Friday, February 26, 1065
MAROON AND GOLD
PAQE TUB^
Branson Betters His Season Record As Elon Loses To Cats
Elon Doivns
App Capers
By 72 To 59
Viich big Jesse Branson apparently
recovered from an attack of flu
that had hobbled him for several
days and once again hitting like
the All-American ace that he is,
the Fighting Christians of Elon
knocked another of the Carolinas
Conference contenders when they
toppled the Appalachian Mountain
eers in Elon's Alumni Memorial
Gymnasium 72 to 59 on Wednesday
night, February 10th.
Coming back strong after a loss
to the Pfeiffer Falcons two nights
before, the Christians rolled for
their fifth victory in their past six
games as they grabbed an early
lead over the Mountaineers and were
never headed. The Mounties did tie
the score one time at 13-13 in the
early rninutes of play, but Branson
dropped a pair of charity tosses to
regain the Elon lead, and the Christ
ians never trailed again.
It was definitely one of Branson’s
finer nights as he hit on 14 floor
shots from all ranges and all angles
and connected on 11 of 15 tries from
‘ContiDued on Page Four/
ELON CAPTAINS CUKSE CAREERS 1\ COM RVSTIM. M .
Christian Ace Pushes
Total To 638 For Year
Jesse Branson leftt and Dave Winfrey (righti, Elon's cage cap
tains, who led the Christians into the Carolinas Conference tournament
at Lexington this week are closing their careers in contrasting styles.
Branson, who smashed his own season scoring mark at Western Carolina
last weekend, is closing out in brilliant style; but Winfrey, with many
brilliant performances behind him, has been injured all season and was
expected to see little or no action in the tournament battles.
Spotlighting
The Fighting
Christians
By TOM CORBITT
iL.i 22 Ij(‘ller Veterans ....
In the past school spirit at Elon
has been discussed frequently in
the Maroon and Gold, and the con
census of opinion through the years
has been that Elon College lacks
school spirit.
In 1958 Bill Walker, at that time
the sports editor of the Maroon and
Gold, labelled the Elon student bo(Jy
as “fair weather fans”. Another
observed “the listlessness of school
cheers" and suggested that the in
sufficient “moral support of Elon’s
teams” was due to some extent to
what he termed the mediocrity of
cheering. |
Ted Fields, the sports editor in
1960, suggested that “school phil
osophers” check the registrar's of
fice, where “after scanning the cryp
tic marks that will show your own
scholastic production” the students
“might find it a bit hypocritical to
cast scathing remarks at a team
which is giving its best.”
At present, the general belief is
still that Elon College lacks school
spirit, for too many of us are still
“fair weather fans.” Our cheers are
still “listless,” and many students
feel that the cheerleaders leave
something to be desired.
School spirit at Elon appears to
have improved in recent years, but
it must be noted that the Fighting
Christians’ won-loss record in vari
ous sports has been a creditable
one over the past three years.
Hon students demand perfect %n
in athletics, and when something is
at stake, then school spirit is good.
The school spirit at the last home
basketball game was a peculiar phe
nomenon.
Laurels at Elon come infrequently,
hut the seniors on the basketball
team were honored in starting roles
in this last performance of the sea
son before the home crowd. What
followed the introduction of the sen
iors was a spontaneous and heart
warming outburst of school spirit.
First to be introduced was Jesse
Branson. A tumultous standing ova
tion ensued. This occurred first be
cause Jesse is truly an All-Ameri
can and has quite literally rewrit
ten the Elon record book. But there
3re other important reasons. Jesse
nas changed quite a bit as an Elon
student and has settled down to
serious effort in many respects.
Art Davis was next, and the re
sponse from the still standing crowd
*as equally as appreciative. Art has
'mproTed during each year at Elon,
both on and off the court.
Dave Winfrey achieved a ditferer.
kind of greatness here at Elon
Hampered by injuries through much
of his cage career, Winfrey ha-
fought on, and except for a limping
leg or a bad arm, no one would
have ever known that by medical
standards he should not have been
playing at all.
Howard Andrew has also improve
each year, and during his four year-
here at Elon he has become a proud
father and has worked his way to
the Dean's List, so he also received
an ovation.
Perhaps, however, the greatest
ovation was for the last senior.
When the announcer said “from
Pleasant Grove, N. C,,” pandemon
ium reigned, for the Reid Hughes
story is a great one. Cut from the
squad and from a scholarship, Reid
came back out for the team ana
(Continued On Page Four)
ity-One Boys In Winter Grid Drills
iVi.uer football drills are in full
■ving at Elon College, with fifty-
ne Christian gridders working daily
nider the direction of their new
lead mentor. Coach Gary Mattocks,
•vho is assisted in the off-season
jvorkouts by Assistant Coach Alan
,hite.
Tile Christian squad for the winter
•vorkouts includes 40 returnees from
last fall’s Conference championship
squad, among them 22 letter win
ners, along with eleven boys who
are new to the roster for the winter
practice.
Missing from the 1964 squad are
seven of the 29 gridders who won
letters for their work with Elon’s
championship squad, four of those
lost by graduation and completion
of eligibility and the others due to
academic difficulties or dropping
from college.
The major problem facing Coach
es Mattocks and White looms in the
finding of a replacement for Ed
Wheless, Elon’s great quarterback,
who wrote so many new records as
a passer, and they will be giving
several boys a try at the spot during
the off-season work which is due tc
continue through the second week
on March and to close out with an
intra-squad game between Maroon
and Gold squads.
The coaches have made no state
ments as to a probable Whele.s* re
placement, but among the possibil-
.tiej are lettermen H. L. Robinson,
who has played mostly on defense:
Burgin Beale, a freshman reserve
(A the past fall; and Robin Cobia, a
fine reserve prospect of two years '
ago.
Elon Trounces Catawba
Richard Such, sophomore forward,
came off the bench and racked nine
teen big points in the second half
0 lead the Christian cagers to a
69-62 victory over the Catawba In
dians in the final home game of the
. . laKetnall season, a Carolinas
Conference contest which had been
iiowed out at an earlier dato.
The Christians started an all
senior line-up in the final home
game, with Jesse Branson and How
ard Andrew at the forwards, Reid
Hughes at center and Dave Winfrey
and Art Davis at the guards, and
lior- ino.ed quickly tl
the front and gained a 26-10 margin
ed the Elon half-time lead to 27-23.
Then, as the second half got under
way, Richard Such broke loose with
a terrific assault on the basket and
ripped the nets for 19 points in the
final half to keep Elon out front and
to clinch the Christian victory, but
Catawba kept it close all the way as
Rhodes and Sessoms topped the In
dian scoring down the stretch.
Jesse Branson, playing his last
^ame before the home laii.s. iiit l ir
24 points, with Such as the only
..lur Elon eager able to hit in doth
!i"ures with his 19-point total
hodes led Catawba with 11,
he Indian attack.
The Elon Christians dropped a 77
to 69 decision to the Western Caro
lina Catamounts at C'ullowhee last
;iiurday night, but Jesse Branson.
Elon’s All-/Vmerican forward, earned
,1 personal triumph when he racked
;i iioints to outscore Western Caro
lina's Henry Logan and at the same
time set a new all-time Elon record
for most points in a single season.
When Branson ripped the cords
for nine field goals and thirteen free
throws against the Catamounts, his
game total of 31 points pushed his
total for the season to 682 points in
25 games to surpass his own Elon
season record of 675 points that he
set in 28 games last season. The
above 682-point total includes Bran
son's scoring against Fort Eustice,
a game which does not count In the
Conference statistics but does count
in Elon's own records.
The towering Elon forward need-
•d every one of his 31 ptiinls on Sat
urday night to top the efforts of
Logan, the Catamount freshman
star, for Logan hit for 30 points as
he paced the attack for the West
ern Carolina victory, a triumph
which avenged an earlier Elon tri
umph on the Christian court.
A crowd of 3,800 rabid Catamount
supporters packed the Western
Carolina gymnasium and watched
the Carolinas Conference rivals swap
the lead back and forth through a
tight first half. Elon pushed from
behind in the closing moments of
that first half and led by a 32-31
count at intermission.
The second half started off in nip-
and-tuck fashion through the first
six minutes of the final period, with
neither team able to gain more than
a three-point margin, but after the
6-minute mark Logan blasted through
the Elon Elon defense for three
consecutive baskets and shot West
ern Carolina to a decisive 56-44 mar
gin.
