A baseball team, organized by Coach Peterson and made up of students from the Owen High School, forged ahead in all the games and ended the term as Champions.

The members of  The Nine were: Pitcher, P. Devine, Catcher, F. Hoeper, 1^st Base, B. Mattson, 2^nd Base, K. Smith, Shortstop, F. Neibacher, 3^rd Base, B. Devine, Right Field, J. Riley, Center Field, L. Phillips and Left Field, D. Phillips. 

Scores

Thorp Baseball Tournament

Owen 12          Neillsville 4

Owen 11          Withee 4

The Owen Basketball Team began the 1947 – 48 season with six returning lettermen from last year.  The Owen cagers took four fames in a row, before losing to Marathon. 

This loss was followed by two more successive ones.  The team then won seven straight games before they were compelled to bow to Thorp. 

They recovered this loss by trouncing Neillsville 70 to 35.  The Owen forwards, Dewey Phillips and Rollie Lisinski, are setting a hot pace with 16 point average per game.  The team, as a whole, worked well.  They handled the ball smoothly.  The guards brought the ball up the floor rapidly while the pivot man fed it to the forwards.

The Neillsville game resulted in the highest score the Owen team has been able to make in the last twenty years. Dewey Phillips paced the offices with 28 points.  Everything considered, it was a successful season for Owen!

Conference Games                                           Non Conference Games

Owen 26          Thorp 29                                              Owen 41          Loyal 37

Owen 62          Withee 28                                            Owen 37          Colby 21

Owen 41          Neillsville 33                                         Owen 50          Marathon 33

Owen 53          Withee 32                                            Owen 33          Cadott 31

Owen 48          Stanley 46                                            Owen 37          Marathon 39

Owen 37          Thorp 54                                              Owen 30          Loyal 31

Owen 70          Neillsville 33                                         Owen 54          Cadott 35

                                                                                    Owen 45          Boyd 34

                                                                                    Owen 50          Colby 21

                                                                                    Owen 45          Boyd 46

Thorp Tournament

The twelfth annual basketball tournament of the Cloverbelt League was held at Thorp on February 14^th, 1948.  Owen played for second place honors, again the second place winner of the Western division, Cornell. 

Owen and Stanley were tied as to placement for the season; but our local team won he right to meet Cornell, by a flip of a coin, and by good luck.  The score for the Owen – Cornell game was 28 to 27 in favor of Owen. 

Eau Claire Tournament

On Thursday night, February 19, the Owen basketball team met Fairchild in the first of the elimination games.  Owen came out victorious and also set four new records at the Eau Claire High School. 

            1. Highest score ever recorded for High School, 84.

            2. Longest scoreless record for opponents, 35.

            3. Greatest number of points of difference in final score, 65.

            4. Greatest number of field goals, 38.

Owen easily beat Fairchild 84 to 19 and held them 22 to 0 in the first quarter, and to 25 points before Fairchild scored. Thursday night’s victory gave Owen the chance to meet Fall Creek on Friday night. Owen also won this game 41 to 37. By beating Fall Creek, Owen gained the privilege of meeting Altoona for the championship game. Altoona won 51 to 41 in a hard fought game. 

After a lapse of interest for several years, boxing was resumed under the able direction of Coach Peterson. Two bouts were scheduled.  One with Withee and one with Arkansaw. The boys who were fortunate enough to wind a bout were Karl Deoge, Galen Parkinson and Ernest Gay. Others who tied their bouts were Frank Samek and Bill Maurina.

Game by Game Record, 1947 – 48

The opening season found the Owen team trying to duplicate the success of last year. Our boys won six games and lost one, putting us in second place in the conference. 

The Prugolders opened their schedule with an easy non-conference 45 – 12 victory over Loyal. Rollie Lisiniski, an ex-fullback on the St. Francis (Milwaukee), gave the crowd o spectators a thrill when he made a ninety-five yard run for a touchdown.

Weight in the opposing lines and wet fields cost Coach Peterson and his grid men their bid for championship honors when they neat the Neillsville squad. The game was well played with Owen getting deep into the territory of the opponent.  Neillsville however made a touchdown in the fourth quarter and come out the victor.

Owen 19, Cadott 0.  Owen 20, Thorp 6. Owen 45, Greenwood 20. Owen 34, Cornell 12. Owen 33, Withee 0.

The Owen team scored a total of 196 points while our opponents made only 56.  Many of the seniors on the O.H.S. squad were playing their last football game.  Among that group we find Bob Mattson, Frank Hoeper, Bob Devine, Kenneth Smith, Ernest Gay, Howard Erickson, Edward Sluzewski, Duane Phillips and David Hull.  

R. Mattson       C         Senior  All Conference Center, never made a bad pass in four years.

F. Hoeper        QB       Senior  All Conference Quarterback, Captain, the best blocker and tackler on the team.

D. Phillips       E          Senior  His basketball sense was of great value on the football field, and uncanny pass catcher.

E. Sluzewski    QB       Senior  Gave the team his best, will be much missed next year.

K. Smith          G         Senior  Was plagued with injuries all year, but you can’t keep a good man down.

E. Gay             HB       Senior  Reverses were made for halfbacks like Ernie, he played a grand game all season.

H. Erickson     T          Senior  Came to his peak at the Cornell game, was outstanding that night.

D. Hull G         Senior  His perseverance made him a valuable man to the squad.

R. Devine         HB       Senior  The most valuable player on the team, could always be counted on for the extra yard.

R. Lisinski        HB       Junior   Our leading T.D. getter, will better his mark next year.

F. Samek         G.        Junior   A good linesman, should develop into an outstanding guard.

K. Roohr          T          Junior   A real fighter, rough and tough and really cracks them.

J. Riley E          Junior   An all around man, could play any position with superior skill. 

P. Devine        E          Junior   All Conference end, his spirit was contagious and gave the team spirit. 

H. Laube         T          Junior   Our toughest man of defense, his tackles really shook them.

D. Southworth T         Junior   Has the spirit, ambition and ability to be a great linesman, we will hear about him next year. 

G. Southworth T         Soph    Would rather play football than eat, has what it takes. 

B. Devine         B          Fresh    Following his brother’s footsteps as an athlete, may outshine them.