A surprisingly aggressive Piqua Central high school football team heralded the arrival of the 1947 gridiron season here Friday evening with an impressive 32-6 victory over Dayton Roosevelt high before an overflow crowd of 4,500.
Quick opening plays directed through the center of a Teddie line that wasn’t too sharp defensively told the story of the game. There was no display of blinding speed - just steady play and rough and tumble football.
The ability to capitalize on Roosevelt mistakes played an important part in the Redskin victory. Teddie receivers complimented Piqua punters with a varied assortment of fumbled kicks and erratic running and there were several occasions when the bull of the Redskin line came crashing down upon a Roosevelt safety man the same instant he recovered the pigskin.
A surprising display of overall strength was shown by the Wertzmen, no one Redskin line proved to be as stationary as another. Players from both varsity and reserve squads saw constant action.
It was not a heavy team that coach G.P. “Buck” Wertz presented Friday. It was rather a swift moving, fast thinking crew capable of coping with the toughest of situations.
Rolling up a total of 192 rushing yards to Roosevelt’s 150, the Tribe took to the air for 27 passing yards and saw it fit to recover three Roosevelt fumbles at a time when such a move was highly profitable.
Piqua broke the scoring ice in the early minutes of the game when, after an exchange of kicks, Fullback Jack Wagner climaxed a drive of 44 yards with an 11 yard dash to pay dirt from the Roosevelt 11 yard line. Marvin Hardenbrook failed to convert, the placement sailing wide of the uprights.
The Teddies took over on their own 11 yard line and when three downs failed to move the ball more than three yards, punted to mid field where Piqua took over with two minutes of playing time remaining.
Bob Schultz twisted his way through tackle for a first down on the Roosevelt 35 and Wagner, on a sweep, dashed to the 19 and a first down. Bill Earley skirted end for nine more yards as the quarter ended.
John Kerrigan, who replaced Wager at fullback for a sequence of plays, plunged to a first down on the Roosevelt four yard stripe and slipped through center on the following play to score the second touchdown of the contest, after a plunge by Wagner and an attempted pass. Pete Norman to Schultz failed to gain ground earlier.
Don Cline’s conversion placement was true to the mark and the Redskins led 13-0 with scarcely two minutes of the second quarter passed.
A first down run following Piqua’s kick to Roosevelt gave the Tribe possession of the ball as Cline fell upon a Dayton fumble deep in Roosevelt territory. The threat ended, however, when several pass plays failed to accomplish more than to consume downs.
Roosevelt again took over but could accomplish no more than one outstanding play, a 27 yard run by Roosevelt quarterback, Orrville Harrell, on fourth down. Harrell used one of the oldest plays in the books, the fake punt to advantage on several occasions.
A second Roosevelt fumble, on their own 47 yard line, set up the third Piqua touchdown. Early carried the leather to the 41 and Norma tried two passes before completing a third to Earley on Roosevelt’s 30.
Wagner plunged to the 26 and Norman fired one into the flat which End Charles Collins completed on the Teddie 13 yard marker. Wagner covered the necessary yardage with a dash off tackle across the goal line. Cline’s conversion was good, Piqua 20, Roosevelt 0.
Play steadied as hostilities resumed following halftime. Both teams waged a stubborn fight for possession of the ball, but neither managed to strike pay dirt until late in the period when Earley broke away for 21 yards and a touchdown after four plays moved the ball from the Piqua 47 to Roosevelt’s 21.
Hardenbrook’s attempted conversion was wide of the mark.
Scarcely a minute later, Jack Stewart, Redskin secondary center plucked a Roosevelt pass from the air and raced 22 yards to score the final touchdown of the evening for the Tribe. Stewart’s run came after a Piqua kick and a 15 yard holding penalty against Roosevelt placed the leather on the Teddies’ 12.
Late in the third quarter, Roosevelt began a drive that was to lead to their lone tally of the evening. Piqua kicked to the Teddie 15 yard line and Quarterback Harrell returned the ball to the 23. A completed pass was good for ten yards and a first down and a repetition of the faked punt play carried the ball all the way to the Piqua 43.
Harrell quarterback sneaked to the 38 and Bob Wion drove through tackle to the 35. Harrell shook himself loose once more and gained a first down on the Redskin 20. There the quarter ended.
Harrell and Walt Haffner, on successive plays, lugged the leather to the 10 and the former quarterback sneaked his way over for the touchdown. Wion failed to convert.
Action came to a standstill in the waning minutes of the game and Piqua’s superiority remained uncontested.
