HHS sophomore Derrick Smith runs for 200 yards in 2nd quarter
By
Bob Patton-
(Continued from last week.)
September 29, 1989 was homecoming week in Greenfield. Attractive McClain senior Mindy Sorah was crowned just prior to the kickoff. She was accompanied by her court, which included queen’s attendants Susan Priest, Buffy Shanks and Angie Campbell, along with senior attendant Beth McNeal, junior attendant Tess Anfone, sophomore attendant Monica Baxla and freshman attendant Penny Vanover.
Even though practically all of the Greenfield Times’ selected experts had picked Wilmington, the McClain Tigers played very well, and trounced the Hurricane, 27-9.
Elsewhere, Washington C.H. walloped Circleville, 35-12. After only two SCOL games, Trace and Washington were both 2-0, Hillsboro and McClain were 1-1, while Wilmington and Circleville stood at 0-2.
Unbelievably, the football season was already half over. Shane Sword of Washington led the league in rushing with 633 yards on 110 carries. Hillsboro’s Derrick Smith followed Sword with 490 rushing yards, and led the league in yards per carry, with 7.2.
Wilmington’s Andy Vaughn was the passing leader in the league, with 60 completions for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns. Vaughn, however, had suffered a knee injury in the Wilmington vs. Hillsboro game, and would be out of action for a good part of the season.
Shane Sword and Howard Johns, of Wilmington, were tied for the scoring lead with 42 points each. Johns led all the league’s receivers with 24 catches for 474 yards and seven touchdowns. Washington kicker Monte Smith was the leading kickoff man in the SCOL with an average of 42.6 yards per kick. The leader in kickoff returns was Jeff Creamer, who was averaging 31.8 yards per return.
Defensively, Jason Unger of McClain led the league with 69 tackles, while Jason Waters of Miami Trace had 68. Hillsboro’s Klay Maynard led the league with 10 interceptions (eight of them in two games). Circleville’s Darin Conrad was second, with seven.
Circleville would play at Hillsboro for the last time, on Oct. 6. The Indians had not beaten Circleville on Richards Memorial Field since it opened, in 1960. Coach Mark Hartman, of Circleville, had been forced to deal with numerous players being injured, moving out of the district, dropping football, etc. The Tigers had not won a single game in 1988, and had won only one game so far this season. Last season, Hillsboro had broken a 30-game string of losses to Circleville.
In other games, McClain would meet the Miami Trace Panthers at Greenfield and Wilmington would travel to take on the Blue Lions in Washington C.H.
Hillsboro almost totally dominated the Circleville Tigers. In fact, the visitors had managed fewer than 30 yards of offense until the last two plays of the game, when the red-and-black gained several yards against Hillsboro’s second string. The Tigers did get a late touchdown to make the final score 35-6 in favor of Hillsboro.
The other two SCOL games were shutouts, with Miami Trace blanking McClain, 26-0, and Washington stifling Wilmington, 21-0.
Hillsboro, with a 2-1 SCOL record, was still in the thick of the league battle. They would meet Washington, at Gardner Park the second Friday evening of October. The Blue Lions were 3-0 in the SCOL, tied with Miami Trace for the league lead.
An Indian victory would leave them tied with the Lions. This was, perhaps, the key SCOL game of the season. McClain would travel to Circleville the same evening, to battle the Roundtowners, and Wilmington would visit Miami Trace.
The Indians self-destructed as the Blue Lions consistently came up with the big play when they needed it, and the Indians didn’t. As a result, Washington jumped out to a comfortable lead and held Washington off. The Blue Lions captured a decisive 31-6 win.
McClain and Circleville played a very tough game in Circleville with McClain winning, 28-20. Trace thumped the Wilmington Hurricane, 33-8. So, after four SCOL games, Washington and Miami Trace stood 0-4 in the SCOL and Hillsboro and McClain were both at 2-2, while Wilmington and Circleville were 0-4.
Hillsboro had taken statistical leads in total offensive yards and yards given up. Klay Maynard was tied with Miami Traces’s Jeff Creamer for the lead in passes intercepted. The Indians’ Derrick Smith continued to lead the league in yards per attempt, with 6.6. He was also second in the SCOL in punt returns. As a team, the Indians had forced a league-leading 24 fumbles and had recovered a league-leading 14. McClain had forced 21 fumbles and recovered 11, both good for second place.
October 20 saw McClain and Hillsboro playing the fifth Rotary Bowl and battling for third place in the league. Miami Trace would visit Washington the same night, and Wilmington would bid adios to the Circleville Tigers in Circleville.
In Hillsboro, sophomore Derrick Smith racked up 200 yards rushing in the second quarter, alone (on nine carries). His rushing total for the game was 234 yards (14 carries). The Indians outgained McClain 394 total yards to 151 and defeated the Tigers, 36-7.
