This Week in Benedictine History: Week 6

September 26, 1952

Benedictine Topples Top Ten-Ranked Warren Harding 7-0

A tough test with Warren Harding was awaiting the Bengals in the third week. Harding had defeated Collinwood 14-0 in the season opener and defeated Canton McKinley 29-19 in the second week.

                Leading the Bengals into this game was Jerry Bush, the district’s leading scorer. He scored both touchdowns in the opening 12-8 win over Holy Name and added five touchdowns in the next week’s 60-0 win over East Tech.

Warren Harding entered the game as the state’s seventh-ranked team by the Associated Press poll with 77 points. They received one first place vote.  Benedictine was ranked 25^th with 12 points. Lakewood was ninth with 46 points.

                A 10-yard scoring run by end Steve Chernicky was the game’s only touchdown to give Benedictine a 7-0 upset win over Harding. Bob Konkoly kicked the extra point in the second period to give the Bengals their third straight win and give the Red and White their first loss of the season.

                The game's winning score was set up by Vince Delsanter, who recovered a Harding fumble on the 13-yard line.  Konkoly ripped off nine yards and Jerry Bush took it to the two. But Benedictine was penalized 15 yards for holding. Bob Huttman gained seven yards to the 10, from where Chernicky scored on the next play.

                The game ended with Benedictine on the Harding eight. Benedictine also had another scoring chance in the third period when it recovered a fumble on the Harding 20, but could advance it only to the 13 from where the Red and White took over.

                Harding never seriously threatened. The Bengals smothered their running game and intercepted four passes.

                It was another big win in recent years over a respected downstate opponent for the Bengals.

                Benedictine finished third in the state rankings by First and Ten Magazine. In the International News Service state ratings, Benedictine finished fourth. In the Associated Press poll, the Bengals were seventh.

                NOTES: Cleveland Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries O.S.B. ’54 recently recalled that victory over Warren Harding.

                “I remember that game well.  There was a series of downs where their back was continuing to gain five yards after five yards.  We varied the defense a little, and I was lucky to tackle him and put him on his back.  While on his back I told him, “You didn’t gain anything that time, did you?”  He picked up a handful of dirt with some of the lime from the yard-lines, and threw it into my face.  It burned like “hell” and I had to sit out a couple plays while they rinsed out my eyes,” smiled Gries.

                Bishop Gries chuckled as he remembered the game-winning play. Although Gries was a tackle, he had to play “quarterback” on a rarely-used end-around.

                “We always liked to get the jump on the defense because we knew the count. So when our end Steve Chernicky asked me what the snap count was at the line of scrimmage, I knew he was nervous about being the ball carrier. I told him and the defensive linemen just smiled.  I was ready, and hoped that the defensive end would not follow Chernicky around and catch him.  It worked out well as we scored on the play and went on to go undefeated and beat St. Ignatius in the Charity Game,” added Gries.

               

The Bengals finished the season with a 10-0 record, the second undefeated team in school history.  Joe Rufus was the coach of the Bengals. The season was capped off with a solid 26-18 win over St. Ignatius at the Charity Game at Cleveland Stadium with a crowd of 33,689 watching the Bengals take their second outright Cleveland City Championship.

                This 1952 team was the highest scoring team in school history with 340 points in 10 games until 1965 when the Bengals scored 380 in 10 games. Even that mark has been eclipsed. Athletic Director Tony Russ ’66 was an All-Ohio lineman for the Bengals on that ’65 team. Junior running back Larry Zelina ’67 led the state in scoring that season with 210 points.

                The seven points in the win over Warren Harding were the fewest points scored by the Bengals thatl season.

                Steve Chernicky was Benedictine’s first All-Ohio football player. He later played at Purdue and was inducted into the Benedictine Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Running back and kicker Bob Konkoly was inducted into the Benedictine Hall of Fame in 1996.  Jerry Bush was inducted in 2009 and was the first Mr. Benedictine award winner in the spring of 1953.  Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries O.S.B. ’54 was inducted into the Benedictine Hall of Honors in 1993, and was the second Mr. Benedictine award winner in 1954.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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