12 - The End

That concludes "Last  of the Purple Riders"!

I always wondered what kind of sports teams we had at the high school I graduated from.  Since I now have the time, I  thought I would do the research to find out. 

I started by documenting only Port Washington, but soon began to become curious about the whole league in general.  I then included the box scores of the other teams and it grew to what you see in the last year, 1967.

I'm documenting, as best I can, the Tuscarawas County (Class B) Tournament teams as we speak.  The tournaments began in 1923.  The years 1923 through 1928 are complete and can be found at "Knights of Tuscarawas County."  I am currently researching the 1929 Season.

Next up, I hope, will be "Twilight Memories - the League."  This will document the League when it began up to 1966 to include mistakes made and additional items not included in "The Last of the Purple Riders."

Thanks to all who have supported me throughout.


Gary Gay
Tennessee

67 - Garaway Pirates 1967 Season

SUGARCREEK - The Garaway Pirates

HEAD COACH:  Glenn Bower

5-1 Tuscarawas County League
17-4 Season

TEAM PLAYERS

Don Richardson 105-35-245 6-0 Senior
Errol Miller 75-67-217 5-11 Junior
Tim Miller 85-45-215 5-10 Sophomore
Kim Sedwick 54-67-175 6-1 Sophomore
Rich Richardson 65-60-190 5-5 Senior
Mike Gerber 27-60-114 5-4 Sophomore
Ray Hisrich 7-9-23 5-5 Junior
Dan Hicks 0-2-2 5-11 Junior

NOTE:  Mr. Charles Harshbarger was teaching Spanish & American History at Garaway in 1967.  He was teaching at Port Washington in the early 60s.

*The teams began to melt away in the 1956-57 season when Bolivar and Mineral City consolidated to form the Tuscarawas Valley Trojans.  Then in the 1957-58 season Sugarcreek-Shanesville and Dundee consoladated to form the Garaway Pirates.  Stone Creek left the league during the 1965-66 season to merge with the New Philadelphia Quakers.  In the same period, Baltic merged with the Garaway Pirates.  This left 7 teams in the league vs 10 teams and added two more power-houses in Tuscarawas Valley and Garaway to compete with the likes of Strasburg and Midvale of the old guard, leaving Gnadenhutten, Port Washington and Tuscarawas awash in competing among themselves.

The young and surprising Garaway Pirates lost the Tuscarawas County (Class A) League to the State Champions, Strasburg Tigers, 63-46.  Because of the loss of so many veterans, the Pirates were not expected to compete this year.  They ended up 5-1 in the League and finished the season at 15-3.  The 1st game in  the Sectional Tournament was against the Dover St. Joseph's Ramblers, who was having a rather tough season and the Pirates walked off with a 10-point victory 71-61.  In the 2nd game, the regenerated Gnaden Indians were looking for another scalp, but fell to the Pirates by 9 points, 57-48.  The Dennison St. Mary's Blue Waves powerhouse showed up for the Pirates' 3rd game and promptly had to walk their own plank, 80-51, and ended Garaway's brilliant season at 17-4.

67 - Gnadenhutten Indians 1967 Season

GNATENHUTTEN - The Gnadenhutten Indians

HEAD COACH:  Jim Lower (Cage) -Ted Martin (Diamond)

1-5 Tuscarawas County League
10-10 Season

TEAM PLAYERS

Dan Jinks 170-107-447 6-0 Senior
Bill Kohl 115-68-298 6-1 Senior
Don Finnicum 63-46-172 6-0 Senior
Roger Huebner 47-16-110 Freshman
Wayne Martin 27-35-89 6-0 Senior
Ken Ruprich 22-4-48 6-1 Junior
Ken Kohl 3-5-11 6-0 Sophomore
Charley Crites 4-2-10 5-10 Junior
Charlie Long 2-0-4 5-10 Junior
Crilow 0-1-1

*The Gnadenhutten Indians squeezed past the Tuscarawas Valley Trojans 37-36 in the 1st Indian game of the Sectional Basketball Tournament.  In the 2nd game, Gnaden was matched up with the Garaway Pirates who lost  only one game in the Tuscarawas County League and that was to the State Ohio Basketball (Class A) Champions, the Strasburg Tigers.  It was a valiant attempt by the much improved Indian team; however, the Pirates were determined as Gnaden fell 57-48.

**Gnaden doesn't claim to be on par with the basketball Tigers, but they do claim to be King of the Hill as they once again competed in the State of Ohio (Class A) Baseball Tournament.  Gnaden was the baseball team to beat in the Tuscaraws County Baseball League.  In their last year as Indians, it was no different.  They won the Tuscarawas County League Crown, became the champions of the Sectional Tournament, the District Tournament and the Regional Tournament before falling to the Edon Bombers of Williams County, 2-1, in a heartbreaker in the State semi-finals.  Gnaden will merge with Port Washington as Indian Valley South in 1968.

