1931 THS Football Schedule

 

TALLULAH TEAM SEEKS TO FILL FOOTBALL DATES

Trojans Begin Training With Main Key Men Missing

Madison Journal August 14, 1931

 

The Tallulah High School Tro­jans are planning to have another fighting team this year and hope to complete unfilled dates in their schedule. Although chief key men in the lineup of last year have graduated new prospects are in view.

 

Two of the schools best backfield men in its history were presented diplomas last May. Other out­standing line players were among those to graduate.

 

Coach M. A. "Ma" Phillips, former Louisiana College star, will be back this year to coach the candidates.

 

Some of the best Northeast Lou­isiana teams are included on the Trojan schedule. However, this year they will not play any inter­state games as they have been do­ing in the past few years.

 

John Dutton, principal, says that he would like to see at least three more games scheduled. September 25, October 2 and No­vember 6 are the main dates he seeks to fill. There is a possibility that a team may be signed up for November 26 for a turkey day contest.

 

The schedule is as follows:      October 9 -- Wisner here.

                                                          October 16 — Delhi there.

                                                          October 23 — Winnsboro there.

                                                          October 20 — Ferriday here.

                                                          November 6 — Open.

                                                          November 13 — Oak Grove here.

                                                          November 20 — Lake Providence there.

 

 

TROJANS REPORT FOR TRAINING ON MONDAY EVENING

Seven Lettermen Plan To Hold Positions on Team

Madison Journal August 28, 1931

 

Some twenty-five candidates are expected to answer Coach M. A. “Ma” Phillips call to football practice next Monday evening. The Tallulah High School Trojan coach will have at least seven lettermen out of last year's fourteen to build a team.

 

This will mark Phillips' second year coaching the Trojan eleven and he expects to continue teaching the same style of football playing.

 

He says that he uses a style that carries deception and speed, it being a combination of Pop Warner and Knute Rockne systems. The first two games last year found the Trojans far from having reached perfection in the new football being taught them.

 

Seven lettermen are definitely expected to try for the team and "Red" Hynum, guard, will report but does not plan to be a candidate for the Trojan eleven.

 

The early training date gives the squad a chance to be in excellent condition for the first game which at the present is October 9 with Wisner on the local football field.

 

Last year's lettermen were Burnell Bynum, Jack Rushing, James Harris, Otis Edgerton, Cy Wixson, Cramer Hopper, Herbert Massey, Albert Nicols, Lloyd Evans, Earl Sistrunk, Clemens, Roy Boswell and W. A. Rushing.

 

The team was hit the hardest in the backfield by graduation, for Otis Edgerton and Jim Harris proved to be a strong combination in Trojan victories during the past three years and especially during last season. Phillips, however, has Cy Wixon and Cramer Hopper, co-captains, to rely upom as his best backfield men for the coming sea­son. Both players take their duties as halfbacks and weight about 160 pounds each.

 

Two other players lost upon graduation are Wylie Motley and Jack Rushing, center and end. Motley attracted considerable attention last year by his playing as Trojan center and Rushing was a valuable man at the end position.

 

W. A. Rushing and Roy Boswell, both lettermen, have moved away. Hynum is not expected to try for his position as guard.

 

The most promising player on the Trojan list for the coming season seems to be Louis Clemens. According to Coach Phillips, Clemens was ineligible for play last year although he attended practice throughout the year. Phillips said Thursday that he believed Clemens,  giant 195 pound tackle, to be an all-state candidate.

 

Ray Sistrunk, prospective guard, will report with his brother Earl for duty. Ray weighs 150 and Earl tips the scales at near 160 pounds.

 

Another heavy man to balance Clemens at the tackle position is a Russell Barnett, weight 235, the Trojans' heaviest man. Other tackles are Lloyd Evans, 160; Albert Nicols, 190; and Earl Sistrunk, 160. All did brilliant play­ing on the 1930 squad.

