Download complete file with overview and stats: 1924

1924

In the early twenties the school and community worked to make the school field, the lower field area, which is now the area covered by the football and softball fields, a community park. It would be called Memorial Park in honor of the eleven former students from SCHS who died during World War I. The area that is currently the girls junior varsity field, was the men’s baseball field. Home plate was on the street side of the field facing Laurel Street. In the same area abutting Laurel street was the girls sports field.

As a fund raiser, Donkey softball was played periodically. A player, after hitting the ball, had to pull an actual donkey around the bases. One player that had worked with mule packs in the Army became a desirable participant at these games.

When the configuration of Memorial Park was later changed, it took its present name, Memorial Field. The eleven Santa Cruz High School students that died in WWI are still honored at the park, their names are inscribed on the wall of the entrance way into the main building.

The field was used by many groups and organizations for different activities. One group, the Portuguese Association, held their Festia at the field and put on great fire works for 4th of July celebrations.

The Armory burned down and with it everything the high school and basketball squad owned in the way of athletic equipment. Luckily, a new high school gymnasium was in the works.

An article in the January 25th 1924 Trident titled, “Four Years Ago Today” states that the petition for building a high school gymnasium was given to the Board of Education. As a good omen, Santa Cruz High won the C.C.A.L. basketball championship by defeating Hollister, 52-9.

At last Santa Cruz High is to have a gym – the building for which she has hoped and worked so long and so enthusiastically. Carpenters are now working on the building, which is on the site of the old track barn. The work will probably be completed in a month or two. [This is in 1923 too, was the work still going on?]

One of the most appealing features of the gym is a large indoor basketball court with a seating capacity of over seven hundred. Goodbye to the Armory and the old Casino court!

Many new showers are to be put in for the boys, and there will be twice as much locker and dressing room space. The girls locker room will have several showers and individual dressing rooms.

One part of the new equipment being bought will be a cage ball, with which many games can be played. Cage balls, an inflatable ball either 48 inches or 60 inches in diameter, were used in many of the army camps during WWI. Now that we will have a real gym, our physical education and athletic programs can be improved.

The junior class showed a series of films for the purpose of raising money for their prom.

This year CCAL has been divided into two leagues, the “A” league, consisting of SC, Watsonville, Hollister and Salinas, and the “B” league, with Monterey, Pacific Grove, Gonzales and King City.

Also this year, much was done toward discouraging the old ideas of class antagonism, which is a big step in the right direction. No more hazing.

Coaches:
Eakin, football
Damkroger, basketball
CE “Doc” Fehliman, baseball
Stevens, tennis
Track had multiple coaches headed by principal G.A. Bond with assistants Eakin, Damkroger and Paul Levy.

FOOTBALL

Santa Cruz and Hollister were co-champions this year. This was Santa Cruz’s first championship in football.

Practice games:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival)
Lowell SF 0-12
Oakland 13-13
Santa Clara 3-27
Practice record 0-2-1
League:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival)
Hollister 7-6
Salinas 14-6
Watsonville 7-13
Santa Cruz and Hollister were co-champions with 2-1 records.

Two play off games were played with both ending in tie scores 3-3 and 0-0. Time ran out to play another game as the NCS playoffs were scheduled for the next week. To come up with CCAL team to enter, a flip of a coin was won by Hollister, who went on to lose to Lick Willmering of San Francisco. This gave the Cards an overall record 2-3-3.

Starting football team:
ends, Tom Hill and Kermit Michael
tackles, Gary Anderson, Don Nason, Rutherford De Witt, Caldwell and Ernest Piere
guards, Wright, Orein Crews, Don Mc Hugh
center, Jack Hill
quarterback, Dan Frost
halfbacks, Duke Valine, third year, Ali Rice, Jack Manildi and Loren Ingols
fullback Ray Carney
Others: Earl Handley and Tom Stevens.
After the Hollister game the girls league serve a delightful luncheon for the SC boys.

