LOOKING BACKWARD IN AHS BASKETBALL 

2008-2009 Season     101st Year

The 2008-2009 Season is the 101st year of Ashland Basketball and the Orange and Black have won 1138 games and lost 741 times. AHS teams won the Northern Central Ohio League 11 times in 26 seasons with the best record of 145 wins and 66 losses for a 68.7 percentage. The Arrows won the Cardinal Conference 10 times in 27 seasons with the second best record of 166 wins and 120 losses for 58 percent. In 16 years of the Ohio Heartland Conference AHS won it twice with 67 victories and 69 for 49.3 percent, which was the 4th best record. In five years in the Ohio Cardinal Conference the A’s have won 31 games and lost 37 contests for 45.6 percent with no OCC crowns. The entire AHS basketball history may be found on the web site www.centuryarrowsbkb.com.

In tournament play they have won the Sectional or District 20 times, and four times they have advanced to State. In 1932, 1936, 1937, and 1941 the State was the Sweet 16.

5 Years Ago 2003-04 Season     AHS vs Mansfield Madison

The Arrows beat the Rams three times when Chris Baughman scored a career high 25-points. It was the 15th straight win over their OCC rivals. MVP Lance Frank led the team in scoring, rebounds, and free throw shooting including a school record 25-straight.

10 Years Ago 1998-99 Season                       Won 13, Lost 9

In Chris Stokes’ first season he was selected OHC Coach of the Year for the surprising (5-3) second place finish. Jason Hess was first team, and Matthew Hess was second team OHC. The Arrows seven straight wins in January were the longest winning streak in 20 years at AHS.

15 Years Ago     1993-94 Season       Ashland 71, Mansfield Senior 65

Shawn Kelley’s heroic final two minutes led the Arrow’s to their last win over the Tygers before the 16-game losing streak. Shawn had a lay up, a steal, two free throws, and three assists in the last 2 minutes and 27 seconds to seal the victory.

15 Years Ago   1993-94 Season                     Won 7, Lost 14

The Arrows ended season with a 68-67 loss to Fremont in the Sectional Tournament, when a future Heisman trophy winner Charles Woodson scored 23 points. The only AHS first team OHC player was Jeff Honaker, who was the MVP and the top scorer with a 14.9 average. Tim Norris was second team OHC, and the A’s finished the OHC 3-5 in fourth place.

20 Years Ago 1988-89 Season                       Won 10, Lost 12

Coach Walt Harrop's team produced ten wins, the most in the past seven years. Senior Rich Steury won the defensive honors, and junior Grant Fauver led the team in scoring with 376 points, however the non-winning season streak continued at eleven years.

25 Years Ago 1983-84 Season                       Won 6, Lost 15

The Arrow's team had a Mapleton flavor with three junior transfers. Darrell Crall was the leading scorer with 294 points. Bruce Fagert was the rebound leader, and Chuck Ritchey shuttled in and out of the lineup. Of the six wins four were Cardinal Conference victories to finish tied for second place.

30 Years Ago 1978-79 Season                       Won 9, Lost 10

First-team All-CC Jack Purtell led the Arrows with 267 pts. Jim Barr’s A’s finished third in the Cardinal Conference with an even 6-6 record. Rob Wilson and Tim Keyes were honorable mention All-CC.

35 Years Ago   1973-74 Season         Won 13, Lost 8

The Cardinal Conference streak of six straight championships ended for Coach Jim Barr with a 5-7 fifth place finish. Nevertheless, the Arrows were the Sectional Runner-up. John Marquette was the leading scorer finishing with 316 points and 532 career points. The other scorers were: sophomore John Smith (245), Doug Cheadle (207), and Doug Semler (198)

40 Years Ago 1968-69 Season                       Won 18, Lost 4

Coach Doug McDonald's CC champs were ranked 15th in the final UPI State BB poll. All-CC honors went to (1st team) Mark Humrichouser & Tom Malone, (2nd team) Milt Mooney. The other starters Tom Martinelli and Gary Baum contributed to the Sectional Championship and the 21-game home winning streak.

45 Years Ago 1963-64 Season                       Won 19, Lost 3

Coach Sam Marchio's Arrows won the Cardinal Conference and the Marion Sectional championship. In the Marion finals the A's defeated Mansfield Senior 78-77 in triple-overtime and is rated as the all-time most exciting comeback in AHS basketball history. All-CC's Tim Stark and Bruce Stark teamed with Ron Powers, Joel McCuen, and Rosey Robinson as starters.

