59 - A Look At The Strasburg Tigers (Flashback)

DOVER - With only one veteran returning this season, the Strasburg High School Tigers will be represented by a highly inexperience basketball team this season.  The Tigers, who open the 1958-59 slate tonight on the home floor against the Beach City Pirates, are under the 1st-year tutelage of Head Coach Ernest Raber, a native of Sugarcreek.

Raber replaces Chuck Caniford, who now devotes full time duties to coaching the football team and being the high school's Principal.  Junior 6-2 Frank Wallick is the lone returnee from last year's squad which compiled an 11-8 record.  However, his action was limited to the extent that it was just enough for him to gain a Varsity letter.

Another letter winner last season, Senior Nick Haswell, is not on the squad this season.  "We definitly have very little or no experience to speak of," commented the new Strasburg mentor yesterday afternoon.  "We are attempting to build for the future and with only one Senior on the squad that should be evident.  We don't expect to burn up the League this season, but we'll still be in there battling to win our share.  With more experience, I think these boys will do all right," he added.

Coach Raber will be building his team around the following:

Junior Frank Wallick 6-2 Center
Junior Don Grove 5-6 Guard
Junior Larry Wallick 5-7 Guard
Junior Walt Krantz 5-11 Guard
Junior Charles Duff 5-11 Forward
Junior Dale Liggett 5-11 Forward
Junior Bill Seese 6-1 Forward
Junior Herb Gerber Reserve
Sophomore Tom Jones Reserve
Sophomore Ray Deibel Reserve

The lone Senior on the squad is 6-0 Bill Dreher.  Raber will be starting a quintet comprised entirely of Juniors.


Friday, November 21, 1958
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

59 - A Look At The Stone Creek Golden Panthers (Flashback)

DOVER - The Stone Creek Golden Panthers will be seeking their 3rd win in the County Class A Basketball League tomorrow night when they entertain the undefeated Midvale Blue Devils.  Head Coach Ernie Lukens, in his 1st year at the helm, is a graduate of Miami University of Oxford.  The Golden Panthers are losers of only one of 5 games, having been defeated 67-43 by the Garaway Pirates in a non-league contest.

The Panthers are well on their way to a top notch mark, having topped Fresno 62-46 in their opener and following with wins of 43-42 over the Port Washington Purple Riders, 44-33, over the Tuscarawas Broncos and 67-57 over the Baltic Eagles last Tuesday night.  The Varsity Team is made up of the following:

Senior Jim McAfee 5-7 (Letterman)
Senior Harold Lahmers 6-1 (Letterman)
Dan Wherley 5-9
Paul Patrick 5-9
Terry Sauser 5-10
Dave Hanni (6th Man)
Charles Doll
Glen McCoy
Larry Lorenz
Larry Stephon
Gale Sauser

McAfee is the current leading scorer on the team with 90 points.  Lahmers is the 2nd leading pointgetter with 68.  Wherley is a Guard and a top notch defensive player, having scored only 29 points, while Patrick and Terry Sauser are the forwards.  They have tallied 34 points each.

Stone Creek has talent and the fans are looking forward to a successful season.


December 11, 1968
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

59 - A Look At The Port Washington Purple Riders (Flashback)

The Port Washington Purple Riders Head Coach Thomas (Tom) Davies in his 1st effort for the Purple Riders who won only 1 game last year.  (Photo...Yearbook)

The 1959 Port Washington Purple Riders Basketball Team.  FRONT:  Jim Hannahs - Tim Decker - Larry Hagen and Tom Decker.  BACK:  Head Coach Tom Davies - John Landon - Jon Davies - Tony Nigro - Jim Bender - Bill Phillips and Manager Bill Jones.  (Photo...Yearbook)



NEW PHILADELPHIA - The Port Washington Purple Riders, has a new coach in Tom Davies and will have 3 regulars in their opening game on the Stone Creek Golden Panthers' floor...Juniors Larry Hagan and Junior John Landon as well as Mighty Sophomore Bill Phillips.  Rounding out the Varsity Team are Sophomores Jim Bender and Jim Hannahs.  The bench strength belongs to Juniors Tim and Tom Decker as well as Dan Kinsey and Jon Davies.  The only Freshman is Tony Nigro.

