Rank The Ten Best Teams In Your School's History

purple_rein said:
St. Francis DeSales

10. 1990 - 11-3 State Runner-up, CCL Champs
9. 1996 - 11-3 State Runner-up, CCL Champs, only losses to D1 St. John's and Moeller, and State Championship game
8. 2008 - 13-1, defeated Watterson twice
7. 1994 - 11-1 with one of the most prolific offenses DeSales has ever had, lost a heartbreaker in State Semifinal to one of Steubenville's greatest teams
6. 1964 - 7-0-1, 1st ever CCL Championship team, put DeSales football on the map
5. 1986 - 10-0, outscored opponents 221-56, but missed playoffs as undefeated defending State Champs, this team is the reason that DeSales beefed up its schedule from that point on
4. 1978 - undefeated 10-0 season with only 47 points given up
3. 1998 - State Champions, 13-1, only loss to D1 Westerville South
2. 1997 - State Champions, multiple D1 college players, gave up 6 points per game
1. 1985 - only undefeated State Championship team in our history
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If this years team wins state, would they make the list?
 
That 2007 St X team was loaded. Ignatius had them on the ropes, but the Bombers pulled it out.

2016 sucked. I still maintain that Ignatius was the much better team, but X found a way that night at OSU.
 
IHS Alum said:
Frequent reader of the site...1st time poster...just felt like jumping in.
For Ironton:
10. 2019 - State runners-up. Lost to Kirtland.
9. 2001 - #1 in state. Undefeated regular season. Lost to Portsmouth in playoffs after beating them earlier.
8. 1985 - Lost to eventual state champ DeSales 24-19 in a game they easily could've won.
7. 1993 - State runners-up. Undefeated and #1 in regular season. Lost to Wauseon 10-7 due to questionable roughing the kicker penalty.
6. 1988 - State runners-up. Lost to ASVSM 14-12. Missed extra points after kicker was injured in semis.
5. 1978 - Loaded team. 9-0. Missed playoffs due to lack of 10th game (rules are different now).
4. 1981 - Undefeated 10-0. Missed playoffs. Had a backfield with guys who played at Marshall, Syracuse, Navy, and Morehead.
3. 1999 - State runners-up. Lost to Sandusky Perkins in last seconds. Featured running back who starred at Michigan State and center who started at Clemson.
2. 1989 - State champs. Featured guys who played at Marshall, Furman, and Kentucky.
1. 1979 - State champs. Beat ASVSM 7-6 at the Rubber Bowl. My personal favorite (wink wink).
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1999, you punt, you win.
 
Worm02 said:
I posted this on Facebook a few weeks back & I got a pretty good response from people here in Warren. Of course, a good part of those were from former football players who disagreed with me, but it all made for a great convo. I'm looking forward to hearing from other posters on this topic.

Warren G. Harding

10. 2004 (8-3): Not as loaded as the other teams on this list, but Mario Manningham’s heroics made this a very fun year. Roger Matlock, one of the most underrated quarterbacks in WGH history, threw for 1,370 yards & 14 TDs. There haven’t been many QBs in WGH history with those numbers in a single season. The 30-26 victory over Cleveland Glenville is one of the greatest games that I’ve ever witnessed.

9. 1962 (9-0-1): I have to believe that if it wasn’t for a tie against Mansfield in the season opener, this team would have won WGH’s first ever state title. Massillon owned the poll era (24 AP Poll titles), but the Tigers lost to WGH 20-7. For the season, the Panthers outscored their opponents 382-37. A couple days back, I saw Warren1st speak very highly of this team, so he would have a lot more info on them then I do. I can only go by the scores, and this group was pretty dominant.

8. 2006 (9-4, Region 1 Runner Up): After losing both starting quarterbacks within the first two weeks, this team had every reason to quit on the season. Somebody forgot to tell them that as they won 5 of their last 6 games to make the playoffs. Their victims included two teams that were nationally ranked at the time (Cleveland St. Ignatius & Lakewood St. Edward). If it were not for a loss to a pass happy Mentor squad, the next two weeks could have been pretty interesting.

7. 1998 (8-2): 1998 was the last season in which only 4 teams per region made the playoffs. In week 8, Canton McKinley came back in the 4th quarter to defeat WGH 20-16. WGH finished 5th in the final Region 1 standings. In week 14, Canton McKinley won the Division 1 state championship game by 23 points.

