Bangor vs Pen Argyl

The Earlier Years

In 1919, while the Bangor School Board formally approved the establishment of the Scholastic Athletic Program, community teams were playing as far back as 1882. Even though both teams experienced change such as original nickname, the Slate Pickers and Pen Argyl’s the Green Wave are gone, the tradition continues today. Bangor and Pen Argyl’s first unofficial game was played October 30, 1919 at the Albion Common Field in Pen Argyl with Bangor winning 40-10. The teams met again that year on November 23, 1919, Thanksgiving day, playing the first Home Game on Flory’s Field, North Main Street in Bangor with Bangor winning again 7-0. While the tradition began to many a few years earlier, the first official rivalry game between rivals Bangor and Pen Argyl is noted at the year 1922. Then played on Armistice Day (Veterans Day) the game brought only 15-20 spectators but by the end of the decade crowds reached 2,500. In 1919, 1920, 1923 and 1924 two games per year were played but there is no game on record for 1921 when apparently the game was cancelled due to a disagreement between the two schools. The year 1925 marked the year that the One Game per year policy began.

Then in the 1930s, despite the depression era, football remained strong, as did community interest. By the late 1930s crowds at the Bangor/Pen Argyl game ranged from 7,000 to 8,000 and the students at Bangor and Pen Argyl received a traditional vacation day from school if they won the game. In 1932 the Bangor games moved to South Main Street and the rivalry game was permanently switched to Thanksgiving Day. In 1936, after revamping the field, it was named PENNICO. The year 1937 started the now-common upsets common with rivalry teams. That year Bangor went into the Pen Argyl game undefeated, untied, and un-scored upon until an upset loss that year to Pen Argyl of 6-0.

In the 1940s crowds decreased due to the war but football survived those years, in fact Bangor won its first outright Championship in 1946 and in 1949. The year 1940 began a new tradition when Bangor games moved to their present site at Bangor Memorial Park. A few years later, in 1941, the Ike Resh Trophy was introduced. The trophy was offered to the winner of each game but a school that won three games in a row could retire the trophy. Something never done as of 1941, but Pen Argyl came close, winning in 1940, 1941 and 1942. While having a three game streak, they could not retire the trophy because it was offered after the start of their streak. Bangor retired their first Ike Resh Trophy in 1947. In 1949 Bangor again entered the rivalry game undefeated with an upset from Pen Argyl in a loss of 6-0 where it is said that a Pen Argyl fan was so excited he rolled down the quarry near Weona Park.

The Later Years

In 1951 Bangor changed their name to the Slater’s and approximately 1958 Pen Argyl changed their name to the Green Knights. The year 1950 marked when Pen Argyl retired their first Ike Resh Trophy but overall the 1950s belonged to the Slater’s. They retired 2 Ike Resh Trophys and returned the game upset favor to Pen Argyl in 1957 when they went into the Rivalry game with a staggering 8 straight losses, only to defeat their rival Pen Argyl 12-0. The 1960s were marked with outstanding players such as Pen Argyl’s runner Jim Rodney, quarterback duels between Bangor’s Jim Dietz and Pen Argyl’s Bob Parsons and finally Pen Argyl’s runner Woody Petchel.

In the 1970s Pen Argyl moved their playing field from Weona Park to the current field at the High School. From 1969 to 1977 Pen Argyl established a new record with a 9-year winning streak against Bangor. The longest running number of wins since Bangor’s 5-game winning streak in the 1950s. The end of a tradition occurred in 1974 when teams played in the last Thanksgiving day game with Pen Argyl winning 6-3. Change continued when in 1975 both teams became part of the newly formed Colonial league. That year also marked Paul Farnan’s first year as Head Coach at Bangor. His successful career included a 1982 record set after winning the Bangor/Pen Argyl game, 18-7, that marked Coach Paul Farnan’s 100th career win. The year 1987 still remains an extraordinary year when Bangor won its first outright title since 1949. In that year Bangor finished with their first undefeated team in school history, resulting in their 1st Colonial League Title and their 1st time qualifying for the District 11 AA title, which they won.