Texas High School Basketball Champions

Dr. Billy Wilbanks

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El Paso defeated San Antonio Brackenridge, 25-11 in the final, Houston Central, 24-15, in the semi-final; Celina, 28-14, in the 2nd round & Shiner, 45-5 in the 1^st round at the state tournament that included 16 teams.   During the tournament El Paso outscored its opponents by 122-45.  The Austin newspaper reported that the (first ever UIL) championship game was “fast” and a “rough and tumble affair.”  El Paso led 9-8 at the half but “came back with a vengeance” in the 2^nd half holding San Antonio to only 3 points while scoring 16.  All of El Paso’s points were scored by three players:  Sandy Esquivel with 12 points, Jr Andy Cohen with 8 and Louis Springer with 3.  Cohen and Springer were named 1^st team all-state tournament and Esquivel was named to the 2^nd team.  “A special award for all-around sportsmanship was made to Cohen.”

The 1921 El Paso players were: R.A. Brown, Howard Butler, Andy Cohen, Sandy Esquivel, J.C. Hofford, Louis Springer and Alfred Uhlig.   Coach Luther Coblentz was the El Paso coach during its four consecutive appearances in the final from 1921-1924.  El Paso has won four state championships (1921, 1922, 1941 & 1947) and lost in the finals in 1923, 1924, 1936, & 1940.  Brackenridge has made three appearances in the state finals winning the state title in 1926 and losing in the final in 1921 to El Paso and in 1925 to Beaumont.

The 1921 El Paso championship team was presented as the “honor team” at the 1950 state tournament.  The UIL game program for 1950 gave the following  info on the 1921 team members:  Howard Butler was a Marine Corps Colonel in Washington, D.C.;  Andrew Cohen was the manager of a Eau Claire WI baseball team; Sandy Esquivel was an orthopedic surgeon in Austin; J.C. Hofford was a mining official in AZ; R.A. Brown was an El Paso grocery owner, Alfred Uhlig was VP of an El Paso bank; and Eric Monroe manager of radio station in El Paso.

Andy Cohen (1918-22) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.  Cohen did not play college basketball as he made a career in pro baseball playing in the major leagues for the New York Giants from 1926-1929.  John McGraw, the Giant manager, hoped Cohen could replace Roger Hornsby at 2^nd base.  Cohen later managed in the minor leagues and was a coach for the Phillies retiring in 1960 after one game as Phillie manager.  Sandy Esquivel later played at UT.

The early years of the state tournament are described in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L. and by Ivy McLemore’s Texas High School Basketball Scrapbook published by Eakin Press in 1989.

El Paso was defeated by Lindale 27-15 in the final but Lindale was later disqualified.  In making the final El Paso defeated Kirbyville, 29-13 in the semi-final; Stephenville, 17-15, in the 2^nd round; & Waco, 30-13, in the 1^st round of the state tournament.  Lindale was later disqualified for using an ineligible player.  Suspicion was raised by the heavy beards of the Lindale players at the state tournament and there were rumors that several Lindale players had been recruited.    The Lindale coach, Hartley, had coached in OK and apparently his star player, an Indian, was recruited from that state.  The UIL asked for the return of the championship trophy but did not receive it until 5 years later from Lindale when the school complied to be reinstated by the UIL.  A substitute trophy was awarded to El Paso.

El Paso has won four state championships (1921, 1922,  1941 & 1947) and lost in the finals four times (1923, 1924, 1936 & 1940).  Lindale made its only appearance in a state final in 1922.  Coach Luther Coblentz was the El Paso coach during its four consecutive appearances in the final from 1921-1924?  El Paso came into the state tournament after having “won the independent championship of New Mexico.”

The El Paso starting line-up was comprised of forwards Andy Cohen (Capt.) and Lozano, center Alfred Uhlig and guards R.A. Brown and Dawson.  El Paso played the entire final against Lindale with no substitutes.  (Lozano, Dawson & Brown also played on the 1923 team that made the final.) 

Cohen scored 16 points in the semi-final victory over Kirbyville and 8 points in the final against Lindale.   El Paso was also led in the final by Lozano, “the speedy little Mexican,” and the defensive play of Dawson.   El Paso guard Dawson & and Sr forward Andy Cohen were named 1^st team all-state tournament while forward Lozano and guard R.A. Brown were named to the 2^nd team.  Cohen made 1^st team all-state for the second straight year and Dawson and Lozano were named 1^st team all-state tournament the following year (1923).

Andy Cohen (1918-22) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.  Cohen did not play college basketball as he made a career in pro baseball playing in the major leagues for the New York Giants from 1926-1929.  John McGraw, the Giant manager, hoped Cohen could replace Roger Hornsby at 2^nd base.  Cohen later managed in the minor leagues and was a coach for the Phillies retiring in 1960 after one game as Phillie manager.

 The story of the disqualification of Lindale and the crowning of El Paso is told in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L. and in Ivy McLemore’s Texas High School Basketball Scrapbook published by Eakin Press in 1989.

Dallas Oak Cliff defeated El Paso, 17-15, in the final; Stephenville, 20-16, in the semi-final; Whitney, 24-11, in the 2^nd round & Kenedy, 42-2 (a state record low) in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Oak Cliff gave a “splendid exhibition of team play” in the final and its “smothering tactics” on defense held Lozano, the El Paso, star to only one FG.   The Oak Cliff Leopards were undefeated on the year in TX and were later invited to play in a national tournament where the Leopards lost to Charleston SC. 

Dallas Oak Cliff won state championships in 1923 & 1924 in its only appearances in a state final.  The Oak Cliff championship coach in 1923 was Howard A. Allen.  Oak Cliff later merged with Dallas Adamson H.S. which lost a state final to Houston Austin in 1964.   A different school, Dallas South Oak Cliff won four titles in 1977, 1992, 2005 & 2006.  Finalist El Paso won four state championships (1921, 1922, 1941 & 1947) and lost in the finals four times (1923, 1924, 1936 & 1940). 

The 1923 Oak Cliff players were: Capt. Joe King, Ira Hopper, C.L. “Ox” Higgins, Orval “Dusty” Rhoads, Odie Lee Parks, W.C. Lynch, Edward Sasse and Bill Schroeder.  The Leopards were led in scoring in the final by Ira Hopper with by 4 FGs, Joe King with 2 FGs and Bill Schroeder with 1 FG.

Oak Cliff’s center, Joe King, was named 1^st team All State Tournament and Ox Higgins was named to the 2^nd team.  King was also named 1^st team all-state the next year as he led his Oak Cliff team to two straight state titles.

 The Oak Cliff state championship teams of 1923 &1924 were presented as the “honor team” at the 1952 state tournament.   The 1952 UIL program listed the following info on 1923-24 team members:  Coach Howard Allen had become principal of Dallas Adamson (formerly Oak Cliff) H.S.;  Joe King owned King Lumber in Waco; , C.L. Higgins was president of C&S Sporting Goods in Austin;  Bill Schroeder, Dick Garvin and W.C. Lynch in Dallas, Ira Hopper in Lampasas, Orval Rhoads in Katy, Odie Lee Parks in Seguin, and Louis Harvey in Big Bear CA.

Dallas Oak Cliff defeated El Paso, 29-18, in the final; Wichita Falls, 25-17, in the semi-final; Gatesville, 39-15, in the 2^nd round; & Laredo, 36-10, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.

The Leopards’ 11-point win in the final was led by Capt. Joe King who scored 12 of the team’s 29 points.  Oak Cliff led 16-4 at the half but El Paso came within 6 in the 2^nd half before King’s two late FGs clinched the victory.  Oak Cliff had only one defeat on the year—to Dallas Forest Avenue—with that loss and the loss in the national tournament in 1923 the only two losses the team had in two years.

Dallas Oak Cliff, under Coach Howard A. Allen, won state championships in 1923 & 1924 in its only appearances in a state final.  Oak Cliff later merged with Dallas Adamson H.S. which lost a state final to Houston Austin in 1964.   A different school, Dallas South Oak Cliff, won four titles in 1977, 1992, 2005 & 2006.  Oak Cliff won both the state basketball and football championships in 1924 but not in the same academic year.

The 1924 Oak Cliff players were: Capt. Joe King, Ira Hopper, Orval “Dusty” Rhoads,  W.C. Lynch, Edward Sasse, Bill Schroeder, Dick Garvin, and Louis Harvey.  The starters were Schroeder and Hopper at forward, King at center and Lynch and Sasse at guard.

Joe King scored 12 points in the 1924 final against El Paso giving him 43 points for the tournament.  Ira Hopper had 8 points in the final and 38 points for the tournament and Forward Bill Schroeder scored 9 points in the final and 34 for the tournament.  The “wonderful offensive trio” combined for all the Oak Cliff points (29) in the final.  Rhoads and Sasse, as was common in 1924, stayed on the defensive end of the court guarding the basket and did not score.        

The 1924 All State Tournament Team included Bill Schroeder of Oak Cliff; Reuben Barschow of Houston Central; Billie Clarke of Austin;  Frank Joines of Houston Central;  and Theo Powell of Ralls.   Joe King, Oak Cliff’s top scorer for the tournament and in the final was—for some strange reason—left off the All Tournament Team though many thought he was the most outstanding player in the tournament.

The Oak Cliff state championship teams of 1923 &1924 were presented as the “honor team” at the 1952 state tournament.  Coach Howard Allen had become principal of Dallas Adamson (formerly Oak Cliff) H.S.  Joe King lived in Waco, C.L. Higgins in Austin, Bill Schroeder, Dick Garvin and W.C. Lynch in Dallas, Ira Hopper in Lampasas, Orval Rhoads in Katy and Louis Harvey in Big Bear CA.

Beaumont defeated San Antonio Brackenridge, 14-12, in the final; El Paso, 22-18, in the semi-final; Sulphur Springs, 31-14, in the 2^nd round; & Estelline, 25-19, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The “Purple Basketeers” qualified for state with wins over Houston Central (which had won Beaumont’s regional 3 of the 4 first years—1921-1924) and Galveston and finished the year undefeated at 25-0 with victories over Port Arthur (twice), South Park (3 times), Sour Lake (twice), “S.P.J. College (twice) and the “Magnolia All-Stars” (3 times).   After the state tournament the “Purple” went to Chicago for the National Interscholastic Tournament where they defeated “Kappa Sigma of IL U” and Miami FL before losing to “Devils Lake”, 22-21.

The 1925 final was decided in the last seconds of the game as the Austin newspaper reported that “in the last minute of play, and with the count knotted at 12-12, Erwin, substitute forward, received a pass from Captain Holly Brock following a brilliant dribble by Brock, made good on the ‘crip’ shot directly beneath the basket.”   The 1925 state basketball championship by the Beaumont Royal Purple team remains  thru 2006 the only one in the history of Beaumont H.S. and one of seven by Beaumont schools (S. Park, 1953, 1960; Hebert, 1980-82; & Ozen, 2001).  Finalist SA Brackenridge made three appearances in the state finals winning the title in 1926 and losing in 1921 & 1925.

The 1925 Beaumont players were:  Alvin “Bubba” Stahl, Paul Anger, Kelsey Freeman, Roderick “Hookey” Irwin, Raymond Alford, Holly M. Brock, Charles “Dilly” Hunter, Augie “Rowdy” Saxe, Wayland “Kokie” Cotton and Dan “Dapper” Dearing.  The team was coached by Lilburn “Bubba” Dimmitt.    In the final So Raymond Alford (who played from 1925-27) scored 12 of Beaumont’s 14 total points and Holly Brock made the assist leading to the deciding two points in the last minute.  The score was 8-2 at the end of the half and was marked by outstanding defensive play by Hunter, Saxe and Stahl and by Brock on Hub Friery, the Brackenridge forward who led his team to the championship the next year.  Alford’s scoring came largely from assists by Brock. 

Holly Brock made 1^st team all-state tournament while Alvin Stahl was named to the 2^nd team and Augie Saxe was honorable mention.  Oddly, Raymond Alford, who scored 12 of his team’s 14 points in the final, was not even honorable mention.  However, Alford was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974.  Holly Brock played at UT in 1927-29 and was All-SWC and leading scorer (13.4) in SWC in 1929.  Beaumont H.S. was presented as the “honor team” at the 1953 state tournament.  At that time Coach Dimmitt was living in Dallas while several team members (Alvin Stahl, Paul Anger, Holly Brock, Charles Hunter, Augie Saxe, Dan Dearing and Raymond Alford) remained in the Beaumont area.  Brock was manager of a life insurance company; Alford was athletic director of Beaumont ISD in 1953.  Wayland Cotton was a construction engineer living in Caldwell, Kelsey Freeman was in Venezuela and Roderick Irwin was in Rayne, LA.

The 1925 trophy is displayed at the Beaumont I.S.D. offices.

San Antonio Brackenridge defeated Corsicana, 29-23, in the final; Canyon, 22-21, in the semi-final; Canton, 23-16, in the 2^nd round; & Nacogdoches, 22-9, in 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Eagles overcame the play of Canyon’s Brown brothers in the semi-final and escaped with a one-point victory.  Coach Bobby Cannon’s Purple Eagles jumped out to a 14-1 lead in the final against Corsicana and were led by guard Hub Friery who closely defended Corsicana’s high scoring Clarence Horne and by the scoring of forwards Wilson Elkins and Calvin Bass.

Brackenridge appeared in the state finals three times winning the title in 1926 and losing in the 1921 final to El Paso and in the 1925 final to Beaumont.  Corsicana’s only appearance in a state final was in 1926.  D.C. “Bobby” Cannon was the 1926 Brackenridge championship coach.

The 1926 Brackenridge players were:  Capt. Herff Friery, Frank Cheatham, Felix Ducharme, Veltman, F.A. Rees, Hugh McMillan, Howard McMillan, Wilson Elkins, Calvin Bass, Walter Howle, H.J. Ferguson and Bog Hill. 

Brackenridge was led in the final by Wilson Elkins with 11 points, Calvin Bass with 10, Hub Friery with 6 and F.A. Rees with 2 (only 4 players scored the 29 points for Eagles).   Humphries led Corsicana with 10 points while Clarence Horne was held to 8 points.  Frank Cheatham dominated the jump ball required (from 1921-1937) after every basket.  The Eagles were led in the semi-final by Cheatham with 6 points and Rees with 5 while Strain led Canyon with 7 points.  Brackenridge’s 1^st round win over Nacogdoches was led by Hugh McMillan with 7 points.  Bass and Elkins with 6 points each were the top Eagle scorers against Canton in the 2^nd round.

The All State Tournament Team included Herff “Hub” Friery of Brackenridge; the brothers B. Brown & Curtis Brown of Canyon; Clarence Horn of Corsicana; and Hopson (a “midget forward”) of Pilot Point.  Friery (who was also All Tournament in 1925) was named the Tournament MVP.  Calvin Bass and Frank Cheatham were named 2^nd team All Tournament and Wilson Elkins and F.A. Rees were honorable mention.  So Edwin Price scored 4 points for Corsicana in the final, later coached at UT and was voted into the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame. 

The 1926 state championship team was presented as the “honor team” at the 1954 state tournament.  At that time Coach Cannon was a rancher at Edinburg while most of his players remained in or near San Antonio.  Dr. Wilson Elkins was president of Texas Western College at El Paso; Frank Cheatham was a restaurant owner in Kingsville; Walter Howle was a cotton broker and rancher at Edna.

Athens defeated Denton, 23-14, in the final; Ralls, 27-23, in the semi-final; Cisco, 30-18, in the 2^nd round; & Shiner, 38-9, in the 1^st round at the 14-team state tournament held in 1927 at College Station while Gregory Gym in Austin was being built.  The Hornets defeated Huntington and Huntsville in the playoffs to reach the state tournament.   Athens’ defeat of Denton was considered an upset as finalist Denton had been the favorite after defeating pre-tournament favorites SA Brackenridge and Houston Reagan.  After winning the state title Athens went to Chicago for the National Scholastic Tournament losing the consolation title to Kansas City (with a 3-2 record). The Hornets’ season record (before Chicago & discounting games against non-H.S. teams) was 18-2.  A complete listing of all games is listed in Athens’ Day in the Sun by Ron Hendry which tells the complete story of the 1927-34 Athens dynasty.

Athens has won five state championships (1927, 1929, 1931, 1933 & 1934).  Coach Jimmy Kitts won 3 state championships (1927, 1929, 1931) and two national titles (1929 & 1930) while at Athens from 1926-1931.  The 1933 & 1934 teams were coached by J.T. “Bobo” Nelson.  Kitts, who had been a football star at SMU, later coached at Rice, VMI & Texas Western  and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 & the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc Hall of Honor in 1960. 

Athens recruited boys from other towns and states with the “recruits” given board and lodging by team backers.  The team was given two Model A Fords to “barnstorm” through the Midwest playing club and high school teams.  The Athens Hornets were invited to the National Tournament in Chicago where they lost in the consolation finals to Kansas City by one point.  Athens won the national tournament in 1929 & 1930.

The 1927 Athens players were:  Capt. Jim Bradshaw, J. Shinn, D. Moss, A. James Huggins, J.G.. Reynolds, John “Preacher” Tompkins, Wendell W. “Doc” Sumner, J. Hawley Wyrick, Joe Shinn and E. D. McLaughlin.  The starters in the championship game were Preacher Tompkins, Doc Sumner, J.G. Reynolds, E.D. McLaughlin and D. Moss.  Sumner and J.C. Reynolds led the Athens scoring in the final with 7 points each.  Reynolds of Athens was named to the media’s all-state tournament 1^st team while McLaughlin was named to the 2^nd team.

The 1927 Athens team was the “Honor Team” at the 1955 state tournament.  The only team member remaining in Athens in 1955 was J. Hawley Wyrick.  J.G. Reynolds and E.D. McLaughlin resided in Dallas; Joe Shinn in Columbia SC; Jim Bradshaw was in Trinidad TX; Wendell Sumner was an M.D. in Ft. Worth; at FW; and James Huggins was a science teacher at Scurry TX.   Wendell W. “Doc” Sumner (1927-29) and John “Preacher” Tompkins (1926-29) were elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.    

 Austin H.S. defeated Temple 33-14, in the final but was later disqualified giving Temple the state title.  Temple had a bye in the first round of the state tournament and then defeated El Paso, 33-26, in the 2^nd round and Athens, 26-23, in the semi-final.   The UIL ruled that one of Austin’s star players had played four years before the 1928 season by playing for the H.S. team when he was in the 8^th grade.  Austin H.S. voluntarily gave up all claims to the 1928 title and returned the trophy.  Temple became the official 1928 champion.  Thru 2006 Temple had won two state championships (1928 & 1932) and Austin H.S. had none (from 19 appearances at the state tournament) after its disqualification in 1928.

Temple H.S. was 19-3 on the year with all three losses coming against Austin H.S.   Thus the Wildcats would have been undefeated at 22-0 on the year if Austin were forced to forfeit all the games in which the ineligible player participated.  The Temple team averaged 32 points per game to opponents’ 19.5 ppg.  The team scored a high of 65 in the playoffs against Durango, the Falls County Champion, and had a season low of 13 points in the state final.  Temple played Austin H.S. four times during the year losing 3 of the 4.   Temple also defeated Dallas Main Avenue, Tyler, Mexico’s San Luis Potasi and the Baylor Cubs (twice) during the year.  The team’s greatest victory came in the semi-finals when the Wildcats defeated defending state champion, Athens, 26-23.  Athens went on to win the national championship the next two years (1929-1930). 

Wildcat players were Sr Capt. Warren Weathers, Jr Oscar  “Ox” Wickham, Jr Claude Lewis, Sr Kenneth Lee,  John “Cotton” Harrison, Jr Melton Koch, Jr Lawrence  Lee,  Sr Wm. Cooper, Jr Glen McKenzie, Sr Lynn Zarr, & Sr Wayne Akridge.  The Temple team relied upon a great defense as the school yearbook noted that “the Blue and White representatives covered the floor like a tent.”  During the year “Ox” Wickham, Warren Weathers and Claude Lewis were the offensive stars along with Cotton Harrison & Kenneth Lee, the “speedy guards.”  Weathers had 16 points and Wickham 12 against El Paso and Lewis had 12 against Athens.  Wickham, described as a “giant” was the team’s top rebounder, and was the Wildcats’ top scorer in the final with 5.  He scored 19 of the team’s 29 points against Corsicana in the regional final and he and Harrison were named 2^nd team all-state tournament.   

The Wildcats were coached by R.E. “Bill” Henderson, who starred at Howard Payne; coached at Temple from 1926-1931; coached at Baylor from 1941-1961; and is a member of the Texas H.S. Sports Hall of Fame.  The players were “molded together” by Coach Henderson and “played as a machine.”  The UIL made the 1928 Temple team its “honor team” at the 1958 state tournament and noted that Temple’s title was the “greatest upset in tournament history “ as it defeated the four tourney favorites “in ascending order” to win the championship.  The 26-23 victory over Athens was considered a huge upset as Athens was defending state champion and had already won the Southern AAU that year.  In 1958 Coach Forehand was at SA Edison; Kenneth Clark coached at Cy-Fair; Will Forehand coached at Spring Branch and Buford Richardson was a FW police officer.

 Athens defeated Denton, 22-11 in the final; Cisco, 31-17, in semi-final; Knippa, 38-11, in 2^nd round; & May, 44-15, in 1^st round at the state tournament held at College Station.  The Hornets led 7-4 at the half in the final and were led by brothers Bennie (9 points) and Freddie (6 points) Tompkins and their cousin, Preacher Tompkins (4 points) who played strong defense under the basket.  Newspapers reported that Athens “towered” over their opponents “passing fast and shooting accurately.”   

  Athens has won five state championships (1927, 1929, 1931, 1933 & 1934).  Jimmy Kitts coached the first three championship teams and J.T. “Bobo” Nelson was the coach in 1933 & 1934.  Kitts was elected to both the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame & the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.   Coach Jimmy Kitts won 3 state championships (1927, 1929, 1931) and two national titles (1929 & 1930) while at Athens.   

The 1929 Hornet team defeated Oklahoma City Classen, 25-21, for the national title for its 6^th victory at the National Interscholastic Tournament at the U. of Chicago which drew teams from 38 states.  Classen was coached by Hank Iba (later coach at OK State and the U.S. Olympic team).  Athens was down at the half when Athens went to a “box and one” defense with Preacher Tompkins on Classen’s star while the other four Athens boys played a zone.  Preacher was named MVP of the national tournament.  When the victorious team returned to Athens the coach was given $6,000 & a house.  The “story” of the 1929 team is told in Athens’ Day in the Sun by Ron Hendry.  Athens was 35-1 on the year (with a lone loss to Denton by one point) against H.S. competition including the 8 games on the way to and in Chicago.  Athens repeated as national champion in 1930 defeating Jena LA, 22-16, though they did not win the state championship (state champion Denton defeated Athens in the 2^nd round in Austin).  The Chicago tournament was discontinued after 1930 leaving Athens as the only team to ever win the national title two years in a row. 

The 1929 Athens players were:  Byron “Buster” Brannon, John O. “Preacher” Tompkins, Wendell W. “Doc” Sumner, Fred Tompkins, Ben Tompkins, Hodge Owen, Richard Shinn, Moody Johns, Oscar Hooper, and Herbert Reynolds.  John Tompkins and Wendell Sumner were named 1^st team all-state tournament while Moody Johns was named to the 2^nd team.  The star of this team was 6’4” Preacher Tompkins who might have became one of game’s immortals had he chosen to play in college.  Freddie and Bennie Tompkins played college basketball at SC where as sophs they led their 1932 team to the ACC championship and were named all-conference.  Sumner played later at TCU.  Buster Brannon later played basketball and football at TCU and quarterbacked the Frog football team to the 1932 SWC  title.  He won 6 SWC basketball championships as a coach at TCU (1951-53 & 1959) and Rice (1940 & 1942) and was elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.  Four other members of this team have been elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame:  W.W. “Doc” Sumner (1927-29); John “Preacher” Tompkins (1926-29); Bennie Tompkins (1927-30); and Freddie Tompkins (1928-31). 

 Denton defeated Estelline, 30-11, in the final; Houston Reagan, 16-14, in the semi-final; & Athens, 24-19, in the 2^nd round (bye in 1^st round) at the state tournament.   The Eagles had playoff wins over Highland Park and Wills Point to qualify for state.  Denton’s win over defending state and national champion, Athens, in the 2^nd round at state was a season highlight as Denton had been beaten in the state finals in 1927 & 1929 by Athens and had lost 3 of 4 earlier games in 1930 to Athens.   The game was decided at the FT line as Denton made 8 of 11 to 3 of 11 for Athens.  Denton was led in the semi-final against Athens by Sr John Smyers with 9 points and Sr Nimrod Borchardt with 7 while Freddie Tompkins scored 12 for Athens.  Denton had split four games with Estelline earlier in the season and finished the year at 19-6 (with 3 losses to Athens, 2 to Estelline & 1 to Tyler).   The Eagles averaged 25.5 points to their opponents’ 17.3 per game.  The Eagles cruised to a 19-point win over Estelline in the final and was led by Smyers with 15 points, Sr Albert Zeretzke with 8, and Sr Tom Finley with 5 while Whitey Baccus of Estelline scored 5.   

The 1930 Athens team which lost to Denton in the 1930 final went on to Chicago as defending champion and won the national title at the National Interscholastic Tournament at the U. of Chicago.  Denton also went to the national tournament and defeated Baylor Institute of Chattanooga TN, 32-15, before losing in the 2^nd round to St. Johns Military Academy of Delafield WI, 22-21.  The Denton Eagles have won two state basketball championships (1930 & 1935) and made two other appearances in the finals losing to Athens in 1927 and in 1929.  The Denton championship coach for both 1930 & 1935 was Dan McAlister.  Estelline made its only appearance in a state final in 1930.  Estelline (near the Red River in Hall County) closed its H.S. in the 1960’s with its students going to Memphis and Childress. 

The 1930 Denton players were:  Theron McGovern, Sr Tom Davis, Sr Capt. Nimrod Borchardt, E.C. Dittrich, Sr Warren Finley, Jr Clyde Carter, Sr Albert Zeretzke, A.E. Whorton, Wayne Stallings, Sr Orme Lee Koiner, Sr John Smyers and Sr Tom Finley.  Guard Nimrod Borchardt was named to the 1^st team all-state tournament along with Freddie Tompkins of Athens and Sr Whitey Baccus of Estelline, “the best floor man in the state” while Smyers was named to the 2^nd team.  Honorable mention went to Finley and Zeretzke of Denton.  Whitey Baccus  (1929-30) was elected to the Texas H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1972.  Denton’s Nimrod Borchardt, Albert Zeretzke and John Smyers all played basketball at North Texas Teachers College.  Clyde Carter was All-American in FB at SMU in 1934 and later coached at Denton H.S. 

The 1930 Denton championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1956 state tournament.   In 1956 Nimrod Borchardt was the fire chief at Ardmore AF Base in OK; Tom Finley, Tom Davis, and John D. Smyers in Denton; ; E.C. Dittrich in Nashville TN; Clyde Carter & Warren Finley in Dallas; Theron McGovern in Austin; A.E. Wharton in Etowah TN; and Orme Lee “Soda” Koiner and Wayne Stallings in Ft. Worth.  Albert Zeretzke was athletic director for Austin H.S. of El Paso and Coach Dan McAlister was principal of Denton Jr H.S.

 Athens defeated Houston San Jacinto, 25-22 OT, in the final; Bardwell, 30-13, in the semi-final; and Denton, 29-11, in the 2^nd round (bye in 1^st round) at the state tournament.  The Hornets had playoff wins over Carthage, Pineland, Timpson, Nacogdoches, Huntington, and Groveton to qualify for the state tournament.   Athens was undefeated (22-0) by a TX H.S. team in 1931—the first time a Hornet team had accomplished that feat.   In the final San Jacinto tied the game at 19-19 on a FT with seconds remaining and regulation ended a few seconds later with missed shots by both teams.   Athens’ Willard Cornelius was the defensive star in the tournament, the final and in the OT (with 2 steals) and the “diminutive” Erskin Ware scored all of the Hornet points (3 FGs) in the OT.    

Athens was undefeated by TX teams in 1931 and capped off its year by “barnstorming” thru Kentucky and Indiana playing other high school teams (the National tournament had been discontinued after 1930).  Athens has won five state championships (1927, 1929, 1931, 1933 & 1934).  Jimmy Kitts was the coach for the first three championships with J.T. Nelson coaching the last two.  Kitts also twice (1929 & 1930) won the National Interscholastic Tournament in Chicago.   He later coached at Rice, VMI and Texas Western.   Finalist San Jacinto lost in the finals in its only two appearances in the state final in 1931 & 1932.

The 1931 Athens players were:  Capt. Freddie Tompkins, Robert Wyatt, Duncan Frizzell, Willard Cornelius, Bruce Reagan, Troy Tompkins, Wade Owen, Weldon Browning, John Sanders, Robert Wyatt, Troy Tompkins, Erskin Ware, and Dana Henderson .   The complete story of these players and their season is told in Athens’ Day in the Sun by Ron Hendry. 

The Hornets were led in the final against Houston San Jacinto by Dana Henderson with 12 points.  Ware with 7 and Freddie Tompkins with 5.   San Jacinto was led by H. Journeay with 8 points, Harris with 77 and Lee Tynes.  Athens forwards Freddie Tompkins and Willard Cornelius were named to the 1^st team All State Tournament Team along with B. Journeay and Lee Tynes of San Jacinto (who scored 41 points in the tournament and also made all-state in 1932).  Dana Henderson was named 2^nd team All Tournament. 

Brothers Freddie and Bennie (who graduated in 1930) Tompkins later played college basketball at South Carolina where they led their 1932 team to the Atlantic Coast Conference and were named all-conference. & All-American.  Freddie Tompkins (1928-31) and Bennie Tompkins (1927-30) were elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.  The 1931 Athens team was the “Honor Team” at the 1957 state tournament.  At that time Bruce Reagan was a  state senator from Corpus Christi; Fred Tompkins resided in San Benito; Troy Tompkins, Weldon Browning and Robert Wyatt (a Henderson County Commissioner) in Brownsboro; Duncan Frizzell in Athens; John T. Sanders & Erskine Ware in Shreveport; and Willard Cornelius in Dallas.   

 Temple won the school’s second state basketball championship in 1932 by defeating  Houston San Jacinto, 30-23, in the final; Dallas Tech (coached by Doc Hayes), 30-22, in the semi-final; SA Brackenridge, 25-19, in the 2^nd round; & Olney, 20-12, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Temple defeated the four tournament favorites to win the title.  The Wildcats defeated Academy (40-18), Waco (33-30), Prairie Hill (55-14) and Austin (39-20 & 30-18) in the playoffs to reach the 13-team state tournament.  In the championship game the Wildcats defeated the Golden Bears of Houston San Jacinto, 30-23.  The game pitted the “five man machine” of Temple against the “one-man team” of Capt. Lee Tynes who scored 16 of San Jacinto’s 23 points and set a state record with 60 points in 4 games.  Lange topped Temple scorers with 11; Ken Clark had 7; Del Clark, 6; Harrison, 3, Bonner, 2; & Richardson, 1.  Temple led the entire game with a 6 point lead at halftime (18-12) and at the end of the third quarter (22-16). 

Temple was 32-2 on the year (not counting losses to Baylor Cubs and Southwestern U.)   In an early season highlight, Temple defeated Rosebud, the defending district champion, 105-25, and was led by 39 points from Willie Lange.   The team averaged 44.5 points per game to opponents’ 36 per game.  The championship Wildcats were led by head coach George W. “Red” Forehand who took over the team in 1931-32 (after serving 2 years as the Temple junior high coach) and won the state championship in his “rookie” season.   R.E. “Bill” Henderson, the former Wildcat coach and Baylor coach from 1941-61, “figured prominently in the early teaching of many of the Temple players” as he coached at Temple from 1926-1931. 

