A decade of extremes — from the depths of a 1-9 season with only 14 healthy players to the greatest single-season turnaround in Ohio Valley history. Five coaches, one playoff run, and the rise of C.R. Howdyshell. 51 wins, 48 losses, 1 tie across ten seasons.
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Stewart’s second and final year produced a near-.500 record. A 68-6 demolition of Valley and a 28-6 win over Bishop Donahue closed the year on a high note.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 20 | 12 | W 1-0 |
| at Tyler County | 0 | 0 | T 1-0-1 |
| at Wirt County | 8 | 28 | L 1-1-1 |
| at Paden City | 0 | 20 | L 1-2-1 |
| at Pennsboro | 12 | 16 | L 1-3-1 |
| Harrisville | 30 | 14 | W 2-3-1 |
| St. Marys | 8 | 13 | L 2-4-1 |
| Valley | 68 | 6 | W 3-4-1 |
| Bishop Donahue | 28 | 6 | W 4-4-1 |
Players: Steve McGee, Jeff Baker, Dave Smith, Greg Rustemeyer, Lonnie Tustin, Rick Gaiser, Bill Baker, Ken Lipscomb, Harry Dotson, Mike Henthorn, Ed Dalrymple, Mike Cooper, Victor Starcher, Denver Starcher, Frank Slider, Frank Sellers, Tim Sandy, Reggie Wagner, John Mace, Chris Deaton, Mike Groves, Steve Miller, Don Evans, John Racer, Gary Hisam, Steve Deaton, Jay Swisher, Mike Eddy, Worden Rustemeyer, Larry Ice, Dave Starcher, Buddy Fiest, Roger Reed, Bob Kehrer, Bill Wright.
New coach Charles “Pork” Smith inherited a team that started 0-4 before rallying to win four of the final five games, including wins over Tyler County, Musselman, and Lumberport.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Williamstown | 0 | 21 | L 0-1 |
| at Bishop Donahue | 20 | 26 | L 0-2 |
| Wirt County | 22 | 26 | L 0-3 |
| Paden City | 6 | 12 | L 0-4 |
| at Harrisville | 28 | 26 | W 1-4 |
| at St. Marys | 2 | 7 | L 1-5 |
| Tyler County | 24 | 8 | W 2-5 |
| Musselman | 20 | 14 | W 3-5 |
| Lumberport | 18 | 12 | W 4-5 |
Players: Tim Moore, Greg Rustemeyer, David Starcher, Gary Hisam, Tim Sandy, Clay Rustemeyer, Warden Rustemeyer, Donnie Evans, Steve Deaton, Bob Kehrler, Mike Groves, Bill Wright, Rick Gaiser, Brian Jones, Mark Fisher, John Racer, David Stewart, Ken Lipscomb, Frank Slider, Bill Baker, Mark Heintzman, Richard Danser, Fred Blizzard, Jon Larue, Mike Henthorn.
Two different coaches, identical records. Insani’s 1972 team closed on a four-game winning streak capped by a 44-0 shutout of Lumberport. Swisher’s 1973 squad opened with a shutout of Williamstown and closed with a win over Warwood.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 12 | 16 | L 0-1 |
| Bishop Donahue | 36 | 19 | W 1-1 |
| at Wirt County | 0 | 22 | L 1-2 |
| at Paden City | 26 | 0 | W 2-2 |
| at Musselman | 16 | 22 | L 2-3 |
| Harrisville | 8 | 28 | L 2-4 |
| St. Marys | 28 | 12 | W 3-4 |
| Tyler County | 42 | 16 | W 4-4 |
| Frontier, Ohio | 28 | 16 | W 5-4 |
| Lumberport | 44 | 0 | W 6-4 |
Players: Ken Lipscomb, Dave Stewart, Richard Danser, Mike Henthorn, Warden Rustemeyer, Bill Baker, Tim Moore, Bill Fletcher, Mike Steele, Clay Rustemeyer, Mark Fisher, Steve Hadley, Mike Groves, Gary Elliott, Mike King, Larry Kile, Brian Tucker, Mike Stackpole, Roy Goodmiller, Steve Northcraft, Tony Bailey, Jon LaRue, Terry Cline, Reggie Wagner, Stan Stewart, Scott Kirkbride, Terry Gaiser.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Williamstown | 20 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| at Bishop Donahue | 0 | 7 | L 1-1 |
| Wirt County | 32 | 6 | W 2-1 |
| Paden City | 19 | 0 | W 3-1 |
| Parkersburg Cath. | 6 | 20 | L 3-2 |
| at Harrisville | 28 | 8 | W 4-2 |
| at St. Marys | 8 | 14 | L 4-3 |
| Tyler County | 31 | 19 | W 5-3 |
| at Frontier, Ohio | 6 | 7 | L 5-4 |
| Warwood | 20 | 13 | W 6-4 |
Players: Tim Moore, Bill Fletcher, Steve Deaton, Bill Wright, Jon LaRue, Clay Rustemeyer, Mark Fisher, Steve Northcraft, Gary Elliot, Jay Summers, Larry Howlett, Bill Patterson, Terry Cline, Mike Groves, Joe Rosenlieb, Tim Turner, Roy Goodmiller, Steve Hadley, Mike Stackpole, Bill Bell, Mike Nichols, Terry Gaiser, Tom Stewart, Kenny Thoms, Brad Deaton, Jeff Mikes, Paul Wells, Stan Stewart, Larry Kile, Terry Bailey.
