Friday. October 16, 1964
MAnuo.N A.ND (.(ll,r>
^tawba Will Be Elon Foe In Homecoming Game
' II-\. V » ^
Carson- \ e wiiia 11
Here TliLs Week
The Christian gridders will be
shodtiii!.' for their fifth ronsei-
utiie \ictoTv when they enter
tain t!ie Carson - Newman Eagles
at Burlington Memorial Stadium
at 8 o’clock tomorrow night. Al
though the game does not count
in Conference standings, the Hon
eleven will be seeking to keep
their victory slate clean for the
year.
The Carson - Newman outfit,
whi'h was added to the Elon
schedule for the first time two
>ears ago, h»lds a record of three
wins and a single Iobs in their
first two games. The Eagles
iiowned Emory and Henry by ex
actly the same score that Elon
made against the Wasps -
EL)\ l)EFE.\sl', E
M'!' ; ;
i IN EAKI.'i C M Es rs
ft
%
(Jiristiaiis Seek Keveiiire
Foi' Dei«*af Last Scastm
ightiiig
Tlie Figiijing
Chriafians
By TOM CORBITT
N'- er has Elon h.nd a harder hitting defensiv nmt ili-n tlr.t
gridir,., op^nents fall.- uX'^hichZars‘thi. tag o^cLa^h, ms" I. ‘ ■' /’SS"
'.ro as";o]low I VFvrv"^" the old Southwest, is pictured above. Tho.^c >h.wa. l.ft toTiZ
I\G—A W McGee'^H l' ihomas, Joe Kobiikson and Tomrrv Mitchell STAN’D-
pru^tt^, ;:e tm^ar VCat^l^rf Ro^f
IlIoii Doivtis Apps Late Drive
Se\eral things stood out in the
Appalachian game. First, of course,'
was the defense. Next, the offense
finally resembled the Elon of last
November. The victory was first a
team effort, but several individuals
played great games.
Rex HarrLson continued to play
all-conference football. In three
games. Harrison has caught 12 pass
es for 154 yards. Rexy also did a
fine job of blocking Larry Hand,
All-American tackle of the Mount
aineers.
Lamar Clark played excellent de
fense, intercepting another pass.
Clark has intercepted two passes
this season, running one back for
.37 yards and the other for 30 yards.
Six interceptions in one season is
the individual Elon record. At this
pace, Clark will match this mark.
Ed Wheless came back against
the Apps hke a pro. While still a
little shaky from a slight concus
sion incurred against Guilford,
WTieless faced the Mountaineers
1'on.stant pounding with courage.
In scoring three touchdowns in
one game, David Gentry accomp
lished a feat unmatched since 1957.
But more than that. Gentry’s run
ning plugged a gap in the Christian
offense. Since the injury of Clayton
Johnson early in the game against
Guilford, Elon has not bo2n abl"
to come up with a runner with
enough speed to get outside the
defensive end. Gentry solved that
problem with his three-yard TD
sprint late in the fourth quarter
Last year after Conference games
wth Guilford and Appalachian, Elon
stood number one in the Carolinas
Conference with a 2-0 record, fol
lowed by Catawba with a 1-0 rec
ord. Elon again has 2-0 in the
Conference and Lenoir Rhyne moved
into a tie last week.
Carson-Newman
The Fighting Christians added
t^son-Newman to their schedule
in 1962. The Eagles traveled to Bur-
iington that year and upset Hon
22-20.
Last year Elon squeaked through
a 7-6 victory at Jefferson City,
Tenn., with the win coming only
after Carson-Newman fumbled on
the Elon 3-yard line with 30 sec
onds remaining on the clock.
Carson-Newman defeated West
ern Carolina 13-7 in their season
opener, Sept. 19th. On Sept. 27th
tte Eagles defeated Emory and
Henry 14 to 6. So tomorrow’s game
should not be taken lightly.
