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1944
Everyone is in one league for basketball and track. Football has five members this year, Hollister, Monterey, Carmel, Salinas and Santa Cruz. Everyone is playing basketball in one league. Baseball has only four teams playing in the league, Monterey, Carmel, Hollister and Santa Cruz. (League affiliations by divisions A and B and all as one changed year by year, it seems.)

Watsonville is not playing interscholastic sports this year. (Watsonville resumed playing 1945.)

Carmel entered the league as a CCAL member.

In the first season back after taking a year off the schedules were light, since gas rationing and the war continues.

Coaches: Merle Briggs, varsity football, basketball and baseball. Walter Wattenburg head track and assistant in football. Stevens, tennis.

FOOTBALL “DREAM TEAM’ Santa Clara 6-0, Carmel 41-0. Practice record 2-0. League: Hollister 12-3, Salinas 12-0, Monterey 13-0, League record 3-0 Championship. Season 5-0

After 15 years of gridiron oblivion, SCHS came through with one of its greatest teams. It completely out classed all opponents on its five game schedule. Not a single team could put the ball across the Cardinal’s goal line. Hollister High booted a field goal for the only score registered against this “dream team”. The team drew good crowds up to 1800 at games.

Eight of players were unanimously chosen ALL CCAL. The squad was well balanced with lots of power in the backfield as well as in the line. Santa Cruzans should well be proud of their powerful Cardinal machine, as it is a shining example of the will-to-win spirit that will hold many of these boys in good stead in the near future.

Starting linemen: ends, Larrecq and Elmer Fought; tackles, Jumbo Edwards and Ben Krupp; guards, Gino Pini and Ed Dysle; center, Medina. Backs were MacGregor, Clarence Twitchell, Len Noren, captain Bob Rittnhouse and Malcom Macaulay.

Other team members: Pinkham, Sachau, Scofield, Ray Hunter, Demos, Hickey, Fulton, Don Waltrip, Ledyard, Taylor and Vic Ghidinelli.

Len Noren averaged 7 yards per carry and had a quick kick go 62 yards to put Hollister in the hole. The longest run of the season was for 80 yards by Malcom Macaulay, who also had other long runs.

The Cards had a passing attack coming from different players. Macaulay to Ghidinelli, Hunter to Fought, Twitchell to Paugh for the final score of the season.

No lightweight football. Everyone on varsity.

BASKETBALL HEAVYWEIGHT League: Pacific Grove 26-12, Hollister 37-8, 32-19; Salinas 33-18, 20-23; Monterey 29-31, 19-31; Gonzales 28-33. League and season record 4-4, fourth place. Monterey and King City tied for the championship with 8-0 records.

Service ruins championship chances. At the end of the first half of league play, the high flying Cardinal’s were in second place. Their only loss had been to Monterey by three points. Four first stringers and a second stringer were lost to the service. The Cards lost three of the remaining four league games and fared just as badly in City league playoffs.

The team: Captain Elmer Fought, Ray Hunter, Len Noren, Ed Withrow, Calender, Don Waltrip, Hall, Taylor, Warren, Rausch, Randall and Melrose.

Len Noren was a honorable mention ALL CCAL player.

BASKETBALL LIGHTWEIGHT League: Pacific Grove 17-12, Hollister 40-19, 32-13; Salinas 21-25, 21-24; Monterey 20-16, 18-23; Gonzales 27-26. League and season 5-3 for third place behind Salinas 7-1 and Monterey 6-2.

Lightweight basketball was so close and yet so far! None of the defeats were by more than two or three baskets. The team was probably the smallest in the league, but led by Mal Macaulay’s brilliant playing were in the running until the last game. With three sophomores playing first team, next years team should be good.

Team members: captain, Malcom Macaulay, Henry Chin, Marv Gangloff, Rich Rampone, Antonetti, John Motta, Langrish, Berger, Jenkins and Muttersbach.

Malcom Macaulay was a unanamous choice for ALL CCAL, even though he graduated at mid term. Lloyd Antonetti was chosen for the second team.

BASEBALL Monterey 20-0, Hollister 3-1, 3-4; Carmel 0-0, Bellarmine 0-1. Season record 2-2-1. No real league this year. The Cards beat the local Coast Guard 2 out of 4 games.

