The Undefeated Season of 1926: Prevost’s Glorious Return

(Taken from Reports in the Suburban and Wayne Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Chester Times, as well as the Radnor High School Yearbook, the Radnorite, Interview of Mr. Louis Mongiello - the Radnor Memorial Library Oral History Project, the Radnor Historical Society and other sources) 

Radnor had modest success on the field in 1925, with a record of 5-3-1, but had few wins in the four years prior.  More importantly to the Radnor faithful, arch-rival Lower Merion had shut out the Red and White four years in a row, winning by a combined score of 44-0.

1926 brought change to the school and the team.  Construction was completed on a new High School in Wayne and with the new school came a new football field.  The team also had a new coach who would become a Radnor legend, Jules F. Prevost.  Prevost succeeded Phil Sweeney as coach.  “Pre” as he was known to his friends and the boys he coached, was a 1921 graduate of Radnor High School and knew well of the early years of glory that Radnor football experienced at the beginning of the century.  Prevost played only during his senior year for Radnor, but in that 1920 season he was part of a 56-0 drubbing of Lower Merion, which likely was the only entry necessary on his resume.  After Radnor he went on to play for the Penn State Varsity as a Tackle during his sophomore, junior and senior years, earning a birth on some All-American teams in 1925.

The knights of the keyboard were already predicting a close game against Lower Merion before the season even began, given nine Radnor regulars returning and 40 students trying out for the team.  The Suburban and Wayne Times (“The Suburban”) reported that no less that 11 lettermen were back in school from the previous year.  The veterans included: Seth Brown and Lamley at ends, Captain Arthur Harkins at tackle, Louis Mongiello at guard, Usher at center, Cappola, Clarke, Donaghy, Lee, George Lentz and Webb in the backfield.  Others pushing for playing time were Tague, Trainer, Thomas, Rossi, Spellman, Sharp, Sorensen, Babb, Boles, Bounds, Curley, Darlington, Eyre, Fox, Fay, Hanning, Hunt, Howson, Krick, Lacock, Warren Lentz, Morris, Meyers, Morgan, Norris, O’Connell, Patterson, Powers and Rigg.  In addition, the “Red and White” added two starters from the prior year’s Tredyffrin-Easttown team, Stewart a fine starting guard and Shellenberger a quarterback.

Radnor 13 Swarthmore High 0

The first game was played on October 22 against Swarthmore High, the previous year’s Delaware County Champions, at home on Radnor’s new field.  Radnor prevailed by a score of 13-0.  The Suburban described the performance as follows: “Slow and awkward, to be sure, rough in spots and needing polish, yet Radnor convinced their followers last Friday that the team is a diamond in the rough, a team with power beneath the crudeness, and a team that should once again place the Red and White in an enviable position in scholastic ranks.”  The weather was warm and the tough workouts of Prevost’s first preseason paid dividends immediately with Swarthmore forced to substitute repeatedly.  It was not until late in the third quarter that Swarthmore secured its initial first down.

Radnor’s first score was the result of a Lee punt return to the Swarthmore 35-yard line.  Darlington, the quarterback, and Lee ran the ball to the 20-yard line and then Donaghy threw a short pass to the speedy end Brown who scampered into the endzone.  Lee’s point after made the score 7-0.  While Radnor continued to press the attack, they could not score until the fourth quarter. Lentz punted from the Radnor 25-yard line and pinned Swarthmore back at its 15.  When Swarthmore tried to punt out of trouble, Radnor blocked the punt and Usher picked up the ball and ran it into the endzone.  Harkins missed the kick.

“Bits of Action” from the Suburban: “The new field is a dandy, and the turf was ideal for football . . . . When six Radnor cheer leaders came out on the field in white duck pants the season was officially opened. . . . The nice new iron fence inclosing the field makes it possible to charge each and every customer to get in, but quite a number of customers (not cash) viewed the proceedings from outside the bars . . . . After cheers had resounded for everybody in sight, Radnor kicked off, and to Brown went the honor of making the first tackle on the new field . . . . After a little while Radnor players called for some water to cool off, but Coach Prevost said nay, nay, and so it was . . . . The new penalty of five yards for failure to complete forward passes after the first did not have to be invoked.”

Radnor 18 Upper Darby 6

Game two of the 1926 season was away against Upper Darby on their new field.  The opposition was a tough early test for Radnor with a veteran team that was expected to do well that season.  Radnor prevailed by a score of 18 to 6 with all the scoring coming in the first half.  The Suburban reported that “some of the touchdowns came so quickly it made the spectators dizzy.”  It was reported that the teams were evenly matched by weight but the Suburban noted that “Some of the rough edges so apparent in the team in the first game of the season with Swarthmore High have been smoothed off, and the eleven boys functioned together better as a unit.”  

