58 - Season...Flashback!

Thursday, January 30, 1958
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

"MANY MOONS" have set since the last time the Midvale Blue Devils team had pocketed a County Class A League Championship.  But with tomorrow night's battle against the Port Washington Purple Riders they should accomplish that goal.

Head Coach Pete Hilliard's Blue Devils, who went all the way to the State semi-final tournament in Columbus last year, need only to down the Purple Riders for their 7th League win, thus eliminating the possibility of Gnadenhutten tying for the Crown.  It has been 8 years since Midvale has held sole possession of the County Championship.  In the 1949-50 season, when Bob French was at the helm and the Diablos finished the League campaign with a 9-1 mark, it was also the 3rd consecutive League Crown captured by the Devils dating back to the 47-48 season.

In the 1950-51 campaign, the Blue and Gold, the Tuscarawas Broncos and the Strasburg Tigers tied for the toga with 8-2 records.  The loop then was called the Class B League instead of the modern "A" version.   In the 1951-52 season the Midvale Blue Devils went into the final League game against the Broncos with a 9-0 loop mark and was considered a good bet to win.  But Tusky came through by a 62-56 margin and the Blue Devils of Midvale had to be content with sharing League Honors with the Dundee Bulldogs, which now is part of the Garaway consolidation.

The Tigers of Strasburg ended that campaign in 7th place with a 4-6 record.  But then the Bengals came up with their powerful squads and became the perennial team to beat.  But even during Strasburg's League reign the Blue Devils managed to cop 2 County Tournament titles and was runnerup once in addition to last Springs's State Tournament title bid.