1945 KULPMONT HIGH SCHOOL EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

• Post by: mcalibrary
• December 20, 2023
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SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The 1945 squad of coaches Mike Terry and George Wrona began the season under a lot of pressure. After the stunning success of the 1944 team which had won 11 in a row and the Eastern Conference Championship they felt pressure to maintain the unbeaten streak and to repeat as champions.

Coach Terry knew his team would be strong again defensively; but in an attempt to add some punch to the offense he moved Bernie Barkouskie, who had been a two tackle to fullback on offense. Barkouskie became a battering ram in an offense which emphasized ball control.

The defense performed as expected, giving up only three touchdowns and a total of 20 points in the 10-game regular season. In the title game against Larksvillw, the Wildcats trailed 12-6 late in the game when they began a sustained drive, featuring the powerful short-yardage runs of Barkouskie. With the time running out, and a first down at the Larksville 5 yard line, Barkouskie carried three consecutive times to the one yard line. With fourth and one, Larksville gathered for one final shot by Barkouskie. Instead, the Cats ran the Buck-Lateral series, faking to Barkouskie then pitching wide to George Rick, who walked into the end zone, completely taking Larksville by surprise.