59 - Inside Sports

Sports Editor
Friday, February 6, 1959
The Daily Times
New Philadelphia, Ohio

A QUESTION HAS ARISEN that can affect both the Tuscarawas Valley Trojans and the Gnadenhutten Indians on their season and scoring records.

It all comes about through their playing Alumni games.  Many different opinions have been voiced on the subject, but none seem to completely answer the question of whether or not these contests should appear on the season records.  The Ohio High School Athletic Association has made it clear the games count on the total number of games for the season...18 for those with football teams and 20 for those having no fall football program.

However, do these games count in the season record and in the scoring department?  W.E. Laws, Superintendent of the County Schools and also a member of the Eastern Ohio District Board, says he feels the games should count; although, he readily agrees with this writer that the scoring is something else again.

The games do not involve 2 school teams.  The contest is also staged between a fully amateur team (school) and a squad that many times consists of semi-pro athletes (Alumni).  The latter point is why this writer argues that the games should not count.  Some of those playing on Alumni teams also play on independent teams which play in tournaments in which cash awards are sometimes made as well as expenses being paid by the sponsor.  This is semi-pro, the way we see it.

THE TROJANS, now 15-1 for the season, won its Alumni game 55-52, while the Indians lost 55-41.  Gnaden is currently 12-5 for the season.  The question of counting the game will have no bearing on the County Tournament drawings since League games are all that count.  However, when it comes time for the Sectional Tournament and if either of these teams make it, their overall record could have a great affect on their being seeded or not.

For instance, we point to the possibility of 3 teams coming into the Sectional Tournament with perhaps 15-2 records.  Which 2 teams do you seed?  If one of them were the Spartans, by counting its Alumni game, they would be seeded.

WE DO NOT; however, think an Alumni contest should be counted in any degree, whether it be for scoring or overall record.  The Alumni is not composed of schoolboys.  It is only an exhibition in which everyone has a good time.  A firm ruling by the District or State Board would help as we have already confused many sports writers.