6. 2003 (11-1, Region 1 Quarter-Finalist): This team entered the season ranked as high as #4 in preseason national rankings. For 11 consecutive weeks, they lived up to the hype. They were a heavy favorite to win the Division 1 state title. They were ranked #2 in the country before being upset by Lakewood St. Edward in the second round of the playoffs. In week 15, St. Eds lost to Cincinnati Elder in the Division 1 state championship game.

5. 2001 (11-2, Region 1 Runner Up): Having Maurice Clarett, the 2001 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year & “Mr. Football,” is enough for the hype by itself. One underrated fact about this team is that the defensive starters didn’t get scored on until week 6. In week 2, they gave Cincinnati Moeller their worst loss in school history (55-0). For the season, they scored the most points in WGH history (547) while only giving up 163 points. This season is “the one that got away.”

4. 2002 (14-1, Division 1 State Runner Up): In reality, 2001 was a more dominant team, but 2002 just knew how to win games. Eight of their fifteen games were decided by 7 points or less, but if the clock didn’t read “0:00,” you couldn’t take your foot off the gas on this group of Raiders. Just ask Lakewood St. Edward, who held a 16-15 lead over WGH with 0:19 left. With the St. Eds student section chanting, “OVERATED,” quarterback Mike Kokal threw a 47 yard bomb to then-sophomore Mario Manningham. After a spiked ball, Joe Spain entered the game and kicked a 39 yard field goal to send the Eagles home devastated. Cincinnati Elder’s 21-19 victory over WGH in the state title game still stings, but it didn’t take away from the fact that 2002 was a magical season.

3. 1974 (10-1, Class AAA Champions): They say that football players today are bigger, stronger, and faster than they’ve ever been. While that may be true as a whole, the overall team speed of the 1974 Panthers was something that’s rarely seen at the high school level. Despite the fact that opposing teams knew that WGH was going to run the ball, that didn’t stop them from compiling a school record 3,673 rushing yards in just 12 games. Their 33 point victory over Upper Arlington in week 12 is the 3rd largest blowout in the history of the Class AAA/Division 1 state championship game.

2. 1971 (10-0, Class AAA AP Poll Champs): Many fans say that “AP Poll titles weren’t won on the field,” but I beg to differ. I wasn’t around in 1971, but I know enough about the old days to know that WGH paid heavy dues back then. A football schedule that includes programs the likes of Massillon, Canton McKinley, and Steubenville would be extremely difficult today, but that was even more the case in the 70’s, not to mention that Warren Western Reserve & Niles were both state powerhouses back then as well. In 1971, WGH outscored those five opponents 114-33 and for the season, they outscored all ten of their opponents 322-41. The greatest teams shine in the biggest moments. The ’71 Panthers did just that.

1. 1990 (14-0, Division 1 State Champs): From 1988 to 1995, Cleveland St. Ignatius won 7 state titles. The only one that they didn’t win in that time span was in 1990, which as we know, was won by WGH. Speaking of “Iggy,” it’s highly debatable that if it wasn’t for them, Warren Western Reserve would have closed the book on their proud football history with a state title in 1989. Once the “westsiders” came over to WGH & joined forces with players the likes of Omar Provitt, Chancey Coleman, and Gary Aceto (I had to shout out my boy Aceto, lol), the ingredients for a state takeover were in place. As if it wasn’t enough that the wide receiver trio of “TKO” (short for Thomas Teco Powell, Kendall Richardson, and Omar Provitt) provided many nightmares for opposing defenses, the massive offensive line provided holes that you could drive a truck through. Did I mention that Myron Elzy was a 6’5, 260 pound was the starting fullback? It was all bad for the rest of Ohio in ’90. Long-time fans of Cincinnati Princeton are still having nightmares about Provitt’s performance in the state championship game.
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Neat idea worm..great read btw...
Ours be easy I guess..pick the 9 national champs and best of rest?
 
