Location: 10 AM, Delaware Avenue Field, Palmerton
Final Score: Slatington 0 - Palmerton 20
Weather: fair and warmer with the high temperature in Allentown forecast at 64 degrees.
Coaches: Louis DeRosa (1915-2007) for Slatington and Anthony Rovinski (1908-1973) for Palmerton
1944 Slatington High School yearbook photo of the 1943 football team
Slatington’s 1943 high school football season started with some promise. There was a new football coach in town, Lou DeRosa, and there were fifty-five recruits who turned up for practice in September. “The largest squad ever to report for football in the high school is practicing daily.” (The Slatington News, 16 September 1943)
But there were only three returning letterman: Rollin Clifford Jones (junior), Joseph Buzinski (senior) and Charles Rettew (junior). Because of the war and men entering military service, there were fewer seventeen-and eighteen-years olds still in high school in the fall of 1943. In fact, Slatington High School only graduated 81 total (46 women, 35 men) in the class of 1944.
“Although the squad is very much inexperienced and light in weight, Coach DeRosa and Williams think that it will give a good account of itself.” (The Slatington News, 16 September 1943)
Another issue noted by the coach, “Since many of the boys can’t report for practice every day because of the need for farm labor in this section, the squad has been unable to function as a whole.” (The Slatington News, 30 September 1943)
The season’s initial promise did not last long.
Slatington’s schedule
Slatington 0 - Lehighton 35 (2 October)
Emmaus 24 - Slatington 0 (9 October)
Slatington 0 - Northampton 62 (16 October)
Catasauqua 53 - Slatington 6 (23 October)
Whitehall 13 - Slatington 0 (30 October)
Stroudsburg 24 - Slatington 6 (6 November)
Allentown J. V. 6 - Slatington 0 (20 November)
The team was 0-7 going into the Thanksgiving Day game and had scored only 12 points. Slatington had been shut out 5 times.
Slatington finished the season winless at 0-8, outscored 237-12 with only two touchdowns scored all season. Those were both by Joseph Buzinski in games against Catasauqua and Stroudsburg.
1943 Palmerton Football team photo from Silver Star Press, vol. 2, no.1, 1943
The Morning Call assessed Palmerton’s prospects for the 1943 Lehigh Valley League Season, “Palmerton Grid Outlook Good” (31 August 1943). “Coach Tony Rovinski’s initial call for gridiron candidates at Palmerton High school was answered by 42 boys yesterday morning,“ with more expected after some finish summer jobs.
But, like Slatington, Palmerton’s hopes evaporated quickly.
Palmerton’s schedule
Whitehall 13 – Palmerton 6 (25 September)
Stroudsburg 0 - Palmerton 6 (2 October)
Palmerton 0 – Catasauqua 19 (9 October)
Palmerton 0 – Bangor 21 (16 October)
Northampton 33 – Palmerton 0 (23 October)
Emmaus 6 – Palmerton 0 (6 November)
Lehighton 6 – Palmerton 33 (13 November)
The team was 1-6 going into the Thanksgiving game and had scored only 45 points, having been shut out 4 times.
After the win against Slatington on Thanksgiving, Palmerton finished the season 2-6.
The Morning Call headline on Friday, 26 November 1943, the day after Thanksgiving, was a simple one “Palmerton Beats Slatington 20-0.” The box score said it all; yards from scrimmage in Palmerton’s favor 178-93.
In the week before the game, excitement built with ticket sales and pep rallies. The Morning Call (24 November 1943) predicted a 14-0 Palmerton win. Knowledgeable fans were not so sure. “Although local drug store quarterbacks make much of the fact that Palmerton defeated Lehighton by almost the identical score that the Indians piled up against Slatington early in the season, experienced observers point out that this game like all previous contests between the schools, has been unpredictable.” (The Morning Call, 20 November 1943) Slatington fans tried to be optimistic despite the lackluster season. “Having proved in the game with Allentown High School Junior Varsity that the Slatington squad has developed a closely knit defense, the boys of the Blue and White are preparing for the Palmerton game a fast offense.” (The Morning Call, 22 November 1943)
The day before the Thanksgiving showdown, The Morning Call (24 November 1943) reported that “Both teams are prepared for the clash, and they expect to shoot the works in anticipation of victory.” For Palmerton, “The Rovinski-coached Bombers enter the contest as slight favorites, having won two games from Stroudsburg and Lehighton while the Slaters have lost every game.” For Slatington, “It is reported in upper Valley football circles that Slatington’s wary mentor Coach Louis Rosa (sic) has a bag of well-practiced plays which the Warriors have been saving in reserve for the especial purpose of subduing the Bombers.”
Besides the game, the bands from both high schools were scheduled to perform. “Fans who are on hand in time for the opening kickoff at 10 am will witness the debut of Palmerton High School’s band, drum majorettes and flag twirlers resplendent in their new uniforms, under the direction of S. A. Smith, conductor.” (The Morning Call, 24 November 1943)
As for the game itself, it was a dominating Palmerton performance.
“Cold, crisp weather seemed made to order for the final football game of the season on Thanksgiving morning when the annual rivalry match between the teams from the Slate Borough came up to try and take their first win of the season and incidentally the first win over the Bombers since football was resumed between the two schools.” (The Palmerton Press, 2 December 1943)
“After receiving the opening kickoff, Slatington drove to the Palmerton 10 in six plays before Palmerton held on downs. Following an exchange of kicks, the Bombers started on their own 17 and drove to the Slatington six where a penalty stymied their drive.” (Service Star Press, Palmerton, 21 December 1943)
Then, there were two Palmerton TDs in the second quarter. “Palmerton scored the first touchdown in the second quarter on three straight plays after a 30-yard punt run back by [Frank] Zeaka from his own 41 with [Bill] Hauser going over. Following recovery of his own team’s fumble, [Wilson] Serfass scored the second touchdown for the Bombers three minutes later. Both of Hauser’s tries for extra points were good.” (The Morning Call, 26 November 1943)
Much later in the fourth quarter Zeaka returned a Kester punt for the last TD.
“Slatington’s last desperate effort to score bogged on the Palmerton 8-yard line.” (The Morning Call, 26 November 1943)
| Position | Palmerton | Slatington |
| Left end | Gruber | Bobal |
| Left tackle | Eckhart | Lewis |
| Left guard | Wentz | Snyder |
| Center | Leibenguth | E. Kern |
| Right guard | Wertman | Schneck |
| Right tackle | Henning | Rettew |
| Right end | Kinek | Sittler |
| Quarterback | Serfass | Merkle |
| Left halfback | Hauser | Kester |
| Right halfback | Bomba | Ward |
| Fullback | Behun | Buzinski |
After this game, the Thanksgiving rivalry stood at Palmerton 8 wins, Slatington 0 wins and 1 tie.
A few weeks after the season had ended, the Slatington football team received word that one of the players on the team had been killed in an industrial accident.
On Saturday, December 11th 1943, James (Jimmy) Smith (1927 - 1943) was killed when he fell from a coal truck while he was unloading coal at the Pembroke Coal and Supply Co. in Bethlehem, PA. He was a sophomore in high school, a member of the football team and only sixteen years old at the time.
Smith, who grew up in Pleasant Corners, was the son of Wilmer Smith (1889-1961), the general store owner and postmaster there, and Perma Leiby (1902-1988).
He was also survived by a sister, Shirley Smith (1929-2023) and a brother, Lewis Smith (1937- ?).
At the end of the year during the football banquet held at the American Legion on December 16th, the team and coaches paid tribute to Smith.
Newspaper sources
- The Morning Call
- The Palmerton Press
- The Slatington News