Roanoke Rapids daily herald., 1948-09-13
!. II Lef+ermen
Form Nucleus
Of 194s Squad
By BILL DAVEY


pids High School Yellow Jackets
open the gridiron season by
playing hosts to the Kinston Red |
Devils under lights at Simmons
Park.
Kickoff time is set for 8 o.
clock.
Practicing ever since August |
%, the Jackets are just about
ready to start the 1948 season.
The 30-man squad has only IL
lettermen returning from last
years team, however Coach Dan
eagle said he has some good
replacements in view for the sea-
son.
First Year at the Helm
Coach Cagle who last year
was Jacket line coach under
Crock" Venters, will be facing
his first season as head coach,
and he said he is looking forward
} to a successful season. eagle !
said he expects to run into plenty
of opposition, but is hoping for
the best.
The Jackets already have nine
games on their schedule, and
Coach eagle said today that he
still has two open dates on the
schedule and hopes to fill at
least one of them with another
home game. Six of the games
already on the schedule will be
/ night games which will be play
ed under the lights at Cimmons
Park, and the games away from
home are all slated to be played
under the arcs.
eagle said the team has felt
badly the loss of Sam Wood,
star back of the AT squad, who
will not be playing this year
because he has been found to
have a heart ailment and has
been advised by doctors to lay
off football.
The squad, eagle explained, is
not very large this season be-
cause it is made up of nearly
all eleventh and twelfth graders
Other grades in the high school
are working with Crawford Hoy
lie, high school director of ath-
letics, who is working with
large junior varsity team COM
posed of boys who are in the
tenth grades and under.
eagle said the limitation has
Z been made to give the breaks
to the juniors and seniors in
school, and said only younger
''w N exceptional ability
have been given a place on the
matthews Standout
One such Standout is Carlton
"Bubber" Matthews, 190-pound
ninth grader, who will be one
of the starting men in the var
sity backfield this year. Mat
thews has already demonstrat-
ed his ability, and will be reg
ular fullback on the team.
The team will run plays from
the old standby single-wing for
nation with an unbalanced line
The opposition can expect plen-
ty of versatility in the Jackets
assault this season because the
backfield is filled with men who
do several things and do them
well. Plenty of passes will prob
L 1oo ~
games, with three good passers
in the starting backfied. In addi-
ton, there will be plenty of
threat in the pass-snagging ends
that eagle has lined up two
deep.
Most of the backfield men also
show ability in kicking and in
plain and fancy running plays
and the Roanoke Rapids team
will go out to run up the score
! every time it gets hold of the
ball.
Matthews, heaviest man in
backfield, will be putting his
weight into line bucks and run
ming plays. A. ]. Williams, who
is paying blocking back is an
other non-letterman who has won
a starting position in the Jacket
backfield. Williams will add his
kicking and passing ability to his
other duties.
The man who calls the plays
on the field will be Vance Ste
wart, letterman, who will be in
the tailback position. Stewart is
a definite triple threat possibility
with his running, kicking and
passing.
Billy Clemmer, letterman
wingback is another threat
man, who will round out
the Jacket backfield. The four
starters who are handling the
ball-carryipg duties will pack
plenty of threat at all times,
and will also handle the defen-
sive work with the experience
OF working together.
Two non-lettermen, Earl Rook,
the left end, and Dwight Elting,
the right guard, are boys who
have shown plenty of scrap and
have already won a place on
the starting line.
Five Vet Linemen
, Five experienced holdovers
from last years squad will start
in the Jacket line in the other
positions. At center will be Ken
meth Mizell, while Jesse Edwards