by Laurel | December 27th, 2013
22 Dec 1929
Leading Candidates For Holyoke High Quintet,1929-1930 season
Northampton, However, Rules Slight Favorite to Win Fifth Title — West
Springfield Stronger Than Ever — Westfield Has New Team
By George Springer
“We’ll make it five straight this year,” is the cry Northampton High fans raise when the outcome of the 1930 Valley basketball league race comes up for discussion. “We’ll stop Northampton,” is the cry heard in the other five towns of this peppery hoop circuit. But it stands out as an actual fact that as the sic teams prepare for the coming race, Coach Dave Wright’s quintet stands out above his other rivals.
The return of Holyoke to the good graces of the circuit, the recognized strength of West Springfield and Westfield and the renewed vigor in Chicopee and Greenfield are all going to prove helps in making the coming pennant hunt a lively one.
Two Teams Stronger
Two winters ago Coach “Dotty” Whalen and his Holyoke crew ran a muck of the good will of its rival schools and the Paper City mentor withdrew his team from the league with the excuse that his team was out to play big-time teams and help the high school money bags swell. Playing such weak teams as the Valley League possessed at that time, with the exception of Northampton and Westfield, Holyoke could not see its way clear to realize a profit against the weak members. And so the Papertown was missing for one season.
But with Holyoke’s return, Coach Whalen has the teams pretty well strengthened, this being particularly so on the West side and in the Skiptown. But can all this added strength and renewed interest stop Northampton from winning its fifth straight championship? That’s the big question.
A hasty glance at the roster of the team reveals interesting facts. It shows that the Meadow city has another great team in the making, one that is very likely to follow in the footsteps of last year’s five that won 23 of its 24 games. It shows West Springfield with much veteran material with a wealth of subs; Chicopee with a team that is anxious to get into the thick of the pennant fight; a Greenfield team that lacks veterans, but not fight, and a Westfield team that man not make such a clamor for the title as it has done in the several years just passed.
Coach Wright has sent his ‘Hamp team onto the polished surface twice this far. In its lineup are Januskiewicz, Wydra, Miles, Barnes, Pawloski and Finn, all members of last year’s team, though some only saw a little service. At the start of the season all seemed lost for the ‘Hampmen. Chet Rutkowski, “Midge” Lojko and Meehan were regulars missing.
But another Rutkowski, Chester’s brother, has come along and in the two games has followed very well in his brother’s footsteps. Paired with the younger Rutkowski is Januskiewicz and these two players have shown tendencies of running uo even higher scores than did last year’s forecourt duo.
Malcolm’s Brother
Greenfield is not downhearted over the coming season. Coach Carl Nichols has some veteran material which has yet to hit its stride with the new men, but like Chicopee fans, the Taptown ardents are looking for better things when the teams line up against a Valley League opponent.
That brings the field down to Holyoke High. Coach Whalen has never been known to turn out a poor team in any sport. The Purple and White has especially been consistent in winning games on the court and while the Papertowners failed to show any great strength in its opening game against Hopkins Academy, the followers of this school realize that all is not hopeless.
The Holyoke mentor has Collins, Navins, Jolivet, Turner and Sarnecki from last year’s squad, in addition to some fine new material in Malcolm, brother of the famous Jimmy of the Malcolm-Feldman combination, O‘Connor, Kingsley, Hickson and Little. With this material the Paper City quintet should be up in the thick of the battle at all times.
A brief summary of the teams shows that West Springfield possesses the most veterans, with Holyoke second, Northampton third and Chicopee, Westfield and Greenfield trailing. Northampton might be given the edge on the strength of its new material with Holyoke second, Westfield third and Chicopee, Greenfield and West Springfield trailing. While the Meadow City clan will be made a slight favorite to repeat its winning ways, Holyoke and West Springfield can be called strong contenders, with the other teams always ready to provide an unlooked for upset.
From The Springfield Republican
