V
(
‘Who
(Continued from page 13)
emotion and rivalry of the team
members are at the highest for this
37-year old contest.
Over the years since the first
game was played in 1948, the Old
Shoe trophy often has been won by
the team picked most likely to win.
Spirits run high and the game
becomes a championship season all
wrapped into one contest. Teams
sporting mediocre records, weak
lines, less than average offense, are
- looking to this game to prove them-
selves for the season. Coaches of
both teams play the role of psychol-
ogists trying to keep the contest in
proper perspective for the players.
There is a new aspect to this
season’s contest. Both teams have
new head coaches — coaches under
whom they have had to learn differ-
ent offensive and defensive pro-
grams.
Lake-Lehman Knights Coach Rich
Gorgone returned as the Knights
head coach this year, after holding
coaching positions out of the Dis-
trict for the past five years. He
brought to this year’s team more
than new plays. He brought a fresh
type of enthusiasm, a will to win,
and a fighting spirit. He has given
to his players the will to keep
fighting, to come from behind to
win. They have installed .confidence
in themselves by playing bigger and
better teams than they and holding
their own.
Dallas Mountaineer Coach Ted
Jackson is the new head coach at
Dallas coming to the Back Mountain
School from Coughlin where he
served as Assistant Coach. Jackson
has taken last year’s record and
turned it into a winning season. He
has instilled confidence in a group
of boys who were beginning to
believe they could not win. He has
molded them into an aggressive,
- never say die team, willing to go
against the toughest in the area as
they proved against Wyoming Area
and Pittston Area. Win or lose, his
team members never gave up in
agame this season. Quite often they
came back to win by as little as
three points.
Coaches around the Valley were
reluctant to pick a winner of the Old
Shoe Game this season. It is under-
standable since the kids are fired up
and anything can happen.
As former Dallas Coach Jack
Jones once said, ‘When it comes to
Dallas and Lake-Lehman, throw
away the record books — tossing a
coin would be a better way of
predicting a winner.” This year he
believes Dallas is in for a battle but
by the comparision of scores Jones
said Dallas has the ability to win.
“Jackson has to be wary of a
Gorgone-coached team. He always
has them prepared,” said Jones.
“Be cautious is my advice. It is a
contest of Hooterville VS Pixley, it’s
a big game. The team best prepared
for opportunity should win.”
Lake-Lehman School Board Presi-
dent Joseph ‘“Red’ Jones said he
congratulates the Board of Educa-
tion at Dallas for hiring Ted Jack-
son. “Not only is he an excellent
coach but an outstanding individual,
who truly cares about his players,”
said Jones.
Jones also commended his col-
leagues at an early in the season
Lake-Lehman Board meeting on
hiring Rich Gorgone, the same type
of individual.
“Both coaches have put together
a fine staff, all of whom have a
positive attitude. The teams are
fundamentally sound and I believe
it is going to be a very close game. 1
can’t predict a winner but which-
ever team wins, it will be an excel-
lent ballgame,” said Jones.
There will be a lot of emotion
among fans as well, particularly
among the Gorgone and Jackson
families. 4
Like many Lake-Lehman: faculty
members, Rich Gorgone and his
family reside in Shavertown. He
teaches and coaches at -Lake-
Lehman and so does his wife,
Drena. His children, except, Sam,
attend the Dallas Schools, and his
daughter, Megan is a Dallas varsity
cheerleader. Naturally, Rich’s
cheering will be for his Black
Knights of Lake-Lehman but the
rest of the family will have to make
a choice-cheer for dad or for daugh-
ter or sister!
To make the Old Shoe game more
interesting, the Gorgones and Ted
Jackson and his family are neigh-
bors and friends. Both family’s chil-
dren have had the same babysitter,
both families have visited and
entertained one another. Together
much of the time, this Saturday
they will be on opposite sides of the
field.
The Jacksons, on the other hand,
have relatives in the Lake-Lehman
District. Ted Jackson’s sister and
her family live in Lehman and his
nephew is a member of Gorgone’s
football team. Lots of fun for these
two families.
This situatin is similar dozens of
times over in the Back Mountain.
The contest which was initiated in
1948 to develop a friendly rivalry
has indeed become that - family
members are rivals due to sons
playing on one team or the other, or
nephews, or because they reside in
one district and teach in the other
and filtering down to the younger
generations, these team members,
some of them at least; date girls
from the opposing district. So come
this Saturday, fans and players
remember that this is a one-day
rivalry and win or lose, after the
game the Back Mountain Area
should return to being one big com-
munity of friends.
Gorgone and Jackson know it will
be that way. They sat and discussed
the excitement and camaraderie of
the contest this past week. Gorgone
is familiar with the Old Shoe Game
and all that it represents, for Ted
Jackson it is a new experience.
“I have been hearing about it
from some of the kids and from
friends and relatives but I guess 1
will really know what it is like after
this Saturday,” said Jackson. “I'm
excited about it and cautious about
what will happen but we will be
prepared.’
Gorgone said that it is a clean
rivalry. “I think it’s because the
kids know each other so well. They
have relatives in each district.
Taking the game away from
Thanksgiving Day hurt the enthusi-
asm some but playing at the end of
the season helps. We'll prepare like
any other game. Ted and I knowing
each other so well makes it interest-
ing.”