Swisher’s best season. The Tigers roared to a 6-0 start — including a thrilling triple-overtime win at Wirt County — before losing to St. Marys and Warwood. They finished tied for second in Class A.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 27 | 0 | W 1-0 |
| Bishop Donahue | 28 | 18 | W 2-0 |
| at Wirt County | 27 | 20 | W 3-0 (3OT) |
| at Paden City | 26 | 12 | W 4-0 |
| at Parkersburg Cath. | 13 | 12 | W 5-0 |
| Harrisville | 20 | 0 | W 6-0 |
| St. Marys | 0 | 14 | L 6-1 |
| at Tyler County | 14 | 6 | W 7-1 |
| Frontier, Ohio | 26 | 7 | W 8-1 |
| at Warwood | 0 | 24 | L 8-2 |
Players: Stan Stewart, Bill Fletcher, Bill Patterson, Steve Northcraft, Larry Howlett, Mike Nichols, Terry Gaiser, Jay Summers, Jim Flesher, Tony Bailey, Paul Camerlin, Terry Cline, Tom Stewart, Joe Rosenlieb, Jim Stewart, Brad Travis, Albert Mylar, Craig Eddy, Jaybo Sole, Dave Anderson, Jeff Cokeley, John Kinkaid, Dan Pancake, Craig Stewart, Danny Pancake.
After the promising 8-2 campaign, Sistersville endured back-to-back 2-8 seasons. Both years featured flashes — a 32-14 opening win over Williamstown in 1975 and an overtime thriller at Harrisville — but were marked by lopsided losses and roster challenges.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Williamstown | 32 | 14 | W 1-0 |
| at Bishop Donahue | 6 | 7 | L 1-1 |
| Wirt County | 14 | 35 | L 1-2 |
| Paden City | 0 | 38 | L 1-3 |
| at Harrisville | 12 | 6 | W 2-3 (OT) |
| at St. Marys | 0 | 7 | L 2-4 |
| Tyler County | 0 | 17 | L 2-5 |
| at Frontier, Ohio | 6 | 27 | L 2-6 |
| Cameron | 0 | 6 | L 2-7 |
| Wahama | 12 | 25 | L 2-8 |
Players: Bill Patterson, John Kinkaid, Tom Stewart, Jim Stewart, Mike Nichols, Craig Stewart, Joe Rosenlieb, Jeff Wells, Dave Anderson, Steve Winters, Tim Mosser, Roger Weaver, Albert Mylar, Brad Deaton, Allan Patterson, Jay Summers, Bob Patterson, Jackson Flanigan, Bill Bell, Tom Travis, Mark Winters.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 0 | 12 | L 0-1 |
| at Wirt County | 8 | 35 | L 0-2 |
| Shenandoah, Ohio | 6 | 34 | L 0-3 |
| at Paden City | 0 | 42 | L 0-4 |
| Pennsboro | 30 | 22 | W 1-4 |
| St. Marys | 0 | 30 | L 1-5 |
| at Tyler County | 6 | 27 | L 1-6 |
| Harrisville | 34 | 14 | W 2-6 |
| at Cameron | 12 | 40 | L 2-7 |
| at Wahama | 12 | 47 | L 2-8 |
Players: Bob Patterson, Mike Sole, Bill Haley, Alan Patterson, C.R. Howdyshell, Jim Stewart, Joe Eddy, John Kinkaid, Jeff Holsapple, Randy Shuman, Tim Mosser, Roger Weaver, Steve Winters, Craig Stewart, Bobby Long, Jeff Stewart, Jackson Flanigan, Roy Craig, David Eddy, Jeff Wells, Andy Gaiser, Carl Swartzmiller, Gerald Henthorn, Bill Shepherd, Joe Eddy.
