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Lakewood Rangers Championship Football Team reunites after 41 years!
Lakewood High School's Ranger Football Team gathered to watch original game footage of the St Eds game, from September 5, 1975
It has been over 40 years, but Wow, it all came back to me this weekend.
Friday night I went to First Federal Lakewood Stadium, to see the Lakewood Rangers play Amherst. As I stood on Bunts, in line for my ticket, I could just “smell” Friday night football.
I don’t know how to describe it, maybe the distant sound of the marching band’s drums, maybe it was the school buses lined up along the grandstands on Bunts. Maybe it was the sounds of the squealing kids out on in public, among peers, on one of the first weekend nights of the school year. Or maybe it’s the onset of the tinges of color in the area trees.
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I could “smell” it. High school memories, for me, include my 1976 senior class football team’s championship season. The season started with a game vs Lakewood rival, BIG rival, St Edward High School. We lost that game, on a very muddy field, at St Edwards, where they no longer even play. The meager grandstands were packed with “Friday Night Lights” fans, to witness this annual rivalry, in which Lakewood High was always a big underdog.
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We Lost 14 - 0. We also lost our star player, Mike Strahine, in the first series of plays. He took a helmet to his thigh and could not even walk, let alone play the rest of the game. It was a long bus ride home, less that a mile, Detroit to Bunts up the hill to Lakewood High Stadium. The players, all covered with mud, made a pact that night, not to lose another game. And we didn’t.
The Rangers went on to win the Lake Erie League Championship. St Edward’s Eagles went on to lose the state championship, to Cincinnati Moeller.
Fast forward 40 years to our 1976, 40 year class reunion. What a nice event. Something about 40 years. I had a conversation with Jim Maxwell, who mentioned that he had come across some original 16 mm game films, including the St Eds game. Being a commercial photographer for over 35 years has taught me some of the skills that would be needed to convert and edit the film. Thanks Jim, for planting the seed that would not die!
Hundreds of “conversations” via email, and even more Facebook messages, led me and a few other devoted players jumped into action. Leah Ferguson Livermore, a marching band member, also had shared a vintage film on Facebook, shortly after the reunion. The footage was an 8mm color film clip, featuring our 1976 Ranger marching band, playing at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The half time show must have been much more entertaining that the Browns getting clobbered by the Steelers (even way back then)
It was settled, we would have a Watch Party of the two clips combined, to coincide wth the 40th class reunion for the class of ’77, allowing us plenty of time to edit digitized footage and make party plans.
On Saturday, Sept 2, 2017, over 200 people showed up at “The Galway Room”, inside O’Toole’s pub and restaurant, just a few blocks east of Bunts, on Detroit, ironically, along that dreaded route from St Eds to Lakewood High School.
All six team captains showed up with not less that 20 other teammates from the day. Also represented at the party was the Marching band, the Golden Girls, Cheerleaders, friends, family and a wide range of fans! As a real treat, Head coach Angelo Privitera attended, encouraged by daughter Karen and escorted by son Michael and Jennifer McCutcheon Kararbinus.
Attendees received some nice swag, souvenir customized lanyards, Ranger logo championship t shirts, programs with rosters and even event pens, all purple and gold. ’76 graduate Polly Pebbles Wilhelm, owner of Classic Touch Embroidery, helped produce the swag.
Any kind of endeavor like this takes time and money. Well the time presents with passion, and the cash, well it just comes, if you have faith! Thanks to teammates Chris and Vincent Graham (cousins) for the big boost financially.
Check out the links below to get a real “smell” of fall high school championship football, 41 years later. How sweet it is!
Party photos by Paul Howard…
https://www.facebook.com/media...
Party photos by Tiffany Ball…
Flickr Photo album of LHS Football memorabilia captured in Dan’s studio, including scrapbook, news clippings, rosters, player photos, award plaque and even pages from the actual players handbook distributed at year end banquet!…
Also on Flickr, complete collection of news clippings, scanned and presented by Player Doug Bean…
Patch Story leading up to the #LHSWatchParty by Rick Uldricks…