Valley Boys & the Bruins
From Alan Robinson’s Substack — January 25, 2026
Alan Robinson’s Substack
John Wooden, Adolph Rupp wanted them badly, but these two “Valley Boys” stayed home in 1969
Allan Hornyak, Mike Carson jointly set scoring records that still stand — and turned down UCLA during its record title run
By Alan Robinson
Jan. 25, 2026
Allan Hornyak was a scoring machine, an unstoppable offensive force even on high school courts barren of three-point lines, one capable of outscoring entire teams by himself. Sometimes in a half. He still holds the national record for short-circuiting scoreboards.
Forty miles downstream on the opposite side of the Ohio River, Mike Carson was an offensive juggernaut, even in an era when dunks were banned — and he could dunk with minimal effort. An excellent shooter inside or outside and an intimidating defender, he collected rebounds as if they were as precious as $100 gold coins.
The Ohio Valley region centered in Wheeling, W.Va., has produced dozens of exceptional athletes — let’s start with John Havlicek, Bill Mazeroski, the Niekro brothers and Lou Groza — but rarely if ever has it turned out two basketball players as heavily recruited as Hornyak and Carson were in 1969.
Each was pursued by more than 100 major colleges, and nearly all of the big names. North Carolina, Ohio State, Alabama and Kansas were pushing hard for Hornyak. Kentucky, West Virginia and Southern Cal made it known they badly wanted Carson. And, most of all, UCLA wanted them both. Yes, the very Bruins who were in the midst of winning seven NCAA basketball championships in a row and nine in 10 seasons under the legendary Wizard of Westwood, coach John Wooden.
The word dynasty is often overstated in the world of sports, but in the 1960s and 1970s, the Bruins were a legitimate dynasty.
And the Bruins aggressively recruited Allan Hornyak and Mike Carson, despite having to travel 2,000-plus miles to do so.
Playing 40 miles apart along the Ohio River, Allan Hornyak and Mike Carson turned heads by combining for 4,654 points from 1965–69 … and by turning down the great UCLA
For Hornyak, the Bruins frequently sent him telegrams from whichever locale they were playing that night. For Carson, they had NBA Hall of Fame coach-general manager Red Auerbach write a detailed, personalized letter on fancy Boston Celtics stationery, extolling the virtues of playing under Wooden and collecting championships the way his Celtics did.
But, midway through their senior seasons, neither Hornyak nor Carson had made up their minds about college.
Tom Cuppett, Carson’s coach at tiny Class A Sistersville (W.Va.) High School, said one Southern school coach swore to him that Carson would start his final three college seasons. Another invited Carson, his parents and his coach to hang out with TV star Bob Hope during a weekend on campus.
“We hear from multiple Top Twenty schools every day,” said Cuppett, who arrived in Sistersville before Carson’s freshman season ostensibly to coach football, only to have the school’s best-ever basketball prospect land in his lap. (He never coached football again, by the way.) “His recruiting mail is piling up in the corner of my office, too; it’s about three feet deep currently.”
The reasons for the recruiting wars were obvious. The 6-foot-1 Hornyak was the Ohio high school counterpart of college basketball’s ace scorer at the time, Pistol Pete Maravich of LSU, albeit without all the showmanship and I-must-take-every-shot mentality. A long-range shooter later nicknamed the Bellaire Bomber, he averaged an incredible, state-leading 42.7 points per game as a junior — and, as we remind you, without the 3-point shot. He averaged 41.95 as a senior on a 20-2 team.
(Let’s slip in an editorial comment here: If there had been a 3-point line at the time, Hornyak would have averaged 50 points per game his junior and senior seasons, which would have been a national record at the time.)
On January 10, 1969, Hornyak upped the ante even more for the schools pursuing him: He scored 86 points — EIGHTY-SIX — in a 123-63 victory against nearby Warren Consolidated High School (Mazeroski’s alma mater), a quality opponent that came in with a 7-1 record.
Bellaire Bomber, indeed; Hornyak made 40 of 65 shots, including 22 of 33 in a 46-point first half, then scored 40 more in the second half — crediting teammates for passing up shots to get the ball to him. He was 6 of 11 from the foul line, but missed the front half of four 1-and-1s that, if made, would have pushed his total to nearly 90.
Afterwards, he went to an Elby’s Big Boy to get a sandwich with his girlfriend, woke up the next morning and jumped in a whirlpool to alleviate some soreness, then scored 61 — SIXTY-ONE — points that night against arch-rival Bellaire High. That’s 142 points in a span of about 26 hours. Again, the total could have been much higher; he was only 19-of-29 from the foul line against Bellaire.
At this point of the season, Hornyak probably was leaning towards signing with UCLA, and it’s no wonder. At the time, just about every high school basketball player in the country wanted to be recruited by the Bruins, despite the fact coast-to-coast recruiting at the time wasn’t nearly as extensive as it is today.
Hornyak was tempted by the sun and beaches of southern California and the talent that practiced every day inside Pauley Pavilion. He’d even been told on the sly that, while mega-talent center Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was about to graduate, the Bruins had a potentially even better replacement lined up. (And they weren’t wrong; Bill Walton signed with UCLA a year later.)
Hornyak admittedly was enamored with UCLA, even to the point of being able to name all the starters and backups.
Carson wasn’t as embedded in UCLA lore as Hornyak was, but he was the envy of nearly every West Virginia high school player: He was being recruited by UCLA and Kentucky (with Bruins chief assistant coach Gary Cunningham in charge of landing him, as he was with Hornyak).
Cunningham certainly had a lot to offer. UCLA won the national championship in 1964 and 1965 before missing the NCAA tournament in 1966, but then began a string of seven consecutive national championships from 1967–73. During the time that Hornyak and Carson would have been eligible (freshmen couldn’t play varsity at the time), the Bruins were 89-1 with three national titles. The Bruins were upset by North Carolina State in overtime in the 1974 Final Four, but rebounded to win again in 1975.
No wonder everyone wanted to go to UCLA back then. Well, almost everybody.
Carson was listed at 6-foot-8 (he would be measured in college at 6-7) and while he wasn’t as prolific a scorer as Hornyak was, he was more dominating as a rebounder (averaging 20 per game as a junior and senior) and a defender. And unlike many inside players of the day, he could score beyond the blocks; as a junior, he was 21-for-21 from the foul line in a game against Parkersburg Catholic amid a streak of 33 in a row over multiple games.
Carson averaged 31 points as a junior on a 20-4 team and 29.95 as a senior on a 22-3 team that was ranked as high as No. 5 statewide in the UPI all-classes poll. He didn’t have an 86-point game like Hornyak did, but also had a 61-point game (against Wirt County, the same team he’d scored 54 against as a sophomore).
(Sistersville, a Class A school in a town of about 2,000, or 5,000 fewer than Bellaire’s population, repeatedly picked on poor Wirt County in basketball. Eight years after Carson’s 61-point outburst, Sistersville shooting guard Richard Summers scored a school-record 74 against Wirt to cap his senior season.)
Hornyak and Carson each received national attention and made multiple All-America teams; Hornyak was chosen for the Roundball Classic in Pittsburgh, the only national all-star game at the time, but passed it up in order to preserve his baseball season eligibility. (A three-sport star, he made the All-Ohio Valley Athletic Conference football team as a quarterback.) Hornyak ended his career with 2,385 points against incrementally better competition that Carson faced; Carson, who benefitted from starting most of four seasons, had 2,269 points.
“I wonder if I’ll look back and say, ‘Gee, if I had gone here or maybe there, this wouldn’t have happened. Why did I pick this school in the first place? More than anything else, the thought of a wrong decision scares me the most.’” — Allan Hornyak
Now, looking back a half-century later, Hornyak almost certainly made the right choice. While UCLA seemed to be the front-runner, and he almost chose the Bruins, Hornyak ultimately chose to stay close to home and picked Ohio State, which was only a two-hour drive away in Columbus.
Hornyak was a big hit as a Buckeye, leading the team in scoring in 1970–71 (22.5 points per game), 1971–72 (21.6) and 1972–73 (24.0) while making All-Big Ten all three seasons and finishing with 1,572 points. He was a second-team UPI All-American in 1972 and third-team in 1973. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) and Indiana Pacers (ABA) but, no doubt hurt by his lack of size, never played a game in the NBA despite having a strong training camp with the Cavs in 1973.
A basketball junkie for sure, Hornyak kept playing for years in various summer leagues and a thriving independent circuit in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia (sometimes playing on the very Sistersville court where Carson played). After his senior season, for example, he played in an East-West all-star game in Dayton on April 1, 1973, then flew back to Wheeling to play in an independent tournament that night and the next afternoon — then immediately flew to Philadelphia for another college all-star game. The day after that, he went to Hawaii for a three-day tournament.
Hornyak, by the way, did get to play in Pauley Pavilion, but it wasn’t one of his college highlights. He was held to 10 points as then-No. 1 UCLA beat then-No. 6 Ohio State 79-53 on Dec. 30, 1971; he had four shots blocked by the great Bill Walton and went 0-for-8 in the first half while being guarded by future NBA guard Henry Bibby. UCLA would go on to finish 30-0 that season. (That first half, by the way, can be found on YouTube.)
(Another personal aside: I still think Hornyak could have made an impact in the NBA given the right team and right coach. He was the purest shooter the Ohio Valley ever produced and a natural scorer, and would have thrived shooting behind the NBA three-point line. To me, he’s the greatest high school basketball player in Ohio Valley history; others have had great pro careers (Havlicek, for one), but in high school ball, nobody was better than Hornyak. It’s almost non-debatable.)
Mike Carson, unfortunately, ended up with neither the right school nor the right coach. He visited Kentucky and was very impressed, especially by legendary coach Adolph Rupp. But a Valley Boy through and through just like Hornyak, he also chose his home-state university, West Virginia, after being recruited heavily by then-Mountaineers coach Bucky Waters.
“I’ve always wanted to attend WVU,” Carson said the night he signed his letter of intent. “It just has a certain air about it.”
Waters, however, took off abruptly for Duke in March 1969. Carson by then had pretty much decided on West Virginia and didn’t change his mind even after the Mountaineers, rather than searching nationally for a replacement, unwisely elevated assistant coach Sonny Moran to replace Waters.
It was the wrong call. Moran was a small college coach at the major college level and it showed with records of 11-15, 13-12, 13-11, 10-15 and 10-15. (The Mountaineers, by the way, also missed on their next hire, Joedy Gardner, but got it right with the next three: Gale Catlett, John Beilein and Bob Huggins.)
Carson was hurt by the quality of coaching at WVU — he would have gotten A-level coaching at Kentucky, a staff that included Catlett at the time — and the transition from playing on Sistersville’s 60-foot floor to the 94-foot major college court. But he was VERY coachable, and very well could have blossomed in a program with upper-tier coaching.
Carson averaged 11 points on the freshman team before red-shirting the following season. In 1971–72, he lettered as the top front line backup in what was a tragic season for the team. Standout forward Larry Harris was declared ineligible at midseason and then died shortly thereafter in a car accident that also badly injured starting forward Sam Oglesby, who was averaging 14 points per game but never played again.
The following season, Carson badly injured an ankle, an injury that effectively ended a career that was disappointing in its results but certainly didn’t adversely affect the even-tempered, patient and unassuming person he was.
After that, Carson was content to play summer league and independent basketball, sometimes in the same tournaments Hornyak played in. He married Anna Flesher Carson, the love of his life, and raised two sons that remain his pride and joy — well, along with his four grandkids. And his beloved hunting, of course; he never left his native Tyler County, and why should he? It was home.
