Elder Panther Football - 1955

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 4-4-2

 
Game #
Date
Opponent
Site
Score
W/L
Record
1
9/16/55
Withrow
Trechter
0-0
T
0-0-1
2
9/23/55
Hamilton Public
A
13-0
L
0-1-1
3
9/30/55
Woodward
H
30-2
W
1-1-1
4
10/7/55
Massillon Washington
H
26-7
L
1-2-1
5
10/15/55
Culver Military Academy
H
41-6
W
2-2-1
6
10/23/55
Roger Bacon
A
0-0
T
2-2-2
7
10/30/55
Purcell
XU
32-6
L
2-3-2
8
11/6/55
Roger Bacon
H
7-0
L
2-4-2
9
11/13/55
St. Xavier
XU
7-0
W
3-4-2
10
11/24/55
Western Hills
H
27-6
W
4-4-2

Head Coach: Virgil J. Scardina (Career Record: 18-9-3)

Captain: Frank Birri 

Final GCL Standings
Overall
League

1. Purcell
8-2
3-0

2. Roger Bacon
5-2-3
2-1

3. ELDER
4-4-2
1-2

4. St. Xavier
5-4
0-3
 

Season Highlights: The accomplishments of the 1954 season were underscored by the challenges of the following year, when the Panthers could only muster a 4-4-2 record. Game 1 brought a scoreless tie with Withrow. Game 2 was the team's first loss in 12 games, a 13-0 defeat at the hands of Hamilton's Big Blue, in which the Panthers could gain only 52 total yards and 3 first downs. Lessons were learned, however, and Game 3 brought the season's first win, as Junior Jim Vogt's 145 rushing yards and 2 TDs and Junior Jerry McDonald's 112 yards on the ground and 2 TDs led the Panthers over Woodward, 30-2.

Massillon again mastered the Panthers in Game 4; in Game 5 the Panthers rebounded over Culver Military, 41-6. In the Culver game, Senior Captain Frank Birri led the ground game with 203 of the team's 468 rushing yards, and scored 3 touchdowns on runs of 71, 59, and 25 yards. The defense contributed with 6 interceptions, three by Senior Tom Groh. The team faced Roger Bacon twice during the season; the first game was preceded by the dedication of the Spartans' new stadium and the 0-0 tie did not count in the standings. League losses to Purcell and Roger Bacon followed, but the Panthers were able to top the Bombers to avoid the GCL cellar. In the St. Xavier game, Mike Honold rushed for 121 yards and Jerry McDonald scored the winning TD in the fourth quarter when a Bomber fumble recovered by Tom Groh set up McDonald's 14-yard run. The defense again shined, with 5 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions. The season ended with the Panthers' third consecutive win over Western Hills (now nicknamed the Mustangs), 27-6, in which Mike Honold rushed for 106 yards and 3 TDs.

Honold was the team's leading scorer for the season, picking up 3 TDs and kicking 13 extra points for 31 total points. McDonald and Birri tied for second with 4 TDs and 24 points each.

Team Roster

Number

Name
Position
Class
26

Andres, Don

Sr.
20

Beck, William
HB
Sr.
25

Birri, Frank
HB
Sr.
29

Bleh, Brent

Sr.
47

Bollhauer, Raymond

Sr.
59

Brockhuis, Tom

Sr.
63

Brown, Robert

Jr.
56

Busch, Ken
LB
Sr.
24

Bushman, Donald

Jr.
36

Carmosino, Russell

Jr.
31

Coffaro, Joe

Sr.
40

Cupito, Joe

Sr.
37

Davis, James

Sr.
35

Drew, Gerald

Jr.
51

Elsaesser, Jack

Sr.
57

Feldkamp, John
DB
Sr.
55

Glatthaar, James

Sr.
45

Grace, Daniel

Sr.
43

Greiner, Thomas

Sr.
33

Groh, Thomas

Sr.
60

Halloran, James

Jr.
39

Herzog, Raymond

Jr.
27

Herzog, Robert

Soph.
48

Hilvert, James
LB
Fr.
28

Honold, Michael
FB
Sr.
69

Koehne, Frank

Jr.
44

Krauser, Philip

Jr.
68

Linneman, Edward

Jr.
64

Lobring, Virgil

Jr.
52

Luken, Paul

Sr.
65

Mallery, Glenn

Sr.
49

Marx, John

Jr.
21

McDonald, Gerald
HB
Jr.
38

Menkhaus, John

Sr.
46

Mullen, James

Jr.
53

O'Neill, William
LB
Jr.
50

Paschka, John

Sr.
34

Reisz, Ronald

Jr.
42

Reno, R

Jr.
23

Tepe, Frank

Sr.
41

Theuerling, Ronald

Sr.

Umberg, Paul
QB
Soph.
30

Vogt, James
FB
Jr.
22

Wainscott, Ronald

Jr.
58

Wandstrat, Ed
T
Sr.
66

Wegman, George

Jr.
61

Wessendorf, Robert

Sr.
62

Wiebold, William

Sr.
67

Wittrock, David

Jr.
54

Zumwalde, Gerald

Jr.

No. of Players
50
 

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