For the 2nd year in a row, there are no Seniors on the team!


Thursday, November 20, 1958
The Daily Times
New Philadelphia, Ohio

59 - A Look At The Midvale Blue Devils (Flashback)

Head Coach Ralph "Pete" Hilliard of the 1959 Midvale Blue Devils is in his 5th year with the Diablos.  He graduated from Tuscarawas High School and Kent State.  (Photo...Yearbook)

The 1959 Midvale Blue Devils VARSITY TEAM.  Tom Krocker - Dave Bellnap - Ron Breniser Hanes Hairston and Bill Housel.  (Photo...Yearbook)



NEW PHILADELPHIA - Injuries to key personnel may dim the Midvale Blue Devil's hopes to continue as one of Tuscarawas County's most potent Class A basketball powers when the Blue Devils open their season against the Augusta Blue Devils on Saturday night.  Head Coach Pete Hilliard, who has gained the reputation as one of the county's top coaches and last year's "Coach of the Year", is not pessimistic.  The head mentor, who has 3 lettermen in his 1st unit, could have floored a squad with 4 lettermen had it not been for an injury to Senior Tom Krocker.

Krocker, the team's top playmaker, who tallied 354 points last year and was a member of the All-County squad, will not join his teammates until after the 1st of the year because of a broken leg suffered in a football game.  Vince De Noi, although not a lettermen last year, saw plenty of duty, but is out with a football shoulder injury too, but the Junior hopeful may join the Devils soon.  He has been at the gym with a cast on, but is unable to compete.

"We're going to lose games," Hilliard said, when asked about this year's squad.  "I wouldn't have predicted a perfect year even with Krocker, but now we'll be more subject to drop more contests without him," he continued.  Midvale went through an 8-game League card with an unblemished record and finished with an 19-2 mark.  It lost only to the West Lafayette Generals, 72-71, in the 2nd game last year and to the Strasburg Tigers 80-77 in the 4th tilt.  The Blue Devils ended with a 19-3 record when they were dropped in Sectional Tournament play by the Gnadenhutten Indians 80-67.

The Diablos will have fair size and could round into a good ball club after Krocker and De Noi returns.  In his 1st five, Hilliard will send 5-9 Senior Dave Belnap, 5-8 Sophomore Jim Hobart, 5-10 Junior Ron Brensier, 6-2 Senior Bill Housel and 6-2 Junior Hanes Hairston.

Housel will probably be one of the Devil's top scorers this year, while Coach Hilliard has hopes that Belknap and Brensler will continue where they left off last year.  The 2 lads tallied 442 points last year.  Belknap had 244, while Breniser netted 198.  Last year Housel collected 177, but injuries hurt him all year.  In Hairston, Hilliard had a lad who could very well fit into his program.  Hanes is a transfer student from Walnut Cove, North Carolina, where he played at London High School.

To give Midvale bench strength, the head mentor will have Senior Jim Clark, a 5-11 lad who saw limited duty last year and 6-1 Len De Mattio, a Sophomore up from the Reserves.  Other members of the squad include Juniors John Everett, Dick Housel, Dale Stansbury, Ron Kaderly and Jim Bieleski; Sophomores, Gary De Mattio, Ralph Labus and Warren Legett.  Freshman Jerry Phillips is also a member of the squad.