What did Mike Carson miss out on by passing up Kentucky? Records of 26-2, 22-6, 21-7 and 20-8, with three teams reaching the Elite 8 and another making the Sweet 16. He would have been in elite company, too; three of his would-be teammates were Parade All-Americans and three were drafted by NBA teams; 6-foot-11 center Jim Andrews was a first-team UPI All-American.
At UCLA, Wooden, who often preferred to stay on campus to recruit, was disappointed at missing out on multiple prospects in 1969, most notably Hornyak, Carson and 6-10 Mike Fink of Redding, Calif., and took to the road to personally recruit two high school All-Americans, Tommy Curtis of Tallahassee, Fla., and Larry Farmer of Denver. (Farmer averaged 12 points per game as a Bruin senior, Curtis averaged 8.)
Not that the Bruins were lacking in talent. Hornyak and Carson potentially could have played alongside Curtis Rowe, Sidney Wicks, Henry Bibby, John Vallely, Keith “Silk” Wilkes, Swen Nater, Greg Lee and, oh yes, Walton. All played in the NBA; Walton retired as one of the game’s all-time greats.
“If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t go to WVU,” Carson told me recently in an e-mail. “In hindsight, Kentucky would have been a better choice. Rupp was a great coach. I didn’t think it through like I should (have).”
Today, that wouldn’t be an issue; he’d enter the transfer portal and be eligible somewhere else the following season. Back in the 1970s, changing schools meant sitting out a full year.
He might have traded schools, but I doubt if he’d trade his life for anyone’s. Only last summer, he was inducted into the Legends of the Ohio Valley by the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, the nation’s largest athletic conference. Here is the biographical sketch from the program that night:
OVAC Legends of the Ohio Valley
MIKE CARSON (Sistersville, Class of 1969) — The 6-foot-7 Tiger basketball center was a four-year prolific scorer and rebounder with school career records in both categories. He finished career with 2,269 points — 3rd best in Ohio Valley history at the time (now fourth best).
A three-time 1st Team Class A all-state honoree, and captain as junior and senior, he also was 1st Team all-class “Big” All-State two years and 3rd team as a sophomore. He also was 1st Team All-Valley “Small School” captain the 1st team years of selections in 1968 and 1969 when the Tigers went 22-3 and 20-4.
As a freshman, he anchored Tigers to sectional and regional titles and a berth in state Class A tournament in Huntington. He averaged over 30 points a game in final two seasons and 22.4 rebounds a game as a senior. He set a sophomore OV and state record 54 points vs. Wirt County and also tallied 61 points vs. Wirt as a senior. All-America status from Scholastic Coach, Cage Scope and Basketball Yearbook, among others.
He earned a scholarship to West Virginia U. where he was a starter on the freshman team as the second leading rebounder while averaging 10.9 points. A chronic ankle injury limited his varsity play including missing one season. He lettered on the 1972 varsity.
He resides in Tyler County.
Hornyak also is an OVAC Hall of Fame member but, sadly, passed away on Aug. 25, 2025 at the age of 74 in Cincinnati, where he had moved to be near his daughter; he spent nearly all of his adult life in the Bellaire area. Like Mike Carson, he enjoyed hunting and was described by friends as down to earth, caring, unassuming and a good person who never once bragged about his basketball success.
In other words, both Allan Hornyak and Mike Carson were All-Americans in life, just as they were on the basketball court. And they didn’t need a letterman’s jacket from UCLA or Kentucky to prove it.
Alan Robinson can be reached at alanrobinson480@gmail.com
Kenny Mikes
Class of 1954 — The only Sistersville athlete to make all-state in three sports
If there’s one class among all those that graduated from Sistersville High School capable of making a legitimate argument to being the best athletically, it’s the Class of 1954.
No doubt Kenneth “Kenny” Mikes could state quite the case.
The Class of 1954: A Championship Football Season
The Sistersville High School Class of 1954 produced one of the most dominant football seasons in school history — and in the state of West Virginia.
Season Record
A 10-0-1 record and a Class B state championship in football, back when there were only two classes in West Virginia.
State-Level Competition
The title was won against teams that would soon be in Class AA — making the achievement all the more remarkable.
Championship Victory
A come-from-behind victory over Romney in the Class B state championship game sealed the historic season.
The 1953 Class B State Championship football team — 10-0-1 record
Football Season Scores
The football team put together a dominant run of results throughout the season, including a decisive championship victory:
| Opponent | SHS | Opp |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Grove | 53 | 0 |
| Elizabeth | 19 | 14 (Tyler) |
| Grantsville | 14 | 13 |
| St. Marys | 26 | 6 |
| Paden City | 41 | 6 |
| Doddridge | 20 | 20 |
| Pennsboro | 61 | 6 |
| Harrisville | 46 | 0 |
| Magnolia | 27 | 13 |
| Romney (Championship) | 27 | 13 |
CLASS B CHAMPIONS — Winners 27, Romney 13
A Championship Basketball Season
The 1953-54 Tigers
The Class of 1954 didn’t stop at football. The basketball team was equally dominant, finishing with a 22-2 record and an LKC championship.
The Two Losses
To Parkersburg — the state’s largest high school
To Chester in overtime in the regional finals
Key Victories
Paden City — three times
Magnolia — twice (81-48 and 68-33)
St. Marys — twice (74-46 and 91-57)
Williamstown (88-42)
Spencer (53-52) in the LKC championship game
All-State Honors & Combined Records
The combined senior class record of 32-2-1 was the best in school history. The individual honors were equally extraordinary.
Football All-State
Four first-team all-state football players: Mikes, Bob Wable, Bobby Joe Fisher, and Jim Sutton. Plus a second-team player in Paul Chute.
Basketball All-State
One first-team all-state basketball player in Mikes, who not only made the Class B all-state team but the United Press all-classes first team. He made the second team Big All-State team (all classes) by the state sportswriters association.
Big Ten Recruits
Two football players recruited by Big Ten teams: Mikes (Purdue) and Bob Wable (Ohio State). Wable was the second-leading scorer in the state and combined with Mikes for 288 points. Each scored two touchdowns in the come-from-behind victory over Romney in the Class B state championship game.
Baseball: All-State in Three Sports
The baseball team won the sectional championship, defeating St. Marys 2-0 as Mikes pitched a two-hit shutout. The Tigers were eliminated in the regional tournament by Parkersburg 14-5. Mikes was chosen third team all-state in baseball.
Members of the team included Mikes, Bob Wable, Jim Sutton, Paul Herbold, Allen Hendricks, Paul Plumb and Don Stokes.
Three-Sport All-State
That’s right: Kenny Mikes made all-state in three sports as a senior: first team in football and basketball, third team in baseball. He’s the only Sistersville athlete to ever do so.
(Did he think about playing golf, too?)
Kenny Mikes at Purdue
Mikes went on to play two varsity seasons at Purdue (freshmen weren’t eligible at the time). During a time when offenses were far less proficient in the Big Ten than they are now, Mikes put up impressive numbers across two seasons.
The school paper wrote during his senior season how he led the Boilermakers in “punting, pass defending and breakaway running.”
The Defining Moment: Purdue vs. Michigan State, 1957
The highlight of Mikes’ senior year was his decisive touchdown in Purdue’s 20-13 upset victory at top-ranked Michigan State on Oct. 19, 1957 before a record stadium crowd of 64,950.
Kenny Mikes’ decisive touchdown in Purdue’s 20-13 upset of #1 Michigan State, October 19, 1957
The 1957 Season in Context
Purdue came into the Michigan State game at 0-3, but the losses were to formidable opponents. The Boilermakers then went on a remarkable run to close out the season.
Loss to Notre Dame
One of three early-season losses that put Purdue at 0-3 heading into the Michigan State matchup
Loss to No. 3 Minnesota
Another early defeat against a top-ranked opponent
Loss to No. 16 Wisconsin
Third early loss, all against ranked teams
Upset of #1 Michigan State
Mikes’ decisive TD in a 20-13 victory before 64,950 fans — the turning point of the season
Five of Final Six Won
Purdue ended the season winning five of its final six, with the only other loss at No. 6 Ohio State
A Teammate Named Len Dawson
One of Mikes’ teammates during his junior season at Purdue was quarterback Len Dawson, who would go on to win Super Bowl IV with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1969 season.
From the halls of Sistersville High School to the Big Ten at Purdue, Kenny Mikes left a legacy unmatched in his hometown — the only Sistersville athlete to ever make all-state in three sports, a Class B state champion, a Big Ten punting leader, and the man who scored the decisive touchdown in one of Purdue’s most memorable upsets.
Sistersville Legacy
Only athlete in school history to make all-state in three sports in a single senior year.
Class of 1954
Combined senior class record of 32-2-1 — the best in Sistersville High School history.
Purdue Career
Led the Big Ten in punting and scored the decisive TD in a 20-13 upset of top-ranked Michigan State.
Mike Carson — Tigers’ Only Basketball All-American
Class of 1969 — 6-foot-7 center who attracted 125+ college offers
Sistersville High School played scholastic basketball for nearly 100 years, and only one player during that time — 6-foot-7 Mike Carson, Class of 1969 — made multiple legitimate national All-American teams, including the prestigious Scholastic Magazine team and four preseason All-American teams.
— Alan Robinson
A Career That Defined an Era
Mike Carson became a starter midway through his freshman season in 1965-66 and helped lead the Tigers to the four-team state Class A semifinals in Huntington — the only time in his career he played in the state event.
Once he began scoring, he didn’t stop. He had two games of 20-plus points as a freshman (27 against Wirt and 20 against Tyler) and 15 games of 20 or more as a sophomore, when he first made all-state. (Including 54 points against Wirt and 35 the following game against Ravenswood.)
As a junior, he had a three-game stretch of 41, 45 and 41 points in which he made 39 of 41 free throws (including a then Ohio Valley and state record of 21-for-21 against Parkersburg Catholic, and a state record 33 in a row). During four tournament games that season, he averaged 32 points and ended up leading the state with a 30.4 average. He averaged 29.96 as a senior.
During Mike’s junior and senior seasons, Sistersville ranked as high as No. 5 in the UPI all-class (AAA, AA and A) state rankings on multiple occasions. He had a career high of 61 points in his final career home game (against Wirt County again). About the same time, a national story by AP sports writer Ed Rice from Charleston appeared in dozens of newspapers nationwide, including many big cities.
Career Highlights at a Glance
Mike Carson Is the Answer To Many a Basketball Coach’s Dream
The Player
By Ed Rice, AP Sports Writer
SISTERSVILLE, W.Va. (AP) — He can run, he can shoot and he’s nearly 6-foot-9 — the answer to many a basketball coach’s dreams.
He’s Mike Carson, center for tiny Sistersville (W.Va.) High School. Sistersville is an Ohio River town with a population of 2,300.
The schools that have contacted Carson, one way or another, include Kentucky, Southern California, Indiana, Illinois, Duke, North Carolina, Davidson, Maryland, Kansas, New York University, Dayton, Kent State, Ohio State, Ohio University, Rutgers, Arizona and Oklahoma.
“Any one you can think of, they’ve contacted him,” Sistersville Coach Tom Cuppett said.
What Has Attracted All the Attention?
Carson, touted as the best big man in West Virginia high school basketball, led the state in scoring last year with a 30.4 average. So far this year he’s averaging more than 32 points and 23 rebounds a game.
Here’s what Cuppett says about his star player:
“He’s rated as a very good shot. He can dunk the ball flat footed with both hands. He’s unbelievable. I’ve seen him hook four straight from inside the key where the fouls are shot.”
“He could be averaging close to 50 points if we went to him exclusively. But we won’t do that. We never have.”
