| Charleston-Sikeston 100th Football Game Charleston Had It All # 60
By Mildred Reeves Burnett
CLASS REUNIONS
Oh, sit with me on my Reeves’ home steps a while longer and I will share some unique happenings.
Looking out in front of where we sit, what once was cotton fields are now mostly filled with houses. A block in front of this home stood my own designed dream house at Ninth and Sherman Streets, where Al Burnett and I had built.
September 13, 1985 were numerous class reunions, having been coordinated with the 100th football game to be played with arch rival Sikeston on the morrow.
Many members of classes 1950, ’51, and ’52 met in my backyard and home. They parked along the road side and in an appointed lot where Porta-Potties sat; one for gals and one for guys.
Among classmates there were much hugging, remembering of faces, talking…a catching up time it was. Many hadn’t seen one another since high school.
Some of us had squeezed into and wore our old, moth eaten Blue Jay Pep Squad and football sweaters. The guys laughed at each other, because theirs were so tight.
Before long I rang the dinner bell prodding them to eat.
On the back porch they helped themselves to a catered buffet dinner of tasty fried chicken and other fare. Some guests ate in the house. Others ate in the yard.
Speaking of dinner, even that’s changed. Why, we never ate lunch when I was younger. It was dinner at noon, and supper at night. We took lunch to school and ate in the lunch room, but never ate lunch at home. A rich man calls dinner what a working man calls supper.—simple!
Well… anyway, in chill of night Al, my husband, and several fellows built a bonfire, drawing friends to hover round. Finally all was said and the crowd dwindled away.
A total of about 240 guests came to the reunion including spouses and friends, who dropped by from other reunions.
The committee for our group was Ann Marie Prosser Emory, Edith Berry Lee, Byron McDowell, Dennis and Jo Ann Lepchenske Quertermous, Evangeline DePriest, Don Moxley, Carolyn McDowell Burcks, Ron Crenshaw, and Mildred Reeves Burnett.
Thursday, September 19, 1985— Enterprise-Courier
FORMER STUDENTS
MEET AT HIGH SCHOOL
Saturday, September 14, many, many former students scurried to the high school; visited and toured the school. They ate plates of delicious spicy barbecue, which was dished out by the Lions Club, until 1: 30. The VFW club barbecued the mounds of meat.
In the afternoon school bleachers were quickly filled, leaving standing room only for the crowd thronged there to watch the historic game.
Before the game, skydivers, Don Dorris and Ralph Bailey, in colorful parachutes, drifted down onto the field carrying the game ball and the American flag.
Reverend Bill Jetton prayed, and Nina Marie Hough Marshall sang the National Anthem bringing shivers of patriotism to the standing— listening crowd.
Former players Ruel Swank and Glenn Penny from the CHS football team of 1914 and 1915 were introduced, as were Charlie Babb and Pedro Simmons, who later played pro-ball.
Alma Waggener, Bob Griggs, Marion Waggener, and former CHS football coaches, Herb Marshall, Al Cope, Terry Brashears, and Dee Bonner were others recognized.
1947 CHAMPS
Members of the 1947 Bluejay team that defeated Sikeston 6 – 0 walked onto the field carrying a banner announcing that fact.
FORMER CHARLESTON
AND SIKESTON GRIDDERS
Before Saturday’s game with the Sikeston Bulldogs, former Charleston and Sikeston High School football players and cheerleaders were recognized on the field, according to Mike Ellis, who filmed the pre-game celebration.
Thursday, September 19, 1985— Enterprise-Courier
A letter from President Reagan in which he extended “greetings to all those gathered for the one hundredth annual high school football game between Charleston Bluejays and the Sikeston Bulldogs,” was read by Brashears.
The Bluejay band performed the “Alma Mater” and “God Bless the USA.” during half time.
Around 2:30 a coin was flipped and a very exciting game of football began at once. Blue Jays, wearing blue and white football uniforms, and Bulldogs, sporting their colors—red and black— ran, guarded, tackled, and carried the ball, making touchdowns for and against our long-time foe, Sikeston.
Both Sikeston Red Peppers and Charleston Pep Squad jumped up and down, yeahed and hoorayed. Cheer leaders lead the cheers.
“Block that kick! Hold that line! Grab that ball! Run! Run! Run! Get him! Get him! Get your man!” fans shouted.
Charleston fans hollered and cheered our fellows on, but alas, we lost 20 – 19. “Ohhh, Noooo!” we lamented.
FOOTBALL HISTORY IS WITNESSED BY AN ESTIMATED 5,000 FANS
“An estimated 5,000 excited football fans watched history being made Saturday afternoon, as the Charleston Blue Jays and Sikeston Bulldogs played the 100th game in a series that started in 1908, the largest number of games played by any two high school football teams in Missouri.
“The players of both squads were well aware of the significance of the game and played it hard and well, with Sikeston getting the nod, 20 – 19.”
“According to Enterprise-Courier records, this gave Sikeston 64 wins during the series, compared to 30 wins for Charleston and 6 ties. The Enterprise-Courier records also show that no games were played during the years of the series 1909 and 1918. Two games were played each year between 1911 and 1934 with three games played in 1941.
“A bonfire in the Charleston Wal-Mart parking lot heated up spirits of Bluejay fans Friday night. A bonfire in Sikeston served the same purpose for Bulldog fans.”
The day closed with large crowds at the Jaycees dance in the armory and the VFW dance at the Veteran’s Club, and old friends and flames dancing together.
100th FOOTBALL GAME ENDS WITH SIKESTON
EDGING JAYS
by Tim Gage
..“The lead flipped-flopped between the Bulldogs to the Jays the entire 48 minutes, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer sounded. Sikeston sat on the ball for the last two plays of the game and pocketed their 64th victory against 30 for Charleston”…
Football players who played for Charleston High School that day and fought furiously against Sikeston were: Matt Whiteside, Rodney Crawford, William McCauley, Eddie Atchison, Kevin Bone, Vernon Evans, Chris Blaylock, Charles Hamilton, Clinton Gross, Carl Bone, Kevin Ray, Curtis Kent, Mike Jones, Ricky Jamison, Ronnie Woods, and Jerome Garner.
Dempsey Craft was Head Coach. Norman Woods, and Alfred H. Marshall III were Assistant Coaches.
The CHS 100 Club named Alvin Cope, principal of Charleston High School, Coordinator of the Event, including all activities prior to the game.
LONGEST FOOTBALL SERIES IN MISSOURI
“In a letter to Governor Warren Hearnes, Robert Burnes, former Sports Editor of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, says we are ‘indeed entitled to all bragging rights for the longest football series in high school competition in Missouri’.
“Mr. Burnes secured the help of both Globe-Democrat sports writers and researchers from the Post-Dispatch and they found that the Webster Groves-Kirkwood series started the same year the Charleston-Sikeston game in 1908. However, the St. Louis County schools never met more than once a season, and some years didn’t play at all. Charleston and Sikeston played two games a year for several years. The second game always being on Thanksgiving. The one year they did not play was 1917—the year of the flu epidemic.”
Back to my front doorsteps where we still sit. All is history now between those two great football rivals, Sikeston and Charleston and their 100th football game.
To Be Continued |