Lettermen Back for the Big Green Eleven This Fall

Now let's see ... in there as tackles right now are Don Descombes and Jerry Samuelson, both from Denver. Don is the husky at left tackle. He'll go 220 pounds. Jerry played guard last year but they thought they'd try him at tackle. He's about 190. Actually the starting tackles and the only two lettermen at this post are Parker Caswell and Emery Pierson. Both top six feet, weigh over 200 and are good men. Beyond these four men the tackle posts are a question mark. Dick Hopkins and Randy Hayes are juniors with some reserve experience, while John Koehring, George Krosnowski and Jon Strong, son of the late Dean Bob Strong, are the top soph candidates. This could be a tough position to fill adequately if any injuries develop.

The guard spots also could be a problem of sorts although there are more veterans back. Generally there is a lack of real talent and depth here. Playing right guard for the team in red jerseys is Joe Mesics. He's one of the lettermen, weighs about 190 and should be a starter. The left guard is sophomore Stan Klapper, who didn't play last fall because of an eye injury but who had a good high school record. His twin brother, Stu Klapper, is also a guard. They both weigh about 185 pounds and should see a lot of action. The other lettermen are Clint Gaylord, Jack Godfrey and Tex Levy. Godfrey will probably be the other starting guard along with Joe Mesics. Gaylord should be a good two-way player. Levy is small (175 pounds) but has a lot of hustle. Bob Bagdasarian, a junior, and Pete Conroy, a sophomore, are about the only other candidates who have shown much so far. But if the players above can develop as they should, the guard position will be adequately manned.

The center position looked last spring to be the strongest spot on the team, but injuries have changed this situation. Captain Bayard Johnson, one of the best linebackers in the East, is out for the season with a head concussion he got in that auto accident last spring. Mike Papantones, a 6'3", 205-pounder from Westfield, Mass., is far and away the best prospect. He is fine on offense and a really great linebacker. Mike, however, was out most of last season with a leg injury that still bothers him. He now wears a special brace, but he doesn't scrimmage and here's hoping he'll be able to hold up for the season. That chunky, blond-haired fellow you see at center is Frank Simms, a 200-pound sophomore, who looks like he might develop. Paul Mackey and Tom Malcolm are both lettermen, but neither can go both ways as yet. Dick Flagg, a veteran end, has been shifted to center and may be of some help, but if Papantones is lost as center and linebacker, the situation would be bad.

That's how the team shapes up at the moment. We'll know more after the game scrimmage with Boston College this Saturday, but the real verdict will have to wait until after the Holy Cross encounter. That's one game Dartmouth wants to win, especially since it's going coast-to-coast over NBC-TV. The Crusaders are tough and it looks like a close game. If the Big Green makes-a respectable showing against Holy Cross and if injuries are kept down, this Dartmouth team could turn into a pretty fair club. Let's wait and see.

Jennison b

Fulton b

Mesics g

McLaughlin e

Donohue b

Ellis b

Levy g

Murphy e

Miller b

Papantones c

Samuelson t

Thielscher e

Turner b

Malcolm c

Pisrson t

Godfrey g

Clark b

Mackey c

Caswell t

Gaylord g

Kagle b

Flagg c