Elder Panther Football - 1971

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 7-3

Game #
Date
Opponent
Site
Score
W/L
Record
1
9/17/71
Woodward
H
30-0
W
1-0
2
9/24/71
Moeller
H
10-7
L
1-1
3
10/1/71
Purcell
H
24-7
W
2-1
4
10/8/71
Lancaster
A
17-7
L
2-2
5
10/15/71
Portsmouth
H
50-0
W
3-2
6
10/22/71
La Salle
H
19-16
L
3-3
7
10/29/71
St. Xavier
H
21-15
W
4-3
8
11/5/71
McNicholas
H
42-0
W
5-3
9
11/14/71
Roger Bacon
A
21-0
W
6-3
10
11/25/71
Western Hills
H
58-7
W
7-3

Head Coach: Ken Haupt (Career Record: 21-8-1)

Captain: Bruce Broxterman 

Final GCL Standings:
Overall
League

1. Moeller
9-1
4-1

2. St. Xavier
8-2
3-2

2. La Salle
8-2
3-2

2. ELDER
7-3
3-2

5. Roger Bacon
7-3
2-3

6. Purcell
4-5-1
0-5

Season Highlights: Coach Ken Haupt's third season ended with the team's record at 7-3. The battle for GCL supremacy was particularly intense in the 1971 season. Moeller took the title with a 4-1 record, but St. Xavier, La Salle, and Elder all placed second with matching 3-2 records. Even Roger Bacon was close to the pack with a 2-3 league mark; only Purcell was out of the running at 0-5. (Newport Catholic departed the GCL following the 1971 season.)

The Panthers' first game, against Woodward, was highlighted by Jim DeFranco's three field goals, amazingly the first field goals in Elder history. He also kicked 3 PATs; his twelve total kicking points in the game set a still-standing Elder record. Steve Meier scored twice, one TD coming on a 25-yard pass from Bob Kramer, and the other on a 49-yard punt return. Kramer also scored on a 1-yard run. The defense picked off four Bulldog passes; Steve Grote, Tom Vorholt, Steve Scardina, and Henry Miller, who returned his 63 yards.

Game 2 matched #1-ranked Moeller against #3-ranked Elder. A capacity crowd filled Elder Stadium, and they saw Moeller score first, late in the first quarter. Elder responded in the second, on an 11-yard Bob Kramer-to-Bruce Broxterman pass. DeFranco tied the game at 7. In the third quarter, Moeller scored on a 34-yard field goal, and held the Panthers to take the victory.

The Panthers bounced back the following week against Purcell. Ed Gonzalez rushed for 107 yards and Bob Kramer passed for 159 as the Cavaliers fell, 24-7. Both Gonzalez and Jerry Vogele rushed for over 100 yards the following week at Lancaster , but 3 fumbles and 2 interceptions took their toll as the Golden Gales triumphed, 17-7.

Steve Meier's 3 TDs and 114 yards rushing led the Panthers over Portsmouth 50-0. Gonzalez, Kramer, Jerry Williams, and Tom Reilly each scored TDs, and DeFranco scored 8 points on 5 PATs and a 34-yard field goal. In Game 6, La Salle defeated Elder for the first time in school history, 19-16, winning the game on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game. The Purple and White again rebounded the following week against St. Xavier, defeating the Bombers 21-15. Steve Meier's 85-yard kickoff return for a TD and Ed Gonzalez' 184 yards rushing and 2 scores gave the Panthers the victory.

The Panthers met the Rockets for the final time, and the Panthers again humbled the Rockets, 42-0. Jerry Vogele (115 yards) and Jim Bolger (104 yards) led the ground attack, totaling 431 yards. Bolger scored 3 TDs, Vogele 2, and Ken Frank 1 in the rout. Elder surprised Roger Bacon at home, 21-0, in Game 9, as Ed Gonzalez picked up 150 yards on the ground, half on one 75-yard run for a touchdown.

In the season finale, the Panthers again trounced Western Hills, 58-7, netting 510 yards of offense; the 473 yards rushing in that total is still a school record for a single game. Gonzalez scored three rushing TDs, Bolger two, Frank and Scardina one each. Henry Miller made three of the team's five interceptions, returning one 36 yards for a score. DeFranco put the icing on the cake with 10 points kicking, on 7 PATs and one 25-yard field goal. His 7 PATs in the game set a school record.

Ed Gonzalez led the team season scoring with 11 touchdowns and 66 points; kicker Jim DeFranco was second with 52 points on 31 PATs and 7 field goals. Gonzalez rushed for 1100 total yards on the season, giving him 2310 career rushing yards, good for second place behind Larry Parker as Elder's all-time rushing leaders.

Gonzalez was named Most Valuable Player for the season, GCL Back of the Year, and received Honorable Mention All-American recognition from Parade Magazine. Defensive Lineman Larry Koopman received first-team All-District and second team All-State honors.

 

Team Roster

Number

Name
Position
Class
79

Archbold, Patrick
T
Sr.
43

Baur, Robert
FB/T
Sr.
15

Bolger, James
HB
Jr.
70

Bonomini, Michael
T/C
Sr.
31

Broxterman, Bruce
FB/E
Sr.
85

Calhoun, Robert
E
Sr.
32

Currin, Michael
HB
Jr.
76

Day, Dennis
T/HB
Sr.
65

DeFranco, James
K
Sr.
76

Dimuzio, Donald
T/FB
Jr.
50

Dinkelacker, Patrick
C/T
Sr.
61

Ferguson, Michael
G
Sr.
22

Frank, Kenneth
HB/C
Soph.
19

Gonzalez, Edward
HB
Sr.
81

Grote, Steven
E
Jr.
88

Haywood, Ronald
E
Sr.
67

Heilmann, Gregory
G
Sr.
60

Higgins, Michael
G
Jr.
89

Hilson, Wayne
E
Sr.
78

Huffman, John
T
Sr.
77

Katenkamp, Thomas
T
Jr.
20

Keller, Stanley
HB
Jr.
74

Koester, Robert
T/E
Jr.
63

Koopman, Lawrence
G
Sr.
80

Koopman, Norbert
E/HB
Jr.
17

Kramer, Robert
QB
Sr.
72

Kuhn, Donald
T
Jr.
62

Maly, Paul
G
Jr.
23

Marx, Michael
HB/E
Jr.
87

Mayer, David
E
Sr.
50

McGinnis, Michael
C
Jr.
21

Meier, Steven
HB
Sr.
16

Miller, Henry
QB
Jr.
82

Murray, Michael J.
E
Jr.
66

Nare, Thomas
G/T
Jr.
67

Purcell, Mark
G/C
Sr.
20

Raterman, Joseph
HB/E
Jr.
18

Reilly, Thomas
QB
Jr.
71

Ruwe, Roger
T
Jr.
24

Scardina, Michael
HB
Sr.
40

Scardina, Steven
FB/HB
Jr.
64

Schiesl, Clifford
G
Sr.
86

Schroeder, Joseph
G
Jr.
69

St. Clair, James
G
Sr.
73

Stertz, Frank
T
Jr.
74

Stokes, Lawrence
T
Sr.
66

Sweeney, James
G/T
Sr.
73

Taite, David
T/FB
Sr.
53

Tepe, Dennis
C
Jr.
83

Van Hook, Mark
E
Sr.
64

Vater, David
G/HB
Soph.
42

Vogele, Jerry
FB
Jr.
33

Vorholt, Thomas
HB
Sr.
66

Wellinghoff, Paul
G/HB
Sr.
30

Williams, Jerry
HB
Sr.

No. of Players
55
 

Back to The 1970's
Go to 1972 History