The Man Behind the Numbers
The 17-year-old weighs 208 and is gaining. Cuppett said Carson takes vitamins and drinks a diet supplement. He also lifts weights to build his strength.
“One game we didn’t go to him at all hardly the first half. We just stuck him over in a corner and told him to stand there. They came off him in the second half and he scored more than 20 points. He had 33 for the game.”— Coach Tom Cuppett
Among the 125 coaches interested in Carson is Raymond “Bucky” Waters of West Virginia.
“We make no secret about it, he’s one of ours. He’s a West Virginian and we’d like to have him come to WVU. Carson definitely has potential. I think he’d be a credit to any college. And he’s a fine boy too.”— Coach Bucky Waters, WVU
The Mountaineer coach also noted the Sistersville basketball court is very small, “not conducive to getting him to move and do the things he’ll have to do on a larger court.” Right now Waters seems to have the inside track to Carson, but his choice of colleges is still undecided.
Clay’s Corner: Mike Carson, Please Stay Home
He’s 17 years old, he weighs 206 pounds, he stands 6-9, he’s a senior, he can run and shoot, he’s Mike Carson, center for the Sistersville High School basketball team.
Many sports fans have never even heard of Sistersville. It’s a small Ohio River town with a population of 2,300.
I had the good fortune of watching Mike and the Tigers play when he was a freshman. It was a regional tournament game held at the St. Mary’s high school gym. The Tigers’ competition that night were the Glenville Pioneers. Mike’s personal opposition was Kenny Fisher, a 6-6 senior now attending Glenville State College and playing for Coach Jesse Lilly’s Pioneers.
Mike was the most talented player on the floor in my opinion. He could run, pass, shoot, jump better than any other player on the floor that night. Although only a freshman, Mike was definitely the finest big man I had the pleasure to see that year.
Since then, Mike has improved his shooting, jumping, passing and running. Also, he has grown three inches in height.
Mike is what most sports fans call, a “one-man team”. Playing on a team from a school the size of Sistersville, Mike has not had the pleasure of playing against tough competition yet.
Mike is a fine student and as nice a gentleman as you could meet, on and off the floor. He’s not a selfish ballplayer. He could average 50 points a game, but he prefers to pass off to his teammates, even when he knows he has a better chance to score.
Just a few of the schools that have contacted Mike are Kentucky, Southern California, Indiana, Illinois, Duke, North Carolina, Davidson, Maryland, Kansas, New York University, Dayton, Kent State, Ohio State, Ohio University, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Arizona and West Virginia University.
Mike was the state’s leading scorer last year with a 30.4 ppg. average. So far this season he’s averaging more than 32 points and 23 rebounds a game. He’s expected to hit the 2,600-point high school career mark this season.
Coach Bucky Waters at WVU, sung a right nice song in 1967. It went like this: “Carey Bailey, won’t you please come home”. All indications show that Bucky will be singing the song a little different this year. Something like, “Mike Carson, won’t you please stay home”.
State Record in Foul Shots Is Matched
The Record Performance / AP
Mike Carson, a 6-foot-7½ junior at Sistersville High School, sank 21 of 21 foul shots in a 78-68 basketball triumph over host Parkersburg Catholic Friday night. He scored 43 points.
The perfect performance ties the West Virginia high school record, according to a Wheeling Intelligencer sports writer, Doug Huff, who keeps such records as a hobby.
Huff said the previous 21-of-21 free throw shooting was by Ralph Bennett of Elkins in a game against Clarksburg Roosevelt-Wilson in December, 1963.
Around the State That Night
Richwood’s Mike Triplett poured in 38 points but the Lumberjacks dropped a three-overtime 104-103 decision to eighth-ranked Princeton. The regulation game ended at 80 and the first two overtimes ended in ties of 93 and 98.
Charleston’s slick Mountain Lions, only unbeaten Class AAA team and ranked overwhelming No. 1 in the United Press International poll, showed why again Friday. With all-state Curtis Price playing half the game and flipping in 11 points, the Lions routed third-ranked Parkersburg 92-51.
Second-ranked Williamson walloped Huntington St. Joseph 86-47 and fourth-ranked Mullen’s mauled Oceana 83-64. However, fifth-ranked Huntington lost 70-60 to Portsmouth, Ohio, and sixth-ranked Wheeling lost for the second time this season to 10th-ranked Triadelphia 75-69.
Season-by-Season Scoring Records
The following tables document Mike Carson’s complete game-by-game scoring across his freshman to junior seasons at Sistersville. His senior season stats are located in the section “Stats Sheet,” along with other great single season statistical performances in school history.
Freshman Year (Compiled by Roy C. Heinlein)
| Team | Goals | Fouls | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsboro | 1 | 0-2 | 2 |
| Magnolia | 0 | 0-1 | 0 |
| Bishop Donahue | 5 | 4-8 | 14 |
| Harrisville | 1 | 1-1 | 3 |
| Williamstown | 2 | 2-3 | 6 |
| Wirt / Paden City | 2 | 1-2 | 5 |
| Park. Catholic | 1 | 2-3 | 4 |
| Tyler | 3 | 1-2 | 7 |
| St. Marys | 3 | 4-8 | 10 |
| Magnolia | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| St. Marys | 7 | 2-5 | 16 |
| Paden City | 3 | 3-6 | 9 |
| Park. Catholic | 1 | 1-1 | 3 |
| Tyler | 8 | 4-4 | 20 |
| Harrisville | 4 | 0-1 | 8 |
| Wirt / Pennsboro | 12 | 3-8 | 27 |
| Bishop Donahue | 4 | 0-2 | 8 |
| Williamstown | 4 | 1-2 | 9 |
| Wirt | 7 | 1-2 | 15 |
| Pennsboro | 9 | 0-0 | 18 |
| Sectional: Tyler | 6 | 0-0 | 12 |
| Sectional: Paden City | 4 | 7-10 | 15 |
| Regional: Barracksville | 6 | 7-8 | 19 |
| Regional: Bethany | 3 | 5-5 | 11 |
| State: Williamson Lib. | 3 | 4-5 | 10 |
| TOTALS | 99 FG | 43-88 | 251 |
Sophomore Year
| Team | Goals | Fouls | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wirt | 8 | 6-8 | 22 | 24 |
| Pennsboro | 10 | 2-6 | 22 | 33 |
| Magnolia | 2 | 5-7 | 9 | 18 |
| Harrisville | 23 | 2-4 | 28 | 25 |
| Williamstown | 12 | 2-3 | 26 | 21 |
| Alumni | 9 | 3-3 | 21 | 16 |
| Paden City | 8 | 4-4 | 20 | 15 |
| Park. Catholic | 6 | 3-3 | 15 | 20 |
| Tyler | 7 | 2-3 | 16 | 19 |
| Pennsboro | 9 | 2-4 | 20 | 18 |
| St. Marys | 2 | 2-5 | 6 | 16 |
| Magnolia | 5 | 4-5 | 14 | 23 |
| St. Marys | 9 | 4-7 | 22 | 21 |
| Paden City | 9 | 7-11 | 25 | 16 |
| Park. Catholic | 10 | 6-10 | 26 | 18 |
| Tyler | 9 | 3-4 | 21 | 24 |
| Harrisville | 23 | 5-6 | 31 | 18 |
| Ravenswood | 15 | 12-16 | 42 | 24 |
| Williamstown | 6 | 0-1 | 12 | 15 |
| Wirt | 21 | 12-18 | 54 | 27 |
| Ravenswood | 16 | 3-7 | 35 | 26 |
| Reg. Season | 199 | 89-135 | 487 | |
| Sectional: Pennsboro | 9 | 5-6 | 23 | |
| Sectional: Wirt | 11 | 1-4 | 23 | |
| Sectional: Williamstown | 6 | 1-2 | 13 | |
| TOTAL | 546 |
Junior Year Scoring & Recognition
| Team | Goals | Fouls | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirt | 16 | 9-11 | 40 |
| Pennsboro | 7 | 5-11 | 19 |
| Magnolia | 12 | 8-16 | 32 |
| Harrisville | 10 | 2-2 | 22 |
| Williamstown | 7 | 17-27 | 31 |
| Paden City | 18 | 4-5 | 40 |
| Park. Catholic | 13 | 9-13 | 35 |
| Pennsboro | 9 | 2-6 | 20 |
| St. Marys | 6 | 6-8 | 18 |
| Magnolia | 7 | 3-7 | 17 |
| St. Marys | 14 | 13-15 | 41 |
| Park. Catholic (21-21 FT record) | 12 | 21-21 | 45 |
| Tyler | 18 | 5-5 | 41 |
| Paden City | 11 | 5-8 | 27 |
| Harrisville | 16 | 4-5 | 36 |
| Ravenswood | 10 | 9-16 | 29 |
| Williamstown | 9 | 6-10 | 24 |
| Wirt | 13 | 3-6 | 29 |
| Ravenswood | 9 | 6-9 | 24 |
| Missed Tyler game due to illness | 4 | ||
| Sectional: Williamstown | 12 | 6-7 | 30 |
| Sectional: Tyler | 18 | 4-6 | 40 |
| Regional: Normantown | 12 | 2-6 | 26 |
| Regional: Barracksville | 14 | 5-9 | 33 |
Sistersville High School Press Release — March 1968
Carson Led State Scorers!
Sistersville, W.Va., 25 March — Sistersville Tiger cager Mike Carson, W.Va.’s leading scorer for the 1967-68 campaign, has been picked on the Wheeling Intelligencer All-Valley team for this past season. Carson was the first of the two centers named to the 8-man “small” school team. He was one of 5 juniors picked on the two 8-man aggregations (small school and big school).
The choice was actually no surprise since Carson was West Virginia’s leading scholastic scorer for the 67-68 campaign. Mike netted 699 points in 23 regular season tilts for a 30.4 ppg norm. This, in addition to leading all W.Va. ‘A’ performers, made Mike the leading W.Va. scorer, regardless of school classification. Mike is a 6-8 junior center, weighing 200 lbs.
Probably State’s High Rebounder, Too
Mike was probably the leading rebounder in West Virginia too. He had a 24.8 rebounds per game average, which should put him head and shoulders above any other cager. Even though only a junior Mike is usually recognized as the state’s premier pivotman. He has already received over 75 concrete college offers, with more letters pouring in each day. The offers have ranged from schools as far away as California, Texas, Florida, etc.
All-State Too?
Big Mike was an all-state pick last season as a sophomore, when he had a 25 ppg norm. With the all-state selections to be released sometime this weekend, Mike should make the W.Va. All-State team again this season. Hopes are generally high in Sistersville that in addition to being selected to the Class ‘A’ All-State squad, Mike will also be “first-team” center on the “All-All State” team. This is the squad where the best 8 men are chosen at their positions regardless of school size. Certainly Mike has more credentials for the position than any other of his challengers.
Legacy & Recruiting: The Most Sought-After Tiger
Mike Carson was the most recruited basketball player in school history, generating interest from more than 125 colleges — including national champion UCLA and Kentucky. He visited Kentucky, where he was heavily recruited by legendary coach Adolph Rupp, before eventually signing with home state West Virginia.
During his senior season, Mike Carson and Allan Hornyak of nearby Bellaire, Ohio, St. John’s were arguably the most two heavily recruited players in Ohio Valley history. For my Substack site, I wrote a story in 2026 outlining the recruiting of Hornyak and Carson that season.
Career Points: 2,269
Third in Ohio Valley history at the time. Hornyak was first with 2,385, including an 86-point game against Warren Consolidated. Mike still ranks 10th all-time in West Virginia scoring (Josh Delawder of Paw Paw leads with 2,965 points).