Elsewhere, Circleville barely edged Wilmington, 7-6, ending a 10-game SCOL losing streak which extended back to the 1987 season. The loss marked Wilmington’s sixth consecutive defeat. The big surprise of the SCOL was that Washington grabbed their sixth straight win when they walloped Fayette County rival Miami Trace, 34-13. With this big win, the Blue Lions captured the 1989 gold football along with an outright championship in the SCOL.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
September 29, 1989 was homecoming week in Greenfield. Attractive McClain senior Mindy Sorah was crowned just prior to the kickoff. She was accompanied by her court, which included queen’s attendants Susan Priest, Buffy Shanks and Angie Campbell, along with senior attendant Beth McNeal, junior attendant Tess Anfone, sophomore attendant Monica Baxla and freshman attendant Penny Vanover.
Even though practically all of the Greenfield Times’ selected experts had picked Wilmington, the McClain Tigers played very well, and trounced the Hurricane, 27-9.
Elsewhere, Washington C.H. walloped Circleville, 35-12. After only two SCOL games, Trace and Washington were both 2-0, Hillsboro and McClain were 1-1, while Wilmington and Circleville stood at 0-2.
Unbelievably, the football season was already half over. Shane Sword of Washington led the league in rushing with 633 yards on 110 carries. Hillsboro’s Derrick Smith followed Sword with 490 rushing yards, and led the league in yards per carry, with 7.2.
Wilmington’s Andy Vaughn was the passing leader in the league, with 60 completions for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns. Vaughn, however, had suffered a knee injury in the Wilmington vs. Hillsboro game, and would be out of action for a good part of the season.
Shane Sword and Howard Johns, of Wilmington, were tied for the scoring lead with 42 points each. Johns led all the league’s receivers with 24 catches for 474 yards and seven touchdowns. Washington kicker Monte Smith was the leading kickoff man in the SCOL with an average of 42.6 yards per kick. The leader in kickoff returns was Jeff Creamer, who was averaging 31.8 yards per return.
Defensively, Jason Unger of McClain led the league with 69 tackles, while Jason Waters of Miami Trace had 68. Hillsboro’s Klay Maynard led the league with 10 interceptions (eight of them in two games). Circleville’s Darin Conrad was second, with seven.
Circleville would play at Hillsboro for the last time, on Oct. 6. The Indians had not beaten Circleville on Richards Memorial Field since it opened, in 1960. Coach Mark Hartman, of Circleville, had been forced to deal with numerous players being injured, moving out of the district, dropping football, etc. The Tigers had not won a single game in 1988, and had won only one game so far this season. Last season, Hillsboro had broken a 30-game string of losses to Circleville.
In other games, McClain would meet the Miami Trace Panthers at Greenfield and Wilmington would travel to take on the Blue Lions in Washington C.H.
Hillsboro almost totally dominated the Circleville Tigers. In fact, the visitors had managed fewer than 30 yards of offense until the last two plays of the game, when the red-and-black gained several yards against Hillsboro’s second string. The Tigers did get a late touchdown to make the final score 35-6 in favor of Hillsboro.
The other two SCOL games were shutouts, with Miami Trace blanking McClain, 26-0, and Washington stifling Wilmington, 21-0.
Hillsboro, with a 2-1 SCOL record, was still in the thick of the league battle. They would meet Washington, at Gardner Park the second Friday evening of October. The Blue Lions were 3-0 in the SCOL, tied with Miami Trace for the league lead.
An Indian victory would leave them tied with the Lions. This was, perhaps, the key SCOL game of the season. McClain would travel to Circleville the same evening, to battle the Roundtowners, and Wilmington would visit Miami Trace.
The Indians self-destructed as the Blue Lions consistently came up with the big play when they needed it, and the Indians didn’t. As a result, Washington jumped out to a comfortable lead and held Washington off. The Blue Lions captured a decisive 31-6 win.
McClain and Circleville played a very tough game in Circleville with McClain winning, 28-20. Trace thumped the Wilmington Hurricane, 33-8. So, after four SCOL games, Washington and Miami Trace stood 0-4 in the SCOL and Hillsboro and McClain were both at 2-2, while Wilmington and Circleville were 0-4.
Hillsboro had taken statistical leads in total offensive yards and yards given up. Klay Maynard was tied with Miami Traces’s Jeff Creamer for the lead in passes intercepted. The Indians’ Derrick Smith continued to lead the league in yards per attempt, with 6.6. He was also second in the SCOL in punt returns. As a team, the Indians had forced a league-leading 24 fumbles and had recovered a league-leading 14. McClain had forced 21 fumbles and recovered 11, both good for second place.
October 20 saw McClain and Hillsboro playing the fifth Rotary Bowl and battling for third place in the league. Miami Trace would visit Washington the same night, and Wilmington would bid adios to the Circleville Tigers in Circleville.
In Hillsboro, sophomore Derrick Smith racked up 200 yards rushing in the second quarter, alone (on nine carries). His rushing total for the game was 234 yards (14 carries). The Indians outgained McClain 394 total yards to 151 and defeated the Tigers, 36-7.
Elsewhere, Circleville barely edged Wilmington, 7-6, ending a 10-game SCOL losing streak which extended back to the 1987 season. The loss marked Wilmington’s sixth consecutive defeat. The big surprise of the SCOL was that Washington grabbed their sixth straight win when they walloped Fayette County rival Miami Trace, 34-13. With this big win, the Blue Lions captured the 1989 gold football along with an outright championship in the SCOL.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]