It was all Blue Lions on gridiron in 1973
By
Bob Patton-
As the SCOL schools prepared for another football season in September
1973, the “Coaches Musical Chairs” game was in full throttle. Jay Knierim
was out and Fred Brisker was in at McClain. Dale Ambos was out and Mike
Doyle was in at Hillsboro. Doyle came to Hillsboro from Franklin Heights
High School, where he was backfield coach. He was a Miami Trace High School
and Wilmington College graduate, who had also attended Ohio State
University.
Fred Bernier was out, after only one season at Miami Trace, and Fred
Zechman was in. Leslie Walker was out at Wilmington, and Ron Wilt was in.
Veteran coach Dean Porter was at Madison Plains, a new league
member this year. He had only 31 players on the squad. The only
holdovers in the SCOL were Larry Cook, at Circleville and Maurice Pfeifer at
Washington.
On Sept. 28 Hillsboro took on the Wilmington Hurricane and junior Jackie
Watson, who piled up more than 800 yards the previous season. Watson
sparkled in the SCOL opener, scoring three touchdowns and carrying two
extra-point attempts, leading the Hurricane to a 42-6 win.
In other league action, WCH stomped Madison Plains 52-0. This was the
Blue Lions’ fourth straight shutout. Miami Trace lost to Chillicothe, 28-8.
Circleville entertained the McClain Tigers and trounced the visitors, 21-6,
behind two touchdowns by Eddie Richter.
The next Friday Washington traveled to Greenfield, Miami Trace was at
Hillsboro and Circleville visited Wilmington. Circleville ran into a buzz
saw at Wilmington, when Dave Hamilton split the uprights with a 25-yard
field goal with 11 seconds remaining, and the Hurricane edged the red and
black, 23-20. Alder shut out MP, 27-0, and Trace downed the Indians, 28-0.
At Greenfield, Washington recorded their fifth shutout of the young
season by blanking Tigers, 34-0, as Chuck Wilson scored three touchdowns and
an extra point. The hard-hitting Tigers were inside the WCH 20-yard line
three times during the game, but were unable to push the ball across the
goal line.
On Oct. 12, Wilmington visited Washington, Circleville was at Trace and
McClain traveled to Madison Plains. Hillsboro played a non-league game at
Frankfort Adena.
Miami Trace came up with a convincing 30-14 victory over defending SCOL
champion Circleville. Once again, Circleville was victimized by
mistakes in crucial situations. Five miles away, at Washington, the Blue
Lions shut out the Hurricane, 44-0. At Madison Plains, the Golden Eagles
downed McClain, 14-8, while Hillsboro took a 48-8 thumping at class A
Adena. October 19 saw the Hillsboro Indians meeting the McClain
Tigers in the annual HHS Homecoming game at Richards Memorial Field. Prior
to the start of the game, attractive HHS senior Micki Roasa was crowned 1973
Homecoming Queen, in impressive ceremonies. Miss Roasa’s court included
Senior Attendant Deb Hopkins, Junior Attendant Jenny Dunn, Sophomore
Attendant Tammy Zimmerman, and Freshman Attendant Debbie Schroeder.
The Indians made the evening a success by beating the Tigers, 20-12. The
Indians outrushed the Tigers 342 yards to 161 and had 15 first downs to the
Tigers’ 9.
Elsewhere, Washington’s defense was too much for Columbus Bishop Wehrle in a
38-0 win. The Lions were now ranked 1st in the state among class AA schools
in the AP and UPI ratings. But they were not close to that in the OHSAA
Computer Rankings. The big news of the evening was Wilmington’s 19-6 defeat
of Miami Trace on the MT field. Outstanding Wilmington halfback Jackie
Watson ran around, over and through the MT defense, scoring three
touchdowns. This win put Wilmington and Miami Trace in a tie for second
place in the SCOL.
In Circleville, the Tigers outraced Madison Plains, 20-8, snapping a
two-game tailspin. On Oct. 26, Washington downed Circleville, 20-7, but had
their string of seven consecutive shutouts broken when Eddie Richter swept
the left side and scored from 20 yards out. Phil Roll’s kick was good for
the extra point.
