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Rivalries
The major rivalry in basketball has been with Mansfield High School. This competition has involved not only the most games (231) against any opponent, but, also, the some of the most disappointing defeats and some of the most exhilarating victories. Overall the Tygers hold a 150 to 81 edge on the Orange and Black, while thirty-one times the game has been decided by a single shot. Eight times the A’s have finished second behind them in league competition. Thirty-eight times the rivals have met in tournament games with the A’s winning nine contests, while 29 times the Red and White ended the Ashland season.
Appropriately Ashland basketball has had only one rivalry trophy, and it’s with Mansfield. It was the most memorable souvenir the Red Lantern. Originally it gained a reputation for its endearing luck as a mascot, when it followed the 1932 AHS basketball team to the State Tournament. The lantern appeared at the Mansfield-Ashland District tournament game in Sandusky, and the A’s won a 13-point victory, which was the largest margin in six years against the “men of Murphy.” MHS coach Russell Murphy suggested at the next NCO league meeting that the two schools vie for its possession after each future football and basketball game.
The advent of the mascot seems to have come from a Highway department detour between Ashland and Mansfield. The alleged and suspected ringleader was the famous Ashland speedster Jim Jesson. The magical prize was the subject of many columns by T-G Sports Editor Bill McKee, who referred to the lantern as “the Jim Jesson” trophy. Nevertheless after Ashland victories the lucky lantern could be found hanging in the coach's office hallway leading to the McDowell auditorium/gymnasium.
The Red Lantern was involved in eight basketball games between 1932-36. The record was four victories for each side. The competition for the trophy ended January 3, 1936 after an Ashland victory 27-26 at Mansfield, when they failed to produce the lantern. Bill McKee called for a “writ of replevin,” and he reported the rumor that the laurel was swinging from a Mansfield flagpole with no ropes to pull it down.
The lasting appearance of the treasured warning signal was on the cover of the 1932-33-basketball dope book, which was published by the Hi-Y Club of AHS. Remnant copies are at Ashland High School and the Historical Society on Center Street. It, also, holds an honored place on the homepage of this website.
There are several other noteworthy facts concerning the opponents. The A’s longest winning streak was against Shelby with 23-consecutive wins. The streak ran from 1938 to the upset win in the 1954 Sectional game at Marion, when Ken Sidle fouled out against a trio of Shelby pivot men. The longest losing streak was 19-games over ten years against Mansfield Malabar, which came to an end in 1989. The Arrows had a 15-game sweep of Mansfield Madison between 1998-2004. Probably one of the most memorable streaks was the victory over Mansfield Senior in 2002 that ended their record of 49-straight OHC wins. Another memorable streak-snapper was the 1992 New London game at Kate’s gymnasium, when the A’s ended the Wildcats 32-game regular season winning streak. Incidentally one of the top scorers for New London was one Robbie Lavengood, the Arrows B-ball mentor.
| All-Time Basketball Opponents
vs the Ashland Arrows 1907-2023 |
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W |
L |
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|
W |
L |
| Ashland College Teams |
5 |
6 |
|
Lakewood St. Edwards |
1 |
1 |
| Ada |
2 |
0 |
|
Lancaster Reemlin |
7 |
0 |
| Akron Buchtel |
0 |
1 |
|
Lexington |
30 |
52 |
| Akron Central |
2 |
3 |
|
Lima Central |
4 |
3 |
| Akron East |
2 |
0 |
|
Lima Central Catholic |
1 |
1 |
| Akron Kenmore |
4 |
0 |
|
Lima Senior |
1 |
8 |
| Akron North |
1 |
0 |
|
Lima Shawnee |
1 |
0 |
| Akron South |
3 |
5 |
|
Lima South |
0 |
1 |
| Akron St Vincents |
1 |
1 |
|
Lodi |
2 |
0 |
| Akron West |
0 |
1 |
|
Lorain |
6 |
3 |
| Alumni |
6 |
0 |
|
Lorain Admiral King |
