The 1955-56 Woodlake Football Team

Fall, so named for leaves which fall and golf putts which don't, has officially arrived.

There, I've said it one more time, my annual tribute to the season some pholks call Autumn. Some pholks call it football season, some term it World Series time, and some just don't care.

Well, I call it Fall even though once in a while I get a little more formal and slip in an Autumn or two. Depends on who, or whom, I'm hanging around with.

The majority of this column deals with a bunch of guys who hung out together a lot of years ago in and around Woodlake. Last weekend about a dozen of them hung out for the afternoon and into the early evening reminiscing about their glory days. The glory of the 1955-56 season of the Woodlake Union High School football team, Sierra Division Champions.

The only football playing that day was verbal. No tackles, no end runs, no interceptions and no quarterback sneaks. There may have been a sneak or two to the ice chest but no reason for a penalty flag. For the majority of the former grid iron warriors, the outing was as close as they have come to playing football in almost 50 years. Watching TV football, going to son's and grandson's football games or reading the sports pages doesn't really count.

But that didn't stop those Woodlake Tigers of long ago from story telling at the get-together held at Mac Roams Woodlake pond-side manicured front yard. Roam's son-in-law, Lubbert Van Dillon, a tackle on the championship squad and one of six all-league selections was there. Other all-leaguers from that team were Mickey Bearden, Ben Ainley, Ed Owen, Vic Baca, and Bill Moshier.

As they ate and they recalled "those days" it's a good bet all the touchdown runs became a little longer. the hits a little harder, the passes a little longer and the off and on the field plays just a little more exciting. But, the scores of the 1955-56 season didn't change. For the record, the team's league record is:

Woodlake 14-Avenal 13;
Woodlake 47-Orosi 19;
Woodlake 44-McFarland, 7';
Woodlake 32-Strathmore 13;
Woodlake 47-Lindsay 0 and
Woodlake 25––Sierra 7.

Two coaches from that team, Jack Mann and Dr. Frank Clark and one member of the cheerleading squad were part of the reunion. Reportedly they did their best to keep the stories in-bounds.

Most of those attending still live in the general areas and a couple, including Denny Beair and Gabriel ("call me Gabe") Arroyo, meet almost daily at the downtown Woodlake donut shop.

Joe Childress and a couple others make coffee once a week or so, enough to continue the legend of 1955-56 is alive and well.

Woodlake has, over the years, had a reputation as a football powerhouse and other teams have and will continue to have reunions as the years go on.

Well pholks fall is here and football season is in full swing. The World Series is close and my Dodgers are still alive as I keyboard this column my hopes are afloat. Ken Jennings is still winning at Jeopardy and the politicians are in battle mode.

Leaves are starting to fall and those darn putts are still not dropping like I think they should. Leaves which haven't fallen are turning colors and my overall golf game is getting better. The buzzards are getting ready to pick their leaders to head south.

Its Fall (or autumn) and overall it ain't that bad--.until the damned changes in a couple weeks.

But even then the 1955-56 Woodlake Tigers will still be champions.

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