1952: COVINGTON CRUSHES BRADFORD 67-13

  • Post category:1952 SEASON
1952 Covington Buccaneers: Row 1 – Doug Diltz, Leonard Wood, Bob Tobias, Kenny Shefbuch, Doug Alexander. Row 2 – Coach Paul Devins, Don Zimmerman, Don Martin, Herb Wackler, Bill Frey, Bob Johnston, Dick Via, Ronnie Finfrock, Coach Richard Wintringham. Row 3 – Jim Rench, Bill Knick, Bill Young, Jim Minnich, Kent Hitchcock, Jim Boehringer, Eldon Baker. Row 4 – Bud Feeser, Ralph Mutzner, Jerry Milhouse, Trafford Ringelspaugh, Dick Rhoades, Darrell Helman, Lewis Deeter. Row 5 – Manager David Alexander, Arlen Idle, Larry Via, Tom Baker, Bob Mendenhall, Chuck Ingle, Manager Richard McMaken.

The Bradford Railroaders knew they were in trouble before they even stepped on the gridiron to face coach Paul Devine’s unbeaten Covington Buccaneers Friday night. After all, the Railroaders have never defeated a Covington team in five previous attempts. In those five meetings the Covington teams have totaled 147 points to the Railroaders’ 37, with the closest margin of victory being last season when the Buccaneers won 31-12.

The way Devine’s “Thundering Herd” has played to this point of the season, it would have took a monumental effort by the Railroaders to even make a game of it. Unfortunatly for the minimal Bradford crowd in attendance, that never happened.

Covington thoroughly dominated the action from start to finish, all the while platooning players freely. Many underclassman saw significant playing time, more than they have seen all season.

The power running game of Kenny Shefbuch, Doug Diltz and Leonard Woods, and the physical front line was too much for the outmanned ‘Roaders to handle. In the end, the score was as ugly as the game as Covington won going away, 67-13.

If the Railroaders can take anything positive away from the beating they received at the hands of Devine’s Dynamoes, the 13 points they scored tied Ansonia as the most the Covington defense has surrendered in a game all season, all be it against many Buccaneer freshman and sophomores.

The lopsided victory gives the Buccaneers their second straight Tri-County League title and puts them one step away from a perfect season, a first in Covington football history.