Location: 10 AM, Victory Park, Slatington
Final Score: Palmerton 0 - Slatington 12
Weather: cloudy, windy, cold, high of 41 degrees in Allentown
Coaches: Louis DeRosa (1915-2007) for Slatington and Joseph Matuska (1910-1985) for Palmerton
1945 Slatington High School yearbook photo of the 1944 football team
For Slatington, football candidates were asked to report to Smith Hall on Saturday, 26 August at 930 for equipment fitting, with the first practice set for Monday the 28th at 230 PM. According to a report in The Morning Call (6 September 1944), “More than fifty candidates are out for the team this year.” There were eighteen returning players.
Slatington's Schedule before the Thanksgiving game with Palmerton
Slatington 12 - Coplay 18 (23 September)
Lehighton 6 - Slatington 18 (30 September)
Slatington 0 - Emmaus 13 (7 October)
Northampton 6 - Slatington 6 (14 October)
Slatington 0 - Catasauqua 13 (21 October)
Slatington 0 - Whitehall 27 (28 October)
Stroudsburg 0 - Slatington 20 (4 November)
2-4-1 heading into the Thanksgiving game
1945 Palmerton High School yearbook photo of the 1944 football team
For Palmerton, there was a change in head coach as the school board hired Joe Matuska in August 1944. Interested players gathered to meet the new coach on Friday, 25 August at 930 AM with the required physicals set for Wednesday the 30th. By mid-September, Matuska told The Morning Call (23 September 1944) that while he had a squad of fifty-three boys, “I am undecided as to the starting lineup, that will depend upon the weather and field conditions.”
Palmerton’s Schedule before the Thanksgiving game with Slatington
Palmerton 12 – Whitehall 13 (23 September)
Palmerton 26 - Stroudsburg 7 (29 September)
Catasauqua 12 – Palmerton 6 (7 October)
Bangor 6 – Palmerton 25 (14 October)
Palmerton 8 - Northampton 25 (21 October)
Emmaus 6 – Palmerton 13 (28 October)
Palmerton 48 - Lehighton 2 (11 November)
4-3 heading into the Thanksgiving game
As the teams prepared for the Thanksgiving game, Palmerton had had a better season with a 4-3 record compared to Slatington's 2-4-1. Teams played fewer games in 1944 because of wartime rationing restrictions.
The Morning Call (Tuesday, 21 November 1944) headlined preparations for the game, "Blue Bombers again Expect Victory." Slatington got ready for the game at Victory Park, by asking Palmerton for some bleachers. "To provide additional seating facilities, the Palmerton school authorities have loaned the Slatington school a large section of their bleacher seats. Two thousand seats are now available for the grid fest. (The Morning Call, 22 November 1944) An overflowing crowd was anticipated, especially as the weather was expected to be clear, cold and crisp.
Both schools held pep rallies on the day and evening before the big game.
"Slatington Upsets Dope, Beating Palmerton's Blue Bombers, 12-0
Beat Old Rivals First Time in Ten Years with Two Last-Period Touchdowns." That was The Morning Call headline on Friday, 24 November 1944, signaling the first win by Slatington over Palmerton since the start of the Thanksgiving Day rivalry in 1935.
"Nearly 3,000 football fans sensed the significance of the old adage, 'All good things come to those who wait', last Thursday morning, when after waiting ten long years, S.H.S. defeated Palmerton 12 to 0. The DeRosa-Williams coached team kept the Matuska-coached Palmerton team guessing almost the entire game." (The Slatington News, 30 November 1944)
"The game resolved itself into a nip and tuck battle from the very start," resulting in a scoreless stalemate for three quarters."
"In the fourth canto, Slatington took advantage of a break when Palmerton fumbled on the 29-yard line. Kester then attempted a forward pass but Palmerton intercepted and then lost the ball again when three fast-charging linemen hit the ball-toter, Skorinko, the Palmerton quarterback, fumbled on the play and at this point Slatington High started to go into action." Kester ran for 8, then Snyder for 2 more and a first down. Kester ran for 5, Jones for 1, and then Kester for 10 yards and the touchdown. (The Morning Call, 24 November 1944)
"On the kick-off, the Slate City lads used the well-known onside kick and recovered on the midfield stripe." (Service Star Press, 19 December 1944) With time running down, a few plays later "Jones skirted the end for a 20-yard run and what proved to the final touchdown of the game." (The Palmerton Press, November 30, 1944)
How about these game stats from The Morning Call? (24 November 1944)?
First downs - SHS 7, PHS 6
Passing - SHS 4/9, PHS 3/7
Turnovers - SHS 4, PHS 4
| Position | Palmerton | Slatington |
| Left end | Kummer | K. Kincher |
| Left tackle | Butz | Leibold |
| Left guard | Wertman | Lewis |
| Center | Leibenguth | E. Kern |
| Right guard | Straup | L. Snyder |
| Right tackle | Torpey | Person |
| Right end | Litchevsky | Farber |
| Quarterback | Skorinko | Kester |
| Left halfback | Krawchuk | E. Snyder |
| Right halfback | Hauser | Sessa |
| Fullback | Kinek | Jones |
With the 1944 Thanksgiving football game, I found another personal connection, and that was with Joe DeSousa (1927-2004), a tackle on the Palmerton team. He was unable to start the Thanksgiving game because of an injured ankle. game, but he does appear to have played a bit. He did not get another chance to play football for Palmerton as he enlisted in the navy in June 1945. Joe, with his wife Irene née Bauer (1930-2004) and family, lived across the street from us in Slatington. A plumber by trade, he was also a talented drummer.
That brings up one of the funniest, and most memorable, run-ins that I had with him decades ago. We were out prowling the northern Lehigh County countryside, looking for a fun place to do some drinking. We saw a crowd at the Leather Corner Post Inn (still around as of 2025), and decided to stop by. As we approached, we could hear the strains of some live polka music, and as we entered, and I took a look around, I could see Joe up on the stage with the band playing a unique polka instrument called the "boomba." (If you look it up, you can find some pictures.) Turned out to be a very fun night.
After this game, the Thanksgiving rivalry stood at Palmerton 8 wins, Slatington 1 win and 1 tie.
Newspaper sources
- The Morning Call
- The Palmerton Press
- The Slatington News
- Service Star Press (Palmerton)