 

Others to report are Herbert Massey, 155, half and guard ; Robert Gandy, 140, end, Nordri Byrd, 130, end; Sam Scurria, 155, guard; Clyde Wade, 130, end; McBride Carroll, 150, guard ; Clifford Stuart, 135, guard; backfield men, Ashton Cagnolatti, 130; Earl Blackwell, 135; Wiley Towne, 160; Meredith Holt, 135; Buddy Bray, 135; Emmitt Craig, 120.

 

TROJANS START TRAINING SEASON WITH BIG SQUAD

Many Report During Week; Number Reaches 24

Madison Journal September 4, 1931

 

The Tallulah High School Trojans began the training season with twenty-four candidates reporting during the week. Monday marked the initial training day.

Light workouts marked the week's training says Coach M. A. "Ma" Phillips. Next week he plans lee to put the squad through blocking and tackling tactics which will mark the first real hard work they have been put through. Track work, passing, kicking and exercises have been the chief ingred­ients of the practice.

 

Coach Phillips says that plans are now being made to schedule a game with Olla Standards on November 13 to be played here. The Olla team is one of the strongest in its section of the state and it made an excellent showing in foot­ball contests during the past season.

 

Dick Peeples, member of the Tallulah Indian Baseball team, and end on the 1930 Old Miss football team, was out at practice this week and told Phillips that he had a group of boys that should make an excellent team for they had plenty of good prospects among them. Other baseball members who have been college

players are now high school teachers and pronounced the prospects as good ones.

 

All the players were in good condition and with this weeks' limbering up training as the coach calls it, they will be ready for drilling in harder fundamentals. Several classes have been held in teaching the boys the rules in order that they know what they are allowed to do on the field. Coach Phillips believes that this is an important part of the training schedule of the Trojans.

 

Four new candidates were out at practice and they promise to be valuable men on the squad judging from their weight and speed shown in training. Major Pope, nephew of R. S. Gayle, weight about 165 pounds, is a wonderful prospect for the center position that Wyly Motley graduated from last year after a successful year of football. The center position is one of the things that Phillips will have to fill this year but so far he has not decided on any positions for the , players. Pope moved here from Centerville, Miss., where he played center on the team there.

 

Bailey Anderson, Emmitt Risso and Jimmy Spinks are the other ones to report.


Clements, Earl Sistrunk, Ray Sistrunk and Buddy Bray have not reported for duty so far but with the beginning of school they will be among those out.

 

Lettermen reporting were Wixson, Hopper, Evans, Nicols, Hynum and H. Massey. Others were Barnett, Scurria, Cagnolatti, Blackwell, Wiley Towne, William Towne, Tucker, Fred Massey, De­vine, Craig, Holt, Carroll, Gandy and Stuart.

 

TROJANS START HARD WORKOUTS FOR FIRST GAME

Coach Phillips Announces Lineup of Players for Season

Madison Journal September 18, 1931

 

Although the first game is several weeks off the Tallulah high school Trojans have been busy running signals and other prepara­tory drills for actual playing. Coach Phillips has been busy brushing up his team on fine points of the game this week.

 

This week he announced the lineup that he will use during the season. The end positions, center, quarterback and fullbacks are the positions that he will have to fill. Albert Nicols, guard of 1930, seems to have the center problem solved for the coach. As usual the end positions will give the coach some trouble but the backfield is showing up good. Phillips has made no definite decision as to the quarterback assignment but Earl Blackwell and Ashton Cagnolatti will probably be two of the lead­ing candidates for the position, from among the new men that will be given service in the backfield this season. Several players are being trained to punt.