The Christians narrowed the count
to seven points edge with seven min
utes left and was within six points
of the Cats with barely two minutes
0 play, but J. B. Kiser, Charlie Mc
Connell and John Brintnall joined
vith Logan to shtx)t the Cats ahead
)y ten as the final seconds clicked
Elon Ciiii‘ (iaino
Klon 65, Wofford 64.
Klon Gfi. I’friffor 68.
Klon 85, 1.^‘notr Khyne M.
Elon 65, High I’olnt 76.
Klon 56, Appalachian 59.
Klon 60, Ersklne 65.
Klun 100, Ixiyola 80.
Klun 71. Fort Kustis 75.
Klon 84, Wofford 92.
Klon 106, A.C.r. 79.
Klon 60, Kust Carolina 67.
Klon 70. ('iiiiiplx'll 59.
PMon 67, (lUilford 44.
Klon 86, Caniplx-ll 77.
Klon 67. Illf>h Point 68.
Klon 62, Catawba 60.
Klon 91. A.C.C. 68.
Klein 72, Krederlrk 56.
F:ion 9'i, West Carolina 81.
Klon 61. f*feiffT 65.
Klon 72, Appalachian 59.
Klon 72, KasI Carolina 66.
Klon 69, Catawba 62.
Klon 62. I/'noir Khyne 70.
Klon 09. West Carolina 77.
(Remaining Games)
Feb. 24-27—Conference Tourney
at Lexington.
off, only to have Branson rip the
nets for a last-second bucket that
cut the final score to 77-69 and an
eight-point lead.
In addition to Branson’s 31 points
that topped both teams, Richard
Such was the only other Elon player
who could score double figures. TTie
Elon sophomore hit 14 for the night.
With Logan hitting 30 points, other
double-figure .scorers for the Cats
were McConnell with 16, Ki.ser with
14 and Brintnall with 12 points.
The line-ups;
I’os. Klon (69) We»t Carolina (77)
F—Branson (31) McConnell (16)
F—Such (14) Bloom (3)
C—A. Davis (8) Brintnall (12)
G—Atkins (8) Logan (30)
G—T. Davis (5) Kiser (14)
Half-time: Elon 32, Western Car
olina 31.
Elon subs — Van Lear 3, Mixon.
Western Carolina subs — Moore 2,
.Vurrell,
Pos. Elon (69)
over the Indians.
Then, in the closing minutes oflF—Branson (24i
the first half, the Christians ran | F—Andrew
cold on their shooting, and in less (^Hughes (5i
than four minutes of actual playing G—Winfrey (5>
time the visiting Indians tallied 13 G—A. Davis i5i
consecutive points as Eddie ,ia i Half-time: Elon 27, Catawba 23.
n i Ji:n S. ssiim.i led a rally that Elon subs — Such 19, Van I^ar j,
■■■ *' Atkins 8. Catawba sujs — N'oster 3,
only a free throw by Branson mov- I'
Catawba (62)
Rhodes '21)
Gamrot (2»
Snyder (5>
Hodges 131
HackfU '11'
Elon Basehal]
Squad Lists
Tivelve Vets
Coming as a sure harbinger of
spring is the crack of baseball bats Keser\es from last fall on the
and the thud of horsehide and ; winter roster include ends Richard I
leather on the Elon College baseball wiiijanison, Richard Lee, Frankie I
VAN LEAK IS FINE PROSPECT
field, where Coach Jack Sanford
already has 25 of his Christian dia
mond hopefuls working out daily.
Nine of the twenty-five candidates
in the early baseball sessions are
lettermen from last year, and three
other monogram veterans will join
the Christian baseballers when the
baksetball season and the winter
football workouts are ended.
The twelve letter veterans due to
be on hand when the Christians open
their baseball season late in March
include Pete Crook and Tommy
Newsome, catcher; Art Davis, first
base; Gary Taylor, second base;
Comar Shields, shortstop; H. L. Rob
inson, third base; Carlton High-
smith and Carroll Monger, outfield
ers; and Richard Such, Herbie John
son, Lefty Everette and Jack Bur-
tsche, pitchers.
Davis and Such are still with the
Elon basketball squad, and H. L
Robinson is on the winter football
roster. Fred Stewart, who saw heavy
duty last year but did not letter,
is also due to report when football
drills are over.
