1962 a good year for Atsalis' Indians
By
Bob Patton-
McClain Tiger football coach Bob Watts, now in his third year, knew that his 1962 team would be one of the smaller teams in the SCOL. A couple of years earlier, when the Tigers featured big tackles Roger Grooms and Lee Morehead, they could do it with brute force. Now, they hoped to be able to finesse opponents. They did have some speedy ball carriers, most notably 150-pound halfback Jim Coleman and 160-pound sophomore Ralph Nooks, who would do the kicking.
Injuries are always a potential problem in football. But in 1961 McClain had suffered more than their fair share of bumps and bruises, and it definitely impacted the team. Additionally, the
Tigers had opened the season with Marietta and Jackson, both of whom had banner years. Marietta lost only one game and Jackson was undefeated and untied. Tiger coaches hoped for a better year in 1962.
In the county seat, Coach Bill Atsalis was looking for a big
season. The Indians would be the biggest team in the SCOL. Defensively, their four interior linemen would average over 200 pounds per man. Running through the Indian line would not be an easy assignment.
On offense, the Indians featured fleet halfback Marvin Meddock and quarterback Doug Bays, who could carry the ball and was also a passing threat, although Hillsboro was primarily a running club. Outstanding players on the Indian line included ends John Miller and Bill Beatty and big tackle Willard Parr, who weighed in at about 265 pounds. The Indians could be one of the premier teams in the SCOL.
Dean Waddell had the makings of another outstanding team at Wilmington, and Coach Cal Benhase had what appeared to be a powerhouse at Circleville. Miami Trace, under Coach Dan O’Brian was an unknown quantity, but football buffs were warning not to overlook the Panthers.
McClain opened their season with Columbus St. Charles, who was too fast for the Tigers, and beat McClain by a decisive margin of 46-20. Xenia Woodrow Wilson brushed by the Wilmington Hurricane by a score of 8-6. Meanwhile, Washington was beaten by Xenia Central by a 22-12 count, and Miami Trace came out on the short end of a 22-20 tussle with Springfield Northeastern and Hillsboro downed Paint
Valley handily, 48-6.
McClain’s starting quarterback, co-captain Don Hay, was injured in the opener, and was replaced by sophomore southpaw, George DeHaas. McClain played Jackson in their second game. Jackson came in with a 16-game winning streak extending over two seasons. The Tigers put up a better battle than they had in 1961, but still lost
24-8. The same night, Hillsboro played tough Ironton to a 6-6 tie.
McClain took on Chillicothe in week three of the season, and
beat the Cavaliers in every statistic but one – the final score.
Chillicothe came out on top 13-6. Washington, who hadn’t really impressed anyone, played highly regarded Hamilton Garfield, and upset the Hamiltonians 12-6. Hillsboro traveled to Greenfield on week four, to take on their county rival, McClain. Hefty Hillsboro was just too much for the Tigers, and took an 18-0 win. Also in week four, Trace and Wilmington knocked each other all over the field, and ended up in a 16-16 tie.
Coach Bob Watts promised a shakeup for the Miami Trace game in week five. Junior Tom Doyle was moved to defensive end. Dick Warfield went to the other end slot, while John Miller would play one of the tackle positions and Mervin Groves the other. Also, Tom Penn was to be given a shot at one of the inside positions. But the Tigers, playing in the mud at MT, without Ralph Nooks, who was absent due to the death of a relative, and Jim Coleman and Bill Rambo who were injured, could marshall very little offensive thrust, and came home on the short end of a 22-0 score. The Tigers were now 0-5 for the season and 0-2 in the SCOL.
Meanwhile, Wilmington edged Pleasant View, 8-6; Circleville annihilated Washington, 52-0; and Hillsboro kept their SCOL slate clean by downing Franklin Heights, 20-0. The following Friday, Pleasant View traveled to Greenfield and edged the Tigers, 16-12. Circleville took the measure of the Hurricane, 18-0; the Indians beat Washington, 26-0; and Trace edged Franklin Heights, 12-8.
Coach Dick Anders of Washington announced that he was dropping four seniors from his team after their loss to Hillsboro. The four seniors included the student council president. The Blue Lions, after very good performances in their first four games, had lost the last two games by scores of 52-0 and 26-0. Going into week seven, Circleville and Hillsboro were tied for the league lead with identical 3-0 marks. Trace was 2-0-1; Wilmington was 1-1-1; Pleasant View and Washington were 1-2; and McClain and Franklin Heights were 0-3.