 

Following is the lineup as an­nounced by Coach M. A. Phillips: Ends, Nordri Byrd, Robert Gandy, Emmitt Risso, Bailey Ander­son, Jimmie Spinks; tackles, Louis Clements, Earl Sistrunk, Lloyd Evans; guards, Ray Sistrunk, Sam Scurria, Burnell Hynum ; centers, Albert Nicols, Russell Barnett, William Towne, Fred Massey; back­field, co-captains Cy Wixson and  Cramer Hopper, Earl Blackwell,  Ashton Cagnolatti, Herbert Massey, Wiley Towne, Emmett Craig and Buddy Bray.

 

 

TALLULAH DOWNS FORREST 37 TO 0 IN FIRST GAME

Wixson and Clements Take Lead in Overwhelming Victory for Trojans

Madison Journal October 9, 1931

 

Led by Co-Captain Cy Wixson coupled with brilliant interference by Clements, tackle, the Tallulah Trojan football team defeated the Forrest high school 37-0 in the opening game of the season here last Friday. Wixson scored four touchdowns in the first quarter.

 

In the first quarter, Herbert Massey, Trojan fullback, -carried the ball for 15 yards and on the next play Wixson took the ball around left end for a touchdown. Cagnolatti kicked the extra point. After Tallulah had kicked off 35 yards Forrest was forced to punt. On the second play Wixson made a touchdown after a 30-yard run. The try for punt was blocked by Waller.

 

End runs by Cagnolatti and Massey gave Tallulah first down and a pass Cagnolatti to Wixson for 20 yards was good for another marker. Late in the quarter a 22-yard run by Wixson on a criss-cross play gave Tallulah six more points.

 

In the third quarter, after mak­ing two straight runs down to with­in 10 yards of the visitor’s goal, Massey went through center for the fifth score of the game. Late ­in the quarter on a criss-cross spin a pass from Wixson to Cagnolatti, fleet Tallulah quarterback, gave the Trojans their last marker and the score was 37-0. Neither team registered in the last quarter.

 

For Forrest, Brown, right end, played a good game, while Waller and Williamson performed nicely in the backfield.

 

Substitutions were frequent on both sides.

Tallulah lineup:

Spinks L. E., Clements L. T., Car­roll L. G., Nicols C., Evans R. G., E. Sistrunk R. T., Hynum R. E., Cagnolatti Q. B., Hopper L. H., Wixson R. H., H. Massey F. B.

Officials: Vermillion (Emporia) referee; Bailey (L. S. U.) umpire.

 

Tallulah Trojans play Wisner here this afternoon.

 

TROJANS WIN OVER WISNER AT FAIR

Cagnolatti and Wixson Lead Trojans to Their Second Straight Victory
Madison Journal October 16, 1931


With Cagnolatti and Wixson alternating in the role of broken field runners and the whole Trojan team displaying rare form, both offensively arid defensively, Tallulah's football eleven ran roughshod over a determined Wisner squad here last Friday by score of 32-0. The stellar playing of Newman, Wisner center, featured the game for the visitors.

 

A lateral pass from Wixson to Cagnolatti for 11 yards early in the first quarter gave the Trojans their first mark. Wixson scored the extra point on a drop-kick. A 23-yard run by Wixson and a 13-yard jaunt by Cagnolatti gave Tallulah two first downs, but a fumble gave the ball to the visitors. A 15-yard run by Beach, Wisner fullback, and a pass from Beach to McKnight for eight yards also featured the quarter.

 

Considerable yardage for Massey, Trojan plunging fullback, followed by a lateral pass from Cagnolatti to Wixson, gave Tallulah their second touchdown and after

Wixson kicked the extra point the score stood 14-0.

 

Tallulah kicked off and a pass from Walker, Wisner substitute, to McKnight, netted 20 yards for the visitors but they couldn't score.

 

A 32-yard run by Beach early in the third quarter threw a scare into the crowd, but the Trojans re­covered the ball only to lose it af­ter Cagnolatti had ripped off nine yards around end.

 

Co-Captain Cy Wixson played brilliant ball in the third quarter, intercepting two passes thrown from the hands of Beach, the first run good for 53 yards and a touchdown and the second 32 yards for a score. Cagnolatti also scored in this period when he skirted right end across the goal line after a steady drive into Wisner territory. Neither team scored in the last period.