Lentz, Donaghy, Lee and Brown with the help of Darlington thrilled the crowd with their play and Lentz in particular showed a power to his game as he drove through the Upper Darby line.  Donaghy made several tackles behind the line of scrimmage and Darlington made several “speedy” dashes around the ends of the line.  The Suburban noted that “Since Radnor used the huddle system of calling signals throughout the game, Darlington was not called on to use his ability as quarterback.”  The first Radnor touchdown came in the opening five minutes and was a result of a blocked kick.  Upper Darby was stuffed on its first two plays and decided to punt, but the Radnor line blocked it.  Upper Darby recovered the blocked put for a ten yard loss and, when they punted for a second time, Radnor blocked it for a second time and Mongiello fell on it for the first score.  Lee missed the extra point

The second touchdown was in part due to a 20-yard gain around the right by Darlington to the Upper Darby 25-yard line.  Lentz made several tough runs, in the end diving through the Upper Darby line for the second score and Lee again missed the kick.  Upper Darby made the game close by scoring in the second quarter. Radnor responded immediately. Lentz passed to Darlington who went around the right end for a 35-yard gain.  Donaghy ran for 15-yards and then Lentz passed to Darlington and the speedy quarterback ran the ball in for the third and final touchdown.  Lee struck the goalpost and missed the point after. Radnor played the fourth quarter with the “seconds” on the field.

Suburban “Bits of Action”: “Nobody ever heard of Upper Darby High School five or ten years ago, but now they are coming up fast, and must be considered as serious opposition. . . . Allthough the game was played at Upper Darby a large crowd of Radnor Rooters found good excuses to go over . . . . Two of the school’s busses transported the team, cheer leaders, trainers and rooters to the number of approximately 250 souls. . . . The Radnor boys found their dressing rooms after descending more passages than the Paris Opera House boasts. . . . The Upper Darby team was dressing nearby, and each player was attended to by a personal trainer, who bandaged him up like Jack Dempsy before a fight . . . . Stewart and Webb, Radnor regulars, are on the injured list, Stewart with a bad knee received in an automobile accident, and Webb with a fractured jaw received in football practice. . . . Tague played well in his 1926 baptism, and once he learns to use his strength and size to full advantage will make a crackerjack lineman . . . . Fire House Billy predicted Radnor would win by three touchdowns to two, which wasn’t a bad guess at that.”

The Four Year Rule

Before the third game of the season, controversy hit Radnor as the result of a new rule pushed through by the Suburban League.  Under this “nefarious” rule, as reported in The Suburban, Radnor lost the services of “three star football players” and other schools experienced the same.  The rule barred forever any player who has eight semesters in High School.  It was not enough to have an age limit or to limit a player to four years of football, “the sponsors of this new rule felt that enough boys might deliberately flunk out in their scholastic work in order play another year of football to warrant its passing.”  When Radnor and Lower Merion attempted to put in place a gentleman’s agreement to let the boys play, the League voted this accommodation down.  Radnor would lose Usher, its regular center for the last two years and one of its strongest players, Thomas, a guard with great promise, and Clarke, a two year player in the backfield.

Radnor 46 West Chester 0

Radnor went into its third game against West Chester missing several starters due to the new Suburban League rule, Thomas and Usher, and injury, Lee and Donaghy.  But this was no matter as Radnor prevailed 46-0.  Radnor was able to play 16 substitutes as it dominated West Chester.  Darlington touchdown on a 30 yard run around the end was the only score in the first quarter with the absence of Lentz and Donaghy being felt.  George Lentz made the kick.  In the second quarter Brown caught a pass from Lentz for a score, Seth Brown had a long run that led to a score, and George Lentz scored on a run. In the third, Warren Lentz, in the game for the first time as a Raider, as well as George Lentz and Shaw all scored.

The backfield at the beginning of the game was Darlington at Quarterback; George Lentz, fullback; Warren Lentz and Cappola, halfbacks.  Substitutions in the final quarter were Eyre, Rigg, Boles, Wynn and O’Connell.  The starting line included Lamley and Brown at end; Harkins and Mongiello, at tackle; Shaw and Babb, guards and Curley at center.  Substitutes on the line included Tague, Fay, Howson, Norris, Patterson, Morris, Griffith, Trainer and Fox.