Circleville’s Gerold Dade and Duke Fyffe led the league in
scoring with 38 and 36 points, respectively. Hillsboro would take its big team to Circleville to challenge the Roundtowners on their home field. But Circleville was too fast and too skilled for the Indians, and routed the Redskins, 35-8. In Wilmington, the McClain Tigers fell again, this time 44-14. Washington awoke from a deep sleep and tied Miami Trace 6-6,
and Franklin Heights tripped Pleasant View, 22-6.
The last week in October, the somewhat listless Hillsboro
Indians lost, again, when Miami Trace clipped them 14-6. At Greenfield, Circleville staged a touchdown parade to spoil the McClain Homecoming, 55-0. Pleasant View got the best of WCH, 20-6 and Wilmington took Franklin Heights, 22-6.
In early November, Franklin Heights returned a punt for a
touchdown and whipped the Tigers, 20-14. Circleville had a tough time with Miami Trace, but managed to come out on top 14-6. Hillsboro smacked Pleasant View 41-6; and Wilmington shut out WCH, 38-0.
So, the SCOL title race was over and Circleville would get the big trophy. Hillsboro, Miami Trace and Wilmington would battle it out for second place on the final league night of the season. As the curtain came down on the 1962 football season, Wilmington edged Hillsboro, 6-0; Circleville splashed to a 35-0 win over Franklin Heights for a perfect season; McClain and WCH tied, 0-0; and Trace took the measure of Pleasant View, 22-0.
Final SCOL standings:
W L T
CHS 7 0 0
WHS 5 1 1
MT 4 1 2
HHS 4 3 0
PVHS 2 5 0
FHHS 2 5 0
WCH 2 3 2
MHS 0 6 1
The All SCOL squad was: Circleville, Gerold Dade, Dave Hannahs, Fred Moore, Duke Fyffe, Larry Adams.
Wilmington, Chris Stephens, Gary Davis, Wayne Simington, Wayne Hutchens.
Miami Trace, Dave Craig, Dick Evans, Bill Hall.
Hillsboro, Willard Parr, Doug Bays, Marvin Meddock.
Pleasant View, Ray Palmerton, Bob Garey.
Franklin Heights, Dan Green, Don Lynch.
Washington, John Thomas, Steve Anders.
McClain, Jim Coleman.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Injuries are always a potential problem in football. But in 1961 McClain had suffered more than their fair share of bumps and bruises, and it definitely impacted the team. Additionally, the
Tigers had opened the season with Marietta and Jackson, both of whom had banner years. Marietta lost only one game and Jackson was undefeated and untied. Tiger coaches hoped for a better year in 1962.
In the county seat, Coach Bill Atsalis was looking for a big
season. The Indians would be the biggest team in the SCOL. Defensively, their four interior linemen would average over 200 pounds per man. Running through the Indian line would not be an easy assignment.
On offense, the Indians featured fleet halfback Marvin Meddock and quarterback Doug Bays, who could carry the ball and was also a passing threat, although Hillsboro was primarily a running club. Outstanding players on the Indian line included ends John Miller and Bill Beatty and big tackle Willard Parr, who weighed in at about 265 pounds. The Indians could be one of the premier teams in the SCOL.
Dean Waddell had the makings of another outstanding team at Wilmington, and Coach Cal Benhase had what appeared to be a powerhouse at Circleville. Miami Trace, under Coach Dan O’Brian was an unknown quantity, but football buffs were warning not to overlook the Panthers.
McClain opened their season with Columbus St. Charles, who was too fast for the Tigers, and beat McClain by a decisive margin of 46-20. Xenia Woodrow Wilson brushed by the Wilmington Hurricane by a score of 8-6. Meanwhile, Washington was beaten by Xenia Central by a 22-12 count, and Miami Trace came out on the short end of a 22-20 tussle with Springfield Northeastern and Hillsboro downed Paint
Valley handily, 48-6.
McClain’s starting quarterback, co-captain Don Hay, was injured in the opener, and was replaced by sophomore southpaw, George DeHaas. McClain played Jackson in their second game. Jackson came in with a 16-game winning streak extending over two seasons. The Tigers put up a better battle than they had in 1961, but still lost
24-8. The same night, Hillsboro played tough Ironton to a 6-6 tie.
