Circleville, Trace atop SCOL in '72
By
Bob Patton-
(Continued from last week.)
The big night of the 1972 football season turned out to be Oct. 27, the last playing date of the season. On that night, Miami Trace traveled to Circleville to challenge the league leaders. If Circleville won, they were the outright SCOL champions. If the Panthers could prevail, the race would end in a tie.
Circleville used a punishing ground game and a strong defense to completely bottle up the MT offense. The Panthers’ normally strong ground game could muster only 66 yards against the Tiger defense.
Even the awesome MT passing game was ineffective, as Circleville had defensive players in the MT backfield all night.
The Roundtowners captured the game and the SCOL title on a cold, rainy night in Circleville, by a score of 24-6. The loss knocked the Panthers into a three-way tie for second place with Wilmington and Washington C.H.
Washington got a splendid 223-yard rushing performance from tailback Chuck Wilson as they hammered McClain, 29-6, on the rain-soaked field at Gardner Park, and Wilmington’s normally pass-minded offense unleashed a ground game which rolled up a whopping 352 yards against winless Hillsboro as the Hurricane blanked the Indians, 46-0, at Richards Memorial Field.
The last two weeks of the season featured mostly meaningless non-league games, but Hillsboro did rack up a victory over winless Western Brown to avoid a 0-9 season. Final standings were:
Circleville 5-0; 7-3
Miami Trace 3-2; 7-3
Washington 3-2; 6-4
Wilmington 3-2; 4-6
McClain 1-4; 3-7
Hillsboro 0-5; 1-8*
(Hillsboro played only nine games.)
Since 1960, the Circleville Tigers had won six SCOL titles in football and a co-championship in 1960. These championships moved the Tigers into second place in all-time SCOL football championships, behind Wilmington. Following is the all-time ranking for SCOL football titles from the beginning of the league through 1972.
SCOL FOOTBALL TITLES
Through 1972
Won/Shared
Wilmington 10/3
Circleville 9/3
Washington C.H. 7/4
McClain 7/4
Chillicothe 3/1
Hillsboro 1/0
Miami Trace 1/0
Franklin Heights 0/1
On Nov. 21, 1972 the SCOL All-Star team was announced and it included:
Keith Hill, Wilmington; Peter Breuleux, Wilmington; Jeff Spears, Miami Trace; Don Hamilton, Wilmington; Chuck Peterson, Wilmington; John Sanderson, Washington; Garth Cox, Washington; Dick Hiatt, Wilmington; Gary Sabin, Wilmington; Stewart Moore, Circleville; M. Domenico, Washington; Garcy Morgan, Circleville; Gardner Cobb, Miami Trace; Rocky Day, Hillsboro; Tom Frericks, Circleville; Jackie Watson, Wilmington; Dave Truex, Circleville; Jim Van Dyke, McClain; Pete Jones, Miami Trace; Buddy Kennedy, McClain; Tony Grooms, Miami Trace; Chris Fehring, Hillsboro; Chuck Wilson, Washington; Eddie Richter, Circleville; Dave Webb, Circleville; Glenn Gifford, Miami Trace; and Mark Johnson, Washington.
Chuck Wilson, of Washington, captured the 1972 South Central League individual scoring championship in a tight race with Tony Grooms of Miami Trace.
Wilson, a 5’11” 172-pound halfback, scored three touchdowns and an extra point in WCH’s finale against Hamilton Township, to push his 10-game season total to 122 points and nudge Grooms by a scant two points.
Wilson and Grooms were both on the All-SCOL team.
Jackie Watson, Wilmington’s rushing demon, landed in third place with 68 points, while Miami Trace wingback Glenn Gifford vaulted to the fourth spot by virtue of his two touchdowns against Madison Plains, to end the season with 60 points.
They were followed by Mark Johnson, of WCH, Jeff Spears of Miami Trace, Dave Truex of Circleville, Chris Fehring of Hillsboro and Eddie Richter of Circleville.
SCOL Football Champions
From 1923-72
1923 — Wilmington
1924— McClain, Wilmington, Chillicothe
1925 — Washington C.H. 1926 — Washington C.H.
1927 — Chillicothe
1928 — Chillicothe
1929 — Chillicothe
1930 — Hillsboro
1931-35 — SCOL Disbanded
1936 — Wilmington
1937 — Wilmington
1938 — McClain
1939 — Washington C.H.
1940 — McClain 1941 — McClain, Washington C.H.
1942 — Washington C.H. 1943 — Wilmington 1944 — McClain 1945 — McClain 1946 — Wilmington 1947 — Wilmington 1948 — Circleville 1949 — Circleville 1950 — Circleville 1951 — Washington C.H. 1952 — Washington C.H. 1953 — McClain 1954 — McClain, Washington C.H. 1955 — Washington C.H. 1956 — Wilmington 1957 — McClain 1958 — McClain, Washington C.H.
1959 — McClain
1960 — McClain, Circleville
1961 — Washington C.H
1962 — Circleville
1963 — Circleville
1964 — Wilmington
1965 — Wilmington
1966 — Circleville
1967 — Circleville
1968 — Washington C.H.