Hillsboro visited Madison Plains and hung a 28-0 pasting on the Golden
Eagles. Bud Marsh tossed three touchdown passes in the game, all three to
Roger Jewett. McClain tried valiantly to pull off an upset of the Miami
Trace Panthers, but came up a little short and lost the game, 20-14. In a
non-league encounter, Wilmington’s star, Jackie Watson scored two touchdowns
and the Hurricane thumped McNicholas, 18-0.
On Nov. 2, the Golden Eagles shocked the Hurricane, 32-30, behind three
touchdowns by junior Geoff Smith. Jackie Watson, star Wilmington halfback,
racked up four touchdowns and three two-point conversions – but it wasn’t
enough. McClain ended a painful eight-game nosedive by whipping class A Oak
Hill. Meanwhile, in Hillsboro, a cold, windy, rainy night made the going
tough. But the visiting Circleville Tigers, with a sterling defensive
effort, held the Indians in check as Eddie Richter scored two touchdowns and
Phil Roll successfully kicked two extra points and the Tigers won, 14-0.
At Miami Trace, unbeaten Washington gave the ball to star
halfback Chuck Wilson and got out of his way. Wilson carried 31 times for
235 yards and four touchdowns, as the Blue Lions downed their Fayette County
rivals, 36-12. The final league playing date of the 1973-74 season featured
Hillsboro at Washington, Miami Trace at Madison Plains, Wilmington at
McClain and Circleville at Hamilton Township. In the Hillsboro vs.
Washington fiasco, the powerful Blue Lions pummeled the Indians, 58-0. With
the win, the Blue Lions became the winningest football team in Washington
C.H. history, besting even the legendary 1952 undefeated team. The Blue
Lions, still ranked No. 1 in the state among AA schools became the mythical
state champion. But they were still far down the list in the OHSAA computer
rankings and it remained a possibility that the state champion might be left
out of the state playoffs.
Final league standings in the 1973 football season were:
Washington — 6-0, 10-0
Wilmington — 4-2, 6-4
Miami Trace — 4-2, 6-4
Circleville — 3-3, 5-5
Hillsboro — 2-4, 2-8
Madison Pl. — 2-4, 2-8
McClain — 0-6, 1-9
Washington senior speedster Chuck Wilson led the SCOL in scoring with
184 points. It was believed that he was the leading scorer in the state. He
was honored by being selected the top back in the southeastern district. WCH
had five men (Wilson, John Sanderson, Garth Cox, Mark Johnson and Greg
McCune) named to the AA All-
Southeastern District team. Trace had two: John Woodrow and Jay
Mossbarger. The All-SCOL team was selected and announced at the fall SCOL
League banquet. Those selected were: Greg McCune, WCH; Mike Miller, MP;
Garth Cox,
WCH; John Woodrow, MT; David Hamilton, Wilm.; John Sanderson, WCH; Jay
Mossbarger, MT; Greg Cobb, MT; Mark Johnson, WCH; Gary Barr, McC; Alan
Coppock, WCH; Larry Dumford, WCH; Doug Ford, MT; Greg Wieland, MT; Chuck
Wilson, WCH; Kip Collins,
Wilm.; Eddie Richter, Circ. Alan Underwood, Circ.; Jeff Brown, WCH; Jackie
Watson, Wilm.; Jim Glass, MT;
On a sad note, the untimely death of Delmar Mowery was announced
during the season. One of the top basketball coaches in all of southern
Ohio, Mowery was an All-Southeastern District selection 3 times and was
All-State his senior year at Logan High School. He did
not play college basketball because of military service. He was a highly
successful basketball coach for more than 20 years, the last six of them
being at Miami Trace. He became varsity coach in 1966-67. In his first year
as head coach, he won the SCOL championship with a 10-0 loop record (18-4
overall). Mowery was four games into the 1969-70 season when he was stricken
with a heart attack, and the reins were turned over to Gordon McCarty. He
was never able to return to coaching. He died at 47.
