The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-08-17
Had Great Ball Team
CONTINUED from page 12)

~ VI tllCA OppOIleulS. Earle
Obermeyer, coach of the great
team, saw his teams lose only
four games in three years. Shar-
ing the coach,s satisfaction In
climaxing three years of in
creasing strength with an UNI
defeated eleven, was Bobby
Paffrath, who ran wild in almost
every game to score al of his
teams total. Tom Wolverton,
Baldwin, Discher, DeGroat,
Thompson and the brothers
Kruger, Lauterbach and Steele
provided the power necessary
for Bob's individual display of
brilliance.
Basketball in 1917
Before 1917 the only high
school team that gained much
publicity during the winter
months was the debating team
and the SHOWS spelled a period
of inactivity for the not so in
tellectual athletes. But in 1917
we find the first account of a
contest in the newest of sports,
basketball, in which Redwood
went down ingloriously at the
hands of Cottonwood, CO.'S. 1t
was not until 1925 that the local
high school garnered its first dis
trict cage title. With Gil Cor
bett, "Doc" Cole, Tom Hosken,
"Irish" Englund and Manning as
the main cogs, the team huroled
district barriers only to be-
dumped in the regional tourna-
ment by New Prague, 21-15.
Strong teams in 1923 and '29
were unable to get beyond the
finals of the district, and it was
not until 1880 that a Redwood
team was entered in the state
meet. Then a squad composed OF
Don Laidlaw, Cuff, Bravinder,
Pick Johnson, Tom Arnett, Wy
man Corbett and John and Tom
Finn disposed of Gibbon,
Springfield, Winthrop and New
Ulm to win the district title.
They went on to defeat Brown
ton in the first game of the re-
gional tourney and staged the
most exciting battle in high
school history with Tracy in the
finals, winning in the overtime
period 1926. They were match
ed with Chisholm in the first
game of the state tournament
and led the point a minute"
team from the range 9-3 at half
time, only to see their lead over
come in the second half. Victor
les over Wells and Columbia
Heights gave them the consol-
alton title, and they were also
awarded the coveted sportsman
ship trophy.
The 1888 team also won the
district championship, but was
eliminated by Balaton in the re-
gional meet.
The 1884 quint has the finest
record in tournament play for
it finished fourth in the state
meet. Underdog against New
Ulm in the district and Apple
ton in the regional, it defied the
.dopesters by winning both
meets. The boys were pitted
against powerful South High in
the state meet and continued
their string of upsets by out
playing the Minneapolis team
24-16. But discouraged by their
narrow defeat at the hands of
Mechanics Arts in the semi
finals, they also lost to Moor
head to take fourth place. The
tournament players were Wally
Lauterbach, the Inglis brothers
Jim and Steve, Dale Byram,
Palmer Kise, Al Corbett and
Buzz Smith.
Continuing to dominate play
in this section, the high school
team in 1888 again won the dis
trict meet, but fell before Hut
Crimson in the regional tourney.
Track is a much older sport
in Redwood Falls high school
than is basketball, but it has
lacked the spectator appeal pos
sessed by both the cage game
ard football. Teams date back to
1900, but the high schools most
spectacular team was the two
man squad that broke five dis
trict records in 1881. Tom Finn
established new times in the 100
and 220 yard dashes, while Ward
Cuff broke the old distances in
the javelin, high jump and
broad jump.
Many high scnool stars in
postgraduate days played on
the successful town teams, but
there was some who went on to
make their mark in big time
college sports. Angelo Bissell
was one of the first to do so, and
n