1969 — Wilmington
1970 — Circleville
1971 — Miami Trace
1972 — Circleville.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
The big night of the 1972 football season turned out to be Oct. 27, the last playing date of the season. On that night, Miami Trace traveled to Circleville to challenge the league leaders. If Circleville won, they were the outright SCOL champions. If the Panthers could prevail, the race would end in a tie.
Circleville used a punishing ground game and a strong defense to completely bottle up the MT offense. The Panthers’ normally strong ground game could muster only 66 yards against the Tiger defense.
Even the awesome MT passing game was ineffective, as Circleville had defensive players in the MT backfield all night.
The Roundtowners captured the game and the SCOL title on a cold, rainy night in Circleville, by a score of 24-6. The loss knocked the Panthers into a three-way tie for second place with Wilmington and Washington C.H.
Washington got a splendid 223-yard rushing performance from tailback Chuck Wilson as they hammered McClain, 29-6, on the rain-soaked field at Gardner Park, and Wilmington’s normally pass-minded offense unleashed a ground game which rolled up a whopping 352 yards against winless Hillsboro as the Hurricane blanked the Indians, 46-0, at Richards Memorial Field.
The last two weeks of the season featured mostly meaningless non-league games, but Hillsboro did rack up a victory over winless Western Brown to avoid a 0-9 season. Final standings were:
Circleville 5-0; 7-3
Miami Trace 3-2; 7-3
Washington 3-2; 6-4
Wilmington 3-2; 4-6
McClain 1-4; 3-7
Hillsboro 0-5; 1-8*
(Hillsboro played only nine games.)
Since 1960, the Circleville Tigers had won six SCOL titles in football and a co-championship in 1960. These championships moved the Tigers into second place in all-time SCOL football championships, behind Wilmington. Following is the all-time ranking for SCOL football titles from the beginning of the league through 1972.
SCOL FOOTBALL TITLES
Through 1972
Won/Shared
Wilmington 10/3
Circleville 9/3
Washington C.H. 7/4
McClain 7/4
Chillicothe 3/1
Hillsboro 1/0
Miami Trace 1/0
Franklin Heights 0/1
On Nov. 21, 1972 the SCOL All-Star team was announced and it included:
Keith Hill, Wilmington; Peter Breuleux, Wilmington; Jeff Spears, Miami Trace; Don Hamilton, Wilmington; Chuck Peterson, Wilmington; John Sanderson, Washington; Garth Cox, Washington; Dick Hiatt, Wilmington; Gary Sabin, Wilmington; Stewart Moore, Circleville; M. Domenico, Washington; Garcy Morgan, Circleville; Gardner Cobb, Miami Trace; Rocky Day, Hillsboro; Tom Frericks, Circleville; Jackie Watson, Wilmington; Dave Truex, Circleville; Jim Van Dyke, McClain; Pete Jones, Miami Trace; Buddy Kennedy, McClain; Tony Grooms, Miami Trace; Chris Fehring, Hillsboro; Chuck Wilson, Washington; Eddie Richter, Circleville; Dave Webb, Circleville; Glenn Gifford, Miami Trace; and Mark Johnson, Washington.
Chuck Wilson, of Washington, captured the 1972 South Central League individual scoring championship in a tight race with Tony Grooms of Miami Trace.
Wilson, a 5’11” 172-pound halfback, scored three touchdowns and an extra point in WCH’s finale against Hamilton Township, to push his 10-game season total to 122 points and nudge Grooms by a scant two points.
Wilson and Grooms were both on the All-SCOL team.
Jackie Watson, Wilmington’s rushing demon, landed in third place with 68 points, while Miami Trace wingback Glenn Gifford vaulted to the fourth spot by virtue of his two touchdowns against Madison Plains, to end the season with 60 points.
They were followed by Mark Johnson, of WCH, Jeff Spears of Miami Trace, Dave Truex of Circleville, Chris Fehring of Hillsboro and Eddie Richter of Circleville.
SCOL Football Champions
From 1923-72
1923 — Wilmington
1924— McClain, Wilmington, Chillicothe
1925 — Washington C.H. 1926 — Washington C.H.
1927 — Chillicothe
1928 — Chillicothe
1929 — Chillicothe
1930 — Hillsboro
1931-35 — SCOL Disbanded
1936 — Wilmington
1937 — Wilmington
1938 — McClain
1939 — Washington C.H.
1940 — McClain 1941 — McClain, Washington C.H.
1942 — Washington C.H. 1943 — Wilmington 1944 — McClain 1945 — McClain 1946 — Wilmington 1947 — Wilmington 1948 — Circleville 1949 — Circleville 1950 — Circleville 1951 — Washington C.H. 1952 — Washington C.H. 1953 — McClain 1954 — McClain, Washington C.H. 1955 — Washington C.H. 1956 — Wilmington 1957 — McClain 1958 — McClain, Washington C.H.
1959 — McClain
1960 — McClain, Circleville
1961 — Washington C.H
1962 — Circleville
1963 — Circleville
1964 — Wilmington
1965 — Wilmington
1966 — Circleville
1967 — Circleville
1968 — Washington C.H.
1969 — Wilmington
1970 — Circleville
1971 — Miami Trace
1972 — Circleville.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]