I can't remember who was on that 79 team. I played freshman ball that year for the Crusaders, but can't remember.

 

Was that the Jeff Ruehl, Dave Faeth, Jeff Armstrong team???

 

 

No that teams had the Huttons and Jay Eisenminger and Stan Robinson, Ritter and others. Ruehl and the other guys were Sophomores that year.

In 2001, The Highlands Bluebirds lead by Gino Guidugli and sophomore Ross Neltner stayed under the radar all season long in a very competitve 9th Region only to win the title in a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Conner Cougars. This was also Ronnie Dawn's senior year with an excellent NCC team looking to repeat their 2000 9th Region Title. Cov Cath had a pretty nice team in 2001, as well as Simon Kenton with sophomore Michael Brock. Scott Eagles even had a decent team that year coached by Jeff Trame. I'm forgetting who else played for the last 3 teams I mentioned. The most exciting team that year in my mind though was the Conner Cougers with Marcus Johnson, Jeremy Stevenson, and Terry Johnson. I was really wishing that they had won it that year because I thought that out of all the great teams that year, they were the ones that had more going for them and perhaps could've made a bigger statement than the rest if they had gone to Rupp.

 

The following year in 2002, The Ryle Raiders with juinor phenom Justin Doellman stayed WAY under the radar in a year that was supposed to belong to an excellent Cov Cath team. Not many people even spoke much of Doellman until he put the team on his shoulders in the 9th Region Tournament and wooed the critics all the way to the title game winning over the Colonels in an intense thriller. Dixie with the Bramlage brothers Joe and Russ, Scott, Highlands, and Simon Kenton weren't too shabby that year as well.

 

In 2003 I would say that the St. Henry Crusaders were hands down the right TEAM to come out of the 9th, but not before having to get through a region that boasted the most D1 signees that we had seen in awhile. Ryle (down a bit from the year before) with Doellman, Highlands with Neltner, and Simon Kenton with Michael Brock. The Pioneers also had 1000 career points guard Jordon Stowers and and excellent shooter in the Kannady (sp?) guy. Dixie had the 7 footer Mayes guy along with Russ Bramlage who could jump out of the gym. 2002 and 2003 seemed to be Dixie's best chance in many years but the 9th Region was just way too crowded for them.

 

Year in and year out the 9th Region has been so competitive that nothing is for certain. It should come as no surprise if the favorites get sent home early. The years of 2001-2003 display this competitiveness perfectly.

In 2001, The Highlands Bluebirds lead by Gino Guidugli and sophomore Ross Neltner stayed under the radar all season long in a very competitve 9th Region only to win the title in a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Conner Cougars. This was also Ronnie Dawn's senior year with an excellent NCC team looking to repeat their 2000 9th Region Title. Cov Cath had a pretty nice team in 2001, as well as Simon Kenton with sophomore Michael Brock. Scott Eagles even had a decent team that year coached by Jeff Trame. I'm forgetting who else played for the last 3 teams I mentioned. The most exciting team that year in my mind though was the Conner Cougers with Marcus Johnson, Jeremy Stevenson, and Terry Johnson. I was really wishing that they had won it that year because I thought that out of all the great teams that year, they were the ones that had more going for them and perhaps could've made a bigger statement than the rest if they had gone to Rupp.

 

The following year in 2002, The Ryle Raiders with juinor phenom Justin Doellman stayed WAY under the radar in a year that was supposed to belong to an excellent Cov Cath team. Not many people even spoke much of Doellman until he put the team on his shoulders in the 9th Region Tournament and wooed the critics all the way to the title game winning over the Colonels in an intense thriller. Dixie with the Bramlage brothers Joe and Russ, Scott, Highlands, and Simon Kenton weren't too shabby that year as well.

 

In 2003 I would say that the St. Henry Crusaders were hands down the right TEAM to come out of the 9th, but not before having to get through a region that boasted the most D1 signees that we had seen in awhile. Ryle (down a bit from the year before) with Doellman, Highlands with Neltner, and Simon Kenton with Michael Brock. The Pioneers also had 1000 career points guard Jordon Stowers and and excellent shooter in the Kannady (sp?) guy. Dixie had the 7 footer Mayes guy along with Russ Bramlage who could jump out of the gym. 2002 and 2003 seemed to be Dixie's best chance in many years but the 9th Region was just way too crowded for them.

 

Year in and year out the 9th Region has been so competitive that nothing is for certain. It should come as no surprise if the favorites get sent home early. The years of 2001-2003 display this competitiveness perfectly.

 

St. Henry came out of the region in 2003 and lost in a thriller to the eventual state champ I think, but wasn't their win over Ryle in the regional pretty controversial? Didn't Doellman get his nose broken AND foul out? I seem to recall a lot of discussion about the officiating in that game.

St. Henry came out of the region in 2003 and lost in a thriller to the eventual state champ I think, but wasn't their win over Ryle in the regional pretty controversial? Didn't Doellman get his nose broken AND foul out? I seem to recall a lot of discussion about the officiating in that game.

 

Ryle did not make it to the 9th Region Tournament that year although that's hard to believe with it being Doellman's senior year. They did however host it that year. St. Henry and Simon Kenton came out of the 33rd district and met once again in the 9th Region Championship game. I do recall the incident with which you speak, but I was not in attendance at that 33rd district semi-final game. Maybe somebody who was can give us blow by blow details. :fight:

I can't pinpoint the year, it may have been 1978 or 1980, but Holy Cross had a really really good team and lost 5 games in the region that year, and all 5 were to Holmes.

Twice during the regular season, the old NewCath Tourney, Districts and Region.

I believe it was 1978....not positive.

