Team reunites for Friday night award ceremony
Alex Cantatore Staff reporter
“Among a throng of 6,000 screaming, bewildered fans, in a blaze of football power, obtaining a determination from under the shadow of defeat, the Turlock Bulldogs came from behind to defeat a spectacular multiple offense, the Lodi Flames, 14-13, with only 0:15 remaining to be played on the Turlock field last night.” - Larry Reese, reporter for the Turlock Journal, November 16th, 1957.
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At yesterday’s Turlock High football game, the contest with the Davis High School Spartans wasn’t the main attraction for many in attendance. The Bulldogs’ undefeated varsity team of 1957 was inducted into the Turlock High School Sports Hall of Fame during half time, with players traveling from as far as Florida to be present.
Ronald Sarhad, who today is a lawyer in Turlock, played quarterback for the ‘57 Bulldogs and was responsible for inviting the members of the team to come to the game.
Sarhad said that he was delighted at the honor bestowed upon his team, but more than that he was excited to be seeing all the players once again. Sarhad hosted a pre-game tailgate at his home before the team attended the JV and varsity games, to be followed by further celebration at his home and a breakfast before many of the players left for their homes across the nation once again.
Players from both the 1957 varsity team and the 1956 “B” team were in attendance, as was the 1957 football queen, Sherrill Knutson Anderson, who traveled from her residence in Hawaii for the occasion. Even Sargon Tamini, the first (”or perhaps second,” said a modest Tamini) to represent the Turlock High School mascot “Butch” was present.
The 1957 Bulldogs were ranked Division I State co-champions by the San Francisco Chronicle and Coaches All-America. During their season, the Bulldogs defeated three teams within their league, which at one time held the coveted No. 1 ranking. Modesto, Downey, and Lodi High all were ranked tops in Northern California, before falling to the Turlock High Bulldogs.
The 1956 B squad, or “Bullpups,” were also undefeated at 10-0. The Bullpups, consisting primarily of sophomores that would go on to play for the ‘57 varsity team, were not scored against until their final game. They allowed only 12 points in the entire season.
The Bullpups were coached by Paul Ferdinandsen and Ezio (Atch) Pedretti. Coach Ferdinandsen left Turlock High after the 1956 season to pursue what would become a very successful coaching career with Cupertino High, while Coach Pedretti continued on to build baseball in Turlock, as can be witnessed by the sports complex which today bears his name.
One player for the Bullpups, Nick Luceno, played in 1956, but was unable to play in 1957 due to injury. Luceno remembered his days as a paperboy for the Turlock Journal in the 1950’s, and commented on the size of today’s high school players versus those he played with as a 110 pound linebacker. The 1957 varsity team’s offensive line averaged only 158 pounds.
The 1957 varsity team’s T offense was driven by its indomitable line and key player Paul Myers, a future All-Army Europe selection. Myers was not the only player to achieve success after leaving the Bulldogs, however, as right guard Allen Abraham was twice chosen as a Division II All-American in college.
The 1957 ‘Dogs, coached by Les Ratzlaff, Donald Goldstein, and Edward Jalli, held four opponents scoreless during their 10-0 season, and came from behind to win five other games. They scored 194 points during the season, while allowing only 70 against, and averaged 289 yards per game.
“There were many memorable moments throughout the season,” said Sarhad, “but the most memorable had to be our game against the Lodi Flames. Both teams were 7-0, and it was a showdown. In a hard-fought, classically-played game, we came from behind to win 14-13 in the final seconds. There were 6,000 people at the game, and this is at a time when there were only about 7,000 people in Turlock.”
“When little Ronnie Sarhad dived over from four yards for a TD at right tackle - making it by the nose of the football - hundreds of fans shattered the air in one voice,” reported The Turlock Journal’s reporter Larry Reese on that fateful day, Nov. 16, 1957, as it first happened.
When asked how being a part of the storied season prepared him for his later life, Sarhad paused, and then quoted his coach, the legendary Les Ratzlaff. “‘Nothing breeds success like success.’ If you follow the players lives, and careers, most went on to productive careers across the board.”
Sarhad continued on to say that, “The experience of what a team can do as opposed to 11 or 12 individuals,” was another key lesson learned as a member of the Turlock High Football squad.
Yesterday, anyone could see what it meant to those players to be a team once again.
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 9/14/2007.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.