LIGHTWEIGHT FOOTBALL had no scores or information other the names of the starters. Lightweight starters:
ends: Stagnaro and Hargraves
tackles, Tom Stevens and Tibbitt
guards, Bront and Lester
center, Walsh
quarterback, Morton Sinnott
halfbacks, Jim Sinnott and Jenne
fullback, Irlan.

BASKETBALL
practice games:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival)
Palo Alto 14-20
Boulder Creek 17-8
Monterey 30-27
Practice record 2-1
League:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival game 1, game 2)
Watsonville 10-12, 16-14
Salinas 17-9, 17-20
Hollister 19-16, 18-7
League 4-2, second place. Season 6-3
Watsonville won both the varsity and lightweight titles.

Watsonville plays at their civic auditorium, which uses canvas over their wood floor to save it for dances. It creates a very slippery surface. Watsonville varsity beat Pacific Grove 12-5 to go to NCS. The lightweights just switched it around with PG going to NCS.

Team members:
Forwards, Captain Manildi and Tex Beasley who had 10 and 7 points between them for all the scoring in the final game of the season against Watsonville
Centers, Shebley and Rutherford
Guards Valine, Rice and Frost.

BASKETBALL Lightweight
Practice scores:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival)
Monterey 20-5
Palo Alto 8-5
Practice record 2-0
League:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival game 1, game 2)
Hollister 20-7, 10-8
Watsonville 10-6, 7-14
Salinas 9-9, 6-12
League record 3-2-1 for second place. Season 5-2-1
Watsonville won league, but lost in the playoffs against B league champ Pacific Grove.

Lightweight players:
Forwards, Al White and Choisser
Center, Chilton Jones;
Guards, Stagnaro, Hagested and Handley also a center
Subs, Linstedt, Hagestead, Helms, Walsh, Ireland and Radovich.

BASEBALL
Santa Cruz took the CCAL championship
Practice games:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival)
San Jose 3-2
Poly S F 4-0
Palo Alto 4-1
Campbell 2-7
Monterey 18-0
Practice record 4-1
League:
(listed as the team Santa Cruz High played then the score SC-rival)
Hollister 4-3
Watsonville 4-2
Monterey 19-0
League record 3-0 Champions
NCS Play:
the Lick of San Francisco 5-0
Berkeley 5-7 in finals. Season Record 8-2

Doc Fehliman, in his first year as head baseball coach, had the most successful season going to the finals of NCS against Berkeley.

The final game, Santa Cruz lineup:
(listed in batting order with the players name, position and batting average)
Choisser SS, 409
Jack Manildi 2B, 360
Hooey P, 440
Duke Valine 1B, 280
Hargraves RF, 411
Costello LF, 250
Beasley 3B, 273
Mellett CF, 200
Andrews C, 074
Subs: Ingols and Frohlich.

The team was 4-1 in practice games and played only a single round in league this year. SC won all three to make the regular season record 7-1. In the first NCS game against the Lick of San Francisco, Santa Cruz won 5-0 with pitcher Hooey striking out 11 people. He had been pitching well all season, and, along with Hargraves, hit over 400 for the season. In the finals against Berkeley, Santa Cruz won 5-7.

The Santa Cruz High newspaper – the Trident, 2/24/24.
CARDINAL BELLES new girls baseball field. A long sought, much needed addition to the girls athletic facilities is being added to Memorial field this week – a new baseball diamond just for the girls. Intensive daily practice for the boys squad will be possible now that the girls field is to be completed.

GCCAL, Girls baseball members:
Anna Ebert, Gladys Izant, Lola King, Irma Jones. Gladys Cleveland, Alice Barrowcloough, Alma Boone, Margaret Martin, Marie Howard, Doris Fowler, Juanita Soult, Roberta Johnstone and Grace Whittaker.

The girls lost to Watsonville 6-8. Because of rain, the game with Hollister was called after one inning with the score 4-5.

TRACK
Santa Cruz took CCAL Championship for the 15th time in 20 years
List of SC CCAL championships: 1904, 1905, 1906 (no meet), 1907, 1909 to 1916, 1918, 1919, 1923, and 1924.

The track team was not only first in the CCAL but beat the power house teams from Berkeley, Alameda and San Jose in dual meets.

