A look back at the SCOL

(Continued from last week.)

After the breakup of the SCOL, no league would touch Miami Trace.

If you bring Miami Trace into your league, it was almost dead certain that they were going to win the league championship in football practically every year.

The Panthers never did find a league that would have them until the SCOL was reorganized about 2003.

Elsewhere, Wilmington joined the Fort Ancient Valley League, which included several Warren County schools (among others) like Kings, Little Miami, Mason, Springboro and Waynesville.

The Hurricane had played most of these teams off and on for several years. There were also a number of Cincinnati area schools in the league: Anderson, Ross, even Walnut Hills. There were two divisions of the league.

Roger Ilg was beginning his fourth year at the helm in Wilmington.

The ’Cane would have excellent skill position players this year but would be very inexperienced on the offensive and defensive lines.

Washington C.H. became a member of the Columbus-based Buckeye Athletic Conference.

Some of the league schools were London, West Jefferson, Jonathan Alder, Big Walnut, Olentangy, Grandview Heights and Bexley.

This league featured two divisions with cross-over scheduling.

Each team would play only five league games but would also play two games against the other division.

These two games would not count toward a league championship.

Coach Roy Lucas was back for another season. He would be trying to recover from a 2-8 season in the fall of 1992.

Only seven seniors came out for the Blue Lion football team.

At least five boys, and possibly more, would play both ways this season.

The Lions would run from a winged-T, highlighting cross bucks, a lot of crossing action and misdirection. They would still do a fair amount of passing.

Washington experienced a really rough season.

On the final playing date, Nov. 5, the Blue Lions won their only game of the season, ending a 14-game losing streak, as they downed visiting Bexley, 40-7.

The blue-and-white ended the season 1-9 overall and 1-4 in the Buckeye Athletic Conference.

McClain would be playing as an independent, without a league affiliation.

The Tigers would be looking to improve upon last year’s 2-8 record under
fourth-year head coach Troy Dawson.

Sixteen lettermen and 18 seniors were returning – including Scott Counter, a junior running back who ran for nearly 800 years last year, and senior Brad Brown, a center/tackle who was named All-District in 1991 and 1992.

The Tigers would feature good overall speed, quickness and agility.

Miami Trace ended up 9-1.

There appeared to be an outside chance that the Panthers would make the state playoffs.

(Continued next week.)

Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.