While doing some research on
the 1957 football team, I noticed
that Bill Walker, the author of this
column at that time, delighted in
orecastmg the outcome of future
ootball games. Not to be outdone,
et s pick Elon 28-14 over Carson-
Newman.
The Comancheros
There have been many famous
•'icknames for college football
teams. Grantland Rice started the
oractice in modern times as he
nicknamed a great Notre Dame
backfield ‘‘The Four Horsemen,"
after the Four Horsemen of the
■Apocalypse.
Today. Paul Dietzel, head coach
at Army, has won fame and for
tune with his three-platoon system,
which consists of a “stop team,’’
the defensive teami, a “go team”
offense', and the “Chinese Band
its,” a quick, light team that at-
empts to do both.
Now a new team has been born.
Elon College now has the “Com
ancheros,” “the meanest men of
'luestionable parentage on the face
)f the earth.”
This name is derived from a band
of marauders of Mexican extraction
that ravaged our Southwest during
he period of Western expansion.
The Elon College Comancheros are
the defensive team, and the nick
name suits the team.
The Comancheros allowed Emory
and Henry 73 yards on the ground
and 76 yards passing. Guilford
managed 40 yards rushing and 71
yards passing, completing 9 of 31
attempts. .Appalachian boasted a
met the Comancheros.
powerful running game, until they
(Continued op Page Fi>ui
By TO.M CORBITT
e Son College Fighting Christ
IS outplayed Appalachian Stats
''.'hers College for three quarters
nj then poured on twenty - two
>oint'' in the fourth quarter to cap
ture first place in the Carolinas
Conference with a 23-7 victory over
the Mountaineers at Conrad Sta-
lium in Boone on Saturday, Oc
tober 3rd.
The Christians, who trailed 7-6 at
hal.'time, went ahead to stay on the
second play of the fourth quarter
on a 13-yard pass play from Ed
Wheless to Rex Harrison, who lat-
teralled to Lamar Clark for the
.ouchdown.
Freshman David Gentry scored
three touchdowns for the Christ-
ans. Gentry caught a 14-yard TD
pass in the second quarter, and in
the fourth quarter returned a free
ack 75 yards for his second score
and then raced around the end from
three yards out for his final TD.
Appalachian .scored first in the
second quarter and held a 7-6 leac'
for 20 minutes of the game.
The Mountaineer touchdown wad
set up by an Elon fumble. On a
''Tst-''".+ten play from the Elon
ourteen. Ed Wheless completed a
screen pass to Fred Stewart, who
• imbled the ball, and .Joe White
recovered on the thirteen for the
VIountaineers.
Four plays later quarterback Guy
Flvnt threw ten yards for the TD
H.'Tbin. The fourth-down
play came with 6:27 remaining.
Dennis Saunders added the con
version.
Elon marched quickly down field
■ind returned the score in less than
two minutes. David Gentry took
h;' kick off on the Elon three and
returned to the 27-yard line. On
the first play from scrimmage, Fred
Stewart scampered 59 yards around
he right end for an Elon first
at the Appalachian '5-yard
wn
Une.
1U»\V IT HAPPENED
•!lon
n
152
Appalachian
Christians Defeat Marines
W ith Field Goal By Ferrell
The F'ighting Christians of Elon
are still undefeated after four
^ames of their 1964 campaign, but
they had to call on the talented toe
of Bobby Ferrell for a last-ditch
field goal to turn back a fighting
crew of Camp Lejeune Marines 9
to 7 in a bitterly fou.ght battle in
Burlington Memorial Stadium last
Saturday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Elon
17
?54
14
240
14
Lejeune
8
First Downs
Yards Gain Rushing
Yards Lost Rushing
Net Yards Rushing
Passes Attempted
Passes Completed
Yards Gain Passing
Total Yards Offense
0pp. Passes Interc.
