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There is a great article in the MJS on the streak and the old Metro Conference. It brought back many memories for me. I played for St. Joe's and was part of the history when Dominican beat us 72-49. I don't know how to link with my new Mac. I'm sure Mark Miller will enjoy this article from the Xavier perspective. Fons was one of my favorite coaches to watch. That was a great conference.
Dominican Article
Yes, great article and those were some great teams. In the last year of that streak where they said T-More lost to Marquette, Marquette won on a last second shot by Pat Hodan and then went on to win the title over Oshkosh Lourdes(?) I think.
Great games in those days, Goose85 was at MUHS at the time(should have been on that team).
Remember the drinking age was 18 at the time? The Journal had a big full page preview of the Marquette vs Thomas More regular season game and billed it as "The Beer Drinkers from Thomas More vs The Martini Drinkers from Marquette". Pretty shocking, but they did. Thomas More students all showed up with the newspaper and empty beer cans, so what did Marquette do? Between quarters the cheerleaders formed a huge pyramid with the mascot at the top. They brought in a package and slowly and carefully handed it from guy to guy until it got to the top where it was opened, revealing a large martini glass. Students from both schools went nuts. Can you imagine that in this day and age?
Mark Moore & Danny Jones from Dominican, Neal Degner & Nigel Wallace from Thomas Moore, Neal Johnson from Marquette, Lester Wagner from St. Catherine's, Can't remember the standouts from Messmer and Milwaukee Lutheran, but the entire Metro Conference was tough at that time. Wish it still was.
Kind of ironic that after Germantown crushes Cedarburg tonight they will try and tie Domincan’s record against………Dominican!
I was in the stands for Dominican's easy victory over Xavier in the 1978 WISAA Class A title game. I was a frosh at the time. I watched those Dominican teams many times. They were really, really good and played exceptional defense. Didn't give an inch.
Thanks for the e-mail TAS - correction - Warren Lester was on the *St. Cate's team, Lester was younger. TAS added some great info in the e-mail, hope he doesn't mind me sharing....
quick clarification on your post. "Lester Wagner" was actually Warren Lester. I'm a St. Cat's grad, '87. Warren was there before me, but I saw all his games as my sister was in his class. Warren was one of, I think, 7 kids- all solid athletes. Warren got a football scholarship to Michigan State as a D-lineman and actually got a short run in the NFL.
His younger brother was Wagner Lester, an '89 grad. He played football at Illinois as a RB. I knew him a bit. Good solid family, all good kids.
I hope you don't mind me posting that, just another example of some of the talent in the old Metro Conference.
*St. Cate's - Worthless tidbit here, Jimmy Mac brought this up on the air a little while ago. Anyone from Racine or Kenosha always said/say "St. Cat's", but anyone north of the there, especially from the old Metro Conference, it is "St. Cate's". Mac said he never knew that until this year. I have a lot of friends who went there, all say "St. Cat's, so I brought that point to them, and to Jake Thomas too. They had no idea that everyone else calls them "St. Cate's."
No worries Jim. Yep, I always knew when someone was from either Racine or elsewhere simply by which nickname they used for the school. I'm very surprised that Mac didn't know that. He was on the MU team with Damon Key! Didn't Damon call us Cate's? Doesn't Jake have friends from Milwaukee?
I guess it was just an old Metro Conference thing. It must have died when the conference did. But Mac still played in the Metro, didn't he? I don't recall when it all ended.
By the way, I think I was off with the 7 kids thing in the Lester family. I can think if 4 off hand- Wilma, Wally, Warren and Wagner. Pretty sure there was at least one more, but not 3. And yes, I included that tidbit because I love the alliteration in the kids' names.
Back in the early 60's, we all called it St. Cate's in the old Catholic Conference days.
I also took a charge from Eddie Garrett of Pius who went on to play football at Michigan. I remember him as the starting full back in the Rose Bowl. He almost killed me on the charge. I'm from Kenosha and it was always St. Cat's, never heard that story until this thread. Messmer had a big kid named Miles Acquino (sp) who was a decent player. Warren Lester and a Brown played together on Cat's. Help me here---didn't Jamil's dad play for Cat's? Don't forget Brian Morrello from TM, who is or was the local beer distributor of Old Style.
Remember Morello, also remember my Bro playing against Miles Acquino is grade school.