The 1932 Temple players were:  Captain Delma Clark, Willie Lange, Cotton Harrison, Kenneth Clark, Buford Richardson, Jamie Bonner, Wilbert  “Cotton” Harrison, Charles McFarland, Arthur Southerland, Lee James, Will Forehand, Orman Wren & Sam Turner.  The 6’ 6” Del Clark jumped center for Temple after every FG (a rule until the 1938).  Del Clark & Ken Clark were named to the “official” A.P. all-state tournament 1^st team; Willie Lange and Cotton Harrison were named to the 2^nd team; and Jamie Bonner was honorable mention.  Lange and Harrison were named all-state by the Daily Texan.  The Austin American named Lange and Ken Clark on its all-state team.  The balance of the Wildcat squad was seen in that 5 Wildcat players were named to all-state squads from the 13 teams at the state tournament. 

Thru 2006 Temple had appeared in the state finals only two times but won state titles in both years (1928 & 1932) with the 1928 championship being awarded to runner-up Temple after Austin H.S. was disqualified.    Runner-up San Jacinto has appeared in the finals only two times, losing in the finals in 1931 & 1932.  Temple was the honor team at the 1958 state tournament.  Coach Forehand was then at SA Edison; Kenneth Clark was a coach at Cy-Fair; Will Forehand a coach at Spring Branch.

Athens defeated Houston Jeff Davis, 36-20, in the final; SA Jefferson, 40-34, in the semi-final; Bryan, 50-19, in the 2^nd round; & El Paso, 62-29, in 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Hornets defeated Elkhart, 52-39; Wells, 41-19; Whitehouse, 58-27; and Bullard , 57-8 at the District Meet and Emory, 41-19 & 42-16, in Bi-district to qualify for the state tournament.  There were 1,500 teams in the state competing in boys basketball in 1933 but only 14 qualified for the state tournament.  Athens cruised thru the four games at state with winning margins of 33, 31, 6 and 16 points.  The 62 points scored against El Paso in the 1^st round set a state record as did the 188 points in 4 games at state.  

In the final the Hornets led the Jeff Davis Panthers 14-10 at the end of the half and 26-14 at the end of the third quarter.  6’4” Center Bruce Reagan of Athens consistently outjumped the Panthers’ Pete Dowling in the center jump after each made basket (a rule not changed until 1938).  The Hornets “capitalized on their height, and tipped the leather in the hoop time and again on follow up shots” in the final against Jeff Davis.  Athens’ record at season’s end against H.S. teams was 29-3.  The Athens Weekly Review reported that the semi-final game against SA Jefferson was a "rough" affair in which 3 Athens starters fouled out but was saved by the outstanding play of Wade Owen who often "dribbled through the entire Jefferson team to score."

thens has won five state championships (1927, 1929, 1931, 1933 & 1934).  Jimmy Kitts coached the first three championship teams and J.T. “Bobo” Nelson was the coach in 1933 & 1934.  Finalist Jeff Davis was coached by Roy M. Needham (1926-43) who was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor. Needham was head basketball and football coach at Jeff Davis for 16 years and was athletic director of the Houston ISD for two decades. 

The 1933 Hornet players were:  5’10” Capt. Paul Morris, 6’1” Wade “Spot” Owen, Henry Boyd, Duncan Frizzell, 6’3” So Olin Cobb, Gaston Johns, 6’4” Burnell Trammell, 6’4” Bruce Reagan, John T. Sanders, W.A. Hawn, Jr, Dan Cumbie, Rupert Craig, Jr., John Thomas Sanders, Leland Tarrant, Eli Bob Ard, Prentice Warren and Duncan Frizzell.   The Athens starting line-up scored all of the team’s 36 points in the final led by So Olin Cobb (10 points), Burnell Trammell (8), Bruce Reagan (8), Paul Morris (6), and Wade Owen (4 ).  Cobb and Owens led the Hornets in the semi-final with 13 points each.  Olin Cobb and Wade Owen were named All State Tournament “while Trammell, Morris and Reagan each only lacked one vote of making it an all Hornet five for first team all state” according to Athens’ Day in the Sun by Ron Hendry. 

The 1933 All State Tournament Team included Olin Cobb and Wade Owen of Athens; Pete Dowling of Houston Jeff Davis; Clarence Sledge of Dallas Tech; and Ray Smith of SA Jefferson.  Bruce Reagan, Burnell Trammell and Paul Morris of Athens missed All Tournament berths by one vote.

The 1933 Athens championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1959 state tournament.  In 1959 Coach J.T. “Bobo” was H.S. principal at Celina; Paul Morris was supt. of Schools for the Chandler ISD; and Bruce Reagan was a state senator from Corpus Christi.  Also, Gaston Johns was in Baton Rouge; Burnell Trammell in Lamesa; assistant Coach Charles Hawn and W.A. Hawn, Jr, in Athens; Leland Tarrant in LaRue TX; and Eli Bob Ard in Midwest City OK.

 Athens defeated Lamesa, 28-22, in the final; Denton, 17-12, in the semi-final; & Houston Jeff Davis, 43-13, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Hornets qualified for state with playoff wins over Bullard, Canton, Cushing & Emory and was 29-0 on the year against H.S. competition (discounting games against college freshmen, JC teams, etc.).  Athens trailed Lamesa in the final by 9-0 but closed the gap to 13-7 at the end of the half.  The Austin newspaper reported that the 2^nd half comeback by Athens was “the most gallant and courageous” ever witnessed as the Hornets first tied the score at 16-16 and then pulled away for the victory. 

The Athens comeback in the final was led by 6’3” Jr Olin Cobb (13 points) and Hayden Mallory (10 points).  Defensive stars were Gaston Johns and Mallory.   Lamesa was led by center George Sturdivant (who won most of the center jumps after each basket) and guards Jude Smith and Jimmie Britt (15 points).  The quality of the two teams is seen in that—for the first time in tournament history---all five of the boys named to the 1^st team All State Tournament team were from the two finalists  (Cobb and Mallory of Athens and George Sturdivant, Jude Smith and Jimmie Britt of Lamesa) though the team was selected from all 8 teams in the tournament.  Piccolo Frizzell was named 2^nd team All State Tournament. 

Athens has won five state championships (1927, 1929, 1931, 1933 & 1934).  Jimmy Kitts coached the 1927, 1929 & 1931 teams while J.T. “Bobo” Nelson coached the 1933 and 1934 champions.  The story of the 1927-34 Athens dynasty is told in Athens’ Day in the Sun: The Story of an Early High School Dynasty by Ron Hendry.  Lames made the finals 8 times from 1921-2006 losing in the finals in 1934, 1935, 1973, 1985 & 1990 and winning state titles in 1960, 1967 & 1975. 

The 1934 Athens players were:  6’3” Olin Cobb, Prentice Warren, Gaston Johns, Piccolo Frizzell, Archie Fowler, Arbra Johnson, Joe Ledbetter, Derwood Newman, Robert Gregg, Hayden Mallory and Dan W. Cumbie. 

The 1934 Athens championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1960 state tournament.  In 1960 Coach J.T. (“Bobo”) Nelson was the H.S. principal at Celina; Assistant Coach Charles Hawn was in Athens; Hayden Mallory in Alvin; and Olin Cobb in Dallas. 

 Denton defeated Lamesa, 38-23, in the final; Brownwood, 28-21, in the semi-final; & Taft, 32-21, in the 1^st round at state tournament.   Denton was 29-1 on year with only a loss to Emory keeping them from an undefeated season.   The team had key wins before the playoffs over Dallas Wilson, Arlington, Waxahachie, FW Poly & Emory.  The Broncos defeated Waco, 28-15, and Nocona, 36-16, in the region to qualify for state.  Denton played a “deliberate” style of play “getting the ball and holding it until somebody gets a good shot” and relied upon its defense which allowed opponents an average of only 16 points a game.  The media branded Denton’s style as “colorless” but it was obviously effective.             

Thru 2006 Denton H.S. had won two state basketball championships (1930 & 1935) and played in two finals (losing to Athens in 1927 & 1929).   The 1935 Denton team was coached by Dan McAlister who from 1927-1935 led his team to two state titles and two other finals.  He starred in 3 sports at North Texas and won more than 400 games in 18 years as H.S. coach.  Finalist Lamesa won state titles in 19690, 1967 and 1975 and lost in the state finals in 1934, 1935, 1973, 1985 & 1990. 

The 1935 Denton players were:  Sr Capt. J.D. Wright, Sr Haskell “Hack” Richey, Sr Homer Barnes, Sr Fred Lohrke, So Bud Smith, Jr Ralph “Bear” Hester, Jr Bill Bob Kee, Jimmy Leslie, Jr Charles Davis, Jr T.A. Bush, Delbert Carter & Sr Tom Harpool. 

Denton had little trouble in the final with Lamesa leading at the quarters by 9-6, 19-8 & 31-11.  Homer Barnes led the Broncos in scoring with 13 points in the final while J.D. Wright scored 8 and Lohrke and Hack Richey had 6.  Wright scored 28 points in Denton’s 3 games.  Joe Harrell, the Lamesa center, scored 9 points in the final against Denton and 42 for the tournament.  Barnes was a unanimous choice for 1^st team all-state tournament which also included Denton’s Wright (who played a “spectacular” defensive game in the finals) and Lamesa’s Harrell.   

The 1935 Denton state championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1961 state tournament.  Coach Dan McAlister was the principal at  Denton Jr H. S. in 1961; Ralph Hester was the athletic director at Austin College;  Jimmy Leslie was in Abilene; Fred Lohrke in CA; Homer Barns (a policeman) & Bill Bob Kee in Dallas; Bud Smith in OK City; Haskell Richey, Tom Harpool & Charles Davis in Denton.     

 Cushing defeated El Paso, 33-29, in the final; Carey, 35-21, in the semi-final; & Taft, 46-17, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Cushing was a tiny school competing against all size schools in TX and won a “Hoosiers” (i.e., the Movie) type victory in 1936.  The Bearkats were 32-3 on the year and defeated Nacogdoches to win the County Championship; won a “District” Tournament in Nacogdoches comprised of the champions of 8 East TX counties defeating Huntington in the final; and defeated Gilmer 31-29 and Gober 30-23 to win the Region 4 tournament at Longview to make the “final eight” at the State Tournament at Gregory Gym in Austin on March 6-7.   The eight included four large city schools, Dallas Tech (13-2), Houston Jeff Davis (16-6), Austin (18-3), and El Paso (13-3), and four smaller schools, Taft (20-1), Crews (35-4), Carey (39-6) and Cushing (32-3). Cushing crushed Taft 46-17 in the first round and Carey 35-21 in the semi-finals before defeating El Paso H.S.  33-29 in the final.  The Houston Post described the play of Cushing in the final as “daring” and featured “one-handed hook passes, long shots and a fast break.”  The score was tied 11 times and the lead changed hands 16 times.   

 Cushing’s G Ray Burk Lucas was selected as the state tournament’s most outstanding player and was 1^st team All State Tournament along with teammate Marshal Matteson (who was the top scorer in the tournament with 32 points in 3 games), Carswell of Jeff Davis, and Castillo and Dwyer of El Paso.  Two other Cushing players, F Garland Trawick and C Kermit Clayton were voted 2^nd team All Tournament. The 5^th starter was G Clarence “Bud” Parten and the top substitutes were Lamar Brewer and F.G. “Josh” Briley, a 6’9” Jr center who was reputed to be the tallest player in TX.   Matteson and Lucas later played at Stephen F. Austin College where Matteson was the leading scorer in the conference in his junior year and, along with Cushing Coach Glenn W. Berry, was named to SFA’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  Briley later played at Jacksonville College where he was the leading scorer among all TX junior colleges.    

The 1936 Cushing team was honored at the State Tournament in 1961 on the 25^th anniversary of its championship season.  The ex-players honored were Clarence Parten, Shell Refining Co., Pasadena; Ray Lucas, Western Surety Co., Dallas; F.G. Briley, Magnolia Refining Co., Beaumont; Kermit Clayton, Conroe Public Schools; Marshal Matteson, theater owner, Nacogdoches; Garland Trawick, Southwestern Bell Telephone, Co., Beaumont; Harold Clayton, Judge 135^th Judicial District, Port Arthur; John Gresham, Gulf Oil & Gas Co; Lamar Brewer, barber shop owner, Henderson; Weldon Gresham, Tyler Pipe and Foundry, Tyler; Lawrence Richards, Ford Motor Co., Livingston; Team Manager Billy Irwin of Irwin and Smith law firm in Houston; and Coach Glenn W. Berry, principal of Herty Elementary School in Lufkin.  In 1986 Cushing honored the 1936 team at the High School on the 50^th anniversary of the Championship.

 Carey defeated Gober, 26-18, in the final; FW Poly, 27-10, in the semi-final; & Dublin, 31-26, in the 1^st round at state tournament.    Carey was a tiny school competing against all size schools in TX and won a “Hoosiers” (i.e., the Movie) type victory in 1937.  Carey merged with the Childress ISD in the 1957 and the 1937 Carey state title remains the only state championship ever won in any sport in the history of Childress County.  Gober never made the state finals again. 

The Carey Cardinals were coached by the legendary Milburn Albert “Catfish” Smith, who became head coach of the Carey Cardinals in 1934 at the age of 22.  In 1936 he led his 40-8 Cardinals to the state semi-finals where he was defeated by state champion Cushing, 35-21.  He had all his starters back in 1937 and won the state championship in an era when all schools regardless of size (Carey had under 100 students) played in the same single division that included the more than 1,500 schools in TX.  Oddly enough, in 1937, the two smallest schools in the final eight at the Austin state tournament (including larger schools, FW Poly and San Antonio Thomas Jefferson) made the finals with Carey defeating Gober.  The win by Carey in 1937 and Cushing in 1936 were true “Hoosier” (as in the movie, “Hoosiers”) type victories.  Finalist Gober was also a small school and never again made the finals.

 Coach Smith later coached at Mt. Vernon from 1943-50 where he won another state basketball championship and a regional football championship in the same year—1947-48.  His football (11-0) and basketball (30-0) teams were undefeated in 1947-48—a feat never matched before or since in TX.  Coach Smith later coached football at ETSU and at Baylor and is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.  Carey was 50-2 on the year.  The 1937 Carey players were:  W.J. Redwine, J.E. Anderson, Carroll Faust, Jim Middleton, Troy Hunt, Jesse McCracken, Basil Conner, Harbour Middleton, Fate Gresham, Ovis Hunter and Robert Crawford.   Faust & Gresham led Carey in scoring in the final with 7 points each.  Forward Carroll Faust and center Fate Gresham were named to the All Tournament 1^st team (Faust also made the team in 1936) along with Winifred Battise of Livingston, Tate Gresham of Carey, Mike Ball of TJ & G.W. Todd of Gober.  Forward W.J. Redwine and guard Harbour Middleton were 2^nd team.  Two were later elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame--- Carroll “Slats” Foust (1934-37) in 1987 and W.J. “Sleepy” Redwine (1933-1937) in 1988. 

The 1963 UIL program’s “Honor Team” was the 1937 Carey champions and listed the following info:  W.J. Redwine was an Air Force Captain; Harbour Middleton, a retired AF Lt. Col; Jack Jones an AF Capt. in CA; and Ovis Hunter, AF Lt. Col.  Troy Hunt lived in Albuquerque; Carroll Faust in McKinney; Jess McCracken in Graham, Robert Crawford in Carthage, and Basil Conner in San Jose CA.    

The “story” of the incredible 1937 season in which tiny Carey won state under its first-year coach is told in the book:  Coach “Catfish” Smith and His Boys, by Glen Onley, published by Sunstone Press in 2004.

 Dallas Woodrow Wilson defeated Abilene, 41-27, in the final; Houston Reagan, 29-28, in the semi-final; & Belton, 43-24, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Wildcats qualified for state with regional wins over Waco, 35-23, and Vernon, 50-26, and finished the year undefeated  (discounting two losses to the NTSU freshman team) at 23-0.  Eight teams (Dallas Wilson, Houston Reagan, Abilene, Bowie, Kingsville, Belton, Carey and Bailey) with very disparate enrollment figures qualified for the state tournament in 1938 and all played in one classification for one state title.  In fact, tiny Carey (1937) and Cushing (1936) won state titles against schools of all sizes in the two previous years. Also, 1938 was the first year without the center jump after each field goal.  Wilson led by 12 going into the 4^th quarter of the 1^st round win over Belton and cruised to a 19-point win.  Malcolm Kutner scored the game winning basket in the one-point win in the semi-final against Reagan.  The Wildcats led 13-4  & 26-12 after the first two periods and cruised to a 14-point win over previously undefeated (27-0) Abilene in the final. 

Wilson finished the year undefeated at 27-0 winning the 1938 state title in the school’s only appearance in a state final.  Finalist Abilene H.S. made two appearances the state finals losing  in the 1938 & 1941 finals.  Howard Kitchen of Cotner U in NE was the 1938 Wilson championship coach.   The 1938 Woodrow Wilson players were:  20 Kelly Simpson; 22 Theo Marks; 42 Rex Sharp; 43 Loyd Cooke; 44 Malcolm Kutner; 45 Jimmy McCarthy; 46 Harrell Neblett; 48 Arthur Bowman; 52 Jimmy Pattee; and 50 LaNove Davenport.  Kutner led Wilson in scoring in the final with 13 points while Simpson had 11 and McCarthy, 10.   In the semi-final against favorite Houston Reagan, Kutner scored 11 points, Bowman, 8, and Simpson and McCarthy 6 each.  Kelly Simpson held Reagan star Bill Henderson (later Temple H.S. and Baylor coach) to 8 points in the close semi-final.  Simpson led the Wildcats in scoring in the 1^st round with 15 while Jamie Wilson led Belton with 15. 

The All State Tournament Team included Malcolm Kutner and Kelly Simpson of Woodrow Wilson, Bill Henderson of Reagan, Frank Brahaney of Abilene & Jamie Wilson of Belton.  Jimmy McCarthy and Loyd Cooke of Wilson were named 2^nd team All State Tournament.  m Kutner at 6-2, 180 lbs. was an All-American end at UT from 1939-41; is one of 13 UT players in the College Football Hall of Fame; was Rookie of the Year (1946) with the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL and was the NFL’s MVP in 1948. 

The 1938 Woodrow Wilson state championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1964 state tournament.  In 1964 Coach Howard Kitchen was a teacher at Woodrow Wilson H.S. in Dallas and James F. McCarthy was a judge in Dallas.  Lloyd B. Cooke (real estate) was in Pasadena TX; Theo Marks (engineer) in Port Arthur; Bill Jones (Gas Co.), A.B. Tate, R.P. Kincheloe, Norman Melton in Dallas; Harrell Neblett in Fresno CA;  Malcomb J. Kutner & Kelly Simpson in Houston; J.F. Pattee in Pecos; LaNove Davenport (music director) in New York;, and Paul D. Zimmerman (with Japan Air Lines) in Tokyo.

Livingston defeated SA Lanier in the final, 37-35; Bowie, 24-22, in the semi-final; and Vernon, 37-33, in the 1^st round at the 8-team state tournament.   The Lions qualified for state with wins over Jeff Davis, Bryan and Houston Lamar and finished the year at 34-7 averaging 31 points per game to 23 for opponents.  Livingston had three close wins (by 4, 2 & 2 points) at state and won the semi-final on a “one-hander” from the foul circle by Foster Bullock.  The Lions prevailed in the final against Lanier in spite of an 8-point comeback by Lanier to tie the score at 35 with 30 seconds remaining.  Livingston scored the winning points with 20 seconds remaining when Center Alex Weatherford “whirled out of the mass and fired a one-handed shot through the hoop” to give his Lions the state title at 37-35.   

Livingston made its only appearance in a state final in 1939 though the Lions did finish 4^th in 1937 and 3^rd in 1940.  Finalist SA Lanier won state titles in 143 & 1945 under Coach Nemo Herrera  and lost in the finals in 1939 & 2001.  The 1939 Livingston championship coach was Clarence Antonio “Bubba” Gernand  The young Gernand had graduated from Baylor in 1938 after a three-sport career with the Bears from 1935-38.  He was well known at Gregory gym where he had beaten UT with a last second shot in a SWC game in 1937.  Gernand was fortunate to take over a team that had made the state semi-finals in 1937 with “four Indians and a paleface.”   He utilized a “fast-break offense” and observers were impressed by the team’s hustle and “well-drilled attack.” 

The 1939 Livingston players were:  Harmon Walters, Harmon Rowe, Alex Weatherford, Jesse Lee Richardson, Charlie Thomas, Foster Bullock, Aubrey Bailey, Raymond Jones, Emmett Battise, and John Bloomfield.  Weatherford led Livingston in the final with 12 points while Foster Bullock scored 10.  Bullock led the Lions in the semi-final with 10 points and Walters in the 1^st round with 13.  Bullock, a “full-blooded Alabama Indian,” was “sensational” with his “tricky dribbling and passing.”   Bullock was also described as a “sharpshooter” who was an “expert on long shots.”  Joe Trevino led Lanier with 14 points. 

The All State Tournament Team included Harmon Walters and Foster Bullock of Livingston, Tony Cordona and Joe Trevino (top scorer with 45 points in 3 games) of Lanier and Rodolfo Olivas of Bowie.  Aubrey Bailey of Livingston was named to the 2^nd team.  (The Lions’ Alex Weatherford scored the winning FG and 9 points in the 2^nd half but voting for the All Tournament Team was made at halftime.)  Bullock was the top scorer against Bowie with 10 & Walters scored 13 against Vernon.  Bullock was also named 2^nd team All Tournament in 1937.  Weatherford led the team in rebounding while Raymond Jones and substitute Aubrey Bailey shared “defensive honors” with Bullock.   Walters again made all-state in 1940 as Livingston won third at state.

The 1939 Livingston championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1965 state tournament.    In 1965 Jesse Lee Richardson was a basketball coach at Kountze and Emmett Battise was a coach at New Summerfield.  Harmon Rowe (6’0” & 182 lbs) played FB at Baylor and 6 seasons in the NFL with the NY Giants.  In 2007 Randy Rowe, the grand nephew of Harmon Rowe, was Ath. Dir. at Livingston.  Foster Bullock worked at the “Indian Village” near Livingston.  Harmon Walters played basketball at Rice and was paratrooper behind enemy lines at Normandy on D Day in 1944.  He also played for the Houston Mavericks in the Professional Basketball League of America in 1948. 

San Marcos defeated El Paso, 22-21, in the final; Crowell, 37-27, in the semi-final; & Waco, 28-26, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Rattlers, who had no gym and had to play games at the SWT gym, defeated Austin, 29-16, for the District championship and SA Brackenridge, 22-13, in the regional final and were 46-1 on the year with a lone loss to SA Lanier by two points.  San Marcos was the “smallest team” in the 8-team state tournament and relied upon defense and teamwork rather than individual stars.  Coach Milton Jowers utilized a deliberate style relying upon his defense, especially a full-court press, to win its three games at state.  The Rattlers trailed Crowell by 2 points in the 4^th quarter before scoring the last 12 points using a full-court press.   In t he final El Paso came back from a 10-point deficit in the 4^th quarter to close to 1 point with a minute left but San Marcos held on to win. 

San Marcos won state titles in 1940 & 1965 and lost in the 1955 final to Seminole.  Milton Jowers was the coach of the 1940 championship team and later was a basketball and football coach (winning the NAIA national title in 1969) and athletic director at SWT.   He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.  Finalist El Paso won state titles in 1921, 1922, 1941 & 1947 and lost in the finals in 1923, 1924, 1936 & 1940).   San Marcos remains in 2006 as the closest state championship team to the Erwin Center in Austin where the state tournament is played each year (Travis and Williamson County have never had a champion). 

The 1940 Rattler players were: 5’11” Sr Thomas “Red” Calhoun; 6’2.5” Sr & Capt. Addison “Bubba” Coers; 6’0” Sr Eddie Dedeke; 6’0” Sr Frankie Edwards; 6’0” Sr Jack Hannon; 5’8” Jr Bob Ray Harrell; 5’7” Sr Billy Jones; 5’10” Sr Jimmy Lumpkin; 5’8” Jr Robert McGruder; and 6’2” Sr Charles Oldham.    

Jimmy Lumpkin led San Marcos in scoring in the final with 10 points while Frankie Edwards had 7 & Bubba Coers, 4.  Lumpkin was named 1^st team All State Tournament along with Mike Izquierdo and Mario Palafox of El Paso; Richardson of Livingston; & Gus Russell of Crowell.    Bubba Coers was named to the 2^nd team.  El Paso won state the following year led by Izquierdo and Palafox.  Bubba Coers was again all-state in 1941.  Mike Izquierdo (1939-42) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1972.         

Most of the players served in World War II & Charles Oldham was killed in the war.  The 1940 San Marcos championship team was the “Honor Team” at the state tournament in 1966.  At that time Coach Milton Jowers was the athletic director at SWT.  Addison Coers & Eddie Dedeke were living in Austin;  Thomas Calhoun in Portland OR; Jimmie Lumpkin in Pecos TX; Robert McGruder (H.S. Principal) in Big Lake TX; Jack Hannan in San Antonio; and Gene Phillips was manager of Aquarena in San Marcos.   Bubba Coers played FB & BB at A&M (before the war) and after the war at SWT under Coach Jowers; Frankie Edwards played at Baylor; and Jimmy Lumpkin at UT.  In 2007 Bubba Coers, the last living member of the 1940 team, lived in San Marcos.

El Paso defeated Abilene, 27-20, in the final; Houston Jeff Davis, 37-32, in the semi-final; & Mt. Vernon, 28-25, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   El Paso never trailed in the championship game and led at the quarters by 7-6, 14-11 & 22-14.  Finalist Abilene was hampered by the loss of four players (three to illness) including all-state Gene Dalton who had an ankle injury.  The semi-final victory was an upset as Jeff Davis had lost only one game all year and was a heavy favorite to win state (which it did in 1942 & 1943).  

El Paso has won four state championships (1921, 1922,  1941 & 1947) and lost in the finals in 1923,1924, 1936, & 1940.  The coach of the 1941 championship team was Jewell Wallace while semi-finalist Jeff Davis was coached by Roy M. Needham (1926-43) who was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.  Slater Martin (1940-43) was a So on the 1941 Jeff Davis team and made all-state the next two years.  He was All-American at UT; won 4 NBA championships; and was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.  In 1975 he was selected the all-time MVP of the SWC. 

The 1941 El Paso players were:  Yvon Rechy, Steve Minas, Francisco Salas-Portas, Fernando Palafox, Mike Izquierdo, Gordon Brandon, James Allen, Milton Cherno, Mario Palafox, Bob Hoover, Ralph Marmolejo, Bobby Goldfarb, Buddy Ward and manager Reuben Corral.  Goldfarb was only 13---the youngest player ever to appear in the state tournament---when he played for the championship El Paso team in 1941. 

The leading scorers for El Paso in the championship game were Mike Izquierdo with 7 and Mario Palafox with 6.  Izquierdo scored 16 in the semi-final against Jeff Davis while James Allen scored 7 and Mario Palafox, 5.   The 1941 All State Tournament team included Izquierdo and Palafox of El Paso (both also made the 1940 team); Bill Carruth and Pete McNeill of Waco and Gene Dalton of Abilene.  Gordon Brandon of El Paso was 2^nd team in 1940.  Mike Izquierdo (1939-42) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1972.

The 1941 El Paso Championship team was the “Honor Team” at the 1967 State Tournament.  The 1967 UIL program gave the following info:  James Allen was in the plumbing business in SF; Steve Minos was a U.S. Treasury Agent in New Orleans; Milton Cherno (clothing business), Buddy Ward (building contractor), Fernando Palafox (Druggist), Gordo Brandon (police Lt); Bobby Goldfarb (insurance), Francisco Salos Poeros (motor cycle dealer); Joe Hoover (cotton farmer), Yvon Rechy (shipping foreman), Mike Izquierdo (electronics) and Mario Palafax (orthopedic surgeon) all lived in El Paso.  Ralph Marmolejo Jr was an El Paso police detective who was killed in the line of duty on March 17, 1951.  His name is inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington DC.   

 Slidell defeated Fayetteville, 32-22, in the final; Boles Home, 36-29, in the semi-final; & Stratford, 30-19, in the 1^st round at the state tournament in the first year that the UIL moved from one (all classes) champion to champions in three classes (B, A & 2-A).  The Greyhounds defeated Rhome, 27-13; Park Spring, 36-15; and Ringgold, 31-13 in the District and Lorena, 42-14; Ireland, 38-16; and Post Oak, 38-12, in the regional.  Slidell became the first UIL Class B champion with its victory over Fayetteville in the final.   Slidell defeated Stratford by 11 in the first round due to the Greyhounds’ superior rebounding.  Slidell was leading by 5 points with 5 minutes left in the semi-final against Boles Home when their leading scorer, Lewis Hall, fouled out but Boles Home failed to take advantage and lost by 7 points.  In the final Slidell capitalized on its height to beat Fayetteville as the Lions kept pace for one quarter “but faded once the Slidell lads began connecting from far out.”         

Slidell won the Class B state championship again the next year in 1943 but these two state titles remained thru 2006 the only appearances in the state finals for Slidell.   Manuel R. McCarroll coached the 1942 championship team and G.T. Phillips coached the 1943 championship team.

The 1942 Slidell players were:  (19) Elmer Pugh, 6’1”; (80) Raleigh Christian, 5’9” Jr;  (81) Edwin Pruett, 6’2” Jr; (82) James Fortenberry, 6’1” Sr; (83) Harold Gage, Sr; (84) Mack Ashley; (85) Turner Bill Hall;  (86) Lewis Hall, 6’1” Sr; (87)Billie Jameson, Sr; (88)  Gussie Weber, 6’3” Jr; & (89) Wallace Patton, 6’3” Jr  The team was coached by Manuel R. McCarroll.   Slidell was led in scoring in the final by Gussie Weber with 12 points, Turner Hall with 6 and Wallace Patton, Edwin Pruett and Harold Gage with 4 each.   Cordes led Fayetteville with 8 points.  Lewis Hall led Slidell in the semi-final against Boles Home with 13 points while Weber had 9 and Patton, 8.  Weber was the top scorer for Slidell in the 1^st round against Stratford with 10 points followed by Patton with 7 and Hall with 6.  J.W. Malone and Dicky Buckles led Stratford with 6 points each. 

Gussie Weber, Lewis Hall and Wallace Patton of Slidell were named to the Class B all-state tournament team along with Chester Cordes of runner-up Fayetteville and Omar Reeves of Boles Home.   Weber and Hall also made the All State Tournament team in 1943 as Slidell won its second consecutive Class B state championship.  Weber and Patton later played at Texas Wesleyan.  The 1942 Slidell Championship team was one of the “Honor Teams” at the 1968 State Tournament.  The 1968 UIL program gave the following info:  Raleigh Christian was a rancher in Slidell; James Fortenberry was a farmer in Krum; Harold Ray Gage was a car salesman in Denton; Turner B. Hall was a beautician in Austin; Billy Jameson was with Bell Helicopter in FW; Coach Manuel R. McCarroll was a Principal in Decatur; Wallace Patton was an engineer in Arlington; Edwin Pruett was a dairyman in Slidell; Elmer Pugh was a ranch manager in Aledo and Gussie Weber was with Texaco in Houston.  In 2006 Pugh still lived in Slidell, Pugh in Aledo, and Weber in Houston and the two championship banners were still displayed in the old gym named for Coach McCarroll who was 650-123 in his 18 years at Slidell.

 Van defeated Nederland, 35-27, in the final; Elkhart, 50-16, in the semi-final; & Gatesville, 56-30, in the 1^st round at the state tournament in the first year that the UIL moved from one (all classes) champion to champions in three classes (B, A & 2-A).   Van was 34-2 in the previous year of 1941 losing in the regional finals to Mt. Vernon when there was only one state champion for all classes.  Van’s tallest player in 1942 was only 5’11” but the Vandals “had mastered the one-hand jump shot, had fantastic quickness and were masters of the full court defensive press.”  Van was 33-1 on the year as the team lost its opener but then won 33 consecutive games and “crushed” its first two opponents at the state tournament by 26 and 34 points.  The team was a “high-scoring machine” with a “vaunted fast break” that was “checked” by Nederland though the latter “could not cope with the sharp shooting Vandals.”  

