Green Grid Squad Drills At Hilltop
Norwood High’s 1955 football edition went through their paces yesterday in preparation for their first game against Needham on Saturday, September 24th. However, lacking this year are the familiar names of Eppich, Costello, Renzi, Dunn and company. It is here that Coach “Andy” Scafati and his staff face their biggest problem, that of replacing 21 senior lettermen. The current squad does not have a single letterman on it, although there are several boys who could come into their own and turn the season into a winning one and be a definite surprise to all concerned.
The squad boasts of fair size and good running ability; but there is still no substitute for experience. Of the sixty boys who reported for practice, there were ten seniors, 17 juniors and 33 of the sophomore class. Several of the lads who saw Junior Varsity service last year have yet to appear on the gridiron and all hopes of their being ready for the initial contest seem to have vanished.
The Norwood hopes will once more ride on the famed “T” formation with variation of the split and wing formation. Here the quarterback can make or break the club as shown in the past by the play of Doyle, Graney and others. Coach Scafati has Senior Dick Goonan in the handoff slot and with his play could ride the hopest of the year. The “T” formation is based on deception and speed within the backfield. The local backs have the speed with such lads as Art Tracey, Jerry Hughes and Junior Billy Wenstrom, in the lead for the ballcarrying job at the present time. -Should Goonan come up with the thinking ability of Graney, coupled with the passing of Doyle and his own ball handling, he could carry a fair team to new heights.
Norwood Line On Hefty Side
As in the past the Norwood line will be on the large size, with 245-Ib Minty Kuporatz and 210-lb, Dick Ellis anchoring it at the tackle slots. Neither of these two lads is unknown or purely green in football action Ellis is a converted center who saw limited service as a defense tackle last year. Minty on the other hand is the type of a ball player that line coaches drool over. His 245 lbs. is spread over 76 inches of football power. Minty was the mainstay of the Junior Varsity line of last year. This pair can be expected to go both ways every minute of every game.
The all-important guard slots will probably be managed by Davey Ally and either Willie Shannon or Bob Robinson. Alty is a rough and tough 165 lb. senior who made a name for himself as a Junior Varsity lineman and a defenseman in hockey The left guard position seems to be a toss-up between Junior Willie Shannon and Bob Robinson. Bob Pillsbury, 180 lb. Junior who surprised many with his defensive play in last year’s Thanksgiving Day game, will get the nod at the center position. Pillsbury will back up the line on defensive assignment and his low pile-driving tackles should shake up many an opposing ball carrier. Jack Corbett, who would have earned a letter last year but for an early season injury, will open on one fla^k while Seniors Jerry Armstrong and’ Mike Kelly will split the duties at the other end. This first ll»e will be backed up by Sophomores Dave Lane and Kenny Gore, Eddie Albee, Ronnie Connolly, Jack Cooke, and Paul Connolly.
The speedy Norwood backfield most likely will open the season with Tracey, Hughes and Wenstrom taking the handoffs from Dick Goonan, Tracey and Hughes saw some service last year and will be the mainstays among file ball-carriers. Wenstrom is a Junior who is yet to be exposed to his baptism of fire on the gridiron, his job seems to be cut out for him in attempting to fill the shoes of Tommy Mackie of last year’s team Sophomores Pete Sansone and Paul Wojdag, speedy’ halfbacks, Ed Feeney, clever quarterback, and Senior southpaw slinger Jocko O’Connor will provide the reserves for the starting backfield.
The loss of Arthur Gulla, last year’s backfield coach, will be felt this year. The greatness achieved by Brian Dunn and Pots Renzi of last year’s team can be traced baek to the tutelage of Gulla. Gulla, per-hops the greatest seatback in Norwood Hfgh grid history, passed on many of the finer points of broken field running to his pupils. His loss may be offset by the acquisition of a pair of new coaches. John “Bozo” Doyle, famed quarterback of Norwood High’s great teams of ’52 and ’53, has been appointed as backfield aid to Coach Scafati and Junior Varsity coach. Tom Roche, a newcomer to Norwood High, having been a teacher in the Junior High in the past, will aid Frank Galvani with the line and will be Junior Varsity coach along with Doyle. Coach Roche played his football at Peabody High School where Ire was All-Scholastic tackle. He graduated from Catholic-University and entered the Norwood school system in 1953.
Coach Scafati will be starting his tenth year as head coach at Norwood High. He once more will have the able assistance of line coach Frank Galvani, who is starting his sixth year at Norwood High. In the past this pair have raised Norwood High football well up into the Class “C” ranks.
With a look toward the future the coaching staff will endeavor to produce a winning ball team while rebuilding and giving experience to the under-classmen. The first game will be played as scheduled with Needham as the host on September 24th at 2 p.m.
By BOB McGLOIN