50 Years Ago 1958-59 Season                       Won 10, Lost 11

Steve Enck pulled down 318 rebounds, and Dave Wait scored 375 points to lead the Arrows for Coach George Valentine. However that old nemesis Vern Hoffman and his Mansfield Tygers stopped the Arrows three times during the season including Sectional Tournament which would be the third time of a five-year string of Sectional Tournament defeats.

55 Years Ago 1953-54 Season                       Won 20, Lost 2

Coach C.E. Taylor's final team had 20 wins to tie the 47-48 team for the all-time best AHS record. All-Ohioan Ken Sidle set school records with 38 points in one game and 510 points in a single season. The team, also, holds the second best single game record - 98 points vs Port Clinton. Coach Taylor holds the most all-time AHS basketball wins with 157 victories.

60 Years Ago 1948-49 Season                        Won 13, Lost 7

Mansfield ended the AHS string of 17 straight home wins, and the Tygers ended the A’s tournament trail, too. Phil Lersch led the team in scoring with 228 points. Underclassmen Norm McVicker (180), Paul Jones (160), and Ray Bates (154) started for the first of two outstanding years under Coach Cloyce Taylor.

65 Years Ago Feb. 4, 1944                             Ashland 88, Shelby 47

The A’s set the all-time record for the most points scored in the 26-year history of the NCO League. While Coach A.L. Buckner substituted second-teamers in the final three quarters and the Reserves started the second half, eleven players got off 96 shots and made 36.6 percent. Ted Jacobs (28), Russ Geisinger (22), and Ruffy Harris (20) led the record scoring parade. 

65 Years Ago 1943-44 Season                         Won 15, lost 4

Ted Jacobs broke the NCO league scoring record (229 pts) and the AHS scoring record (376 pts). Ted was the second leading scorer in the State. The team won the NCO and set a new school record with 1069 points. Also, the NCO top scorers included teammates Ruffy Harris (2nd) and Russ Geisinger (7th). They tied the single game high with 88 points against Shelby.

70 Years Ago 1938-39 Season                        Won 8, Lost 9

The A’s won the first 5 games, but finished 3rd in the NCO League. Vince Barr led the team in scoring with 154 points. Seniors Gene Burns and Phil Smith were honorable mention All-NCO. The B-ball future looked bright as the JVs won the first of four straight North Central Ohio League championships.

75 Years Ago 1933-34 Season                         Won 8, Lost 9

Paul “Ducky” Hazen was the lone returning starter from the successful tournament teams of the past four years. He earned his third letter and finished 6th in the NCO in scoring. Hazen and Frank Zercher, who won the team scoring title (87 pts), both were chosen all-league by T-G Sports Writer Bill McKee.

80 Years Ago 1928-29 Season                         Won 12, Lost 5

The Orange and Black finished (3-2) in second place in the NCO League, however they gave league champ Bucyrus their only NCO defeat. Capt. Dick Paxton was the leading scorer for the season with 126 points. Earl Kirkpatrick and Johnny Mathews were two other starters, who made it to the State Track meet in the Spring. They were the first to do that at AHS.

85 Years Ago 1923-24 Season                         Won 11, Lost 4

Ashland’s first basketball championship! The Capt. was Roger Paxton. Quinn McAdoo and Phil Lersch led the team in scoring with 112 points. The A’s upset undefeated Bucyrus in the NCO championship game at The Armory on East Main St. The tough Redmen went to advance to the newly formed OHSAA State Tournament in Columbus.

90 Years Ago 1918-19 Season          

On Sat. April 5, 1919 six charter members met in Mansfield to form a “sectional” league known as The North Central Ohio League. They were: Ashland, Bucyrus, Delaware, Galion, Marion, and the host school: Mansfield. Their plans included schedules in football and basketball. In the early years of the league the basketball schedule required playing each school once plus one team twice. The concept enabled the natural rivalries like Ashland-Mansfield to play home and home clashes, which balanced the home court advantage. The league lasted until 1945 with 630 basketball games over the 26 years.

90 Years Ago 1918-19 Season                       Won 11, Lost 3

Capt.Russell Sattler led the Orange and Black. The leading scorers were: Paul Curry (122 pts), Eddie Wells (120 pts) and Arthur Vlerebome (100 pts). Eddie Wells went on to a major league baseball career. Paul Curry began a coaching career at Shelby HS where he won NCO championships in football and basketball.

95 Years Ago 1913-14 Season                       Akron Central 67, AHS 12

A crowd of 300 rooters watched the home team win convincingly. Harry Matthews scored 8 of Ashland’s 12 points. After the game the host school entertained the visitors with a buffet luncheon and a dance in the school auditorium. The Ashland contingent traveled to Akron via the Erie Railroad.

100 Years Ago 1908-09 Season     Ashland 20, an Ashland College team 13