Ink in my veins, Part 5
By Rory Ryan
Publisher and Owner
The Highland County Press
(Continued from last week.)
After struggling through the 1990 and 1991 football seasons in the South Central Ohio League, the Hillsboro Indians entered the Southern Buckeye Conference in 1992 with a highly regarded team on both offense and defense.
The 1992 Indians were recognized on the 20th anniversary on their perfect 10-0 regular season on Oct. 12, 2012.
Just as it was great to see the 1992-93 Final Four Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs on their 20-year reunion, it was equally enjoyable to see the 1992 Hillsboro Indians 20 years later.
Prior to the start of the 1992 football season, I predicted in my newspaper column that Jim Horne’s Indians would finish the regular season at 9-1. Two people immediately challenged that prediction: Coach Horne, who thought I was putting unnecessary pressure on his team; and longtime youth sports coach Lonnie Burns, who stopped by my desk and made his own prediction. “Hillsboro will go 10-0,” Lonnie said. He was right.
However, that 1992 perfect season almost didn’t happen.
The Indians barely got by the Paint Valley Bearcats in Game 1 (whatever happened to that traditional season-opener along these nearby U.S. 50 schools?).
Hillsboro's Sean Longstreth (who would earn a football scholarship for Coach Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky University before becoming a professional actor and businessman) kicked a last-second, game-winning 38-yard field goal to secure the win. The holder was Hillsboro attorney J.D. Wagoner. (Until R.J. Collard’s 43-yard field goal on Sept. 12, 2014, that was the longest HHS field goal that I’d witnessed.)
Longstreth’s kick was attempted in a thick blanket of fog just east of Bainbridge in Ross County at the Bearcats' stadium. I was kneeling on the sidelines with an old Pentax K-1000 35 mm camera, positioned where I could capture the kicked football and the north end zone goal posts. The camera lost the football in the fog. My limited eyesight always told me the kick was wide right by about three feet. I still do not know whether that kick did, indeed, split the uprights.
Fans for the respective teams held their breath, anticipating the call from the two officials stationed on either side of the goal posts. I recall the official to the west glanced at the official to the east and all four of their (collective) arms reached into the foggy night sky to signal the kick was good. Game over. Hillsboro wins.
Prior to the game-winning field goal, Hillsboro quarterback Chad Downing had rushed for two touchdowns, giving the Indians a 13-6 lead entering the fourth period. But with 2:21 left in the game, Paint Valley quarterback Jason Stauffer completed a fourth-down pass to Mike Wagoner for an 82-yard touchdown and the Bainbridge faithful went wild.
With the game tied at 13-13, Downing led the offense on its final possession – and 13 proved to be a lucky number. Chad Price ran for 13 yards and Adam McGinnis had a 13-yard reception to set up Longstreth’s field goal attempt – and a 16-13 HHS win.
After one Friday night 22 miles from home, the perfect season remained intact.
After the season-opening game, Coach Horne told his players: “You’re not an average football team. You’re not a good football team. You’re a great football team. I’m proud of your effort tonight.”
On Sept. 11, 1992, Hillsboro hosted Roger Ilg’s Wilmington Hurricane. Chad Downing tossed a pair of first-half touchdowns to Chad Price, and another TD pass to Rodney Captain. Brad Beatty also outran the not-so Hurryin’ Hurricane defense for a 51-yard touchdown in the Indians’ 28-14 win.
On defense, Jason Dearmon, Rodney Captain and J.D. Wagoner came up with a pivotal stop on fourth down to end a Wilmington drive. Brett Barton’s fourth-quarter interception sealed the Tribe’s second victory.
After just two game, Coach Horne contradicted my preseason prediction of 9-1. “You’re going to go 10-0 this season,” he told his players. He was right.
In game three against Unioto, the Indians trailed for the first time in 1992 when Dan Young raced 66 yards for a first-period touchdown. It was all Hillsboro after that, however. A screen pass from Downing to Captain was good for a 71-yard TD. After an interception by Wagoner, Beatty ran for a 35-yard touchdown, his first of three TDs on the night.
In the fourth period, quarterback Jason Barton fired a 13-yard pass to his older brother, Brett Barton.
And, defensively, co-captain James Jones, Dennis Zahn, Kevin Bennington and freshman Rusty Swackhamer had big games.
Coach Jim Horne credited offensive lineman Jason Spruance with solid blocking and making the correct calls on the O-Line. “He’s our leader up front,” the coach said.
The Indians played their first Southern Buckeye Conference game on Sept. 25, 1992. The result was a 32-13 rout of the Bethel-Tate Tigers. J.D. Wagoner caught seven passes for 77 yards. Chad Downing threw for 188 yards and ran for two touchdowns. Rodney Captain intercepted a pass and ran it back for six. Brett Barton picked off two passes. Rodney Swackhamer and Brent Carper each had two quarterback sacks.
When I reported on the Hillsboro Indians game against Williamsburg on Oct. 2, 1992, I wrote that the game “marked the longest touchdown drive in school history.”
Mike Fuller corrected me.
With the football placed on the 1/2-yard line, Rodney Captain ran off tackle for 91 yards on first down. Chad Price carried the ball for the final nine yards and a Hillsboro score. Following my report of the game, Mike Fuller explained that in the 1970s, Hillsboro once had a scoring drive from inside the 1/2-yard line. Who knew?
Meanwhile, in his 10 years as head coach, Jim Horne had his first 5-0 team. Midway through the season, though, Coach Horne's Indians had another serious challenge against McClain, on the Tigers' home field.
(To be continued.)