Van made two appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1942 & 2005.  The 1942 Van championship coach was K.H. Thormahlen who coached basketball and football at Van for only four years before limiting himself to football.  He played basketball for Canton at the state tournament in 1926 (with Jack Gray who was later an All-American at TX and later the Longhorn coach) and later coached football at Elgin for 10 years from 1945-49, 1953-1957 where he was 72-26-3.    Finalist Nederland made its only appearance in a state final in 1942. 

The 1942 Vandal players were:  George Beggs (11), Alton Landrum (12, Morris Brantley (13), Billie Bane Cook (14), Nolan Welmaker (15), Robert Dike Stringer (17),  Neil Morris (19), James Crocker (20), Buddy Morgan (21) and Atwell Goss (22).  Robert Stringer and George Beggs of Van were named to the Class A All State Tournament team along with Arleigh Duff and Robert Goss of runner-up Nederland and Tony Rivera of Lanier.  Alton Landrum led the Vandals in scoring in the final with 17 points and Robert Stringer scored 21 in the semi-final and 9 in the final.

The 1942 Van Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1968 state tournament.  The 1968 UIL program gave the following info on team members:  George Beggs (utility co.) was in Ennis; Morris Brantley (Ed. Consultant) in Dallas; James J. Crocker (pipe fitter) in Texas City; Bayne Cook (insurance) in Waco; Joseph A. Goss (Lt. Col. U.S. Marines); Assistant Coach Charles Ray Jones (Prof. at Texas Tech); Alton Landrum (Union Oil) in Andrews; Ernest Matthews (apt. manager) in Irving; W.P. Morgan (service station) in Paris; Neil Morris (Union Oil) in Van; Julius M. Stagner (pastor) in Commerce; Nolan Welmaker (civil service) in Barstow CA; and Coach K.H. Thormahlen (Principal) in Elgin. 

Morris Brantley of the 1942 team was one of three surviving members of the team in 2005 when Van won its next state championship.  He addressed the team and fans at a pep rally before the tournament.

Houston Jeff Davis defeated Lufkin, 55-35, in the final; Dallas Tech, 45-31, in the semi-final; & Waco, 31-26, in 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Jeff Davis Panthers became the first Houston school to win a state title and “climaxed a three-day siege of startling performances” by “trouncing a favored Lufkin team” by 20 points in the 2-A final (under new format with B, A and 2-A championships).

The Panthers were led in scoring in the final by Warren Switzer (15) and Slater Martin (14) and in rebounding by big Ed Kelley.  Kelley scored 14 and Martin 12 in the semi-final.  Martin was the top scorer (11) in the 1^st round against Waco.  The top defensive players for Jeff Davis were the two “ball hawks” Martin and Jimmy Salibo.

The Panthers made the state tournament six times in 11 years from 1933-1943 under Coach Roy M. Needham finishing runner-up in 1941 and winning the 2-A title in 1942 & 1943.  Needham was head basketball and football coach at Jeff Davis for 16 years (1926-1943) and was athletic director of the Houston ISD for two decades.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.  Finalist Lufkin was coached by Othol Hershel (“Abe”) Martin from 1936-1943 who later was football coach and athletic director at TCU from 1953-66.  The football stadium at Lufkin is still named after Abe Martin.  Thru 2006 Houston Jeff Davis had won two state titles (1942 & 1943) and was runner-up three times (1933, 1946 &1962).  The 1942 title team was coached by Needham and the 1943 team by Bert Kivell.

The 1942 Panther players were:  James Salibo (3), Warren Switzer (4), James Owens (5), Ross Byers (6), Slater Martin (7), Steve Lobue (8), Valton Green (9), Charlie Carpenter (10), Albert Watts (11), Bryan Massey (12), Floyd Cobler (13), and Ed Kelley (14).  Coach Needham had a small team with only 6’3” Ed Kelly and 6’1” Warren Switzer and with 5’6” Nick Salibo and 5’4” Ross Byers at guard.  The team was led by 5’10” Dugan “Slater” Martin and 6’3’ Ed Kelly both of whom were named All State tournament in 1941 along with Lufkin’s David Cook and Tommy Hudgens and Dallas Tech’s Tom Hamilton.  Martin was all-state tournament in 1942 & 1943; played at U.T. in 1943 & 1946-49 where he was All-American in 1949; played 11 years in the NBA and was seven-time all-star and played on five NBA championship teams (4 with George Mikan at Minneapolis & 1 with Bob Pettit & St. Louis Hawks over Bob Cousy’s Celtics).  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and in 1975 was voted the all-time MVP of the SCC.  Labue was an all-state football and track (3 state gold medals) star who came out for basketball for rebound help though he only 5’10”.  He was killed in a B-17 raid over Germany in 1945.   He and Martin are both in the Jeff Davis Hall of Fame.

The 1942 Jeff Davis Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1968 state tournament.  According to the 1968 UIL program  Ross Byers (accountant) was in Houston; Charles Carpenter (accounting) in Houston; Valton Green (engineer) in Houston; Coach R.H. Hill (Ath. Dir in Aldine); Ed Kelly (sales manager) in SA; Bryan Massey, (Houston Police Dept.); Coach Roy Needham (director of Phy. Ed for Houston ISD); James Owens (golf pro) in Pasadena; N.J. Salibo (salesman) in Houston; Warren Switzer (life insurance) in Houston; and Albert Watts (salesman) in Dallas.  Slater Martin’s career is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.

 Slidell defeated Sidney, 36-23, in the final; Midway, 33-20, in the semi-final; & Leona, 29-26, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Slidell won its second consecutive Class B state championship with its victory over Sidney.  The Austin American-Statesman reported that the Slidell Greyhounds “throttled Sidney’s high-scoring attack with their well-handled zone defense and were never behind.”  Sidney’s hopes rose when Slidell’s “big” Gussie Weber fouled out and the lead was cut to 24-21.  However, Alvin Rhine and “little” Robert Christian “took charge” in the fourth quarter and Slidell won “pulling away at the finish.”  

The Slidell Greyhounds won the Class B state championship the previous year in 1942 but these two state titles remained thru 2006 the only appearances in the state finals for Slidell.   Supt. Manuel R. McCarroll coached the 1942 championship team and Cantrell Hayes & G.T. Phillips coached the 1943 championship team.  McCarroll left at the beginning of the 1942-43 year to serve as a civilian instructor for the Army during World War II and then Supt. Cantrell Hayes joined the war effort after the first part of the season leaving the team under the supervision of Supt. G.T. Phillips for the playoffs and the state tournament. 

The 1943 Slidell players were:  80 Robert Christian, 5’9” Sr; (81) G.C. Pugh, 6’2” Sr;  (82) Leroy Gossett;  (83) Clayton Reynolds; (83) Edwin Pruett, 6’2” Sr; (84) Price Kindiger; (85) Alvin Rhine; (86) Edsel Dodge; (87) Gussie Weber, 6’3” Sr; (88) and (89)Wallace Patton, 6’3” Sr.  Slidell was led in scoring in the 1^st round against Leona by Wallace  Patton with 12 points and Alvin Rhine with 8; in the semi-final against Midway by Gussie Weber with 14 points; and in the final against Sidney by Rhine with 10 points, Patton with 9, Weber with 7, & Christian with 5. 

Gussie Weber and Wallace Patton were named to the Class B all-state tournament team for the 2^nd consecutive year while the 1943 team also included Don Heathington and Coy Perkins of runner-up Sidney and Marshall Robinson of Leona.   Both Weber and Patton later played at Texas Wesleyan.  The 1943 Slidell Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1969 State Tournament.  According to the 1969 UIL program Alvin Rhine (General Dynamics) was in FW; Edwin Pruett (dairyman) in Slidell; Gussie Weber (Texaco Oil) in Houston; Wallace Patton (engineer) in Arlington; Robert Christian (Principal) in Denton; Coach G.T. Phillips (McGraw-Hill Books) in Denton; Leroy Gossett (U.S. Dept of Interior) in Washington D.C.; G.C. Pugh (cattleman) in Denton; Prince Kindiger in KC MO; Clayton Reynolds (state trooper) in Arlington and Edsel Dodge (General Dynamics) in FW. 

In 2006 Edwin Pruett still lived in Slidell, Elmer Pugh in Aledo, Leroy Gossett in Ephrata WA, and Gussie Weber in Houston.  The two state championships banners still hang in the old gym which was named for Coach McCarroll. 

 SA Lanier defeated Beaumont French, 30-18, in the final; Mt. Vernon, 47-25, in the semi-final; & Lakeview, 48-31, in 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Voks “crushed” Mt. Vernon in the semi-final leading 26-8 at the half and 33-16 after 3 qts before cruising to an 18-point victory.  In the final Lanier, featuring “ball-handling wizards” and an “airtight defense,” led French 18-9 at the half and cruised to a 12-point victory in the second half. 

Thru 2006 SA Lanier has won two state championships (1943 & 1945) and lost twice in the finals (in 1939 to Livingston and in 2001 to Beaumont Ozen).  Finalist French made four losing appearances in the state finals in 1943, 1949, 1955 & 1956.  The 1943 Lanier team was coached by William Carson “Nemo” Herrera (1928-1970) who won two state titles (1943 & 1945) in his seven appearances with Lanier at the state tournament.   His 1939 Lanier team lost the final to Livingston in the closing seconds.  Herrera was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame & to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.   

The 1943 Lanier players were:  Manuel Gonzales (4), Tony Rivera (5), Refugio Olivares (7), Henry Escobedo (8), Richard Reyes (9), Frank Rodriguez (10), David Rodriguez (11), Ramiro Bernal (12), Raul Gonzales (14) and Walter Kelly (16).  

The Voks were led in the final by Tony Rivera with 16 points and Walter Kelly with 5 while the top scorer for French scored only 5 points.  Rivera also led Lanier in the semi-final with 15 points while David Rodriguez and Raul Gonzales had 8.  Len Rollins led Mt. Vernon with 14.  Rivera led Lanier in the 1^st round with 28 points while Ramiro Bernal added 8. 

Henry Escobedo and Tony Rivera (with 59 points in the 3 games) of Lanier were named to the Class A all-state tournament team along with Wayne Pierce of Mt. Vernon, James Rogers of Holliday and Buck Jessen of French.    Rivera was the top scorer in the tournament with 15 against Mt. Vernon, 28 against Lakeview in the semi-finals and 16 against French in the finals for a total of 59 points for the tournament. Escobedo was also all-state tournament in 1944 scoring 34 points in 3 games as Lanier finished 3^rd in the tournament.

The 1943 Lanier Championship team was an “Honor Team” at the 1969 state tournament.  According to the 1969 UIL program Henry Escobedo was a coach at SA Edgewood; Walter Kelley, an optician; Juan Rodriguez at El Paso Tech H.S.; Ramiro Bernal with All-State Insurance; Tony Rivera in civil service; Coach Nemo Herrera, coach at El Paso Coronado; Manuel Gonzales, U.S. Army; Frank Rodriguez, shipping clerk; Raul Gonzales in OH; and Refugio Olivares, mill work.  Richard Reyes was killed in action in World War II. 

Houston Jeff Davis Panthers defeated Austin, 40-27, in the final; Dallas Highland Park, 30-25, in the semi-final; & Waco, 47-41 (OT), in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Jeff Davis won its second consecutive state 2-A title with its win over Austin H.S.  Led by new coach Bert H. Kivell, the Panthers “hawked the ball all over the court” and “played like commandos striking at dawn” in a “rough and rugged game.”   However, the Panthers survived a scare from Waco in an overtime game in the first round with two last minute FGs by Ross Byers to tie the game at 40-40 at the end of regulation.

Thru 2006 Houston Jeff Davis had won two state titles (1942 & 1943) and was runner-up three times (1933, 1946 &1962).  The 1942 title team was coached by Roy Needham (later athletic director of the Houston ISD and elected to the TX Basketball Hall of Fame) and the 1943 team by Bert H. Kivell.  Finalist Austin H.S. made four losing appearances in the state finals in 1943, 1951, 1953 & 1960. 

The 1943 Panther players were:  James Salibo (3), Warren Switzer (4), James Owens (5), Ross Byers (6), Slater Martin (7), Johnny German (8), Bill Srack (9), Tommy Joe Daniels (10), Albert Watts (11), Wray Whittaker (12) and Takoshi Sandow (13).   Bill Srack with 13 points and Dugan “Slater” Martin with 11 led the Jeff Davis scoring in the final and both were named to the 2-A all-state tournament team along with Austin’s Dan Watson.  Martin was the top Davis scorer in the 1^st round with 18 points while Warren Switzer added 10. 

The 1943 2-A All State Tournament Team included Slater Martin and Bill Srack of Davis, Dan Watson of Austin, Tom Hamilton of Crozier Tech and Charles Harkey of Highland Park.   The Austin newspaper noted that Srack was “one of the smoothest ball-handlers seen at the state tournament in years” and teamed with Martin in an unbeatable combo.  The 5’10” Martin who was all-state in 1942 & 1943; played at U.T. in 1943 & 1946-49 where he was All-American in 1949; and played 11 years in the NBA and was all-seven-time all-star and played on five NBA championship teams (4 with George Mikan at Minneapolis & 1 with Bob Pettit & St. Louis Hawks over Bob Cousy’s Celtics).  He was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and in 1975 was voted the all-time MVP of the SWC. 

The 1943 Jeff Davis Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1969 state tournament.  According to the 1969 UIL program, Tommy Joe Daniels (sales), James Owens (golf pro); Johnny German, James Salibo (sales), Dross Byers (accountant), Takosi Sandow (Proler Steel), Warren Switzer (life insurance), Wray Whittaker (supervisor, NASA) and Slater Martin (public relations) were all in Houston.   Albert Watts (sales) was in Dallas.  Slater Martin’s career is described in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.

Prairie Lea defeated Blossom, 30-26, in the final; Highland, 34-31, in the semi-final; & Stratford, 33-30, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Prairie Lea Indians were 23-3 on the year with Supt. J.D. Fulton substituting for a coach called to military service.  

The score was tied in the final at 26-26 when Prairie Lea’s star guard, George Carlisle, fouled out.  However, Roy Beyer hit a FG and William Holcomb made a “clinching” basket before a successful stall at the end of the game. 

The Prairie Lea Bulldogs were undefeated (29-0) the next year and won a second consecutive state Class B championship.  J.D. Fulton was the championship coach in both 1943 & 1944.  Thru 2006 these two titles (1944 & 1945) were the only appearances by Prairie Lea in the state finals.  Finalist Blossom made two appearances in the state finals winning the title in 1958 and losing in 1944 to Prairie Lea.

The 1944 Prairie Lea players were:  James Gillis (30), Jimmy Dalton (31), Sr Roy Beyer (32), Jackie Watkins (33), Ross McMahan (34), Jr Vilbry White (35), 6’6” Sr William Holcomb (36), Joe Lee Scott (37), Billie Tiller (38) and Jr George Carlisle (39)Vilbry White, a Jr, led Prairie Lea to the Class B title “with his fine one-handed long shots” and his “accomplished dribbling” in a “stall” at the end of the game.  White was the 2^nd leading scorer in the Class B tournament with 35 points in three games including 13 points in the final.  Other top scorers in the final were Roy Beyer with 7, William Holcomb, 4, and Joe Lee Scott & George Carlisle, 3.  Charley Whitten of runner-up Blossom scored 14 in the final.  Prairie Lea was led in the semi-final against Highland by White with 16 points, Scott with 12 and Carlisle with 5.   Prairie Lea was led in the 1^st round against Stratford by Carlisle with 10 points, Scott with 8 and White with 6.   

Vilbry White of Prairie Lea and Charley Whitten of runner-up Blossom, who led all Conf. B scorers with 45 points in 3 games, were named to the Conference B All Tournament Team along with Roy Lee Malone of Stratford, Deryle Turnbow of Perrin and Max Wright of Highland.  Vilbry White played basketball at UT from 1946-49 and was a member with Slater Martin of the UT team which played in the final four in 1947.  He was later a dentist in Houston.  George B. Carlisle, a leader of the 1944 & 1945 Prairie Lea B championship teams, later coached 6 Clear Creek teams to the state tournament winning a championship in 1963 and finishing 2^nd in 1961, 1964 & 1966.  He later coached at Rice and was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. 

The 1944 Prairie Lea Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1970 state tournament.  According to the 1970 UIL program, Vilbry White (dentist) was in Houston; George Carlisle (Principal, Clear Creek); Roy Beyer (DuPont Chemical) Victoria; Joe Lee Scott (accountant) in FW; William Holcomb (Gas Pipe Line Co) in Houston; Coach J.D. Fulton (Prof of English at Del Mar College) in Corpus Christi; James Gillis (principal) in Rockport; Jimmy Dalton (lawyer) in Austin; Ross McMahan (grocery owner) in Spring; Billie Tiller (Baptist Minister) in Uvalde, Jackie Watkins (civil engineer) in Houston.

Nocona defeated Mt. Vernon, 33-32 (OT), in the final; Dimmitt, 43-23, in the semi-final; & Huntsville, 28-23, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Nocona Indians led the final through three quarters  (8-6 after the first, 14-8 at the half and 26-20 after three) but Mt. Vernon made a “desperate rally) and trailed by only one point (28-29) after a steal with ten seconds left and had a one-and-one FT by Charles Hogan to tie or win the game.  Hogan made the first but missed the second sending the game to a 3-minute OT.   Mt. Vernon took an early lead in the OT but in the last minute Nocona made a steal and Eastup made a “long, near-impossible shot” that gave the Indians a one-point lead.  Mt. Vernon rushed downcourt and made three desperate shots which all missed giving Nocona the victory.   The “story” of the final game is told in great detail in the book, Coach ”Catfish” Smith and His Boys by Glen Onley. 

Mt. Vernon scored 3 early points in the OT  and attempted to “stall” till the end of OT but Nocona stole the ball and, according to the Austin Statesman, Bill Teague “looped a long one that left them only one point behind.”  With the clock showing about 20 seconds left, Mt. Vernon’s Hogan was fouled but instead of taking the ball out of bounds, Mt. Vernon elected to shoot the free throw.  Hogan missed and Nocona got the rebound and James Eastup “broke under the goal for the winning basket.”  

Thru 2006 the 1944 championship by Nocona was the school’s only appearance in the state finals.  The 1944 Nocona championship team was coached by J.W. Bibb.  Mt. Vernon was coached by the legendary M.L. “Catfish” Smith who won state titles at Carey in 1937 and Mt. Vernon in 1948 and was elected to the TX Sports Hall of Fame.   

The 1944 Nocona players were:  Bill Teague (10), James Eastup (11), Capt. Milas Downey (12), Bobby Stouder (53), Kenneth Nelson (56), Billy Stone (57), Phil Boyd (59), Sharron Milson (60), Donald Porter (63), C.B. Crenshaw (65) and Adrian Hill (66).   Milas Downey, the top scorer in the 1-A tournament, led Nocona in the final with 13 points, C.S. Crenshaw had 9 and Bill Teague, 6.  Downey with 11 and Bill Teague with 9 were the top scorers against Huntsville and Downey with 25, Crenshaw with 9 and Hill with 7 led the champs against Dimmitt.   

Downey was named to the Class A ALL Tournament Team along with J.C. Cannaday and Lollis Loyd of runner-up Mt. Vernon, Bill Birdwell of Dimmitt and Henry Escobedo of Lanier.  

The 1944 Nocona championship team was an “Honor Team” at the 1970 state tournament.  According to the 1970 UIL program Bill Teague (VP of Pepperdine College) was in LA CA; Milas Downey in Las Vegas; Adrian Hill (teacher) in Nocona; James Eastup in Perryton; C.B. Crenshaw (teacher) in Nocona; Coach J.W. Bibb in Wichita Falls; Billy Stone in Oscar OK; Bob Stouder (postman) in Nocona; Donald Porter in OK City; Phil Boyd in Port Neches; Sharron Milson (teacher) in Benjamin and Kenneth Nelson in Lubbock.

Dallas Sunset defeated Childress, 29-20, in the final; Dallas Highland Park, 29-24, in the semi-final; & Midland, 29-18, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Bisons qualified for state by winning 2 of 3 games against FW Paschal.   In the semi-finals the Bisons overcame Highland Park’s leading scorer, Doak Walker who scored 8 points and who was later an SMU All-American, the 1948 Heisman winner and a member of NFL Hall of Fame.   Sunset got off to an early lead in the final and maintained it throughout with quarter leads at 10-6, 16-12 & 24-15.  The Childress Bobcats could not solve the Sunset zone defense.

Dallas Sunset and finalist Childress both made their only appearance in a state final (thru 2006) in 1944.  The 1944 Sunset championship coach was Stanley Thomas.  

The 1944 Sunset players were:  Jimmie Kirkland (38), D.C. Williams (39), Alfred Prendergast (40), Hal Turner (42), Lynn Kendrick (43), Bobby Folsom (44), Dan Foldberg (45), Boyd Lloyd (46), Paul Mitchell (47 and George Carter (48). 

Sunset was led in the final by Hal Turner with 9 points and Bobby Folsom with 8.  Charles Kitchens led Childress with 6.  In the semi-final Turner had 11 points and Alfred Prendergast, 8,  In the 1^st round game Folsom scored 11 points, Prendergast, 9, and Paul Mitchell, 5. 

Bobby Folsom and Hal Turner of Sunset were named to the 2-A All State Tournament Team along with Fisher Trull of Waco; Bill Taylor Ted Hunt of Goose Creek and Charles Kitchens of Childress. 

The 1944 Sunset Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1970 state tournament.  According to the 1970 UIL program, Glenn Kendrick (SW Bell) was in Dallas; George Carter (Grant Oil Tool) in LA CA; D.C. Williams (constable) in Dallas; Jimmie Kirkland (bank VP) in Corpus Christi; Lynn Kendrick (SW Bell); Boyd Lloyd in Indianapolis; Bobby Folsom (bldg. contractor & ex-mayor of Dallas) in Dallas; Hal Turner (lumber) in Dallas; Alfred Prendergast (sales) in Dallas; Dan Foldberg (Lt. Col) in Ft. Carson CO; Paul Mitchell (sales) in Dallas; Coach Stanley Thomas (retired principal) in Dallas and Stanley Thomas (C.P.A.) in Dallas.

 Prairie Lea defeated Mt. Enterprise, 35-33, in the final; (Nocona) Prairie Valley, 31-16, in the semi-final; & Highland Roscoe, 42-24, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Indians had playoff wins over Burnet, 36-18, SA Edgewood, 67-28, and Hutto, 72-29, and finished the 1945 championship year undefeated at 25-0 after going 23-3 in winning the state Class B championship in 1944.    The Indians, who defeated 1-A state champion SA Lanier in a “warm-up” game before the state tournament and averaged 57.7 ppg to opponents’ 16.5 in their 22 consecutive wins before the state tournament.  In their first two games of the year they defeated Waelder, 74-6, and Seguin, 58-7 and later beat Dripping Springs, 107-8 and Kyle, 69-17.  Prairie Lea also beat 2-A SA Jefferson, 42-31.   

Thru 2006 these two titles have been the only two times Prairie Lea has appeared in the state finals.  Supt. J.D. Fulton coached both the 1944 & 1945 teams after he substituted for the 1943 coach who was called into military service.   Fulton had no previous playing or coaching experience.   Finalist Mt. Enterprise made its only appearance in a state final in 1945. 

The 1945 Prairie Lea players were:  Jimmy Dalton (30), Roy Kersh (31), Oscar Clark (32), Jackie Watkins (33), Ross McMahon (34), Sr Vilbry White (35), James Gillis (36), Joe Lee Scott (37), Billie Tiller (38), and Jr George Carlisle (39).  The Indians were led in the final by George Carlisle with 11 points and Joe Lee Scott with 9.  Luther Threadgill of Mt. Enterprise led his team with 12 points.  White scored 12 and Carlisle, 10, in the semi-final over Prairie Valley which was led by Goolsby with 8 points. Carlisle led Prairie Lea in the 1^st round over Highland with 16 points and White had 11. Bingham led Highland with 12. 

Seniors Vilbry White and George Carlisle led Prairie Lea to its second consecutive Class B state championship in 1945 and were both named to the Class B All Tournament Team (White was also named in 1944) along with Travis Threadgill and Luther Threadgill of Mt. Enterprise and Gilbert Lovett of Prairie Valley.  Vilbry White played basketball at UT from 1946-49 and was a member with Slater Martin of the UT team which played in the final four in 1947.  He was later a dentist in Houston.  George B. Carlisle later coached 6 Clear Creek teams to the state tournament winning a championship in 1963 and finishing 2^nd in 1961, 1964 & 1966.  He later coached at Rice and was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.   

The 1945 Prairie Lea Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1971 state tournament.  According to the 1971 UIL program, Jimmy Dalton (attorney) was in Austin; Billie Tiller (minister) in Uvalde; James Gillis (principal) in Rockport; Jackie Watkins (civil engineer) in Houston; Vilbry White (dentist) in Houston; George Carlisle (principal) in League City; Ross McMahan, grocery owner) in Spring; Joe Lee Scott (accountant) in FT; Oscar Clark (Mobil Oil) in Edna; and Coach J.D. Fulton (Prof. of English, Del Mar College) in Corpus Christi.

SA Lanier defeated Quitman, 30-24, in the final; East Mountain, 42-17, in the semi-final; & Texas City, 41-40, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Voks led East Mountain by 18 in the semi-final & cruised to a 15-point victory.  In the final Lanier dominated the paint on both offense and defense and led at the half by 11 and after 3 quarters at 26-14 before cruising to a 6-point victory.         

Lanier was coached by William Carson “Nemo” Herrera (1928-1970) who won two state titles (1943 & 1945) in his seven appearances with Lanier at the state tournament.   His 1939 Lanier team lost the final to Livingston in the closing seconds.  Herrera was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame & to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.  Thru 2006 Lanier had won the two state titles in 1943 and 1945 and lost in the finals in 1939 (to Livingston) and 2001 (to Beaumont Ozen).  Finalist Quitman made its only appearance in a final in 1945. 

The 1945 Lanier players were:  Joe Calderon (3), Teddy Castellano (4), Kino Rodriguez (5), Ruben Rodriguez (9), Frank Rodriguez (10), Capt. David Rodriguez (11), Ramiro Gonzalez (12), Raul Gonzalez (14), Raul San Miguel (15), Joe Contreras (16) and David Flores (17).   

David Rodriguez, Lanier’s 6’3” center, paced the Voks with 16 points in the final while Travis Gilbreath led Quitman with 9.   David Rodriguez also led the Voks in the semi-final with 19 points while Ray led East Mountain with 9.  David Rodriguez led Lanier in the 1^st round with 18 points and Frank Rodriguez had 12 while Derrest Williams led Texas City with 18. 

The 1945 1-A All State Tournament Team included David Rodriguez, Frank Rodriguez and Keno Rodriguez of Lanier; Derrest Williams of Texas City; and Travis Gilbreath of Quitman. 

The 1945 SA Lanier Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1971 state tournament.  According to the 1971 UIL program, Frank Rodriguez (shipping clerk) was in San Antonio; Kino Rodriguez (fireman) in SA; David Rodriguez (principal) in El Paso; David Flores (aircraft mechanic) in SA; Joe Contreras in SA; Coach Nemo Herrera (director of civilian recreation Kelly AFB) in SA; Raul San Miguel (Kelly AFB); Joe Calderon (salesman) in SA; and Ruben Rodriguez (lithographer) in SA.

FW Paschal defeated Lufkin, 43-29, in the final; Houston Milby, 40-34, in the semi-final; & Austin, 44-29, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The final was closely contested until Lufkin’s leading scorer (16 of his team’s 24 points), Bubba Shands, fouled out with Paschal leading 27-24.  Milby’s 30-game winning streak was broken by Paschal in the semi-final as Jackie Robinson scored 8 of his 21 points in the last 4 minutes after his team trailed 34-29.  Paschal went ahead 35-34 on a steal and lay-up by Robinson.  

Paschal brought FW its first state championship in 1945.  The Panthers have made four appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1945 and 1949 and losing in the finals in 1975 to Houston Kashmere and in 1983 to Bryan.  Finalist Lufkin has made four appearances in the finals winning a state title in 1979 and losing in the finals in 1942, 1945 and 1948.  Charlie L. Turner (1943-1973) was the Paschal championship coach in 1945 and 1949 and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. 

The 1945 Paschal players were:  Johnny Ray (3), Bullett Manale (4), Horace Lee Stewart (5), Bill Johnson (6), Hershel Crumby (7), Jack Robinson (8), Clay Berry (9), Charles Stewart (10), Ralph Pulley (11), Johnny McColm (12), Doyle Conrad (13), Loran Dee Richards (15) and Norman Hughes (17).  

The 1945 2-A All State Tournament Team included Jack Robinson of Paschal; H.J. Shands and Harmon Carswell of Lufkin; Norman Phillips of Milby; and Ben Proctor of Austin.  Carswell and Shands were considered “two of the state’s greatest football players of 1944.”   Paschal was led by R.J. “Jackie” Robinson (1941-45), a 5’11” senior, who was considered a “sensation” by author Harold Ratliff (Texas Boys Basketball:  A History) in 1945 as he was a “ball handler, fine defensive player, excellent general and a high scorer.”  At the state tournament in 1945 he scored 18, 21, & 15 points in the three games and led his team in rebounds.  He went on to Baylor where he led the Bears in scoring for 3 years and was named all-SWC as a freshman.  In 1948 he led Baylor to the NCAA final where the Bears were defeated by Kentucky.  Robinson was the leading scorer for the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team and is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1975 he was the runner-up (to Slater Martin) for the all-time MVP of the SWC. 

The 1945 Paschal Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1971 state tournament.  According to the 1971 UIL program, Doyle Conrad (basketball coach at Carter-Riverside) was in FW; Horace Stewart (dentist) in FW; Jack Robinson (minister) in Augusta GA; Loran Richards (General Dynamics) in FW; Johnny Ray (basketball coach at Ray H.S.) in Corpus Christi; Coach Charlie Turner (coach at Paschal) in FW; Ralph Pulley (attorney) in Dallas; Bill Johnson (life insurance) in Phoenix AZ; Norman Hughes (book publisher) in Houston; John McColm (Hoerner Waldorf) in Danville IL; Clay Berry (insurance) in FW; Charles Stewart (Bell Helicopter) in FT and Bullett Manale (DQ manager) in FW.

 Stratford defeated Perrin, 29-18, in the final; Johnson City, 33-31, in the semi-final; & Woodsboro, 36-28, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.    The Elks won the Conference B state title from a field of 641 Class B schools who played in the UIL in 1946.  Stratford upset Johnson City in the semi-final by overcoming a 7-point deficit in the 4^th quarter with its final 3 points coming on FTs.  The Elks 11-point win in the final over Perrin came was highlighted by 15 points by Kenneth Pemberton who set a Class B record for 49 points in 3 games. 

Stratford won its only state championship in 1946 (thru 2006) though the Elks did make the final in 2001 losing to Evadale.  Perrin was making the only appearance in the state finals in school history in 1946.  Grady Pearson was the 1946 Stratford championship coach.  

The 1946 Stratford players were:  Roy L. Malone (20), Jerry Frizzell (21), Bernard Walters (22), Bill Reed (23), Don Riffe (24), Kenneth Pemberton (25), William G. Hart (26), James Koontz (27), Boyd McWilliams (28) and Dale Knight (29).

Kenneth Pemberton led the Elks in the final with 15 points and Roy Malone added 5.   Deryl Turnbow led Perrin with 13 points.  Pemberton was also the top scorer for Stratford in the semi-final with 19 points and Roy Malone had 5 while Haley had 10 for Johnson City.  Pemberton led the Elks in the 1^st round with 15 while Reed had 13.  Brymer with 8 and Adams with 7 led Woodsboro.   Pemberton’s 49 points in 3 games set a Class B state record. 

The 1946 Conference B All State Tournament Team included Kenneth Pemberton, Bill Reed and Roy Malone of Stratford, Corky Cox of Johnson City and Billy Turnbow of Perrin.  Corky Cox played at Tarleton and Billy Turnbow at TX A&M.         

