High School Athletics and Memories from 50 years Ago

 On December 13, 2024, Riverview High School athletics department invited the boys AA High School Basketball State champs back for a little celebration and recognition of our achievement.   We won the title in March of 1975 at St Johns Arena in Columbus, Ohio in an overtime thriller against Dayton Stivers.   Riverview was not favored by any stretch , but we had only lost once previously in a game we just forgot to show up and play after we won the league title a couple nights earlier--we knew what we were doing.   The Riverview team prevailed and we took the big gold trophy that sits proudly at RV today, and it set off an incredible celebration.      Coshocton County has three high schools--RV, Ridgewood and Coshocton.  Coshocton is the city schools and the other two are the rural schools.   All were good at basketball in that era and we had some great games among these schools.  No Coshocton County high school has won the  boys basketball state championship prior to RV or since!   Let that sink in a little.  The RV girls have won it four times, they had three really great teams and and one team won it twice with the same group, they deserve their day of celebration as well.   

1975 Champs-- two were not able to make it to the celebration. 

Riverview was a new school, 11 years old, that had been several high schools in the past. ( I think 5 or 6) and when they built the power plant in Conesville, they had the money to consolidate and make a nice big school.  Their population was growing and it all made sense to get a new bigger school.  The area was really pumped up by the power plant and the coal mining.  Now all the mining is played out and power plant is gone as well.  Things go in cycles.

The Ohio High School tournament in those days was three divisions and you had to win at most 8 games to win it all, unless  you got a break in your bracket and got a bye.  We did not get any byes and had to win two games per week for four weeks.  That allows three things to happen-- you practice and travel a lot and your fan base gets plenty of time to get wound up and really into the tournament.  The team was as prepared as you could be, our school had some great scouting and for every game we were ready and we delivered.   We had not played any of the teams that season, but had played three of these teams in the previous two years.   The fan base grew each week until we had 4 to 5 thousand people going to the games and they were loud and definitely loving the championship run.   We started slowly in the Sectional beating Claymont and Ridgewood in close games.   Typically RV, which had no real athletic legacy,  would not get knocked out of the Sectional, but we finally broke out that year and we were off to the races. The next week we were at the District at Wellsville and beat Wellsville 87 to 54 on their home floor.  That games was over at the half, we knew and so did they.  That really set the stage for what was to come, Wellsville was ranked in the top 3 or 4 teams in our AA division.  Our confidence was out of the park at this point, we felt there was absolutely nothing that could derail this juggernaut. And we were pretty smart and absolutely correct. The District finals was with Bridgeport whom we had never heard of and easily dispatched.   We just bulldozed some of these teams.  

 The next round was the regional and we faced our in County rivals and arch rivals--The Coshocton Redskins.  The schools were only 15 minutes apart and were vary familiar with their program.  They were such a rival, that if you beat them in a varsity sport you got a C pin for your Letterman Jacket.  I had a couple already from Cross Country and I loved to get them handed to me--it was very sweet. I do remember when we warmed up at Ohio University Arena that the Redskins fans would pretend to read newspapers as we came out and warmed up.  I thought " we will give you something to read about" and we absolutely pounded them.  We were up by 30 in the third quarter before coach called off the dogs and let the back ups get in a few licks.  That was sweet, just wiping out your arch rivals.   The next game that would send us to the State  Tournament was against Greenfield McClain and they were easily beaten on a defensive struggle.   Now, we got 6 in the bag--lets close this out with two more.  

At this point, the fans are insane.  The entire following was wearing bib overalls and all kinds of country related clothing--I know school was just nuts championship week.   The state tournament is played on back to back days and you have to be ready for that.   Our first game was against Rossford with some very tall players and some how we managed to eek out a 4 point victory and make the finals the next day.  We would play Dayton Stivers-- which has some losses from ineligible players or some other infraction and one player who would go pro.  It was also that school's last tournament, they were getting absorbed into other schools the  next year.  They had a sport legacy and we were trying to get ours.  By the way, Stivers' coach claimed he would eat St Johns Arena "brick by brick if that country school beats them!"  Are you kidding?  How about some bulletin board materials and it sure was.  We played a mistake free game and managed to steal the ball late to get it into overtime and won it on free throws and great defense.  It was intense, exciting, loud and sweet!    Let the party get started!    