Radnor 13 Berwyn 6

Game four against Berwyn was supposed to be a fairly easy game, but as reported in The Suburban, the boys from Tredyffrin-Easttown “refused to be daunted by the glowing reputation of the Radnor team and before they were done for the day they very nearly upset the Radnor applecart.”  Coach Prevost was forced to play Webb with a broken jaw and Donaghy with an injured back to kick the team into gear and secure a 13-6 win.  While much smaller than Radnor, Berwyn tore through the Radnor line in the first quarter and were turned away only by a blocked field goal. It was only the kicking of Lentz that kept Berwyn at bay with one of the kicks traveling a reported 75-yards.  The half ended 0-0 with Berwyn frankly deserving better.

Radnor came out in the second half much more determined and at the end of the third quarter the line blocked a punt that Lamley picked up and ran in for the score.  Lentz kicked the goal for the extra point.  In the fourth quarter Lentz kicked from his own 40-yard line and pinned Berwyn at its 5-yard line.  When Berwyn tried to punt out of trouble Warren Lentz made a great catch of the punt at the 30-yard line.  George and Warren Lentz had productive runs and Webb ran the ball in for the second score. Berwyn would not retire without a fight and after intercepting a pass, Berwyn scored on a 20-yard run after a pass.

“Bits of Action” from the Suburban: “Berwyn was a splendid example of a team that didn’t know enough to be licked without a fight . . . . The strenuous afternoon ought to do Radnor a lot of good, if it teaches them that games are never won before hand . . . . The field was nicely marked off with yard boards or signs at each and every ten-yard line, a la big league style . . . . Warren Lentz played well offensively, but he will have to learn how to break up forward passes . . . . George Webb, wearing a big bandage over his sore jaw, started things going in the second half.  The bandage quickly came off, but Webb kept right on working . . . . Little ground was gained around the Radnor ends, Lamley and Brown again conducting themselves in elegant fashion. . . . William (Bill) Usher, Sideburns Thomas and “Snitz” Clarke, the three Radnor regulars consigned to utter oblivion under the eight semester ruling of the Suburban League, were not in their accustomed positions . . . . It is said that a prominent Wayne citizen is going to present all the Radnor players with blankets, and another is going to give them new outfits for the Lower Merion game, all of which prompted Ed McGrady to remark that he played a little too early at Radnor. . . . In those days the players brought their own shoes and pads and many a Radnor star played without pads, and with Robert McCraig’s cleats on an old pair of shoes.  And who can say they didn’t have just as good teams in those days?”

Radnor 20 Lansdowne 0

Lansdowne High School was the game five opponent for Radnor, and the Red and White were victorious 20-0. In the prose of the time (which we love) The Suburban wrote: “Lansdowne High School was introduced to the fast-stepping Radnor High School football artists last Friday afternoon and returned from whence they came, humble and bowed in spirit, with a 20 to 0 chastisement hanging around their necks.”  The Garnet and Gray had frequently given Radnor difficulty in the past and were of similar size to their Radnor opponents.  However, “Radnor knew too much football and striking with a force that could not be denied ran up three touchdowns before Coach Prevost yanked out his entire first team and sent in the seconds to play around.”  That is not to say that Radnor played error free, six holding penalties and six offsides penalties kept the score down, but Radnor easily overcame these errors.

The first score came at the end of the initial quarter.  Lentz caught an 18-yard pass from Darlington, Lee made two plunges into the middle of the line and then finally carried the ball over.  Lentz kicked the extra point.  Lansdowne turned the ball over on downs at the Radnor 20-yard line and it took Radnor only 5 plays to score.  Donaghy had a 20-yard run, Lee ran four yards and then a pass from Lentz to Lee took Radnor to the 50-yard line.  Donaghy made a quick pass to Brown and the small but fleet end was “off like a flash around Radnor’s left end, dodging his way 50 yards for a touchdown.”  Darlington added a touchdown throw to Brown before the substitutes entered the game.

“Bits of Action” from the Suburban:  “Radnor’s new field has yet to be the scene of a defeat.  Long may that record last . . . . The crowd was slow in coming, causing great mental anguish to student ticket takers.  But before the day was done the usual number of fanatics were on hand . . . . In all the Red and White gained more ground in the first period than Paul Revere on the 18th of April, but with less results. . . . Dr. Lincoln was called into service to make repairs to Curley’s face. . . . Old grads passed around enough advice to win a thousand football games . . . . A kid with a dead snake enlivened the girl members of the Radnor cheering section between halves . . . . Warren Lentz started to run the wrong way, but remembered his longitude in time to make a nice recovery . . . . Nothing but praise is heard for the new field, which, by the way, gets a rest this week when Radnor goes to Cheltenham.