Wednesday, November 19, 1958
The Daily Times
New Philadelphia, Ohio

59 - A Look At The Gnadenhutten Indians (Flashback)

Robert (Bob) Gaume in his 1st year as Head Coach of the 1959 Gnadenhutten Indians.
(Photo...Yearbook)

The 1959 Gnadenhutten Indians Varsity Team.  TOP:  Sophomore Ray Rank - Senior Bill Horsfall - Senior Paul Gooding and Junior John Hall.  BOTTOM:  Senior Larry Harmon - Junior Ron Clark and Ron Bradley.  (PHOTO...Yearbook)



NEW PHILADELPHIA - Only one letterman is back for the Gnadenhutten Indians with their new Head Coach Bob Gaume having a big job ahead of him.  Senior Ron Bradley, who scored 462 points last year for the Indians of Gnaden for an average of 17 markers per game, represents the lone returnee from a squad which won 20 games and lost 7.


Thursday, November 20, 1958
The Daily Times
New Philadelphia, Ohio

59 - A Look At The Garaway Pirates (Flashback)

DOVER - Four veterans form the nucleus of the 1958-59 edition of the Garaway Pirates Basketball Team.  Leading the returning group this season is Junior center Chuck Stingel who scorched the baskets for 317 points to gain a berth on The Daily Reporter's All-County elite 10 as a Sophomore last spring.

Koran Zehnder, who was the 2nd highest scorer on the team as a Sophomore last season, also returns along with Seniors Larry Yakley and Dean Burrell.  Zehnder swished the nets for 231 points last season, while Yakley totaled 199.  Burrell was one of the lower point gathers on the team last season when he ended with only 61.

Zehnder, 5-10 and Yakley 5-6, is currently holding down one of the forward posts on the team which dropped a 73-72 decision to the Baltic Eagles last Friday night in the season's opener.  Rounding out the top 6 on the 11-man squad are:

Senior John Sigrist 6-1
Junior Jim Gerber 5-11

Fritz Mueller is the other Senior on the squad and is 6-1, while the other 6-footer on the team is Junior Tom Dannis.  The other Junior is Gene Stevanus 5-11, while also battling for varsity berths are:

Sophomores:

Tom Andreas, 6-0
Bud Yakley 5-4.

In view of all the changes in the county's coaching structure this season, Pirate mentor Jim Stull, in his 4th season at the helm, is a veteran and rates 2nd only to the Midvale Blue Devils' Pete Hilliard in length of stay at a county school.


Wednesday, November 19, 1958
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio

59 - A Look At The Baltic Eagles (Flashback)

Head Coach Tom Bellville of the 1959 Baltic Eagles Basketball Team.  Tom took over for his brother, Jack Bellville, who coached the team for the last 2 years.  (Photo...Baltic High School Memory Book)


DOVER - After 4 games Baltic's new cage mentor, Tom Bellville, is still looking for a "take charge" performer.  "We have several boys who have shown the quality of leadership at times thus far, but there's no one player who actually stands out above the others," he explained.

"And to have a consistent winner week after week, you need someone who is a good ball handler as well as a team leader when he is on the floor," added Bellville.  Already "veterans" of the court game with 4 games behind them and looking towards Friday night for an invasion of the Gnadenhutten Indians and their 1st County League battle.  The Eagles include 3 returning letter winners as well.

In John Rice, 5-11 Junior forward, Bellville has one of the hottest shooters in the area.  John was among the leaders in scoring last season when he amassed 405 points.  He already has his eye adjusted hoopward, having totaled 107 points in the 4 contests.

Sam Jacobs rattled the nets for 245 points last season.  The only Senior on the team, he stands 6-0 and has been playing at a forward post.

The other vet is Gary Gerber, a 5-10 Junior guard.  He had 173 points last Winter.

At 6-3, Dick Lautenslager, a Junior is the tallest man on the team and is holding down the center post, while Dave Berger and Bob Ladrach are the others among the top 6 on the 10-man squad.  Berger is a 5-4 Junior and Ladrach, a 6-1 Sophomore.

Rounding out the squad are Junior Bill Froelich, 6-1 and Sophomores Gary Mast, 5-6, Charlie McPherson 6-2 and Ted Oswald at 6-1.

With a 3-1 mark to date the Flyers hope to better last year's 13-8 record.

Thursday, November 20, 1958
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio