also merged into the summer season for one baseball season and state tournament.
Collins School: May 4, 1908 Collins high school at Colo baseball game coming Friday afternoon. (Insert: 2003 – this is the first mention of Collins high school baseball. No outcome of game found.)
May 6, 1909 The Opening Ball Game – Collins H. S. boys played a game of ball at Maxwell Friday. Collins won 16-4. Raymond Crosby and Harvey Westcott – battery. Crosby pitched 7 innings, Fred Jackson 2. Westcott caught all the time. (Insert 2003 – first news article providing outcome of game and the names of any players.) May 22 and 29, 1919, Collins and Nevada played for unofficial Story County Championship. (Refer to May 22 and 29, 1919 entries for narrative of games.) Collins has participated in 5 State tournaments: 1923, 1924 State Championship. (Refer to April 10, and May 22, 1924 entries for narrative of season), 1927 (Refer to May 12, 1927 entry). Collins advanced through sectional, district and sub-state tourney for next trip to the State tournament in spring 1955 (losing first round game 5-4 in last inning), and spring 1956, advancing to semifinals. Collins had 2 near State tournament achievements in this same era; fall 1954 loss in finals of sub-state to Van Horne that advanced to State tourney finals, and fall 1955 1-0 sub-state loss to Tracy that went on to win State championship. The 1956 team had 6 senior regular players led by 4- year lettermen, John Vasey (Left-hand pitcher), Jerry Nichol (catcher), and Jim Dodd (shortstop).
Boys and Girls Basketball Background
The Beginning – 1891-92 – Basketball was originally a YMCA game, invented in 1891-92 by James Naismith as a boys and men’s game. He was attending YMCA College in Massachusetts. At first a “Soccer Ball ” was used, tossing it into a box placed on the floor. Later, bushel baskets (peach baskets were excellent) were suspended from the wall and a larger ball developed. Innovation came forth to develop the “Metal Ring. ” History, maybe legend, says some officials objected to only the “metal ring ” as sometimes it was difficult to determine if the ball passed through the “hoop. ” Innovation again with development of the net: same basics used today. The back(bang)board (now plastic glass) is conjecture by the writer. In the beginning the basket was nailed to a building wall, thus a backboard. When the “metal Hoop ” was developed and placed on a pole, innovation again with boards placed behind the basket. The ball cover was made of leather with 6-8 stitched seams, a rubber inner bladder placed inside (similar to rubber tire inner tube before tubeless tires) and the leather was laced together tightly as possible (similar to football lacing). Quite