1 |
4 |
| Amherst Steele |
3 |
1 |
|
Loudonville |
11 |
3 |
| Ashland 8th Grade |
3 |
2 |
|
Louisville |
0 |
1 |
| Ashland Futures |
0 |
1 |
|
Lucas |
2 |
0 |
| Ashtabula Harbor |
1 |
1 |
|
Mansfield Madison |
102 |
53 |
| Ashtabula Lakeside |
1 |
0 |
|
Mansfield Malabar |
26 |
26 |
| Barberton |
1 |
2 |
|
Mansfield SATC |
1 |
0 |
| Bellevue |
26 |
8 |
|
Mansfield Senior |
81 |
150 |
| Bellville |
1 |
0 |
|
Mansfield St. Peters |
1 |
5 |
| Berea |
4 |
2 |
|
Marion Harding |
72 |
36 |
| Big Walnut |
0 |
1 |
|
Massillon Jackson |
0 |
2 |
| Bluffton |
1 |
0 |
|
Massilon Perry |
0 |
1 |
| Bowling Green |
1 |
1 |
|
Massillon Washington |
15 |
24 |
| Bradenton Pendleton Fla |
0 |
1 |
|
Medina |
2 |
7 |
| Brunswick |
3 |
0 |
|
Medina Buckeye |
4 |
0 |
| Bryan |
1 |
0 |
|
Millersburg |
6 |
0 |
| Buckeye Valley |
0 |
1 |
|
Mt. Gilead |
1 |
0 |
| Bucyrus |
35 |
15 |
|
Mt. Vernon |
49 |
43 |
| Cambridge |
1 |
1 |
|
Napoleon |
1 |
0 |
| Canton Glen Oak |
1 |
0 |
|
New London |
4 |
0 |
| Canton Central Catholic |
7 |
1 |
|
New Philadelphia |
31 |
30 |
| Canton Lehman |
1 |
1 |
|
North Canton Hoover |
0 |
1 |
| Canton McKinley |
1 |
1 |
|
Northwestern |
0 |
1 |
| Canton South |
2 |
2 |
|
Norwalk |
30 |
16 |
| Celina |
1 |
1 |
|
Oberlin |
1 |
0 |
| Cincinnati Hughes |
1 |
0 |
|
Olentangy |
0 |
2 |
| Clear Fork |
30 |
15 |
|
Ontario |
7 |
2 |
| Clearview |
1 |
1 |
|
Orrville |
21 |
24 |
| Cleveland Central |
2 |
2 |
|
Painesville |
1 |
1 |
| Cleveland East |
1 |
0 |
|
Perrysburg |
1 |
4 |
| Cleveland East Tech |
0 |
1 |
|
Polk |
3 |
0 |
| Cleveland Glenville |
1 |
0 |
|
Port Clinton |
11 |
1 |
| Cleveland Heights |
1 |
0 |
|
Ravenna |
1 |
1 |
| Cleveland Holy Name |
0 |
1 |
|
Salem |
1 |
1 |
| Cleveland JFK |
1 |
0 |
|
Sandusky |
28 |
32 |
| Cleveland John Adams |
2 |
1 |
|
Sandusky Perkins |
5 |
2 |
| Cleveland John Hay |
1 |
1 |
|
Savannah |
1 |
0 |
| Cleveland John Marshall |
2 |
0 |
|
Shelby |
62 |
23 |
| Cleveland Lincoln |
3 |
1 |
|
Springfield Township |
0 |
1 |
| Cleveland Rhodes |
1 |
0 |
|
Sylvania Northview |
0 |
1 |
| Cleveland Shaw |
1 |
4 |
|
Tiffin Calvert |
1 |
0 |
| Cleveland South |
3 |
0 |
|
Tiffin Columbian |
24 |
5 |
| Cleveland St. Eds |
4 |
0 |
|
Tiffin Junior Order |
6 |
2 |
| Cleveland St. Ignatius |
2 |
0 |
|
Toledo Bowsher |
0 |
1 |
| Cleveland West |
1 |
0 |
|
Toledo Clay |
1 |
0 |
| Cloverleaf |
19 |
6 |
|
Toledo Desales |
1 |
0 |
| Clyde |
8 |
1 |
|
Toledo DeVilbiss |
2 |
0 |
| Colonel Crawford |
2 |
0 |
|
Toledo Libbey |
3 |
1 |
| Columbus Aquinas |
2 |
0 |
|
Toledo Macomber |
1 |
0 |
| Columbus Central |
2 |
0 |
|
Toledo Start |
2 |
2 |
| Columbus Deaf & Dumb |
1 |
0 |
|
Toledo St. Johns |
1 |
3 |
| Columbus East |
2 |
0 |
|
Toledo Whitmer |
1 |
2 |
| Columbus North |
3 |
1 |
|
Toledo Woodward |
2 |
0 |
| Columbus University |
2 |
0 |
|
Troy Michigan |
1 |
1 |
| Coshocton |
22 |
24 |
|
Uhrichsville |
1 |
0 |
| Crestline |
5 |
2 |
|
Uniontown Lake |
0 |
1 |
| Culver Military Institute |
12 |
0 |
|
Upper Sandusky |
4 |
0 |
| Cuyahoga Falls |
0 |
1 |
|
Vermilion |
10 |
1 |
| Defiance |
2 |
0 |
|
Wadsworth |
3 |
1 |
| Delaware |
7 |
2 |
|
Washington Court House |
3 |
1 |
| Detroit Country Day |
1 |
1 |
|
Wellington |
6 |
1 |
| Dover |
44 |
17 |
|
West Holmes |
25 |
15 |
| East Liverpool |
4 |
5 |
|
West Salem |
3 |
0 |
| Elgin |
1 |
0 |
|
Westerville North |
1 |
0 |
| Elyria |
15 |
24 |
|
Westerville South |
1 |
2 |
| Euclid |
2 |
0 |
|
Whitehouse Anthony Wayne |
1 |
1 |
| Findlay |
1 |
5 |
|
Willard |
8 |
8 |
| Fostoria |
4 |
0 |
|
(Chicago Junction) |
1 |
1 |
| Fremont Ross |
18 |
8 |
|
Willoughby |
2 |
1 |
| Galion |
80 |
21 |
|
Wooster |
99 |
75 |
| Goodyear Industrial Univ. |
0 |
1 |
|
Wooster Triway |
1 |
0 |
| Hilliard Davidson |
3 |
11 |
|
Wynford |
1 |
5 |
| Lafayette |
1 |
0 |
|
YMCA Teams |
4 |
1 |
| Lakewood |
0 |
2 |
|
Youngstown Rayen |
0 |
1 |
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|
Zanesville |
2 |
2 |
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| All-Time 115 Years |
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1301 |
922 |
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