 

For the visitors, Newman, W. Chapman and C. Chapman stood out in the line while Beach was best in the backfield. The vicious tackling of Hopper, Trojan half­back, featured Tallulah's team.

 

No write-up of the 0-12 loss to Winnsboro in the Oct 23 issue.

 

TALLULAH PLAYS FERRIDAY HERE THIS AFTERNOON
Good Game is Expected as Both Schools are on Winning List
Madison Journal October 30, 1931

A good game of football is ex­pected here this afternoon when the Tallulah Trojans battle the Ferriday Bulldogs on the field at the Tallulah high school.

Until last Friday when the Tro­jans dropped a 12-0 contest to the Winnsboro Wildcats they were in the undefeated class. Ferriday has won five games in a row from Bunkie, Selma, Franklinton, W s­ner and Crowville, piling up 190 points to 6. The only touchdown scored on that team was made by Crowville last weekend and it came on a fluke.

Last year at Ferriday the Bull­dogs turned back the Tallulah team 12-0 in a great game. Tallulah lost to Winnsboro by the same score this year but Tallulah was not at its full strength against the Cats. They are pointing for the Ferriday contest and Coach M. A. Phillips will shoot the works against the undefeated Ferriday team.

 

FERRIDAY WINS OVER TALLULAH FRIDAY 26-6
Cherry and Turner Lead Bulldogs to Victory Over Trojans
Madison Journal November 6, 1931

The Cherry-Turner passing and a broken field running combination plus a heavy forward wall proved a thorn in Tallulah's side last Friday and the Ferriday bulldogs tri­umphed over the Trojan, 26-6. It was Ferriday's sixth win of the season and carried them a step fur­ther toward the Class B title.

Ferriday's first touchdown came in the first quarter after a series of passes and end runs had brought the Bulldogs within scoring dis­tance. Archie Turner, Class B high scorer at present, went through center for the counter. A pass from Captain Cherry to Turner accounted for the extra point.

In the second quarter a fumble by Tallulah gave the ball to the visitors. On the next play a pass from Cherry to Loomis was good for 30 yards and Turner scored the second marker on the criss-cross play off left tackle. A pass from Cherry to Turner failed and the score stood 13-0 as the half ended. The third quarter was scoreless for both sides.

The Bulldogs registered twice in the last quarter, one touchdown coming in the last few minutes of play. A pass from Cherry to Tur­ner for 15 yards give Ferriday a first down and on a fake criss‑cross Cherry skirted 30 yards down the right side lines for a touch­down. Cherry's drop kick was good for another marker. With a few minutes left to play and after Tal­lulah had punted, a 25-ynrd run around right end by Turner for 25 yards and a 25-yard pass from Cherry to Wilson gave the visitors their last score. Extra point failed. After several first downs gained by the neat-running of Massey and Townes, Massey hit center for the Trojans' lone touchdown. Wixson failed to kick the extra point.  

Twice in the last quarter visiting backs were caught off sides. The superiority of the visiting team was unquestioned.

In defeat the work of Massey and Townes stood out offensively for Tallulah. Hopper was perhaps the locals' best bet on defense.

Cy Wixson, fleet Trojan ball-runner, was stopped time and time again without gain.

Lewis Clements received a ser­ious leg injury which might keep him out for the rest of the season.

 

TROJANS TRIM TROUT-GOODPINE IN EASY CONTEST
Trojan Offence Clicks in Unison and Team Chalks Up Easy Victory
Madison Journal November 13, 1931

Displaying superior form over their opponents and with a back field hitting it off together, the Tallulah Trojans won an easy vic­tory over Trout-Good Pine eleven here last Friday to the tune of 32-7.

Howard Massey, Trojan full­back, scored three of his team's touchdowns.