The 1946 Stratford Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1972 state tournament.  According to the 1972 UIL program, Roy Malone (principal) was in Albuquerque; Boyd McWilliams (Capt. Eastern Airlines) in GA; Kenneth Pemberton (owner of Home & Auto) in Dumas; Bill Reed (rancher) in Stratford; Wm. Hart (Pres., Empire Construction) Stratford; Dale Knight (agri-chem salesman) in Tucson; James Koontz in Amarillo; Don Riffe (Pres., grain co.) in Stratford; and Bucky Walters (artist, author) in Denver.

Pasadena defeated Levelland, 50-35, in the final; East Mountain, 53-44, in the semi-final; & SA Lanier, 59-25, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Eagles cruised thru the state tournament with a 34-win in the first round, a 9-point win in the semi-final and a 15-point win in the final.  The Eagles had to come from behind four times in the semi-final win over East Mountain to overcome the team that would win the 1A state title the following year.   Pasadena’s 15-point win in the final over Levelland was highlighted by 22 points by Bill Henry.         

Pasadena won the 1946 state championship in the school’s only appearance in a state final (thru 2006).  Finalist Levelland made two appearances in the finals losing to Pasadena in 1946 and to Bowie in 1952.  Ned Thompson was the 1946 Pasadena championship coach and was the head coach of the first TX H.S. Coaches all-star game in 1946. 

The 1946 Pasadena players were:  Bob Lafitte (20), Bill Huffman (22), Weldon Bond (23), Raymond Bond (24), Bill Henry (26), Charles Cook (27), Harold Dixon (28), Bill Jacobs (29), David Peterson (30) and Billy Butler (31).   

Pasadena was led in the final by Bill Henry with 22 points, Bob Lafitte with 11, David Peterson with 8 and Bill Huffman with 5.  Jess Clardy led Levelland with 18 points.  Huffman scored 17 points and Henry, 13, to lead the Eagles in the semi-final while Junior Carrington had 20 for East Mountain.  Huffman led the Pasadena scoring in the 1^st round against Lanier with 29 points.  

 The 1946 1-A All State Tournament Team included Bill Huffman and Bill Henry of Pasadena, Junior Carrington of East Mountain, Jess Clardy of Levelland and Travis Gilbreath of Quitman.  Carrington also made the 1947 All Tournament Team.  Huffman later played at UT and Carrington at Baylor. 

The 1946 Pasadena Championship Team was an “Honor Team” at the 1972 state tournament.  According to the 1972 UIL program, Bill Huffman (Dir., Occidental Petroleum) was in Houston; Bill Henry (retired major league pitcher) in Houston; David Peterson (ship foreman) in Pasadena; Bobby Joe Lafitte (controller, FAA) in Lubbock; Raymond Bond (engineer) in Houston; Harold Dixon (GM) in Arlington; Bill Jacobs (Gilbarco Inc) in Houston; Billy Butler (lumber co.) in Portland; Charles Cook, Chief, American Aviation) in Dayton OH; Weldon Bond Programmer, Shell Oil) in Houston; Shirley Frazier (Champions Paper) St. Francisville LA; and Coach Ned Thompson (Ath. Dept., UH) in Houston.

Dallas Crozier Tech defeated Houston Jeff Davis, 32-28, in the final; Greenville, 43-37, in the semi-final; & SA Jefferson, 31-29, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Wolves had a 10-point lead going into the 4^th quarter of the 1^st round game but Jefferson made a 13-5 run to come within one with seconds to play but missed a final shot that was rebounded by Tech.   The Wolves 6-point win in the semi-final came in spite of 6’10” Marcus Freiberger who scored all 14 of his team’s points in the 1^st quarter and 25 of the team’s 37 for the game.  Tech slowly built a lead and used a stall to protect the lead.  Tech’s 4-point win in the final came after the Wolves made an 8-0 run to lead, 31-22, with 4 minutes left and a Jeff Davis rally fell short.

Crozier Tech won three state titles (1946, 1948 & 1955) and lost in the finals in 1950 to Milby and in 1954 to Pampa.  Finalist Jeff Davis won state titles in 1942 & 1943 and lost in the finals in 1933, 1946 and 1962.   E.O. “Doc” Hayes was the 1946 Crozier Tech championship coach.  Hayes had been a star player at North Texas Teachers College in Denton before his 41-year coaching career at Pilot Point and Dallas Crozier Tech (1930-47) where he won a state championship in 1946.  He coached at SMU from 1947-1967 where he won 5 SWC championships and 3 co-championships.  He is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and is featured in Harold Ratliff’s book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by U.I.L.           

The 1946 Tech players were:  Martel Bryant (0), Joe McDaniel (2), Jack Gunter (4), Jerry Champion (5), Harold Salmon (6), Jack Routt (7), Bryan Miller (8), Bynum Smith (9), Lawrence Young (10), Jack Brown (11) and Jack Revill (12).  Tech was led in the final by Harold Salmon with 14 points, Jack Brown with 8, & Joe McDaniel with 6.   Jeff Davis was led by Bill Hickman with 11 and Pierce Leake with 8.  Tech was led in semi-final by Salmon with 16 and Brown with 10 while Greenville was led by the sensational Marcus Freiberger with 25 points (he scored 60 during the 3 state games).   Brown led Tech in the 1^st round with 10 while Charlie Lutz had 19 for Jefferson.

The 1946 2-A All State Tournament Team included Jack Brown and Harold Salmon of Crozier Tech, Bill Hickman of Jeff Davis, 6’10” Marcus Freiberger of Greenville and Charlie Lutz of  SA Jefferson.  Brown, Salmon and Lutz later played at SMU; Hickman at Baylor & Freiberger at OK.  Crozier Tech’s Jack Brown (1945-1947) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976.  Marcus Freiberger was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974. 

Greenville, with Freiberger, won the third place game with a 32-28 win over Amarillo. Boone Pickens, a 5'10" Jr,  was the 3rd leading scorer (with 16 points) for Amarillo in the 3 games at state and later became famous as T. Boone Pickens, the oil billionaire.  He wore #13---apparently not an unlucky number.

The 1946 Crozier Tech championship team was an “Honor Team” at the 1972 state tournament.  According to the 1972 UIL program, Jack Routt (Hayes Chevrolet) was in Dallas; Joe McDaniel (auto dealer) in Dallas; Lawrence Young in Corpus Christi; Jack Brown (Sun Oil) in Dallas; Bryan Miller (Dallas Airmotive) in Duncanville; Vernon Hagar (mgr., Fafnir Bearing) in Dallas; Harold Salmon in Austin; Coach Rosy Adkisson (teacher) in Dallas; Martel Bryant (Physician) in SF CA; Bynum Smith (principal) in St. Jo; Jack Gunter (U.S. Navy Air Commander) in Japan; Jerry Champion (ICX Truck Lines) in Dallas; Jack Revill (terminal director, E.T.M.F.) in Dallas; Gene Keiffer (L.T.V. VP) in Dallas; and “Doc” Hayes, retired.  

Johnson City defeated Marfa, 16-14, in the final; Gruver, 37-29, in the semi-final; & (Nocona) Prairie Valley, 40-27, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Eagles qualified for state for the 1^st time with playoff wins over Bartlett, Cotulla & Moulton (48-32 in reg. final).  The aggregate 30 points in the final against Marfa was the lowest since Beaumont defeated SA Brackenridge 14-12 in 1925.  Both teams utilized a 2-1-2 zone defense which neither offense could penetrate.  The final was covered by Tex Schramm (later general manager of the Dallas Cowboys) for the Austin American.  The 2-point win in the final over Marfa came after Johnson City erased a 5-point deficit in the last 4 minutes and then, at 14-14,  Johnson City’s Elvin Prehn missed two “final” shots in the last 15 seconds in a “wild scramble” but the last shot was rebounded by teammate James Ross Leonard who” angled in a frantic follow shot” with 5 seconds remaining. 

The 1947 championship team was 26-6 on the year with 4 of its 6 losses to 2A (now 5A) schools.  The champion Eagles were coached by E.J. Hyatt, who was also the high school agriculture teacher.  The government had a rule at this time forbidding agriculture teachers from teaching other courses—including basketball.  The publicity from the state championship in 1947 led the government to make Hyatt quit coaching.  W.M. “Dub” Ross was made the coach for the 1948 season and Johnson City again made the state tournament losing in the final to Maydelle, 35-32.   Thru 2006 the only appearances in the state finals by Johnson City was in 1947 & 1948 (the Eagles were 3^rd in 1946).  The 1947 final was the only appearance in the state finals by Marfa. 

Johnson city was and remains the 2nd closest school to the Erwin Center in Austin to have won state.  San Marcos is the closest at 31 miles and Johnson City is 2nd at 40.  No Travis or Williamson county boys teams have ever won state.

The 1947 Johnson City players were:  4 Jay Waugh, 5’8” Jr; 11 Jack Kroll, 5’8” Jr; 12 Charles (Woodly) Haley, 6’3” Jr; 13 Bill Casparis, 5’10” Jr; 14 Elvin Prehn, 5’9” Jr; 15 Van Ivy, 5’9” Sr; 16 Jay Lee Hobbs, 6’4” Sr; 17 James Ross Leonard, 6’3” Sr; 18 Bubba Scott, 5’10” Jr; 19 Jerry Casparis, 5’11” Sr; 21 George Byars, Jr, 5’11” So; and 27 Alonzo Shelley, 6’0” Sr.       

Johnson City was led in the low-scoring final by 6’3” Jr Charles Haley and 5’9” Jr Elvin Prehn with 6 points each (the 6’3” Jr Leonard’s winning FG was his only score) while Albelardo Franco scored 6 for Marfa.  Prehn, 5’8” Jr Jay Waugh and Leonard all scored 8 for Johnson City in the semi-final while Haley scored a Conf B state record 29 points in the 1^st round.  The team’s top rebounders were the 6’3” Leonard and 6’5” Jay Lee Hobbs.

The 1947 Conference B All State Tournament Team included Charles Haley of Johnson City; Albelardo Franco,  & Alberto Franco of Marfa; Edmund Stewart of Avinger; and Billy McClellan of Gruver.  Haley repeated this honor in 1948.  James Leonard played in the 1947 H.S. all-star game on the south team coached by Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp.  He played at Tarleton JC and coached girls’ basketball for 25 years.  Jack Kroll also became a HS coach and George Byars, a Blanco County judge.  In 2006 Leonard, Byars and Jerry Casparis still lived around Johnson City. Their 1947 trophy is displayed at the new gym while the old gym was named for Coach Hyatt.

 East Mountain (Gilmer) defeated Bowie, 35-22, in the final; Alvin, 32-31, in the semi-final; & Lockhart, 62-32, in the 1^st round at state tournament.    The Tigers qualified for state with regional wins over Hemphill, 55-30, and Gaston, 48-42, and finished the year at 36-2 with its only losses being to Blossom (whom they defeated two other times) and to eventual state 2A champion Crozier Tech in the finals of the Dallas Invitational.   East Mountain beat undefeated (24-0) Lockhart by 30 points in the 1^st round though the Lions were “riddled” by the flu.  The 62 points scored by East Mountain in one game tied a state record first set in 1933 by Athens. 

East Mountain edged Alvin by one-point in semi-final and then crushed Bowie by 13 points with a final run in the last 4 minutes. 

East Mountain made two appearances at the state tournament winning the state title in 1947 and losing in the 1948 final to Mt. Vernon.  The 1947 East Mountain championship coach was E.J. Woodruff.   East Mountain merged into the Gilmer ISD in 1967 but won 704 games in 33 years including 6 appearances at the state tournament.   The Tigers finished 3^rd at state in 1945 & 1947, won the title in 1947 & finished 2^nd in 1948.  Finalist Bowie has won five state titles (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, & 1974) and lost in the finals in 1947 & 1959.  The Jackrabbits were coached in 1947 (and from 1945-57) by Raymond Mattingly who won four state titles.   He was elected to both the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.

The 1947 East Mountain players were:  0 Billy Jo Orms, 5’10”; 7 Charles Rash, 5’10”; 10 Joel Salters, 5’9”; 11 Glen Mathis, 5’9”; 12 Lonnie Fenton, 5’10”; 14 Glen Anderson, 5’11”; 15 Jimmie Fountain, 5’10”; 16 Laudrel Wakeland, 5’10”; 17 Gordon Gregory” Junior” Carrington, 5’11”; 18 John Ed Hargraves, 5’10”; 19 Jimmie Hill, 5’9”; 20 Robert C. Moore, 6’0”; 21 Bobby Patrick, 6’1”; and 22 Paul Ray, 6’5”.      

East Mountain was led in the final by Gordon “Junior” Carrington with 15 points and 6’5” Paul Ray had 8.  Clifford Wall scored 9 points for Bowie.  Carrington was also top scorer in the semi-final with 18 while Jack Idoux led Alvin with 10 points.  East Mountain was led in the 1^st round by Carrington with 33 and Ray with 14 while Jimmy Siemmering scored 10 for Lockhart.  Carrington scored 66 points in 3 games in 1947 which broke the state record of 61 set in 1935.  His 33 points in the first round was a state record for one game and also broke the Gregory Gym record of 32 held by Jack Gray of TX since 1933.  The 1947 1-A All State Tournament Team included Gordon “Junior” Carrington, Robert C. Moore and Paul Ray of East Mountain; Bill Wilson of  McCamey;  Frank Villalovas of Alvin; and Bob Raley of Bowie.  Carrington made the All Tournament Team in both 1946 & 1947.  Carrington later played at Baylor.  Fountain became a school principal.

El Paso defeated San Antonio Jefferson, 27-22, in the final; Greenville, 49-31, in the semi-final; & Dallas Crozier Tech, 37-36, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Tigers 1^st round one-point win came against a Crozier Tech team that played without its all-stater Jack Brown who was sick.  The Tigers then defeated Greenville led by record-setting 6’10” center Marcus Fieiberger in the semi-final and SA Jefferson in the final led by Ben White and Kyle Rote.   El Paso led in the final for the last 3 quarters (once by 9 points) & won by 5.  El Paso finished the year at 22-1. 

El Paso has won four state championships (1921, 1922, 1941 & 1947) and lost in the finals in 1923 (to Dallas Oak Cliff), in 1924 (to Dallas Oak Cliff), in 1936 (to Cushing) and in 1940 (to San Marcos.  Finalist SA Jefferson made two appearances in the state finals losing to El Paso in 1947 and to Dallas Roosevelt in 1972.  Clarence D. Jarvis of TX A&I was the 1947 El Paso championship coach.   

The 1947 El Paso players were:  00 Pete Gonzales, 5’5”; XX George Mengel, 5’11”; 10 Stanley “Sambo” Blaugrand, 6’0”; 11 Bobby Parra, 5’9”; 22 Robert Mena, 5’10”; 33 Ray Esquibel, 6’0”; 44 Eddy Jabolie, 6’2”; 55 Robert Avina, 5’9”; 66 Jose  “Pepe” Palafox, 6’0”; 77 Morgan Broaddus, 5’9”; 88 Richard “Chief” Montoya, 6’2”; 99, Ramon Orona, 6’4”.    El Paso was led in scoring in the final by 6’0” Jose Palafox and 6’2” Richard Montoya with 8 points each while Charly Lutz scored 10 for Jefferson.   In the semi-final Palafox had 18 and 6’4” Ramon Orona had 13 while Greenville’s 6’10” Marcus Freiberger, who scored a state record 46 points in the 3^rd place game, led Greenville with 20.  In the 1^st round the Tigers were led by Orona with 14 and Palafox with 12.  Tech was led by 6’3” Bryan Miller with 14 & 6’0” Joe McDaniel with 10. 

The 1947 All State Tournament Team included Jose Palafox of El Paso; Kyle Rote and Ben White of SA Jefferson; Marcus Freiberger of Greenville; and Jewell McDowell of  Amarillo.  Greenville’s 6’10” center Marcus Freiberger set a 2-A (later 4-A) record for the most points (86) in a 3 game series.  Freiberger was the “the tallest boy ever seen in a state tournament” and set a state record with 46 points (of his team's 53) in the third place game against Amarillo.  He later played at Oklahoma; for the 1952 U.S. Olympic team; and for the 1952 Peoria Caterpillars, the national AAU champions.  Jose Palafox played at Tyler JC & Jewell McDowell at A&M. 

Crozier’s Jack Brown (1945-1947) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976.  Kyle Rote of Jefferson was the first player to make all-state in both football and basketball and later played football at SMU and in NFL.  He was later elected to the TX H.S. Basketball & Football Halls of Fame. Boone Pickens, the Texas billionaire oil man, was a member of the Amarillo team that won the 2-A consolation game.  Pickens, a 5’10” Sr in 1947, scored 8 points in the 1^st round against Houston Sam Houston, 8 points against SA Jefferson in the semi-final and 5 points against Greenville in the 3^rd place game.   Pickens' 21 points in three games at state was 4th on his team. He later graduated from OK State and became a major donor to that school. 

 Maydelle defeated Johnson City, 35-32, in the final; Carey, 46-30, in the semi-final; & Marfa, 45-26, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The win gave Maydelle the state championship of the 722 Class B schools in Texas.   Maydelle qualified for state by defeating Martin's Mill (state champs in 1949), led by Hall of Famers Oneal Weaver and Leon Black, in the regional finals.  Maydelle finished the year at 39-3 with two losses to much larger schools--Houston Sam Houston and Houston SFA.  Maydelle had a height advantage over the defending champion Johnson City Eagles in the final that allowed them control of the backboards.   However, Maydelle’s tallest player, 6’6” Leonard Lamb, went out of the game with 5 minutes left with an ankle injury and N.J. Hassell, “dribbled out” the last few minutes in a “stall.”         

Maydelle won the state title in 1948 in the school’s only appearance in a state final thru 1989 when Maydelle was incorporated into the Rusk I.S.D.  Finalist Johnson City made two appearances winning the state title in 1947 and losing in the 1948 final.   The 1948 Maydelle championship coach was J.G. (James Granvil) Hobson of SFA.  Hobson won a second state championship at Pollok Central in 1956 defeating Krum in the finals.   Hobson also coached the Maydelle girls team to the state H.S. AAU championship in 1947 before the UIL began recognizing girls’ state champions in 1951. 

The 1948 Maydelle players were:  Howard Odom, 5’11”; Phil Ed Ezell, 5’9”;  Leroy Lusk, 6’2”; Alonzo Sherman, 5’8”; N.J. Hassell, 5’10.5”; Doris Garner, 6’0”;  John Frank Ezell, 5’11”; Dean Lloyd, 6’4.5”; Leonard Lamb, 6’6”; Don Young, 5’6”; Max Dover, 6’0”; and Clifford Nolley, 5’11”.   

Maydelle was led in the 1^st round win over Marfa by Dean Lloyd with 14 points and Leonard Lamb and N.J. Hassell with 11; in the semi-final win over Carey by Lamb with 15,  Lloyd with 14 and Hassell with 12; and in the final by Lloyd with 13 and Hassell with 12.  Finalist Johnson City was led by Charles Haley who scored 42 points in three games including 11 in the final.     

The 1947 Class B All State Tournament Team included Charles Haley of Johnson City; George Burns of Carey; Dean Lloyd and N.J. Hassell of Maydelle and Tommy Hancock of Prairie Valley (Nocona).  Dean Lloyd later played at SHSU and Leonard Lamb played at SFA and coached at Pollok Central in 1953-65.   Lamb’s 1959 girls’ team was the 1-A state champion.   

Several members of the 1948 Maydelle team were living in 2007.  Leonard Lamb lived in Pollok, Phil Ed Ezell in Pass Christian MS, Alonzo Sherman in Rusk, John Frank Ezell in BenBrook,  Dean Lloyd in Texarkana, Don Young in Bryan, Leroy Lusk in Palestine, Max Dover in Rusk and Clifford Nolley in Tyler.  The 1948 Maydelle team was an “Honor Team” at the 1974 state tournament celebrating the 26^th anniversary of their state championship.  The Maydelle school has an annual reunion in Jacksonville on the 3^rd Saturday in October.  Maydelle later merged into the Rusk ISD but several “mementoes” of the 1948 team are displayed at Bertha’s Restaurant in Maydelle.

 Mt. Vernon defeated East Mountain, 44-33, in the final; Dimmitt, 41-40, in the semi-final; & Texas City, 38-30, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Tigers qualified for state with playoff wins over Hooks; Athens, 38-29; and Plano, 37-27.  Mt. Vernon finished the year undefeated in both basketball (30-0) and football (11-0) as the Tiger football team won the regional title in 1947 (Class A had no state championship game until the next year).   All but one of the basketball players also played football.   The highlight of the 3 games at state was the one-point win in the semi-final against Dimmitt who had the ball and a two-point lead with 6 seconds left.  6’0” Sr Bud Campbell told 6’2” Sr Pat Loyd to “streak for our goal” as he intended to steal the inbound pass---Campbell then leaped into the air, stole the inbound pass and fired a pass to Loyd all in one motion.  Loyd made an uncontested lay-up just before the buzzer sounded to tie the game at 39-39.  Dimmitt led in OT at 40-39 with seconds left when a desperation shot by Campbell missed but was tipped in by 6’3” Sr Robert Banks just before the buzzer.  Mt. Vernon cruised to an 11-point win in the final against defending champion, East Mountain.                      

Mt. Vernon has made two appearances in the state finals winning the state title in 1948 and losing in the 1944 final to Nocona.  Finalist East Mountain has also made two appearances in the finals winning the 1-A title in 1947 over Bowie and losing in the 1948 final.  The 1948 Mt. Vernon championship coach was M.A. “Catfish” Smith who coached his 1947 Mt. Vernon football team to the regional title with an 11-0 record and his 1948 basketball team was the undefeated 1-A state champion at 30-0.  He was the coach of the Mt. Vernon team that lost to Nocona in overtime in the 1A finals in 1944. Coach Smith later coached football at ETSU and at Baylor.  He is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.  He began his career coaching tiny (under 100 students) Carey to the state basketball championship in 1937 over much larger schools when all played in the same division---a true “Hoosier” (the movie) type story.  A 432 page book, Catfish and His Boys, tells of his athletic exploits.

The 1948 Mt. Vernon players were: (10) Billy Burton, 5’6” Sr; (11) Kenneth Meek, Sr; (12) Gerald Skidmore, 6’0 Sr;  (14) Robert “Slats” Banks, 6’3 Sr;  (15) Pat Loyd, 6’2” Sr;  (16) Dale Moore, So; (17) Maurice “Bud” Campbell, 6’0” Sr; (18) Dewey Moore, Sr; (19) Herbert Zimmerman, 6’0” Sr;  (20) Gene Fleming, 6’2” Sr; and (88) Billy Jack Meredith, Fr.  Mt. Vernon was led in scoring in the 1^st round by Bud Campbell with 22 points and Banks with 5; in the semi-final by Robert Banks with 13 points, Campbell with 10 and Loyd with 9; and in the final by Campbell with 17 & Banks with 11.  Campbell scored 49 points in the 3 state games (tops in the tournament) and was named to the All State Tournament Team along with Jimmy Fountain of East Mountain, Carl Jowell of Dimmitt, Mart Halbert of Throckmorton and Harvey Fromme of Sinton.   

Herb Zimmerman was All-American in FB at TCU & coached at Baylor & SMU; Gene Fleming played FB at UT & became a bank president; Dale Moore played FB at SMU & owned an insurance agency; Billy Jack Meredith played FB at TCU & he and his brother, Don, owned Docutel Co. that developed the ATM machine; Bud Campbell played basketball at TCU and became a H.S. coach/principal at Mesquite and motivational speaker; Robert Banks became CEO of a steel pipe company; Gerald Skidmore became editor of Killeen newspaper; and Dewey Moore owned Ford dealerships & cattleman.

Dallas Crozier Tech defeated Lufkin, 29-28, in the final; Bowie, 44-36, in the semi-final; & Amarillo, 45-40, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Wolves had a 12-point half-time lead over Amarillo in the 1^st round and held on for a 5-point win.  Tech jumped to an early lead and cruised to an 8-point semi-final win over Bowie.   Tech escaped in the final when Billy Wimp of Lufkin stole the ball in the game’s closing seconds and banked in the potentially game-winning shot only to have the officials rule the shot had come after time had expired. Tech finished the year at 25-3.                       

Crozier Tech won three state titles (1946, 1948 & 1955) and lost in the finals in 1950 to Milby and in 1954 to Pampa.    E.O. “Doc” Hayes, a member of the TX Sports Hall of Fame, was the 1946 Crozier Tech championship coach while James “Rosy” Adkisson was the championship coach in 1948 (his first year at Tech) & 1955.   Finalist Lufkin won its only state title in 1979 and lost in the finals in 1942, 1945 & 1948. 

The 1948 Crozier Tech players were:  Bob Sanders (2), Robert Pursur (3), Martel Bryant (4), Jerry Champion (5), Salmon Darrell (6), Tom Robertson (7), Bryan Miller (8), Bynum Smith (9), Nick Musso (10), Richard Bryant (11), Jack Revill (12) & Gordon McDowell.   

Crozier Tech was led in the final by Bryan Miller with 12 points, and Nick Musso with 9 while Billy Wimp led Lufkin with 10 points.  Miller was also the top Tech scorer in the semi-final against Amarillo with 25 points.  Miller led the Tech scoring in the 1^st round with 20 points while Jack Revill added 12.   5’7” Jerry Champion was the “floor leader” of the Wolves for the 3 games.  First round opponent Amarillo was led by Gib Ford (1947-50) who elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983. 

The 1948 All State Tournament Team included Bryan Miller and Jerry Champion of Crozier Tech; Jim Ochoa of El Paso Bowie; Paul Williams of Lufkin; and Joe Ed Falk of Milby.

 Martin’s Mill defeated Big Sandy, 39-33, in the final; Waelder, 40-38, in the semi-final; & Marfa, 38-24, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Mustangs, who reached the state tournament for the first time with regional wins over Omaha, 51-34, and defending state champion Maydelle, 35-26, were 23-7 on the year.  The Mustangs overcame an early lead by favored Big Sandy (43-1) in the final but led 21-18 by halftime and never trailed in the 2^nd half cruising to an upset victory.   

The 39 points in the championship game by Martin’s Mill was a Class B record as was the 61 points over three games by its scoring leader, 6’3” senior O’Neal Weaver.  The team was coached by J.W. Black who was on a leave of absence to attend North Texas State but returned to coach on weekends.   Leon Black was the player coach in his cousin’s absence.   J.W. Black later led Dallas Samuel to the state finals in 1966.  The 1949 championship was the 2nd of two times that Martin’s Mill made the state final  as the Mustangs lost in the 2007 final to Thorndale. Finalist Big Sandy began a 10-year run in 1949 in which they made the state final in 8 of 10 years from 1949-58 winning two titles and losing in the final 6 times.  Big Sandy also lost in the finals in 1988 & 2008. 

The 1949 Martins Mill players were:  (3) 5’10” Fr Kellis Gene White;  (4)  5’9” Sr Leon Black;  (5) 5’9” So James Pennington;  (6) 5’9” Fr E.R. Sides; (7) 5’8” So Richard Daniels; (8) 5’11” Fr   Nolen Black; (9) 6’2” Sr J.P. Williams; (10) 6’2" Sr Orsborn Williams; (11)  5’8” So J.C. White; and (12) 6’3” Sr O’Neal Weaver (12).   O’Neal Weaver scored 23, 21, and 17 points in the three games while guard Leon Black scored 6, 13 & 15.  The top scorers in the final were Weaver with 23 & Big Sandy’s Floyd Dickens with 16.  Both were named to the All State Tournament team along with Leroy Miksch of Waelder, Derrell Murphy of Shallowater and Floyd Dickens of Big Sandy. 

Black was the “floor general,” for the Mustangs and led his 1948-49 teams to a total record of 109-7 and later became the basketball coach at UT.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973.  O’Neal Weaver (1946-49) scored 1,186 points with a 25.6 ppg average during his senior season in 1949.  This one-season point total was a state record in 1949 which held until 1955 when Max Williams of Avoca scored 1,264.  Weaver was the leading Jr. College scorer in the nation in 1951  leading the Tyler J.C. Apaches to the national championship.  O’Neal Weaver was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975.   The gym at Martins Mill is named for O’Neal Weaver. 

The 1949 Martin’s Mill team was an “Honor Team” at the 1975 state tournament when the UIL listed team members by occupation and city of residence: Leon Black (coach at UT) in Austin; Nolen Black (manager of uniform co) in Mesquite; Richard Daniel (Proctor & Gamble) in Dallas; James Pennington (school administrator) in Ballinger; E.R. Sides (supervisor at naval base) in San Diego; O’Neal Weaver (coach) at Canton; Charles West (president of West homebuilders) in Richardson; Kellis White (coach) in Highland Park; & Orsborn Williams (cattle rancher) in Athens. 

Memphis defeated Beaumont French, 27-25, in the final; Gaston, 29-27, in the semi-final; & Coleman, 25-23, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.    The Cyclones finished the year at 29-5 and had playoff wins over Lefors and Shamrock to qualify for state.  Memphis won three 2-point victories at the state tournament and set a record for the fewest points (27) scored in a Class A championship game as it played a “deliberate offense” under Coach L. E. “Mac” McColloch.   In the final Memphis trailed by 3 points at halftime but rallied in the 2^nd half for the victory. 

The 1949 state championship was the only appearance by Memphis in a state final thru 2006 while finalist Beaumont French lost in the final four times (1943, 1949, 1955 & 1956).   

The 1949 Memphis players were:  (20) 5’9” So Thomas Messer; (21) 5’10” Jr Raymond Clark; (22) 5’5” Sr Leroy Green; (23) 5’9” Sr Billy West; (24) 6’2” So Scotty Grundy; (25) 5’8” Jr Andy Gardenhire; (26) 6’3” Sr Sammy Rasco; (27) 5’10” Sr Charles Morrison;  (28) 5’9” Sr Don Corley;  (29) 5’10” Jr Bobby Crooks; (31) 5’11” Jr R.H. Wells; & (32) 6’2” So Don Ray Rasco.   

The top Memphis scorers at the tournament were 6’3” center Sammy Rasco & 6’3” guard Leroy Green who scored 8 & 7 points in the final.  Frank Harvey led French in the final with 8 points. 

The 1-A All State Tournament Team included Leroy Green and Sam Rasco of Memphis, Richard Bess and Guy Broussard of French and Ben Mayo of Gaston.  

The 1949 Memphis team was an “Honor Team” at the 1975 state tournament when the UIL listed team members attending by occupation and city of residence:  Raymond Clark (Navy chief) in OH; Don Corley (Phillips Petroleum) in Norway; Bobby Crooks (school principal) in Childress; W. Gardenhire (insurance agent) in Memphis; Leroy Green (school administrator) in CA; Dr. Scott M. Grundy (Prof of Medicine, U of CA) in LaJolla CA; Charles S. Morrison (school bus supt.) in Happy; Don R. Rasco (businessman) in CA; Sam J. Rasco (coach) in FW; Robert A. Wells (teacher) in Amarillo; Billy West (teacher) in Conroe; Coach L.E. McColloch (athletic director at Odessa College). 

Texas City defeated Brownwood, 30-28, in the final; Port Arthur, 49-31, in the semi-final; & Waco, 38-31, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Stingarees qualified for state for the 3^rd time with playoff wins over Galveston Ball, Galena Park, Baytown and San Jacinto.  Texas City finished the year at 29-10.  The semi-final win was highlighted by a “furious second-half rally” leading to a “near route” of Port Arthur while the Stingarees trailed the Brownwood Lions for almost the entire game in the final before a FG by So L.G. Dupre at 1:20 and a FT by Jack Mosher at :04 secured the victory.

Texas City and Brownwood both made their only appearance in school history (1921-2006) in a state final in 1949.   The 1949 Texas City championship coach was Dick Edwards of Indiana U. 

The 1949 Texas City players were:  (5) 5’10” Jr John Paul Smyrl; (6) 5’11” Jr Jack Mosher; (7) 6’2” Sr Bill Chuoke; (8) 5’11” So John Ford Acree; (9) 5’11” So L.G. Dupre; (10) 6’0” Sr Bobby Rankin; (11) 5’11” Sr Max Montegut; (12) 5’11” Jr John Welch; (13) 6’3” Sr Richard Garner; (14) 6’2” Sr Jack Hill.   6’2” Sr Bill Chuoke and 5’11” Jr Jack Mosher led Texas City in scoring in the finals with 10 points each while Chuoke had 17 points and 5’11” Sr Max Montegut, 13 points, in the semi-final.  Mosher with 14 and Montegut with 11 led Texas City scoring in the 1^st round.   

