Gonzaga High’s amazing two-year run
The players from Lewis and Clark, Hillyard, and North Central took time off from practice to watch City League opponent Gonzaga High open the 1930 football season against Lewiston. After watching the Bullpups win 20-0, the general consensus was Gonzaga was the team to beat that year. They were. Not only that, but the victory was the beginning of a fantastic run of success.
The Bullpups went undefeated in eight games that year, and not one opponent crossed their goal line. Some of their victories were close, including 7-0 wins over Endicott and LC. They finished the season with an 18-0 win over Colville.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, a Seattle American Legion Post was sponsoring an unofficial state championship game at the end of the year featuring a team from the western part of the state against a squad chosen from the east. To Coach John “Puggy” Hunton’s disappointment, Cle Elum was chosen in 1930 to represent the east side against Longview. The Bullpups had to be satisfied with their 8-0 record, and amazing 159-0 point differential.
The next year started off with another shutout, this time 26-0 over Mullan, Idaho. With star running back John Kearns returning, along with Doug Day, Maurice Cain, Dennis Barry and Jim Koch, the Bullpups were even stronger than the year before. Shutouts continued. The closest games of the season were all league contests -- 7-0 over NC, 9-0 against LC and 6-0 against Hillyard.
The non-league wins were by bigger margins. Gonzaga was especially hard on the boys from Stevens County, defeating Chewelah 61-0 and Colville 56-0. The team finished the regular season at 9-0. It had scored 247 points while again allowing zero. This time the Legion took note and Gonzaga was invited to the coast for a Thanksgiving Day contest against Everett.
It was a hard-fought game with the only score coming in the second quarter when Cain blocked a Seagull punt. It went into the end zone for a safety. That turned out to be the only score of the game, giving the Bullpups a narrow 2-0 win, and preserving their run of shutout victories.
In the two years, the Bullpups were 18-0 and scored 408 points while not allowing a point to be scored against them, a remarkable accomplishment in any era.
