The HRL was not quite up to the CBL standards on the court, but an exciting three-team race between Troy, Paterson and Kingston helped the league surpass the older circuit in attendance, with Troy leading the way with an average of over 3,000 fans per game. Troy jumped off to a large early season lead, but an injury to star Ed Wachter slowed the Trojans. Even with Wachter on the sidelines for much of the season, Troy presented a strong cast of players with Bill Hardman, Jimmy Williamson, and Jack Inglis. High-scoring Chief Muller, who was lured away from the South Side team of Central League, proved to be a valuable addition to the Trojans as he led the NYSL league in scoring. Lew Wachter saw diminished playing time, but remained a primary factor in the team’s first-place finish because of his leadership and coaching abilities. Paterson started slowly, losing six of its first ten games, but had the league’s best record over the last six weeks of the season. The Crescents operated through a 70-game league and exhibition schedule with just a six-man team. The small squad’s cohesive, well-balanced style of play provided the team with its strength, but also served as its downfall. With two men hobbled by injuries, Paterson’s well-knit game plan unraveled in crushing 24-8 and 32-5 losses to Troy during the last week of the season, and forced the Crescents to settle for second place. Kingston competed for the HRL title until late in the season behind the solid all-around play of center Maurice Tome and the scoring punch of Kid Franckle and Sam Curlett. Kingston’s challenge for the top spot ended when an illness took Franckle out of the lineup during the last month of the season, and forced them to settle for third place in the final standings.
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I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.