- All Star High School Football Team -
In December 1910 after the football season was over, twenty-five followers of the Eureka High football team were asked to select the best players since Eureka started playing football in 1905. The reader should remember the descriptions and terminology have changed greatly since the early days of football. The following is the result of the canvass.
Bert Strimple, center for the 1906-1909 teams, received 19 votes. Strimple no doubt gets the place on account of his almost unerring in passing (snaps) the ball, his ability to diagnose plays and the fact that he was always breaking through the defense of the enemy and mussing up the plays. He was a tower of strength on defense and was used in backing up the line, a position in which he has not been equaled by any High School occupant of the pivotal position.
For guards, Earl Dillon received 13 votes and Harry Dillon 11, thus giving these two brothers for the positions. Both of the men selected for the guard positions were members of the stonewall line on the State championship team of 1909.
The tackle position seemed to cause the voters the most trouble, but they finally settled on Roy Mack, with 22 votes and Ray Prather 13 votes. While Ray Prather was placed at tackle, it seems to have been done so only after much consideration on the part of his admirers, many of whom thought he should be placed in the fullback position. He seemed to be a natural tackle, however, and with his great strength and his ability to block the opposing end out of line plays, the selection made seemed to be a popular one.
There seemed to have been less trouble in selecting the ends. Dick Souders was given one of the places, and it might be mentioned here that he was the only man on the team who received the unanimous vote of the contingent. Souders is a natural end, keen at diagnosing plays, a fierce tackler and one of the very best men who ever graced a high school team in breaking interference. And in this connection his ability as a punter should not be overlooked. In this department he probably excelled any man who ever wore a high school uniform. His punts were always long and well timed and were very difficult for the opposing safety to handle. He is accorded the place of kicker on this team. On the opposite wing to Souders was placed Frank Sherman, who received 17 votes for the place. Sherman’s principal asset was his fierce tackling and the fact that the opposing team very seldom, if ever, fooled him with a fake play. He worked in perfect unison with his line and was a sterling partner for Souders.
The selection of the quarterback developed the prettiest contest on the team. Rob Wakefield with 13 votes gets the place, but Robert Sherman, with 12 votes gave him a pretty fight for position. Here were two sterling team generals and to those who were acquainted with the men and their play it would necessarily be difficult to pick the better of the two, each has points in which he excels the other. Wakefield had more experience and would probably better pilot the team in a crucial test. He was good at running with the ball and a fine man to play safety and return punts. Sherman was quarterback on the championship team of 1909 and this fact alone would entitle him to a great deal of consideration. To Wakefield was also given the place of captain of the team. His coolness under fire probably gave this place. He very seldom mixed his signals and seemed to have the faculty of diagnosing the weakness of the opponent and calling his plays with unerring judgement.
Alfred Gregg, the stellar half-back on the 1905 team and Earl Redman, who occupied a similar position on the 1907-08 teams, received 16 votes each and given the two half-back positions. The distinguishing feature in the play of each of these two men was speed and ability to find a hole and slink through it for yards of gain. Gregg was the older of the two men and would probably be the harder to handle in a rough game, but Redman was also very difficult to handle and always made trouble for a tackler. On account of his superior weight, Gregg was more valuable to lead or break interference, but Redman’s general elusiveness when carrying the ball almost if not quite balanced the advantage of his older mate in other departments.
In order to fill the fullback position it was necessary to move Ray Prather to tackle. This sterling young athlete and David Johnston, fullback on the 1905 team, received 12 votes each for the center position of the backfield. With Prather eliminated it was Johnston. Prather, as stated above seemed to be a natural tackle, and Johnston was equally a natural fullback. He was heavy, fast, heady and an extreme-ly good man to head an interference. Johnston was a fullback in the old days when hurdling the line was allowed, and in this style of play the High School had never produced his equal. He was a powerful man in the off tackle plays and was always assisting the man with the ball.
With these remarks the all-high school team was thrust upon the unsuspecting public. Treat the sporting editor with all consideration and if errors have crept into the selections, remember that the followers of the game, not the sport-writer are responsible. Here was the lineup: Bert Strimple, Center, E. Dillon and H. Dillon, Guards: Roy Mack and Ray Prather, Tackles: Dick Souders and Frank Sherman, Ends: Wakefield, Quarterback and Captain: Alf Gregg and Earl Redman, Halves: “Dee” Johnston, Fullback.
(Courtesy photo)
