Texas High School Basketball Champions, 1921-2008

By 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.