There was only one problem with the party--I missed it.   I had won a local contest to be part of Presidential Classroom that had me flying into Washington DC National that evening... I missed the whole damn thing.  Well, that was lousy timing and very few if any people in that group in DC really cared.  I was in DC for 5 days.  One good thing did come out of the trip.   I had been getting some lousy haircuts in Coshocton for years by some unenlightened stylists and I did get to remedy that.  I had some extra time the day my flight left and the hotel in DC had a beauty shop and I went in for some styling.  It looked great- in fact when I returned to Columbus Airport, my Mom was picking me up and I walked right past her in the concourse and she did not know it was me!  I have been wearing a similar style ever since-- and  it looked really good in the Spring of 1975!  

Winning it all is big deal and it takes a lot of money, organization, luck  and athletic talent--you need them all.  Walt Harrop was our coach and really set this in motion many years earlier when he took the job at Riverview.  He was already an experienced coach and he had his program in place and we followed that program and had a magic moment i
n time and it all worked out.  Look him up in Google https://oh.nhsbca.org/hall-of-fame/walt_harrop_jr.   His dad is in the Hall of Fame as well--the entire family coaches. He won a lot of championships and was a great mentor and father figure to me, I did not have an active father to provide that leadership. Coach Harrop's finger prints are all over that gold trophy!

Coach Harrop

Cross Country State Team 

We had big CC Teams

While we are working through some memories of high school athletics, I also ran track and cross country.  I ran cross country because I really wanted to do basketball and Coach Harrop also coached Cross country.  Coach stated-- "if you did not do a Fall sport-- you ran!"  Ok, I will run.    We had teams with 40 guys !    I am not a distance runner--my heart lung capacity is not good enough--even at 160 pounds, I could run you a 6 minute mile, but that was about it--and have a hell of a sprint at the end.   But I ground out cross country every Fall and it did help my strength and endurance-- and we beat Coshocton to get some of those precious C's!   I was involved in three MVL league championships--the schools first.   We made it to the state meet my Junior year.  Mike Baker was on that team--more about that later.  We were smoked at State, our top runner had a auto accident about 10 days earlier and lost some teeth and was lucky to be alive and we just did not have any edge.  But we made it to the last meet of the year!

I ran track in high school and claim that as my best sport.  I set a lot of individual and team school records that did not last long, but I did have them for a year or two.   In my sophomore or freshman year I had a problem with my right foot and basically missed the entire season.  I am still getting injured, so I just started early in my career.  I basically ran my Junior and Senior years without the injury bug dragging me down.  In my senior year I ran in the State Track meet in two events--the Long Jump and Mile Relay.    I remember a New Phila newspaper article showing all the local athletes ( 25 total) going to state, I was with my relay team way down at the bottom-- we were the only ones on the  entire page to score a point!!  How about some better press here? I have generally had a chip on my shoulder for athletics and this was just another one.  It sometimes gets pretty full up on the chip area.  I jumped a school record in the long jump and scored a fifth--two points. That is the first points that Riverview had ever scored in the state track meet, wow,   the first!  We also scored points in the mile relay-- sixth for 1 points.    Riverview had 3 points in the State Meet, first time ever.   It was not the big trophy, but we set three school records and that is 

Senior Year

Long Jump at RV track

all you can do--your best. The relay team was me leading off, Dirk Cox, Willie Leatherbury and anchor of Mike Baker.   Typically the faster runner goes last, but Mike also ran the 880 in regular meets  which was one event ahead of the mile relay and with him going anchor , he could get 3 more minutes of rest.  It was worth it to run that order.  I told the team in the smaller meets-- I will get you the lead--just hang on to it.   We won a lot that year.  By the way, my lead off leg was a school record for the open 440 as well.  

Riverview had some great athletes in my era, the power plant was providing the money for the tax base, the administration was very good at management and we had some really great girl and boy athletes and coaching.   https://oh.nhsbca.org/hall-of-fame/walt_harrop_jr

Mile Relay- L to R, Me, Dirk, Willie and Mike with State hardware.

There are two athletes that have been to three different State meets or tournament finals at RV, 
Mike Baker and Jack Allen.   Baseball made the State and lost in the first round--so that gets some athletes  that had done two--but not three.   It is not bragging if you can back it up, but I am really proud of my high school years and I am glad to be on the same team as Mike for these State Finals!!