Westford Academy’s last undefeated season.
By James VanBever
The Grey Ghost football team of 1962 were a remarkable group. They had had a perfect season and had won the school’s first Class D championship despite being one of the smallest schools in the area. Coach Steele’s team outscored their opposition by an eye popping 252-33. The Ghosts featured three superb running backs in Don “Gunner” Parent, Steve Striebel, and Rick Bradley and a talented line of Mike and Pete Sudak, Ernie Smith, Andy Tzikopoulos, Paul MacMillan, Bruce Scott, Bob Herrman, Greg Peterson, Mike Fitzpatrick and Gary Wilder.
Coming off such a historic season, Coach Chet Steele knew it would be hard for his Grey Ghosts squad to repeat as Class D champions in 1963. Five of the talented Ghosts, Bob Herrman, Greg Peterson, George Turner, Andy Tzikopoulos, and Rick Bradley, had graduated, and star running back Steve Strieble had transferred to a private school. In addition, the ’63 team knew that being defending champions meant that they would have a target on their backs and every team would be gunning to beat the defending Class D champions.
But Coach Steele’s ’63 squad still had the nucleus of a good team. Their fine running back Donnie “Gunner” Parent would be returning for his senior year along with returning starters Ernie Smith, Mike and Pete Sudak, Jim Hudson, Paul MacMillan, Bruce Scott, Ron Hildreth and Mike Fitzpatrick. The team was also counting on promising newcomers Bob “Beaney” LeGacy, Bill Corr, Roger Tuttle, and Richie Wojcik to help fill the void of their departed ’62 starters. Ernie Smith and Donnie Parent would captain the team.
As in 1962, Westford Academy would open their ’63 football campaign with a win over longtime rival Lunenburg High School. Gunner Parent was his usual self-tallying two touchdowns and junior running back Beanie Legacy also played well as the Ghosts defeated the determined Blue Knights 14-0. Again, Westford’s strong defense was a factor as they held Lunenburg to a mere seventy-five yards.
The next three games included two tilts against Class C opponents Burlington and Tewksbury. They would need wins against these teams to make another run at a Class D crown. After dispatching North Middlesex 58-0, Westford defeated a rugged Burlington team 22-6 and rolled over Tewksbury 36-0. During W.A.’s first four games the Grey Ghosts had only allowed six points and that touchdown was on a pass interception. Westford Academy had now won fifteen games in a row.
But next on Coach Steele’s schedule were two difficult foes, Westwood High School, and defending Class C Central Mass champions the undefeated Nashoba Regional Chieftains. Westford Academy had a difficult time with Westwood but defeated them 6-0. But the next game against Nashoba Regional High School would be the most difficult game they had encountered in almost two years.
The game was played on the Chieftains’ home field in Bolton before a large homecoming crowd on a wet and chilly November afternoon. It would become one of the most historic games in the history of Westford Academy football. Both defenses were superb and both defenses had caused key fumbles during the contest. The Chieftain’s defense stymied Parent in the first half but the talented Gunner played well in the second stanza. The game was close and Nashoba had a slight edge in total yards with a 123-121 advantage. But in the end, the contest ended in a 0-0 tie. Ernie Smith, Beanie Legacy, Jim Hudson, Pete Sudac, and Bruce Scott played well for the visiting Maroon and Grey.
Nashoba had ended Westford’s winning streak at 16 games, but their undefeated streak was still intact and so were their chances of claiming their second straight Class D title. But Coach Chet Steele’s crew would have to win their next two games against Class B Framingham North and traditional Thanksgiving Day rival Ayer High School to achieve their goal. Although Framingham North was not having a good season, they were still a much larger school than Westford and would present a challenge to the Grey Ghosts.
Despite being the smaller school in size Westford Academy was able to defeat Class B Framingham North 14-0. The game was not as close as the score indicated as Westford outgained Framingham 217-54 in total yardage. Westford recorded its sixth shutout of the ’63 campaign. This left Ayer High School as the only obstacle in the Westford Academy Grey Ghosts path to another Class D crown.
On the Friday before the annual Thanksgiving Day game the country, the town, and Westford Academy were thrown into a state of shock with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. W.A. ‘s principal Dan Desmond canceled all after school activities on that day, and there was no school on the following Monday in respect for the fallen president. But as the nation and the town of Westford mourned, the Grey Ghosts still had to prepare for their game with the Ayer Panthers.
On paper, the game against Ayer looked like an easy task against the 2—6 Panthers. But Ayer High School featured one of the best running backs in the state, Kris Katralis who was second in the state in scoring with sixty-two points. Katralis and the Panthers played well as they scored fourteen points against the strong Westford defense, but Gunner Parent and his Grey Ghost teammates prevailed as Westford defeated the dogged Ayer Panthers 22-14 to win their second straight Class D crown.
The 1963 Westford Academy football team would be the last Grey Ghost team to go undefeated. Although they did suffer one tie, they still had an undefeated streak of nineteen games which was the longest in the state. Gunner Parent finished his remarkable career at Westford Academy by scoring 228 points. In most games, Westford played schools that had much larger student bodies than did W.A. Yet, despite this disadvantage and the fact that they lost such talented players from the ’62 team, they were undefeated and still Class D champions.
Westford Academy Football Team featured in the 1964 Clarion
Sources: The information for this article was taken from the sports pages of the Lowell Sun.
Pictures: The Clarion, Westford Academy Yearbook 1964