FairwoodKing said:
Steubenville Big Red (and these are strictly my own opinions):

1994 This was the best team Big Red ever had but also the unluckiest. During the regular season, we murdered Boardman 37-14 the week after they gave Ignatius their only loss of the season. Iggy ended up state champs in Div I and was ranked 15th in the country in USA Today. Many people thought Big Red had the best team in any division in Ohio that year. We were cruising along until we came to the semifinal game against undefeated West Branch. Early in the second quarter, Big Red was up 21-0 and it seemed like we would win that game and the championship game the following week for sure. To this day I don't know what happened. The wheels came off the wagon. From that point, we could do no right and they could do no wrong. It came down to an onsides kick. West Branch had not even been able to do it in practice. Naturally when they tried it against us, it worked perfectly. They got the ball back late in the game and scored. We got the ball with seconds left and drove for a tying field goal. The ball sailed right over the upright and was called no good. West Branch won 31-28 and won the following week. It was the worst defeat in Big Red's history.

1930 Undefeated, untied, and un-scored-upon. Named state champ.

2005 15-0 and state champ.

2006 15-0 and state champ.

1951 9-1 UPI state champ. Big Red had the three guys who later starred at Iowa, including Calvin Jones, 2-time AA and Outland Trophy winner.

1984 13-0 and state champ.

I'll let someone else fill in the rest.
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Who picked up our friends mantle?
 
IHS Alum said:
Frequent reader of the site...1st time poster...just felt like jumping in.
For Ironton:
10. 2019 - State runners-up. Lost to Kirtland.
9. 2001 - #1 in state. Undefeated regular season. Lost to Portsmouth in playoffs after beating them earlier.
8. 1985 - Lost to eventual state champ DeSales 24-19 in a game they easily could've won.
7. 1993 - State runners-up. Undefeated and #1 in regular season. Lost to Wauseon 10-7 due to questionable roughing the kicker penalty.
6. 1988 - State runners-up. Lost to ASVSM 14-12. Missed extra points after kicker was injured in semis.
5. 1978 - Loaded team. 9-0. Missed playoffs due to lack of 10th game (rules are different now).
4. 1981 - Undefeated 10-0. Missed playoffs. Had a backfield with guys who played at Marshall, Syracuse, Navy, and Morehead.
3. 1999 - State runners-up. Lost to Sandusky Perkins in last seconds. Featured running back who starred at Michigan State and center who started at Clemson.
2. 1989 - State champs. Featured guys who played at Marshall, Furman, and Kentucky.
1. 1979 - State champs. Beat ASVSM 7-6 at the Rubber Bowl. My personal favorite (wink wink).
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That backfield is the greatest ever in Southern Ohio. Qb Mark Snyder(Oklahoma State/Marshall) , also Defensive Coach OSU, head coach Marshall FB Dennis Bacon (Syracuse) RB Mike Smith (Navy)RB Jimmy Morris (Morehead State), also i believe long jump/triple jump state champion. Have to put '82 team in the mix. Lost 21-14 to StV St Mary. Backfield( qb Snyder, fb John Pemberton rb Mike Smith, rb pierre tismo. Lost to Frank Stams led irish
 
Goherd83 said:
That backfield is the greatest ever in Southern Ohio. Qb Mark Snyder(Oklahoma State/Marshall) , also Defensive Coach OSU, head coach Marshall FB Dennis Bacon (Syracuse) RB Mike Smith (Navy)RB Jimmy Morris (Morehead State), also i believe long jump/triple jump state champion. Have to put '82 team in the mix. Lost 21-14 to StV St Mary. Backfield( qb Snyder, fb John Pemberton rb Mike Smith, rb pierre tismo. Lost to Frank Stams led irish
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Talk about a backfield. Elvis Grbac and Desmond Howard at VASJ. Both graduated in 88. MI 4 yrs for Grbac, 3 yrs and a Heisman for Howard then NFL for both
 
Snowbelt Man said:
It's really hard to rank teams because of how much the game has changed and the training regiments have changed - even over the past 20 years. A lot of Chardon people might disagree with me but this is how I see it:

1. This year's 2020 team. Best defense in Chardon history and offense is in the top 3 - maybe top 2. I know this a very bold statement with the season not over yet but they have not had a close game yet no matter who the opponent has been and the starting defense has been lights out. 2 guys offered by Iowa State on defense and definitely the most team speed in Chardon history. Most of the points given up have been late in the game by the 2 and 3 defense against the other team's ones. O-line averages 275-280 with two 3 year starters and Petttyjohn is all time leading halfback rusher as well as playoff rusher. Fetchik at QB not as talented a runner as other Chardon QB's but top 2 or 3 - maybe #1 - in arm strength and accuracy.
2. 2016 team that lost to Lynn Bowden on one of those nights when Bowden played like one of the top players in the SEC (which he didn't always do). Best offense in Hilltopper history (475 yards and 48 points a game with running clock for entire second half in 8 of 12 games).
3. 1998 team that lost to Lebanon on a hook and ladder in the state championship game after turning the ball over five times. This team was dominant all year and won 95% of the plays in that game. Great defensive team with Coach Hewitt winning defensive player of the year and runner up Mr. Football as he also rushed for over 1900 yards.
4. 1994 undefeated State championship team. Every Hilltopper from that team would be pissed at me for this but they had a number of close wins during the season and a fairly easy road in the playoffs. Low scoring great defensive team. The argument for them being number one is that they actually finished the job - which is a pretty strong argument. Their signature win was beating a great Walsh Jesuit team in the state semi's. This team would be first on most Hilltopper historians' list.
5. 1965 Hilltopper team with running backs Lenny Zimmerman (Florida State baseball), Charlie Owens (Toledo University then short stint with Philadelphia Eagles), and Mick Narusch (Kansas). Ran Tiger Ellison's run and shoot offense (way ahead of its time) which I also ran as the Hilltopper quarterback from 68-70. Rotated 2 great Qb's every play in '65.
6. 1995 team that lost to Buchtel 22-21 in state semi-final.
7. 1983 10-0 team. Playoffs limited to four teams at the time.
8. 2003 over achieving Hilltopper time that lost big in state semis to 15-0 Avon Lake.
9. 1993 team that lost to Uniontown Lake in state semi's.
10. 1988 team that lost big to Ricky Powers state championship Buchtel team.
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I consider myself somewhat of a Hilltopper historian. I’m only going to speak on top 4 though. I always said the 98 team was better than the 94 team. The 98 team had a lot of balance. The 94 team was all about a great team defense, a QB that was a magician with the ball, and the lines(they beat everyone on the lines similar to this years team). I agree this yrs team is the best. I might flip 2 and 3 just because 98 was good on both sides of the ball. 16 team the defense wasn’t great, but it was the best offense. This yrs team is the best defense. I can’t strongly disagree with your top 4 but I could and lean towards.
1 2020
2 1998
3 2016
4 1994
 
Goherd83 said:
That backfield is the greatest ever in Southern Ohio. Qb Mark Snyder(Oklahoma State/Marshall) , also Defensive Coach OSU, head coach Marshall FB Dennis Bacon (Syracuse) RB Mike Smith (Navy)RB Jimmy Morris (Morehead State), also i believe long jump/triple jump state champion. Have to put '82 team in the mix. Lost 21-14 to StV St Mary. Backfield( qb Snyder, fb John Pemberton rb Mike Smith, rb pierre tismo. Lost to Frank Stams led irish
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The '93 Ironton backfield was very good too. Guthrie at QB Jermon Jackson TB Joe Cain RB JJ King FB. '99 Peyton Qb Harmon TB Henry FB. Good times watching these cats run
 
herdfan101 said:
If this years team wins state, would they make the list?
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Yes, probably would be 4th. Since I made this list, there was also a stellar 2016 team that I'd now put in the 7-8 range. I created my list based on accomplishments / what did each team prove, not necessarily who I thought would beat who in a one game scenario. Too hard to compare eras that way.
 
Worm02 said:
I posted this on Facebook a few weeks back & I got a pretty good response from people here in Warren. Of course, a good part of those were from former football players who disagreed with me, but it all made for a great convo. I'm looking forward to hearing from other posters on this topic.

Warren G. Harding

10. 2004 (8-3): Not as loaded as the other teams on this list, but Mario Manningham’s heroics made this a very fun year. Roger Matlock, one of the most underrated quarterbacks in WGH history, threw for 1,370 yards & 14 TDs. There haven’t been many QBs in WGH history with those numbers in a single season. The 30-26 victory over Cleveland Glenville is one of the greatest games that I’ve ever witnessed.

