Quartet Brings Glory to NWOAL Prince Chasing History
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Noah Tester Wauseon High School Quartet brings Hunter Prince Edgerton High School glory to NWOAL 8 Ryley Spangler Leipsic High School Prince chasing history 14 Rhamy double trouble for foes 17 ‘Grant’ed golden ticket 20 Nate Miller Bryan High School DC’S band of brothers 23 Pioneer-ing a football future 26 TJ Rhamy Patrick Henry High School Team previews on 28 area high schools along with regional colleges and NFL teams. Cade Polter Fairview High School Trevor Speice Wayne Trace High School 1 407 ZEITER WAY, SWANTON, OHIO 43558 Custom Fabrication Structural Steel Fab Rolling and Forming Machining Laser Cutting Heavy Fabrication Automated Beam Line Engineering Sandblasting & Painting Swanton, OH Wauseon, OH Griffin, GA A FULL SERVICE STEEL FABRICATOR SINCE 1956 Phone: (419) 826-4816 Email: [email protected] Website: www.swantonweld.com 2 1 DEFIANCE, OH SINCE 1939 FUN, FAST, AND HASSLE FREE VISIT OUR DEFIANCE LOCATION TODAY! 20502 COUNTY RD. 424 COMING SOON! New showroom and service center construction underway. Stop out now and see the progress for yourself. DRIVEDERROW.COM SALES / SERVICE / PARTS / 419.782.7373 / 2 DRIVEFINDLAY.COM FUN, FAST, AND HASSLE FREE THE BUY SMART PROMISE OF FINDLAY CHRYSLER Browse our inventory online, or visit us at our Findlay Ohio showroom. 10305 U.S. 224 WEST SALES / SERVICE / PARTS / 419.423.1715 / 3 About Us By Lynn Groll Black Swamp Edition of Touchdown Publications Publisher When I started on this publication in late May, the thought of producing the 41 articles that make up this publication in a little over two months seemed daunting, to say the least. Thankfully, this area - formerly known as The Great Black Swamp - sports a contingent of wonderful coaches that are cooperative and easy to work with. A few I want to thank especially. Napoleon coach Tory Strock is one of the finest men I know. At the drop of the hat, Tory is always willing to lend his support. A year ago, Defiance College brought in heralded college coach Manny Matsakis, who instantly changed the dynamic of DC football and the Defiance community. We instantly became close friends and his expertise has been immensely beneficial in this endeavor. I also want to thank good friend Tony Haynes for helping on the marketing side of this magazine. A tireless worker, Tony was and will continue to be a key cog in this publication. Our graphic designer Jessica Relyea also put her heart and soul into this first edition of Black Swamp Football. She’s toiled away at putting this magazine together early in the morning until late into the night. Football has deep roots in these parts and it means a ton to me. Simply put, I’m a football fan. I’m not doing this because I couldn’t find another job, I’m doing this because I love football and want to see it prosper through my lifetime and generations and generations after. While game has changed somewhat - as you will see in a couple of the feature stories - from 20-plus years ago, football is still revered in these parts. Case in point was a late Sunday night in July when legendary local coaches John Downey, Rex Lingruen, Mark Emans and Bill Inselmann sat at my dinner table telling football stories for a piece on the “Glory Years of the NWOAL” that is included in this year’s publication. For a high school football fanatic in this area, what an unforgettable night. It was an honor sitting in their presence and having nearly a combined 1,000 wins between them. We all owe them some gratitude for making football what it is in the Black Swamp area. Without football greats like them, this publication wouldn’t have ever been possible. Keep an eye out for more from The Black Swamp Edition of Touchdown Publications. Along with a weekly Monday night show at Frickers in Defiance, we will also be producing weekly podcasts. I want to wish all our area football players a healthy and successful 2019 autumn. Feel free to get in touch with me at: [email protected] Lynn Groll Publisher [email protected] Jessica Relyea Layout and Design [email protected] Tony Haynes Advertising Director Defiance, Ohio (419) 630-5084 blackswampfootball.com [email protected] 6 Index Local Stories High Schools Quartet Brings Glory to NWOAL..... 8 Antwerp ......................................... 39 NWOAL Playoff History ................. 13 Archbold ........................................ 42 Prince Chasing History .................. 14 Ayersville ....................................... 45 Rhamy Double Trouble for Foes .... 17 Bryan ............................................. 48 ‘Grant’ed Golden Ticket ................ 20 Columbus Grove ........................... 51 DC’s Band of Brothers ................... 23 Defiance ........................................ 