This is the continuation of our podcast series that looks back chronologically at every Reitz Football game ever played.
PantherPlus members click here for the Complete Game Report
Podcast transcript:
Hello everyone welcome to this week’s edition of the ReitzFootball.com Podcast presented by Reis Tires, where we go in chronological order to recap EVERY game in the history of Reitz High School Football. I’m your host, Dan Engler.
Let’s go back in time to October, 1920. Last week, the Panthers were clobbered by Owensville, 33-6. That episode and all our podcasts are available by going to ReitzFootball.com and clicking on PODCAST in the top menu.
This week, the Panthers have a rematch against the team they beat in their first game, the Mount Vernon Wildcats. The Posey County school had lost a big one to Morganfield of Kentucky last week, 73-6, and were now 0-3.
However, Mount Vernon miraculously vaporized Reitz, 36-6, correct? When looking back decades later, newspaper articles show the 1920 Panthers as having finished 1-3. All Reitz Football historians have this game as a loss.
But here’s the thing…we didn’t lose that game. We actually won, 36-6. So, how does a game that was the young Panthers’ biggest win turn into a loss in the eyes of history?
To be honest, I don’t know. The late Mr. James Claybourn, a hall-of-fame Reitz football historian, during his thorough research of Reitz high school football, usually got things right. However, I noticed a long time ago that his 1920 page had whited out Reitz winning this game and indicated that Mount Vernon had won. Also whited out was their record, changed to the Panthers finishing 1-3 in 1920.
I just figured it was a typo and didn’t think much of it. Newspaper accounts from decades later all point to a 1-3 season, alas a loss for this game. But when researching this game for the podcast, I was able to find the truth. While neither the Courier nor the Press printed a result, the Evansville Journal and Ohihill yearbook report that the final score was 36-6 in favor of the Panthers.
While the yearbook article doesn’t say who scored any of the points, it looks like Ralph Woods was once again the all-star. The recap states that “the game was featured by Woods’ long passes and long gains by other Reitz players.”
The Journal’s recap adds more insight. In total, five Panthers scored touchdowns. Woods had one, with two touchdown passes to Sutton. Fisher, Johnson and Reid also scored, with the latter setting a record with a 60-yard touchdown run.
Reitz improved to 2-1 while the Wildcats fell to 0-4.
Next week, we’ll revisit the Panthers’ season finale against the Giants of Boonville High School.
Remember, this podcast is brought to you free of charge by our friends at Reis Tire. As the series continues, we’ll eventually cover all 1,000+ games. With every edition, we’ll preview and recap the next game in chronological order.
And on a sidenote, I’ll be updating the entire website to reflect this win. This means that Reitz finished 2-2 in 1920, not 1-3, giving Coach Murphy a .500 all-time record. This also means that the Panthers’ milestone wins were hit one game earlier, including our 600th win earned in 2018 over Henderson County, not Castle.
Guys, we never would have learned about this if it weren’t for you. Your support of the podcast and PantherPlus have made this possible. Get access to all the stats, newspaper and yearbook articles mentioned today by becoming a PantherPlus member. Right now you can try the first month out for free!
Just go to reitzfootball.com/pantherplus. Click on register and select the monthly membership for a free 30-day trial. Cancel at anytime!
Thanks for listening. Do you have questions or comments? Please email me at info@reitzfootball.com.
Until next time, this is Dan Engler with ReitzFootball.com. Go Panthers!
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