Runback Int. Passes
Number Punts
Ave. Yards Punts
Runback All Kicks
Fumbles Lost
Yards Penalized
SCORE BY PERIODS:
Elon
Lejeune
Elon Touchdown — Amick (5-
run). Elon Field Goal — Ferrell,
24 Yards. Lejeune Touchdown —
Ross (45-ruB). Extra — Blake
(placemeDt).
6
246
5
45.0
120
2
33
6 0
7 0
163
27
126
16
7
103
229
2
14
8
36.7
143
0
86
0—9
t>—7
Playing before a “High School
Night" crowd of more than 5.000
fans, the Christians struck quickly
for a touchdown and a 6 to 0 lead,
but the Marines came storming
back with all the ferocity of a
Leatherneck beachhead landing at
Tarawa or Iwo Jima and struck
for a touchdown of their own barely
three minutes after Hllon had hit
pay-dirt.
The Christians had missed their
extra-point try after Doug Amick
stormed into the end zone for the
Christian touchdown, and Clark
Blake kicked good after fleet-footed
Jimmy Ross had raced over the
Marine .score, giving the rugged
Leathernecks a 7 to 6 lead which
loomed larger and larger as the
game moved nearer its close.
Once out in front iK that first
period, the Marines threw up a
stubborn defense that halted every
Elon threat short of a score until
barely 2:10 remained on the clock
in the fourth quarter. At that point,
the Christians had penetrated to
the Lejeune seven on a drive that
had started on the Elon twenty.
It was fourth down at the seven,
and Bobby Ferrell then dropped
back to the 14-yard line and true
toed a 24-yard field goal that sent
Elon ahead at 9-7 for the win.
It was a great play by Ferrell and
'Continued c« Page Four
P'ir.sl Downs 6
Yards Gain Rushing 103
Yards Lost Rushing 47
130 Net Yards Rushing ,56
23 Passes Attempted 19
II Passes Completed 6
104 Yards Gain Passing 7:'
254 Total Yards Offense 1
1 0pp. Passes Interc. 0
■0 Runback Int. HKses 0
7 Number Punts 6
10.0 Ave. Yards Punts 47.3
117 Runback All Kicks 104
1 Fumbles Lost 2
18 Yards Penalized 30
SCORE BY PERIODS;
Inn 0 6 0 22—28
.Appalachian 0 7 0 0—7
Elon Tou-hdowns — Gentry 3 (II
pass from Wheless, 75-runbaclt 0
kickoff, 3-nin), Clark (2-lateral from
Harrison after pass from Wheless)
Extra points — Ferrell 2 (place-
m,-nt). .Safety for Elon — Rowe
(tackled Flynt in end zone). Appa
lachian Touchdown — L. Harbin
(10-pass from Flynt). Extra point —
ioiinders 1 (placemi’nt).
After .Sonny Pruette carried for
one yard. Wheless hit Gentry all
alnne in the end zone for a 14-yard
scoring play. Wheless’ pass for the
two-point conversion fell incom
plete and Elon trailed 7-6 as the
first half came to an end.
The Christians scored their .sec
ond touchdown on a 68 yard drive
in ten plays. Starting from th.
Elon 32. Alex Burnette plunged foi
two yards and Wheless complete'!
a 13 yard pass to Rex Harrison
for a first down. Fred Stewart then
carried up the middle for ten yards.
Alex Burnette carried for three.
Wheless again connected over the
airways, this time on a 9 yard
pass to Jerry Rowe.
Two plays later, Wheless hit Row'
again for 16 yards and the fourtl-
con.secutive Elon first down at the
Mountaineer thirty-one. Sonny Pru
ette carried for 3 yards as the
third quarter ended. Wheless threw
incomplete, then passed to Rex Har
rison on the two, and Harrison, in
turn, lateralled to Lamar Clark,
who galloped two yards for the
touchdown. Bobby Ferrell converted
and Elon lead 13-7 with 14:51 to play
in the game.
TTie E3on defense then took over.