The Blue Lions of Washington C.H., after being named mythical state AA
champions in 1973, failed to make the state playoffs.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing
writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
1973, the “Coaches Musical Chairs” game was in full throttle. Jay Knierim
was out and Fred Brisker was in at McClain. Dale Ambos was out and Mike
Doyle was in at Hillsboro. Doyle came to Hillsboro from Franklin Heights
High School, where he was backfield coach. He was a Miami Trace High School
and Wilmington College graduate, who had also attended Ohio State
University.
Fred Bernier was out, after only one season at Miami Trace, and Fred
Zechman was in. Leslie Walker was out at Wilmington, and Ron Wilt was in.
Veteran coach Dean Porter was at Madison Plains, a new league
member this year. He had only 31 players on the squad. The only
holdovers in the SCOL were Larry Cook, at Circleville and Maurice Pfeifer at
Washington.
On Sept. 28 Hillsboro took on the Wilmington Hurricane and junior Jackie
Watson, who piled up more than 800 yards the previous season. Watson
sparkled in the SCOL opener, scoring three touchdowns and carrying two
extra-point attempts, leading the Hurricane to a 42-6 win.
In other league action, WCH stomped Madison Plains 52-0. This was the
Blue Lions’ fourth straight shutout. Miami Trace lost to Chillicothe, 28-8.
Circleville entertained the McClain Tigers and trounced the visitors, 21-6,
behind two touchdowns by Eddie Richter.
The next Friday Washington traveled to Greenfield, Miami Trace was at
Hillsboro and Circleville visited Wilmington. Circleville ran into a buzz
saw at Wilmington, when Dave Hamilton split the uprights with a 25-yard
field goal with 11 seconds remaining, and the Hurricane edged the red and
black, 23-20. Alder shut out MP, 27-0, and Trace downed the Indians, 28-0.
At Greenfield, Washington recorded their fifth shutout of the young
season by blanking Tigers, 34-0, as Chuck Wilson scored three touchdowns and
an extra point. The hard-hitting Tigers were inside the WCH 20-yard line
three times during the game, but were unable to push the ball across the
goal line.
On Oct. 12, Wilmington visited Washington, Circleville was at Trace and
McClain traveled to Madison Plains. Hillsboro played a non-league game at
Frankfort Adena.
Miami Trace came up with a convincing 30-14 victory over defending SCOL
champion Circleville. Once again, Circleville was victimized by
mistakes in crucial situations. Five miles away, at Washington, the Blue
Lions shut out the Hurricane, 44-0. At Madison Plains, the Golden Eagles
downed McClain, 14-8, while Hillsboro took a 48-8 thumping at class A
Adena. October 19 saw the Hillsboro Indians meeting the McClain
Tigers in the annual HHS Homecoming game at Richards Memorial Field. Prior
to the start of the game, attractive HHS senior Micki Roasa was crowned 1973
Homecoming Queen, in impressive ceremonies. Miss Roasa’s court included
Senior Attendant Deb Hopkins, Junior Attendant Jenny Dunn, Sophomore
Attendant Tammy Zimmerman, and Freshman Attendant Debbie Schroeder.
The Indians made the evening a success by beating the Tigers, 20-12. The
Indians outrushed the Tigers 342 yards to 161 and had 15 first downs to the
Tigers’ 9.
Elsewhere, Washington’s defense was too much for Columbus Bishop Wehrle in a
38-0 win. The Lions were now ranked 1st in the state among class AA schools
in the AP and UPI ratings. But they were not close to that in the OHSAA
Computer Rankings. The big news of the evening was Wilmington’s 19-6 defeat
of Miami Trace on the MT field. Outstanding Wilmington halfback Jackie
Watson ran around, over and through the MT defense, scoring three
touchdowns. This win put Wilmington and Miami Trace in a tie for second
place in the SCOL.
In Circleville, the Tigers outraced Madison Plains, 20-8, snapping a
two-game tailspin. On Oct. 26, Washington downed Circleville, 20-7, but had
their string of seven consecutive shutouts broken when Eddie Richter swept
the left side and scored from 20 yards out. Phil Roll’s kick was good for
the extra point.
