1912 marked the first full season of Sistersville football, but a high school team played intermittently from 1902–1911. From rule standardization to the Spanish flu, these early years shaped the program. Rosters are incomplete for many seasons.
View Seasons
A high school team played intermittently before organized seasons began. Key opponents: Magnolia, Woodsfield (OH).
Magnolia 0–58 (L). Record: 0–1.
Oct. 21 Magnolia 10–0 (W) → 1–0
Nov. 4 Woodsfield, OH 11–0 (W) → 2–0
Nov. 2 J. Mugsies 5–0 (W) → 1–0
Nov. 19 J. Mugsies 0–5 (L) → 1–1
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Magnolia | 5 | 18 | L 0-1 |
| Moundsville | 10 | 0 | W 1-1 |
| at Marietta, OH | 0 | 30 | L 1-2 |
| Magnolia | 0 | 25 | L 1-3 |
| Marietta, OH | 6 | 16 | L 1-4 |
| Moundsville | 0 | 0 | T 1-4-1 |
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia | 0 | 33 | L 0-1 |
| Moundsville | 0 | 10 | L 0-2 |
| Marietta, OH | 0 | 37 | L 0-3 |
| Marietta, OH | 6 | 5 | W 1-3 |
at St. Marys 21–0 (W)
at Marietta, OH 0–17 (L)
at Marietta Academy 5–0 (W)
Marietta, OH 0–6 (L)
Record: 2–2
at Marietta Academy — Unknown score; season record not provided.
at Magnolia 0–0 (T)
St. Marys 5–0 (W)
Magnolia 0–0 (T)
at St. Marys 5–0 (W)
Record: 2–0–2
1912 marked the start of modern American football: four downs to make 10 yards, six points for a touchdown, all fields a uniform 100 yards with 10-yard end zones, and forward passes permitted. The modernization was an attempt to make the sport less like rugby. At one point, President Theodore Roosevelt considered banning the sport after nearly 20 players died nationwide.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Marys | 40 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Marietta, OH | 0 | 25 | L 1-1 |
| at Marietta, OH | 0 | 47 | L 1-2 |
| Magnolia (at Paden City) | 7 | 0 | W 2-2 |
| at St. Marys | 9 | 0 | W 3-2 |
| St. Marys | 36 | 0 | W 4-2 |
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Marys | 19 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| at St. Marys | 7 | 0 | W 2-0 |
| Moundsville | 13 | 0 | W 3-0 |
| Cameron | 20 | 7 | W 4-0 |
| Wheeling | 0 | 27 | L 4-1 |
| Magnolia | 26 | 6 | W 5-1 |
Players: Shisler (Capt.), Harry Ewing, Clyde Eddy, Leon Fisk, Ross Collins, Harley Marsh, Howard Eaton, Fred Conway, Earl Crawford, Harry Stoops, Charles Stewart, John Rogers, Charles Malick, Dage Poole, Leonard Collins, Hyman Bowman.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marietta, OH | 0 | 2 | L 0-1 |
| Linsly Institute | 0 | 6 | L 0-2 |
| at Woodsfield, OH | 55 | 7 | W 1-2 |
| Magnolia | 3 | 26 | L 1-3 |
| at Woodsfield, OH | 28 | 0 | W 2-3 |
| at Moundsville | 13 | 0 | W 3-3 |
| Wheeling | 6 | 7 | L 3-4 |
| Wheeling Central | 42 | 7 | W 4-4 |
Players: Howard Eaton (Capt.), Joe Richardson, Harry Stoops, Bill Linsley, Ross Core, Ross Collins, John McCamey, Wilbur Hubbard, Humphrey Kline, Hyman Bowman, Clarence Hickman, David Sutton, Merrill Mitchell, Clyde Porter, R. Williamson, Dage Poole, Harley Marsh, Charles Malick, Travis, Beaver.
Started 0-5 with lopsided losses before rallying for three straight wins to close the year.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkersburg | 19 | 33 | L 0-1 |
| Linsly Institute | 6 | 12 | L 0-2 |
| at Caldwell, OH | 0 | 39 | L 0-3 |
| Magnolia | 8 | 38 | L 0-4 |
| Wheeling* | 7 | 77 | L 0-5 |
| Moundsville | 13 | 12 | W 1-5 |
| Wheeling Central | 16 | 6 | W 2-5 |
| Triadelphia | 32 | 0 | W 3-5 |
| Tyler County** | 12 | 28 | L 3-6 |
* at Martins Ferry, OH; ** at Paden City.
Players: Potts, Charles Malick, Harry Stoops, Sisler, Humphrey Kline, Bill Linsley, Kenney, Hays, Hyman Bowman, John McCamey, Wilbur Hubbard, Ross Collins.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 7 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Triadelphia | 35 | 0 | W 2-0 |
| Bridgeport, OH | 53 | 0 | W 3-0 |
| at Moundsville | 0 | 32 | L 3-1 |
| Wellsburg | 34 | 7 | W 4-1 |
| Linsly Institute | 26 | 12 | W 5-1 |
| at Magnolia | 0 | 35 | L 5-2 |
Players: Azar, Hubbard, Wilbur Porter, Kline, Bennett, Conway, Thorn, Bill Linsley, Bowman, Sutton, Neunschwander, Thoenen, Morris, Frye, Travis, Poole.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 7 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Linsley Institute* | 0 | 56 | L 1-1 |
| Wellsburg | 0 | 23 | L 1-2 |
| at Triadelphia | 0 | 19 | L 1-3 |
| Tyler County | 15 | 0 | W 2-3 |
| Bridgeport, OH | 48 | 0 | W 3-3 |
| Magnolia | 7 | 70 | L 3-4 |
* at Martins Ferry, OH.
Only one game played due to the Spanish flu pandemic: Nov. 28 vs. Magnolia — 0-55 (L). Record: 0-1.
Players: E. Thoenen, G. Springer, K. Norcross, J. Dwyner, Art Cunningham, Leo Kenney, Edgar Kennedy, Harold Dudley, Bill Polen, Harry Tibbins, Batin Poole, Virgil West.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 0 | 13 | L 0-1 |
| at St. Marys | 25 | 7 | W 1-1 |
| at Warwood | 48 | 0 | W 2-1 |
| Tyler County* | 59 | 0 | W 3-1 |
| Cameron | 0 | 0 | T 3-1-1 |
| at Wheeling | 0 | 47 | L 3-2-1 |
| at Tyler County | 24 | 0 | W 4-2-1 |
| Magnolia | 0 | 0 | T 4-2-2 |
* at Paden City.
Intermittent early play (1902–1911) set the stage; 1912 launched consistent seasons under modern rules.
Frequent matchups with Magnolia and St. Marys defined competitive benchmarks and local tradition.
Despite lopsided losses, the team rebounded with streaks (1915 late run; 1916 offense).
1918 Spanish flu limited play to a single game, yet the program returned to a balanced slate in 1919.
1905: Dolan; 1913: Shisler; 1914: Howard Eaton.
1909: Alderman; 1911: Dollison; 1912–14: Eberle; 1915: Morrow; 1916: Farmer; 1917: Rogers; 1918–19: Montgomery.
Paden City (1912 Magnolia; 1915 Tyler County), Martins Ferry, OH (1915 Wheeling; 1917 Linsley).