Sophomore Record Stands
Mike’s 54 points against Wirt County in 1967 remain nearly 60 years later as the most by a sophomore in West Virginia history.
Three-Time First-Team All-State
He is the only three-time first-team all-state basketball player in school history — a distinction that remains unmatched at Sistersville High School.
The Substack story written about Mike and his recruiting is included on this site. — Alan Robinson
Radar Richard: The Legend of Richard Summers
The greatest scorer in Sistersville High School history
Drive by Richard Summers’ home on Route 18 just outside Sistersville in the 1970s, and you’d notice an outdoor basketball hoop — the grass worn away by hour after hour of shooting, mostly from the outside. This is where Richard Summers became Radar Richard, the nickname given to him by Charleston Daily Mail sports writer Chuck Landon.
One of West Virginia’s Greatest Scorers
Richard Summers wasn’t just the greatest scorer in Sistersville High School history — he was one of the greatest in West Virginia history. His 38.2 points per game scoring average in 1977–78 remains the highest in the last 63 years, or since Mick Cooper of Harman averaged 41.3 in 1963.
Note: Josh Delawder of Paw Paw is the state’s all-time leader in total points, but his highest single-season average was 37.8 in 1999–2000.
More Than a Scorer
Elite Rebounder
A strong rebounder averaging 12.2 rebounds per game, Summers was far more than a one-dimensional offensive threat.
Underrated Athlete
At 6-foot-2, he was an underrated jumper who won several dunk contests after his senior season, including one run by WVIAC scoring leader Archie Talley of Salem.
Team Leader
Sistersville’s leading scorer and rebounder, Summers helped the Tigers to three 20-win seasons in four years under coach Ray Barnhart.
The State Tournament: Radar Locked & Loaded
In the third quarter of Sistersville’s 80–66 loss to Meadow Bridge in the 1977 state tournament semifinals, Summers attempted seven shots — and made every one. Every shot was from the outside, in the pre-3-point-line era.
Afterward, Charleston Gazette writer Terry Marchal walked off the distances on the court. Every shot was from at least 19 feet — what later became the 3-point standard for high schools. Had the line been in effect, Summers’ 28-point game would have included 20 or 21 points in that quarter alone — the greatest one-quarter shooting display in state tournament history.
74 Points Against Wirt County
The highlight of his senior season: a school-record 74-point game against Wirt County in a 113–88 win — the most points by any Ohio Valley player since Allan Hornyak of Bellaire St. John’s scored 81 in 1969. That night, Summers scored 21 points in both the first and third quarters and 16 each in the second and fourth.
121 Points in 26 Hours
Sistersville was in a stretch of makeup games caused by brutal winter weather — making this back-to-back scoring feat all the more remarkable.
The Shootout: Summers vs. Fonner
Summers and Gary Fonner of Bishop Donahue engaged in a season-long scoring duel for the state and Ohio Valley lead. Their rivalry drew such interest that Sistersville’s game at Bishop Donahue was moved to the Wheeling Civic Center. Fonner won that matchup 49–29, but Radar Richard got his revenge.
Feb. 28 — The Rematch
Summers outscored Fonner 54–40 in a thrilling 101–100 Sistersville home victory, scoring 41 of his 54 points in the second half — 18 in the third quarter and 23 in the fourth.
Marshall’s Stu Aberdeen Was There
Marshall University’s late coach Stu Aberdeen scouted Summers that night and later called it “the most exciting high school game he ever saw.” His assistant C.J. Woollum said, “He got so excited, I had to pull him down to his seat several times.”
A Season for the Record Books
74 Points
School record vs. Wirt County — tied for 2nd most in WV history, behind Danny Heater’s 135 in 1960.
59 & 55 Points
Additional monster games against Cameron (59) and Williamstown (55) among seven 40-point games that season.
15 × 30+ Points
Scored 30 or more points 15 times and 20 or more points 18 times in his senior season.
38.2 PPG
Season scoring average, edging rival Fonner’s 33.4. Career total: 1,824 points at 26.4 per game.
Chuck Landon on “Radar Richard”
“When the Sistersville town clock strikes basketball, it’s ‘Summers-time’ in the little northern town… Trying to stop Richard is like holding dry ice — you’re going to get burned.”
By the Numbers — Early Season
Summers was shooting 60.4% from the field and 97% from the foul line, averaging 24.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Doug Hall of the Wheeling Intelligencer said: “He’s the best shooter I’ve seen in our area of West Virginia in the last 10 years — but he’s much more than a mere shooter.”
Marshall University coaches visited Summers four times to watch him play.
A Legacy That Will Never Be Broken
By the time his career ended, Summers — a third-team all-stater as a junior and first team as a senior — set records that likely wouldn’t have been broken even if Sistersville High had remained open another 100 years.
He went on to play at Concord College, then graduated into coaching and teaching, becoming principal of one of the largest junior high schools in the state in Parkersburg. He also coached Tyler Consolidated’s girls volleyball teams to state championships in a 25-year second career.
Has anybody checked to see if the grass has grown back yet?
Bill Patterson
No matter the sport, Bill Patterson could play it — and play it very well.
Bill Patterson
No matter the sport, Bill Patterson could play it — and play it very well.
A Two-Sport All-State Legend
All-State Football
Made first-team all-state as a defensive end twice — in 1974 and 1975. Helped Sistersville go 8-2 in 1974, its best record in a 10-year stretch.
All-State Basketball
First-team all-state basketball in 1976, co-captain of the team. Made second-team all-state in 1975. Played on a state tournament team as a sophomore.
Historic Achievement
First Sistersville athlete since Kenny Mikes in 1953–54 to earn first-team all-state in two sports in the same academic year.
The Gym Rat
Bill Patterson was first noticed by coach Ray Barnhart during his freshman year for one simple reason: he was always in the gym. Every summer morning around 10 a.m., you could hear the pound-pound-pound of his basketball on the outdoor City Park court — shooting on his own, out of season, without being asked.
That dedication earned him a varsity spot as a freshman, and it set the foundation for everything that followed.
Sophomore Breakthrough: 23-2
The Turnaround
Patterson helped Sistersville transform from a 13-9 team in 1972–73 to a 23-2 state tournament team in 1973–74 — the best record in school history — as a sophomore starter.
Breakthrough Game
His defining moment that season came in one of the Tigers’ only two losses — a 35-point effort against Paden City. It announced to the state that a new force had arrived in Sistersville basketball.
Junior Year: All-Ohio Valley Honors
As a junior, Patterson averaged 20.7 points per game and earned a spot on The Intelligencer All-Ohio Valley team — even as Sistersville regressed to a 10-11 record. His individual excellence shone through a difficult team season.
Offensive Standout
20.7 points per game average, earning All-Ohio Valley recognition despite the team’s losing record.
Football Dominance
Credited with 11 sacks and multiple turnovers generated as a defensive end, earning first-team all-state football honors.
Senior Season: 22.7 Points, 16.1 Rebounds
Coach Barnhart revamped his offense to create more opportunities for Patterson and rising sophomore Richard Summers, adding faster, more athletic players and getting the ball to point guard Randy Shuman. Patterson responded with his finest season: 22.7 points and 16.1 rebounds per game, a season high of 39 points, and an 18-2 regular season record (22-3 overall).
The Rivesville Heartbreak
Despite being one of the most talented teams in school history, Sistersville was ousted in the regional finals by Rivesville, 59-50. It can be argued this was the best basketball team in school history — but it ran into one of the best Class A teams in state history.
Rivesville’s Dominance
The Rams went undefeated and won the state basketball title — and were also 10-0 in football, somehow missing the four-team state playoffs.
A Missed Opportunity
The Class A state tournament field wasn’t nearly as stacked as usual. Had Sistersville gotten past Rivesville, it might have had its best shot ever at a basketball title.
More Than Stats: A Complete Player
Patterson wasn’t the flashy scorer that Richard Summers was, nor a stat-sheet loader in football like the Swishers. What set him apart was excelling in multiple ways across multiple sports — consistent scoring, rebounding, and defending in basketball; run-stopping and quarterback harassment in football.
He played very few bad games and a whole lot of very good ones.
He was recognized for leading his senior team not just statistically but on and off the court, being selected as the all-state and all-Ohio Valley first-team co-captain.
Salem College: 1,000+ Points
Patterson went on to become a multiple-year starter at Salem College, where he eventually played again under coach Ray Barnhart. He transitioned to a sixth-man role as a senior after being a consistent starter and scorer as a sophomore and junior — and still finished his college career with more than 1,000 points.
No matter what role or position he was asked to play, Bill Patterson played it — and played it well.
A Legacy of Versatility
Basketball
First-team all-state, all-Ohio Valley, state tournament team, 22.7 PPG senior year, 1,000+ college points.
Football
Two-time first-team all-state defensive end, 11 sacks as a junior, part of Sistersville’s best team in a decade.
Historic Honor
First Sistersville athlete since 1953–54 to earn first-team all-state in two sports in the same academic year.
Salem later added a water polo team. Too bad he wasn’t in school then — he might have been very good at that sport, too.
C.R. Howdyshell — The Resuscitator
The story of the greatest single-season turnaround in Ohio Valley and West Virginia football history — and the young running back who refused to let his program die.
A program on the ropes, 1977
On the Ropes in 1977
Despite the hiring of coach Lou Nocida — a former Ohio Valley Coach of the Year at nearby Magnolia — Sistersville High School football was in dire straits heading into the 1977 season. Sistersville was one of the first schools in West Virginia to field a football team, yet the program had fallen to a critical low point.
Only 19 Players
An alarmingly low number showed up in August for preseason practice. There wasn’t much size, much speed, or much ability to manufacture plays on offense or stop them on defense.
A Coach’s Grim Assessment
At one point, Nocida told his junior running back Howdyshell plainly: “They’re trying to bury football around here.” The program’s very survival was in question before the season even began.
“We’ll Unbury It.”
C.R. Howdyshell
They’re trying to bury football around here.— Coach Lou Nocida to C.R. Howdyshell, 1977
Howdyshell’s response was immediate and defiant: “We’ll unbury it.” That attitude defined everything that followed. When the 1977 season produced a 1-9 record and there was almost nobody else to carry the ball, Howdyshell stepped up without hesitation.
The 53-Carry Game
At one point during the 1-9 season, Howdyshell declared, “I’ll carry it 75 times.” He nearly made good on that promise, carrying a state record 53 times against Pennsboro — a remarkable display of will and endurance that foreshadowed what was coming in 1978.
Offseason Leadership
Howdyshell didn’t wait for the next season to begin. He helped recruit more players to the program and was a driving force in the offseason workout program — taking personal ownership of the team’s revival long before a single snap was taken.
The Greatest Turnaround in Ohio Valley History
What happened in 1978 at Sistersville High School was, by any measure, extraordinary. The Tigers went from 1-9 to 11-1, ranked No. 1 in Class A in West Virginia, and advanced all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Duval. Coach Nocida himself said:
We’ve come farther than that. I’ve never seen anything like this. What has happened here is almost unbelievable. I never dreamed I would experience anything like this in football.— Coach Lou Nocida
A Season for the Record Books
While the turnaround was anything but a one-man show, Howdyshell was a show unto his own in 1978. His individual statistics that season set Ohio Valley records that stood as a testament to his extraordinary workload and performance.
389 Carries
An Ohio Valley record for carries in a single season — a staggering workload for any back at any level of football.
2,315 Yards
An Ohio Valley record for rushing yards in a single season, achieved despite missing one game with an injury.
23 Touchdowns
140 points scored on the season, a remarkable output for a single-wing back carrying the full offensive burden.
210 Yds/Game
A remarkable per-game average, including a 317-yard game against Gilmer County — one of the finest individual performances in Ohio Valley history.
