1919-11-08

Recap of the Nov. 8, 1919 game

As we move into the last month of the 1919 season, the Panthers are 1-3. Or maybe they’re 1-2. Or maybe not. We don’t really know. To understand the confusion, listen to last week’s podcast, the Mysterious October of 1919. That episode and all our podcasts are available by going to ReitzFootball.com and clicking on PODCAST in the top menu. What we do know is that the Panthers would be tested as they traveled to Henderson to play Barrett Manual High School, which was a predecessor of Henderson County.

The Nov. 8, 1919 edition of the Evansville Press said Reitz would be “playing their hardest game of the season.” An Evansville Courier article from the same day said that “The West Side Boys have been drilling for several weeks and have shown imroved ability in team work and handling the ball. They are rather light for a high school eleven, but are determined to make a good showing today.”

Remember, the Panthers of 1919 were Freshman and Sophomores. No seniors or even Juniors, while the Kentucky school had players in all four grades at their disposal.

Disposal unfortunately is a fitting word for this game. Henderson was unstoppable, building up a 53-0 halftime lead before more than doubling that in the second half. Final score – 118-0.

According to the 1920 Revue, which was Barrett Manual’s yearbook covering the 1919 season, Reitz threatened Henderson’s goal line only once, in the last minute of the first half. However, they reported that was against substitutes.

While neither the Courier nor the Press gave a breakdown of the 118-0 score, the Louisville Courier-Journal offered a little insight. They reported 18 touchdowns and nine “goals kicked” aka extra points. For you mathematicians, that adds up to 117-0, but it was a Kentucky newspaper, so we’ll forgive them.

For a little historical perspective, Henderson beat the Panthers again in 1922, 1924 & 1925, but Reitz would finally get a win over the Kentuckians in 1926. But on that November day in 1919, the young Panthers were at the veteran club’s mercy.