Chronicle Fall Winter 2020 Cover

From the Peddie Chronicle.


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Ty Hennings '71 and Billy Means '71

Ty Hennings '71 makes a run for it.

Clutch plays & cool characters


 

Season of the Hurricane

"Season of the Hurricane (1970)"
A tribute by Gregory A. Powell '71
in memory of Tyrell "Hurricane" Hennings '71 (1952-2022)


 

It has been 50 years since the 1970 Peddie football team, led by head coach Ed Paul and assistant coaches John Jones, Charlie Clark ’66, Bob Monahan ’66 and Roby McClellan, stormed its way to perfection with an 8-0 season. It was the Falcons’ first undefeated campaign since 1950, highlighted by dramatic finishes, including a last-minute win over Lawrenceville and a closer-than-expected triumph against archrival Blair.

The Falcons had plenty of speed and skill on both sides of the ball, but most of all, it was a team of clutch plays and some pretty cool characters. “Collectively, this Peddie squad had just enough talent, experience, determination and team chemistry to win close contests against formidable foes,” said Brent Wham ’71, a Hightstown native and four-year player at defensive back.


 

Reflections

 


The team’s two-point win over Lawrenceville was the most thrilling victory of the season. Kevin Fisher ’71 snapped the ball to sure-handed holder, quarterback Jim Maskas ’71, and Brian Masella ’71 converted a 39-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining to lift the Falcons to a 23-21 victory and stun Big Red’s home crowd. In a signature performance, tailback Ty Hennings ’71 rushed for 125 of his 178 yards in the fourth quarter.

At Kingswood School in West Hartford, Conn., the Falcons preserved a 27-19 win after Billy Means ’71 punched the ball out from the quarterback’s hands on the one-yard line late in the fourth quarter and then recovered it himself.

Assistant coaches Charles Clark '66 (left) and Robert Monahan '66

Assistant coaches Charles Clark '66 (left) and Robert Monahan '66 strategize on the sidelines in 1970.

With one game left to determine the fate of Peddie’s historic run, all eyes turned to Blairstown on November 21. The Blair Bucs commandeered a 7-6 edge at halftime. Peddie caught a break in the third frame when Phil Kellogg ’71 recovered a fumble on the Bucs’ 40. The drive stalled at the 25, but once again, the reliable Masella boomed a 42-yard field goal for the eventual game-winner. Hennings sealed the deal with a one-yard plunge in the fourth quarter as Peddie celebrated a 15-7 victory and an unblemished season. The future Yale star scored eight touchdowns and rushed for nearly 1,100 yards.

There was a degree of controversy regarding Peddie’s play calling in the first quarter of the fall classic. Blair was stacking the line to stop the Falcons’ lethal running game. As the tale goes, the “blast” play from the sidelines was changed in the huddle. Maskas took the snap and faked a handoff before getting the ball to Masella, who dashed 60 yards to the end zone. Means made a bold prediction: “I guaranteed the coach Masella would score.”

Crowned the 1970 Trentonian Delaware Valley Scholastic Football Ratings Champion, the team forever etched their place in program lore. Fifty-one teams vied for the honor as Peddie ranked ahead of Pennsylvania powerhouses Neshaminy and Pennsbury and Camden’s Woodrow Wilson. 

“Without a doubt, it was the best year of my life,” said Means. “The group of fellas we had that year was beyond anything most people get to experience.”

In 1990, the elite team was inducted into the Peddie Sports Hall of Fame.

1970 Peddie Football Roster

Fred Ashman ’72
Brent Blythe ’71
Rex Capro ’73
Frank Clair ’73
Garey Cooper ’72
William Fanny ’73
Kevin Fisher ’71
Samuel Goodall ’72
James Gribbel ’71
Tyrell Hennings ’71
David Hills ’71
David Hittinger ’71
Philip Kellogg ’71
Leslie Knox’71
Robin Marrazzo ’72
Brian Masella ’71
James Maskas ’71
William Means ’71
Charles Myers ’71
Steven Plunkett ’71
Edward Pole ’72
Barclay Poling ’71
Greg Powell ’71
Gregory Resch ’72
Eric Sauerman ’71
Christopher Shipley ’71
John Silvi ’72
Jack Todd ’71
Bruce Tucker ’71
Stephen Tucker ’73
Brent Wham ’71
Mitchell Wolff ’72
Michael Wilcox ’71
Wade Wulster ’73
Michael Yatvin ’72

Head Coach: 
Edmund Paul

Assistants: 
Charles Clark ’66
John Jones
Roby McClellan P’88 ’90 GP’19 ’21
Robert Monahan ’66

Manager:
Anthony Ruiz '71