When Sports Were Played: Jefferson-Morgan wins 2nd straight ‘B’ title
Jefferson-Morgan broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and defeated Midland 20-0 to repeat as WPIAL champion. On this play, Jeff Garrett runs away from the Midland defense.
Midland quarterback Chuck Gomez gets sandwiched by a pair of Rockets. Jefferson-Morgan held Midland to minus-24 rushing yards in the 1974 WPIAL Class B championship game.
Jefferson-Morgan head coach Dave Eavenson enjoys a victory cigar after the Rockets repeated as WPIAL Class B champions in 1974.
The “When Sports Were Played” for today goes back to Nov. 9, 1974, when a senior-laden Jefferson-Morgan had too much defense for Midland and won its second consecutive WPIAL Class B football championship.
BETHEL PARK – Jefferson-Morgan High School won its second WPIAL Class B football championship in as many years here Saturday, defeating Midland by a surprising 20-0 score.
According to the clippings, Jeff-Morgan’s offense was spectacular and Midland’s defense was downright awesome.
As it turned out, the roles were very nearly reversed. J-M’s offense scored only one touchdown but its defense smothered nearly everything sent hurdling in its general direction.
Midland, whose goal line had been violated only once this season in nine games, proved porous. The goal line was crossed three times by the Rockets, a feat that on the surface renders the newspaper clippings worthless.
“This is the first time this year we’ve entered a game where our defense was not rated superior,” said Jeff-Morgan head coach Dave Eavenson. “That’s what seemed to encourage our kids most. It helped that they had something to prove out there.”
Led by middle guard Jeff Culp, a quick 5-10, 180-pound senior who is a one-man gang tackler, the Jefferson-Morgan defense held Midland to minus-24 yards rushing on the afternoon. The defense turned the ball over five times and scored two touchdowns.
Culp, a four-year letterman for the Rockets with All-WPIAL and All-Conference billing as a sophomore and junior, plus a Big 33 nomination this year, patrolled Midland territory almost at will.
Culp led Keith Martin and Dave Wade, a pair of 6-1, 180-pound ends, and tackles Hersey Willis (6-5, 230) and Skip McCarty (5-9, 175) on sacking parties that accounted for 85 yards in rushing losses for the beleaguered Midland ball carriers.
“Jeff has never played a better game on defense,” said Eavenson, puffing on a 50-cent cigar and clutching the game ball presented to him by the two-time champions. “He is just a super athlete and leader. He is a super kid.”
Harassed by Culp & Co., Midland’s offense never got going. The Jefferson-Morgan offense, led by quarterback Jon Culp and tailback Kevin Martin, moved well enough to penetrate deep into Midland territory three times in the first half. In the shadow of their goal post, the Tigers’ defense stiffened to halt drives to the 14, four and five.
“They were a great team,” Eavenson said. “That defense was better than it looks on paper. Anytime you can stop us that many times that close to the goal, you know they were tough.”
On their second series of downs, the Rockets drove 14 plays from their 19 to the Midland 14 before the drive fizzled. Three plays and a minus-9 yards later, Midland quarterback Chuck Gomez punted from his own end zone out to the 35.
Kevin Martin and fullback Steve Yourchik smashed the ball to the four-yard line in eight plays, but Jon Culp lost six yards on a fourth-and-goal play.
Jeff Culp sacked Wallace Stevens for a nine-yard loss on Midland’s first play from scrimmage, and Gomez, in his own end zone, threw a pass intended for Larry Stephens on the next play.
Kevin Martin intercepted at the 12 and raced untouched for the first score of the game with 3:50 to play in the second period. Michael Duke’s point-after try missed.
On the ensuing kickoff, Skip McCarty recovered a Midland fumble at the 13, but on the first snap, Jon Culp’s first pass attempt was intercepted by Gomez at his own 13. Gomez then bobbled the snap and Hersey Willis recovered at the 11.
That drive fizzled at the five and Duke tried a 21-yard field goal that went wide and J-M’s 6-0 lead stood at the half.
Speedster Dennis Garrett made his first and only appearance in the Jeff-Morgan backfield with only four seconds left on the clock in the third period. Garrett, whom Eavenson calls his “gamebreaker,” raced 27 yards for the game’s second touchdown on a neatly executed double reverse. Duke’s extra point was good for a 13-0 lead and no time left in the third period.
Midland put on its only offensive display on its second series of downs in the fourth quarter, passing from its own 20 down to the J-M 21 in six plays.
Gomez, who completed four of six passes in that march, was chased back 12 yards by the Martin brothers on the next play, trying to beat a rush by Culp and Willis, lofted a pass in the general direction of Wallace Stevens on the 15.
Jon Culp, in the most spectacular run of the afternoon, stepped in front of the pass at the 15 and raced down the sideline for the final touchdown of the game. Duke’s conversion closed out the scoring.
With 2:17 to go, Eavenson cleared his bench and his white-shirted second unit promptly went to work when it got the ball. Ron Largent lofted a 29-yard pass to Jeff Garrett that carried to the four-yard line, but the inspired subs could not punch the ball across the goal line against Midland’s first-team defense.
“We have been a 31-man squad all season,” Eavenson said, “and I wanted to give the other boys a play in our greatest victory. Midland was a fine team, they gave 100 percent. We gave 105 percent.”
Saturday’s win, before a crowd of 3,500, lifted the Jeff-Morgan non-losing streak to 20 straight games and tied the 1941 Jefferson team for the most wins in one season, 10-0. Last year’s WPIAL Class B title team was 9-0-1.
“Don’t let that winning streak fool you,” a proud Eavenson said. “We’re now only 26 games short of the record set by the 1941-46 teams at Jefferson coached by the great Ben Parker.
“We needed that shutout today to tie last year’s team. Last year, they allowed 45 points total, and going into today’s game we had already given up 45.
“That was our goal – to equal or better everything last year’s team did. We had a better record, equaled the team defense, won a WPIAL championship and became the highest-scoring Jefferson-Morgan team in 47 years.
“We’ll miss these kids next year – 18 of them will graduate in the spring – and we may not be back in the title game, but we’ll definitely be tough. Today’s win was good for Jefferson-Morgan football and good for football in Greene County.
“And believe me, it was good for me,” the coach added.