9. 1962 (9-0-1): I have to believe that if it wasn’t for a tie against Mansfield in the season opener, this team would have won WGH’s first ever state title. Massillon owned the poll era (24 AP Poll titles), but the Tigers lost to WGH 20-7. For the season, the Panthers outscored their opponents 382-37. A couple days back, I saw Warren1st speak very highly of this team, so he would have a lot more info on them then I do. I can only go by the scores, and this group was pretty dominant.

8. 2006 (9-4, Region 1 Runner Up): After losing both starting quarterbacks within the first two weeks, this team had every reason to quit on the season. Somebody forgot to tell them that as they won 5 of their last 6 games to make the playoffs. Their victims included two teams that were nationally ranked at the time (Cleveland St. Ignatius & Lakewood St. Edward). If it were not for a loss to a pass happy Mentor squad, the next two weeks could have been pretty interesting.

7. 1998 (8-2): 1998 was the last season in which only 4 teams per region made the playoffs. In week 8, Canton McKinley came back in the 4th quarter to defeat WGH 20-16. WGH finished 5th in the final Region 1 standings. In week 14, Canton McKinley won the Division 1 state championship game by 23 points.

6. 2003 (11-1, Region 1 Quarter-Finalist): This team entered the season ranked as high as #4 in preseason national rankings. For 11 consecutive weeks, they lived up to the hype. They were a heavy favorite to win the Division 1 state title. They were ranked #2 in the country before being upset by Lakewood St. Edward in the second round of the playoffs. In week 15, St. Eds lost to Cincinnati Elder in the Division 1 state championship game.

5. 2001 (11-2, Region 1 Runner Up): Having Maurice Clarett, the 2001 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year & “Mr. Football,” is enough for the hype by itself. One underrated fact about this team is that the defensive starters didn’t get scored on until week 6. In week 2, they gave Cincinnati Moeller their worst loss in school history (55-0). For the season, they scored the most points in WGH history (547) while only giving up 163 points. This season is “the one that got away.”

4. 2002 (14-1, Division 1 State Runner Up): In reality, 2001 was a more dominant team, but 2002 just knew how to win games. Eight of their fifteen games were decided by 7 points or less, but if the clock didn’t read “0:00,” you couldn’t take your foot off the gas on this group of Raiders. Just ask Lakewood St. Edward, who held a 16-15 lead over WGH with 0:19 left. With the St. Eds student section chanting, “OVERATED,” quarterback Mike Kokal threw a 47 yard bomb to then-sophomore Mario Manningham. After a spiked ball, Joe Spain entered the game and kicked a 39 yard field goal to send the Eagles home devastated. Cincinnati Elder’s 21-19 victory over WGH in the state title game still stings, but it didn’t take away from the fact that 2002 was a magical season.

3. 1974 (10-1, Class AAA Champions): They say that football players today are bigger, stronger, and faster than they’ve ever been. While that may be true as a whole, the overall team speed of the 1974 Panthers was something that’s rarely seen at the high school level. Despite the fact that opposing teams knew that WGH was going to run the ball, that didn’t stop them from compiling a school record 3,673 rushing yards in just 12 games. Their 33 point victory over Upper Arlington in week 12 is the 3rd largest blowout in the history of the Class AAA/Division 1 state championship game.

2. 1971 (10-0, Class AAA AP Poll Champs): Many fans say that “AP Poll titles weren’t won on the field,” but I beg to differ. I wasn’t around in 1971, but I know enough about the old days to know that WGH paid heavy dues back then. A football schedule that includes programs the likes of Massillon, Canton McKinley, and Steubenville would be extremely difficult today, but that was even more the case in the 70’s, not to mention that Warren Western Reserve & Niles were both state powerhouses back then as well. In 1971, WGH outscored those five opponents 114-33 and for the season, they outscored all ten of their opponents 322-41. The greatest teams shine in the biggest moments. The ’71 Panthers did just that.

