Coach Watts led MHS football in '59
By
Bob Patton-
After McClain High School’s undefeated and untied football season in 1959, which was one of the most successful seasons in her proud history, one might expect a decline in 1960.
But Coach Bob Watts had other ideas. The team had lost some key personnel from the ’59 team due to graduation, etc., but they had some talent coming back, too. Still, most of the “experts” were picking Washington C.H. or Franklin Heights to take the league title.
Meanwhile, in Hillsboro, Coach Bill Atsalis was expecting a big turnout of prospective football players as mid-August was approaching.
After all, last season, his first at Hillsboro, only 17 boys had come out, and the football coaches had gone door-to-door to recruit enough players to field a team. He had struggled through the season with very few replacement players. Most of the replacements he did have were freshmen or sophomores. But Atsalis and his assistant coaches were rewarded this season, when 40 boys came out for the 1960 team.
The league football coaches had come up with yet another plan for selecting South Central Ohio League football All-Star teams. The previous 10 plans had all been scrapped for being “too political.” (Aren’t ALL All-Star teams political?)
Although there were eight schools in the SCOL, now, only 7 would be competing for the league football championship. Miami Trace, a new member of the SCOL and a new high school, was playing a strictly reserve schedule, and would compete for the league championship in 1961.
After the first three weeks of the grid season, McClain, Franklin Heights and Washington were all at the top of the league with 2-0 (league) records. Wilmington followed with a record of 2-1, Circleville was 1-2, while Hillsboro and Pleasant View were 0-3. The Indians got their first league victory in the annual Homecoming game, after pretty HHS senior cheerleader Judy Blankenship was crowned Homecoming queen in pre-game ceremonies. Nancy Blair was senior attendant, Patty Mullenix was junior attendant, while Barbara Blair represented the sophomores, Christine Rhoads the freshmen and Anne Kinkaid the seventh and eighth grades.
One of the key games of the SCOL season came in early November, when McClain traveled to Washington C.H. and came home with a hard fought 18-12 win over the Blue Lions. This win put the Tigers in the driver’s seat in the league race. All they had to do was beat Hillsboro the last league night of the season to lock down the SCOL championship.
The Hillsboro Indians put up a game battle against the league leaders, but bruising running back Gene George, along with halfback Gene Garrison and tackles Roger Grooms and Lee Moorhead were just too much for the Indians to handle. The Tigers won the game 35-20 and claimed another SCOL football title.
Final league football standings were:
McClain 6-0-0
Washington 5-1-0
Franklin Heights 3-2-1
Wilmington 3-3-0
Circleville 2-3-1
Hillsboro 1-5-0
Pleasant View 0-6-0
Hillsboro’s season was disappointing, but it was not the fault of their rugged running back, Wayne Murphy. As a result of his outstanding performance in the McClain game, (23 carries and an average of more than 7 yards per carry), Murphy had gained more than 1,000 yards for the season. This was thought to be a school record, at that time, although nobody knew for sure. At the SCOL league meeting at the end of November, it was announced that a newly consolidated school called Teays Valley would be in operation in 1962 and was interested in becoming a member of the SCOL. For years the league couldn’t find anybody who wanted to be a member, now everybody wanted to be a member.
The All-SCOL football team included:
Jake Bailey —Cir Ray Smith — McC
Mike Ewing — Wil Courtney Carr — Wil
Lee Moorhead — McC Phil Stout — Hill
Roger Grooms — McC Dave Washington — Wil
George Ford — McC Tom Hamilton — McC
Chas. Pendergraft — WCH
Gene George — McC
Gary Dunn — Wil Jim Kidd — Wil
Larry Maynard — McC Gary Gabriel — FH
Gene Garrison — McC Gil Crouse — WCH
Ernie Herman — WCH Dave Cahill — PV
Wayne Murphy — Hill Dwight Wallace — Wil.
(This article will be continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press. Send comments to the Press at: hcpress@cinci.rr.com.[[In-content Ad]]
But Coach Bob Watts had other ideas. The team had lost some key personnel from the ’59 team due to graduation, etc., but they had some talent coming back, too. Still, most of the “experts” were picking Washington C.H. or Franklin Heights to take the league title.
Meanwhile, in Hillsboro, Coach Bill Atsalis was expecting a big turnout of prospective football players as mid-August was approaching.
After all, last season, his first at Hillsboro, only 17 boys had come out, and the football coaches had gone door-to-door to recruit enough players to field a team. He had struggled through the season with very few replacement players. Most of the replacements he did have were freshmen or sophomores. But Atsalis and his assistant coaches were rewarded this season, when 40 boys came out for the 1960 team.
The league football coaches had come up with yet another plan for selecting South Central Ohio League football All-Star teams. The previous 10 plans had all been scrapped for being “too political.” (Aren’t ALL All-Star teams political?)
Although there were eight schools in the SCOL, now, only 7 would be competing for the league football championship. Miami Trace, a new member of the SCOL and a new high school, was playing a strictly reserve schedule, and would compete for the league championship in 1961.
After the first three weeks of the grid season, McClain, Franklin Heights and Washington were all at the top of the league with 2-0 (league) records. Wilmington followed with a record of 2-1, Circleville was 1-2, while Hillsboro and Pleasant View were 0-3. The Indians got their first league victory in the annual Homecoming game, after pretty HHS senior cheerleader Judy Blankenship was crowned Homecoming queen in pre-game ceremonies. Nancy Blair was senior attendant, Patty Mullenix was junior attendant, while Barbara Blair represented the sophomores, Christine Rhoads the freshmen and Anne Kinkaid the seventh and eighth grades.
One of the key games of the SCOL season came in early November, when McClain traveled to Washington C.H. and came home with a hard fought 18-12 win over the Blue Lions. This win put the Tigers in the driver’s seat in the league race. All they had to do was beat Hillsboro the last league night of the season to lock down the SCOL championship.
The Hillsboro Indians put up a game battle against the league leaders, but bruising running back Gene George, along with halfback Gene Garrison and tackles Roger Grooms and Lee Moorhead were just too much for the Indians to handle. The Tigers won the game 35-20 and claimed another SCOL football title.
Final league football standings were:
McClain 6-0-0
Washington 5-1-0
Franklin Heights 3-2-1
Wilmington 3-3-0
Circleville 2-3-1
Hillsboro 1-5-0
Pleasant View 0-6-0
Hillsboro’s season was disappointing, but it was not the fault of their rugged running back, Wayne Murphy. As a result of his outstanding performance in the McClain game, (23 carries and an average of more than 7 yards per carry), Murphy had gained more than 1,000 yards for the season. This was thought to be a school record, at that time, although nobody knew for sure. At the SCOL league meeting at the end of November, it was announced that a newly consolidated school called Teays Valley would be in operation in 1962 and was interested in becoming a member of the SCOL. For years the league couldn’t find anybody who wanted to be a member, now everybody wanted to be a member.
The All-SCOL football team included:
Jake Bailey —Cir Ray Smith — McC
Mike Ewing — Wil Courtney Carr — Wil
Lee Moorhead — McC Phil Stout — Hill
Roger Grooms — McC Dave Washington — Wil
George Ford — McC Tom Hamilton — McC
Chas. Pendergraft — WCH
Gene George — McC
Gary Dunn — Wil Jim Kidd — Wil
Larry Maynard — McC Gary Gabriel — FH
Gene Garrison — McC Gil Crouse — WCH
Ernie Herman — WCH Dave Cahill — PV
Wayne Murphy — Hill Dwight Wallace — Wil.
(This article will be continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press. Send comments to the Press at: hcpress@cinci.rr.com.[[In-content Ad]]