McClain took on Chillicothe in week three of the season, and
beat the Cavaliers in every statistic but one – the final score.
Chillicothe came out on top 13-6. Washington, who hadn’t really impressed anyone, played highly regarded Hamilton Garfield, and upset the Hamiltonians 12-6. Hillsboro traveled to Greenfield on week four, to take on their county rival, McClain. Hefty Hillsboro was just too much for the Tigers, and took an 18-0 win. Also in week four, Trace and Wilmington knocked each other all over the field, and ended up in a 16-16 tie.
Coach Bob Watts promised a shakeup for the Miami Trace game in week five. Junior Tom Doyle was moved to defensive end. Dick Warfield went to the other end slot, while John Miller would play one of the tackle positions and Mervin Groves the other. Also, Tom Penn was to be given a shot at one of the inside positions. But the Tigers, playing in the mud at MT, without Ralph Nooks, who was absent due to the death of a relative, and Jim Coleman and Bill Rambo who were injured, could marshall very little offensive thrust, and came home on the short end of a 22-0 score. The Tigers were now 0-5 for the season and 0-2 in the SCOL.
Meanwhile, Wilmington edged Pleasant View, 8-6; Circleville annihilated Washington, 52-0; and Hillsboro kept their SCOL slate clean by downing Franklin Heights, 20-0. The following Friday, Pleasant View traveled to Greenfield and edged the Tigers, 16-12. Circleville took the measure of the Hurricane, 18-0; the Indians beat Washington, 26-0; and Trace edged Franklin Heights, 12-8.
Coach Dick Anders of Washington announced that he was dropping four seniors from his team after their loss to Hillsboro. The four seniors included the student council president. The Blue Lions, after very good performances in their first four games, had lost the last two games by scores of 52-0 and 26-0. Going into week seven, Circleville and Hillsboro were tied for the league lead with identical 3-0 marks. Trace was 2-0-1; Wilmington was 1-1-1; Pleasant View and Washington were 1-2; and McClain and Franklin Heights were 0-3.
Circleville’s Gerold Dade and Duke Fyffe led the league in
scoring with 38 and 36 points, respectively. Hillsboro would take its big team to Circleville to challenge the Roundtowners on their home field. But Circleville was too fast and too skilled for the Indians, and routed the Redskins, 35-8. In Wilmington, the McClain Tigers fell again, this time 44-14. Washington awoke from a deep sleep and tied Miami Trace 6-6,
and Franklin Heights tripped Pleasant View, 22-6.
The last week in October, the somewhat listless Hillsboro
Indians lost, again, when Miami Trace clipped them 14-6. At Greenfield, Circleville staged a touchdown parade to spoil the McClain Homecoming, 55-0. Pleasant View got the best of WCH, 20-6 and Wilmington took Franklin Heights, 22-6.
In early November, Franklin Heights returned a punt for a
touchdown and whipped the Tigers, 20-14. Circleville had a tough time with Miami Trace, but managed to come out on top 14-6. Hillsboro smacked Pleasant View 41-6; and Wilmington shut out WCH, 38-0.
So, the SCOL title race was over and Circleville would get the big trophy. Hillsboro, Miami Trace and Wilmington would battle it out for second place on the final league night of the season. As the curtain came down on the 1962 football season, Wilmington edged Hillsboro, 6-0; Circleville splashed to a 35-0 win over Franklin Heights for a perfect season; McClain and WCH tied, 0-0; and Trace took the measure of Pleasant View, 22-0.
Final SCOL standings:
W L T
CHS 7 0 0
WHS 5 1 1
MT 4 1 2
HHS 4 3 0
PVHS 2 5 0
FHHS 2 5 0
WCH 2 3 2
MHS 0 6 1
The All SCOL squad was: Circleville, Gerold Dade, Dave Hannahs, Fred Moore, Duke Fyffe, Larry Adams.
Wilmington, Chris Stephens, Gary Davis, Wayne Simington, Wayne Hutchens.
Miami Trace, Dave Craig, Dick Evans, Bill Hall.
Hillsboro, Willard Parr, Doug Bays, Marvin Meddock.
Pleasant View, Ray Palmerton, Bob Garey.
Franklin Heights, Dan Green, Don Lynch.
Washington, John Thomas, Steve Anders.
McClain, Jim Coleman.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]