Appalachian marched from her
thirty-four following the kickoff to
a first down situation on the Elon
13-yard line. The Comancheros held.
:m,l ;he Christians took over on the
eight.
E!un v.'ns unable to move the ball.
l-:*rr\ Harbin took Joe Dawson’s
punt on the App 48-yard line and
returned the ball 13 yards to the
Elon thirty-nine. Two plays later,
'.."mar Clark got the Chri.stians
out of the hole with the intercep
tion of a Guy Flynt pass on the
18-yard line, and the Chowan trans
fer returned the interception .10
■ 'Is to the Elon forty-eight.
Again the Christian offense could
:iot move the ball. ,Ioe Daw.son
iintcd for Elon and the ball went
out of bounds on the Appalachian
one-yard Ime. On fir.st-and-ten Guy
Flynt dropped back in the end zoiv
to pass. As he turned to thrnv.
Jerry Rowe crashed him ti I'-
turf for a safety for a l.i fi -'.I >
lead with 3:25 showin'; on th ■ ■ '
hoard clock.
On the subsequent fre:' kic--;
was Gentry all the wa> for th
score and Ferrell converted to make
the .score 22-7 Elon The Christian.^
notched thoir final touchdown after
.he Elen t'efense stopped the Apps
cold at their own goal line, and
Gentry scored from the thr”^ Th
'wo-''ri '.' ' n r-.'-n. ‘r-- f-
The f’atawh.i Indian.s, who shared
he Carolina.s Conference grid title
with the F'ighting Chri.stians last
onson. will invade the Burlington
'■I 'morial Stadium to battle the 19B4
hristians in Elon’s annual Home-
»ming battle, which will bo played
I.' :n afternoon tilt in Burlington
.L'miirial Stadium on S;iturday of
next week.
The Indians, who defeated the
(hr:stian.'' 12 to 7 in hist year'.-
niectai'; at Salisbury, e-'ira.xl l!iei
I share of the ti'le with tli ' I 1:11'
; imI they aro still i-;!--:] -..i , 'iri n
' ch lilenKer for Finn's fi;v' I"'.' t 'an
n the Conferen‘e r.u-iv In f:tct
thi.; I%4 llomecomiii" b t'le r'o'i!
once more settle the Con . r.-’O''
crown.
This Elon-Catawba series, n
the oldest rivalries in Elon's font
ball annals, began back in
:i'l the two teams are all knotted
i|) in the series with thirteen vic-
' each and with two games
I"'’ ing ended in tie .scores.
k"'er:il of the games have been
among the must thrilling in Eloi
history, one of the top moment-
having come in the Elon Homecom
Ing battle here In 1960 when Georu
Wooten. Elon's Little All-America'
quarterback, grabbed an erran'
Catawba field goal try in the final
eight .seconds and raced 108 yard
for a touchdown that gave Eloi
a 13 to 12 win.
The Indians won the .series open
T back in 1928 by a similar 131'
score, and that close battle .set th
temiM) for years to come. Aftei
that opening loss to Catawba ir
1928. Elon won 26 to 7 in 1929. There
was no game in 1930, but Catawb.-
won 38 to 0 in 1931. Once mor
there was a lapse in the rivalry
and the next game in 1934 ended ir
a scoreless tie.
The Christians grabbed a string o'
three straight wins by 32 to 0 i.
Elon Foofliall
Elon 14, Emory and Henry 6.
Elon 15. Guilford 6.
Elon 28, Appalu'hi an 7.
Elon 9. Camp l.rjeune 7.
(Rrmainlni;: Games)
Oct. 17.—Carson - Neuman, homi
Oct. 24—Catawba, hoiiir.
Oct. 31—West Carolina, away.
■Nov. 7—Newberry, home.
Nov. 14—l.f'niur Khyne, home.
Nov. 21—Frederick, awav.
