Ralph Cavanah Head Coach Shane Cavanah Mascot   I have found that working on the Panther Timeline has been rewarding for more reason's than I initially anticipated. Not only have I been able to catch up on the team history, but I have also met some great legends of the past. Recently I got to meet and interview Paul Horn, Jersey's oldest living player and lately I have been receiving emails from family members, relatives and friends of those football men from the past. The emails have all been the same from "It's nice to know that my father is still remembered by Panther nation" to " Thank you for bringing back all the football memories of someone that I miss." A few weeks ago I received an email from Shane Cavanah our little mascot from 1945-'47. Shane, was the son of our Head Coach, Mr. Ralph Cavanah. It was another email from someone from a long time ago that was touched by memories of his father. He has been kind enough to share some special stories, photo's and scrapbook articles of his father's days at Jersey, like the one in 1947 when Coach Cavanah and the band instructor took it upon themselves to change the school colors from Black and Orange, to Blue and White. Shane pointed out that in 1945 his father was hired from Roodhouse to come to Jersey to turn the football program around. Something, I believe he accomplished in his short three years here. This page in Panther history is dedicated to Head Coach Ralph Cavanah and to his son, Shane. I have decided to include a letter that Shane sent to me the other day as a tribute to his father. No one could say it any better.   Coach Cavanah's JCHS Panthers of 1947     (From left to right- Ralph Cavanah in 1934, at  Kirksville State Teachers College and Shane Cavanah in 1963 also at Kirksville.     Coach Cavanah and his 1945 Jersey Cagers     The following is an article written by the Democrat News Sports Beat Columnist Bill Wimmersberg on Thurs. Sept. 26, 1963 Former Coach Here A recent Jerseyville visitor was Ralph Cavanah, former coach in all sports at the local high school. Cavanah was here just a short time, he visited with old friends, Chris Ringhausen, Joe Malloy, Ivan Heiderschied and called as many friends as he could locate. The ex-Panther mentor looked about the same as when he lived here and was real fit. He was real pleased with the great improvement in the football field, gym and equipment at the high school. He commented that Jerseyville had grown and changed since his days here. A former pro gridder, Cavanah coached at Roodhouse before coming to Jerseyville. In his days here the prep school was known as Jersey Township High School and school colors were orange and black until his last year here. The enrollment then was less than 500 and is 1,119 now. His tenure at JTHS in all 3 sports was for the 1945-46, 46-47, and 47-48 seasons. Cavanah is credited for starting Jersey back out of its football haze with a progressive program. His 1947 squad was 5-3 and the 2 teams after his departure were considered of his molding and posted 8-1 and 8-2 slates in 48 and 49. His 1945-46 cage squad won the IVC Crown undefeated, went to the sectional and posted a 20-6 record. Cavanah also fielded some fine track squads with the likes of Don Bligh, Walt Jewsbury, Bill Randolph, Bob French and a list that could go on for pages in all sports. This writer was included in the legion of athletes that were coached by Cavanah, the mentor who could do anything he asked you to do. In the years since leaving Jerseyville, Cavanah has sold seed corn and drove an oil truck. Four years ago he purchased a farm near the family's home town and is teaching and farming on the side. He is located at Marceline, Mo. which is in northern Missouri on route 36. Back in coaching he is the all sports mentor at the junior high in Marceline. The Cavanah's have 4 sons. There is Shane who is in his last year at Kirksville College and has done great things as quarterback on the grid squad. I remember him as the little tadpole who hung around at practice and was tough as nails. The 2nd son is David, a junior in high school and at 6-4 and 190 pounds is the regular center on the cage squad and a real good shot. Kim is in the upper grades of junior high and the youngest is in the lower grades. This writer ran into Ralph Bailey at the Panther-Bethalto game and we talked about Cavanah and the current Panther squad. Ralph was just about as rugged a right halfback who ever trod the gridiron in these parts. We talked over the Panthers passing game and Ralph thought it was perked up but had a long way to go before coming close to the skill of Buzz Davis. I checked the files and in the Fall of Buzz completed 13 of 16 passes against Roodhouse. Buzz was quarterback and his tosses helped Jersey beat Roodhouse 46-13 and break an old jinx. That same season Bailey scored 4 TD's that counted and 2 more that were called back in the Panthers 32-0 rout of Carrollton. Still checking the files, I found those scores weren't tops as Jerseyville beat Highland 48-6 in 1930. The Jersey quarterback scored 5 touchdowns in that game. His name: Ivan Heiderscheid. This writer gets many questions concerning our old grade and high school coaches so I invite anyone with information about them to drop me a line. _____________________________________________________________________ These original Basketball schedule cards were printed on heavy cardboard stock. Below is Coach Cavanah's personal cards that he updated with the game results   The original Basketball Program from the 1945-'46 Sectional Tournament held in Collinsville. Cavanah's Panthers were 20-6 that season.   Like Father, like son... Brookfield Mo. Bulldog Head Coach Shane Cavanah   But to Jersey fans, he will always be known as that little mascot stuffed in a helmet. Below is Shane's homemade letter and a photo from 1945 when he was 4 years old upon arrival in Jerseyville.