67 - Midvale Blue Devils 1967 Season

MIDVALE - The Midvale Blue Devils

HEAD COACH:  Pete Hillard (13 Years)

4-2 Tuscarawas County League
11-8 Season

TEAM PLAYERS

Bob Carlisle 108-72-288 6-1 Senior
Mike DeMattio 92-42-226 6-0 Senior
Lee Eberly 81-45-207 6-0 Senior
Tom Booth 75-25-175 6-0 Senior
Bob Grimm 18-22-58 5-9 Junior
Gene Ford 15-17-47
Bob Morrison 6-5-17 5-10 Senior
John Tollotti 4-9-17 5-7 Sophomore
K. Morrison 4-5-13
Fantini 1-0-2
D. Morrison 0-2-2
Chaney 0-1-1

*This was not a typical Blue Devil year.  Midvale was the only team to consistantly push-back against the Strasburg Tigers year after year.  Strasburg more-or-less owned the Tuscarawas County Class A Basketball League, but it was the Blue Devils who were right behind them as they also won their share of County championships.  This year Midvale was off their normal game.  The Midvale Blue Devils lost their 1st Sectional Tournament game in a blow-out, 75-36 against the Dennison St. Mary's ball club and it was their last game in a Blue Devil uniform.  Midvale will merge with Tuscarawas as Indian Valley North in 1968.

67 - Port Washington Purple Riders 1967 Season

PORT WASHINGTON (Salisbury) - The Port Washington Purple Riders

HEAD COACH - Joe Lopez (1st Year)

2-4 Tuscarawas County League
11-8 Season

TEAM PLAYERS

Jeff Huston 99-52-250 6-1 Sophmore
Greg Bender 80-79-239 5-8 Senior
Jerry Stephen 94-32-220 5-8 Senior
Tim Page 80-52-212 6-0 Senior
Jim Hagan 58-55-171 6-0 Senior
Mike Peeper 22-27-71 5-9 Junior
Kim Cappell 1-2-4 5-11 Sophomore
Don McCune 2-0-4 6-0 Junior
Savory 1-2-4
Jim McCune 0-1-1 Senior
Mike Cappell 0-1-1 6-0 Junior

*The Port Washington Purple Riders predictably were knocked-off by the Mighty Tigers of Strasburg, 86-45, in the Riders' 1st Sectional Tournament game closing out a rather successful season.  A Port Washinton team getting more than 10 wins in a single season is a rare pleasant result in Purpletown.  The 1st string in 1966-67 all scored more than 170 points each.  An extraordinary year for 1st year Head Coach Joe Lopez and his cargers and a great team on the floor for Port's last year as the Purple Riders.  Port will merge with Gnadenhutten in 1968 as Indian Valley South.  The above athlete's are:  The Last Of The Purple Riders!!

67 - Strasburg Tigers 1967 Season

STRASBURG - The Strasburg Tigers (1967 S t a t e  O h i o  B a s k e t b a l l  C h a m p i o n s)

HEAD COACH:  Charles Huggins

6-0 Tuscarawas County League
27-0 Season

TEAM PLAYERS

John Studer 283-135-701 6-3 Senior
Charlie Jones 140-75-355 6-2 Senior
Ed Rusk 123-42-288 6-0 Junior
Ed Yackey 87-58-232 6-2 Senior
Gene Bayer 70-63-203 6-4 Senior
Mike Rieger** 30-17-77 5-8 Senior
Art (Butch) Haswell 21-11-53 Sophomore
Ron Hall 18-2-38 6-1 Junior
Tom Hall 12-12-36 6-4 Senior
Gary Phillips 10-9-29 5-10 Senior
Tom Ferris 3-8-14 5-9 Senior
Tom Margo 2-4-8 6-0 Junior
Bob Welling 1-0-2 6-0 Junior

** Unfortunately, Mike Rieger came down with Mononucleosis during the season.

*What's left to say about a team that goes all the way to become State Champions?  What a way to finish out the last year of the Tuscarawas County season.  This feat by the Strasburg Tigers was the only Class A team in the county to accomplish this achievement in the existence of the league.  And it was done in the very last year!  The always Mighty Strasburg Tigers captured the County League at 6-0, ended the season at 18-0, became Sectional Champs at 21-0, District Champions at 23-0, picked off the Regional Crown at 25-0 and finished up at a dazzling 27-0 as State Ohio Basketball Class A Champions.  Without a doubt, Strasburg was the most successful basketball team to play in the Tuscarawas County Class A & B League!

The same can be said of Strasburg's Tom "Terrific" Studer, who smashed all season and career records in the Tuscarawas County League.  Studer scored 701 points in his last year (1967) and crushed all career records with 1,586 points in 3 years as a Tiger...

67 - Tuscarawas Broncos 1967 Season

TUSCARAWAS (Trenton) - The Tuscarawas Broncos

HEAD COACH:  Lyle Matlick

2-4 Tuscarawas County League
12-8 Season

TEAM PLAYERS

Brent Lehigh 126-42-294 Junior
John Bihari 92-74-258 6-3 Senior
Fred Rausch 104-30-238 Junior
Butch Reed 37-35-109 5-8 Junior
Jim McCauley 31-36-98 5-8 Senior
Tracy Knisely 33-22-88 Senior
Birney McCauley 13-13-39 5-9 Sophomore
Les Donahue 4-2-10 5-10 Sophomore
Mark Cox 3-0-6 6-0 Sophomore

*In the Sectional Tournament, the Tuscarawas Broncos edged the Newcomerstown Trojans 55-53 and then lost to Mighty Strasburg, 1967's State Champions, 70-40.  Tusky had their normal over .500 season for their last Bronco year.  Next year (1968) Tuscarawas will merge with Midvale and play their games on the Indian Valley North floor.