PEN ARGYL AREA HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE HONORING THE 1924, 1934 and 2004 CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL TEAMS. THE CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE AT ALUMNI STADIUM THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11TH BEFORE THE FOOTBALL GAME VS. NOTRE DAME @ APPROXIMATELY 2:00PM (KICK-OFF AT 2:30PM).
1924 & 1934 Championship Teams
High School Football began at Pen Argyl in 1922 at Weona Park. Head Coach Henry Martin put together a team with a few players that year. Two years later, the 1924 Green Wave team went 8-0, posting the first undefeated season and were crowned champions that season. This Pen Argyl Football team was led by John “Shebo” Schultz who played in the backfield with teammates Charlie Broad and Mike Baboski. Robert Parsons anchored the offensive line at center and the Green Wave scored 268 points throughout the season.
In 1930, the Lehigh-Northampton League was formed and included teams like Bangor, Wilson, Nazareth, Hellertown and Pen Argyl. In 1934, Head Coach LeVan Smith knew he had a special team led by running back Gilmore “The Galloping Ghost” Strunk. Gilmore haunted opposing defenses and scored every point in their 33-13 victory of Bangor. Gilmore holds the P.A.H.S. record for yards gained in one game with 302, which was also a Lehigh Valley record that lasted 44 years. The 1934 team cruised to an undefeated and untied season earning Pen Argyl their first Lehigh-Northampton League Championship.
2004 PEN ARGYL FOOTBALL TEAM
SEASON RECORD 9-3
The 2004 regular season was somewhat of a roller coaster ride for the Green and White. The team started the season with a promising 48-0 win over Salisbury with both the offense and defense looking very sharp.
Over the next four weeks the Knights suffered three home losses that all were decided in the fourth quarter. At this point in the season the team stood at two and three and thoughts of the playoffs seemed unrealistic.
A 49-21 win in week 6 at Catasauqua proved to be a spark, with a go ahead drive just before halftime and a pick six by Kurtis Fleming in the second half that sealed the game.
The final month of the regular season included wins at Northwestern and Notre Dame and two fantastic finishes at home against Wilson and Bangor. The Wilson game featured a back and forth contest that came down to a 75-yard drive in the last two minutes culminating in a game winning pass from Mike Bortz to MJ McGuckin in the corner of the end zone for a 21-17 win.
The Bangor game that year was a classic, with both teams needing a win to secure a playoff spot. The game went back and forth in the first half with Pen Argyl building a lead through three quarters. Bangor rallied and tied the game in the final moments to force overtime between the rivals. Pen Argyl scored on their possession and kicked the PAT. Bangor scored and elected to go for two and the win. The Pen Argyl defense strung out a sweep to right with defender Dan Ruggerio forcing the Bangor back out short of the goaline for a dramatic 24-23 win.
The late game fireworks followed the Knights into the opening round of playoffs with a 27-21 win over Newport High School. The team fought from behind scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter including a last minute touchdown pass from Bortz to Steve Waring to tie the game and force overtime.
After a great 4th and goal stop from the two, the Knights ran their signature John C. Power on first down to win the game and head to Wilkes-Barre for the final. The Championship game was an offensive showcase for both teams in a back and forth affair that saw the Knights tie the game at 28 in the closing minutes. The overtime veterans proceeded to stop WB Meyers on their possession. The Knights scored an apparent game winning touchdown on a quarterback draw, but it was called back. The offense re-grouped and set up kicker Victor Madzhirski for the game winner and a 31-28 victory that earned the Knights their first and only Eastern Conference Playoff Championship. The 2004 Green Knights battled back from early season frustrations to win their last seven games, most in dramatic fashion. Their three overtime victories and undefeated road record on the season proved to be a great indicator of how the team had progressed throughout the season.