Briley and Tim Kempson; tackle i
Mackie Carden; guards Lee John
son, Mickey Hughes and Dickie i
Hughes; center Carey Metts; and'
backs Gary Jordan, Tom Brown,
David Oliphant, Stewart McDonald,
Jerry Hogge, Wally Burke, Perry
Williams, Burgin Beale and Robin
Ckibia.
New boys on the squad include ’
ends Charles Spears, Dale Ward
and Sam Hibbs: interior lineman;
Raymond Smith and Bobby Colfie; '
and backs Jerry Jackson, William
Walker, Andrew McPherson Clif
ford Lester, C. V. May and Carl
Kirkley.
WATCH YOLTl STEP
The coach had been drafted, and
the superintendent was interviewing
new applicants.
You'll find me an easy man to
work for,” he informed one pro
spective coach. “Now, tell me about
yourself, but first take off your
hat, stop fiddling with your tie, and
try to speak more distinctly.”
B(*ars Get 70 To 62 Win
hi Cage 1 ilt At Hickon
T
The Christian cage squad led tJip -
scoring through nearly three-fourths y'lj . .
of the game only to hit a cold, (^liriStUill 3
streak in the closing minutes and
allow the Lenoir Rhyne Bears to
forge ahead in the final seven min
utes and win a Carolinas Confer
ence battle by a 70 to 62 margin at
Hickory on Wednesday night, Feb
ruary 17th.
The Bears broke out in front in
jthe first moments of the game, but
I Jesse Branson and Richard Such
[paced a drive that sent the Christ-
j lans ahead, and the Elon cagers led
, by a 40-38 count at the half-time in-
j termission. The Christians maintain
ed that lead through the early part
, of the second hall, but the Bears
i tied the count at 57-all with e:,^
j left in the game and moved ahead
' from there to win the game.
The Christians played without the
I .services of Co-Captain Dave Win-
I frey, who missed the battle when
his injured knee gave trouble, and
his deadly outside shooting was
I sorely missed in the drive for the
win over the Bears.
.Neill McGeachey, Bruin guard,
led both teams for the night with
I 22 points, while Jesse Branson top-
' ped Elon with 21 counters. Such
; contributed 14 and Art Davis 10
The line-ups:
To])s Pirates
By Six Poin ts
Superiority at the free throw line
proved the deciding factor as the
Christian cagers fought off a jJj;-
termined bid by the East CaroUna
Pirates and turned back the Pirate
squad 72 to 66 in a non-conference
basketball game on the Elon floor
on .Saturday night, February 13th.
Each team hit 25 field goals, but
Elon caged 22 free throws in 30
tries to lock up the win.
The battle proved close through
much of the first half, with the lead
swapping hands many times before
Dave Winfrey dropped a pair of
charity tosses to shoot Elon ahead
23-22, and the Christians then built
the margin to seven points, only to
have the Pirates narrow the gap to
31-29 at intermission on shots by
Bobby Kinnard and Jerry Wood-
•side.
Fos. Elon (62)
I F—Branson (21)
F—Such (14)
C—A. Davis 1C)
G—Atkins (E
G—Mixon (1)
Charlie Van Lear, a rugged 6-7 and 200-pound freshman from
Martinsville, Va., has played some very fine basketball for the Fighting
Christians this winter and looms as an outstanding prospect for Elon’s
future cage teams. He was coached at Martinsville High by Husky
Hall and C. G. Hall, a pair of fornier Elon hardwood stars.
I^noir Khyne (70)
Miatkowski (12)
Cochran (5)
La.Moreaux I2)
.McGeachey (22)
Bua (1)
Combined efforts of Jesse Branson,
Dave Winfrey and Bobby Atkins
shot Elon to a 48-40 margin soon
after the .second half opened, and
the Christians never trailed again.
However, East Carolina did tie the
count at 66-all on a Kinnard re
bound, and it took four consecutive
free throws by Branson to pull Elon
Half-time: Elon 40, L«noir Rhyne| back to the front for keeps. Art
38.
Elon subs — Van Lear 2. T, Davis
6. Lenoir Rhyne subs — Oeehan 17,
Wells 11.
Davis dropped a hook shot at the
final whLstle for the final sU-point
margin
ontlnued on r»ge Four.