Hillsboro visited Madison Plains and hung a 28-0 pasting on the Golden
Eagles. Bud Marsh tossed three touchdown passes in the game, all three to
Roger Jewett. McClain tried valiantly to pull off an upset of the Miami
Trace Panthers, but came up a little short and lost the game, 20-14. In a
non-league encounter, Wilmington’s star, Jackie Watson scored two touchdowns
and the Hurricane thumped McNicholas, 18-0.
On Nov. 2, the Golden Eagles shocked the Hurricane, 32-30, behind three
touchdowns by junior Geoff Smith. Jackie Watson, star Wilmington halfback,
racked up four touchdowns and three two-point conversions – but it wasn’t
enough. McClain ended a painful eight-game nosedive by whipping class A Oak
Hill. Meanwhile, in Hillsboro, a cold, windy, rainy night made the going
tough. But the visiting Circleville Tigers, with a sterling defensive
effort, held the Indians in check as Eddie Richter scored two touchdowns and
Phil Roll successfully kicked two extra points and the Tigers won, 14-0.
At Miami Trace, unbeaten Washington gave the ball to star
halfback Chuck Wilson and got out of his way. Wilson carried 31 times for
235 yards and four touchdowns, as the Blue Lions downed their Fayette County
rivals, 36-12. The final league playing date of the 1973-74 season featured
Hillsboro at Washington, Miami Trace at Madison Plains, Wilmington at
McClain and Circleville at Hamilton Township. In the Hillsboro vs.
Washington fiasco, the powerful Blue Lions pummeled the Indians, 58-0. With
the win, the Blue Lions became the winningest football team in Washington
C.H. history, besting even the legendary 1952 undefeated team. The Blue
Lions, still ranked No. 1 in the state among AA schools became the mythical
state champion. But they were still far down the list in the OHSAA computer
rankings and it remained a possibility that the state champion might be left
out of the state playoffs.
Final league standings in the 1973 football season were:
Washington — 6-0, 10-0
Wilmington — 4-2, 6-4
Miami Trace — 4-2, 6-4
Circleville — 3-3, 5-5
Hillsboro — 2-4, 2-8
Madison Pl. — 2-4, 2-8
McClain — 0-6, 1-9
Washington senior speedster Chuck Wilson led the SCOL in scoring with
184 points. It was believed that he was the leading scorer in the state. He
was honored by being selected the top back in the southeastern district. WCH
had five men (Wilson, John Sanderson, Garth Cox, Mark Johnson and Greg
McCune) named to the AA All-
Southeastern District team. Trace had two: John Woodrow and Jay
Mossbarger. The All-SCOL team was selected and announced at the fall SCOL
League banquet. Those selected were: Greg McCune, WCH; Mike Miller, MP;
Garth Cox,
WCH; John Woodrow, MT; David Hamilton, Wilm.; John Sanderson, WCH; Jay
Mossbarger, MT; Greg Cobb, MT; Mark Johnson, WCH; Gary Barr, McC; Alan
Coppock, WCH; Larry Dumford, WCH; Doug Ford, MT; Greg Wieland, MT; Chuck
Wilson, WCH; Kip Collins,
Wilm.; Eddie Richter, Circ. Alan Underwood, Circ.; Jeff Brown, WCH; Jackie
Watson, Wilm.; Jim Glass, MT;
On a sad note, the untimely death of Delmar Mowery was announced
during the season. One of the top basketball coaches in all of southern
Ohio, Mowery was an All-Southeastern District selection 3 times and was
All-State his senior year at Logan High School. He did
not play college basketball because of military service. He was a highly
successful basketball coach for more than 20 years, the last six of them
being at Miami Trace. He became varsity coach in 1966-67. In his first year
as head coach, he won the SCOL championship with a 10-0 loop record (18-4
overall). Mowery was four games into the 1969-70 season when he was stricken
with a heart attack, and the reins were turned over to Gordon McCarty. He
was never able to return to coaching. He died at 47.
The Blue Lions of Washington C.H., after being named mythical state AA
champions in 1973, failed to make the state playoffs.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing
writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]