CCAL
CCAL meet scores:
Santa Cruz 92,
Hollister 80,
Watsonville 23.

CCAL winners:
Eddie Kilfoyl in the mile and 880
Tony “Duke” Valine in the shot put and discus
Rutherford in high jump
John “Sebe” Caldwell in the javelin with a CCAL record throw of 160’9”, the old mark was 151’.

Second place men:
Tom Hill in 120 high hurdles
Dan Linstedt in mile and relay team
Ingals in broad jump.

Third place finishers
Post in 220
Johnson in shot and discus
Wilber Robinson and Dan Frost in javelin
Other participants Chester Pracht, Don Nason, Tom Stevens and Don Mc Hugh.

The lightweights also had a good day.
First place finishers:
Page first in the 50 and 100 dashes
Tom Jones won the javelin and took second in the high jump

Second place finishers were Dan Linstedt in mile
Dan Ebert in 50
Ingols in broad jump
Sebe Caldwell in javelin
Tex Beasley 220.

Third place finishers:
Al White in 220
Kean in high jump.

NCS
At the NCS meet at Stanford against 27 other teams SC finished fourth with 18 points, trailing behind the champion Alameda 29, San Jose 25, and Sebastapol 24. Watsonville and Palo Alto tied for last place with 12 points.

NCS scores:
John Caldwell was first in the javelin with a throw of 160‘ 10“
Eddie Kilfoyl took second in 880 and third in mile
Tony Valine took third in the discus and shot put, both under his throws at CCAL meet

If Caldwell had been entered in the state meet at Taft he could have won state as the winner won with a throw less than John has been throwing

Records still held by SC:
(listed as event, holder of record, year and time or distance)
120 high hurdles, Watson, 1920, 17 2/5 seconds
220 low hurdles, Dake, 1919, 27 1/5 seconds
mile, Campbell 1913, 4 minutes 41 seconds.

Number of records held by schools:
Salinas 6
Hollister 3
Santa Cruz 3
King City 1

Lightweight records:
Ingols holds 3 records all made in 1923 – Broad jump 19’2”, javelin 134’9” and 8 pound shot 46’11”
Hill also holds 3 records all in 1923 – Pole vault 9’, 50 yard dash 5 3/5 seconds and the 100 in 10 2/5 seconds.

Number of lightweight records held by schools:
Santa Cruz 6
Hollister 2
Watsonville 1
Salinas 1

TENNIS
Boys CCAL Champions
Ted Strickland and Ken Emigh played against 7 teams at the NCS doubles finals at the Berkeley tennis club.
Other members of the team: Alan Brown and Clifford McCormick

TENNIS GIRLS
Anna Ebert, Myrtle Mackey, Beatrice Crofoot and Jean McCreary.

INDIVIDUALS
Tony “Duke” Valine was a third year letterman and a starting back on the co-championship football team, a starting guard on the co-championship basketball team and the first baseman in baseball in addition to placing third in the discus and shot at the NCS meet. A four sport letterman this year. Tony went to star at Santa Clara University from 1925 to 1928 earning ALL COAST and ALL AMERICAN honors. Later he became the Director of Civil Defense.

From the Trident. Mark Pond is the most spectacular athlete at SC since Ernest Damkroger, who is now coaching basketball here.

Mr. Bond, principal and track coach, has led the track team to 14 titles in 18 seasons.

Henry “Indry” Leibbrandt won 9 letters. Three each in football and basketball. Two in baseball and one in track Last year Henry was captain of the basketball team and ALL CCAL in basketball and baseball. He went on to

In 1924 “Dad” Gould at 78 with 20 years as the SC head janitor retired. From the Trident. His friendliness and good nature, patience, has endeared him to all those he has come in contact with.

Eddie Kilfoyl, captain of the 1924 track team which won the league and took fourth in NCS placed second in 880 and third in mile at the CCAL meet.

John Caldwell in addition to taking first place in javelin and set a record throw of 160’9” also was first string tackle on the co-champion football team.

Hyman “Dink” Wilzel won #1 player honors in tennis at league and NCS .