|
The Issaquah Volunteer Fire Department
entered their first team in the 1933 160 lb League,
which went by a number of names: Seattle "B"
League, Puget Sound "B" League, and Commercial
League. Players only weighing under 160-pounds
were allowed to play in the league
In that first year, the Firefighters went
undefeated and unscored upon beating Crown Hill for the
1933 Title. Merle Pedigan rumbled into the endzone
against the Taiyo's while Reini added the extra point
for a 7-0 win with games remaining against Interbay and
Atlantic Street, one win would claim the South End
title.
Their legend was just beginning. Ed
Stonebridge knew he had a scrappy bunch of players, but
he had no idea they would go nearly six years before
being defeated in league play winning 44-straight league
games.
1934 was another unbeaten season with Crown
Hill finally crossing the goal in the Dec 23
Championship. The teams tied and by virtue of
their unbeaten season, won the league title.
1935 was another unbeaten 5-0 season and
league crown, and it wasn't until an exhibition game
with the Wenatchee Rainbows on Oct 11, 1936 that the
Firemen tasted defeat on the gridiron. The 12-7
loss was due in large part to being outsized as many on
the Wenatchee squad were well over the 160-pound weight
limit the Firemen played by. No one would cross
the Fighting Firemen's goal line the remainder of the
year as they won their fourth straight title.
In 1937, the Seattle teams decided it was
time to unseat the small town boys. The Kent Red
Raiders would become the Firefighters nemesis, but could
only manage to tie Issaquah as the Firemen won the
league championship with a 7-0-2 record giving up only
12 points on the season.
The Red Raiders of Kent became the Purple
Raiders and finally broke through taking the league
title from Issaquah when the now named Alpine Dairy
Products team stumbled against Rainier District in their
first league loss in team history. The streak
halted at 44, the "Alpines" exacted some revenge on Dec
4, with a 14-0 rout of the Rainiers.
Hans Forester of Alpine Dairy Products was
convinced by Ted Stonebridge to purchase new uniforms
and equipment for the purple and gold, with the teams
helmets painted to match Alpines colors. This
prompted the team to become the Issaquah Alpine Dairy
Products football team...later shortened to
Alpines.
Fullback Johnny Castagno was becoming a
force with his 2nd straight season scoring 7 TD's in a
season.
The 1939 Alpines were enjoying their most
productive season to date ripping off 11-straight
victories before losing the Championship game to the
Enumclaw Wolverines, a new team that finished 10-0.
Castagno finished the season with 15 touchdowns under
the direction of new head coach Roy Hall, a prominent
Broadway High and Centralia coach. The season
opener was a game with Grays Harbor dedicating the new
stadium opening in Aberdeen. The normal weight
limit of 160 was not used by the Harbor who had a
265-pound tackle and a 235-pound running back in former
University of Washington player Tony Gasparovich.
Issaquah came away with the 7-0 victory
nonetheless.
1940 brought another undefeated
Championship season to Issaquah rolling to a 7-0
season.
1941 was unusual as the Alpines stumbled
against rival Enumclaw in the season opener losing
6-0. Six straight wins later Issaquah and Enumclaw
squared off for the season finale with Issaquah winning
27-6. Their seventh league championship in nine
years was secured. Bill Castagno became the coach
in 1941 after breaking his collar bone in 1939.
Johnny Castagno rejoined the team midway through the
year and bolstered the teams lineup. Johnny would
finish as the top touchdown rusher in team
history.
A week later the Japanese bombed Pearl
Harbor thrusting the United States into World War II and
many of the leagues' outstanding athletes headed to
war.
The Issaquah Firefighters/Alpines locked up
their place as one of the nations most dominate football
teams in semi-professional history winning 62 games,
losing 4 and tying 9. 59 of those 75 games were
shutouts, making the Issaquah defense one of the best
ever over a 9 year span.
In 1946-49 James Hooker Hailstone played
center for the Alpine Dairy team and the Seattle
Cavaliers as a fill in tackle in the 50's. His
teammates included:
Jim, Nick and Pete Bakamus, Tommy Bevin,
Dave and Harold Chevalier, Frank Crosly, Ellie Croston,
Jack Evans, Al Pankey, Bill and Rex Seil, Mike Sernitch,
Jack Shelfa, Larry Totten, Art Wallace.
The 1948 season came down to the undefeated
Rainier Beach Athletic Club Ramblers (later to become
the famous Seattle Ramblers), and the once beaten
Alpines. A win by the Alpines would force a tie
for the 175lb League Championship. A tie is what
the Alpines got, only not for the title, but a scoreless
tie in the game and a runner-up finish to the still
undefeated Ramblers.
1949 was a rough season for the Alpines
just 2 seasons after a conference title. A huge
blowout to the Ramblers in the first game, prompted the
Alpines to pull a fast one in the 4th quarter of a one
TD game and were caught with illegal players in the
second game. Two ex-UW players who were over the
175 lb limit and unrostered were spotted on the Alpine
line and Dick Sprinkle pulled his Ramblers off the field
in protest. The umpire agreed and awarded the
Ramblers a 1-0 forfeit victory.
When football was finished and the pads put
away, many of the men played for the Athletic Club
baseball team as well.
August 19, 1961 the Seattle Cavaliers
defeated an Issaquah Town Team 7-0.
|
