1956 Football Team

8-1 Season

Front Row - Left to Right: Wally Nelson, Donn Belcher, Bob Caspell, Bob Clement, Larry Battles, Dave Urell, Keith Korpela, Jim Fleck, Neil Morfitt, Jim Ochall, Dick Baird Second Row: Dale Kubik, manager; Roy Thompson, coach; Bob Herbst, Rolland Gregg, Bill Eastland, Bill Andrus, Don Landwehr, Mike Simmons, Terry Trout, Tom Wells, Jon Tucker, Gene Kverndal, Eugene Lukoszyk, assistant coach, Roald Berg, manager Third Row: Jerry Olsen, Mel Maki, Arnold Curtis, Fred Hartstrom, Gary Manners, Brian Paaso, Gordon Scott, Ralph Norgaard, Dave Taylor, Terry Folland, Richard Gregg

The 1956 Astoria High School football team started the season with a lot of promise. The team was returning a solid group of veteran starters from the 1955 team that went 6-3. They were predicted to be a force to be reckoned with in the Metro League.

The season started off with a 26-7 victory over Tillamook. The defense held Tillamook to only two first downs and the offense was highlighted by a 32 yard hook and ladder play from quarterback Bob Clement to end Neil Morfitt who pitched the ball to sophomore Jerry Olson.

Next came victories over Milwaukee and David Douglas. In the Milwaukee game fullback Jim Fleck had 95 of the teams 228 yards rushing. Clement was able to find the end zone from 33 yards and 1 yard. The David Douglas game was a 26-7 final score. Half back Wally Nelson led the offense with 63 yards on 16 carries. The defense took the lead in this game holding David Douglas to 114 yards and 5 first downs. The defense was led by Dave Urell with 12 tackles and Keith Korpela with 9.

A 25-0 win over Hillsboro had the Fishermen moving up the rankings. Piling up 400 yards of offense the Fishermen moved up in the polls to #8 in the state.

Next on the schedule was a road trip to Central Catholic. It was no contest! Four touchdown passes by Clement, two to Morfitt. Fleck had a 38-yard punt return touchdown, and the defense had seven interceptions with Tom Well having three himself. It was 40-0 at half time when the talented and deep Fishermen emptied the bench in the second half on their way to a 60-0 victory. The next opponent was the Seaside Seagulls. Fleck led the offense with 110 yards on 7 carriers. A Clement to Morfitt 24-yard pass went to the end zone. Urell led the defense with 11 tackles. The Fishermen won 26-7.

Unbeaten and confident, the team was ready for the showdown with league powerhouse, Gresham. 3500 fans packed the stands to see who would win the Metro League. A 44-yard touchdown pass put Gresham on top, but Astoria would not give up. Four times they drove the field and had the ball inside the 10 and once all the way to the one-yard line. Four times they were denied by the Gophers. The Fishermen had dominated the scrimmage line and the ball but could not dent the scoreboard. A 6-0 loss would be the only blemish on the season.

The next week the team responded at home with a 26-0 shutdown of Parkrose. Mike Simmons had 12 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns as the offense rolled to 269 yard with their ground game. Urell was again a force on the defensive side with ten tackles.

The season ended on a swampy Gyro Field. In the battle for second against Beaverton, the slippery contest went to the Fishermen. The home team held Beaverton to six first-half yards and led 13-6 at halftime. Beaverton scored in the third but missed the conversion. The Astoria defense would stop everything the Beavers had to throw their way to win the game 13-12.

Coach Ray Thompson’s squad had outplayed nine straight opponents. The team of 24 seniors had made the school proud. An 8-1 season was good enough for second in the strong Metro League. Definitely a season to remember.