1. 1990 (14-0, Division 1 State Champs): From 1988 to 1995, Cleveland St. Ignatius won 7 state titles. The only one that they didn’t win in that time span was in 1990, which as we know, was won by WGH. Speaking of “Iggy,” it’s highly debatable that if it wasn’t for them, Warren Western Reserve would have closed the book on their proud football history with a state title in 1989. Once the “westsiders” came over to WGH & joined forces with players the likes of Omar Provitt, Chancey Coleman, and Gary Aceto (I had to shout out my boy Aceto, lol), the ingredients for a state takeover were in place. As if it wasn’t enough that the wide receiver trio of “TKO” (short for Thomas Teco Powell, Kendall Richardson, and Omar Provitt) provided many nightmares for opposing defenses, the massive offensive line provided holes that you could drive a truck through. Did I mention that Myron Elzy was a 6’5, 260 pound was the starting fullback? It was all bad for the rest of Ohio in ’90. Long-time fans of Cincinnati Princeton are still having nightmares about Provitt’s performance in the state championship game.
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You can thank Fitch for stopping the St. Ignatius machine in 1990.
 
Worm02 said:
I posted this on Facebook a few weeks back & I got a pretty good response from people here in Warren. Of course, a good part of those were from former football players who disagreed with me, but it all made for a great convo. I'm looking forward to hearing from other posters on this topic.

Warren G. Harding

10. 2004 (8-3): Not as loaded as the other teams on this list, but Mario Manningham’s heroics made this a very fun year. Roger Matlock, one of the most underrated quarterbacks in WGH history, threw for 1,370 yards & 14 TDs. There haven’t been many QBs in WGH history with those numbers in a single season. The 30-26 victory over Cleveland Glenville is one of the greatest games that I’ve ever witnessed.

9. 1962 (9-0-1): I have to believe that if it wasn’t for a tie against Mansfield in the season opener, this team would have won WGH’s first ever state title. Massillon owned the poll era (24 AP Poll titles), but the Tigers lost to WGH 20-7. For the season, the Panthers outscored their opponents 382-37. A couple days back, I saw Warren1st speak very highly of this team, so he would have a lot more info on them then I do. I can only go by the scores, and this group was pretty dominant.

8. 2006 (9-4, Region 1 Runner Up): After losing both starting quarterbacks within the first two weeks, this team had every reason to quit on the season. Somebody forgot to tell them that as they won 5 of their last 6 games to make the playoffs. Their victims included two teams that were nationally ranked at the time (Cleveland St. Ignatius & Lakewood St. Edward). If it were not for a loss to a pass happy Mentor squad, the next two weeks could have been pretty interesting.

7. 1998 (8-2): 1998 was the last season in which only 4 teams per region made the playoffs. In week 8, Canton McKinley came back in the 4th quarter to defeat WGH 20-16. WGH finished 5th in the final Region 1 standings. In week 14, Canton McKinley won the Division 1 state championship game by 23 points.

6. 2003 (11-1, Region 1 Quarter-Finalist): This team entered the season ranked as high as #4 in preseason national rankings. For 11 consecutive weeks, they lived up to the hype. They were a heavy favorite to win the Division 1 state title. They were ranked #2 in the country before being upset by Lakewood St. Edward in the second round of the playoffs. In week 15, St. Eds lost to Cincinnati Elder in the Division 1 state championship game.

5. 2001 (11-2, Region 1 Runner Up): Having Maurice Clarett, the 2001 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year & “Mr. Football,” is enough for the hype by itself. One underrated fact about this team is that the defensive starters didn’t get scored on until week 6. In week 2, they gave Cincinnati Moeller their worst loss in school history (55-0). For the season, they scored the most points in WGH history (547) while only giving up 163 points. This season is “the one that got away.”

4. 2002 (14-1, Division 1 State Runner Up): In reality, 2001 was a more dominant team, but 2002 just knew how to win games. Eight of their fifteen games were decided by 7 points or less, but if the clock didn’t read “0:00,” you couldn’t take your foot off the gas on this group of Raiders. Just ask Lakewood St. Edward, who held a 16-15 lead over WGH with 0:19 left. With the St. Eds student section chanting, “OVERATED,” quarterback Mike Kokal threw a 47 yard bomb to then-sophomore Mario Manningham. After a spiked ball, Joe Spain entered the game and kicked a 39 yard field goal to send the Eagles home devastated. Cincinnati Elder’s 21-19 victory over WGH in the state title game still stings, but it didn’t take away from the fact that 2002 was a magical season.

