 17, 1942
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS (1941-42)

1.  Gnadenhutten Indians (Ralph W. Gartrell-1) 10-0 1.000 (1st Title)
2.  Bolivar Cardinals (John A Major-2) 8-2 .800
3.  Tuscarawas Broncos (Charmis Davis-14) 8-2 .800
4.  Dundee Bulldogs (Ken Gartrell-3) 6-4 .600
5.  Stone Creek Golden Panthers (M.R. Helwick-1) 6-4 .600
6.  Strasburg Tigers (Clayton Kessler-1) 6-4 .600
7.  Midvale Blue Devils (Pete Wolfe-2) 4-6 .400
8.  Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates (Sylvester Harmon-3) 4-6 .400
9.  Port Washington Purple Riders (Walter J. Meade-7) 2-8 .200
10. Baltic Eagles (Armand M. Falace-1) 1-9 .100
11. Mineral City Tigers (Leo M. Thomas-1) 0-10 .000