November 9, 1978 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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November 9, 1978 |
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And the 1978 Highclimbers bow out 1-8
gl
CAPACITY CROWDS there
weren't Friday, despite the
fact that it was Shelton's
homecoming. Wind-driven
rain drenched even those in
the upper tiers. Reigning in
the rain was Queen Dani
Daniels ith Prince ses,Joan
rain on Sh el ton 's parade, 7-0
No one dared choke back
the tears.
Had they, a schnozzola
full of rainwater is all they'd
have gotten for it - and the
Shelton Highclimbers were
certainly in no mood for
levity.
Mind you, it's not that
there weren't some light
moments in Friday's 7-0
season-ending loss to the
visiting Elma Eagles.
You try playing with a
slick pigskin in a wind you
could breed guppies in and
see how many straight faces
you can find.
But nobody likes to do
so on homecoming night, and
the Highclimbers, who were
doing just that, are no
exception. At least not in
that regard. What makes
them rather exceptional is
the fact that, with the loss,
they closed with a 1-8 record
- the worst since Head
Coach Jack Stark took over
the reins ten years ago.
But the game, as was
indeed the entire season, was
hardly the stuff over which
shameful heads are bowed.
Despite field conditions
perhaps more suited to the
testing of scuba gear, each
team slogged it out in grand
fashion without allowing its
opponent to gain any sort of
advantage to speak of.
In fact, the lone scoring
drive, a whopping 27-yarder
late in the fourth period, was
as much a measure of the
weather's effect on the
contest as anything else.
Forced to punt into the
teeth of a rain-choked wind
gusting to 30 miles per hour,
the Climbers got off one of
the best into-the-gale boots
of the night.
It skittered a grand total
of seven yards from the line
of scrimmage, which had
been Shelton's own 20.
The Eagles, winners of
five games this year, went
immediately to work.
who'd completed a
remarkable three of four
passes, first tucked the ball
into the gut of sophomore
fullback Bill Swarun. Bill
squirted all the way to the
11.
Mike Green tried the
Climber middle on the next
play - and ran into precisely
the stellar defense the hosts
had parlayed with brilliance
most of the night.
But on the next play
Swarun veered to the right
when he hit the Climber wall
and before the defenders
could churn out of the mud
the Eagle had ducked into two of only three fumbles.
- Mark Morris, tloquiam, North
Elma -- Bill Swarun
the end zone.
With just under three
minutes remaining in the
season, the Climbers faced
the unenviable chore of
trying to do what neither
team had been able to do
that night - sustain a drive
of any sort into the wind.
They couldn't do it.
On the positive side of
the ledger, Shelton's tough
defensive unit forced the
visitors to fumble the ball
seven limes on the night -
and fully five times the
Climbers recovered. Shelton,
on the other hand, gave up
Top defenders for the
Climbers Friday were Jay Clark,
with seven primary tackles, two
fumble recoveries and a sack,
and Mike Wittenberg, with eight
solo stops.
Coach Jack Stark figures, for
• all its lows, the season hasn't
been one over which any of his
players should hang their heads.
"We were in every one of the
games we lost," he points out.
And, too, you've got to
remember the caliber of the
competition in the league.
"Fully five of the clubs we
played went to the state playotTs
Thurston, Centralia and Capital."
THE YARDSTICK
E S
First downs 9 4
Net yards
rushing 97 110
Net yards
passing 37 0
Total net yards 134 110
Passing att./ 4-3-0 3-0-1
C/I 7-5 3-2
Fumbles lost 2-20.0 5-17.2
Punts-avg. 6-60 5-42
Penalties-ydg. 6-60
Elma 0 0 0 7 -- 7
Shelton 0 0 0 0 -- 0
E -- Bill Zwarun 8 run
(Mike Green kick).
Individual Statistics
Rushing
15-59; Mike Green 7-24;
Mike Clark 6-17; Gary
Everson 4-12; John Antilla
10(--15).
Shelton -- Jay Swift
13-56; Todd Young 7-19;
Phil Franklin 6-15; Mike
Buechel 6-15; Willy Nutt
4-12; Mike Krumpo!s .2(-7).
Passing
Elma -- Antilla 3-4-0, 37.
Shelton -- Nutt 0-2-0;
John Weber 0-1-1.
Receiving
Elma -- Mark Elnert
1-16; Mike Hill 1-12; Rick
Shelton 1-9.
Shelton -- None.
j I
PLAYING CONDITIONS and home-team spirits declined progressively as
Friday's season-ending game wore on.
i i'
i
Freshmen share
league crown
The Highclimber freshmen
have secured their second
straight league football
co-chanapionship.
Turning back host Ehna 20-0
last Thursday, the Climbers
finished with a 4-2 record, the
Blazers
fall
short
Shelton Middle School's
eighth-grade football team lost
its final game of the season last
Wednesday against Hoquiam,
20-14. :
Hoquiam dominated Shelton
both on oflbnse and defense
during the first half. The Blazers
were held scoreless as Hoquiam
built a 14-point halftime lead.
Shelton's Curt Likes opened
the second half scoring on a
70-yard touchdown run. Likes
then ran for the extra poinl.
Hoquiam scored its third
touchdown at the end of the
third quarter to take a 20-7 lead.
Midway through the fourth
quarter Shelton had the ball on
its one-yar d line. On fourth
down, Russell Strutz lined up in
punt t'ommtion and passed to
Curt lJkes, who ran 99 yards for
a touchdown. Likes then ran in
his second extra point.
Shelhm's onside kick failed
and Hoquiam was able to run
out the clock.
The scoring leader tot the
ason was Curt IJkes, with 20
points Cameron Anderson was
second with 12 points and
rounding oul the scoring with six
points was Steve Johnson.
same as coleader Centralia.
In Thursday's season-ending
contest, the Eagles held Sheiton
scoreless until early in the third
period, when Climber Duane
Baker broke loose on a 58-yard
touchdown jatmt.
Then, all before the period
ended, Kirk Schwerzler bolted
60 yards to paydirt and then
added a 20-yard scoring run to
do all the damage Shelton
needed.
Coach Gene Crater praised
Schwerzler for an "excellent"
performance at running back for
the Climbers. I% also singled out
the defensive play of Leonard
Nelson, Duane Nault, Brent
Dehning and Baker.
Incidentally, the Climbers
had bumped cochampion
Centralia in overtime the week
before, but Crater said the
cochampion status remained
intact despite that edge.
"Actually, we don't even get
a trophy or anything," he said,
"but it kind of makes you feel
good to know you won."
DRENCHED CLIMBER drill team member Kelly Hansen
grins in spite of it all Friday as Shelton High School
climaxed another wet homecoming week.
A YARD MARKER floats by midway through Friday's season finale at
the high school. The 7-0 loss was Shelton's eighth in nine games this year.
Page 18 - Shellon-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 9, 1978
Slow clock
Ah! the ch)ck is always sh)w; it
is laler than you think.
Robert Service
HYDROPLANING JAY SWIFT, Shelton's top groundgainer Friday, goes
down in the arms of an Elma Eagle in third-quarter action as Jim Weber
(87) races up. Jay racked up 56 yards.