Honors & Recognition
Howdyshell’s 1978 season earned him recognition at every level — local, regional, and statewide. His combination of raw statistical dominance and exceptional leadership made him one of the most celebrated players in West Virginia that year.
First Team All-State
Named to the first team all-state squad in West Virginia Class A, recognizing him as one of the premier players in the state regardless of classification.
All-Valley Co-Captain
Named co-captain of The Intelligencer’s All-Valley team, honoring the best players across the entire Ohio Valley region.
Kennedy Award Runner-Up
Finished as runner-up to state rushing leader Curt Warner of Pineville for the prestigious Kennedy Award — the same Curt Warner who would go on to NFL stardom.
The Press Takes Notice
News-Register Sports Editor Bill Van Horne chronicled the remarkable turnaround at Sistersville, calling it “the most dramatic turn-around in the history of Ohio Valley high school sports.”
Van Horne noted that Howdyshell — running out of the “I” formation — had accumulated 1,286 yards in five seasons and carried a school record 1,277 yards, weighing in at 180 pounds. His brother Roger Howdyshell was also part of the squad, as was center Ken Stead, who moved in from Tazewell, Virginia, adding depth to a roster that had been rebuilt from near nothing.
Van Horne’s coverage captured the spirit of a program reborn — and a player who kept getting better with every carry.
Van Horne on Sports — Bill Van Horne, News-Register Sports Editor
Coach Nocida’s Testimony
I’ve never seen anything like this. What has happened here is almost unbelievable. I never dreamed I would experience anything like this in football.— Coach Lou Nocida
Nocida — whose coaching reputation had been established by an outstanding record at Magnolia High in New Martinsville — acknowledged that the situation at Sistersville when he arrived looked more disheartening than anything he had previously encountered. “The last year I was there, we had a 1-9 record,” he recalled.
He also remembered Howdyshell’s rallying cry that set the tone for everything: “They’re established by the outstanding record we have in football here. We’ve got to do it.” That determination, Nocida said, was the spark that ignited the entire program’s revival.
Nocida had previously been named Ohio Valley Coach of the Year during his tenure at nearby Magnolia High School — making his assessment of Sistersville’s turnaround all the more meaningful.
More Than a One-Man Show
It would be easy — and tempting — to reduce the 1978 Sistersville story to the legend of C.R. Howdyshell alone. But the turnaround was built on collective will. Howdyshell’s leadership in recruiting players, driving the offseason program, and setting the tone in the locker room created the conditions for a team-wide transformation.
Recruiting New Players
Howdyshell personally helped bring more players into the program after the dismal 1977 season, growing the roster from a dangerously thin 19-man group to a competitive squad.
Offseason Workouts
He was a driving force in the offseason workout program, instilling a culture of commitment and preparation that the 1977 team had lacked.
Leading by Example
With 389 carries and 2,315 yards, Howdyshell showed his teammates every single week what total dedication to the program looked like — and they followed his lead.
Only Getting Started
Sistersville didn’t stop playing football after that harrowing 1977 season. In fact, as the 1978 campaign proved beyond any doubt, it was only getting started. The legacy of C.R. Howdyshell — the Resuscitator — was not just a single remarkable season, but the revival of a proud program that had nearly been buried.
1977
1-9 record. 19 players. A program on the verge of extinction. Coach Nocida arrives. Howdyshell carries 53 times in a single game.
Offseason
Howdyshell recruits players, leads workouts, and builds the culture that will define the 1978 season.
1978
11-1 record. No. 1 in Class A. State semifinals. Ohio Valley records for carries and rushing yards. A turnaround for the ages.
Somebody had to get it started. Howdyshell got it started — and then some.
Brian Swisher: Too Fast Even for the Friendly Speed Trap
No wonder Friendly town officials shut down their once-famous speed trap in the late 1970s. They gave up trying to catch Brian Swisher. After all, no one else in the area could travel 10.9 seconds in a 100-meter zone. The legend of the “Friendly Flash” was born at Sistersville High — and it has never stopped running.
Sistersville Tigers football — Friday night under the lights
The Making of a Legend
If C.R. Howdyshell brought the durability and tenacity to Sistersville’s football turnaround, and if Tommy Archer brought the arm, Brian Swisher brought the legs. Swisher played in 36 games in his high school career for Sistersville, catching at least one pass in every single one — an Ohio Valley record. Most of the time, he caught a lot more than one.
First Three-Time All-State
The first Sistersville football player to make first team all-state Class A for three consecutive seasons — a feat never accomplished before in school history.
Hunt Award Winner
The first Sistersville player to win a statewide award — the Hunt Award for the state’s outstanding lineman — at just 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds, classified as an end for voting standards.
36 Consecutive Games
Caught at least one pass in every game of his high school career — 36 straight games — an Ohio Valley record that stood as a testament to his consistency and reliability.
He probably should have won the Kennedy Award as well — which would have given Sistersville an unprecedented three such winners in a six-year span — but Petersburg High running back John Koontz rode a set of highly suspect statistics to the award instead. Coach Lou Nocida was unequivocal in his assessment:
He’s the best player in the state. He’d be the captain on any team in the state.— Coach Lou Nocida
Career Statistics: By the Numbers
Swisher was the state’s best wide receiver at a time when most teams simply didn’t throw the ball that much — yet his numbers look more like those from the spread offense era.
The Friendly Flash in action
Season-by-Season Breakdown
Sophomore Year (1979)
26 receptions · 582 yards · 5 TDs
Led the state with a 22.4 yards-per-catch average. Also added a punt return touchdown to his total. An exceptional debut that announced his arrival on the state stage.
Junior Year (1980) — 12-1 Team
62 receptions · 947 yards · 9 TDs
A career-high 62 receptions on a dominant 12-1 squad. Swisher was the engine of an offense that carried Sistersville to its first state title in 17 years.
Senior Year — State Record — 13-0 Team
59 receptions · 1,009 yards · 15 TDs (state record)
Added 12 more touchdowns on kick returns, reverses, and planned runs. Combined with running back Tim Henthorn for 320 points — second most for a duo in state history, behind only Kerry Marbury and Charley Miller of Monongah (330).
The Friendly Flash: Part Legend, Part Person
Sportswriter Chuck Landon of the Daily Mail posed the question that was on everyone’s mind: Is Brian Swisher real, or is he another Marvel Comics creation?
At times I wonder. Sure, I know he’s a lot like a real person. He walks, talks, attends Sistersville High School and occasionally has to apply pimple cream. The problem is he’s also a lot like Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and all the other comic book superheroes.— Chuck Landon, Daily Mail
Landon’s point was hard to argue. Swisher was only a 5-7, 140-pound teenager, yet he did things no one had done on a West Virginia football field. He had the infectious grin and tousled brown hair of an archetypal kid — yet he was feared throughout the state. He looked more like a member of the Vienna Boys Choir than a Tiger, yet he had scored 16 touchdowns.
Superman had Metropolis
Batman had Gotham City. Iron Man had… well, Iron Man had Friendly. That’s right — Brian Swisher hails from Friendly, W.Va.
Every Hero Has an Alter-Ego
Clark Kent is Superman. Peter Parker is Spider-Man. David Banner is The Hulk. And Brian Swisher is… The Friendly Flash.
Psychological Weapon
“The Friendly Flash” brings so much psychological baggage to a defense, it’s bewildered before it begins. After all, how do you tackle a legend?
Senior Season: Stopping the Unstoppable
Coach Nocida with Swisher #22
Heading into the Class A state championship at Laidley Field, Swisher’s senior-year numbers were staggering: 57 catches for 884 yards (17.4 yards per catch) and 15 touchdowns as a receiver; 9 kickoff returns for 343 yards (38.2 yards per return) and 3 return touchdowns. He had caught a pass in 35 straight games. But defenses were adapting — or trying to. Swisher himself acknowledged the mounting pressure:
Defense concentrating on me so much is starting to bother me. It opens things up for everyone else, but it’s still frustrating to me. At first I saw a lot of double coverage, last week I’m seeing some triple coverage. Some teams are rotating the safety my way. At first they were giving me the short stuff, but now they’re not giving me anything.— Brian Swisher
I know that’s the ultimate compliment — to have a defense geared toward stopping you. And it shows respect when they purposely pass away from you. But it’s still frustrating. We had to line me up at wide receiver, tight end, and back just to get me the ball.— Brian Swisher
“Without My Quickness, I Wouldn’t Be Much”
Swisher’s self-awareness about his game was as sharp as his routes. He understood precisely what made him dangerous — and what made him vulnerable.
Speed as Survival
“Without my quickness I wouldn’t be much. My speed has always compensated for what I lacked in size. That’s why I don’t get hurt. Usually, I’m quick enough to avoid full impact. I have to be. If they get a piece of me, it’s okay. But if they get all of me, I’m in trouble.”
A Late Start
“My parents would never let me play football because of my size. All the other guys were playing in the fourth and fifth grade, but I didn’t get to play until the eighth grade. My parents finally saw I could do it because of my quickness, so they let me play.”
Always Overcoming Doubt
“All my life I’ve been overcoming people thinking I couldn’t play football because of my size. That’s the way it is now with college. I think I won’t play major college ball, but everyone says I will. The only school showing interest is Marshall.”
Born to Run
“I was always running. Mostly I was running from my mom. But I wasn’t the fastest in school until the eighth grade. Until then, Mike Salmons — a 5-4, 150-pound linebacker — could outrun me. But then I just kept getting quicker.”
State Track’s Best-Kept Secret
By Chuck Landon, Daily Mail Sports Writer
Usually when sprinters hurtle past the finish line in the 100-meter dash, you hear a loud “whoosh.” On one Friday night at Laidley Field, fans heard something different: a loud “Swish.” That was the sound of Sistersville’s Brian Swisher blowing away the 100-meter dash competition in the state high school track meet.
The “name” sprinters were supposed to prevail — speedsters like Ronnie Patterson of Mount Hope, Eddie Hudson of Hurricane, and in Triple-A, Rocky Hale of East Bank and Fred Redhome Robinson of Beckley. But when the heats were over, it was an unknown, unheralded, unlikely-looking 5-4, 118-pound sophomore called “Swish” who had stolen the show with an 11.5 clocking — matching the fastest time of the meet.
Swisher crosses the finish line
I think Brian is the best-kept secret in West Virginia track.— Randy Campbell, Sistersville track coach
Swisher had a psychological edge: he had practiced at Laidley Field on May 10, running in lane four — the same lane he drew for the meet.
I was psyched up to prove myself tonight. No one knows me down here and I wanted to show them something. Everyone expected Patterson to win because he had the best time in the state. But the day he ran his 11-flat down here, I ran an 11.1 at Shadyside.— Brian Swisher
Track Triumphs: The Swisher-Heintzman Duo
Swisher became the first Sistersville athlete to win an event in the state track meet, capturing the 100-meter dash in 1980 — but only by a matter of minutes. Teammate Joe Heintzman nosed him out in the 200-meter dash not long afterward. The two had run side by side in practice all spring, and on that Saturday afternoon in May on the Laidley Field track in Charleston, they ran literally side by side down the stretch for just over 20 seconds to bury the rest of the field. Later that same day, they led Sistersville’s winning 400-meter relay team.
1980 — State Champion
Won the 100-meter dash at the state track meet — first Sistersville athlete ever to win a state meet event. Led the winning 400-meter relay team with Joe Heintzman.
1981 — Silver Medals
Finished second in both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Also placed second in the long jump.
1982 — Podium Again
Finished third in the 200-meter dash and second in the long jump, continuing his dominance on the track through his senior year.