Radnor 12 Cheltenham 6

In Radnor’s toughest test to date, they met undefeated and unscored upon Cheltenham on the opponent’s home field.  The attraction of these two undefeated sides and powerful teams brought out a tremendous crowd to Elkins Park.  Radnor started slow but in the written artistry of the day, The Suburban described the team’s rally as follows: “Throwing aside the masks of sheep being led to the slaughter, assumed for the first few minutes of play, they blossomed forth as a pack of unleashed wolves, and striking with a bim and a bang, counted two touchdowns, thereby completely and most effectually ending all Cheltenham hopes for victory, aroused by the easy first touchdown of the losing team.” The final score was 12 to 6 Radnor.

The game began inauspiciously with the speedy Cheltenham quarterback Whittock running around Lamley’s end for a 40-yard gain and then Brown’s end for another 40-yard run.  Cheltenham scored a touchdown after three plays.  “At that precise moment a first class bond salesman couldn’t have sold $100 Radnor Victory bonds for a plugged nickle.”  The Suburban 11/5/26

However after those initial runs, Radnor solved Whittock and he would do no more damage.  At the beginning of the second period a hard tackle by Curley forced Whittock to fumble and Lentz recovered on the Cheltenham 35-yard line.  Webb, who had replaced an injured Lee, had a short run, followed by a pass from Donaghy to Brown that took the ball down to the 10-yard line before George Lentz smashed through the line for a score.  The extra point was blocked.  With the ball deep in their own territory Cheltenham waited until fourth down, unusual in the tactics of the day, to punt.  A botched snap led to a 20-yard loss and turned it over on the 12-yard line. Webb ultimately bulled through the line for the score and the try for goal was again blocked.

Though the scoring had ended, Radnor’s defense was called upon to make several dramatic stops, including forcing a turnover on downs at their own 5-yard line.  Coach Prevost then put a scare into the faithful by bringing on the substitutes in the fourth period and Cheltenham began to rally, only to be stopped on downs.

“Bits of Action” from The Suburban:  “As a result of the victory Coach Prevost allowed his men to wear high hats for 24 hours . . . . The Radnor team embarked in busses and, followed by everyone in Wayne with a reasonable excuse set out for Cheltenham at 2 P.M.  . . . . Like all reputable high schools Cheltenham boasted of a new field.  However, no seats were provided for the visiting spectators so it was a case of “Hold your place yourselves me braves!”

Radnor 26 Ridley 0

Radnor played Ridley Park High School in the seventh game of the season and prevailed by a score of 26-0. The Suburban reported that the game was sloppy and “a natural let-down for Radnor after the hard and bitter game with Cheltenham the week before and luckily the opposition was not very strong.”  Ridley’s inability to hold onto the ball led directly to three Radnor touchdowns. The first touchdown was the result of a Mongiello fumble recovery on the Ridley 30-yard line followed by a Donaghy pass to Brown for a touchdown.  The secod touchdown was again after a fumble with Shaw scoring on a run.  In the second period Radnor blocked a punt.  Lentz then passed to Darlington to the 10-yard line and Webb ran it in from there. A fumbled punt recovered again by Mongiello led ultimately to a Donaghy run over left tackle.

“Bits of Action” from The Suburban:  “George Webb replaced Lee in the Radnor backfield, the latter being on the injured list with a bad knee. . . . “Hard-rock” Mongiello fell on the ball and it was Radnor’s on the 30-yard line. . . . Although surrounded in the same manner as Caesar used to encompass the Gauls, Brown snatched a short pass from Donaghy and was off around left-end like a scared rabbit. . . . Coach Prevost, of the Basque cap, expected the letdown and was not grievously disappointed. . . . It is rumored that Radnor will have a live wild-cat for a mascot at the Lower Merion game.  Candidates for keeper will kindly leave their last wills and testaments with Commissioner Goff.”

Radnor 26 Darby 0 

The final game before the tilt against Lower Merion was against wineless Darby and Radnor prevailed by a score of 26-0.  Prevost began the game with his substitutes and while they held Darby scoreless for the first quarter they could not score themselves.  In the second quarter Prevost sent in the starters and they got the game under control.  Dougherty scored the first touchdown and George Lentz the second.  A beautiful pass from Donaghy to Brown accounted for the third score and George Lentz scored again.

