Franks led Masontown football to 1950 WPIAL title
Submitted photo
Masontown head football coach Gene Franks (right) works with assistant coaches John Lozar (left) and Richard Bartges during the Gunners无毛视频� 1950 WPIAL championship season.
Submitted photo
Masontown无毛视频檚 football team won the WPIAL football championship in 1950. The team was coached by Gene Franks. Team members in the first row from left: M. Tinti, R. Murphy, E. Franks, R. Burnsworth, J. Dufala, F. Vittone, C. McManns, J. Brechun, W. Griffith and H. Mahan. In the second row from left: J. Malinsky, F. Balint, V. Cobbs, D. Dunlap, T. Parnell, J. Vargo, R. Sokol, D. Kreson, A. Bulazo, R. Urbany, F. Ludrosky, C. Benford, W. Rozzi and Pete Barchetti. Third row from left: R. Jackson, R. Crowe, C. Triplett, E. Merti, R. Pento, G. McManus, A. Pastor, L. Glover, D. Havrilla, C. Chepes, J. Glova, J. Smith, L. Bergman, M. Chrin, K. Triplett and R. Glagola.
Masontown High School had some outstanding football teams under the guidance of Gene Franks.
The Gunners were a perennial power in Fayette County football.
Coming into the 1950 campaign, the Gunners had to replace five regulars and three top reserves from the 1949 squad that went 8-0-2. The two ties were against Carmichaels and German. Still, the standard at Masontown was win, win, win.
无毛视频淚f we played Notre Dame, I无毛视频檇 still expect to read in the papers that Masontown is favored,无毛视频� Franks quipped.
As the 1950 season unfolded, Masontown was viewed as a dark horse for Class B honors. The front wall was strong and stubborn, but the Gunners were not a great offensive team. Still they went on to post a record of 9-1-1.
无毛视频淲e were tough defensively,无毛视频� former Gunner Max Tinti stated. 无毛视频淲e rocked a few guys defensively.无毛视频�
Masontown was involved in some very close games during the season, including a 0-0 tie with Class A South Union in the second game of the season. That game ended with the Blue Devils stopping the Gunners无毛视频� Dick Glagola on the one-foot line on the final play of the game.
无毛视频淚 was as much at fault as anybody was,无毛视频� Glagola offered. 无毛视频淚 ran into my own player on the last play before time ran out, I just missed my hole.无毛视频�
Masontown, with a 35-man roster, withstood some injury problems throughout the season.
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 play in four games,无毛视频� Tinti said. 无毛视频淟eroy Glover got hurt, Dick Glagola got hurt, Eddie Merti got hurt, we overcame the injuries, we were a tough bunch.无毛视频�
The Gunners tallied 126 points and surrendered 26.
无毛视频淲e ran the single wing,无毛视频� Pete Barchetti said. 无毛视频淎bout 90 percent was running plays, we passed very little.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t was all teamwork,无毛视频� Tinti explained. 无毛视频淚 never heard anybody say, 无毛视频榥ice going,无毛视频� because when we scored a touchdown, 11 guys scored. It took 10 guys to get him in that end zone.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲e won because of pride,无毛视频� Glagola said.
The lone loss was to Class A German, 14-6. It was the first setback for Masontown in 25 games. They hadn无毛视频檛 lost since Point Marion edged them, 7-6, in the fourth game of the 1948 season.
无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 know what it was to lose,无毛视频� Tinti said.
无毛视频淭hat was a big rivalry,无毛视频� Barchetti recalled. 无毛视频淭hey had Buddy Ward and Jim Ford, and Happy Ford scored a touchdown for German.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲e really went at it with German,无毛视频� Glagola said. 无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 like each other.无毛视频�
The architect of Masontown无毛视频檚 success was Franks, who was entering his 17th season coaching the Gunners.
无毛视频淗is nickname, 无毛视频淭he Old Fox,无毛视频� fit him well,无毛视频� Barchetti said. 无毛视频淗e used psychology all the time and it rubbed off what he was doing. He was very personable and he really came across to the boys. He really stressed fundamentals. We did it over and over again until we did it to perfection.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗e was tough on us, but he was fair,无毛视频� Tinti said. 无毛视频淵ou would run through a brick wall for him, we loved him.无毛视频�
无毛视频淐oach Franks was tough,无毛视频� Glagola stated. 无毛视频淏ut as time went on you would run up against a stone wall for him. I know I would. We loved and respected him.无毛视频�
Following the WPIAL Gardner points system, Aspinwall, undefeated in Class B play, was awarded 139 points. Masontown finished second with 131 points, setting up a championship game showdown at Clairton. The Cavaliers came into the game as two touchdown favorites.
Things went bad for the Gunners at the beginning of the game.
无毛视频淓arly in the game Charles Chepes centered the ball back to me,无毛视频� Glagola recalled. 无毛视频淗e centered it so hard that I bent my two thumbs trying to catch the ball and it hit me in the chest and went about 25 yards in the direction we were going, but they recovered and went in for a touchdown. We played hard and we came back.无毛视频�
Masontown无毛视频檚 defense shutdown Aspinwall无毛视频檚 offense, and the Gunners tallied a second-quarter touchdown and scored again in the third quarter to notch the WPIAL Class B title with a 12-6 win. Coach Frank无毛视频檚 coaching proved to be the difference as he came up with the right call when the Gunners needed it.
无毛视频淲e ran the single wing, I was a spinning fullback,无毛视频� Tinti explained. 无毛视频淲e ran a play called 24, it was the fullback spinner. I would get the ball and fake to the halfback and go off tackle. We must have run that play 80 percent of the time against Point Marion. Coach Franks knew that Aspinwall was there watching. We played East Beth the following week and we didn无毛视频檛 run that play too much. In the championship game against Aspinwall down at Clairton, I played the week before against German Township and hurt my back again.
无毛视频淚 played three plays in the championship game, we recovered a fumble on about the 13 yard line in the third quarter. Coach sent me in and told me to run 26, which is where I gave the ball to the halfback. He said run 26 and 26 and then 45 double reverse. The first play I ran, I gave the ball to the halfback and three guys tackled me. Second play, same play and three guys tackled me. They were looking for the spinning play. Third down, I gave it to Glover, and he gave it to Joe Dufala, and Fauster Vittone pulled out and threw one block and Dufala walked into the end zone. That was the 无毛视频淥ld Fox无毛视频� and that无毛视频檚 the same play he beat that coach with in 1940.无毛视频�
It was the fifth WPIAL Championship for Masontown. They had won titles in 1937, 1940, 1945 and 1947.
无毛视频淲e were very proud that we won Masontown无毛视频檚 fifth championship.无毛视频� Barchetti said. 无毛视频淲e brought that plaque into the school and everybody was very pleased. The town really supported Gunner football.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭he town always supported us, Tinti stated. 无毛视频淲e had a great following.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Monday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.