Tiny Stephens High School dismissed the odds and went on to capture the Class A football title in 1953.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

RUMFORD – There are many great moments in Maine high school athletics. For instance, tiny Stephens High School ignored the odds by winning the Class A football championship half a century ago.

The former institution had the smallest enrollment among Class A schools in the entire state, but the players demonstrated their heart and sheer determination. The Panthers proved worthy of the label, and in David-like fashion, beat South Portland to win the 1953 state crown.

Even more remarkable was the size of the players, who would be dwarfed by athletes playing the game today. The Panthers offensive line averaged 157 pounds and it was labeled as the “seven runts.” They included ends Art Petrie and Frank Johnson; center George Bourassa; tackles Walt Abbott and Clifford Scott; and guards Bob Cote and Jerry Locke.

Stephens, which was located on a hill between York and Penobscot streets, is a footnote after it was torn down several years ago. But Stephens’ grand memories can’t be diminished even though it was decades ago when its football team was on top of the world.

The opportunity to renew old acquaintances and share memories will become a reality on Saturday, July 26. The team will hold its 50th reunion at the American Legion beginning at 6 p.m.

Stephens had approximately 35 players, including Ralph DeSalle; Bob and Gerald Lambert; Billy Auger; Newt Paul; Bob Rioux; Tony Koris; Ed Berry; Billy Bouffard; Bill Legere; Jackie Amero; Dick Richardson; Bob Broomhall; John Rivard; Bob Porter; Jim Dragoon; John Dickson; Andy Rodrick and Bob Fallon. Severin Beaulieu and Bob Watson were managers.

“It was our 15 minutes of fame,” Henry ‘Hank’ Harlow said. “We were the hicks from the sticks and none of the other teams gave us a chance. But the coaches used it as a motivating factor and it worked. Although the entire team was small, we felt like 300 pounds. When we lined up across from any one, the feeling was that we couldn’t be stopped.”

Stephens had its best record of 6-4 in ’52, but returned only eight lettermen. A week prior to the season opener, quarterback Danny Orino broke a cheekbone, but Lew Irish (140) stepped in. Rounding out the backfield were halfbacks Ernest Boudreau and Roger Pepin and Harlow at fullback. Orino eventually returned to handle the kicking duties.

There was F, FF and FFF, with all the Class A teams placed one division. There was no official title game per say because Heal Points were used, and entering the South Portland game, Stephens was in a must-win situation. Stephens beat the Red Riots 26-14 and edged Deering 6.33 to 6.0 in the final heals. Harlow caught a 35-yard scoring strike from Lew Irish for the eventual game-winner. Augur caught a touchdown just before halftime and Harlow returned an interception for a TD late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.

“We had athletes on the team,” Harlow said. “Intelligence really helped because each player could adapt to any situation. There were no standouts because every game some one stepped up. A big key was our depth, so it didn’t matter who was on the field.”

Several players were on the 1954 baseball team that also won a state championship. Abbott went on to play football and eventually become the head coach at the University of Maine.

Coach Ralph Parmigiane installed the split-T formation despite a backlash by some townspeople. The linesmen called their own blocking assignments and would use hand signals to let the backs know which hole to run through. The unbalanced lines confused the opposition.

“Every thing came together,” Pepin said. “It was my first year playing, along with Art Petrie and Ness Boudreau. On punts, Ness Boudreau and I would drop back and crisscross, that was different. We caught some breaks and also made a few, but we certainly didn’t look past any team.”

George “Huggy” Gallant was the running back coach and the late Ed Turmell was the line coach. The addition of a third coach was embraced because it was the first time the line coach actually played on the line. Gallant had been a member of the 1937 Stephens co-championship team.

“It was a smart group,” Irish said. “Every one of the seniors was a college graduate. Plus, Parmigiane added a new twist every game. The backs would line up one-half yard closer and instead of stepping back to hand off, I’d actually be moving forward. This avoided any losses because the runners would already be at the line of scrimmage.”

There were plenty of highlights throughout the season, beginning with two shutouts, including a 12-0 win over St. Dominics and a 7-0 victory against Lewiston. Coach Norm Parent and defender Jim Cutler was unable to stop the Panthers’ trap play as Harlow scored the winning TD. Harlow scored the extra point by following Abbott into the end zone in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the ends crashed and the tackles looped around to pressure Blue Devil QB Fred Hall. The players had extra incentive because the Lewiston Daily Sun had predicted the Blue Devils winning 34-6, with the Panthers scoring against the reserves. It was also the first team from Rumford to beat a Lewiston team two straight years. The lone blemish on the Panthers record was a 25-6 loss against Edward Little in Auburn.

“That loss was actually a plus,” Irish said. “It was a team loss and not a result of one or two players having messed up. We all recognized this and returned home to work things out. I was never sacked as a result of the line not blocking.”

Stephens trailed Waterville 12-0 and Parmigiane proceeded to read the players the riot act during intermission. The Panthers outscored Waterville 19-0 in the second half. In a 20-19 win over Bangor, the Panthers line held its ground on the vital point after. The rules following touchdowns, one point was awarded; by either kicking or running. Irish had passed to Johnson who scampered 67 yards to set up the eventual winning score.

“The team had a lot of heart and desire,”Irish said. “We were not allowed to drop to a knee during time outs, so other teams saw this and thought we was tough. A lot of that goes back to our conditioning.”