Along with Ivan Adams, I take the blame for Warwick High School adopting the warrior as their pseudonym (not mascot).

In September of 1956 I was a freshman entering the newly constructed halls of learning then known as Warwick Union High School (the union sort of just disappeared within a couple of years). That previous spring the Lititz Pretzels and the Warwick Township baseball team (I have never seen a name for the Warwick Township teams) combined to field the Warwick Pretzels in the Lancaster County League. Their uninspiring 3 and 10 record went almost un-noticed.

Warwick Pretzels was a keen improvement over the community baseball team of the early 20th Century-the Lititz Lilacs.

The football season started well with a 2 and 1 record but concluded at 2, 7 and 1 including a final embarrassment by Ephrata in a 38 to 6 trouncing. Warwick students didn't have a whole lot to be proud of in our initial forays into league sports- even though junior varsity football ended their season with a 4 and 0 record and something to look forward to.

Coach Joanne Smith and her hockey girls finished their season with a 7 and 2 record but got little acclaim because, in those days, field hockey was not as important a sport as it is today and our girls were not expected to be athletes. (Remember these were the June Cleaver days when only girls were instructed in the finer points of home economics by Sarah Byler, Eleanor Griffith and Elsie Zug). We had little reason to be concerned with what the world called us; there were more important problems to resolve.

The new school administration, headed by Supervising Principal (not Superintendent) G. Marlin Spaid, had decided that metal taps on shoes would harm the new tile floors so they were outlawed. Blue jeans could be worn but only if they did not contain rivets so that the new desks and chairs would not be scratched. And the decorative buckle on the back of our "Ivy League" trousers was also a threat to brand new chairs and desks. A war ensued and the administration relented on the last item allowing us to wear the trousers but the buckle had to be buckled backward. All of this was enforced mainly by Guidance Counselor H. Paul Lauderman who could be heard walking down the hallways as the metal taps on his shoes clicked across the brand new asbestos floor tiles.

And then came basketball! They were unstoppable! They won the Lancaster County championship and went charging in to the District 3, Class "B" P.I.A.A. finals to eventually be stopped by the Palmyra Palms in the finals. Before that loss they had accumulated 16 consecutive victories, an impressive 1,518 points, 1,075 rebounds and a shots made record of 36% against 32% by their opponents.

The county championship was celebrated by nearly the entire community turning out at the square, chanting, cheering and blocking traffic for a couple of hours. With every win in the championship series the Lititz Square rally became a tradition and the attendance grew into the thousands. Standing on the closed and covered fountain, Dean Miller, head coach, and Leroy Troupe, assistant coach, would make a few encouraging remarks. The seniors would then each have a few words and the cheerleaders would encourage us through some "1-2-3-4, 3-2-1-4; Who for, what for; Who ya gonna yell for. . ." before the rally ended peacefully. Ed Harnly, Nev Weit, Ken Keener, Shorty Martin, Ron Roth, Ed Larkin, Sam Nuss and Johnny Gibbel were living a true dream in their senior year.

Early in the season we sensed the power that our new Alma Mater would have. Now we had something to be proud of. Now we were really winners. Now we would be recognized throughout the league as a sports leader. Now we were reminded that we were going to be called the Warwick Pretzels. Enter Ivan Adams, one of the local coal dealers, who decided to do some advertising and allow everyone to show their school spirit.

Oops, I'm out of space. Sorry.