From Sistersville to Marshall — and Into History
Brian Swisher’s doubters — those who said a 5-7, 140-pound kid from Friendly, W.Va. couldn’t play major college football — were proven wrong. He went on to become a multi-year starter at Marshall University, catching 106 passes for 1,617 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons. The same speed, the same hands, the same relentless will to overcome the size question — it all translated.
The Friendly Flash
High School Legacy
147 catches · 2,534 yards · 29 TDs as a receiver. Three-time first team all-state Class A. Hunt Award winner. State track champion. Ohio Valley record holder for consecutive games with a reception.
College Career
106 catches · 1,617 yards · 14 TDs in three seasons at Marshall University. A multi-year starter who proved every doubter wrong about his ability to compete at the next level.
The Legend Lives On
The Friendly speed trap shut down in the late 1970s. It still hasn’t caught Brian Swisher. As Chuck Landon wrote: if worse comes to worst, “The Friendly Flash” can always play for Marvel Comics.
He’s the best player in the state. He’d be the captain on any team in the state.— Coach Lou Nocida
The Archers
One left-handed. One right-handed. Both very proficient throwing the football.
Tommy Archer: The Left-Hander
The eminently talented left-hander nearly passed up playing football after a miserable freshman season. Good thing he decided to play as a junior.
1979 — First Year as Starter
He threw for 1,085 yards and 10 touchdowns, five to all-state receiver Brian Swisher, and rushed for 663 yards and nine more touchdowns as a scrambler par excellence on a 7-3 team that lost to the state champion and state runnerup. He was like Ken Stabler without the dangling cigarette and a catchy nickname like “Snake.”
1980 — State Championship Season
With Archer directing an offense that got better by the week, Sistersville shrugged off a midseason loss to Bishop Donahue to go 12-1 and win the state championship. Clarksburg Notre Dame never did solve him in the title game as he threw for 184 yards (13-of-17) in a 28-0 romp.
Afterward, he was promoted not just to first team all-state, but to captain of the offense after completing 111 of 196 passes for 1,748 yards — and in an era where there wasn’t a lot of throwing in West Virginia high school football. He also scrambled for another 800 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Good thing he decided to play football.
Tommy Archer: The Back Story
He went out for the team as a freshman in 1977, but that was the year Sistersville began the season with only 19 players and ended with only 14 healthy ones. The freshmen players simply got beat up in practice day after day on a 1-9 team. So he sat out his sophomore season, preferring to do those things high schoolers do when they don’t need to worry about 2-3 hours of practice a day.
But he didn’t like watching games from the stands or the thought that he wasn’t competing. Once he decided to play, he had to convince coach Lou Nocida he was sincere and wouldn’t quit again. Watching Archer throw dimes to his receivers in preseason practice helped persuade his coach in a hurry.
“I saw football from a 1-9 record, I saw football from the sidelines and I saw it from a 12-1 record. I saw it from every side.”— Tom Archer, to Charleston Daily Mail sports writer Chuck Landon
He liked the 12-1 better. So did his coach.
“I help him, but he calls a lot of the plays myself and does a lot of audible at the line. When you lose Tom Archer, that’s the same as losing a coach on the field. He directs the offense. I’d give him a signal and he’d give me one back. His play would work.”— Lou Nocida, after the 1980 state championship game
Archer’s Arrows: The 1980 State Championship Run
ARCHER’S ARROWS — When Sistersville quarterback Tommy Archer pulls the string his arrows usually hit the bull’s-eye. That’s how it was last Saturday against Hamlin in the Class A playoff semifinals, too. Archer led the Tigers into the finals by throwing two touchdown passes and running for another. Sistersville and its potent passing attack will play Clarksburg Notre Dame at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Super Six Bowl. — Daily Mail Photo by Chuck Landon.
Sistersville Rolls to Class A Title
Charleston Gazette story
Sistersville football coach Louis Nocida talks about quarterback Tom Archer as if he were another member of the Tigers’ coaching staff. Archer looked like an offensive mastermind at Laidley Field Saturday afternoon, passing for 184 yards and two touchdowns to lead Sistersville over Clarksburg Notre Dame, 28-0, to win the Class A championship.
Archer completed 15 of 17 passes and found his favorite receiver, senior Brian Swisher, in the end zone for touchdown passes of 18 and six yards. Archer was able to connect with no fewer than four of his receivers.
Scoring Summary
S—Ebert 3 run (Soliday kick)
S—Swisher 27 run (kick failed)
S—Swisher 18 pass from Archer (Soliday kick)
S—Safety (Buchanan tackle in end zone)
S—Swisher 4 pass from Archer
Game Statistics
Yards Rushing: Sistersville 71
Yards Passing: Sistersville 184
Passes Completed: 13-of-17 (Sistersville) / 1-of-0 (N.D.)
Penalties, Yards: 8-77 (Sistersville) / 8-58 (N.D.)
Punts, Average: 3-29.7 (Sistersville)
Tigers Top All-Valley: Tom Archer’s All-State Recognition
After leading his team to victory Saturday, Sistersville quarterback Tom Archer (10) leads the cheers. Staff photo by Lawrence Pierce, Charleston Gazette.
West Virginia Class A champion Sistersville (12-1) landed four players on the annual All-Ohio Valley “Small School” football first unit for 1980 announced Saturday by The Intelligencer sports staff.
Multi-talented quarterback Tom Archer is one of the three co-captains and is joined on the first unit by fellow Tigers Brian Swisher, a junior wide receiver; junior linebacker Mike Salmons; and placekicker Erik Soliday, tapped as an offensive specialist. Offensive interior lineman Richard “R-Long” Long and junior defensive end Jerry Shepherd of the Tigers were named second unit accolades.
Tom Archer
Co-captain, quarterback. Completed 111 of 196 passes for 1,748 yards. Scrambled for 800 yards and 12 touchdowns. First team all-state.
Brian Swisher
Junior wide receiver. Landed more passes (62) for more yards (946) than any other Ohio Valley receiver. State Class AA 100-meter dash champion.
Mike Salmons & Erik Soliday
Junior linebacker Mike Salmons and placekicker Erik Soliday rounded out Sistersville’s four first-unit All-Ohio Valley selections.
Archer Back to Direct: The 1980 Preseason Preview
Graduation Losses Have Nocida Worried
Graduation losses have Sistersville coach Lou Nocida tossing and turning at night. But then, Nocida worried about just when he was trying to fill many voids from an 11-1 playoff team. And the wiley mentor managed to come up with a 7-3 team that narrowly missed the West Virginia Class A playoffs.
Nocida will have to replace the entire front wall from last season. What has Nocida worried most is his line, since three players do not have an offense make from last year are Kenny Stead, John Chule, Roger Howdyshell, Bill Williamson, Greg Brown, Brian Sterns, Joe Hentzman, Matt Wagner and Rich Wilson.
“The greatest asset this team has going for it is attitude,” Nocida noted after a scrimmage. “We couldn’t move the football. But our defense was pretty good. We have some kids who will seek you out to see if they can hit you.”
PREDICTION: Win 7, Lose 3
Matt Archer: The Right-Hander
After a one-year Archer hiatus in which Rick Glover only threw for more yards than any quarterback in Sistersville history — quite the fill-in, huh? — Matt Archer became the starter during his junior season in 1982. Both he and Tommy had blond hair, but that was about the only resemblance. Matt was bit stockier and wasn’t quite the runner, but he had a strong arm, a calm and confident attitude and a desire to be good — not just because his brother was, but because HE wanted to be.
1982 Season (Junior Year)
Sistersville rooters didn’t know what to expect from their first-year starter, but they certainly didn’t expect this: a 10-0 regular season and two state playoff routs of supposedly exceptional southern teams (Pineville, 40-0 and Mullens, 56-13). The season ended with a disappointing loss to Duval in the state championship game, but it’s very hard to argue a 12-1 season was a letdown.
1982 Season
He was 111 of 200 for 1,785 yards and 16 touchdowns. A 10-0 regular season record. Note that Matt Archer went 20-0 as a regular season starter.
1983 Season (Senior Year)
He went 131 of 239 for 1,945 yards and 21 touchdowns as the first team all-state quarterback. Two more one-sided state playoff wins (Matewan, 57-6 and Morgantown St. Francis, 37-13). Career record: 24-2.
His two-season numbers were the more prolific of any quarterback in Sistersville history. Quite the brotherly act, huh?
Sistersville Caps 10-0 Season
Sistersville’s tenacious Tigers will waltz into next week’s West Virginia Class A playoffs unbeaten and with the No. 1 ranking, courtesy of Friday night’s 39-14 pasting of host St. Marys (6-4).
The Tigers’ playoff opponent will probably be Matewan, and it appears as though county-rival Tyler will finish 7th, thus averting a first-round clash between the two squads. For Lou Nocida’s charges, the win meant a third-straight 10-0 regular season slate, and four unbeaten teams in six years. The worst team over that span finished at 7-3. The Tigers have won 33 straight.
Matt Archer’s Performance
The heady signal-caller fired three TD aerials in a 7-of-11 performance, for 147 yards and two interceptions. He enters the playoffs with 1,446 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. But in the past five games Archer has really excelled, going 53-of-79 (69 percent) for 905 yards, with 11 TDs and two interceptions.
Joel Wilson’s Day
Once again it was tailback Joel Wilson and senior QB Matt Archer leading the way. Wilson rushed 34 times for 218 stripes and three TDs, including a dazzling 71-yarder. The 205-pound junior finished the regular season with 1,344 yards and 17 touchdowns on just 216 totes.
Scott Swisher
Scott Swisher also had a banner day for Sistersville, snaring two long touchdown passes and another aerial for a total 92 yards, while also rushing six times for 61 stripes.
Matt Archer: All-Valley Recognition & Game-by-Game
MATT ARCHER — QB-Matt Archer (Co-Captain), Sistersville, 6-0, 170, Sr.
| Opponent | Comp-Att | Yards | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 8-16 | 104 | 0 | 3 |
| Notre Dame | 9-24 | 119 | 2 | 1 |
| Weirton Madonna | 7-12 | 88 | 0 | 0 |
| Paden City | 8-17 | 174 | 2 | 0 |
| Harrisville | 8-21 | 87 | 1 | 4 |
| Bishop Donahue | 18-24 | 205 | 3 | 0 |
| Tyler County | 10-12 | 127 | 1 | 0 |
| Wirt County | 8-18 | 201 | 2 | 0 |
| Cameron | 10-15 | 223 | 3 | 0 |
| St. Marys | 7-11 | 147 | 3 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 93-169 | 1,446 | 17 | 10 |
Unbeaten Sistersville, bidding for its third straight West Virginia “Small School” title, boasted five first team players: quarterback Matt Archer, running back Joel Wilson, linemen Jim Shepherd and Jeff Evans and back Scott Swisher.
ARCHER — This two-season regular finished with a flurry by throwing for 12 touchdowns in his final five games.
The Brothers Archer: A Legacy
The Archer brothers. One of them left-handed. One of them right-handed. Both of them very proficient throwing the football. All they needed to succeed on the football field were a wing and a prayer. And, most of the time, they didn’t need the prayer.
Tom Archer led the first Sistersville state championship team in 16 years. Matt Archer’s two-season numbers were the more prolific of any quarterback in Sistersville history. In the Nocida tradition — Magnolia, Oak Glen and now Sistersville — of always having a quarterback who could direct an offense, the Archer brothers stood apart.
“I saw football from a 1-9 record, I saw football from the sidelines and I saw it from a 12-1 record. I saw it from every side.” — Tom Archer
Quite the brotherly act, huh?
