PHS Football--85 years young! by JR Gordan
Ponchatoula began it's modest football program in 1923 with a mere 14 man team. Today this program is still kicking with two bonafied State Championships--1925 and 1940.
In 1925, the Ponchatoula boys put up 333 points compared to only 33 points for their opponants and crushed nearly all to go undefeated. However, since there was no ranking for Ponchatoula's school size they were not officially awarded the championship, but they're still CHAMPIONS in my book!
It has not been confirmed, but I think the 1935 team went undefeated also--I am still researching that story.
The 1940 Championship team actually came close in 1939 missing out on a chance to play for the title with their only loss of the season to DeQuincy, I might add that every game in 1939 was played on the road because Ponchy had no lights at their home stadium.
However--lights were installed for the 1940 bunch to light the way for some PHS Football History as the mighty Green Wave even beat the SLU Freshman team 6-0 before handing Bastrop a 20-0 licking for the undefeated-untied State Title.
Ponchatoula once again came within one game of the championship in 1951-52 football season. Some say that this is the most balanced team Ponchy has ever fielded. It's kind of hard to argue their point too!
Think about it--the '51 team scored 350 points (the '25 team scored 333), they gave up just 32 points compared to 33 for the '25 team and the 1951 team turned out an arm full of All State Football Players.
The 51 team featured All State player Huey Husser--the 52 team had three All Staters in Huey Husser, Penny Thibodeaux and Bill Hawkins--the 53 team produced All Stateer Edward Mitchell.
If I am not mistaken Huey Husser is the only two time All State player in Ponchatoula's 84 years of football history.
Another noteworthy team was the 1958 team--they went 8-4 and lost in the playoffs 18-14 to Reserve--a team they had beaten 20-6 in the regular season. Incidently Reserve went on to take the '58 Title.
The 1958 team had LSU great Dwight Robinson (1st Team All State), John Dahmer (All State 2nd team), Glenn Scott (All State Honorable Mention), Tulane Allumni Carl Clevlend, Len Rodriguez, Eddie Layrisson, Thomas Kuhn, Leche Gatlin, Bobby Gainey, Sonny Bennett, Frank Lipps, Sonny Joiner, a very young Virgil Allen and of course renouned Head Coach J.V. Shiel.
The 1978 season at PHS touted a 6-4 record only to lose to Lutcher in the playoffs. The Green Wave team was anchored by All District-All State #51--Donald Lanier.
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An "Old Timers" game was played in December, 1925 with the original Green Wave bunch taking on the now, and undefeated Ponchatoula football team. Being that Ponchatoula football only began two years earlier the "Old Timers" weren't that old.
There were players for the "Old Timers" with names such as "Tallyho" Vaughn, "Farmer Weeks", "Hammer" Hughes, all of Miss. A&M and Dr. Trellue of Tulane in the backfield and on the line there were such names as "Lumber-jack" Trellue, "Pop Bottle" Layrisson, "Depot" Williams, "Hoot" Causey, McDaniel, "Peter" Drew and "Shock" Settoon.
Remember the famous Notre Dame 'Four Horseman', well the 'mystique' that surrounds the ORIGINAL 'Four Horseman' came from right here in Ponchatoula and their names were Rich Richardson, Peggy Yokum, Young Ridgdell and Will Ed Butler. Butler led the state in scoring with 118 points.
The first Homecoming was in 1926 against Bogalusa.
All State Players: 1925-Will Ed Butler; 1926-Eugene Cunningham; 1929-Emmett Fortenberry; 1940-Charles Newman; 1951-EHuey Husser; 1952-Huey Husser, Penny Thibodeaux and Bill Hawkins; 1953-Edward Mitchell; 1958-Dwight Robinson**; 1966-Roger Gill, 1974-Donald Meyers; 1978-Donald Lanier.
**Robinson was All State in Football, Basketball and Track.
Little known facts: Col. Claude H. Lindsay, a wood craftsman, created a Cypress Bowl to be awarded to the winner of the first Cypress Bowl Game. Back in the 1940's Ponchatoula would play against a New Orleans area football team and that game was deamed the Cypress Bowl.
Col. Lindsay donated the Cypress to build the east side of the Ponchatoula Stadium which was renamed Cypress Bowl Stadium.
These days the Ponchatoula Jr. High Pirates play their games there, but of course the old cypress part of the stadium has been long torn down.
Just a piece of PHS Football History we thought you might like to know!
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| 1932 PHS Football Team |
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A special thanks to JR Gordan for providing this information for our website. If you have additional historical information, please send it to boosterclub@ponchatoula.football.com
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