Crystal City High School kicked off its 100th year of football against Sikeston at JJ Commerford Stadium on Aug. 29. A Class 4 school, the Bulldogs hammered the Hornets (Class 1) 70-6.
However, the school district will wait a year to celebrate a century of football. There are plans in the works to bring back former players and have festivities for the home games in 2026, Crystal City activities director Stephen Eisenbeis said.
“We (school administration) debated on the merits of which year to have it,” Eisenbeis said. “We decided to have it in 2026 because it looks cleaner.”
Roosevelt was on the Hornets schedule in 1926 and will return to Glasstown in 2026. De Soto, CBC, Roosevelt, Normandy, Soldan and Cleveland were on the first schedule. It’s too bad the Dragons (Class 4) and Crystal (Class 1) aren’t closer in enrollment so they could play again.
Eisenbeis is a history teacher at CC. He said the 2026 season will be dedicated to bringing back players and coaches.
“We want to make it a season-long thing,” he said. “We don’t want to take away from the current kids on their homecoming night. We don’t have concrete dates yet.”
Eisenbeis said the administration has been supportive and the community is already aware of the plan.
“It’s going to be a fun year.”
So, what was life like in 1926? On a national level, the United States was between world wars, the Great Depression loomed a few years away and the decade ultimately became known as “The Roaring 20s,” an era described as “unprecedented economic prosperity, technological innovation and rapid social change in the United States and other Western countries.” According to the Missouri Census Data Center, in 1920, Crystal City had a population of 2,243. I couldn’t find data for 1926. By 1930, the town had grown to 3,057. As of 2024, the population is 4,703, including Leader Publisher Peggy Scott and her husband, Robert. Both are the owners of the paper.
Throughout the decades and generations, a few Hornets have reached the professional ranks. For a school mostly known for Bill Bradley and his exploits on the hardwood as a hall of famer in the NBA, I’ve come to learn, sometimes the hard way, that the small town is enamored with all of its athletic programs and especially the school’s history.
From talking about this with Eisenbeis, I learned we’re both history nerds. My fascination mostly centers around military history. I’m currently reading “Hue 1968” by Mark Bowan, whose most famously known for writing “Blackhawk Down” about the U.S. military’s battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993. But I love sports history equally, especially photos of old games and legends I wasn’t old enough to see play.
When Eisenbeis sent me a photo of the 1926 Crystal City team I studied it for a while, focusing on the faces of boys born around 1910. It resonates with me because that’s the same generation of my grandparents on the Korando side. William and Thelma were both born before 1910. I’ve got grandpa’s final driver’s license. It’s one of my favorite mementos.
I was looking at the Crystal City photo and sitting in the front row in front of Frankie Smith, the team mascot, wearing a tie and jacket, of course, is Bennie LaPresta. Thanks to Eisenbeis’s research, I learned that LaPresta played football at SLU, where he is in the hall of fame, and in the NFL for the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Redskins.
In 1933, LaPresta played for the Boston Redskins. There were 10 teams in two divisions that season and the Redskins finished third in the East at 5-5-2. The Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 23-21 to win the NFL Championship. The Super Bowl wasn’t even a glimmer in anyone’s eye yet. That year, LaPresta played eight games at running back. He died in 1975.
Dan LaRose was born in Crystal City in 1939, was good enough to play at the University of Missouri in Columbia and ended up drafted by what was at the time two rival pro football leagues. LaRose was picked in the third round of the 1961 AFL draft choice by another team from Boston, this time the Patriots. The AFL was the upstart to the establishment of the NFL. The two leagues merged in 1970 giving us the game we know today. LaRose went with the establishment when he signed to play for the Detroit Lions, who took him in the second round. He played for the Lions for three years before stops for a season in Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Denver. He died in 2019.
Believe me, this is just an initial list of great athletes from Crystal City, and as the plans are finalized, we’ll all get a better idea of who the rest are.
When Hillsboro’s football team hosts SLUH on Friday night, the high school will hold its fifth annual POW/MIA Ceremony and Football Game. The game honors the sacrifices of American service members and their families. The Hillsboro R-3 School District was the first in the nation to be designated a POW/MIA School, and this tradition has become a powerful symbol of respect and remembrance for the community.
“I have been very proud of the respect and reverence shown by our students, athletes, staff and community for our American heroes,” said Hillsboro High School Principal Mark Groner in a statement from the school. “This event is one of the very best things that our school district does. If you haven’t been able to attend in the past, I wholeheartedly recommend that you be our guests this year. You won’t regret it.”