Joel Wilson
West Virginia’s Outstanding High School Football Player, 1984 — Winner of the 38th Annual Harry H. Kennedy Award — the first ever awarded to a Sistersville High School player. A bruising, unstoppable force who carried the Tigers to a Class A state championship and etched his name into West Virginia football history.
The Making of a Legend
Joel Wilson #31 — Sistersville Tigers
Joel Wilson didn’t start his high school football career with a bang — he sat out his entire freshman season with an injury. But when coach Lou Nocida saw what he had in the 5-foot-11, 225-pound sophomore, he made a decision that would define Sistersville football for the next three years.
The Decision
Nocida put Wilson at running back, fed him the football, and told everyone else to get out of the way. More often than not, it was the opposing defense that moved aside. Wilson became a three-year starter and the engine of one of West Virginia’s most dominant high school programs.
The Player
Wilson was so gifted that his coach said he was good enough just on defense to be a first-team all-stater. But it was his running that made him a legend. He refused to go down from a single tackle, routinely carrying defenders on his back as he churned for extra yards — a style that drew comparisons to NFL great John Riggins.
He absolutely refuses to let one person tackle him.— Coach Lou Nocida
Career Statistics: Three Seasons of Dominance
Wilson gained over 1,000 yards in each of his three varsity seasons, finishing with a career total of 4,556–4,561 yards — an all-time valley record. He played in only three losing games across his entire career.
Sophomore Year
894 yards rushing. 18 touchdowns. First year as a starter after missing freshman season with injury.
Junior Year
1,614 yards rushing. 24 touchdowns. First All-State selection. Tigers reach state championship game.
Senior Year
2,048–2,053 yards rushing. 28 touchdowns. Kennedy Award winner. Second consecutive All-State. State champion.
“A Runaway Train Named Joel Wilson”
Number 31 in full stride, carrying tacklers with him
As durable and dependable as a locomotive — and he’d hit you like one, too. This iconic action photograph captures exactly what opposing defenses faced every Friday night: number 31 in full stride, carrying tacklers with him.
WHAT A SIGHT — A terrifying sight to Fayetteville tacklers was number 31, Joel Wilson of Sistersville, rambling through a big hole for some of the 166–169 yards the 220–225 pounder picked up as the Tigers thumped Fayetteville 42-11 for the West Virginia Class A state football championship at Charleston’s Laidley Field.
(Photo by Drew Moody)
The 1984 Playoff Run: Unstoppable
Wilson’s senior postseason was the stuff of legend. In just three playoff games, he put together numbers that cemented his status as the best Class A back in West Virginia history.
People don’t realize how hard it is to rush for 2,000 yards with nine people coming at you on every play. Joel is the best running back I’ve ever coached, and I’ve coached some good ones. He plays with complete intensity on every play.— Coach Lou Nocida
The 1984 State Championship: 42–11
The culmination of Wilson’s career came at Charleston’s Laidley Field, where Sistersville dismantled Fayetteville 42-11 to claim the Class A state title. For Wilson, it was the achievement that meant more than any individual award.
Wilson’s Championship Performance
169 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Fayetteville. A physical, punishing display that left no doubt about who the best player in West Virginia Class A football was in 1984.
He’s a high school John Riggins.— Fayetteville Coach Frank Spangler
The Bigger Picture
Sistersville had won back-to-back titles in 1980 and 1981, but Wilson’s teams had been beaten in the finals by Duval in 1982 and Tyler County in 1983. Winning the championship as a senior — after two heartbreaking final losses — was what Wilson said excited him even more than winning the Kennedy Award.
It was the Tigers’ third Class A championship in five years and their record fifth consecutive state title game appearance — a dynasty built on the foundation of extremely dedicated and, in many cases, overachieving players and Nocida’s coaching.
The Supporting Cast: Jeff Swisher & the Running Game
Wilson didn’t win the championship alone. The 1984 Tigers were built entirely around the run — and that required a complementary threat to keep defenses honest.
Diminished Passing Game
Sistersville had featured capable quarterbacks — Tommy Archer, Rick Glover, and Matt Archer — from 1979–83, but the 1984 squad didn’t throw nearly as well. But once Wilson and Swisher began forcing defenses to key on them, it opened up the passing game later in the season.
Jeff Swisher’s Breakthrough
Sophomore running back Jeff Swisher enjoyed a breakout season, rushing for 1,238 yards on the year and contributing 156 yards and three touchdowns in the championship game against Fayetteville. His ability to threaten the outside prevented defenses from packing the middle to stop Wilson.
The Result
“Wilson was durable, and everybody was after him because we had no passing game,” Nocida said. Having Swisher as a genuine threat was a major plus — it gave the Tigers a two-headed running attack that no Class A defense could fully contain.
Passenger trains stopped running through Sistersville in the mid-1960s — but try telling that to any team that visited Core Field from 1982 through 1984.
The 38th Annual Kennedy Award
The Harry H. Kennedy Award is presented annually to the athlete voted as West Virginia’s top high school football player. Wilson’s selection was historic on multiple levels.
Historic Firsts
First Kennedy Award winner from Sistersville High School
First Class A school winner since Curt Warner of Pineville in 1978 — who went on to star with the Seattle Seahawks
Two-time All-State selection (junior and senior seasons)
Offensive captain of the 1984 state championship team
The Competition
Finishing behind Wilson in the 1984 Kennedy Award voting:
3rd: Pocahontas County tackle Mike Dunlap
4th (tied): Barboursville end Terry Smith and Gilbert running back Jeff Mounts
Sistersville’s Kennedy History
Previously, Sistersville had produced two Kennedy runners-up: running back C.R. Howdyshell in 1978 and wide receiver Brian Swisher in 1981. Wilson went one better, claiming the top honor outright.
Coach’s Verdict
“It would have been absolutely unfair if anybody else had won this award.”
— Coach Lou Nocida
Legacy: A Dynasty & A Legend
Joel Wilson’s story is inseparable from the story of Sistersville Tigers football under Lou Nocida — a program that won over 61 games in five seasons and made five consecutive state title game appearances, a state record.
State Champion
Wilson’s 1984 senior season ended the way it had to — with a championship. After losses in the 1982 and 1983 finals, he refused to let it happen again, leading Sistersville to a dominant 42-11 victory over Fayetteville.
Record Breaker
Wilson established all-time valley scoring and rushing records with 4,561 career yards. He was the first Class A player to win the Kennedy Award since Curt Warner — who became an NFL All-Pro — in 1978.
Kennedy Award Pioneer
The first Kennedy Award winner in Sistersville history, Wilson was honored at the 1985 Victory Awards Dinner in Morgantown — a fitting tribute to the most complete player West Virginia Class A football had ever seen.
After Sistersville
Wilson initially enrolled at Ball State University before finishing his college career at Glenville State — once again under the guidance of Coach Lou Nocida, the man who first put the ball in his hands as a sophomore.
Joel would have been an all-stater even if he had played exclusively on defense.— Coach Lou Nocida
Jeff Swisher
The legend of Sistersville, West Virginia — a record-smashing tailback who became one of the most dominant high school football players in state history, earning national headlines and cementing his place among West Virginia’s all-time greats.
A Legacy to Live Up To
Jeff Swisher
When Jeff Swisher burst onto the scene as a sophomore in the 1984 state Class A championship game — running for three touchdowns against Fayetteville — coach Lou Nocida offered a measured response to questions about Swisher’s future as a feature back: “He’s pretty good for a sophomore. But that remains to be seen, when the pressure’s on him next year.”
The pressure was immense. Swisher was following not only Kennedy Award-winning Joel Wilson in the Sistersville backfield, but also trying to live up to the success of his older brothers:
Brian Swisher
Hunt Award winner in 1981 after leading a 13-0 team that outscored opponents 521-26.
Scott Swisher
Second-team all-state wide receiver and defensive back in 1983.
Jeff Swisher
Sophomore standout in the 1984 title game — three TDs against Fayetteville, with two more seasons ahead.
For the Swisher family of Frank and Beverly Swisher, it was a case of like father, like son. Like son. Like son.
Junior Year (1985): A Slow Start, Then Dominance
The Turning Point
Swisher’s junior season did not begin the way anyone expected. He was benched in the season-opening game against Fayetteville for fumbling and unwisely fielding a punt at his own 1-yard line. Coach Nocida relied on Shawn Laugh and Bryon Cline for yardage during a 3-0 start, and Swisher didn’t gain 100 yards until the fourth week of the season.
But the benching proved to be the wake-up call he needed. “I decided I wasn’t great and I wanted to turn it around,” Swisher said. The turnaround didn’t stop until his high school career ended.
Junior Season Highlights
1,653 rushing yards despite a slow start; 2,324 all-purpose yards total
120 points scored in the regular season alone
Eight interceptions on defense, including two crucial picks in the state championship game
164 yards in the title game vs. undefeated Morgantown St. Francis, including a 33-yard TD run and a 53-yard interception return for a score
First-team all-state for the second straight year; named offensive captain
The Goal Line Stand & The 79-Yard Answer
One of the most memorable moments of Swisher’s junior season came in a playoff win over Buffalo (Putnam). Sistersville’s defense somehow stopped Buffalo on four straight plays from the 1-yard line in what can only be described as the goal line stand of all goal line stands.
Swisher then answered with a 79-yard game-sealing touchdown run in a 20-12 playoff victory — a run that followed an earlier 70-yard TD dash in the same game. The sequence perfectly illustrated what made Swisher special: the ability to deliver the decisive blow at the most critical moment.
Swisher’s junior year ended with Sistersville winning the state championship over undefeated Morgantown St. Francis — a game many outsiders expected Sistersville to lose. Swisher’s two interceptions were crucial in securing the title.
Senior Year: National Headlines
Jeff Swisher’s senior season in 1986 didn’t just make news across West Virginia — his name made its way into newspapers across the nation. The performance that launched him into national consciousness came just four games into the season.
Swisher breaks free in game action
Swisher had 266 yards and six touchdowns before halftime alone. “I never thought I might score that many times in a game,” said Swisher, a 5-10, 185-pounder. His last carry came running with Sistersville’s junior varsity offense. “I thought maybe he’d get 3 or 4 yards,” said coach Nocida, “but there he went for another touchdown.”
USA TODAY Takes Notice
West Virginia Prep Player Runs Rampant
USA TODAY’s cover story declared: “Senior Jeff Swisher of Sistersville (W.Va.) High School ran 22 times for 448 yards and nine touchdowns in his team’s 76-8 win Friday. His total broke the state record set by current Seattle Seahawk Curt Warner in 1978.”
A separate USA TODAY Spotlight feature by John Pitts noted that only four games into the season, Swisher already had 1,032 yards and 15 touchdowns — all victories. He had also reached the 4,000-yard career mark.
Coach Nocida offered characteristic understatement to the national press: “He did a pretty good job against a rather weak ball club. I know the folks from Frontier might not believe it, but we didn’t set out to do something like this.”
Swisher averaged 20 yards per carry over the season after recovering from an ankle injury that limited him to just three carries for 14 yards in the opening game.
Rushing yards leaders
Where Sistersville Stands on the Map
Sistersville, West Virginia
Sistersville Tigers: A Dynasty
The Tigers went 101-9 over eight years heading into the 1986 championship, winning the West Virginia Class A football crown five times in seven years. The program’s dominance was built on a tradition of exceptional running backs and a culture of winning under coach Lou Nocida.
Nocida described his star to college recruiters visiting the small Tyler County town: “He’s built like a bullfrog and has feet like a rabbit.”
Sistersville, West Virginia — a small Tyler County town on the Ohio River border — became the unlikely home of one of the nation’s most dominant high school football programs of the 1980s.