Would love to hear more stories of the 50's and 60's if anybody's got some. How about when Danny and Roger Tieman were playing? What kind of teams did CovCath have then? Didn't Newport have some great teams way back when? Does anyone remember any details of stuff like that?:confused: I guess going back too far would be a stretch. I wonder where I'd find a good history of the 9th Region. Has there ever been a comprehensive all inclusive type book written or stats that can be viewed that go way back? That would be cool if there were. Believe it or not, my dad played for CovCath back in 1936 and 1937 when they had a jump ball after every made shot.

How about the 1982 Bellevue Tigers? Jimmy Maher, Doug Schulte, Doug Miller, Steve Crittendon,Tom Bosse, Jeff Schoulties and their huge upset of the NCC Breds down at Newport in the 1st round of the Districts. That NCC team was ranked #1 in the Region that year and I think it knocked them out of the tourney. They went on to the Regional Tourney that year and I think they lost to Lloyd in the first round but that was one of Bellevue's greates teams.

Would love to hear more stories of the 50's and 60's if anybody's got some. How about when Danny and Roger Tieman were playing? What kind of teams did CovCath have then? Didn't Newport have some great teams way back when? Does anyone remember any details of stuff like that?:confused: I guess going back too far would be a stretch. I wonder where I'd find a good history of the 9th Region. Has there ever been a comprehensive all inclusive type book written or stats that can be viewed that go way back? That would be cool if there were. Believe it or not, my dad played for CovCath back in 1936 and 1937 when they had a jump ball after every made shot.

 

Not a lot of posters that go that far back, but I would like to hear about teams from the 30's-40's-50's-60's. You could certainly find some good ones - I think Dayton, Bellevue and Newport would be heard from a lot more from that era than from the last half century. It was a different game, to be sure, but Dayton High School still can lay claim to the most famous coach to ever set foot in these parts, and maybe the best coach of all-time, John Wooden (that's the guy that the Wooden Trophy is named after, and the same one that coached UCLA to NCAA championships in 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73 and 75). Coached at Dayton in the late 30's I believe.

The '03 (I think) SK team that lost to St. Henry in the regional finals was pretty good. That team was led by Mike Brock but had some pretty good players in Eric Reed and Mike Kannady to go with him. St. Henry just had their number that year.

 

I agree, watching Brock getting carried to the locker room after beating Highlands in the Region was sweet...

 

Dang St. Henry..

How about the Covington Catholic and Holy Cross teams of the late 1970's. You had the best 3 teams in one district.

 

Holmes ---- Schloemer, Jones, Meyer, Wimzie, Behle, Walton

CovCath ---- Rechtin, Macke, Mohr, Duncan, Zembrodt

Holy Cross --- List, Erledge, Lonneman, Fortner

 

Those were some intense rivaries and great basketball games!!

Holmes would have had Dicky Beal in the 70's and '80. CovCath had Jimmy Behle in the late 70's

Some players from the late 80's

Highlands- Draud, Blasingame, Cowie

NCC- Sandfoss, Pangallo, Albrink, Jacobs

Campbell Cty - Several Franzen's, Jolly, Kearns, Ken Johnson

Three of the best teams at that time. Great rivalries......

Some players from the late 80's

Highlands- Draud, Blasingame, Cowie

NCC- Sandfoss, Pangallo, Albrink, Jacobs

Campbell Cty - Several Franzen's, Jolly, Kearns, Ken Johnson

Three of the best teams at that time. Great rivalries......

 

I was gonna mention Shields last team at Highlands - 1988? Wasn't that supposed to be the team he'd waited for and stuck around to coach?

 

But, since we're in that era, shouldn't big Jack Jennings and Holmes get a mention? He put up some Draud-esque numbers and they did get to the Sweet Sixteen one year.

Not a lot of posters that go that far back, but I would like to hear about teams from the 30's-40's-50's-60's. You could certainly find some good ones - I think Dayton, Bellevue and Newport would be heard from a lot more from that era than from the last half century. It was a different game, to be sure, but Dayton High School still can lay claim to the most famous coach to ever set foot in these parts, and maybe the best coach of all-time, John Wooden (that's the guy that the Wooden Trophy is named after, and the same one that coached UCLA to NCAA championships in 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73 and 75). Coached at Dayton in the late 30's I believe.

 

Don't forget Coach Tom's Bulldogs teams of the 50s and 60s. Bob Barton, Charlie Perry, etc.

Some players from the late 80's

Highlands- Draud, Blasingame, Cowie

NCC- Sandfoss, Pangallo, Albrink, Jacobs

Campbell Cty - Several Franzen's, Jolly, Kearns, Ken Johnson

Three of the best teams at that time. Great rivalries......

 

Got some of your players and match-ups mixed up here. Some of the players from '84 would not have matched up with the guys from '87 and '88.

 

NCC - M. Sandfoss, J. Pangallo, D.Albrink - Class of "84

HHS -Maile, Lankheit, Burkart - '84

CCHS - Ken Johnson - '84

 

 

NCC - Jacobs, A. Albrink - Class of '87

HHS - Draud , Schuett- "86

Barth, Weyer, Hergott "87

Cowie, Blasingame, Cox '88

 

Not sure of the other CCHS players

Don't forget Coach Tom's Bulldogs teams of the 50s and 60s. Bob Barton, Charlie Perry, etc.

 

Little before my time, but always impressive to have two MLB baseball players in the program (Barton (Reds, Expos, etc.) and Leo Foster (Braves, Mets, etc.))

 

On the theme of guys that went on to baseball careers, one guy that never seems to get mentioned on these basketball threads, but who was an outstanding high school basketball player, was David Justice at Covington Latin in 1982. Probably one of the better Latin teams ever (I know that's a stretch), but besides a future major league all-star, they also had a Draud (Jon) and a Neltner (Scott).