Predict the outcome? Not those
two — just come to the game
Saturday at Dallas.
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
Dallas Mountaineers took the ball
on the opening kickoff and were
moving well toward the Pittston’s
end of the field until they fumbled
on the Patriot’s 34-yard line. It was
on the sixth play following the
opening kickoff and the Patriots
John Baloga recovered the ball and
stopped the Mountaineers in Satur-
day’s game at Dallas won by the
Patriots, 24-2.
Junior quarterback Scott Francis
threw two nice passes, a 12-yard to
Richard Long and a 15 yard strike
to Marc Ramirez in moving Dallas
from their own 32 to the Patriots 34.
After recovering the fumble, the
Patriots started a march downfield.
On the third play Senior Ken Scalpi
raced 40 yards for a Pittston first
down and several plays later-Scalpi
went around the left side for a four
yard touchdown. Lou Scarantino
kicked the extra point to give the
Patriots a 7-0 lead.
Two minutes later, with 5:03 on
the clock, the Patriots scored a
second touchdown as a result of
Chris Phillips interception of a
Dallas pass. He caught theball at
his own 49-yard line and ran it back
to the Mountaineers 34-yard line.
Following Phillips interception,
Quarterback Mike Ristagno threw a
long, high pass to Baloga who
caught the ball over his back but he
couldn’tget in to the endzone. On the
next play John Wojcik rushed over
for the touchdown and Scarantino
kicked the extra point to give the
Patriots a 14-0 lead.
The Mountaineers were unable to
move the ball or stop the Patriots
during the first half and in the
second quarter, Pittston was on
fourth and eight at the Mountai-
neers 39-yard line and went into
punt formation. Instead of snapping
the ball to the punter, back Frank
Skoranski took the ball and carried
it to the 19-yard line for a 20 yard
gain and a first down. Scalpi took
the ball over on the next play but a
motion penalty against the Patriots
moved the ball back to the six yard
line.
With eight minutes remaining in
the quarter, Scarantino kicked a
field goal to move the score to 17-0.
Pittston Area scored their final
points in thegame with less than
five minutes remaining in the half.
Their quarterback Ristagno threw a
48-yard pass to Baloga, who went in
for six points. Scarantino kicked the
extra point to give the Patriots a 24-
0 lead.
In the second half, the Mountai-
neers did a better job of holding the
Patriots but although their offense
moved the ball better, the Mountai-
neers were unable to take advan-
tage of their scoring opportunities.
They had at least half dozen scoring
opportunities but were unable to
take the ball into the endzone.
The Wyoming Valley Catholic
Youth Center will conduct its Sev-
enth Annual Diocesan Junior Boys
and Third Annual Junior Girls Bas-
ketball Tournaments sponsored by
the Sunday Independent.
Ed DeMichele, Athletic Director
of C.Y.C., stated the tournament
will begin Monday, Nov. 25,6 and
conclude Sunday, Dec. 15.
The tournament features the
finest competition in Junior Basket-
ball throughout Northeastern Penn-
sylvania providing an atmosphere
of competitive spirit and sportsman-
ship between all team members
representing their respective
schools.
Invitations were mailed to all
parochial schools throughout the
Scranton Diocese. St. Paul’s of
Scranton are the defending champi-
ons of the Jr. Boys and Jr: Girls
Tourneys.
Officials from the Wyoming
Valley Basketball Officials Associa-
tion who are registered PIAA offi-
cials referee all games while the
scoreborad time table is operated
by the C.Y.C. Junior Basketball
Officials Club.
Anyone seeking information con-
cerning either tournaments is
requested to contact Ed DeMichele,
Athletic Director of C.Y.C. at 36S.
Washington, St., Wilkes-Barre.
All tournament applications are
due back at the C.Y.C. by Monday,
Nov. 18. The teams will be brack-
eted and mailed back to all schools
participating in this year’s tourna-
ment.
Old
(Continued from page 13)
In 1979, the Black Knights of
Lake-Lehman again took the Old
Shoe but this time under the leader-
ship of Tom Hisiro.
Dallas Coach Ron Rybak took
over in Dallas in 1980 and for two
years, 1980 and 1981 the Dallas
Mountaineers kept the Shoe. In 1982,
the two teams played to a tie under
Coaches Rybak and Knights Coach
Mark Kirk. each school displayed
the trophy for six months.
In 1983 the Mountaineers regained
possession under Coach Rybak and
last year, the Knights took the Old
Shoe when they shutout the Moun-
tainners 33-0.
This season both teams are play-
ing under the leadership of new
head coaches. The Black Knights
are again being coached by Rich
Gorgone, back at the helm after five
years of coaching outside the Dis-
trict. The Mountaineers are coached
by Ted Jackson, Shavertown resi-
dent, who came to Dallas from
Coughlin, where he was an assist-
ant.
MERCY
MEDICAL OFFICES
Lake Street
Dallas
675-8599
MERCY HOSPITAL
25 Church St.
Wilkes-Barre
826-3100 =
BRYANT'S
MOBILE HOMES
Memorial Highway
Dallas
675-2447
BRYANT
THE BIKE KING
338 Wyoming Ave.
Kingston
287-7024
a