Chuoke and Mosher were named to the Class 2-A All-State Tournament team along with Charles Galey & Jim Wilson of Lubbock and Roland Elledge of Brownwood.  So L.G. Dupre scored 4 points in the final and 8 in the semi-final.  Dupre was named to the Class 2-A All State Tournament Team as a Jr in 1950 though Texas City was defeated in the 1^st round.  He later gained fame as an all-state running back at Texas City and All-American at Baylor.  He played in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts (1955-59) and the Dallas Cowboys (1960-61).  

The 1949 Texas City team was an “Honor Team” at the 1975 state tournament when the UIL listed team members attending by occupation and city of residence:  John F. Acree (dentist) in Texas City; Bill Chuoke (real estate broker) in Texas City; L.G. Dupre (VP of Brick Inc) in Carrollton; Richard B. Garner (captain, Eastern Airlines) in GA; Max Joseph Montegut (service station owner) in Texas City; Jack B. Mosher (real estate owner) in Dallas; Bobby Rankin (president of building co) in Brownsville; Sheldon L. Simon (city admin) in Texas City J.P. Smyrl (supt. of construction co) in Texas City. 

FW Paschal defeated Houston Milby, 41-40, in the final; Houston San Jacinto, 56-38, in the semi-final; & Dallas Sunset, 53-45; in the 1^st round at the state tournament for the City Conference played in Houston.  The City Conference existed for only 3 years (1949-51) and was comprised of 24 large city schools from four cities (Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Houston) with the top two teams from the regular season from each city’s district meeting at the City Conference state tournament.  The Panthers defeated Sunset (14-7) by 8 points in the 1^st round and then “outclassed” San Jacinto in the 22-point semi-final win showing “more poise, speed, deception and all-round ability.”  In the final Milby closed to within one-point with 45 seconds left but Paschal held on for the victory utilizing a “stall” and hitting 2 FTs in the closing seconds.   The Panthers finished the year undefeated at 24-0. 

Paschal won state championships in 1945 and 1949 and lost in the final in 1975 (to Kashmere) and 1983 (to Bryan).  Finalist Milby won the state title in 1950 & 2004 and lost in the 1949 final.  The 1945 & 1949 Paschal championship teams were coached by Charlie L. Turner who coached at Paschal from 1943-1973 and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.   

The 1949 Paschal players were:  Johnny Payne (3), Kenneth Cochran (6), Bill Thurman (7), Roy Kelley (8), Cecil Morgan (9), George Scaling (10), Stanley Pulley (11), 6’4” Bob McDonald (12), Wilson Little (14), Tommy McAllister (15), Bill Sanders (16) and 6’6” Henry Ohlen (17).  

Paschal was led in the final against Milby by 6’4” Bob McDonald with 16 points, Cecil Morgan with 9, 6’6” Henry Ohlen with 7 and George Scaling with 6.  Billy Watson led Milby with 12.  Morgan led the Panthers in the semi-final against San Jacinto with 15 points and Ohlen added 13 while Clyde Roach led San Jacinto with 14.  Scaling led Paschal in the 1^st round against Sunset with 17 while McDonald and Kenneth Cochran added 11.  Fred Hodge led Sunset with 14.  The City Conference All State Tournament Team included Cecil Morgan, Bob McDonald and George Scaling of Paschal; Dick Wheeler of Milby and Buzzy Bryan of San Jacinto. 

The 1949 Paschal team was an “Honor Team” at the 1975 state tournament as the UIL listed the following team members with their occupation and city of residence:  Kenneth G. Cochran (owner of Exxon station) in Arlington; Sam B. Hulsey (rector of Episcopal Church) in Nashville TN; Roy Kelly (salesman, John Deere) in Weatherford; Thomas Wilson Little (petroleum engineer) in FW; Thomas G. McAllister (VP of General Steel) in FW; John B. McClane (attorney) in FW; Bob McDonald (engineer-Bell Aerospace) in New Orleans; Cecil A. Morgan, (stockbroker) in FW; Henry Ohlen (geologist) in Littleton CO; John R. Payne (accountant) in FW; Carl Stanley Pulley (manager, electric supply) in Odessa; William Sanders (engineer) in Lafayette LA; William Thurman (VP of title co) in Austin; and Coach Charlie Turner (teacher-Paschal HS) in FW. 

Gruver defeated Waelder, 43-34, in the final; Cayuga, 48-47, in the semi-final; & Warren, 43-42, in the 1^st round at state tournament.  Gruver was  27-4 on the year and qualified for state for the 2^nd time (1947 & 1950) with regional wins over Knox City, 54-27; Adrian, 53-32; Ropesville, 65-31; & Dimmitt, 41-39.  The Greyhounds were a “diminutive but scrappy” squad which relied upon their “ball-hawking play” for one-point victories in the first round and semi-finals.   Gruver upset heavily favored and undefeated (47-0) Cayuga in the semi-finals in a game that was tied 10 times.   Gruver then upset 42-1 Waelder with a 9-point victory margin in the final.   The Greyhounds broke the Class B record for most points in a championship game with 43 and made 9 of 11 FTs in the final.    

Gruver won state titles in 1950 and 1966 and lost in the 2006 final to Bogata Rivercrest.  The 1950 Gruver championship coach was Lawrence Brotherton of W. TX State.  Wayne Tipton was the coach of the 1966 Gruver championship team.  Finalist Waelder made its only appearance in a state final in 1950. 

The 1950 Gruver players were:  (33) 6’1” Jr Lynn Hart; (44) 6’0” Jr Leslie Cator; (77) 5’9” So Robert Fletcher;  (55) 5’6” So James Fox; (33) 5’9” Jr Dan Shrader (33; (88) 5’11” Jr Ted Evans; (66) 5’10” So Charles Broadhurst; (99) 5’7” Fr DeWayne Shapley; (85) 5’10” Fr Don Peddy; (11) 5’7” Fr Calvin Mitts; & (58) 6’3” Fr J.B. Heath..     The 11-man squad had no seniors.  Gruver’s top scorers in the final were 6’1” Jr center Lynn Hart with 16 points, 6’0” Jr Leslie Cator with 13, 5’9” So Robert Fletcher with 8 and 5’6” So James Fox with 5.  Norman Miksch scored 17 for Waelder.    Hart scored 15, Cator, 12 & Fletcher, 10, in the semi-final against Cayuga.  Cator scored 17, Hart, 16, and Fletcher, 7, in the 1^st round victory over Warren.  The Class B all-state tournament team was comprised of Gruver’s 6’1” Jr Lynn Hart and 6’ 0” Jr Leslie Cator; Waelder’s 6’1” Sr Norman Miksch; Cayuga’s 6’2” Jr Kelly Jim Duncan; and Warren’s 6’4” Sr James Hatton. 

The 1950 All State Tournament Team included Leslie Cator and Lynn Hart of Gruver; Kelly Jim Duncan of Cayuga; Norman Miksch of Waelder; and James Hatton of Warren.  Gruver’s Robert Fletcher was honorable mention.  The Class B tournament was highlighted by the 39 points in one game (a B record and the 2^nd highest ever at state tournament after the 46 by Marcus Freiberger of Greenville in 1947) by Kelly Jim Duncan.  Duncan, a Jr, scored 17 against Gruver in the semi-finals and the next year (1951) led his Cayuga team to its first state championship.  He was named the MVP of the 1951 all-star game and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.  

The 1950 Gruver champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1976 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Coach Lawrence Brotherton (principal) in Canyon; Charles Broadhurst (pastor) in Lubbock; Lynn Hart (farmer-rancher) in Gruver; Ted Evans (owner of oil co) in Gruver; Robert Fletcher (sales, Texaco) in Amarillo; Jim Fox (farmer) in Spearman; James Heath (plant operator, Phillips Pet.) in Stinnett; DeWayne Shapley (salary Admin) in Amarillo; and Don Peddy (farmer) Guymon OK.

 Canyon defeated South San Antonio, 49-25, in the final; Birdville, 38-19, in the semi-final; & (Joinerville) Gaston, 54-32, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Eagles were 20-9 on the year and qualified for state for the 2^nd time (1926 & 1950) with regional wins over Levelland, 48-20, Memphis, 54-30, and Dumas, 33-26.  Canyon cruised thru the state tournament with victory margins of 22, 19 & 24.  Canyon’s 5’4” Sr Joe Abbott “put on a dazzling dribbling exhibition” in the first half of the final against SA to build a 14-point lead.  The “tall and rangy” Eagles held South SA’s leading scorer, Richard Zamora, to only 3 points in the final.  

The Canyon Eagles have made four appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1950 & 1964 and losing in the final in 1963 to Buna and in 1981 to Beaumont Hebert.  The 1950 team was coached by George W. Scott of OK City U & OK A&M.  Canyon H.S. ranks 2nd in Texas with most combined state basketball titles by boys (2) and girls (13) with 15 behind the leader, Nazareth, with 23.  Finalist S. San Antonio won its only state title in 1961 and lost in the finals in 1948, 1958, 1960 & 1967. 

The 1950 Canyon players were:  (44) 6’4” Sr Troy Burrus; (40)  6’0” Sr Bruce Winn; (35) 5’4” Sr Joe Abbott; (60) 6’3” So Ray Burrus; (25) 6’0” Jr Garland Butler; (50) 5’11” So Robert Busteed; (45) 5’8” Jr Billy Morton; (30) 5’7” Jr Billy Samples; (55) 5’10” So Bobby Ratliff; (33) 5’8” So Harrell Slack; (88) 5’10” Jr  Richmond Payne; (66) 5’10” Jr Robert McClendon; and (77) 5’4” Sr Glen Prater.   

Canyon was led in the final by 5’4” Sr Joe Abbott with 17 points and 6’4” Sr Troy Burrus with 16.   Vick led S. SA with 9.   Troy Burrus led the Eagles in the semi-final with 14 points and Abbott had 10 while Gorman Wiseman led Birdville with 13.  Troy Burrus also led the Eagles in the 1^st round with 14 while 6’0” Jr Garland Butler had 13, Abbott, 12, & 6’3” So Ray Burrus, 10.   Leverett led Gaston with 8. 

The All State Tournament Team included 6’4” Sr Troy Burros and 5’4” Sr Joe Abbott of Canyon; 6’5” Sr Billy McCurry of Birdville; 5’10” Jr Richard Zamora of S. SA; & 5’10” Sr Loyd Kilpatrick of French.  Canyon’s Ray Burrus and Garland Butler were honorable mention.  Abbott was later named North MVP of the 1950 Coaches all-star basketball game. 

The 1950 Canyon champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1976 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Richard Payne (farmer) in Happy; Ray Burrus (county agent) in Lipscomb; Troy Burrus (counselor at Palo Duro HS) in Amarillo; Robert McClendon (county treasurer, attorney) in Amarillo; Harrell Slack (minister) in Garland; Billy Morton (VP for National Data) in Dallas; Joe Abbott (contractor) in Canyon; Billy Samples (FAA) in Hurst; Coach George W. Scott (retired from oil business). 

 Corpus Christi defeated Vernon, 40-34, in the final; Sweetwater, 36-30, in the semi-final; & Texarkana, 34-29, in the 1^st round at the state tournament. The Buccaneers were 34-4 on the year and qualified for state by defeating Temple.  Corpus built a 6-point lead in the semi-final against Sweetwater and then “stalled successfully” for the victory. Corpus Christi never trailed by more than 2 points in the final against Vernon and took a 30-27 lead at the end of the 3^rd quarter. The Buccaneers hit 6 of 7 FT attempts over the final 2:50 to win the title.     

1950 marked the first appearance of Corpus Christi at the state tournament and the 1950 title marks the only (thru 2006) state championship won by a Corpus Christi school though West Oso (1988 & 2001) and Ray (2003) have made the finals.  The 1950 Buccaneer championship coach was Henry D. Crawford of Hardin-Simmons U.  Vernon also made its only appearance in the state finals. 

The 1950 Corpus Christi players were:  (11) 6’0” Sr Milton “Mitch” Isenberg;  (12)  6’0” Sr Stacy Cole; (13) 6’4” Sr Robert Knight; (14) 5’10” Sr Bill Nelson; (15) 6’1” Sr Scotty (“Jeff”) Jefferies; (22) 6’1” Jr Bobby Yoes; (23) 6’2” Sr Barry Wood; (24) 5’8” Sr Jerry Fisher; (25) 6’9” Sr Ronnie Thomson; (33) 6’4” Sr Charles Camp; (34) 5’7” Sr Ronnie Sizemore; (35) 6’1” Ruel Robeau.   11 of the 12 were seniors.  Corpus Christi was led in the final by 6’0” Sr Stacy Cole and 6’0” Sr Milt Isenberg with 10 points each while 5’7” Sr Ronnie Sizemore (who “sparked the Bucs with his brilliant all-around play”) added 7.  Johnny Crouch led Vernon with 16 points.  Cole led the Bucs in the semi-final with 12 points while Isenberg had 9.  Cole also led Corpus in scoring in the 1^st round against Texarkana with 11 while Isenberg and 6’4” Sr Robert Knight had 7.  Lloyd Giles led Texarkana with 13. 

The 1950 Class 2-A All State Tournament Team included  5’7” Sr Ronnie Sizemore of Corpus;  6’1” Sr Doyle Brunson of Sweetwater;  6’0” Jr Billy Word of EP Austin; 5’10” Jr L.G. Dupre of Texas City; and 6’2 Jr Johnny Crouch of Vernon.  CC’s Stacy Cole and Robert Knight were honorable mention.  Dupre was later an All-American RB at Baylor and played in the NFL with the Colts (1955-59) and Cowboys (1960-61).  Brunson won the 2-A mile run for Sweetwater in 1950 and attended Hardin-Simmons U. on a basketball/track scholarship.  He later became a world champion poker player known as the “Texas Dolly” and is considered the “Babe Ruth of poker.  He was still competing (often on TV) in 2006 at the age of 72.  

The 1950 Corpus Christi champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1976 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Barry Wood (accountant) in CC; Scottie Jeffries (sales rep) in CC; Robert Knight (refinery supt.) in CC; Charles Camp (industrial relations) in Ripley TN; Ronnie Thomson (rector, Episcopal Church) in El Paso; Ruel Robeau (owner, Dry Ice Co) in CC; Bobby Yoes (professor at U. of Houston); Stacy Cole (professor at Ohlone College) in CA; Ronnie Sizemore (industrial contractor) in CC; Jerry Fisher (sales manager) in Bellaire; Milton Isenbert (teacher) in Baytown; Coach Henry D. Crawford (teacher at Ray HS) in CC.

 Houston Milby defeated Dallas Crozier Tech, 40-39, in the final;  Dallas Adamson, 50-32, in the semi-final; & FW Poly, 46-42 (OT), in the 1^st round of the City Conference state tournament played at Ft. Worth’s North Side Coliseum.  The City Conference existed for only 3 years (1949-51) and was comprised of 24 large city schools from four cities (Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Houston) with the top two teams from the regular season from each city’s district meeting at the City Conference state tournament.  The Buffaloes were forced into OT in the 1^st round when Poly’s Jackie Bell hit 2 lay-ups in the closing seconds to tie the score at 40-40.   Milby outscored Poly 6-2 in the OT with FGs & 2 FTs.  The Buffaloes cruised past Adamson in the semi-final by 18 before edging Crozier Tech in the final.  Milby made 16 of 40 FG attempts (40%) and built a 9-point lead in the third quarter of the final and then repelled a later Crozier Tech rally.  The Buffaloes finished the year at 23-7.           

Milby had lost in the semi-finals in 1948 and in the finals (by one point) in 1949 before winning the school’s first state title in 1950.  Milby won its second title in 2004.  Finalist Crozier Tech won state titles in 1946, 1948 & 1955.   The Milby coach in the 1950 championship season was Lee Beeson of SHSU. 

The 1950 Milby Buff players were:  (1) 5’11” Sr Capt. Bobby Flanagan; (15) 5’10” Sr Earl Tipton; (11) 5’9” Jr Gerald Patton; (20) 6’2” Jr Richard Wheeler; (16) 5’10” Jr Roscoe Hayes; (17) 6’0” So Alfred Salazar; (18) 5’11” Sr Carl Nixon; (19) 5’8” Jr Raymond Hernandez ; (12) 6’2” Jr Walter Lee; (13) 6’3” Sr Wendell Brockett; (14) 5’9” Jr Bobby Johnson; & (21) 6’2” So Bruce Davis.   

Milby was led in the final by 5’10” Jr Roscoe Hayes with 11 points, 5’11 Sr Bobby Flanagan with 9, 5’9” Jr Gerald Patton with 8 and 5’10” Sr Earl Tipton and 6’2” Jr Richard Wheeler with 6 each.   Richard Bryant led Crozier Tech with 15 points in the final and 50 points in the three games at state.  Hayes also led Milby in the semi-final with 16 points and Tipton added 14 while Adamson was led by Sallis with 11.  Wheeler led Milby in the 1^st round against Poly with 14 points while Tipton added 12 and Hayes 11.  Jackie Bell led Poly with 16.                                     

The 1950 All State Tournament Team included Roscoe Hayes and Bobby Flanagan of Milby; Jackie Bell of Poly; Buddy Sammon of Houston Sam Houston; and Richard Bryant of Crozier Tech.  Earl Tipton, Richard Wheeler and Gerald Patton of Milby were honorable mention. 

The 1950 Texas City champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1976 state tournament where the UIL listed team member updates as:  Wendell Brockett (lineman, power co) in Brookside; Alfred Salazar (owner, Alfredo’s Mexican Restaurant) in Houston; Roscoe Hayes (Champions Paper) in Pasadena; Bobby Flanagan (athletic director at Rockport-Fulton HS) in Rockport; Raymond Hernandez (craftsman, Shell Chemical) in Deer Park; Gerald Patton (route supervisor, Peanut Co); Earl Tipton (consultant, TX Ed. Agency) in Austin; Carl Nixon (programmer, Texaco) in Houston; and Bobby Johnson (mechanical engineer at Johnson Space Center) in Houston.

 Cayuga defeated Big Sandy, 44-38, in the final; Stanton, 55-30, in the semi-final; & Woodsboro, 42-33, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Cayuga qualified for state with regional wins over Bullard and Quitman and finished the year at 42-1 with the only loss coming to 4-A Houston Lamar, 57-49.   The Wildcats defeated finalist Big Sandy (42-7) twice early in the year.  Big Sandy led in the final until the third quarter when the “fast-breaking” Tom McCollum of Cayuga went on a “15-minute rampage” during which he scored 12 points and had several assists in his teams’ 13 other 2^nd half points.

The Cayuga Wildcats defeated Big Sandy in the finals three times in four years.  The three state titles in 1951, 1953 & 1954 were the only state championships for Cayuga and the only times they ever made the final.  The Wildcats had a remarkable run from 1950-54 with records of 47-2 (1950--state semi-final), 42-1 (1951—state title), 37-2 (1952), 46-2 (1953--title) & 45-0 (1954—title).  Thus in a 5-year period Cayuga won three state titles and finished 3^rd once (losing in semi-final to eventual champion, 47-0 Gruver).  Joe H. Turner of NTSU coached the 1951 & 1953 championship teams while Lionel Duncan was the 1954 title coach.  Turner later coached at Kilgore Jr College.  Finalist Big Sandy began a 10-year run in 1949 in which they made the state final in 8 of 10 years from 1949-58 winning two titles and losing in the final 6 times.  Big Sandy also lost in the finals in 1988 & 2008.

The 1951 Cayuga players were:  (14) 6’0” Sr Billy Richard Brumley;  (25) 6’2” Sr Kelly Jim Duncan; (22) 6’0” Sr Thomas Jefferson McCollum; (23) 6’1” Jr Larry Dean Turner; (31) 5’10” Jr Cornel Riley; (32) 5’10” Jr Lionel Riley; (13) 5’11” So Joe Arnold Loper; (24) 5’9” So Harold Royce Rampy; (12) 5’8” Jr Kenneth Eudel Fitzpatrick; (21) 6’1” Fr Arthur “Buddy” Ball; (11) 5’7” Fr Aubrey Allan (Ned) Duncan; & (35)  5’7” So Henry Allan Jones.   

The All State Tournament Team included Kelly Jim Duncan and Tom McCollum of Cayuga; Kenneth Henson of Stanton; Carol Lockstedt of Moulton; and Glen Fields of Big Sandy.  Senior Kelly Jim Duncan (1948-51) led his Cayuga team and to its first state championship in 1951 and to its first state tournament appearance in 1950 where Gruver, the eventual B champion, defeated Cayuga (42-1) by 2 points in the semi-finals.  He was named the MVP of the 1951 all-star game and was later elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.  Tom McCollum scored 17 points for Cayuga in the final while Duncan scored 15 and Billy Brumley, 9.  Big Sandy was led by So Milton Williams with 10 points (he averaged 30 ppg).  Milton “Chief” Williams (1950-53) was all-state for three years.   He was later a JC All-American at Tyler JC and a Little All-American at Centenary College and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.  Cayuga was led in semi-final by Duncan with 21 and in the 1^st round by McCollom with 18.  Ned Duncan played at Kilgore JC (where he is on the Hall of Fame) and SMU where he played on the great Mustang team with Jim Krebs that made the Final Four.

The 1951 Cayuga champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1977 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Harold Rampy (oil field worker) in Houston; Arthur Ball (Getty Oil) in LA; Billy Brumley (printing co.) in FW; Kelly Duncan (teacher/coach) in Cross Roads; Cornel Riley (phone co.) in Athens; Ned Duncan (owner of sporting goods store) in Tyler; Thomas McCollum (auto sales) in Conroe; Kenneth Fitzpatrick (oil field construction) in Cayuga; and Coach Joe Turner (athletic director, Kilgore College).

Bowie defeated Brenham, 54-34, in the final; Gatesville, 70-40, in the semi-final; & Coleman, 45-38, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The JackRabbits qualified for state with regional wins over Dallas Pleasant Grove, 64-44, and Crowell, 55-41.  Bowie finished at 33-2 and set a 3-A record for most points scored in a in 3-game series (169).   The Jackrabbits cruised thru the state tournament with a 7-point win in the 1^st round, a 30-point win in the semi-final and a 20-point win in the final.   

The 1951 state championship was the first for Bowie won five state titles (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, & 1974) thru 2006 with the first four coming under Coach R.E. Mattingly of ETSU who coached basketball for 9 years with a record of 234-37 and won 77 consecutive games in 1953-54.  Raymond Mattingly was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.   The Bowie dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Brenham made its only appearance in a state final in 1951.

The 1951 JackRabbit players were:  (74) 6’5” Sr James Robinson; (97) 6’3” Sr Barton Massey;  (37) 6’0” Sr Wilburn Booher;  (47) 5’9” Sr Monty Robicheaux; (67) 5’9” Sr Bobbie Brashear; (17) 5’8” Jr Charles McGannon; (27) 5’10” Jr Charles Garrett; (76) 6’0” So Stanley Airington; (87) 5’10” Sr Roy Gene Williams; (77) 6’3” Fr Ed Robinson; (73) 6’6” Temple Tucker; (57) 5’7” So Jake Bridgewater; (75) 6’1” So Jimmy Jones & (78) William Hunt, 5’10” So.        

Bowie was led in the final by Barton Massey, an all-state football lineman, with 18 points, Bobbie Brashear and James Robinson with 10, and Monty Robicheaux with 9.   Brashear led Bowie in the semi-finals with 17 points and Wilburn Booher added 13.  Monty Robicheaux led Bowie in the first round with 15 points and Booher added 13.   The All State Tournament Team included Monte Robicheaux and Barton Massey of Bowie; Glen Dyer of Sinton; Billy Anderson and Bernard Knapp of Gatesville; and Edwin Schroeder of Brenham.   Bowie’s Booher, Robinson & Brashear were voted to the 2^nd team.

6’10” Temple Tucker was freshman in 1951 and played 3 minutes on that team and thus played on 4 state championship teams in 1951-54.  He was later an All-SWC player at Rice and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.  Bobbie Brashear later played at Arlington JC and Rice; James Robinson at U.H. and Decatur Baptist; Wilburn Booher at U.H.; Stanley Airington at NTSU; Charles McGannon at St. Edwards; Monty Robicheaux was All-SWC at Rice; and Barton Massey played FB at TX Tech.  The sons of Stanley Airington and Bobbie Brashear played on the 1974 Bowie title team.       

The 1951 Bowie champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1977 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Temple Tucker (insurance agent) in Houston; Barton Massey (HS principal) in Houston; Ed Robinson (rancher) in Decatur; Stanley Airington (agent, oil co.) in Bowie; Jimmy Jones (metro editor, FW Star-Telegram) in FW; Charles Garrett (manager, hardware store) in Bowie; Coach M.L. Massey (HS golf coach) in WF; Charles McGannon (teacher) in New Orleans; Wilburn Booher (admin., Lamar HS) in Rosenberg; Monty Robicheaux (owner, Trampolines of TX) in FW; Bobby Brashear (rancher & former Bowie HS coach) & Roy Williams, postmaster) in Bowie; & Jake Bridgwater (principal, Bowie HS).

Lubbock defeated Austin, 44-43, in the final; Texarkana, 49-33, in the semi-final; & Harlingen, 56-43, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Westerners qualified for state with a regional win on El Paso Jefferson and finished the year at 27-3.  Lubbock cruised thru the 1^st round with a 22-point win and the semi-final with a 16-point win before “escaping” the final with a one-point win.  “Dark horse” Austin (13-7) had successfully used the “freeze” to win in the 1^st round against Highland Park and in the semi-final against Borger but lost to Lubbock in the final when the Maroon freeze “melted.” Lubbock lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and Austin took a 43-42 lead with one minute remaining on a layup by Don Scallorn.  However, Lubbock’s Bobby Day made a  steal and layup with 25 seconds left to defeat the freeze by Austin giving Lubbock a one-point win leaving the (mostly Austin) spectators “limp.”   

Lubbock made its only appearance in a state final in 1951 and finished the year at 26-3.  The 1951 championship was Lubbock’s only appearance in a state final and was the only state basketball title ever won by a Lubbock school.  The 1951 Lubbock championship coach was David A. Cook of Rice U.  Talk of a “jinx” against Austin was revived as the Maroons made their 13^th appearance at the state tournament in 1951 but had never won the title.  Austin would make 6 more appearances thru 2006 leaving the school with 19 trips to the state tournament without a single state championship though the Maroons played in the finals five times (1928, 1943, 1951, 1953 & 1960). 

The 1951 Lubbock players were:  (25) 5’10” Sr Carl Ince; (28) 6’3” Sr Walter (“Waldo”) Norton; (27) 6’1” Sr Sammie Adams; (35) 6’0” Sr Bobby Day; (26) 5’10” Jr Bill Williams; (32) 6’2”Sr John Pittman; (30) 6’3” Jr Bobby Fullerton; (29) 6’0” Sr Charles Rand; (24) 5’11” So Bob Sexton;  (36) 5’11” So Carroll (“Doak”) Walker; (54) 5’10” So Mikie Brady; (33) 6’1” So Royce Shipp; and (31) 6’0” So Jimmy Crawford.  6’1” Sr Sammie Adams was the top scorer for Lubbock in the final with 13 points while 5’10” Sr Carl Ince had 12 and 5’10” Jr Bill Williams had 8.  Don Scallorn, 6’5” Billy Banks and Bill Skipping scored 10 for Austin.  6’3” Sr Walter Norton led Lubbock in the semi-final with 11 points followed by Ince with 9 and 6’2” Sr John Pittman and Adams with 8.  Norton also led the Lubbock scoring in the 1^st round against Harlingen with 23 points and Ince added 14.   

The 1951 All State Tournament Team included Carl Ince and Walter Norton of Lubbock; Keith Lane and Red Hooper of Borger; and Billy Skipping of Austin.   Carl Ince later played for TX Tech and for the Ince Oilers, an AAU team, sponsored by his family business, The Ince Oil Co.  Walter Norton played at Yale; Sammie Adams at U. of Houston; and John Pittman at TX Tech and for the Ince Oilers.   

Carl Ince became a real estate developer in Houston and a business owner in Lubbock; Walter Norton, a physician in FL; Sammie Adams, was with Los Alamos nuclear facility; Bobby Day, an Air Force officer; John Pittman a bank owner in Dallas; Charles Rand, a teacher/admin; Bobby Fullerton, a farmer; Royce Shipp, a teacher/admin; and Bob Sexton, a bakery exec in Dallas.

Houston Lamar defeated SA Alamo Heights, 78-52, in the final; Paschal, 47-38, in the semi-final; & Dallas Crozier Tech, 61-51, in the 1^st round at the City Conference state tournament played in Dallas.  The City Conference existed for only 3 years (1949-51) and was comprised of 24 large city schools from four cities (Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Houston) with the top two teams from the regular season from each city’s district meeting at the City Conference state tournament.  The 78 points scored by Lamar in the final set a new overall state record for most points in a game (breaking the record of 77 set by Amarillo in 1947).  The Redskins cruised to a 10-point win in the 1^st round against Crozier Tech and then a 9-point win in the semi-finals over FW Paschal.  The outcome of the final against Alamo Heights (25-6) was never in doubt as Lamar built an early lead and won by 22 points by shooting 70% from the field.

The 1951 state title by Lamar was the only one in school history.   Lamar (which opened in 1937) never again (thru 2006) appeared in a state final.  The 1951 Lamar championship coach was Donald B. Longcope.   Finalist Alamo Heights (25-6) won state championships in 1952 and 1954 and lost in the finals in 1951 & 1991.  

The 1951 Lamar players were:  (12) 6’0” Sr Tommy Hill; (16) 6’0” Sr Philip Kidd; (18) 6’4” Sr George Wilson; (20) 6’2” Jr Eddie Rayburn; (21) 6’1” Jr Ronnie Tynes;  (7) 6’2” Sr Jay Garth; (26) 5’10” Sr Joe Shafer; (3) 5’10” Sr John Steineker; (11) 5’10” Jr Steve Sims; (6) 6’0” Jr Paul Hamilton; (13) 5’11” Sr Carl Lee; (4)6’2” Sr Sonny Wallace; and (14) 6’0” Sr Jim Robinson (14).  (Ed Franklin of Lamar (1950-53) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 but he was only a So in 1951 and was not on the varsity.)   

Lamar was led in the final by 6’2” Jr Eddie Rayburn with 19 points, 6’0” Sr Tommy Hill with 17, 6’4” Sr George Wilson with 14 & 6’1” Jr Ronnie Tynes with 12.   Bobby Briggs led Alamo Heights with 15.  Hill led Lamar in the semi-final against Paschal with 15 and Rayburn added 11 while Joe Hardgrove led Paschal with 16.  6’0” Sr Philip Kidd led Lamar in the 1^st round against Tech with 19 and Hill added 12 while Charles Johnson led Crozier Tech with 27. 

The 1951 City Conference All Tournament Team included Phillip Kidd and Tommy Hill of Lamar; Bobby Briggs of Alamo Heights; Joe Hardgrove of Paschal; and Kermit Allen of North Side.  Tommy Hill later played at TCU; Philip Kidd at UT and John Steineker at Baylor.  Eddie Rayburn was an All-American football player at Rice. 

The 1951 Lamar champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1977 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Paul Hamilton (attorney) in Austin; Steve Sims (VP of Security) in Houston; Joe Shaffer (attorney) in Houston; Sonny Wallace (President of Wallace Co.); in Houston; Joe Stieneker (sales at Service Corp) in Houston; Carl Lee (President of truck leasing co.) in Houston; Phillip Kidd (builder) in Houston; Tommy Hill (sales, Gaedcke Equipment) in Houston; Eddie Rayburn (sales, Crutcher Resources) in Houston; and Coach Donald Longcope (retired) in Houston.  In 2007 Sonny Wallace lived in Houston and Jay Garth in Beaumont.