54 Pioneer-ing a Football Future ........ 26 Delta .............................................. 57 Edgerton ....................................... 60 Edon .............................................. 63 NFL Evergreen ...................................... 66 Fairview ......................................... 69 Cleveland Browns .......................... 30 Hicksville ........................................ 72 Detroit Lions .................................. 31 Hilltop ............................................ 75 Holgate .......................................... 78 Leipsic ............................................ 80 NCAA Liberty Center ................................ 83 Montpelier ..................................... 86 Defiance College ........................... 32 Napoleon ....................................... 89 Ohio State ..................................... 35 Ottawa-Glandorf ........................... 92 Michigan ........................................ 36 Pandora-Gilboa ............................. 95 Bowling Green ............................... 37 Patrick Henry ................................. 98 Toledo ............................................ 38 Paulding ...................................... 101 Stryker ......................................... 104 Swanton ....................................... 107 ck Swa Look for weekly podcasts of la mp B Lynn Groll and Tony Haynes with Tinora .......................................... 110 past and present area football Wauseon ...................................... 113 greats via the Black Swamp Football Podcast on ITunes and Wayne Trace ................................ 116 football the Podcast app. Big Twenty Two ............................ 120 7 QUARTET BRINGS GLORY TO NWOAL When history “I’d call it Hamler because they at Montpelier, it was overwhelming to books are opened, (Patrick Henry) didn’t like to be me.” there is no way to called Hamler, so I’d always call them Downey and Lingruen are already in miss them. Hamler PH,” added a joking Lingruen. Ohio High School Football Coaches Legacies etched in “Because Deshler would get upset and Association Hall of Fame with the highest annals of Malinta would get upset. Hansbarger, who passed away in 2014. Ohio prep football. “Don’t forget about Grelton,” jumped “My goal was to beat Archbold and if Say Rex, JD, Coach in Downey. we could compete with Archbold, we I or Emans, and Said Lingruen: “If you ever looked at could beat anybody at that time,” said pigskin fans around northwest Ohio the programs from the state, it always Lingruen. “That’s how we practiced to and the Buckeye State will immediately said Hamler PH. I’d call them Hamler do that. I loved the competition. For recognize the “Big 4” of the illustrious and people would go nuts over that. me, it was great because I couldn’t Northwest Ohio Athletic League I’m laughing about it and it just made play anymore and I loved coaching and (NWOAL). the rivalry better.” competing against the other coaches The quartet of Liberty Center’s Rex Lingruen’s shenanigans are well and teams. It was putting your kids Lingruen, Archbold’s John Downey, known. One year at an NWOAL in position to compete against those Wauseon’s Mark Emans and Patrick meeting, Lingruen referred to Downey teams and coaches. Henry’s Bill Inselmann are responsible as Gene Wilder, due to his resemblance “Dave Hansbarger was part of that for four of the six state championships to the famous actor. and I loved that man,” continued won by programs from this area. “We’re our harshest critics. I Lingruen. “You had to be ready every Thanks to their contributions on single week.” the gridiron, they’ve helped provide think you’d all three agree. Montpelier started the NWOAL’s football memories in these parts that I don’t have any regrets. I prowess under Hobe Krouse, father of will live on forever. didn’t call the play because current Tinora mentor Kenny Krouse. Their contributions off the field I didn’t think it was going to The Locomotives played in the 1973 include the propensity to roast each Class-A state championship game other any chance they get, especially work.” at Ohio Wesleyan, falling 27-7 to Downey and the fun-natured Lingruen. John Downey Middletown Bishop Fenwick. “Let’s just say, Rex and I don’t keep Their coaching resumes are nothing Six years later, Downey entered the anything in,” said Downey. “I had fun to laugh about. NWOAL as headman at Archbold and the whole time.” Downey (222-99 from 1979-2008), brought immediate success. Lingruen loved the rivalry against Lingruen (253-104 from 1985-2016), However, the season finale in 1979 Patrick Henry and never missed a Inselmann (222-77 from 1991-2013 ended in maddening fashion. Lima chance to stoke the flames. and 2016-present) and Emans (172-144 Central