This being the annual time of year when Little League Baseball All Star playoffs are in full swing, or are nearing completion, I am reminded of the glory days of the 1960s when a bunch of kids from Summit Hill achieved probably what will never happen again.

It’s hard winning championships on any level of any sport, but the “Hillers,” a moniker passed on to teams in town as that was the nickname of former Summit Hill High School teams, accomplished an amazing feat by winning the Panther Valley All Star Tournament four consecutive years.

The years were 1967 through 1970, when the PV League was chocked full of talent with teams from Tamaqua, Nesquehoning, Coaldale, Lansford and Jim Thorpe. Back then, teams played each other twice in a round-robin tournament, giving them a 10-game tourney that was as exciting for the kids as it was for the entire region.

I was fortunate enough to be a member of some of the SH teams, but this isn’t about me, it’s about my teammates and a bunch of guys who collectively comprised some of best baseball teams in the region, and a bunch of dedicated coaches who guided them from May through late August in their diamond endeavors.

Because names often jog our memories, I want to share with you the “Boys of Summer” who provided plenty of excitement for the hilltop community at a time when baseball was really the only thing that occupied kids’ time. Arguably the best of the Hiller teams was the 1967 pace-setting team that went 9-1, splitting its two games with always powerful Tamaqua. But the title that year was only the beginning of what was to come for our little town of Summit Hill.

Coaches Tom “Smokey” McHugh and Phil Shelton guided us to the first championship. Team members included Jack Bargilione, Fred Beltz, Reggie Carulli, Bob Crampsie, Bob Davis, Dave Dominic, Gary Evans, Jesse Hiles, Frank Jackowicz, Mike Makara, Alan Miller, my brother, Bob O’Gurek, myself, Rich Porambo, Tom Porambo and Tony Sodroski.

Clippings I have tell of the dominance pitchers Makara, Dominic, Davis and Miller had on the hill, while Summit Hill had explosive offenses, often collecting double-digit hit totals. Bargilione, Beltz, Carulli, Crampsie, Dominic, Makara, Bob O’Gurek and Tom Porambo “went yard” with round trippers in that ’67 season, while it was common for players to have three- and four-hit games.

The following year, the Hillers grabbed the second leg of the floating WLSH trophy, finishing 8-2, a game ahead of Nesquehoning’s 7-3, and defeating the Nesquers 15-3 in a special playoff game at Jim Thorpe. We had six homers in the game, Gary Evans and Joe Vermillion hitting two of them each and Reggie Carulli and Tony Sodroski also going yard for the forces of Tony George and his assistant, Jack Anderson. The team included Bob Bydlon, Carulli, Gary Evans, Dave Evans, Bob Faust, Victor Koshuta, Mike Macenka, Maxie Maholick, Dave McCullion, Ken Miller, myself, Bernie Piaia, Rich Porambo, Sodroski, Vermillion and Tom Zuber.

Then, in 1969, Summit Hill retired the WLSH trophy, its 8-2 record being a nudge ahead of Tamaqua’s 7-3. “Smokey” McHugh and Phil Shelton returned to the helm, leading the team of Bob Bydlon, Jim Carnish, Rich Danchak, Dave Evans, Bob Faust, Jerome Hnat, Dan Kane, Victor Koshuta, Stan Kozuch, Kerry Lesniak, Bob Melnick, Don Nihen, another brother of mine, Dave O’Gurek, Rich Porambo and Joe Stawiarski.

Still not done, Summit Hill made it four in a row in 1970, again copping the title. Jack Anderson and Perry Shelton piloted the team that included Matt Carnish, Tom Catha, Ed Cinicola, Tony DeLaurentis, Dave Derby, Tom Evans, Jerome Hnat, Joe Kozuch, Stan Kozuch, Kerry Lesniak, Bob Melnick, Larry O’Donnell, Bob Smith, Paul Smith and Joe Stawiarski.

A lot of those mentioned above still reside in Summit Hill. Others have moved, while some have passed away. It was a great time to be a Hiller, and collectively we reached heights no SH team had.

Of all of those coaches, Phil Shelton still resides in our hometown, where he has a legacy of community involvement, including having served on borough council and as mayor, for which, I know, I am, and so are other Hillers, thankful for his services.

The other managers, sadly, have passed, but they too left their mark on a proud town that once had one of the proudest and most successful Little League programs in this area.