 Big Sandy defeated Laneville, 62-41, in the final; Hempstead, 31-23, in the semi-final; & Hawley, 61-37, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Wildcats qualified for state for the 4^th time with regional wins over Spring, Glover and Pineland.  Big Sandy, with only 77 students, was one of the smallest Class B schools in Texas in 1952. The victory over Hawley in the first round was against Coach Charles Womack who won more games (for boys and girls combined)---1,570 from 1947-1979---than any coach in the history of TX and was elected to the TX High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.  The Wildcats scored a season low 31 points in the semi-final due to a slowdown strategy by Hempstead.   Big Sandy cruised in the final over Laneville winning by 21-points.  The Wildcats were 39-4 on the year and had 2 wins over finalists Laneville earlier in the year. 

Coach Ford King led the Big Sandy Wildcats to the state finals 8 times (1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958) in his 10 years winning championships in 1952 & 1957.  Big Sandy lost finals to Cayuga (3 times), Martin’s Mill, Avoca & Blossom.  The Wildcats also lost in the finals in 1988 & 2008.   & Paducah (in 1988).  The Big Sandy team was made up of Indians from the Alabama and Coushatta Indian reservation plus his son, Ford King, Jr, in 1956-58.  The entire reservation supported the team and their road supporters included Indians in traditional attire with their “papooses on their backs.”  Finalist Laneville has made five appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1992,1993 & 2008 and losing in the 1952 and 2007finals.

The 1952 Big Sandy players were:  (68) 6’6” Sr Al Adams; (65) 6’2” Jr Glenn Fields; (69) 5’10” Sr Lester Battise; (60) 5’10” Sr Hobby Williams; (62) 5’11” So Milton Williams; (66) 5’10” Jr John Roberts; (64) 5’11” Jr Robert Tyler; (61) 6’0” So Edwin Lilly; (67) 6’2” So Glenn Adams; (42) 5’8” So Luther Myers; (44) 5’11” So Doyle Dickens;  (63) 5’11” Jr Norman Bullock; (46) 5’10” So Milton Kropik; (45) 5’8” So Wyman Battise; & (48) 5’11” So Virgil Battise.  Big Sandy’s top scorers in the three games at the 1952 tournament were Jr Milton Williams with 54 points and Glenn Fields (all-state tournament in 1951), with 42 points.  Williams scored 29 (a Class B record for the championship game) and Fields, 12, in the final.  Williams scored only 14 points in the semi-final game due to a “stall” game by Hempstead that led to Big Sandy’s low point total of the year (31).   6’5” center C.L. Nix scored 15 for Laneville in the final and 46 for the tournament—he won a state title as a coach for Whitehouse in 1978. 

The Conference B All State Tournament Team included Glenn Fields and Milton Williams of Big Sandy, C.L. Nix of Laneville, Don Durham of Slidell, Lawrence Overcast of Samnorwood and Peter Kirkpatrick of Hempstead.  Milton “Chief” Williams (1950-53) was all-state for three years  and led his Big Sandy team to a state title in 1952; to the state finals in 1951 & 1953; and to a 190-23 record over four years.  He averaged 30 points per game and scored 1,080 points as a Sr in 1953 ranking him 24^th all-time in TX.  He was later a JC All-American at Tyler JC and a Little All-American at Centenary College.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.  The 1952 Big Sandy team was an “Honor Team” at the 1978 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as:  John Roberts (owner, equipment co) in Raymondville; Robert Tyler (school principal) in Pasadena; Lester Battise and Hobby Williams (tourism for Indian Reservation); Milton Williams (minister) in Livingston; and Glenn Fields (insurance agent) in Marble Falls.

Dimmitt defeated Plano, 62-40 in the Class A final and Sweeny, 65-44, in the semi-finals at the state tournament. In a one year only format the UIL then matched Dimmitt the 1-A champion against the 2-A state champion, Bowie, with Dimmitt winning that match-up of state champions, 59-54, to determine a Division A-AA champion. Dimmitt qualified for state with regional wins over Ozona and Denver City and finished the year at 34-0. The Bobcats cruised to a 21-point win in the semi-final and a 22-point win in the 1A final. In the 1A vs. 2A match-up Dimmitt overcame the (30-point) scoring of 6’8” So Temple Tucker of Bowie to take a 4th quarter lead and “stall” till game’s end.

Dimmitt has made 16 appearances at state tournament with four state championships (1952, 1975, 1982 & 1983) and 5 other finals appearances (1960, 1961, 1967, 1978 & 1986). The 1952 Dimmitt team set conference records for most points (186) in a three game series; most points (59) in a championship game; and most aggregate points (113) in a championship game. Finalist Plano won its only state title in 2006 and lost in the 1952 and 1980 finals.

The Dimmitt championship coach in 1952 was J.W. Blaine of WTSU.  Blaine was also the championship coach for three state titles won by the Dimmitt girls teams from 1950-52.  In 1952 he became the only coach in Texas history to ever win a boys and girls title and accomplished that feat in the same year with two undefeated teams.  In 1952 his boys team was 37-0 and the girls team was 34-0 for a total record of 71-0. His girls title in 1952 was in the "High School Girls Basketball League of Texas" (HSGBLT) at a time (1951-1954) when both the UIL and the HSGBLT named state girls champions.   Blaine almost made a “basketball-football  double” as his 1951-52 football team lost to Abernathy, 20-19, in the regional finals. He had a career coaching record in basketball of 559-64 for a 90% winning percentage. 

"Tiny" Castro County (total population of less than 9,000) ranks 2nd among Texas counties in total high school basketball championships won with 35 titles including 5 by the Nazareth boys, 18 by the Nazareth girls, 8 (including AAU and HSGBLT leagues) by the Dimmitt girls and 4 by the Dimmitt boys.  Only Dallas County (with 45) has won more state titles while Harris County is 3rd at 32.

The 1952 Dimmitt players were: (15) 6’3” Sr Glenn Lust; (17) 6’3” Jr Billy Gregory; (18) 6’1” Sr Marvin Axe; (11) 6’0” Sr Wesley Smith; (19) 5’10” Sr Donald Wright; (14) 5’10” Sr Douglas Dennis; (12) 5’10” Jr Roy Murphy; (16) 5’9” Sr William Hunter; (13) 5’6” Sr Weldon Warren; (20) 5’6” Sr Glenn Brown; (10) 5’9” Jr Jesse Burch; & (5) 5’8” Sr Jimmy Howell.

Dimmitt was led by 5’6” Sr Glenn Brown with 17 points in the Class A versus Class 2A match-up against Bowie while 5’10” Sr Douglas Dennis had 14 and 6’1” Jr Billy Gregory, 10. Temple Tucker, a 6’9” So, led Bowie with 30 points (he later played at Rice and was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame). Gregory scored 21 and 6’1” Sr Marvin Axe, 19, in the 1st round victory over Sweeny led by 6’4” So Russell Boone with 19 (Boone scored 51 in the A final as a senior in 1954). Gregory scored 22 points in the A final against Plano and 53 for the tournament. The 1-A All State Tournament Team included Billy Gregory, Marvin Axe and Glenn Brown of Dimmitt, Russell Boone of Sweeny and James Lewis of Plano.

The 1952 Dimmitt champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1978 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as: Weldon Warren (real estate) in FL; Jimmie Howell (farmer) in Hereford; Wm. Hunter (attorney) in Dalhart; Douglas Dennis (physician) in Goldthwaite; Donald Wright (farmer) in Dimmitt; Bill Gregory (president, grain co.) in Dimmitt; Glenn Lust (rancher) in Muleshoe; Marvin Axe (rancher) in Vega; Wesley Smith (rancher) in Dimmitt; and Coach Aubrey Lester (manager Goodyear Tire) in El Paso.

 

 The Bowie Jackrabbits defeated the Levelland Lobos, 75-59, in the finals for the Class AA state championship after having defeated Madisonville, 49-41, in the semi-finals.  In a one-time only format, Class A champion Dimmitt then defeated the Class AA champion Bowie, 59-54, for the Division A-AA championship on a lay-up by Glenn Brown at 0:45.   The JackRabbits qualified for state for the 4^th time with regional wins over Pleasant Grove and Van.  Bowie pulled away from Madisonville in the last two minutes of the semi-final on a hook shot by 6’9” So Temple Tucker and cruised to a 16-point victory in the final over Levelland.  Bowie finished at 29-3.                  

Bowie has won five state championships (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, & 1974) thru 2006 with the first four coming under Coach R.E. Mattingly who coached basketball for 9 years with a record of 234-37 and won 77 consecutive games in 1953-54.  He also coached football for Bowie and Dallas South Oak Cliff where he won three Dallas football championships.

Raymond Mattingly was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.  The Bowie dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Levelland made two appearances in the state finals losing to Pasadena in 1946 & Bowie in 1952.

The 1952 Bowie players were:  (27) 5’10” Sr Charles Garrett; (17) 5’9” Sr Charles McGannon; (67) 6’1” Jr Stanley Airington; (97) 5’11” Jr Rex Pollard; (57) 6’0” Jr Jimmie Jones; (74) 5’10” Jr Joe Wysong; (37) 5’7” Jr Jake Bridgewater; (71) 5’8” Jr Bill Ryan; (75) 6’9” So Temple Tucker; (77) 6’3” So Edgar Robinson; (47) 5’8” So John Carver; (76) 5’10” So Ben Hill; (87) 5’10” So Robert White; and (72) 5’9” So Jackie Airington.      

Bowie was led in the Div. A-AA match-up against Dimmitt by 6’8” So Temple Tucker who scored 30 points while Glenn Brown led Dimmitt with 17.  Charles McGannon scored 20 points, Tucker, 15 and Charles Garrett, 14, against Levelland in the Class AA final while Harold Phelan led Levelland with 24 (he scored 74 in 3 games).  Tucker scored 19 points & Carter, 10, in the semi-finals while Joe Linsey had 20 for Madisonville. 

The 2-A All State Tournament Team included Temple Tucker and Charles McGannon of Bowie, Harold Phelan and Langford Sneed of Levelland and Joe Lindsey of Madisonville.

Temple Tucker later played at Rice and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.

 San Antonio Alamo Heights defeated the Gladewater Bears, 49-45, in the 3-A state championship game after defeating Bryan, 64-57,  in the semi-finals.  In a one-time only format, Class 3-A state Champion Alamo Heights then defeated Class 4-A state champion, FW Poly, in the Division AAA-AAAA final, 54-46, setting a record of 167 points in 3 games.  The Mules averaged 51.8 to 39.7 for opponents on the year before the state tournament and qualified for state with two playoff wins over San Benito.  The Mules “ran down” Bryan in the semi-final with its fast break.  Heights jumped out to a 15-point 1^st quarter lead over Bryan and cruised to an 18-point semi-final win.  The Mules’ 4-point win over Gladewater was largely the result of better rebounding and FT shooting.  Heights built a 13-point lead over Poly in the 3-A vs. 4-A matchup and held on to win by 8 by using a “stall” featuring So Bill Eldridge after two of its stars fouled out with 5 minutes left.   Heights finished the year at 33-4.  Alamo Heights averaged 52 points per game in 1952 and held their opponents to under 40 as the focus of the team was on defense and rebounding.  

Alamo Heights won its only two state titles in 1952 & 1954 and lost in the finals in 1951 (to Houston Lamar) and in 1991 (to PA Lincoln).  The 1952 Alamo Heights championship team was coached by Joe Guillory of Centenary (LA) and the 1954 title team was coached by John Corner.   Finalist Gladewater made its only appearance in a state final in school history in 1952. 

The 1952 Alamo Heights players were:  (33) 6’2” Sr Paul Braymen; (22) 6’1” Sr Bill Campbell; (30) 5’7” Sr Bob Carlson; (32) 5’10” Jr Lanny DeWitt; (35) 5’10” Sr John Douglas; (20) 5’8” So Bill Eldridge; (41) 5’8” Sr Marshall Harrell; (21) 6’3” Sr  Gary Henning; (25) 6’3” Jr Travis Hiester; (34) 6’2” Sr Tom O’Brien; (24) 6’3” Sr Bradley Pigeon; and (23) 5’9” Sr Bob Thornton. 

Alamo Heights top scorers in the Class 3-A final were 6’2” Sr Paul Braymen with 19 and 6’3”Sr Gary Henning with 12 while Neal Williams led Gladewater with 15.  Henning led the Mules in the semi-finals with 21 points and 6’2” Sr Tom O’Brien had 12.   Braymen led the Mules in the Division final against FW Poly with 18 points while O’Brien and 5’9” Sr Bob Thornton each scored 10.  Johnny Betts & Don Bice led Poly with 10 each.  Braymen and Henning were the leading scorers on the year on a well-balanced team.  The high point game for the year was only 21 by Henning. 

The 3-A All State Tournament Team included Paul Braymen, Gary Henning, Tom O’Brien and Bradley Pigeon of  SA Alamo Heights; and Neal Williams of Gladewater and John Schmidt of Bryan.  Bill Campbell and Bob Thornton were honorable mention and thus six of the Mule players were mentioned on the All Tournament Team.   Bill Eldridge, a So in 1954, later played at SMU in 1956-58 where his teams won 4 SWC titles; played in the final four in 1956 and were defeated by NCAA champion San Francisco with Bill Russell; and lost in the regional in 1957 losing in OT to Wilt Chamberlain and NCAA runner-up Kansas.  Bill Eldridge (1952-54) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.  Bradley Pigeon later played at Tulsa and Paul Braymen at LSU.

Ft Worth Poly defeated Borger, 56-51, in the 4A state championship game after defeating Houston Sam Houston, 50-35, in the semi-final.   The Parrots qualified for state for the 5^th time with a dramatic 40-38 win over Dallas Sunset in the regional final.  In a one-time only format, 4-A state champion Poly then lost the Division AAA-AAAA championship game to 3-A San Antonio Alamo Heights, 54-46, as the Parrots could not keep up with the fast-breaking Mules.    Poly finished the year at 28-4.  The upset of Borger in the 4A title game was led by subs Bob Thompson and Bob Carlson who replaced starters who had fouled out & combined for 13 points.         

FW Poly’s state title in 1952 was the school’s only appearance in a state final.  The 1952 Poly championship coach was Jack Harley of NTSU.  Finalist Borger made three (losing) appearances in the state finals in 1952, 1977 & 1983.

The 1952 Poly players were:  (3) 6’1” Jr Bob Baldwin; (4) 5’7” Sr Johnny Howerton; (5) 5’11” Sr Allen Hays; (6) 6’0” Sr Don Leamon; (7) 5’10” Jr Hugh Brown; (8) 6’3” Jr Bob Thompson; (9) 5’11” Sr Bill Enis; (10) 6’0” Sr Bill Estill; (11) 5’8” Jr Don Bice; (12) 5’9” So John (“Woody”) Woodman; (13) 6’4” Jr Bob (“Cowboy”) Carlson; (14) 6’1” Jr Jerry Randolph; (15) 6’3” Jr Johnny Betts; (16) 6’5” Jr Dick O’Neal; & (17) 6’2” Jr Jimmy McCulloch.   

Poly was led in the final by 6’5” Jr Dick O’Neal with 14 points and 6’0” Sr Bill Estill with 12, and 6’3” Jr Bob Thompson with 9.  Mack Carter led Borger with 27 points (and a record 75 in 3 games).   Estill and 6’2” Jr Jim McCulloch led The Parrots in the semi-final with 15 points each.  5’8” Jr Don Bice and 6’3” Jr Johnny Betts each scored 10 points to lead the Parrots in the 3-A vs. 4-A match-up while Paul Braymen led Alamo Heights with 18.   

The 4-A All State Tournament Team included Mack Carter and James Morgan of Borger,  Dick O’Neal and Bill Estill of FW Poly and Dennis Raines of Waco.  Richard “Dick” O’Neal (1950-53) who was elected to TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976.  O’Neal played at TCU in 1955-57 and was voted to the all-time All-SWC team in 1975. 

Cayuga defeated Big Sandy, 50-46, in final; Blum, 67-42, in semi-final; & Rankin, 67-37, in 1^st round at state tournament.  The Wildcats qualified for state with playoff wins over Chandler, Gallatin and Bailey and finished the year at 44-2.  The Wildcats cruised to a 30-point win in the 1^st round and a 25-point win in the semi-finals before its 4-point win over Big Sandy in the final.  Cayuga lost an 8-point lead after going into a “stall” at end of game but held on for the win by making a lay-up in last two seconds.

The Cayuga Wildcats defeated Big Sandy in the finals three times in four years.  The three state titles in 1951, 1953 & 1954 were the only state championships for Cayuga and the only times they ever made the final.  The Wildcats had a remarkable run from 1950-54 with records of 47-2 (1950--state semi-final), 42-1 (1951—state title), 37-2 (1952), 46-2 (1953--title) & 45-0 (1954—title).   Thus in a 5-year period Cayuga won three state titles and finished 3^rd once (losing in semi-final, 47-0, to eventual champion Gruver).  Joe H. Turner of NTSU coached the 1951 & 1953 championship teams while Lionel Duncan was the coach in the 1954 championship season.   Turner later coached at Kilgore Jr College.  Finalist Big Sandy began a 10-year run in 1949 in which they made the state final in 8 of 10 years from 1949-58 winning two titles and losing in the final 6 times.  Big Sandy also lost in the finals in 1988 & 2008.

The 1953 Cayuga players were:  (14) 6’0” Jr Bryan Sutherlin; (32) 5’11” Sr H.A. Jones; (24) 6’2” Jr Arthur C. “Buddy” Ball; (34) 6’0” Sr David Johnson; (22) 5”11” Jr Aubrey A. (Ned) Duncan; (25) 6’0” So Clyde McKinney; (15) 5’7” Sr Harold Rampy; (13) 5’9” So Don Boyd; (35) 6’2” Jr Bobby Skeet; (12) 5’8” Jr Jimmy Allen Jones; (11) 5’11” So Tommy Varnell Moss; (33) 5’9” Jr Chester Ray Combs; & (21) 6’0” Jr Marion Van Deman.  6’2” Jr Arthur Ball led Cayuga in the 1^st round with 22 points while 5’11” Sr Henry Jones added 13, 6’0” Jr Bryan Sutherlin, 9, and 5’11” Jr Aubrey (“Ned”) Duncan, 8.  Rankin was led by V. Trower with 14 points.  Duncan led the Wildcats in the semi-final with 21 points while Ball added 14 and Sutherlin, 12, while Roy Ward led Blum with 15 points.  Ball was the top Cayuga scorer in the final with 16 while Duncan had 12.  Milton Williams led Big Sandy in the final with 14 points and averaged 30 points per game and scored 1,080 points as a Jr in 1953 ranking him 24^th all-time in TX.  He was later an All-American at Tyler JC; a Little All-American at Centenary College; & was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

The All State Tournament Team included Arthur Ball and Ned Duncan of Cayuga; Milton Williams and Glenn Fields of Big Sandy; Kermit Decker of Hutto; and Johnny Sessums.  Ned Duncan later played at Kilgore JC (where he is on the Hall of Fame) and SMU where he was the “playmaker” on the great Mustang team with Jim Krebs that made the Final Four. The 1953 Cayuga champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1979 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as:  Bryan Sutherlin (Temco Finance) in Dallas; David Johnson (owner, Athens Steel Builders) in Athens; Arthur Ball (plant supervisor of chemical co) in La;  Thomas VanDeman (minister, Christian Academy) in Tyler; Harold Rampy (self-employed) in Malakoff; Don Boyd (Lone Star Gas) in Plano; Tommy Moss (car dealer) in Corpus Christi; and Chester Combs (oil equipment sales) in Houston.

 White Oak defeated Denver City, 69-53, in the final & Deer Park, 43-34, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Roughnecks qualified for state with regional wins over Van, 37-36; Queen City, 66-44; and Lancaster, 65-49.  The 69 points in the final was a new Class A record.    The Roughnecks finished the year at 30-2 including a 7-0 record against 2-A teams and a 3-2 record against 3-A teams (two losses to 3-A Gladewater).   White Oak averaged 54 points per game on the year to opponents’ 40 and defeated the taller 24-2 Deer Park (24-2) in the semi-final with relentless defense and rebounding.  White Oak took a 20-19 lead in the 2^nd quarter of the final against Denver City, led by 18, and finished with a 16-point victory.  The Roughnecks were “dwarfed” by the heavily favored Denver City team but “ran their taller and bigger opponents off the court” with their “race-horse style of play” led by 5’8”Sr Dean Morrison who “dribbled through, under and around” the Mustangs while leading his team in scoring and assists.  White Oak’s tallest players were 6’0” but the Roughnecks “outfought” and out rebounded their taller opponents.   

The White Oak Roughnecks have made two appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1953 & 1957.  Denver City made the school’s only appearance in a state final in 1953.  The White Oak championship coach in both 1953 & 1957 was Emil Hanicak of SFA.   White Oak  became the first Gregg County team to win a state title. 

The 1953 White Oak players were:  (23) Buddy Baker, 5’6” So; (14)  Larry Bates, 5’10” So; (20)  Jimmy Cobb, 5’10” So; (27)  Dean Davis, 6’0” Sr;  (26) Richard Emberlin, 5’11” Jr;  (15)  Marvin King, 5’9” So; (18)  Dean Morrison, 5’8” Sr; (28) Kenneth Pickard, 5’11.5” Jr;  (10) Richard Robb, 6’0” Sr;  (16) Edwin Roberson, 5’6” So; (12) Joe Simmons, 5’10” Jr;  (29) Jimmy Thomas, 5’6” Jr; (24) Lynn Vaughn, Sr;  and (22) John Carl Young, 5’5” Jr.  The Roughnecks were led on the year by 6’0” Sr Dean Davis at 15.7 ppg and 6’0” Sr Richard Robb at 12.9.  5’8” Dean Morrison scored 21 in the final to lead White Oak while Robb scored, 17, Davis, 15, and 5’10” Joe Simmons, 10.  Charles Ward led Denver City with 14 points.  Davis led White Oak in the semi-final with 17 while Robb had 10 and Simmons, 9.   Truman Bartlett led Deer Park with 12. 

The 1953 1A All State Tournament Team included Dean Morrison, Dean Davis and Richard Robb of White Oak; Sr Charles Ward of Denver City and Sr Joe Cole of Troup.  Dean Morrison played basketball at Lamar; Lynn Vaughn played at Kilgore JC;  Dean Davis at N. TX; Marvin King played baseball at SMU; Jimmy Cobb ran track at SFA; Edwin Roberson played FB at SFA; Jimmy Thomas played FB at ACC; and Joe Simmons played tennis at TX A&M.  White Oak was an “Honor Team” at the 1979 state tournament on the 25^th anniversary of its 1953 championship.  The UIL listed occupations & city of residence for some team members:  Dean Morrison (banker) in Corpus Christi; Lynn Vaughn (operations foreman for TX Eastman) in White Oak; Edwin Roberson (teacher) in Lubbock; Richard Emberlin (USAF Major) in Fairbanks AK; Joe Simmons (petroleum engineer) in Houston; Dean Davis (insurance) in Austin and Richard Robb(pharmacist) in N. Little Rock AR. 

 Bowie defeated Dumas, 81-44, in the final & Alvin, 52-34, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The JackRabbits qualified for state with regional wins over Birdville, 74-57, and Center, 65-50.  Bowie finished the year undefeated at 34-0 and their 81 points in the final set a state 2-A record.  The 18-point win over Alvin in the semi-finals was led by 6’10” Jr Temple Tucker who scored 19 points and “on six different occasions simply jumped up and brought the ball down in blocking opponents’ shots.”   The 37-point win over Dumas was a state record for the greatest margin of victory in a final and stood until 1988 when Paducah defeated Big Sandy by 38 points (99-61).   Bowie’s margins of victory for the four finals from 1951-54 were 20, 6, 37 & 30 for an average of 23. 

Bowie has won five state championships (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, & 1974) thru 2006 with the first four coming under Coach R.E. Mattingly who coached basketball for 9 years with a record of 234-37 and won 77 consecutive games in 1953-54.  He also coached football for Bowie and Dallas South Oak Cliff where he won three Dallas football championships.  Raymond Mattingly was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 and to the TX H.S. Coaches Assoc. Hall of Honor.  The Bowie dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Finalist Dumas made three appearances in the state finals winning titles in 1962 & 1971. 

The 1953 Bowie players were:  (67) 6’2” Sr Stanley Airington; (57) 6’2” Sr Jimmie Jones; (27) 5’11” Sr  Rex Pollard; (74) 5’11” Sr Joe Wysong; (76) 5’11” Sr Bill Ryan; (97) 6’10” Jr  Temple Tucker; (17) 6’0” Jr Jackie Airington; (75) 5’11” Jr Bennie Hill; (87) 5’11” Jr Robert White; (47) 5’9” Jr John Carver; (77) 6’3” So Vernon Henning; (37) 5’8” So Carrol Winn; (71) 5’8” Jr Victor Baker; (70) 5’8” So J.D. Roach; & (72) 5’9” So Hershall Kimbrough.                    

Bowie was led in the final by 6’10” Jr Temple Tucker with 29 points, 5’9” Jr John Carver with 18 and 6’0” Jr Jackie Airington with 10.  Tucker was also the top scorer in the semi-final with 19 points while Carver had 9 and Airington & 5’11” Jr Robert White had 8 each.  Hambright led Alvin with 13.  The 1953 All State Tournament Team included Jr Temple Tucker, Jr John Carver and Sr Stanley Airington of Bowie; Sr Channing Williams of San Marcos; & Sr P.D. Fletcher of Dumas.  Tucker later played at Rice and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.  He played on four state championship teams from 1951-54.      

The 1953 Bowie champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1979 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as:  Rex Pollard (owner, oil co) in Midland Joe Wysong (director, US Dept. of Labor) in El Paso; John Carver (restaurant owner) in Bowie; Vernon Henning (manager, farm supply) in Seagraves; Temple Tucker (insurance agent) in Houston; Jimmy Jones (reporter, FW Star Telegram) in FW; Herschel Kimbrough (manager, TX Instruments) in Lewisville; James Roach (home builder) in Belton; Victor Baker (Lubrication Engineers) in FW; and Carroll Winn (retired) in Bowie.

Beaumont South Park defeated SA Edison, 83-54, in final & Paris, 69-42, in semi-final at the state tournament.   The Greenies qualified for state by defeating Temple in 2 of 3 games for the regional title.  South Park cruised thru the state tournament with victory margins of 27 in the semi-final and 29 in the final and broke the 3-A team scoring record twice in the tournament with its 69 in the semi-final and then with its 83 in the final.  The Greenies finished the year at 30-9. 

South Park won state titles in 1953 & 1960 in its only appearances in the state finals.  The 1953 championship coach was Bill Tipton of SMU while the 1960 coach was Jimmy Anders.  SA Edison made its only appearance in a state final in 1953. 

The 1953 South Park players were:  (25) 6’3” Sr Jimmy Ash; (30) 6’1” Sr Dennis Bruce; (23) 6’2” Jr William Fountain; (31) 5’11” Jr Jimmy Harvey; (20) 5’9” Sr Lynwood Legato; (32) 6’4” Sr Jerry Mallett; (22) 6’2” Jr Edgar Nelson; (15) 6’0” Jr Bennie Pattison; (11) 5’10” Sr James Riley; (9) 5’9” Jr Bobby Shaver; (33) 6’4” Sr Jimmy Stearnes; (21) 5’8” Sr Richard Walker ; & (24) 5’8” Sr Billy Watkins (24).   

South Park’s 6’4” Sr center, Jerry Mallet, scored 38 points (a 3-A record) in the final while 6’3” Sr Jimmy Ash scored 21 and 6’1” Sr Dennis Bruce, 15.  Mallett scored 34 points in the semi-final for a 3-A record 72 points in two games.  His 10 free throws in the semi-final were also a 3-A record. 

The All State Tournament Team included Jerry Mallet, Jimmy Ash and Dennis Bruce of South Park and Kenneth Hale and Bobby Ahr of Edison.  Mallett later became Baylor’s 15^th all-time scorer; was named to Baylor’s “all-centennial” team; and was drafted by the NBA’s Syracuse Nationals.  He later became superintendent of schools in Beaumont TX and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

The 1953 South Park champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1979 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members:  Jim Harvey (Prof at El Centro) in DeSoto; Lynwood LeGato (chemical engineer) in Beaumont Jerry Mallett (H.S. principal) in Beaumont; Jimmy Ash (engineer) in Utah;  James Riley (DuPont) in Beaumont; Dennis Bruce (Mobil Chemical) in Hamshire; Bennie Pattison (sales, Oshman Athletic); Jim Stearns (manager, insurance co); and Bobby Shaver (investigator, Texaco) in CA.

 Pampa defeated Austin H.S., 61-47, in final & Houston Austin, 48-37, in semi-final at the state tournament.  The Harvesters defeated El Paso Bowie in the regional to qualify for state. Pampa finished the year undefeated at 26-0 and averaged 65.2 ppg to 52.8 for opponents.   Pampa (55% on 23 of 42) and Austin (57% on 21 of 37) both shot well but the Harvesters outscored Austin (25-4) in the 4^th quarter for the 14-point win.      

 Pampa has made six appearances in the state finals winning five state titles (1953, 1954, 1958, 1959 & 1996) with the first four under Coach Clifton McNeeely of TX Wesleyan and the last in 1996 under Robert Hale of UT-Arlington.  McNeely had a 13-year record at Pampa of 319-43 including two undefeated teams and won 72 consecutive games from 2/15/1952-1/15/1955.

McNeely had been the nation’s leading scorer in college at Texas Wesleyan.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.  The gym at Pampa is named for McNealy.   The Pampa dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Austin H.S. made 19 appearances at the state tournament thru 2006 and played in finals four times (1943, 1951, 1953 & 1960) without a title.   

The 1953 Pampa players were:  (21) 5’11” Sr Billy Webb; (25) 5’10” Sr Jon Oden; (33) 6’2” Sr Fred Woods; (43) 6’2” Sr “Buddy” Cockrell; (23) 5’10” Jr George Depee; (24) 5’7” Jr Don Fagan; (32) 6’4” Jr Jimmy Bond; (34) 5’10” Jr Gayle Trollinger; (41) 5’’10” Jr Ray Cooper; (44) 6’1” Jr Douglas Randolph; (10) 5’11” Jr Larry Larsen; (13) 5’10” Jr Dale Hemsell; (15) 6’2” So Bill Culpepper; (22) 6’1” So E. Jay McIlvain; (30) 6’0” So Benny Cartwright; (31) 5’11” So Harold Lewis; (35) 6’3” So Gary Griffin; & (42) 5’10” So Kenneth Hinkle (42).          

Pampa’s top scorers in the final were 6’2” Sr Fred Woods with 26, 6’4” Jr Jim Bond with 15 and 5’10” Sr Jon Oden and 5’11” Sr Billy Webb with 7 while Edward Dela Rosa had 14 and John Shafer, 11, for Austin.   Bond led the scoring in the semi-final with 19 followed by Oden with 10.   Bond averaged 22.3 ppg on the year and Woods, 12.6.  The All State Tournament Team included Jim Bond and Fred Woods of Pampa; John Shafer and Edward Dela Rosa of Austin; and Don Bice and Dick O’Neal of Poly.  Jon Oden and Billy Webb were named 2^nd team All Tournament.  Bond was all-state & all-state tournament in 1953 & 1954 and was a high school All-American in 1954.  He played at Pasadena College in CA where he was a two-time NAIA All-American.  In 1975 Jim Bond was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame and is a member of four other athletic Halls of Fame including the National High School Athletic Hall of Fame & the NAIA Hall of Fame.  Dr. Bond served as a minister and president of Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego & became the head of the world-wide Nazarene Church.   Also, Billy Webb played basketball at Wayland Baptist; Jon Oden at TX Tech; Fred Woods, Jay McIlvain & Gary Griffin at Rice; & Kenneth Hinkle at NT.  Gene “Buddy” Cockrell played FB at OK and in AFL for NY Titans and Harold Lewis at UH & in NFL.  The 1953 Pampa champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1979 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players:  Jon Oden (attorney) in Amarillo; George Depee (hospital admin) in Pampa; Bill Webb (minister) in Canyon; Buddy Cockrell (rancher) in Pampa; Fred Woods (attorney) in CA; Jay McIlvain (insurance agent) in Bryan.