Fifty-Five years after the game, when interviewed as part of the Radnor Memorial Library Oral History Project, Louis Mongiello, star guard, would proudly remember being the only Italian on the 1926 squad. He immediately recalled the score and, looking at the 1926 team picture, ran through the names of those pictured, including the substitutes, further recounting their jobs after school. Even after all the years, he recalled the haphazard state of the team’s uniforms, obvious in the above team picture. And that Andy Martin, owner of Wayne Plumbing and Heating, bought the team new uniforms for the Lower Merion game but wanted to remain anonymous. Mongiello willingly spilled the beans years later.

Radnor 27 Lower Merion 0

Radnor met its nemesis Lower Merion on November 20, 1926 on Radnor’s new home field.  Lower Merion was the winner of the previous four games between the teams and Radnor had failed to even score a point.  Early in the game, Lower Merion had two chances to score due to a strong wind that caused the usually excellent punter Lentz to twice fail to kick Radnor out of trouble.  In the first quarter Radnor was backed up and Lentz’s punt reached only the Radnor 23-yard line.  Lower Merion’s backs slammed the ball down to the Radnor 5-yard line where the Red and White stiffened and turned the ball over on downs.  However, Radnor was still behind on field position and when Lentz again punted into the stiff wind the ball went straight up and was downed on the Radnor 12-yard line.  Lower Merion ran four times into the line but was only able to gain 6 yards and turned the ball over on downs again.

It was a blocked punt that began Lower Merion’s undoing.  Brown and Lamley, the Radnor ends, charged the punter with Brown blocking the punt and recovering the ball on the Lower Merion 20-yard line.  Brown carried the ball to the 6-yard line on the end of a triple pass and Webb blasted through the line for Radnor’s first touchdown against Lower Merion in five years.  The score at halftime was 7-0.

The play of the game came at the opening of the second half, as described by the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Seth Brown, Radnor’s wingman picked the ball out of the air when Parse (of Lower Merion) kicked off to start the second half . . . .  Brown received the kick-off on his own 10-yard line and raced 90 yards for a touchdown.  Brown did not wait for interference but scooted right up the field and before the Lower Merion players knew what it was all about, he had outrun the opposing players at mid-field and continued over the goal line without being touched.”  

However, Lower Merion was not done. Substitute Richfield took the field and had an immediate impact, taking a triple pass at the Lower Merion 20-yard line, he ran for a 35-yard gain.  On the next play he ran for another 15 yards to the Radnor 30-yard line.  Subsequent Lower Merion runs gave them a first down at the Radnor 3-yard line with the score 14-0.  “Four times the Lower Merion backs charged and for times they were tossed back when they hit the human wall that confronted them.  There was not a hole it the Radnor line big enough to get a mouse through . . . . it looked like one of Penn State’s memorable stands when Jules Prevost’s boys stopped the mad rushes.” The Philadelphia Inquirer.  An intercepted pass and blocked punt led to two more Radnor scores in the fourth period, but it was Radnor’s iron defense that carried the day.  Radnor was victorious and Jules Prevost had a championship in his first season.

Radnor Defeated!!

While the season was over, the controversy was not.  Apparently Prevost arranged for his substitutes to play a game against Collingdale High School on Thanksgiving day.  However, the press was not clued in to this accommodation and, when Collingdale prevailed 7-6, the Philadelphia Inquirer blared “IN ONE of the greatest scholastic gridiron upsets of the present season Collingdale High yesterday afternoon defeated Radnor High in their first annual struggle . . . .” 

Prevost took to the Chester Times on Saturday, November 27, 1926 to correct the record and give his players their due, making the following statement: “The so-called Radnor-Collingdale game was played by Radnor’s second team and not the first team.  It was certainly a surprise to read in some papers that the championship Radnor team had lost to Collingdale.  The game was gotten up the day before Thanksgiving for the Radnor second team.  I am only making this statement to clear the record of the Radnor team and give the boys the credit they justly deserve.”

A review of the Collingdale box score published by the Inquirer supports Prevost’s explanation when compared to the Lower Merion box.

Glen-Nor, with a loss and two ties all of which were “outside the county” attempted to schedule a game with Radnor to determine the “County Champion” but Prevost and Radnor would have none of it and the undefeated season was concluded but for the laurels.

Post season, Paul Prep, the scholastic editor of the Evening Public Ledger in Philadelphia chose his All-Suburban eleven and named Brown and Lamley at ends and George Lentz at fullback on the first team.  Harkins at left tackle and Mongiello at right guard were named to the second team.  The New York Times chose Seth Brown on its all-eastern scholastic eleven.

The team would celebrate its victory with a gala on April 4, 1927, hosted by the “R Star Club” at the Saturday Club House in Wayne.