The 1953 St. Patrick's senior high school team would lose that year's championship game 17-00 to Fisher Park in a contest that had to be played a second time because the first ended in a scoreless tie.
If that loss was discouraging for supporters of the "Celts", the next couple of years would prove to be quite rewarding. St. Patrick would go undefeated throughout the 1954 and 1955 seasons, playing in 17 contests without a loss (15 wins and two ties, to be exact) and, obviously, securing the championship both years. The 1955 team picture is below and was added to the High School page earlier today.
Different reports suggest different lengths to St. Patrick's undefeated streak. Some say it was 16 undefeated games, some claim it was 17.
The solution is simple; the 17 total includes a victory in the Red Feather tournament described in the March 18th, 2021, post on this blog. Whether that game should be included is certainly debatable since the Red Feather event is essentially an out-of-town exhibition for charity. Nevertheless, St. Pat's did win the game in which they participated for that event so let's work with 17.
I became curious as to when the streak ended. It was 17 going into the 1956 season. Did they extend it at all? Did they reach 20+ games undefeated?
I was expecting some drama around the event but...The streak ended right away. Their next defeat took place in the opening contest of the 1956 season against Ottawa Tech. St. Patrick's streak started with the first game of 1954 and ended in the first game of 1956, exactly two undefeated seasons.
St. Patrick was unfazed by the loss, however. In fact, they suffered another loss during the season to finish with a 3-2 record but still ultimately won the league's championship for the third year in a row. And they did it against the team that ended their streak, no less.
The solution is simple; the 17 total includes a victory in the Red Feather tournament described in the March 18th, 2021, post on this blog. Whether that game should be included is certainly debatable since the Red Feather event is essentially an out-of-town exhibition for charity. Nevertheless, St. Pat's did win the game in which they participated for that event so let's work with 17.
I became curious as to when the streak ended. It was 17 going into the 1956 season. Did they extend it at all? Did they reach 20+ games undefeated?
I was expecting some drama around the event but...The streak ended right away. Their next defeat took place in the opening contest of the 1956 season against Ottawa Tech. St. Patrick's streak started with the first game of 1954 and ended in the first game of 1956, exactly two undefeated seasons.
St. Patrick was unfazed by the loss, however. In fact, they suffered another loss during the season to finish with a 3-2 record but still ultimately won the league's championship for the third year in a row. And they did it against the team that ended their streak, no less.
That would mark then end of St. Patrick's dominant run. They would come close to winning the crown again in 1971, and were named co-champions of their school board in 1972, but they have not earned a senior football title since the 1956 season.
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