PARK RIDGE—We fall back a full century with a photograph of the Park Ridge High School football team snapped in autumn 1923. Here, the boys are outside their school—the same one that kids attend today—along with their principal, Louis Schmerber.
Park Ridge and Westwood were the only high schools in the Pascack Valley 100 years ago, so the students hailed not just from the home borough but rather from all over the region. Even so, the 1923–1924 senior class included just 22 students. They were a very tight-knit and active group, with every student participating in a list of clubs, organizations, and sports.
Park Ridge’s players went into the 1923 football season with the odds stacked against them. Many of their best players had been lost to graduation, and the team did not have a coach. Meanwhile, the schedule had them going up against some of the best-equipped and best-coached teams from across the region—powerhouses such as Hackensack, Ridgefield Park, Nyack, and Spring Valley.
The season opened on Saturday, Sept. 29 with an away game at Tenafly. The opponent team boasted much larger players, and the first half ended with Park Ridge down, 6-0. It was an unseasonably hot day, and the hard-working teams were exhausted in the second half. However, Park Ridge pushed through and scored a touchdown to even the score.
With only a few minutes left in the game, Park Ridge on the team’s own 50-yard line opened up with trick formations. A delayed run and a few good gains through the line put the ball on Tenafly’s 5-yard line with one-half minute to play. A forward pass to quarterback won the game.
The kick was blocked and left Park Ridge winners, 12-6.
While the season started off on a high, succeeding games brought more hardships for the boys. They sustained injuries both at practice and when they faced off against a much heavier Hasbrouck Heights. As a result, they went into a matchup against Spring Valley already at a disadvantage.
While playing Spring Valley, Park Ridge team captain and fullback Hans E. Pause broke his nose and was forced to leave the game. The Owls were considerably disheartened, as Pause had been a key element in many of the team’s trick plays.
The game ended with Spring Valley winning, 32-0.
Park Ridge and Tenafly faced off again on Oct. 6, and it proved to be a rather memorable event with Tenafly walking off the field. Park Ridge had scored first on a fumble for six points in the first half.
In the second, Tenafly scored seven points in a similar manner. With a few moments left to play, fullback Pause (now back in the game) picked up a fumble midfield and ran through a broken field for a touchdown. Park Ridge made the point and won, 13-7.
Tenafly claimed a penalty was due their team, but Park Ridge disagreed. The two sides argued and Tenafly refused to continue the game.
Eventually the boys let bygones be bygones: Park Ridge invited the Tigers back to the high school for refreshments and a dance with young local ladies. The day ended with no hard feelings.
— Kristin Beuscher is president of Pascack Historical Society