Coming in at No. 19 in the Top 25 Biggest Wins in Reitz Bowl History is the first-ever Golden Acorn Trophy game between Reitz and Mater Dei.
While the Panthers had fallen out of contention for the 1970 city and SIAC crowns, there was one item still at stake going into the last game of the season: the newly created Golden Acorn.
While Reitz and Mater Dei had met annually since 1952, with the donation of the prize by the West Side Nut Club, the two schools would now have hardware on the line every year.
The Panthers were 5-4 overall (5-3 in SIAC, 3-3 in city) while the Wildcats were 5-3-1 overall, and 3-3 in the city and SIAC. While they had both lost to Rex Mundi and Harrison, Reitz had beaten Bosse, which had beaten Mater Dei. However, the Wildcats also had a win over North, which had knocked off the Panthers. On paper, the teams were evenly matched.
However, rain soaked the Bowl and Mater Dei was no match for the Panthers, which earned a 24-0 win.
Reitz got on the scoreboard early with a 5-yard run by Don Pickett with 2:34 left in the first quarter. With 4:31 left in the second quarter, Larry Johnson ran it in from the one to increase the Panthers’ lead to 12-0. Johnson scored again in the first play of the fourth quarter, a 11-yard run. The final score came with 7:52 left, a a 5-yard pass from junior quarterback Tom Nelson to senior end Craig Tenney.
Points of interest
- Reitz failed on all four conversions (a kick, two passes and a run)
- Reitz held Mater Dei to minus 14 rushing yards
- A win for the Wildcats would have been their 100th in school history
- Larry Johnson’s two touchdowns earned him the 1970 city scoring championship (16 touchdowns and 2 extra points for 100 points)
Links of interest
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