The golden decade of Sistersville football — from Col. Mendenhall’s midseason departure in 1950 through George Strager’s state championship run in 1953 and John McGinnis’s steady hand to close the decade. 61 wins, 35 losses, 4 ties across ten seasons.
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Col. Mendenhall opened the season 3-1 before being recalled to the Army at midseason. George Strager took over and went 2-4 the rest of the way, closing the year at .500.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Grove | 20 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| at Wirt County | 13 | 31 | L 1-1 |
| at Tyler County | 28 | 0 | W 2-1 |
| St. Marys | 19 | 7 | W 3-1 |
| Clay-Battelle | 30 | 7 | W 4-1 |
| Calhoun County | 0 | 27 | L 4-2 |
| Doddridge County | 0 | 27 | L 4-3 |
| at Pennsboro | 7 | 59 | L 4-4 |
| Harrisville | 6 | 0 | W 5-4 |
| Magnolia | 7 | 19 | L 5-5 |
Players: Harold Hubbard, Robert Lehew, Bob Forrester, Bob Kehrer, Robert Damron, Wayne Howard, Bill Goodfellow, Bill Gregory, Ralph Huston, Bill Swisher, Rex Lapp, Gene Patterson, James Knight, Jack Fish, Jack Williams, Paul Herbold, James Sole, Bobby Joe Fisher, Don Evans, Jimmy Baker, Kenneth Mikes, John Anderson, Robert Daugherty, Mickey Sterns, Robert Wable, James Dunlap, Gail Light, Larry Wickham, Joe Miller, Ross Shuman, Jim Sutton, Robert Sommer, Auldin Shuman, Leonard Guy, Alan Hendricks, Don Archer.
Strager’s first full season was a rebuilding year. The Tigers opened with a 32-0 rout of Pine Grove but struggled in the middle of the schedule with five straight losses.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Grove | 32 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Wirt County | 6 | 6 | T 1-0-1 |
| Tyler County | 40 | 7 | W 2-0-1 |
| at St. Marys | 14 | 20 | L 2-1-1 |
| Fairview | 13 | 21 | L 2-2-1 |
| at Calhoun County | 13 | 27 | L 2-3-1 |
| at Doddridge Co. | 7 | 13 | L 2-4-1 |
| Pennsboro | 6 | 13 | L 2-5-1 |
| at Harrisville | 7 | 6 | W 3-5-1 |
| Magnolia | 6 | 32 | L 3-6-1 |
A bounce-back season that included the first-ever meeting with Paden City (a 20-6 Tiger win) and a 54-6 blowout of Pine Grove in the opener.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Grove | 54 | 6 | W 1-0 |
| at Wirt County | 21 | 25 | L 1-1 |
| at Tyler County | 21 | 0 | W 2-1 |
| St. Marys | 13 | 40 | L 2-2 |
| at Paden City | 20 | 6 | W 3-2 |
| Doddridge County | 12 | 19 | L 3-3 |
| at Pennsboro | 21 | 14 | W 4-3 |
| Harrisville | 20 | 7 | W 5-3 |
| Magnolia | 13 | 27 | L 5-4 |
Players: Donald Evans, Bobby Joe Fisher, Bob Wable, Emil Hanood, Bob Moore, Steepleton, Boston, Miller, Gregg, Baker.
The greatest season in program history. The Tigers rolled through the regular season unbeaten, then demolished Romney 27-12 in the Class ‘B’ championship at Fairmont — outscoring them 21-0 in the fourth quarter. RB Kenny Mikes (first-team All-State, UPI) accepted a Purdue scholarship; RB Bob Wable (first-team All-State, UPI), second in state scoring, was recruited by Ohio State. Mikes and Wable combined for 288 points.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Grove | 38 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Wirt County | 53 | 0 | W 2-0 |
| Tyler County | 19 | 7 | W 3-0 |
| at St. Marys | 26 | 6 | W 4-0 |
| Calhoun County | 14 | 13 | W 5-0 |
| Paden City | 41 | 6 | W 6-0 |
| at Doddridge Co. | 20 | 20 | T 6-0-1 |
| Pennsboro | 61 | 6 | W 7-0-1 |
| at Harrisville | 46 | 0 | W 8-0-1 |
| at Magnolia | 27 | 13 | W 9-0-1 |
| ★ Class ‘B’ Championship vs Romney | 27 | 12 | W 10-0-1 |
Players: Kenny Mikes, Bob Wable, Jim Sutton, Paul Gregg, Paul Herbold, Jim Baker, Bobby Joe Fisher, Paul Shreves, Bob Moore, Jim Miller, Paul Chute, Don Archer, Jim Williamson, Jerry Silliman, Alan Patterson, Allen Hendricks, Emil Hanood, Bud Buck, Joe Hayes, Jack Hayes, Pete Sterns, Donald Stokes, Joe Miller, David Boston, Larry Wickham, Robert Kinkaid, Tom Racer.