 Cayuga defeated Big Sandy, 79-59, in the final; Krum, 70-49, in the semi-final; & Avoca, 58-44, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.   The Wildcats qualified for state with regional wins over Chicota, 67-52; East Delta, 69-46; Redwater, 66-50; and Bullard, 74-39.  Cayuga finished the year at 45-0 (with 2 wins over 4A Houston Milby) with a 51 game winning streak after cruising thru the state tournament with victory margins of 14, 21 and 20.  The Wildcats defeated Big Sandy in the finals for the third time in four years behind Buddy Ball’s 23 points. 

The three state titles in 1951, 1953 & 1954, were the only state championships for Cayuga and the only times they ever made the final.  The Wildcats had a remarkable run from 1950-54 with records of 47-2 (1950--state semi-final), 42-1 (1951—state title), 37-2 (1952), 46-2 (1953--title) & 45-0 (1954—title).   Thus in a 5-year period Cayuga won three state titles and finished 3^rd once (losing in semi-final, 47-0, to eventual champion Gruver).  Lionel Duncan of SHSU coached the 1954 Cayuga team to the state title while Joe H. Turner was the championship coach in 1951 & 1953.  Finalist Big Sandy began a 10-year run in 1949 in which they made the state final in 8 of 10 years from 1949-58 winning two titles and losing in the final 6 times.  Big Sandy also lost in the 1988 & 2008 finals. 

The 1954 Cayuga players were:  (14) 6’0” Sr Bryan Sutherlin; (35) 6’6” Sr Hunter Barton; (24) 6’2” Sr Arthur “Buddy” Ball; (13) 5’9” Jr Don Boyd; (22) 6’0” Sr Aubrey “Ned” Duncan; (25) 6’1” Jr Clyde McKinney; (11) 6’0” Jr Tommy “Bud” Moss; (33) 5’8” Sr Chester Combs; (12) 6’0” Jr Royce Litchfield; (21) 6’1” Sr Marion Van Deman; (23) 6’0” So Bill Jenkins; & (15) 5’11” Fr Larry Drennan (15). 

Cayuga was led in the final by 6’2” Sr Arthur "Buddy" Ball with 23 points, 6’0” Sr Ned Duncan and 6’0” Sr Bryan Sutherlin with 19 each and 6’6” Sr Hunter Barton with 10.  All-state Milton Williams led Big Sandy with 25 points in the final.  Duncan was the Wildcats top scorer in the semi-final with 26 while Sutherlin added 14 and Ball, 12.  Wayne Wilburn led Krum with 14 points.  Duncan also led Cayuga in the 1^st round against Avoca with 24 points while Sutherlin added 14.  Max Williams led Avoca with 17.  Ball scored 69 points in the three games.   The 1954 All State Tournament Team included Ned Duncan, Buddy Ball and Bryan Sutherlin of Cayuga; Milton Williams of Big Sandy; and Max Williams of Avoca.  Ned Duncan later played at Kilgore JC (where he is on the Hall of Fame) and was the “playmaker” on the great SMU team with Jim Krebs that made the Final Four. 

The 1954 Cayuga champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1980 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as:  Royce Litchfield (pastor, First Baptist Church) in Valliant OK; Larry Drennan (principal/coach) at Malakoff; Bill Jenkins (President of cattle co.) in Amarillo; Chester Combs (foreman, oil tools); in Houston; Don Boyd (Lone Star Gas) in Plano; Thomas VanDeman (teacher) in Tyler; Buddy Ball (supervisor, chemical co) in La; Hunter Barton (UpJohn Co) in Pasadena; Clyde McKinney (teacher) in Mesquite; Ned Duncan (VP sporting goods co) in Tyler; and Coach Lionel Duncan (principal) in Malakoff.

 Sweeny defeated Sundown, 92-67, in the final & Buna, 74-72, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Bulldogs qualified for state with regional wins over A&M Consolidated, 64-51, and Benavides, 75-62.  Sweeny finished the year at 27-3. The 1954 state final is remembered by most as the year that Sweeny’s Russell Boone scored 50 points in the final & averaged 44.5 for two games---breaking state records.  The 92 points by Sweeny in the final against Sundown also set a new state tournament record as the final set 12 state records & 8 Class records.  The win over 41-4 Buna in the semi-finals marked the only time Buna was defeated at the state tournament as Buna won state titles in 7 of the 9 years from 1955-63. 

Sweeny has won four state titles (1954, 1985, 1987 & 1988) in its four appearances in the state finals.   Jack B. Crawley of SWT was the 1954 championship coach; Randy Miksch of UT the 1985 championship coach; and Raymond Washington of SWTS the 1987 & 1988 championship coach.  Finalist Sundown made the school’s only appearance in a state final in 1954. 

The 1954 Sweeny players were:  (47) 6’0” Sr Glenn Bland; (45) 6’4” Sr Russell Boone; (42) 5’7” Sr Frank Allen; (44) 5’8” Sr Charles Finley; (48) 6’1” Sr Gary Wells; (50) 5’5” Jr Billie Sanders; (41) 5’11” Jr Dennis Hall; (52) 6’0” So Bobby Ward; (46) 5’7” So Johnel Allen; (54) 5’10” So Bobby Thomas; (53) 5’8” So William Alford; (40) 5’7” So William Surber; & (51) 5’7” Jr Gerald Harvey.  6’4” Sr Russell Boone led Sweeny in scoring in the final with 50 points (22 of 37 FG’s and 6 FTs) while 6’1” Sr Gary Wells and 5’8” Sr Charles Finley scored 13 each.   Sundown was led by Dave Hogue with 25 points and  Don Waygood with 22.  Boone also led the scoring for Sweeny in the semi-final with 39 points while Wells added 16 and 6’0” Sr Glenn Bland, 10.  Buna was led by J.C. Smith with 26 points.  The All State Tournament Team included Russell Boone of Sweeny; Don Waygood and Dave Hogue of Sundown; and J.C. Smith and Kembrough Mosley of Buna. 

Boone’s 50 points broke the state record of 47 by Marcus Freiberger of Greenville in 1947 & also broke the Gregory Gym scoring record of 49 held by UT’s Slater Martin.  Boone’s 89 points (and 44.5 ppg) for the two-game series set a state record which still stood in 2006.  Boone was MVP of the all-star game in Dallas in 1954 and later was an All-American at Tyler JC and played at the U. of Houston.  Russell Boone was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. 

The 1954 Sweeny champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1980 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on team members as:  Frank Allen (director, Secretary of State) in Austin;  Johnel Allen (teacher/coach) in El Campo; Billie J. Sanders (engineer, Monsanto) in Alvin; Charles Finley (carpenter) in Sweeny; Robert Ward (carpenter) in Sweeny; Gary Wells (nurseryman) in Sweeny; Russell Boone (owner, moving co) in Houston; Glenn Bland (president, Coaches Insurance Assoc. of America) in Memphis TN; Dennis Hall (chemical engineer) in Longview; Bob Thomas (Conoco) I OK; Gerald G. Harvey (technician) in FL; Coach Joe Schuchardt (principal) in Sweeny; and Coach Jack B. Crawley (principal) in Odessa.

          Bowie defeated Houston Spring Branch, 70-40, in the final & Childress, 66-37, in the semi-final at the state tournament.   The Jackrabbits qualified for state with regional wins over Dallas Hillcrest, 83-53; Birdville, 76-56; and Mt. Vernon (despite 27 points from So Don Meredith), 89-55 .   Bowie was undefeated on the year at 36-0 and extended its winning streak to 69 games.   The Jackrabbits scored 70 or more points in 20 of 32 games entering the tournament and had victories over four other teams (Sherman, Childress, Houston Milby and Wichita Falls) who made the state tournament. 

Bowie has won five state championships (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, & 1974) thru 2006 with the first four coming under Coach R.E. Mattingly who coached basketball for 9 years with a record of 234-37 and won 77 consecutive games in 1953-54.  He also coached football for Bowie and Dallas South Oak Cliff where he won three Dallas football championships.  Raymond Mattingly was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.  Gayno Shelton coached the 1974 Bowie championship team and had 19 playoff teams in his 30 years of coaching.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.  The Bowie dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.

Spring Branch made two (losing) appearances in the state finals in 1954 & 1963. 

The 1954 Bowie players were:  (47) 5’8” Sr John Carver; (37) 5’11” Sr Ben Hill; (87) 6’0” Sr Robert White; (17) 6’2” Sr Jackie Airington; (77) 6’10” Sr Temple Tucker; (75) 5’10” Sr Victor Baker; (97) 6’5” Jr Curtis Monroe; (27) 5’8” Jr Carroll Winn; (72) 5’11” Jr Johnny Richardson; (76) 5’8” Jr Hershal Kimbrough; (57) 5’9” Jr J.D. Roach; (71) 6’1” Jr Horace Thompson; (73) 6’0” So Raymond Clements; (78) 5’11” So Charles Gifford; (74) 5’11” Fr Wade Dyer; & (67) 5’8” Fr Ben Carver.                  

Bowie was led in the final by 6’10” Sr Temple Tucker with 27 points, 6’2” Sr Jackie Airington with 15 and 5’8” Sr John Carver with 12.  Tucker scored 29 in the semi-final while 5’11” Sr Ben Hill had 13.  The All State Tournament Team included Temple Tucker, Jackie Airington and John Carver of Bowie; Derrill Nippert of Childress; and John Cooper of Spring Branch.  Tucker & Carver made the team for the 3^rd consecutive year.  Tucker scored 943 points in 1954 which ranked 1^st all-time in TX-----he dropped to 2^nd all-time in 1955 when Max Williams scored 1,264.   He played on four state championship teams from 1951-54 and was later All-SWC  at Rice and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.   

The 1954 Bowie champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1980 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as:  Ben Carver (engineer) in Garland; Wade Dyer (mathematician) in Plano; Temple Tucker (insurance agent) in Houston; Raymond Clements (coach at Bowie HS); Charles Gifford (principal) in Bowie; and Horace Thompson (teacher) in Austin.  Three members of the 1954 team later had sons who played for the 1974 Bowie championship team.

SA Alamo Heights defeated Galena Park, 67-60, in the final & Plainview, 60-58, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Mules qualified for state by defeating McAllen in the regional and finished the year at 28-8.  The lead changed hands 21 times in the semi-final against Plainview before the Mules went ahead, 52-51, with 4 minutes left and “stalled” until the end.   A similar scenario occurred in the final as Heights led by one with 4 minutes remaining and extended that lead to 7 points at game’s end by a “stall.”  Sammy Bean made a FG & 2 FTs with 30 seconds left to seal the victory.   

Alamo Heights won its only two state titles in 1952 & 1954 and lost in the finals in 1951 (to Houston Lamar) and in 1991 (to PA Lincoln).  The 1954 Alamo Heights championship team was coached by John Corner of SWT while the 1952 title team was coached by Joe Guillory.  Finalist Galena Park made its only appearance in a state final in school history in 1954 but its coach, Jimmy Littleton, later won state titles with S. SA in 1961 & SA Lee in 1967. 

The 1954 Alamo Heights players were:  (20) 5’11” Sr Bill Eldridge; (21) 6’1” Sr  Bruce Wilhelmy; (22) 6’0” Jr Sam Bean; (23) 5’10” Sr Morgan Holland; (30) 6’1” Jr Jean Mauze; (32) 6’0” Jr John Wilhelmy; (33) 6’7” Sr Topper Eastman; (34) 6’0” Sr Hugh Wharton; (35) 6’3” Jr Don Forester; (41) 6’1” Sr Don Harrell; and (24) 6’2” Sr Jim Droke.   Eldridge is the only player who also played on the 1952 state champions. 

The Mules were led in the final by Bill Eldridge with 22 points, Bean with 18 and Droke with 15 while Erval Elswick led Galena Park with 20.  Alamo Heights was led in the semi-final by Eldridge with 21, Bean with 13, Droke with 12 and Bruce Wilhelmy (Heights’ top rebounder and inside defender) with 9.  Rex Jordon led Plainview with 17. 

The 1954 3-A All State Tournament Team included  Bill Eldridge of Alamo Heights, Erval Elswick and 6’5” Tinker Wilson of Galena Park, Jackie Pierce of Sherman and Rex Jordan of Plainview.  Bill Eldridge later played at SMU in 1956-58 where his teams won 4 SWC titles; played in the final four in 1956 and were defeated by NCAA champion San Francisco with Bill Russell; and lost in the regional in 1957 losing in OT to Wilt Chamberlain and NCAA runner-up Kansas.  Bill Eldridge (1952-54) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

The 1954 Alamo Heights champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1980 state tournament where the UIL listed updates on players as:  Morgan Holland (chemical engineer) in VA; Samuel F. Bean (physician) in Houston; Wm Eldridge (real estate) in Dallas; Hugh Wharton (marketing rep) in NJ; Lucius R. Eastman (professor of philosophy at San Jose State); Jean Mauze (home builder) in San Antonio; Don Harrell (manufacturer’s rep) in Georgetown; Jim Droke (hospital technician) in San Antonio; Coach Lewis R. Eidson (dentist) in Dallas.  In 2007 Bill Eldridge lived in Dallas. 

 Pampa defeated Dallas Crozier Tech, 47-44 (OT), in the final & Wichita Falls, 55-47, in the semi-final.   The Harvesters qualified for state with a regional win over El Paso.  Two undefeated teams played in the 1954 final for the first time as Pampa was 32-0 on the year while Crozier Tech went into the final undefeated at 31-0.  Both teams were led by all-state players as Tech was led by 6’ 9” Jr A.C. Black and Pampa by 6’5” Sr Jim Bond.   Tech made up an 8-point deficit in the 4^th quarter to tie the game at the end of regulation but Pampa jumped out to a 4-point lead in the OT and held on for the win.

Pampa has made six appearances in the state finals winning five state titles (1953, 1954, 1958, 1959 & 1996) with the first four under Coach Clifton McNeeely of TX Wesleyan and the last in 1996 under Robert Hale of UT-Arlington.  The Harvesters were undefeated in both 1953 (26-0) & 1954  (32-0) and won 72 consecutive games from 2/15/1952-1/15/1955.

McNeely had a 13-year record at Pampa of 319-43 and had been the nation’s leading scorer in college at Texas Wesleyan..  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.  The gym at Pampa is named for McNeely.   The Pampa dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Crozier Tech made 5 appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1946, 1948 & 1955 and losing in the final in 1950 & 1954.           

The 1954 Pampa players were:  (32) 6’5” Sr Jimmy Bond; (35) 6’4” Jr Gary Griffin; (22) 6’3” Jr E. Jay McIlvain; (25) 5’11” Jr Kenneth Hinkle; (44) 5’11” Jr Harold Lewis; (23) 5’10” Sr George Depee; (30) 6’1” Jr Benny Cartwright; (43) 6’2” Jr Bill Culpepper; (21) 5’9” So Buddy Sharp; (24) 5’8” Jr Buster Carter; (33) 5’7” So Jimmy Enloe; (31) 6’1” So Melvin Romine; & (41) 6’0” So Gene Brown (41).   6’5” Sr Jim Bond led Pampa in the final with 23 points (including 5 points and two assists in OT) and 6’3” Jr Jay McIlvain had 10.  A.C. Black led Crozier Tech in the final with 23 points.   In the semi-final Pampa was led by 6’4” Jr Cary Griffin with 17 & McIlvain with 15 as Bond was held to 8 points.   The 1954 4-A All State Tournament Team included Jimmy Bond, E. Jay McIlvain and Cary Griffith of Pampa and A.C. Black and 5’5” Mike Vasquez of Crozier Tech.   On the year Bond led Pampa at 20.3 ppg with Griffin at 13.3 and McIlvain at 12.1. 

Jim Bond was all-state & All State Tournament in 1953 & 1954; and a H.S. All-American in 1954.  After leading the Harvesters to two consecutive state championships (and starting a 72-game winning streak), he played at Pasadena College in CA where he was a two-time NAIA All-American with a 4-year average of 19.3 ppg.  In 1975 Jim Bond was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame  and is a member of four other athletic Halls of Fame including the National High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame.  Bond received a doctorate in the ministry and served as a minister and president of Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego.  He later was the top executive for the Nazarene Church worldwide.  A.C. Black played at Crozier Tech in 1953-56 and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.  Gary Griffin and Jay McIlvain later played at Rice and Kenneth Hinkle at NTSU.  Harold Lewis played FB at UH and in NFL.

 Avoca defeated Big Sandy, 47-41, in the final; Medina, 52-46, in the semi-final; & Maud, 51-40, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Mustangs qualified for state with regional wins over Putnam, 99-49, and Evant, 82-42.  Avoca finished the year at 42-1 with its only loss to 4A Borger and with wins over 4A FW Poly and the ACC, McMurry and Hardin-Simmons freshmen teams.   Big Sandy finished at 32-16.

The 1955 state title by Avoca was the only one in school history thru 2006 but Avoca did make the semi-final in 1956 losing to eventual champion, Pollok Central.  Both the 1955 & 1956 teams were led by the great Max Williams.  The 1955 Avoca championship coach was G.E. Hastings of ACC.  Finalist Big Sandy played in the state finals 8 times (1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958) in 10 years winning championships in 1952 & 1957 and losing finals to Cayuga (3 times), Martin’s Mill, Avoca, & Blossom.  Big Sandy also lost in the finals in 1988 & 2008.

The 1955 Avoca players were:  (3) 6’2” Sr Kenneth King; (5) 6’1” Sr Bud Shelton; (6) 5’10” Jr Max Williams; (7) 6’0” Sr Bobby Gordon; (9) 5’9” Sr Don Whitworth; (8) 6’2” Jr Glendo Hughes; (11) 6’0” Jr Lester Putman; (14) 5’9” Jr Curtis Williamson; (15) 5’11” So Milton Martin; (10) 6’0” Jr Barkley Edwards; & (12) 6’0” Sr Jake Sanders.  Avoca was led in 1955 by 5’10” Jr Max Williams (1953-56) who was named all-state for three years (1954-56).  His Avoca teams were 160-16 in his four years and he scored 3,360 points from 1953-56 ranking 5^th all-time in TX H.S. career scoring.   His 1,264 points in 1955 is 8^th all-time and was 1^st all-time in 1956 when he graduated.  His single season scoring record lasted until 1966 when broken by Snook’s Calvin Gerke at 1,509.  Williams was later all-SWC at SMU and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1972.  Williams is featured in Harold Ratliff’s book, Texas Boys Basketball:  A History, published by the U.I.L.  He later did well in the oil business and became a collector of fine paintings.

Max Williams, playing only part of each game due to an ankle injury, was held to 5 points in the final, 9 in the semi-final and 10 in the 1^st round.  Avoca’s top scorers in the championship game were 6’2” Sr Kenneth King with 21 points and 6’1” Sr Bud Shelton with 11.  Big Sandy was led by Joe Thomas with 16 and So Oscar Williams with 15.  King also led the Avoca scoring in the semi-final with 16 points while 5’9” Sr Don Whitworth added 10.  Don Lestourgeon led Medina with 23 points.   King was the top scorer in the 1^st round with 15 points while Shelton had 14 and Williams and 6’0” Sr Gordon each had 10.   Don Lyles led Maud with 20 points.  The All State Tournament Team included Kenneth King of Avoca; Joe Thomas and Oscar Williams of Big Sandy; Don LeSturgeon of Medina; and Don Lyles of Maud.  Avoca’s Max Williams was 1st team all-state in 1955 and 1956 & Ken King was 3rdteam all-state in 1956.  Big Sandy's Oscar Williams was 2nd team all-state in 1956 and 1st team in 1957.   Avoca's Milton Martin was 1st team all-state in 1957 (at 30.1 ppg).

  The 1955 Avoca team was an “Honor Team” at the 1981 state tournament.  The UIL listed the following updates on that occasion:  Barkley Edwards (business owner) in Austin; Milton Martin (H.S. Principal) in Avoca; Don Whitworth (airline ticket agent) in Irving; Kenneth King (owner of King Enterprises) in Avoca; Bud Shelton (Supt. of Avoca ISD); Lester Putnam (aircraft mechanic) in Dallas; Assistant Coach James E. Connell (Supt. in Blackwell); James Lackey (machinist) in Avoca.

 Buna defeated Dickinson, 58-54, in the final & Plano, 56-48, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Cougars qualified for state for the 2^nd time (1^st was 1954) with regional wins over Woodville, 60-37; Newton, 50-37; and Llano, 47-29; and finished the year at 37-4.  Buna built a 19-point lead in the 1^st half of the semi-final against Plano and held on at the end by scoring several lay-ups against a full-court press.  The Cougars out shot Plano from the field by 45% (22-45) to 33% (15-45).  Buna trailed by 13 points with 10 minutes left in the final against Dickinson (25-9) but closed the game on a 23-6 run.  John Ed Hargroves made two long sets shots and 2 FTs in the last minute and Delman Rogers made a lay-up for the final Buna points.

Dickinson had gained the final with a “stunning upset” of Sudan, 55-54 , which was led by 6’5 Leon (Pod) Hill and 6’2” Charlie Lynch who were both 1^st team all-state and later starred at Texas Tech.  1955 was a watershed moment for both finalists as Dickinson would never again reach the state final while Buna won its first of seven state titles in nine years (1955-1973) and had a 271-27 record in those nine years.  Buna has won seven state championships (1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963) thru 2006.  The Cougars won 58 straight games from 1951-53 & 66 straight games from 1955-57.  Buna won 126 consecutive district games from 1952-1963 and 15 straight state tournament games from 1954-1963. Buna was coached by M.N. “Cotton” Robinson (1948-1963) in all of its seven state championships—a state record.  Robinson played at Southwestern LA in 1946-47 and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.  The Buna dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Dickinson made its only appearance in a state final in 1955.

The 1955 Buna players were:  (28) 5’10” So Jerry Buckner; (27) 6’3” Jr Robert Goins; (43) 5’10” Sr John Ed Hargroves; (42) 5’11” Sr Donald Hillin;  (51) 6’1” Jr Billy Holland; (24) 6’2” So James Lamb; (22) 6’1” Jr James Mellard; (29) 5’9” Jr John Rich; (44) 5’11” Sr Delman Rogers; (25) 5’10” So Don Stanley; (26) 5’10” So Pat Stanley; (41) 5’9” So Jerry Smith; (40) 5’8” Sr Jackie Swearingen; & (20) 6’0” So Revis Whitmire.  Buna was led in the final by 5’11” Sr Delman Rogers with 15,  5’8” Sr Jackie Swearingen with 12 and all-state 6’1” Jr James Mellard with 10.  Wayne Williams led Dickinson in the final with 20 points.  Mellard was the top scorer in the semi-final with 15 while 5’11” Sr Donald Hillin had 12 & Rogers, 10.  David Pannel led Plano with 16 points.  Mellard scored 46 points for the two games at state while 5’10” So Pat Stanley had 31. 

The 1955 All State Tournament Team included Delman Rogers, James Mellard and Jackie Swearingen of Buna; Charles Lynch and Leon Hill of Sudan; and Wayne Williams of Dickinson.  Leon Hill and Charlie Lynch led Sudan to 3^rd place at state and were later stars at TX Tech.  Both Hill and Lynch were 1st team all-state in 1955 (no Buna player was named all-state in 1955).  James Mellard was 1^st team all-state as a Sr in 1956 & later played at Lamar.  The twins Pat & Don Stanley were sophs in 1955 and both were 1st team all-state in 1957.  They later played at Kilgore College (where they won a national JC title) and at Texas A&M.   Don Stanley & Pat Stanley are both members of the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.  James Mellard later played at Lamar and became an English Prof at N. IL U.  John Rich became a H.S. basketball coach; Jerry Smith, assist. Supt. at Buna; Delman Rogers, a Baptist minister; John Ed Hargroves, a rodeo clown; and David Hillin, director of Buna hospital.    

 Seminole defeated San Marcos, 50-49, in the final & Atlanta, 60-52, in the semi-final at the state tournament.    The Indians qualified for state for the first time with playoff wins over Abernathy, 65-52, and Childress, 60-54, and finished the year at 23-5.  Seminole, without a senior in the starting line-up and after winning its district for the first time in school history, entered the state tournament as an underdog but the fast-breaking Indians “outhustled” and “out-shot” (48% of FGs) Atlanta in its semi-final win.  The Indians led most of the way in the final and the score was tied at 49-49 with 15 seconds left when the Edwin Young made a FT to give Seminole a one-point lead.  The Rattlers’ Bobby Caruthers missed a 20-ft shot with 10 seconds left to give Seminole the victory as Seminole finished the year at 23-5 and San Marcos at 30-3.  

Seminole won the 1955 state title in its first appearance at the state tournament and won its second title in 1979.  The Indians lost in the finals in 1957 (to Buna), 1963 (to Clear Creek) and in 1999 (to Mexia).  Leland Caffey, a member of the 1955 Seminole championship team was the coach of the 1979 Seminole championship team.  The 1955 Seminole championship coach was Metz LaFollete of WTSU.  Finalist San Marcos won state titles in 1940 & 1965 and lost in the 1955 final in its three appearances in the state finals. 

The 1955 Seminole players were:  (10) 5’9” So Leland Caffey; (11) 5’11” So Donnie Wilson; (12) 5’9” Sr Lin Beavers; (13) 6’1” Jr Allen Burke; (14) 6’1” Jr Bill Burnett; (15) 5’11” Jr Johnny Speer; (16) 5’6” Jr Rupert Combs; (17) 5’7” So Bobby Bingham; (18) 5’10” Jr Ronnie White; (19) 5’9” Sr Jones Daugherty; (20) 6’3” Jr Edwin Young; & (21) 5’10” Jr Harry Walker.  Seminole was led in the final by 5’11” Jr Johnny Speer with 17 points followed by 6’3” Jr Edwin Young with 14.  Speer, Young and 6’1” Jr Bill Burnet were the top Indian rebounders.  Delmer Ottmers led San Marcos with 13.  Young led the Indians in scoring in the semi-final with 24 points while 5’9” Leland Caffey and 5’9” Sr Jones Daugherty each had 8.  Johnny Haynes led Atlanta with 20 points.  

The 1955 2A All State Tournament Team included Johnny Speer and Edwin Young of Seminole; John E. Fite and Johnny Haynes of Atlanta; and Bobby Caruthers of San Marcos.  No Seminole player was named all-state in 1955 But Edwin Young was named 2nd team all-state in 1956.  Atlanta's Fite was named 3rd team and and Marcos' Caruthers was named to the 2nd team in 1955.  Don Meredith of Mt. Vernon (later Dallas Cowboy QB) was also 1st team all-state in 1955 & 1956.

The 1955 Seminole team was an “Honor Team” at the 1981 state tournament.  The UIL listed the following updates:  Don Wilson (marketing manager of computer Co.) in Midland; Jones Daugherty (analyst for Vought Corp) in Dallas; Bobby Bingham (buyer for steel Co) in Midland; Leland Caffey (basketball coach) in Seminole; Allen Burke (agent for AllState Insurance) in Amarillo; John Speer (Cadillac salesman) in Lubbock; Edwin Young (physical therapist) in Dallas; Bill Burnett (VP of Nuclear Pacific) in Seattle; Charles Benson (school Supt.) in El Paso; and Coach Metz LaFollette (H.S. Principal) in Carthage. 

 Victoria defeated Beaumont French, 60-51, in the final & Kilgore, 80-56, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Stingarees qualified for state for the 3^rd time (1945, 1946, 1955) with two wins over Harlingen in the regional.  Victoria had a 12-point lead in the third quarter and cruised to victory in the final as they shot 34% to 28% by French.  The Stingarees finished the year at 29-4. 

The 1955 title is the only state championship in school history though Victoria did make the final in 1992, losing to Longview.  Jack E. Cook of SFA was the coach of the 1955 championship team.  French made the state finals four times (1943, 1949, 1955 & 1956) but never won a state title. 

The 1955 Stingaree players were: (32) 5’8” Sr Kenneth Pickett; (33) 6’4” Sr Larry Roach; (34) 6’8” Sr John Moore; (35) 5’11” Sr Jack Martin; (42) 6’0” Sr Bruce Hammonds; (43) 5’9” Sr Garland Braun; (44) 5’11” Jr Harlon Gerhold; (45) 6’0” Sr Bill Kelly; (52) 5’10” Sammy Jordan; (53) 6’0” Sr Neil Swisher; (54) 6’0” Jr James Redding; & (55) 5’11” Sr Terry McCall. 

6’8” Sr John Moore led Victoria in scoring in the final with 16 points; 6’0” Sr Neil Swisher had 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds; and 5’8” Sr Kenneth Pickett had 11 points.  Brenton Hughes led French in scoring with 17 while Charles Williams had 16.  Swisher scored 29 points in the semi-final win over Kilgore while 6’4” Sr Larry Roach added 18 and Moore, 16.  Buddy Humphrey led Kilgore with 28 points.  Humphrey later played QB at Baylor and in the NFL (1959-1966 for Rams, Cowboys, Cardinals & Oilers).   

The 1955 3-A All State Tournament Team included Neil Swisher and Larry Roach of Victoria; Brenton Hughes and Charles Williams of French; and Buddy Humphrey of Kilgore.  Sr Neil Swisher (1953-55) was 1^st team all-state in 1955; later played at Texas A&M; and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.  Swisher still ranks 2^nd all-time in career FT % for the Aggies at 82% in 1956-59.   Buddy Humphrey was named 3rd team all-state in 1955 and Brenton Hughes was named 2nd team all-state.

The 1955 Stingarees were the “Honor Team” at the 1981 state tournament where the UIL listed the following updates for team members:  Bruce Hammonds (mechanic for DuPont) in Beaumont; Kenneth Pickett (Univ. Computing) in Dallas; Harlon Gerhold (P.E. instructor at Victoria College); Sam Jordan (banker) in Edna; Jack Martin (branch manager) in Beaumont; Garland Braun (sales rep for Alamo Athletics) in Conroe; James Redding (attorney) in Austin; Bill Kelly (Union Carbide) in Victoria; John Moore (attorney) in Mineral Wells; Terry McCall )Pres of McCall Industries) in Houston; Neil Swisher (owner of TX Machine Works) in Longview; Coach Jack E. Cook (Ath Dir of Victoria I.S.D.). 

 Dallas Crozier Tech defeated Waco, 57-55, in the final & Beaumont, 58-56, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Wolves qualified for state for the 12^th time with 2 regional wins over FW Poly.  Crozier Tech won both its semi-final and final in the last seconds to win its third state championship and finished with a 28-1 season record (losing only to Don Meredith's Mt. Vernon team in the Dr Pepper Tournament).  Tech won the semi-final over Beaumont after coming from behind to tie score and winning with a 20-ft. jump shot by Albert Brown as the final gun sounded.  The Wolves won the final over Waco with a 15-shot jump shot from the key by 6’9” A.C. Black.  The game had been tied 15 times before Waco’s Reagan Chaney tied the game (55-55) on a lay-up at 1:15.  Waco tried to hold the ball for a last shot but Charlie Pack’s jumper from the FT line with 30 seconds left missed and A.C. Black rebounded and then hit a jump shot with seconds left.  Waco tried a desperation shot at the buzzer which missed.

Crozier Tech has made five appearances in the state finals winning three state titles---in 1946, 1948 & 1955 and losing in the finals in 1950 to Milby and in 1954 to Pampa.  E.O. “Doc” Hayes, a member of the TX Sports Hall of Fame, was the 1946 Crozier Tech championship coach while James “Rosy” Adkisson of SMU was the championship coach in 1948 & 1955.  

Waco was making its only appearance in the finals thru 2006. 

The 1955 Crozier Tech players were:  (8) 5’9” So William Sweeney; (23) 5’11” Sr Coleman Shinn; (15) 5’6” Jr Ronald Branch; (16) 5’8” Jr Herman Burton; (17) 5’9” So Tommy Cheek; (18) 5’8” Jr Cleo Haddock; (19) 6’0” Jr Wesley Jones; (20) 5’8” Jr Harold Steadman; (21) 6’1” So Douglas Denman; (22) 6’3” Sr Albert Brown; (24) 6’5” Jr Donald Williams; & (26) 6’9” Jr A.C. Black.  The Wolves were led in the final by 6’9” Jr A.C. Black with 28 points & 18 rebounds; 5’8” Jr Herman Burton with 11 points; & 5’8” Jr Cleo Haddock with 8.  5’8” Charlie Pack led Waco with 18.  Black also led the Tech in the semi-final with 19 points and 6’3” Sr Albert Brown had 15 including the winning shot.   