1935. 3:t to 13 in 1936 and 22 to 2
n The ri\uLs snlit the four
.inal game.s prior to World War IL
■.U.iwi>a won 20 to 6 in 19;18, Elon
gained the nod 7 to 9 in 1939. Ca
tawba wa.s \ictor 13 to 0 in 1940,
and Klon closed out the pre-w'a/
play with an 8-7 win in 1941
There were no games during the
war, but Catawba dominated the
■series immediately following th«
war^ winning 40 to 0 in 1946 , 3(
to 0 in 1!W7 and 35 to 0 in 1948. A
turn of the tide came at that tirr»,
and Elon won three consecutive
thrillers, 20 to 14 in 1949. 26 to 12
in 1950 and 21 to 14 in 1951.
The Indians won 12 to 0 in 1952,
followed by a 21-21 tie in 1953. The
Christians won a Homecoming bat
tle 36 to 12 in 1954, but Catawba
reversed the count by a 19 to 0
margin at Salisbury in 1955. There
was a 14-13 thriller won by Elon in
19.56, followed by a one-year break
due to flu in 19.57.
Catawba posted wins by 14 to 8 in
1958 and 21 to 8 in 1959, but tho
Christians chalked three wins in a
row, first on Wooten's thrilling dash
and by a 13-12 count in 1960, 23 to
8 in 1961 and 15 to 0 in 1962 The
string was broken by Catawba’s 12
to 7 win last year, and next week
promises plenty of thrills in the 2!»th
Comparison Made Between
Elon Teams 0/ ’57 And Y)4
By TOM CORBITT
tcintb'll team s alleged
manv to have been the greatest
gridiron team in the history of Elon
College.
That year the Fighting Christians
posted their only undefeated .seasor
with a 6-0 record. Conle.’ence game.'
iJvADEK !\ PASS
r
Rex Harrison, a towering scnicr end trcm .\'oif'jlk, who stands 6-4
and weighs 218 pounds, is the top pa-s receiver in the Carolinas Con-
feresce, having caught twel.e passes for 154 VirJs in ■Jen's first three
games of the 1964 season. HL> pass grab';ing had b --n a big factor
in the Christians keeping their undjfeatsJ record 'h:>- '■ • in the
campaign.
with Catawt)a and Western Caro,
lina were cancelled because of a
flu epidemic on thoir campuses, and
the conference championship (North
State Conference at that time) was
taken away from Elon and given
to I>!noir Rhyne, a team that the
Christians defeated 20-7 for the final
game of the season.
The record for that year read*
as follows:
Elon 25, Guilford 14.
Elon 21, Appalachian 7.
Elon 21, East Carolina 12.
Kl'in-Catawba 'cancelled).
Elon-West Carolina 'cancelled).
Elon 37, Presbyterian 14.
Elon ,34, Newberry 7.
Elon 20, I.enoir Rhyne 7.
For the .season, the Christians
scored 161 points and allowed their
opponents 60 points. Elon scored an
• ■•erage of 26.8 points per game,
"iving up an average of 10 points.
In six games the Christians gained
a total of 1385 yards on the ground
and 418 yards in the air, for a total
of 1803 yards from scrimmage.
The Elon defen.se allowed 803
vards rushing, 280 pa.ssing, for a
total of 1082 yards. Per game, Elon
averaged 231 yards rushing and 69
yards passing, for an average of .'JOO
total yards, Elon opponents gained
an average of 1,34 yards on the
ground and 46 yards in the air:
an average of 180 yards.
Should the Fighting Christians
continue their winning way.s for
the remainder of this sea.son, there
will undoubtedly be thase who will
begin to call our 1964 football team
“the greatest in the history of the
school.”
At that time, a compari.son of
the two teams will be in order. Such
a comparison will be facilitated by
the fact that the two teams played
basically the same .schedule at bas
ically the same time.
After three games in the 1964
season, indications are that the 1964
Fighting Christians will compare
favorably and perhaps rate ahead
'Continued on ^oarl