3. 1974 (10-1, Class AAA Champions): They say that football players today are bigger, stronger, and faster than they’ve ever been. While that may be true as a whole, the overall team speed of the 1974 Panthers was something that’s rarely seen at the high school level. Despite the fact that opposing teams knew that WGH was going to run the ball, that didn’t stop them from compiling a school record 3,673 rushing yards in just 12 games. Their 33 point victory over Upper Arlington in week 12 is the 3rd largest blowout in the history of the Class AAA/Division 1 state championship game.

2. 1971 (10-0, Class AAA AP Poll Champs): Many fans say that “AP Poll titles weren’t won on the field,” but I beg to differ. I wasn’t around in 1971, but I know enough about the old days to know that WGH paid heavy dues back then. A football schedule that includes programs the likes of Massillon, Canton McKinley, and Steubenville would be extremely difficult today, but that was even more the case in the 70’s, not to mention that Warren Western Reserve & Niles were both state powerhouses back then as well. In 1971, WGH outscored those five opponents 114-33 and for the season, they outscored all ten of their opponents 322-41. The greatest teams shine in the biggest moments. The ’71 Panthers did just that.

1. 1990 (14-0, Division 1 State Champs): From 1988 to 1995, Cleveland St. Ignatius won 7 state titles. The only one that they didn’t win in that time span was in 1990, which as we know, was won by WGH. Speaking of “Iggy,” it’s highly debatable that if it wasn’t for them, Warren Western Reserve would have closed the book on their proud football history with a state title in 1989. Once the “westsiders” came over to WGH & joined forces with players the likes of Omar Provitt, Chancey Coleman, and Gary Aceto (I had to shout out my boy Aceto, lol), the ingredients for a state takeover were in place. As if it wasn’t enough that the wide receiver trio of “TKO” (short for Thomas Teco Powell, Kendall Richardson, and Omar Provitt) provided many nightmares for opposing defenses, the massive offensive line provided holes that you could drive a truck through. Did I mention that Myron Elzy was a 6’5, 260 pound was the starting fullback? It was all bad for the rest of Ohio in ’90. Long-time fans of Cincinnati Princeton are still having nightmares about Provitt’s performance in the state championship game.
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That '74 team was the fastest I've ever heard of, unless a Ted Ginn/Freddie Lenix era Glenville team could have run with them. Nearly 50 years later we've not seen any or many like them.
 
PDC said:
That 2007 St X team was loaded. Ignatius had them on the ropes, but the Bombers pulled it out.

2016 sucked. I still maintain that Ignatius was the much better team, but X found a way that night at OSU.
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The '07 X team and the '04 Colerain teams are the best of the past 20 years, generally dominant and loaded with talent.

And BTW, I agree, Ignatius was the better team. I went to that game just to have a good time, expecting X to lose. After the first quarter, I was feeling pretty validated. When the two teams came out for the second half, something felt different on the X sideline, and I thought they had a chance. Sean Clifford was a gritty SOB that night, he got the crap kicked out of him.
 
Would like to see an Ignatius list here. I contend their 1964 team (actually, '62-64 teams) might have been better than all of the playoff era teams that won titles, with a few possible exceptions. So some Ignatius historian please put it together.

But here goes with St. Eds off the top of my head. Probably won't get to 10 teams:

1. 2010 - Eds 1st state title, I believe 15-0, and #2 or #3 in some national polls. The greatest offensive line in state history, with TE to tackle producing 6 D1 players. (Oklahoma, Michigan, 2 Northwesterns, West Virgina and U of Penn). This is the team whose QB, future 2-time D3 National Player of the Year at Mount Union, Kevin Burke, would out-duel Braxton Miller. Tons of other significant talent.

2. 2014 - State champs. Loaded team that announced as freshmen they'd win state their senior year. Shawn Crawford, still starting at cornerback at Notre Dame, perhaps the flag-bearer of this team.

3. 2006 - Lost to Warren Harding like 7-3 in Cleveland Browns stadium early in the playoffs. Huge upset. Had been ranked nationally as high as #5, I believe. John Gibbons was fired after this. Hilliard Davidson was the beneficiary of Eds being knocked out, winning their first title.

4. 1973 - Undefeated but didn't make the playoffs in the era when only one team per region went. Two QBs (Miami, O. and Alabama), tailback to Notre Dame, fullback to Ohio State, two receivers to Miami, O., Tom Cousineau and Joe Hornik to Ohio State off the defense, with Cousineau becoming the 1st player chosen in the 1979 NFL draft. Ted Bell's Cardinal Mooney won it this year. Might have been quite a game if the two had played.