The Tigers followed up their championship with another dominant year, winning eight games and placing two players — Emil Hanood and Paul Shreves — in the North-South game in Charleston.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Wirt County | 19 | 7 | W 1-0 |
| at Tyler County | 13 | 21 | L 1-1 |
| St. Marys | 19 | 6 | W 2-1 |
| Ravenswood | 6 | 0 | W 3-1 |
| at Paden City | 27 | 0 | W 4-1 |
| at Pennsboro | 33 | 7 | W 5-1 |
| Harrisville | 33 | 7 | W 6-1 |
| Unidis | 35 | 19 | W 7-1 |
| Magnolia | 7 | 6 | W 8-1 |
| at Calhoun County | 6 | 42 | L 8-2 |
Players: Emil Hanood, Joe Hayes, Jack Hayes, Charles Knowlton, Tom Racer, Pete Sterns, Paul Shreves, Joe Peters, Gene Chute, Paul Gregg, Jim Miller, John Travis, Billy Riggs, Robert Kinkaid, Walter Bradfield, Jerry Cowgill, Roy Shreves, Paul Williamson, Victor Hisam, Forrest Buck, Peter Carroll, Gary Smith, Robert Kuehne, Jerry Silliman, Charles McCoy.
A rough start — the Tigers opened 0-3-1 — but rallied with a 33-0 rout of Williamstown and a 49-0 shutout of Harrisville before dropping two of the final three.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirt County | 13 | 27 | L 0-1 |
| Tyler County | 0 | 0 | T 0-1-1 |
| at St. Marys | 13 | 33 | L 0-2-1 |
| at Ravenswood | 7 | 34 | L 0-3-1 |
| at Williamstown | 33 | 0 | W 1-3-1 |
| Paden City | 7 | 27 | L 1-4-1 |
| Pennsboro | 40 | 7 | W 2-4-1 |
| at Harrisville | 49 | 0 | W 3-4-1 |
| Unidis | 6 | 12 | L 3-5-1 |
| at Magnolia | 27 | 14 | W 4-5-1 |
Players: Forrest Buck, Larry Archer, Carl Clark, Joe Hays, Peter Carroll, Gary Smith, Jack Hayes, Jim Lappert, Jon Peters, Gene Hisam, Robert Kuehne, Bill Riggs, Pete Sterns, John Travis, Charles McCoy, Jerry Stillman, Gene Chute.
Strager’s final season was his second-best. The Tigers won nine of ten games, the only loss coming at Ravenswood. A 53-32 shootout win over Spencer and a season-ending 14-12 nail-biter over rival Magnolia capped the year.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Wirt County | 27 | 6 | W 1-0 |
| at Tyler County | 27 | 14 | W 2-0 |
| St. Marys | 35 | 0 | W 3-0 |
| at Ravenswood | 0 | 27 | L 3-1 |
| Williamstown | 40 | 26 | W 4-1 |
| at Paden City | 28 | 6 | W 5-1 |
| at Pennsboro | 20 | 14 | W 6-1 |
| Harrisville | 26 | 0 | W 7-1 |
| Spencer | 53 | 32 | W 8-1 |
| Magnolia | 14 | 12 | W 9-1 |
Players: Chuck Goosman, Jim Hissam, Harry Buchanan, Tom Light, Frank Weekley, Tom Clegg, Gene Chute, Jerry Johnson.
