1956: A big — and historic — victory

It’s been a long time since Carson High School football has been able to claim a stake as state champions.

The Senators were first able to claim a state title in 1922, an all-class title. It was also the first championship of any kind awarded by what would become the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

The most recent championship came in 1964, which was the last state title won by Carson and came at what was known at the time as the AA level.

In 1955 and 1956, the Senators put together back-to-back state title at the “A” level, powered by their hard-nosed rushing attack.

Carson played several tightly contested games in 1956 against the likes of Bishop Manogue and Fallon.

The Senators beat the Miners, 14-7, and tied with Fallon, 21-21.

The game against Douglas that season wasn’t quite as much of a nail-biter.

Carson dominated the Tigers en route to a 70-0 win.

To this day, it remains the most lopsided win in the rivalry’s history, matching the 70-point differential from the first-ever meeting between the two schools in 1923, (a 76-6 Carson win).

A couple of weeks later, the state title was captured with a 47-26 win over Bishop Gorman on Thanksgiving Day.

STILL VIVID

The Senators’ starting left tackle in 1956, Curtis Harnar, still lives in Carson City.

He remembers the beatdown vividly.

“I noted that the ground was frozen rock solid hard and it was a bitter cold night. I thought that this is not only going to be a hard-hitting night between us rivals, but the frozen ground is going to also make for some very uncomfortable contact with possible injuries,” said Harnar.

He was right, as Douglas lost its league-leading running back and quarterback to injury as Carson began to pile on.

There wasn’t much in the way of sympathy and the Senators didn’t slow down or back off the gas pedal; back then, reserves barely saw the field.

Once the Senators hit 70 points, Harnar remembers then coach “Pep” Martin saying they had scored enough.

Martin opted to punt from the Tigers’ 23-yard line, giving Douglas possession at its own 20 — a net change of three yards.

Douglas was able to march down the field against the Senator backups and tried to erase the shutout with a field goal from Alan “Whitey” Plimpton.

However, the attempt failed to go through the uprights.

That frigid contest was conducted on the old grass field on King Street behind what is now Bordewich Bray Elementary School.

Chet Wood served as the quarterback in that game for the Senators, while Ferman Prudenciado was listed at the Tigers’ quarterback in the game program.

Prudenciado and halfback Fritz Smokey were the two Tigers knocked out of the game with injury.

Harnar went on to earn all-state honorable mention honors after leading the Senators with a team-high seven sacks.

He played college ball as a defensive lineman at Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif., where he received a scholarship.

Harnar says he is the lone starting lineman still alive today and doesn’t believe many, if any, members of the team are still alive. Or some might have moved out of the area.

(Carson High graduate Curtis Harnar poses for a photo in his letterman jacket with the 1955 and 1956 state title patches on his chest. / Courtesy Curtis Harnar)

THE RIVALRY

Even in 1956, Harnar said the rivalry was a big deal.

“We lived next to each other. The rivalry tradition was always there,” said Harnar. “There was always a school assembly on Friday afternoons before the game and the cheerleaders jacked everyone up for the upcoming game. … We boys from both schools knew each other very well.”

It was personal back then, as it is today.

That season was Walt Powers’ first as the Douglas head coach.

Just a couple years prior, Powers was coaching the Senators.

Harnar said there wasn’t much love lost between Powers and coach Martin.

Even 67 years ago, whomever lost the big game would hear about it.

“You didn’t want to lose and have them put the final score in your face afterwards,” Harnar said.

The lopsided score has stood the test of time, but nearly all of the annual game’s aspects from 1956 ring true in 2023.

No one wants to lose.