Team’s in a huddle; coach lowered his head; they all got together and – well, we don’t know exactly what they said, but we know that The Lord’s Prayer was repeated by everyone of those boys before they went out on the field; and we are pretty sure that words of encouragement were muttered to the players. Every game started out in this way, with the Buccaneers brining in unexpected victories at six of them. The Buccs were defeated three times, but they gave only 70 points to their opponents during the whole season, while 226 points were added to their own record.

Because they lost 11 letterman last year, the team was not expected to do so well; also, as the 1958 football season was Coach Irvin’s first year as head coach, a program of rebuilding the team was expected.

Covington’s Buccs surprised us all! They did a fine job under the supervision of Co-Captains Gary Carder and Bob Jaquemin. Assistant coaches, Mr. Dunn and Mr. Banes, added to the capable coaching staff.

Four sets of brothers, one of them twins, played on the team. Gary and Tom Carder, Mike and Danny Cotrell, Phil and Tom Iddings, and the twins, Doug and Dave Murray, used the “family approach”; and who knows but what that didn’t have something to do with their success?

Placing second in the Little Buckeye League, the team won’t get a chance to try for first place in the coming years, as this year was the last in the league. Four of our boys who made the All-League Team were Gary Carder, left halfback; Bob Jacquemin, left end; Jim Sampson, left tackle; and Bob Hartley, linebacker. Two boys, Jerry Sutton and Larry Via, also received Honorable Mention.

This year’s team was built around the freshman and sophomores, who turned in a very impressive record for the Buccs. This factor will add a great deal to next year’s results.

(Images obtained from the 1959 Covington High School Yearbook.)