The Trojans received the kick­off and with Townes, Wixson and Massey alternating as ball-carriers made four successive first downs to place the ball almost on the visitors’ goal line. Massey hit center for the score.

Tallulah kicked off 35 yards and on the first play Goodpine quarter­back passed 10 yards to right end who was near the sidelines unseen and who gained 35 yards before Townes downed him. On the third down Clay passed to Ford for a ten yard gain and the visitors’ only touchdown. Clay circled left end for the extra point and the score stood 7-6 at the quarter in favor of Goodpine.

In the second quarter Massey crashed center for a touchdown after three first downs placed the ball on the 1 yard line. Wixson scored on dropkick. Wixson intercepted a pass from Clay and raced 50 yards down the sidelines for a score. Wixson again made good the extra point on dropkick.

There were several thrilling mo­ments in the game as Goodpine neared the Trojans’ goal.

In the final quarter Wixson and Townes placed the ball into scor­ing position and Townes circled right end behind neat interference for a score. Wixson failed to score on dropkick.

With only a few minutes left Wixson went around left end on a fake punt for 30 yards to put the ball on the visitors 12 yard line Brushing aside 10 yards for a first down Massey plunged cen­ter for the remaining distance and ­a touchdown. The extra score failed and the game ended 32-7.

 

TALLULAH PLAYS LK. PROVIDENCE WEDNESDAY, 25
Football Game is Postponed From Friday 20th to Later Date
Madison Journal November 20, 1931

The Tallulah high school football team will play the team from Lake Providence here at the fairgrounds on Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. The game had been scheduled for Friday, November 20, but it was found necessary to postpone it.

The price of admission will be 75c and 25c.

According to John G. Dutton, principal of the Tallulah high school, Tallulah has a good chance to win. He says that he hopes a good crowd will come out to wit­ness the game.

 

TALLULAH HOLDS PANTHERS TO TIE HERE WEDNESDAY
Trojans Score Thirteen First Downs to Five for East Carroll Team
Madison Journal November 27, 1931

Eleven fighting Trojans, aided by a courageous spirit, was the cause of Tallulah tying the Lake Providence Panthers 6-6 in their annual Thanksgiving eve tilt here Wednesday. Tallulah outplayed their supposedly better opponent from East Carroll, registering 13 first downs to only five for the visitors.

After the first quarter it looked like a punting duel between Regi­nold, Panther quarterback, and Massey, Trojan fullback. Reginold averaged 39 yards in his punting, a slight edge over Massey's 36. Tallulah had the better of the situ­ation for the remainder of the game with Wixson's criss-cross end runs bringing the crowd to its feet. The Trojans never once took to the air route for a possible score and the visitors tried only two which were incomplete.

In the opening period of the game after exchanging punts Tallulah was forced to kick. Massey punted 40 yards to the Panthers' 15-yard line. Swink received the ball and with perfect interference by Muirhead raced down the side­lines to the one-foot line, a dis­tance of 75 yards, where he stum­bled and fell. In two more tries Swink carried the ball off right tackle for a touchdown. They fail­ed the extra point.

Tallulah fought all the harder after this. Lake Providence kicked off 40 yards and on a fake criss-cross Wixson returned the ball 25 yards. Wixson, Towne and Hopper gave the Trojans four straight first downs which carried the ball to the Panthers' four-yard line. Wiley Towne circled right end for a touchdown and a tied score as Wixson kicked low for the try at extra point.

No feature runs in the second quarter.

Both teams fought hard in the last half but the best either could do was exchange punts.

Both Panthers and Spartans had their heroes. Co-captains Cy Wixson and Cramer Hopper played brilliantly along with Gandy, Sis­trunk, Scurria, William and Wiley Towne.

Captain Wyly of Providence who made perhaps 80 per cent of his team's tackles; Swink who was a constant threat as ball runner; Muirhead who blocked and ran well and Reginold ace punter, all came in for applause.