The 1955 4-A All State Tournament Team included A.C. Black of Crozier Tech; E. Jay McIlvain of Pampa; Charlie Pack and Kenneth Brunson of Waco; & Wayne Wedgeworth of Beaumont.   The 4-A all-state team included Tech’s A.C. Black; Charlie Pack of Waco; Gary Griffin of Pampa; and Gerald Myers (later Texas Tech star & athletic director) of Borger.  McIlvain was named 2nd team all-state.

The 1955 champions were an “Honor Team” at the 1981 state tournament where the UIL listed the following updates on team members:  Herman Burton (engineer) in Friendswood; Coleman Shinn (salesman) in SA; Cleo Haddock (salesman) in Garland; Tommy Cheek (salesman) in Tyler; Harold Steadman (salesman) in Dallas;  Wesley Jones (salesman) in Dallas; Albert Brown (C.P.A.) in CA; Don Williams (U.S. Army) in Killeen; A.C. Black (salesman) in Shreveport; Ronald Branch (salesman) in Carrollton; and Coach James Adkisson (retired) in Jewett.

 Pollok Central defeated Krum, 74-68, in the final; Avoca, 53-48, in the semi-final; & Gruver, 69-56, in the 1^st round at state tournament.  The Bull Dogs qualified for state with regional wins over Big Sandy, Fannett and Bedias.  The win over Big Sandy was a huge upset as the perennial power Wildcats made the state finals in 8 of 10 years from 1949-1958.  Central’s semi-final victory over defending champion Avoca was noteworthy in that Avoca was led by Sr  Max Williams who was an all-time TX great but fouled out with a minute left.   Central out shot (48%-32%) and out rebounded (43-35) Krum in the 6-point win in the final. 

Pollok Central, which finished the year at 45-4, won the 1956 title in the school’s only appearance in a state final thru 2006.  By contrast finalist Krum has won five state championships (1971, 1978, 1994, 1996 & 1998) and lost in the final four times (1956, 1967, 1979, and 1992).  The 1956 Central championship coach was J.G. Hobson of SFA who won also won a state championship at Maydelle in 1948. 

The 1956 Pollok Central players were:  (55) 6’2” Jr Frank Smith; (54) 6’0” Sr Alfred Jarvis; (51) 6’2” Sr Wilburn Littles; (52) 6’2” So Mac Morrison; (13) 6’0” Jr Robert Free (14) 6’1” Sr H.C. Jacobs; (10) 6’0” So Lee O. Simms; (42) 6’6” Sr Billy Simms; (50) 6’0” So Bobby Edwards; (12) 5’10” Fr Pat Allen; (41) 5’9” So James Saxton; & (15) 5’9” So Mack Redd. 

6’2” Sr Wilbert Littles led Central in the final with 18 points & 12 rebounds; 6’2” So Mac Morrison had 17 points & 7 rebounds; 6’0” Jr Robert Free, 15 points and 11 rebounds; 6’2” Jr Frank Smith with 12 points & 7 rebounds; and 6’1” Sr H.C. Jacobs with 11 points & 5 rebounds.  Sam Marshall led Krum with 21 points.  Central was led in the semi-final by Littles with 15 points & 10 rebounds and Jacobs with 12 points.  Max Williams led Avoca with 21 points.  The Bulldogs were led in the first round by Morrison with 19 points & 12 rebounds; Free with 17 points & 8 rebounds; and Littles with 12 points & 11 rebounds.  Robert Dahl led Gruver with 16 points. 

The All State Tournament Team included Wilburn Littles and Mac Morrison of Central Pollok; Bobby Young of Kyle; Ballard Hopkins of Krum; and Max Williams of Avoca.  No Central Pollok player was named all-state in 1956.

Max Williams (1953-56) was named all-state for three years and scored 3,360 points from 1953-56 ranking 5^th all-time in TX H.S. career scoring and is a member of the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.  

 Buna defeated Troup, 52-42, in the final & Deer Park, 55-39, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Cougars qualified for state with regional wins over Woodville, 88-34; Joaquin, 58-34; and Bastrop, 49-41.  Buna finished the year at 36-4 with several wins over 4A schools and cruised to a second consecutive 1-A state title with victory margins of 16 and 10 points at state.  Buna out shot (42% to 36%) Deer Park in the semi-final and closed the game with a 19-4 run in the 4^th quarter.   The Cougars shot 41% (20-49) in the final to 21% (16-52) for Troup and out rebounded the Tigers 32-24.         

The Cougars, under Coach M.N. “Cotton” Robinson, won seven state championships (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963) and compiled a record of 14-0 at the state tournament in nine years from 1955-63.  The Cougars also won 58 straight games from 1951-53 and 66 straight games from 1955-57.  Buna won 126 consecutive district games from 1952-1963.  Coach Robinson played at Southwestern LA in 1946-47 and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.  The Buna dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Buna is one of seven schools who have won the boys and girls state basketball championships in the same year---Buna in 1956, 1957 & 1961; Dallas S. Oak Cliff in 1977; Nazareth in 2002; Morton in 1987; Abernathy in 1991; Sudan in 1995; & Brock in 2002 & 2003.  Finalist Troup was making is first of six appearances in a state finals winning titles in 1992 & 1993 and finishing as runner-up in 1956, 1990, 1991 & 1994.  

The 1956 Buna players were:  (51) 5’11” Jr Jerry Buckner; (49) 6’3” Sr Robert Goins; (41) 5’11” So Jerry Goins; (38) 5’11” Jr George Jones; (48) 6’1” Sr James Mellard; (40) 5’6” So Bull Muckleroy; (44) 5’9” Sr John Rich; (42) 5’9” Jr Jerry Smith; (45) 6’1” Jr Don Stanley; (46) 6’1” Jr Pat Stanley; (54) 6’2” So Dan Stancil; (34) 5’7” So Paul Swearingen; (33) 5’7” So William Withers; & (52) 6’) Jr Revis Whitmire.   

Buna was led on the year by 6’1 Sr James Mellard who averaged 27.3 ppg on the year relying on a fade-away jump shot from the post--he was the first TX boy to use this shot.   Mellard led the Cougars in the final with 26 points while 6’1” Jr Pat Stanley added 17.  Ralph Smith and John Toole led Troup with 12 points.  The Cougars were led in the semi-final by Mellard with 20 points and Don Stanley with 14.  Wilbert Bigott led Deer Park with 14.  Mellard was named 1st team all-state in 1956.

The All State Tournament Team included James Mellard and Pat Stanley of Buna; Wilbert Bigott and Franklin McLean of Deer Park and John Toole of Troup.  Don Stanley was honorable mention.  Mellard was named 1^st team all-state.  Pat and Don Stanley played at Tyler J.C. (where they won a national JC title) and at TX A&M.  Both Don & Pat Stanley are members of the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.  Pat and Don Stanley were later executives in the oil equipment business.  James Mellard played at Lamar and was a Prof of English for over 30 years at N. IL U.  Dan Stancil played at SHSU.  Bull Muckleroy owns an auction barn in Kirbyville. 

 Jacksonville defeated Phillips, 70-68, in the final & Waxahachie, 81-68, in the semi-final at the state tournament.   The Fighting Indians qualified for state with regional wins over Livingston, 75-63; Athens, 71-61; and Mt. Vernon, 64-63.  Don Meredith (later an SMU All-American and Dallas Cowboy QB), a 3-time all-stater averaging 24.0 ppg, fouled out with 2:30 to play in the regional final with his Mt. Vernon team  leading Jacksonville by one point.  The Indians' 6'6" all-stater Johnny Johnson made a FG with seconds remaining for a one-point win sending Jacksonville to the state tournament.

 In the state final Jacksonville was leading by two-points with only seconds remaining when Phillips missed a shot which was rebounded by James Cone as time expired.  The Indians had a large rebounding edge with 6’6 Johnny Johnston & 6’3” James Cone who combined for 38 rebounds.  Jacksonville finished the year at 34-2 with its only losses to Milby and Lufkin.    

The 1956 championship game marked the only time that either Jacksonville or Phillips played in a state final thru 2006.  The 1956 Jacksonville championship coach was Bill Ingram  (1947-1975) of ETSU who later won three state titles (1972, 1973 & 1975) at LaPoynor.   Ingram is tied for 3^rd all-time in number of state titles won(4) by a TX H.S. coach with only Buna’s Cotton Robinson (with 7) and Snook’s Donnie Victorick (with 5) with more coaching state championships. 

The 1956 Jacksonville players were:  (34) 6’6” Sr Johnny Johnston; (23) 6’3” Sr James Cone; (33) 6’1” Sr Marshall Harris; (24) 6’0” Sr James Brightwell; (32) 5’4” Sr Ted Thompson; (22) 6’0” Sr Mike Cone; (35) 5’10” Sr Richard Myers; (31) 5’9” Sr Larry Stirling; (21) 5’10” Jr Barnett Pate; & (25) 6’1” So Ronnie Lawson.                            

Jacksonville was led in the final by 6’6” Sr Johnny Johnston with 29 points, 6’3” Sr James Cone with 23, 6’1” Sr Marshall Harris with 8; 5’4” Sr Ted Thompson with 6; and 5’10” Jr Barnett Pate with 4 (only five players scored).  Carl Mitchell led Phillips with 25 points.  In the semi-final Cone had 28 points; Pate, 18; Harris, 16; and Johnston, 11.    Mark Wollard led Waxahachie with 20 points.   

The All State Tournament Team included Johnny Johnson and James Cone of Jacksonville; Carl Mitchell of Phillips; and James Davis & Paul Blanchard of Webster.  Johnny Johnston of Jacksonville was 1^st team all-state in 1956 along with Mt. Vernon’s Don Meredith (later SMU and Dallas Cowboy star) and Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey (later UT QB).  James Cone was 3^rd team all-state in 1956.  Johnny Johnson later played at Tyler JC and Lamar Tech; Jacksonville’s James Cone, 3^rd team all-state in 1956, played at Lon Morris and Midwestern; and Marshall Harris played FB at TCU.  Also, Phillips' Carl Mitchell and Webster's Paul Blanchard were named 3rd team all-state in 1956.

Amarillo Palo Duro defeated Beaumont French, 59-51, in the final & Marshall, 66-47,  in the semi-final at the state tournament.    The Dons qualified for state with two victories of Grand Prairie and finished the year at 26-3.  Palo Duro shot 43% from the field in their 19-point semi-final win and “pulled away in the third period and eased” to an 8-point victory in the final against French.         

Palo Duro was a new high school in 1956 and won the state title in its first year of existence.  The school lost to Houston Austin in the 4-A final in 1961 and these two appearances in the final were the only ones in school history thru 2006.  French has never won a state title but has appeared in the finals four times (1943, 1949, 1955 & 1956).  Tom Gilley of Tyler JC and TX Tech, was the 1956 Palo Duro championship coach. 

The 1956 Palo Duro players were:  (10) 6’4” Sr Gene Arrington; (11) 6’7” Sr Robert Hover; (12) 5’10” Jr Dusty Ham; (13) 6’2” Sr Robert Echols; (14) 5’11” Jr Don Beck; (15) 5’10” So Paul Hyatt; (18) 5’11” Jr Warren Hunkapiller; (20) 6’0” Sr David Stafford; (22) 6’1” So Don Whittenburg; (23) 6’0” So Leo Brittain; (29) 6’3” Jr Charley Summers; & (33) 6’5 Sr Jimmy Reid.  

The 1956 Palo Duro team was led on the year by 6’4” Sr Gene Arrington at 22 ppg and was led in the final by 6’2” Sr Robert Echols with 19 points, 6’7” Sr Robert Hover with 14 and  Arrington with 11 while Bobby Courville led French with 14.   Hover led the Dons in the semi-final with 22 points, Arrington had 17 and Echols, 16. 

The 1956 All State Tournament Team included Gene Arrington and Robert Hover of Palo Duro; Bobby Courvile and David Reynard of French; and Johnny Bourg of Harlingen.  Arrington was named to the 1956 3-A all-state team (along with Jay Arnette of McCallum who played at UT and for the U.S. Olympic team) and later played at Texas Tech.   Jim Reid, a starter on the 1956 Palo Duro championship team, became a successful H.S. coach winning state titles at Kerrville Tivy, Dumas and Ingram Moore. 

Laredo defeated North Dallas, 65-54, in the final & Houston Milby, 65-53, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Tigers qualified for state (for the first time since 1924) by defeating Wichita Falls in 2 games for the regional title and finished the year at 27-6.  Laredo was given little chance of winning the 1956 state tournament but utilized its speed and a combination of ball control and run-and-shoot offense under Coach Bill Batey to engineer two upsets—over Milby and No. 1 ranked North Dallas in the first televised final.   The Tigers “riddled” Milby’s full court press in the semi-final with a “run and shoot” offense but then “outfoxed” North Dallas in the final by abandoning its fast breaking style for a  “shoot and stall” offense.  The Tigers used “uncanny” shooting in the final (while N. Dallas hit only 29%) and an “an amazing demonstration of ball handling put on by bull-like Andy Santos” who “dribbled in and out of the futilely-grabbing Bulldogs” like the Globetrotters’ Marques Haynes to stall thru the 4^th quarter. 

Laredo and North Dallas made their only appearance in a state final thru 2006 in the 1956 championship game.  The 1956 Laredo championship coach was Bill Batey of TX A&M.

The 1956 Laredo players were:  (22) 5’7” Jr Enrique Mejia; (23) 5’8” Jr Augustin Molina; (24) 5’6” Sr Ramiro Hernandez; (25) 5’9” Sr Hector Chacon; (32) 6’0” Sr Phillip Tramel; (33) 5’9” Sr Pitin Guajardo; (34) 5’10” Sr Leonard Anderson; (35) 6’3” Sr Willie Dickenson; (52) 5’6” So Jimmy Rodriguez; (54)  5’’5” Jr Isidro Garcia; (55) 5’10” Jr Cruz Soto; & (57) 6’0” Sr Capt. Andy Santos.  (The tallest Tiger was 6’3” with two others at 6’0”)                  

 Laredo was led on the year by 6’0” Sr Phillip Trammel (17 ppg) who was named 1^st team all-state in 1956 while Milby’s 6’0” Sr Frank Portilla was named to the 2nd team and 6’1” Sr Bobby Smith of North Dallas was 3^rd team.  The Tigers were led in the final by Trammel with 28 points, 5’6” Sr Ramiro Hernandez with 17 points and by 6’0” Sr Andy Santos’ great ball handling.  Trammel also led Laredo in the semi-final with 19 points and Santos added 12.  Frank Portilla led Milby with 20.   

The All State Tournament Team included Phillip Tramel and Andy Santos of Laredo; Allen Harris and Bobby Smith of North Dallas; and Frank Portilla of Milby.  Laredo’s Mamiro Hernandez and Leonard Anderson were honorable mention.

 Big Sandy defeated Meadow, 80-59, in the final; Kyle, 65-57, in the semi-final; & Gilmer East Mountain 44-43, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  The Wildcats qualified for state for the 7^th time with regional wins over Lovelady, Deweyville, Bedias & Pattison.  Big Sandy ended a bittersweet season with its second state title as Coach Ford King lost his wife to cancer during the season and he and his son, Ford King, Jr, one of the team’s top players, missed several weeks.  The Wildcats escaped in the first round with a one-point victory over East Mountain which had upset Cayuga in the regional final in a classic “stall” game that ended 8-6 after a 3^rd sudden death OT.  East Mountain led by one-point after a 3-point play with 14 seconds left but the Wildcats made a long pass to Edwin Battise who made a lay-up at the buzzer.  Big Sandy led Kyle in the semi-final by 14 before a Kyle rally fell short at the end.  The Wildcats then blew out Meadow by 21 points in the final.  Big Sandy finished the year at 35-12. 

Coach Ford King, Sr, of SFA led the Big Sandy Wildcats to the state finals 8 times (1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958) in his 10 years winning championships in 1952 & 1957.  Big Sandy lost finals to Cayuga (3 times), Martin’s Mill, Avoca, & Blossom.  The Wildcats made the finals each year they made the state tournament from 1949-1958.  Big Sandy also lost in the finals in 1988 & 2008. The 1957 finals appearance by Meadow was the only one in school history thru 2006.  The Big Sandy team was made up of Indians from the Alabama and Coushatta Indian reservation plus his son, Ford King, Jr, in 1956-58.  The entire reservation supported the team and their road supporters included Indians in traditional attire. 

The 1957 Big Sandy players were:  (8) 5’9” So Talmadge Bailey; (7) 6’2” Sr Delvis Battise; (17) 6’0” Jr Edwin Battise; (14) 5’9” So Herman Battise; (3 ) 5’10” So McClamrock Battise; (6) 6’2” Sr Ed Celestine; (68) 5’11” Fr Melvin Collins; (4) 6’l1” Jr Johnny Dillon; (5) 6’1” Jr Ford King, Jr; (16) 5’11” Sr Freeman Kropik; (9) 5’10” Sr Haskell Sylestine; (15) 5’9” Jr Melvin (“Buddie”) Wiggins; (50) 5’10” Fr Brown Thompson; & (13) 5’11” Sr Oscar Williams.  Big Sandy was led on the year by 1^st team Class B all-state 5’11” Sr Oscar Williams.  Williams scored 31 points in the final breaking the Class B championship game scoring record of 29 points set by his brother, Milton Williams, in 1952.  The Wildcats other top scorers in the final were 6’2” Sr Ed Celestine with 18, 6’0” Jr Edwin Battise with 11 and 6’1” Jr Ford King, Jr with 10.  Bell led Meadow with 24.  Celestine led the Wildcats in the semi-final with 27 points and King had 19 while Donnie Schmeltekopf led Kyle with 23.  The 1957 Conf B All State Tournament Team included Oscar Williams and Eddie Celestine of Big Sandy; Gilbert Bell of Meadow; Donnie Schmeltekopf of Kyle; and Burl Ray Butler of Everman. 

Ford King Jr later became a coach & was supt. at Woden for 30 years; Talmadge Bailey, an air traffic controller; Ed Celestine, a teacher/coach; and Freeman Kropik, AT&T.

 White Oak defeated McGregor, 66-51, in the final & Three Rivers, 68-55, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Roughnecks defeated Quitman in bi-district and James Bowie, 64-43, Cooper, 40-29, and Holliday, 51-41, in the regional to qualify for state.   White Oak finished the year at 31-4.  White Oak shot 45% from the field and out rebounded ((40-23) Three Rivers for a 13-point win in the semi-final and then cruised past McGregor with a 14-point win in the final.

White Oak won state titles in 1953 & 1957 in the school’s only two appearances in a state final thru 2006.  McGregor made its only appearance in a state final in 1957.  The White Oak championship coach in both 1953 & 1957 was Emil Hanicak.  White Oak was the State 1A football co-champ in Dec. of 1957 and state 1A basketball champ in March of 1957. 

The 1957 White Oak players were:  20 Mike Cobb, 6’1”;  21 Dewayne Bruce, 5’ 11”; 25 David Alexander, 6’2”; 19 Lowell Phillips, 6’0”; 12 Bob Wayt, 5’10”; 26 Gene King, 5’10”; 24 Eugene Vaughn, 6’0”; 27 Joe Bolt, 5’7”; 15 Gene Gary, 5’10”;  22 Jerry Davis, 6’0”; 17 Jimmie Cox, 5’11”; 16 Bill Trent, 5’8”; & 28 Roy Bruce, 5’8”.  

6’2” Jr David Alexander led White Oak in the final with 23 points & 12 rebounds, Mike Cobb had 16 points & 12 rebounds, and Dewayne Bruce had 15 points.  Douglas Stone and Burton Cash led finalist McGregor with 17 each.  Cobb led the Roughnecks in the semi-final with 22 points and 19 rebounds while Alexander scored 20 points and Bob Wayt, 10.  Bobby Gurwitz led Three Rivers with 21 points. 

The 1957 1A All State Tournament Team included David Alexander and Mike Cobb of White Oak; Bobby Gurwitz of Three Rivers; Jim Bevers of Ropesville; and Milton Bond of McGregor.   Three Rivers’ 5’11” Sr Bobby Gurwitz  (20 ppg) was 1^st team all-state in 1957 and McGregor’s 6’4” Sr Milton Bond (17 ppg) was 2^nd team all-state in 1957.  White Oak’s Jr David Alexander was all-state in 1958 (with 20.5 ppg) and So Jimmy Cox of White Oak was all-state as Sr in 1959.  Alexander & Mike Cobb played FB at Baylor; Lowell Phillips played FB at SMU; Bob Wayt played FB at Rice; Roy Bruce & Jerry Davis played FB at TCU; & Gene King played baseball/FB at Paris JC.

The White Oak gym displays state championship banners for 1953 & 1957 and a trophy case displays the trophies and team photos. 

Buna defeated Seminole, 74-45, in the final & Webster/Clear Creek, 64-40, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Cougars qualified for state for 4^th time with regional wins over Cy-Fair, Rockdale and Marlin.  Buna was undefeated on the year at 40-0 and won its third consecutive state championship.  Many consider the 1957 Buna team, led by twins Don and Pat Stanley, to be the greatest team in TX H.S. history as the 2-A Cougars defeated the 4-A champion, Port Arthur, twice (51-42 & 50-45) during the year and cruised thru the state tournament with 24 and 29 point victory margins.    

Buna has won seven state championships (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963) and won 58 straight games from 1951-53 & 66 straight games from 1955-57.  Buna won 126 consecutive district games from 1952-1963 and 15 straight state tournament games from 1954-1963.  The Cougars won 58 straight games from 1951-53 & 66 straight games from 1955-57.  Buna won 126  consecutive district games from 1952-1963 and 15 straight state tournament games from 1954-1963.  Buna was coached by M.N. “Cotton” Robinson (1948-1963) in all of its seven state championships—a state record.  Robinson played at Southwestern LA in 1946-47 and was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.  The Buna dynasty is chronicled in Harold Ratliff’s 1976 book, Texas Boys Basketball: A History, published by the U.I.L.  Buna is one of seven schools who have won the boys and girls state basketball championships in the same year---Buna in 1956, 1957 & 1961; Dallas S. Oak Cliff in 1977; Nazareth in 2002; Morton in 1987; Abernathy in 1991; Sudan in 1995; & Brock in 2002 & 2003.  Seminole made five appearances in the state finals winning state titles in 1955 & 1979. 

The 1957 Buna players were:  (42) 5’11” So Charles Simmons; (43) 5’11” So Herman Davis; (44) 5’11” Jr Jerry Goins; (60) 5’6” Jr Robert Muckleroy; (61) 5’9” Jr William Withers; (62) 5’8” Jr Paul Swearingen; (63) 5’10” Sr Jerry Smith; (64) 5’11” Sr Jerry Buckner; (65) 6’2” Sr Don Stanley; (66) 5’11” So Jimmy Cobb; (67) 6’2” Sr Pat Stanley; (68) 6’3” Jr Dan Stancil; & (69) 6’1” Sr Revis Whitmire.   

Buna was led on the year by the twins, 6’4” Sr Pat Stanley (21.2 ppg) and 6’4” Sr Don Stanley  (18.8 ppg) who were both named 1^st team all-state in 1957 along with James Davis of Clear Creek (Webster).   Buna was led in the semi-final by Pat Stanley with 36 points. In the final Don Stanley scored 51 points to break the state record held by Russell Boone at 50.  Seminole was led by Leland Caffey and Archie English with 10 points each.  Don Stanley made 20 of 27 FGs and 11 FTs in the record performance.  That record still stood in 2006 as the most points in any game and in a championship game at the state tournament.   

The 2A All State Tournament Team included Pat and Don Stanley of Buna; James Davis and Robert Brown of Clear Creek; and Donnie Wilson of Seminole.   The Stanley twins played on a national championship team in 1958 at Tyler J.C. and at Texas A&M where both twins were all-SWC as seniors?   Don Stanley (1953-57) was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983 and his brother, Pat, in 2007.  Pat and Don Stanley were later executives in the oil equipment business.  Bull Muckleroy owns an auction barn in Kirbyville.  

Houston Smiley defeated Pecos, 52-35, in the final & San Antonio Edison, 54-53, in the semi-final at the state tournament.  The Eagles qualified for state with regional wins over Killeen, 49-38, and Bay City, 68-47.   The Golden Eagles’ one-point win over Edison in the semi-finals came on two FGs by Lewis Qualls in the final minute.  Smiley led by 20 points at the half of the final as Pecos shot only 11% in the first half and could not mount a 2^nd half rally.   The Smiley-Pecos final will be remembered for the dominance of Smiley’s 7’1” So Lewis Qualls and for the first black player in the history of the tournament—Ira Ephriam of Pecos.  Smiley finished the year at 32-7. 

Smiley and Pecos were both making their first appearance in the state tournament.  Smiley won a second title in its only other time in the state final in 1959 with Sr Lewis Qualls.  Pecos never again (thru 2006) made the final.  Herbert T. Beard of OK A&M and East Central State was the coach of the 1957 & 1959 Smiley title teams.  

The 1957 Smiley players were:  (49) 6’6” Sr Jerry Graham; (45) 5’10” Sr Dick Beard; (42) 6’3” Sr Leo Runnels; (40) 6’3” Jr J.B. Watson; (48) 7’1” So  Lewis Qualls; (46) 6’5” Sr Joe Helton; (44) 6’2” Sr David Grayson; (41) 6’1” So Sammy Knight; (47) 6’0” Jr Jimmie Emerson; (51) 5’11” Jr Boyce Holland; (53) 6’4” So Earl Cowart; (54) 6’0” So Ronnie Irvin; (52) 5’11” Jr Keith Taylor; & (50) 6’1” Jr Maurice Moore. 

Smiley was led in the final by 7’1” So Lewis Qualls with 23 points & 15 rebounds and 6’3” Jr J.B. Watson with 11 points while Pecos was led by Ira Ephriam with 12 and Billy Jim Simmons with 9.   Qualls also led Smiley in the semi-final with 19 points & 12 rebounds and 6’3” Sr Leo Runnels added 13 points & 11 rebounds.  Bill McLaughlin scored 13 for Edison. 

The 1957 All State Tournament Team included Lewis Qualls and Leo Runnels of Smiley;  Billy Simmons and Ira Ephriam of Pecos; Bill McLaughlin and Jimmy Hammell of Edison; and Monroe Brewer of Nacogdoches.  Smiley’s 7’1” So Lewis Qualls (1957-59) was 2^nd team all-state as a Jr in 1958 and 1^st team all-state as a Sr in 1959, and later played at TX A&M.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.  6’3” Sr Billy Jim Simmons of Pecos (22.4 ppg) was named 1^st team all-state in 1957 and Ira Ephriam of Pecos was named to the 3rd team.

Port Arthur defeated Pampa, 67-51, in the final & Dallas Highland Park, 68-58, in the semi-final at the state tournament.   The Yellow Jackets qualified for state for the 3^rd time with regional wins over Milby, 45-43, and Galena Park, 39-37.  Port Arthur finished the year at 34-4 with two of its losses being to 2-A champ Buna.   PA shot 55% from the field in the10-point semi-final win and shot 45% in the final against 28-2 Pampa “to go with their cautious, near perfect control of the ball.”  The “tall, smooth” Yellowjackets won with “finesse.” 

The Yellow Jackets won their first and only state championship under Coach Pete Pense of  the U. of Arkansas and lost in the finals the next year to Pampa in the school’s only other appearance in a state final.  Finalist Pampa lost in a final for the only time in 1957 as the Harvesters won five state titles in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959 & 1996.                                     

The 1957 Port Arthur Thomas Jefferson Yellow Jacket players were:  (21) 5’10” Jr Gilbert Castro; (22) 5’10” Sr Johnny Norris; (23) 5’10” Jr Walter Sharp; (25) 5’11” Jr Ronnie Stanley; (26) 6’0” Sr James LaSalle; (27) 6’1” Sr Jerry Franklin; (28) 6’2” Sr James Sharp; (29) 6’2” Sr James Woollen; (32) 6’0” Don Campbell; (33) 6’3” Jr Carroll Broussard; (55) 6’5” Sr Gene Best; & (77) 6’5” Jr Brooks Porter.   

The Yellow Jackets were led in the final by 6’3” Jr Carroll Broussard and 6’1” Sr Jerry Franklin each with  22 points while Sam Condo led Pampa with 15.    Pampa was led in the semi-final by Broussard with 18 points & 11 rebounds;  5’10” Jr Walter Sharp with 17 points and 8 rebounds; 6’2” Sr James Woolen with 13 points; and Franklin with 12.  Steve Strange led HP with 26 points.  

The 1957 4-A All State Tournament Team included Carroll Broussard, Jerry Franklin and Walter Sharp of Port Arthur; Sam Condo of Pampa; and Steve Strange of Highland Park.  6’7” Sr Steve Strange of Dallas Highland Park (22 ppg) was 1^st team all-state in 1957 while Port Arthur's James Sharp was named to the 2nd team. 

Port Arthur was led by 6’5” Jr Carroll Broussard who was all-state as a Sr in 1958 and later was a three-time all-SWC and two-time All-American for TX A&M.  He was elected to the TX H.S. Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1975 Broussard was voted to the all-time SWC Team (2^nd team).  PA’s Gene Best and Jerry Franklin played at SHSU and James Sharp played at Corpus Christi U.  Finalist Pampa was led by all-state Jerry Pope, the all-star game MVP at 17 ppg.  Pampa’s Coyle Winborn and Charlie Minor were Sophs in 1957 and both were all-state in 1959.  Winborn played at TX Tech.

 Blossom defeated Big Sandy, 67-61, in the final; Kyle, 62-47, in the semi-final; & Van Horn, 53-47, in the 1^st round at the state tournament.  Blossom was undefeated on the year at 39-0 and qualified for state with regional wins over Bardwell, 59-46; Midway (Henrietta), 45-42; and Gober, 77-45.   The Bulldogs rallied in the 4^th quarter for a 6-point 1^st round win over Van Horn and rallied again late in the semi-final to defeat Kyle by 15 before defeating perennial finalist Big Sandy in the final by 6 points.           

The 1958 state championship by Blossom under Coach Bill Essary was the only one in school history though Blossom did make the finals in 1944 losing the Class B title to Prairie Lea.  Finalist Big Sandy made the state finals 8 times (1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957 & 1958) in 10 years under Coach Ford King Sr winning championships in 1952 & 1957.  Big Sandy also made the finals in 1988 & 2008.  Blossom H.S. no longer exists as it merged with 3 other schools to form Prairiland H.S. 

The 1958 Blossom players were:  14 Larry Walker, 6’1” Sr; 15 MikeWalker, 6’0” Jr; 16 Jerry Skidmore, 6’0” Sr; 17 Bobby (Bulldog) Weddle, 6’2”;  18 Morris Smith, 5’11” Sr; , 19 Melvin Bryan, 6’1” Jr;  10 Gary Woodall, 6’0” Sr;  11 Ray Ham, 6’2” Sr; 12 Paul Garrett, 6’2” Jr; 13 Philip Risinger, 5’10” Jr; 6 William Watson, 5’11” Jr;  and 8 Stanley Shannon, 6’0” Jr  Blossom was led in the final by 6’1” Sr Larry Walker with 23 points; 5’11” Sr Morris Smith with 18 and 6’2” Sr Bobby Weddle with 10.   Herman Battise led finalist Big Sandy with 20.  Weddle led Blossom in the 1^st round with 17 points against Van Horn and Walker scored 25 and Weddle 12 in the semi-final. 

The 1958 Conference B All State Tournament Team included Bobby Weddle and Larry Walker of Blossom; Herman Battise and Johnny Dillon of Big Sandy; and Elbert Kirk of Cayuga.  Bobby Weddle was 1^st team all-state in 1958 while and Gary Woodall of Blossom and Ford King Jr of Big Sandy were 2^nd team all-state in 1958.  Weddle later played at Tyler J