Front Row: Bill Christy, Julius Johnson, Merril Johnson, Harold Tjelmeland, Earl Johnson, Don Halverson, Glen Sampson, and Jr. Wakefield. Middle Row: Marvin Sorensen, Carroll Arneson, Richard Comfort, Gerald Borwick, Russell Morfey, and Gordon Bivens. Back Row: Coach Darrell Lindberg, Wally Tjelmeland, Leo Tjelmeland, Glen Egland, Fred Matters, and Clayton Clifford. Notice two sets of three brothers each, Johnsons and Tjelmelands.
Back Row: Merril Johnson, Earl Johnson, Don Halverson, Glen Egland, Supt and Coach B.G. Halverson. Front Row: G.(Russell?) Clark, Glen Sampson, Fred Matters. This team won second in the Story County Tournament and second in the Sectional Tournament. Story page 309. Missing from the photo: Finch, L. Sampson, M. Sorensen
The team has the trophy but yet the somber expressions on the players may indicate the photo was taken immediately after the game.
Roster: Marvin Sorensen #20, Russell Clark #55, Merril Johnson #99, Fred Matters #00, Curtis Grimsley #33, Don Morfey #66, Wayne Tjelmeland #44, Richard Stevenson #88, Joe Harper #11, Russell Morfey #77, Roger Harper #22, Gordon Bivens #12.
This team had a good season and finished second, beaten by Huxley 29-27, in the Story County Tournament in Feb of 1944. Looking at the statistics, Milford had at least four more free throws than did Huxley, and only made 3 of their 11 attempts. Huxley, which made 3 of 7 attempts, had only one more field goal for the winning margin. It’s easy to imagine that Halverson was ‘very upset’ and the players very disappointed. As the year before, in the Sectional Tournament against Ames (pg 309), missing free throws was the anchor that sank the Milford five.
In a very unusual listing the heights of the first six players for Milford were recorded:
Roger Harper at 5 ft 3 in, Wallace Tjelmeland at 5 ft 4 in, Russell Clark at 5 ft 6 1/2 in, Fred Matters at 5 ft 6 1/2 in, Merril Johnson, center, at 5 ft 9 in, and Marvin Sornsen, center, at 5 ft 10 in. Average 5 ft 6 1/2.