Just about the time my schoolmates and neighborhood pals were beginning to realize that Attleboro schools had organized athletics in the higher grades, (usually through older siblings or relatives), those of us in grammar schools were given the benefit of semi-organized sports through the countless hours of time and effort invested, and yes, donated by such men as Robert Coelho, William Sullivan, Howard Rounseville, J. Ray Cooney and Bill Wayne.
Local lads between 5 and 10 years our elder served as our first hometown heroes, and as we moved the ball around the Bliss playground basketball court, we would provide our own play-by-play:
"And Skipper Duffy bounces a pass into Eddie Chace, who kicks it upcourt to Driscoll, and Fran launches a jumper on the fly from the right, which rolls a-r-o-und the rim and out, but 'Tiger'" Balser owns the board, and he puts it up and in!" delivered in our best Wally Cryan imitation, naturally.
It may have been a narrow focus to some, but from fourth grade on, most of my buddies and I only dreamed about wearing the Blue and White in a few more years (well, maybe with the occasional pinup girl making her appearance here and there - hey, we were growing boys).
We would see these older guys we tried emulating every Tuesday and Friday winter evening at the Armory, at Hayward Field on snappy autumn Saturday afternoons, or late spring and early summer on the baseball diamond, or maybe even just getting a burger and Coke at Bobby's on Bank Street.
I'm positive that many of the older crowd will enjoy the contests and the names from those halcyon days in October 1958.
Thacher eleven trims Taunton
The Thacher Junior High School grid team won an exciting see-saw game from the Taunton Freshmen yesterday afternoon at Hopewell Park with the final score reading 18-16.
After the opening kickoff, Taunton ran the ball for two first downs and the locals then held, with Taunton being forced to punt. The kick was blocked and Dave Morin recovered for Thacher on the Orange and Black 30 yard stripe. Runs by Tom Carpenter and Mike Shockro brought the ball to the 5 yard line and Vinny O'Donnell tossed a pass to Don Lange for the first score of the game.
Taunton got its running game into high gear in the second period and came up with a pair of TD's, rushing for two points after each for a 16-6 lead at the half.
Coach Howard Rounseville's boys came through with their second touchdown in the third quarter when O'Donnell again hit Lange with a pass over center - Don got a great block from Dennis Gurn and ran 20 yards to paydirt.
The game's winning touchdown came in the fourth quarter. Tom Carpenter faked an end run, drawing the Taunton defense up, allowing Lange to go deep and catch his third touchdown aerial of the day, this one going for 50 yards.
The next game for the Rounseville-coached squad will be at Hayward Field next Monday afternoon against Mansfield.
Ends - Gurn, Lange, Hyland, LaCroix, Wilbur.
Tackles - Walton, Balser, Charlebois, McKay, LaMontagne.
Guards - Fisk, Houde, Nimiroski, Jones, Holander.
Centers - Morin, Hennessey.
Backs - O'Donnell, St. Pierre, Carpenter, Forgan, Lawrence, Shockro, Cameron, Nunes, Fielding, Pavao.
Jayvees beat Tolman 16-14
The Attleboro High School JV football 11 played the first of a home-and-home series with Tolman of Pawtucket yesterday afternoon at Hayward Field, winning 16-14. The teams will meet again next Monday afternoon.
Bob Hoyt scored both touchdowns for Attleboro, the first coming in the second period on a 25-yard jaunt off his right guard and the second in the third quarter on a slant off right tackle, that one carrying 30 yards. On both occasions, the points after were good - a pass from Johnny Davis to Paul Ouellette was good for the first conversion, then Davis hit Bill Gurn with an aerial in the end zone.
The two Pawtucket touchdowns came in the final period of play. The conversion was good following the first score but a rush for the second failed, which gave the Blue and White the victory.
Tackles - Moresco, Buchanan, Couture, Blackwell, Zahigian.
Guards - Brockway, Laprise, Paille, Messier.
Backs - Davis, Liberatore, Ouellette, B. Hoyt, W. Hoyt, Fredericks, M. Morin, Treen, Garrity, Carpenter, Lander.
E When my eyes spied the cover of last week's "Celebrities" supplement to The Sun Chronicle, I broke into a wide grin. I remembered that exactly one year ago Patti and I were in California for our son Coley's wedding to his beautiful bride, Wendy, and as we turned the corner onto what I believe was Rodeo Drive, we came face to (actually, top of head) face with the reclining 50-foot replica of Oscar. The Academy Awards had been held the previous evening and Oscar was being loaded onto a huge flatbed to be taken wherever Oscar goes for the rest of the year. Then, just a few days ago, Coley and Wendy called to tell us we were going to be grandparents yet again. All in all, a memory of a beautiful wedding and now, subsequently this fantastic piece of news. Maybe our luck is changing.
E Get well wishes for a complete recovery to an old friend, popular local Brad Pitman.
E Condolences to my many friends in the Minutoli and Courchesne family upon the passing of former schoolmate Ann (Minutoli) Courchesne.
E Deepest sympathy to the well-known Isabelle family of Pearl Street, who have stoically endured many untimely losses over the years, on this occasion on the death of the matriarch, Gabrielle Isabelle (and for all you guys who want to know, yes, those Isabelle girls are still beautiful).
E Until next week my friends, Peace.