New coach John McGinnis took over and immediately produced a winning record. The Tigers handled Tyler County, St. Marys, Williamstown, and Paden City convincingly, but Ravenswood and Magnolia remained nemeses.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirt County | 0 | 13 | L 0-1 |
| Tyler County | 26 | 0 | W 1-1 |
| at St. Marys | 35 | 7 | W 2-1 |
| at Ravenswood | 13 | 33 | L 2-2 |
| at Williamstown | 20 | 0 | W 3-2 |
| Paden City | 28 | 6 | W 4-2 |
| Pennsboro | 13 | 0 | W 5-2 |
| at Powhatan, OH | 48 | 7 | W 6-2 |
| at Magnolia | 6 | 19 | L 6-3 |
| at Harrisville | 0 | 19 | L 6-4 |
Players: Jack Haught, D. Freeman, Frank Weekley, Jim Faddoul, Bill Sutton, Stewart Bradfield, Elliott Thrasher, Kent Webb, Richard Givens, Terrell Riggs, Bob Boyles, Bob Williamson, J. Gandour, Gene Nail, Bob Bowen, Charles Conaley, Larry Craven, Jim Hissam, Frank Swisher.
Another winning season under McGinnis, highlighted by a 12-6 upset of Ravenswood after years of lopsided losses to them. A 7-7 tie with Williamstown was the only draw.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Wirt County | 13 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| at Tyler County | 0 | 19 | L 1-1 |
| St. Marys | 12 | 34 | L 1-2 |
| Ravenswood | 12 | 6 | W 2-2 |
| Williamstown | 7 | 7 | T 2-2-1 |
| at Paden City | 6 | 13 | L 2-3-1 |
| at Pennsboro | 14 | 7 | W 3-3-1 |
| Harrisville | 14 | 0 | W 4-3-1 |
| Powhatan, OH | 2 | 7 | L 4-4-1 |
| Magnolia | 13 | 7 | W 5-4-1 |
Players: Bob Shreves, Dick Hinerman, Junior Fox, Frank Swisher, Jim Faddoul, Eddie Johnston, John Scohy, Larry Craven, Tom Bowen, Ronnie Rutherford, John Cline, Don Martin, Alan Johnson, Bucky Stewart, Tom Milburn, Steve Sharr, Shirl Snodgrass, Herschel Thomas, K. Hayes, Gene Gatrell, Gary Wick, Alan Starkey, Ronnie Berkhimer, Wade Ash, Jim Swiger.
McGinnis closed the 1950s with a third straight winning season. The Tigers opened 2-0 with back-to-back shutouts and finished strong with wins over Pennsboro, Harrisville, and a 35-16 drubbing of New Cumberland.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirt County | 20 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Tyler County | 33 | 0 | W 2-0 |
| at St. Marys | 0 | 6 | L 2-1 |
| at Ravenswood | 6 | 12 | L 2-2 |
| at Williamstown | 6 | 0 | W 3-2 |
| Paden City | 0 | 12 | L 3-3 |
| Pennsboro | 32 | 6 | W 4-3 |
| at Harrisville | 6 | 0 | W 5-3 |
| New Cumberland | 35 | 16 | W 6-3 |
| at Magnolia | 12 | 25 | L 6-4 |
Players: Dick Hinerman, Steve Sharr, Junior Fox, John Scohy, Tom Bowen, Bob Bowen, Don Martin, Jim Hammel, Bill Deaton, Shirl Snodgrass, George Starkey, Gary Wick, Eddie Johnston, Bucky Stewart, Gary Grimes, Ronnie Whitley, Allen Wells, Jerry Waters, Dorsey Vandergrift, Jim Swiger, Gary Snodgrass, Jim Shreves, Ronnie Reed, James A. Shreves, Roy Miller, David Kyle, Donnie Johnson, Roger Hissom, Larry Hayes, Stanley Groves, Jim Bowen, Wade Ash, Ronnie Berkhimer.
A golden decade capped by a state championship and defined by two great coaches.
1953 — 10-0-1, Class ‘B’ State Champions under Coach Strager; beat Romney 27-12 in the title game
1951 — 3-6-1, a rebuilding year with five mid-season losses in a row
1953 — Kenny Mikes signed with Purdue, Bob Wable recruited by Ohio State; three Tigers named UPI First-Team All-State
George Strager (1950–56): 44-23-3 | John McGinnis (1957–59): 17-12-1