Slatington High Beaten in last Few Minutes by Lansford, 25 to 24
Slatington Defense Crumbles in Final Quarter when J. Fritzinger, Slatington Pivot man, Is Taken from game with Broken Nose - Valley League Champions Lead Up Until Last Minute”
"What the absence of one player will do to a well-drilled basketball team was brought home forcibly to eight hundred followers of the Slatington High School basketball team last night in Liberty High School gymnasium, Bethlehem, when the Lehigh Valley Inter-Scholastic League champions suffered their first defeat of the season, 25 to 24, at the hands of Lansford High, champions of the Carbon-Schuykill League. The Bethlehem High gymnasium was crowded to the doors for the game, the big majority of fans being from Slatington. The Slatington High School band of twenty-five pieces was also present.""
“For three quarters of the game Slatington was out in front by a comfortable margin. It seemed as though nothing could stop the Lehigh Valley League champions from winning. Then J. Fritzinger, the Slatington High center, in trying to break up a Lansford passing attack, got in the way of the ball, and the leather sphere struck him in the face. The force of the blow broke the Slatington player’s nose, and he was compelled to leave the lineup. Prestwood replaced him at center, and though the substitute did not play a very good game for the time he was in the contest, he just couldn't fit in with the teamwork of the rest of the players for some reason or other, and as a result the Slatington defense went to pieces.”
“When the accident happened to J. Fritzinger, Slatington was leading by a score of 22 to 15. In the next three minutes of play Lansford took three shots for field goals, and made them all, making the score 24 to 23.”
“A foul called on Peters, Slatington, for tackling one of the Lansford players around the neck, enabled Williams, Lansford forwards, to shoot the foul goal that tied up the score at 24-24, and a minute later, just as the final whistle blew ending the game, Referee Phil Lewis called a foul on one of the Slatington players for hacking, and in again it was Williams whose deadly show for the meashes (sic) proved the winning point of the game.”
....
“As a result of its defeat, Slatington is eliminated from further competition for the state scholastic basketball title. As a reward for its victory, Lansford High will meet the winner of the Nanticoke High - Reading High game next week."
Source: The Morning Call, Wednesday, 17 March 1926
Left to right
Bottom row: Dean Shenton and Robert Davies
middle row: Robert Pierce, John Williams, Delmar Hartline, Sherwood Peters and William Bleckley
top row: John Roberts (student manager), Charles Schoffstall (athletic manager), Robert Prestwood, James “Chick” Fritzinger, Carl James Fritzinger, Coach Norman E. Smith, Prof. J. W. Snyder (supervising principal)
Marvin Thomas Missing from photo
Slatington High Has Popular Coach
Championship Team for Slate Boro
“Though Slatington high school basketball team lost to Lansford High by a close score of 25 to 24 in the play-off game with the champions of the Carbon-Schuykill League Tuesday night at Bethlehem, it was not the fault of coach Norman E Smith that the Slatington team went down to defeat, as it was due to circumstances entirely beyond his control, the injury of one of his first string players put that player pout of the lineup.”
“Coach Smith is extremely popular at Slatington High school, and with the folks of the slate borough generally, chiefly because he has brought to Slatington the first championship team in the history of the borough. Despite its defeat at the hands of Lansford last night, Slatington High has the Lehigh Valley Inter-Scholastic League championship for the 1925-26 season clinched, and in winning the league championship accomplished a feat that no other league champion was able to equal since the league was first organised back in 1921, go through the entire league schedule without a defeat.”
“Slatington has two more league games to play. One of these will take place in Slatington on Friday night of this week, when Coach Smith sends his charges against Tamaqua High. In their previous meeting, at Tamaqua, Slatington won a one point victory over the Tams, and the coal region scholastics are out for revenge on Friday night.”
Source: The Morning Call, Wednesday 17 March 1926
Slatington notes
“Lansford played a very aggressive game all through, but in spite of that the Blue and White passers led all through the contest until a few minutes before the final whistle. They tied the score and won on a technical foul in the last second. In field goals our boys had eleven to their credit, while Lansford had only eight. Seventeen fouls were called on Slatington, and eight on Lansford. J. Fritzinger, the regular centre, was removed from the game through an injury received in a collision. In addition the referee called a foul on the injured player. This was a tough break for Coach Smith’s favorites. So fast was the playing and passing of the local team that the referee was in the way of many plays and hindered the work of both teams to a great extent. Every Blue and White player representing the high school was out doing his best to uphold the colors, but fate was against them. Many times our shooters dropped baskets that were not allowed. At one time a foul was called on one of our local players for not handing the ball to the official.”
Source: The Morning Call, 19 March 1926
Fate Changes Victory into Defeat for S.H.S.
“With a foul goal by Captain Hartline in the first minute of play the Blue and White passers assumed a lead which was never in danger until the final minutes of play when Fate began to play its part. “Chick” Fritzinger who until then had been playing a stellar game, sustained a broken nose and was forced out of the game. Then followed a well nigh impossible field goal, a momentary wavering of the defense, a foul goal as the final whistle blew and Lansford left the floor, victors by a one point margin.”