The most difficult season of the decade. New head coach Lou Nocida was suspended for the first three games by the SSAC for unauthorized offseason workouts. The team finished the year with just 14 healthy players.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Williamstown | 13 | 36 | L 0-1 |
| Wirt County | 8 | 35 | L 0-2 |
| at Shenandoah, OH | 6 | 26 | L 0-3 |
| Paden City | 7 | 26 | L 0-4 |
| Bishop Donahue | 6 | 21 | L 0-5 |
| at Pennsboro | 6 | 20 | L 0-6 |
| at St. Marys | 0 | 35 | L 0-7 |
| Tyler County | 13 | 15 | L 0-8 |
| at Harrisville | 21 | 20 | W 1-8 |
| Cameron | 7 | 19 | L 1-9 |
Players: C.R. Howdyshell, Bob Patterson, Bob Long, Rich Wilson, Joe Heintzman, Albert Mylar, Joe Eddy, Carl Swartzmiller, Jeff Wells, Bill Haley, Matt Wagner, John Carnes Chute, Bill Shepherd, Jackson Flanigan, Roger Howdyshell, Gerald Henthorn, Greg Brown, Brian Sterns, Mike Sole.
From 1-9 to 11-1 — Coach Lou Nocida orchestrated the greatest single-season turnaround in Ohio Valley and West Virginia high school football history. The Tigers completed the first 10-0 regular season in school history, earned the No. 1 Class A ranking, and reached the state playoffs before falling to Duval in the second round.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 14 | 12 | W 1-0 |
| at Harrisville | 27 | 26 | W 2-0 |
| Valley | 20 | 6 | W 3-0 |
| at Paden City | 7 | 6 | W 4-0 |
| Gilmer County | 30 | 12 | W 5-0 |
| Pennsboro | 28 | 6 | W 6-0 |
| at Bishop Donahue | 27 | 14 | W 7-0 |
| at Tyler County | 19 | 13 | W 8-0 |
| at West Preston | 18 | 7 | W 9-0 |
| at Cameron | 21 | 6 | W 10-0 |
| Playoff: Franklin | 26 | 20 | W 11-0 (OT) |
| Playoff: Duval | 7 | 34 | L 11-1 |
368 carries for 2,315 yards — 3rd most in state history — despite missing the West Preston game with a thigh injury. Finished 2nd to Curt Warner (Pineville) for the Kennedy Award.
Nocida was named The Intelligencer Ohio Valley Coach of the Year for the second time (also won in 1973 with Magnolia).
Following the historic 1978 campaign, Sistersville remained competitive, finishing 7-3 and outscoring their final three opponents 131-17. But the Tigers narrowly missed the state Class A playoffs by just 0.1 rating point — one of the most heartbreaking near-misses of the decade.
| Opponent | Us | Them | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Williamstown | 16 | 30 | L 0-1 |
| at Harrisville | 33 | 0 | W 1-1 |
| at Valley | 29 | 6 | W 2-1 |
| Paden City | 6 | 7 | L 2-2 |
| at Gilmer County | 27 | 0 | W 3-2 |
| at Pennsboro | 28 | 0 | W 4-2 |
| Bishop Donahue | 0 | 18 | L 4-3 |
| Tyler County | 49 | 3 | W 5-3 |
| West Preston | 42 | 14 | W 6-3 |
| Cameron | 40 | 0 | W 7-3 |
Players: Matt Wagner, John Carnes Chute, Tommy Archer, Brian Swisher, Mike Salmons, Joe Heintzman, Tommy Cooper, Kenny Stead, Bryon Sterns, Rick Glover, Rich Wilson, Tom Hamilton, Randy Stead, Tom Shepherd, Jerry Shepherd, Roger Howdyshell, Bill Williamson, Steve Smith, Mike Silliman, Greg Brown, Randy Kehrer.
A decade of extremes — from the depths of 1-9 to the heights of 11-1.
1978 — 11-1, greatest turnaround in Ohio Valley & W.Va. history; first 10-0 regular season; No. 1 Class A ranking
1977 — 1-9, finished with only 14 healthy players; Coach Nocida suspended for first three games
C.R. Howdyshell — W.Va. record 54 carries (1977); 2,315 rushing yards in 1978 (3rd in state history); Kennedy Award runner-up
Lou Nocida — Ohio Valley Coach of the Year (1978); engineered the most dramatic turnaround in regional history