There were not many high school teams to play, so games were held against city league and service teams. In one of these games John Davis and Dick Fassio teamed up to throw a no hitter.

Team members: Len Noren, ace pitcher; Ed Dysle, C; Ray Hunter, 1B; Bob Grossi, OF; Ed Withrow, SS; John Motta, 2B; Silva, Kirksey, LF; Bill Casalegno, RF; Smee, 2B; Don Waltrip, Darrow, LF; Carlson, Jumbo Edwards, Lloyd Antonetti, Taylor, 3B; Maitland, 2B and Jenkins.

This years comparatively “green team” with no seniors was sparked by a brilliant hurler, captain Len Noren, who in his first game threw a no hitter and struck out 18 batters against Monterey. Len continued with the strike outs in the rest of the games. In the first game against Hollister Len struck out 16, gave up only two hits, plus hitting a home run and a triple to win the game. In the return match he struck out 16 and gave up 4 hits, but 7 errors led to a loss, plus Hollister walked him 3 times so he could not beat them with his bat. Against Bellarmine Len struck out 12 and gave up 3 hits, (but his opponent Rigetti, who played in the major leagues and his son was an ace pitcher for the New York Yankees and later pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants,) threw a no hitter, struck out 11 and drove in the only run of the game. Bellarmine had a 12-2 record coming into the game. The have beaten top teams in NCS such as Mission of San Francisco, Redwood City and Los Gatos. Only losses to San Jose JC and Hayward.

The batting order for the win against Hollister. Withrow SS; Maitland 2B; Grossi LF; Noren P; Darrow RF; Dysle C; sub: Taylor C; Hunter 1B; Casalegno CF; Sub, Kirksey CF; Motta 3B. Hitters in this game:: Noren 2 for 3; Casalegno 1 for 1; Hunter 1 for 3.

Len dislikes books and school and wants to go pro in baseball, which he did getting a cup of coffee in the major leagues, even. He ended his baseball career playing first base for the San Francisco Seals and then as a minor league manager. A majority of his playing career was spent in the Triple AAA Pacific Coast league, which was the closes league right next to the majors.

TRACK At the CCAL meet the Cards took third place behind Salinas and Pacific Grove.
At the CCAL meet Ron Hall was a first place finisher winning the pole vault. Irwin Cardiff tied for first in the high jump.

Third place finishers were Bruce Baker in 440; Dick Rausch, mile; Mel Calender, 220 and the 880 relay team.

The only lightweight at the meet was Loren Inglos, who failed to place.

No one from CCAL entered the CIF meet.

Other team members: Lucas Campbell, Matovich, C. Hall, R. Hall, Ed Dysle, Roy Johnson, Hickey, Ledderdale, Ed Withrow, Skinner, John Motta, Browne, Wyatt, Wilhelm, Pulsey, Ditmars and Thorp.

TENNIS members Robert Peterson, Ted Rausch, Dick Rausch, Kenny Melrose and Richard Rampone.

No golf this year.

INDIVIDUALS

Malcom Macaulay in four years of competition won 14 letters. Four in basketball, three in track and football, two in baseball and golf. While at Mission Hill he won 19 athletic awards in football, basketball, baseball, track, volleyball and horseshoes.

Len Noren averaged 7 yards per carry and had a quick kick go 62 yards to put Hollister in the hole. Baseball captain Len Noren, who in his first game threw a no hitter and struck out 18 batters against Monterey. Len continued with the strike outs in the rest of the games. In the first game against Hollister Len struck out 16, gave up only two hits, plus hitting a home run and a triple to win the game. In the return match he struck out 16 and gave up 4 hits, but 7 errors led to a loss, plus Hollister walked him 3 times so he could not beat them with his bat. Against Bellarmine Len struck out 12 and gave up 3 hits, Len dislikes books and school and wants to go pro in baseball, which he did getting a cup of coffee in the major leagues, even. He ended his baseball career playing first base for the San Francisco Seals and then as a minor league manager. A majority of his playing career was spent in the Triple AAA Pacific Coast league, which was the closes league right next to the majors.