“The final never to be forgotten minutes marked the very period of the game that Lansford displayed any superiority. In every department of the game the miners were outplayed. Outscored, eleven to eight in field goals, the coal region scholastics snatched victory by virtue of their work on the foul line. Here they scored nine points out of sixteen tries, while the local caged only two out of eight tries.”
Lineups
Slatington - Lansford
Williams - F - Williams
Peters - F - Weston
J. Fritzinger - C - Reese
C. Fritzinger - G - C. Pollock
Hartline - G - T. Pollock
Substitutions: SHS Prestwood; LHS - N. Pollock
Source: The Slatington News, 19 March 1926
Are You Going to Stroudsburg
“This is the night you should join the fans and follow your pennant winning high school basket ball team to Stroudsburg. Get your automobile out invite your own party of friends to join you in this beautiful drive through the picturesque section of the Eastern part of the state, into the well known summer resort at Stroudsburg. There we will gather at the armory in a section reserved exclusively for the Slatington following of the Blue and White teams.”
“If you are going, call at he D. C. Peter’s Sporting Goods store and get your flag and Booster Badge free. The flag is to act as a marker to indicate the Slatington machines in traffic and show you are a follower of the team.”
Source: The Slatington News, 26 March 1926
Local S.H.S. Won over Stroudsburg
“The Local High School team finished their Lehigh Valley league season in a blaze of glory last Friday night when they journeyed to Stroudsburg and defeated the mountaineers 27 to 22. In scoring this victory the Local team completed an undefeated league season setting a record as this feat has never been accomplished by a team since the organization of the circuit.
....
“The Locals were accompanied by a delegation of about four hundred fans who made the journey in automobiles, forming a procession that stretched a half a mile. They together with the large turnout of Stroudsburg cage enthusiasts who packed the Armory, had the large building in an uproar with their shouts and cheers.”
Source: The Slatington News, 2 April 1926
[As a note, Slatington finished undefeated, 12-0, in the Lehigh Valley League, and overall 19-1 with only loss to Lansford in the playoff for the state championship. Overall the team outscored opponents by a margin of 653 to 352.]
Slatington Mourns Death of Prof. Norman E, Smith
“Death, the grim reaper, again swayed his scythe last Friday afternoon at 1:45 o’clock and cut down Norman E. Smith, one of this communities most promising young men. Smith, who was principal of the local high school and also director of athletics, died of endocarditis (inflammation of the heart) at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Perry M. Smith, 303 East Washington street, town. He was aged 30 years 5 months and 14 days.
Mr. Smith had been ill about three months, but in spite of failing health he completed the term at the local high school in June. He is survived by his wife Clara (Behm) Smith, formerly of Reading; a three-year-old daughter, Ann Louise; his parents and one sister, Irene, at home.
Source: The Slatington News, 17 September 1926
What happened to these men picture in the team photo?
William Erwin Bleckley (1908-1991) was an engineer at Bethlehem Steel corporation.
Robert Vaughan Davies (1910-1974) was a clerk at both Lehigh Portland Cement and the New Jersey Zinc companies. He was also a high school official for football and basketball for twenty-five years.
Carl James Fritzinger (1908-1983)
According to his obituary, he worked for the Philadelphia Electric Company for a short time before managing Fritzinger Buick in Walnutport for twenty-five years. He was also a partner in the former Fritzinger Bakery in Walnutport.
James Eugene “Chick” Fritzinger (1908-1999) was a long-time worker at the Fritzinger Bakery in Walnutport before becoming owner in 1970.
Delmar George Hartline (1907-1983) was a long time employee at the Bethlehem Steel corporation.
Sherwood Dubrelle Peters (1909-1998) was a graduate of Ursinus College and a manager with Bell Telephone for over forty years.
Robert Jones Pierce (1908-1975) was a technician at the New Jersey Zinc company for over forty years. He lived in the beautiful Queen-Anne style house next to the Berlin Building on Main Street.
Robert Esau Prestwood (1909-1932 died suddenly in September 1932. He was a local teacher and a popular local athlete. In addition to being a member of the 1925-1926 championship team, he was the captain of Slatington's 1926-1927 league championship team.
John R. Roberts (1909-1981) was a graduate of Penn State University, and he worked in various positions in high school education before retiring in 1973.
Charles Foster Schoffstall (1896-1957) was a graduate of Kutztown and Penn State universities and a long-time educator.
Dean Amandus Shenton (1909-1969) was a chemical engineer in the Philadelphia area.
Norman Elwood Smith (1896-1926) died unexpectedly just months after the 1926 championship season.
James Wilson Snyder (1972-1945) was supervising principal of Slatington schools from 1906 until 1941. He had attended both Bucknell and Bloomsburg universities.
Marvin Richard Thomas (1909-1974) practiced as a dentist in Slatington for over forty years. He was also a World War II veteran.
John "Hess" Williams (1908-1995) was the long-time caretaker of the Slatington reservoir. [Side note: As there were two individuals born in Slatington in 1908 and named "John Williams," I am not 100% certain that I was able to find the right person in my search.]