5. 1975 - State runners-up, losing to Moeller 14-12 at the Rubber Bowl, Gerry Faust winning his and Moeller's 1st title. Lost a fumble inside the Moeller 5 in the last two minutes (recovered by Bob Crable, future 12th pick in the 1st round to the Jets). Not an overly talented team with about 6 D1 kids (linebacker to Pitt, DL to Kentucky, 2 OLs to Miami O, QB and RB to Ivy league, fullback to Florida, bunch of D3 kids), but just great team chemistry. This loss (in which a chip shot field goal would have won it) was their only loss for which they were responsible in their 4 years beginning with freshmen football.

6. 2015 - State Champs. Overachievers. Third state title over Huber Hts. Wayne teams.

7. 2018 - State Champs. Again, overachievers. Upset the favored Colerain Cardinals in the finals.

8. 2019 - Underachieved. Better team than 2018 state champs. Expected to win it all. Lost to Mentor twice, who's had an uncanny mastery over the Eagles and Ignatius, playing the spoiler to them both several times. Trivisonno's legacy will be his offenses and his breakthrough against the saints.

9. 1986 - state runners-up, losing 21-20 to Fairfield in the finals. Eds was leading and would have won handily when their star running back, who had 180 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns through 3 quarters, left the game with injury. Eds had lost their quarterback the previous week in a 19-0 shutout win over Fitch. Playing the 4th quarter as a wounded duck, they had no offense and Fairfield came back and won.

10. 2004 - a team that was better than their state runners-up 2003 team (lost to Elder), they forfeited a handful of games due to some clerical error thing relating to a player who had transferred in for his sophomore season. Had this not happened, it might have been that they would be higher on the list.

There. I came up with 10 teams.
 
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falguin said:
You can thank Fitch for stopping the St. Ignatius machine in 1990.
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I turned 7 years old in 1990, but I know a lot of guys who played on the team. I'm sure they would've embraced the challnege of playing Iggy, especially since teh WIldcats eliminated Warren Western Reserve from the playoffs the year before.
 
ESPN 990 said:
That '74 team was the fastest I've ever heard of, unless a Ted Ginn/Freddie Lenix era Glenville team could have run with them. Nearly 50 years later we've not seen any or many like them.
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I have both of WGH's playoff games from 1974 on my YouTube page.




 
My dad went to Euclid at the same time that VASJ had Howard and Grbac. He's told me those VASJ teams were incredible. Euclid had Robert Smith at the time as well. Used to be a big-time rivalry game. The two teams stopped playing each other because the fans would always get into fights during the games.
 
I will try to give a top 5 ranking for Green, but I never saw these teams play live. I am also sticking to the playoff-era teams for this list because I do not have the records from before 1972. Any other Green fans are more than welcome to critique my list.

1. 2002 (10-2) League champions and #1 seed in Region 6. Held opponents to 7.4 points per game. Outscored league opponents 174-44. Beat Revere in the first round of the playoffs. Lost to state-runner up Nordonia 16-7 in Round 2. Only other loss was Week 1 to Federal League champion Hoover.

2. 2001 (10-4) Only Green team to make it to the Final Four. Region 5 champions. Lost 22-19 to state champion Toledo DeSales. Won 8 straight games after starting 2-3. Playoff wins over Howland, Chaney, and Chardon by a combined score of 93-23. Team featured Brandon Oing at RB and Ryan Gibson at QB.

3. 1975 (10-0) Undefeated Suburban League champions. Only undefeated regular season in playoff era.

4. 1993 (9-2) First ever Green team to make the playoffs. #1 seed in the region. Beat Padua Franciscan 14-0 in the first round. Lost to Chardon in regional finals.

5. 2000 (9-3) Suburban league champions. Beat Tiffin Columbian 42-7 in first round of the playoffs. Wins over Copley (11 wins) Manchester (10 wins) Columbian (9 wins) and Highland (8 wins). Lost in second round to 12-1 Defiance.
 
No disrespect...But as a SW Ohio guy, Green Who...? Green Bay? Bowling Green? The Green Mile? The Green Machine? Or Soylent Green? Would actually like to know.
 
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