The “Miracle” TD Run: 1986 State Championship
At Laidley Field in Charleston, with the 1986 West Virginia Class A championship on the line and the game deadlocked 8-8 at halftime against county archrival Tyler County, Jeff Swisher delivered what coach Nocida called simply unforgettable:
I’m in hopes, since you guys have been in the news media all your lives, that you can put it in words because I can’t. Have you ever seen anything like it?— Coach Lou Nocida
Receiving a pitch, Swisher scampered left, broke a pair of tackles, used his sprinter’s speed to completely reverse his field, and completed an electrifying 65-yard touchdown dash down the right sideline at the 8:45 mark of the second half. With Sistersville unable to complete any of its four passing attempts, Swisher saved the day — running for 133 yards on 17 carries as the Tigers won 14-8.
The most remarkable run I’ve seen by a high school football player.— Ross Snyder, The News Sports Staff
It was Sistersville’s third consecutive state title, all with Swisher in the lineup.
Championship Game Box Score
| Category | Tyler County | Sistersville |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 11 | 11 |
| Running Yards (carries) | 45-178 | 65-273 |
| Passing Yards | 25 | 8 |
| Return Yards | 15 | 28 |
| Punts | 7-2-3 | 1-0-3 |
| Time of Possession | 24:15 | 23:45 |
Individual Rushing: Sistersville — Jeff Swisher 18 carries, 136 yards; Brian Cline 18 carries, 86 yards. Tyler — Scott Holmes 21 carries, 102 yards.
Career Statistics & Records
Swisher finished with 37 touchdowns his senior year despite the abbreviated schedule. His single-game records of 448 yards, nine touchdowns, and 62 points were all state records at the time — and his 62 points were the most by any player in the nation that season.
Swisher on the move
The Kennedy Award
Jeffrey Swisher — Kennedy Award Winner
West Virginia’s Highest Honor
The Kennedy Award is presented annually to the top scoring player in West Virginia by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. Jeff Swisher became the second Sistersville running back in three years to win the prestigious honor — following Kennedy Award-winner Joel Wilson.
Swisher’s total of 444 points in a single season is the highest ever recorded by a West Virginia player. He was a starter for all 10 games of his senior season, capping a three-year career in which he started every game.
As reporter Mike Cherry wrote: “Rare is the running back that averages more yards per carry than words per sentence. But such is the case of Sistersville High School senior Jeff Swisher.” Teammate Rocky Romine put it simply: “We feel confident going into a game with Swisher on our side.”
A Career for the Ages
Jeff Swisher’s high school football career at Sistersville stands as one of the most remarkable in West Virginia history. From a promising sophomore who ran for three touchdowns in the 1984 state title game, to a junior who overcame a rocky start to lead Sistersville past undefeated Morgantown St. Francis, to a senior who earned national headlines and set records that stood for years — his journey was defined by resilience, explosive talent, and an unmatched competitive drive.
1984 — Sophomore
Three TDs in state Class A championship game vs. Fayetteville. First-team all-state.
1985 — Junior
1,653 rushing yards, 2,324 all-purpose yards, 120 regular-season points, 8 interceptions. State champion. First-team all-state, offensive captain.
1986 — Senior
2,325 yards, 37 TDs, 444 points (state record). National single-game records. Kennedy Award. Third consecutive state title. 65-yard “miracle” TD run in championship.
Three consecutive state championships. Three miles of career rushing yards. One unforgettable legacy.
Tommy Still — Mr. High Point
The remarkable story of Tom Still — Sistersville’s one-in-a-thousand athlete whose versatility and achievement were unmatched in school history.
Tommy Still (center) wins the Class AA 100m dash at the 1987 State Meet at Laidley Field
A Day No One Else Would Attempt
If you know anything about high school track and field, you know an athlete doesn’t compete in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash — and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in the same season, much less the same day. That’s too much variance in styles, too much workload, too much stress on the hamstrings. You couldn’t possibly drink enough Gatorade, cool down enough between events, gobble enough Sno-Cones and gear up for the next mental and physical test in so little time.
Tommy Still did, and he excelled. Sistersville High School’s track program ran from the mid-1970s through 1993 — but a school could field teams for 100 years and not have someone do what Tommy Still did. He was one in a thousand.
36 Points. One Man. Fifth Place.
At the 1988 West Virginia State Track and Field Meet in Charleston, Still — who weighed less than half of some of the shot putters — put on a performance for the ages.
That’s 36 points by himself — enough to elevate Sistersville into fifth place in the team standings. And remember: he ran trials the night before the afternoon finals. He did more in 24 hours than all but a few high school track athletes do in a career.
The High Point Man — Two Years Running
“Still’s total led the entire field of more than 1,000 male and female athletes in the two-day meet. It was the second straight year he has been the meet’s high scorer.”— UPI
Think it’s tough trying to emulate Carl Lewis in the sprints? Then try emulating Renaldo Nehemiah at the same time. In 1987, Still won the 100, the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, and finished second in the 200 to earn high point honors. He simply did it again in 1988, only better.
An editor’s note: Having covered more than 20 state high school meets in West Virginia and Pennsylvania — one of the nation’s best track states — the author never saw anyone attempt so many events in one day, much less win gold or silver in all of them.
The OVAC Sweep
Earlier in 1988, Still won all four events at the OVAC track meet at Wheeling Park High School. All four. That’s 40 points — a remarkable single-day total by any standard. Still made what was extremely difficult look easy. Sistersville had many great team achievements in its sports history, but Tommy Still’s days in the sun were almost unrivaled.
Except, of course, by Tommy Still the year before.
At Home at Laidley Field
Still felt at home at Laidley Field in Charleston — and for good reason. He played on Sistersville state championship football teams in 1984, 1985, and 1986, where fans could audibly be heard wondering if that really was an 118-pound kid playing cornerback.
Yes, it was. And the Charleston Daily Mail was so taken by how Still, as a sophomore, not only stood up to Morgantown St. Francis’s 220-pound guards and linebackers — but stood them up — that it devoted its postgame story entirely to him.
Plucky 118-Pounder Leads Sistersville to Crown
By Tom Aluise, Daily Mail Writer
Tom Aluise
Daily Mail sportswriter who devoted his postgame story to the 118-pound sophomore after Sistersville’s Class A state championship victory.
The tiny 5’4”, 118-pound sophomore defensive back was celebrating Sistersville’s Class A state championship — a 22-13 victory over the larger, more experienced Morgantown St. Francis team. Still’s key contribution came when he tackled a St. Francis player and forced a fumble, recovered by a teammate who scored the winning touchdown.
Still was quick, agile, and had a good sense of timing — a “little guy” who drew the attention of larger opponents and consistently made big plays: interceptions, forced fumbles, and open-field stops.
118 Pounds of Pure Determination
“He’ll use all 118 pounds and put a shot to you. Tommy knows when he goes out there he’s going to get picked on. If he gets an interception, you’re going to have a tough time bringing him down.”— Lou Nocida
Yeah — because you’re not going to be able to catch him. Still’s success on the field was a testament to his hard work and dedication. Despite being smaller than virtually every opponent, he proved that size is not everything in football. His story is one of inspiration and determination. It’s just a shame Lou Nocida couldn’t have coached his Still’s fourth and final football season. There was enough talent around to win a fourth straight title.
Seven Straight Championship Appearances
Sistersville’s football program made seven consecutive state championship game appearances — a remarkable run by any measure. Still was a cornerstone of three consecutive titles in 1984, 1985, and 1986, playing cornerback at 118 pounds against opponents who outweighed him by 50 pounds or more.
He Just Couldn’t Stand Still
In terms of versatility and achievement, Tommy Still’s athletic career was unmatched by any athlete in Sistersville school history. Football state champion. State track high point man — twice. Two trophies larger than him. OVAC sweep. Gold and silver medals across four events in a single day, three in another.
Still made what was extremely difficult look easy. His days in the sun in Charleston were almost unrivaled — except, of course, by Tommy Still the year before.
He was one in a thousand. Make that a million. And he just couldn’t stand still.
Nick Karl
Arguably the greatest golfer ever produced at Sistersville High School — and the driving force behind two West Virginia state championships that history has largely overlooked.
Nick Karl
Arguably the greatest golfer ever produced at Sistersville High School — and the driving force behind two West Virginia state championships that history has largely overlooked.
Two State Championships
Nick Karl was the primary force behind Sistersville High School’s back-to-back West Virginia high school (all classes) golf championships in 1958 and 1959 — titles the Tigers won quite easily, both held at Parkersburg Country Club.
1958 Championship
Sistersville defeated runnerup Parkersburg by 14 strokes in a nine-hole playoff. Frank Weekley led the initial 18 holes with a 76. Karl shot an 80, with Gene Ankrom and Jack Gandour each posting 81s. In the playoff, Karl’s 36 led the team, followed by Weekley (37), Ankrom (39), and Gandour (42).
1959 Championship
The Tigers successfully defended their title, defeating runnerup Stonewall Jackson by 10 strokes. Karl was the tournament medalist, shooting a 36-36-72 on the par-72 course — the only Tiger to finish below 80. Teammates: Bill Williamson (81), Gene Ankrom (83), and Jack Gandour (89).
The 1958 Championship: By the Numbers
18-Hole Scores
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| Frank Weekley | 76 |
| Nick Karl | 80 |
| Gene Ankrom | 81 |
| Jack Gandour | 81 |
Nine-Hole Playoff Scores
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| Nick Karl | 36 |
| Frank Weekley | 37 |
| Gene Ankrom | 39 |
| Jack Gandour | 42 |
Karl stepped up in the playoff, posting the team’s best score of 36 to help Sistersville clinch the title by 14 strokes over runnerup Parkersburg.
The 1959 Championship: Karl as Medalist
In the 1959 defense of their title at Parkersburg Country Club, Nick Karl elevated his game to tournament medalist status, shooting a flawless 36-36-72 on the par-72 course — the only member of the Sistersville squad to finish below 80.
Richard Gandour, Jack’s younger brother, was the junior high medalist with a 90, as the Tigers also won the junior high team title — finishing 21 strokes ahead of Spring Hill.
Beyond the Championships: More Tiger Golf
Sistersville’s golf success extended beyond the two championship years, with the program remaining competitive throughout the early 1960s — a run aided in no small part by the fact that Sistersville had its own country club.
A Standout Career at Ohio University
After his remarkable high school career, Nick Karl went on to become a three-year letter winner at Ohio University from 1961 to 1963, where he continued to excel at the collegiate level.
Sophomore Year
Led the Ohio University team to a Mid-American Conference championship in his first full season of collegiate competition.
Junior Year (1962)
Won medalist honors, shooting an opening round 62 in the two-day tournament — a score that qualified him for the NCAA tournament.
Senior Year
Led Ohio University to another Mid-American Conference championship, bookending his collegiate career with team titles as a sophomore and a senior.
After Ohio U: A Life in Golf
After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in economics and attending WVU Law School, Nick Karl’s relationship with golf only deepened — transitioning from player to coach to professional.
Golf Coach at Army / West Point (1967–1973)
Karl served as the golf coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point for six years, shaping the game for the next generation of student-athletes at one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions.
One Year on the PGA Tour
Following his coaching tenure at Army, Karl spent one year competing on the PGA Tour, testing his game against the best professional golfers in the world.
Country Club Professional
Karl held multiple jobs as a country club professional and competed in numerous West Virginia PGA and Open tournaments, remaining deeply embedded in the golf community throughout his career.
Ohio University Hall of Fame (2003)
In recognition of his outstanding collegiate career, Nick Karl was inducted into the Ohio University Hall of Fame in 2003 — a fitting capstone to a lifetime of achievement in the sport.
A Legacy Worthy of Recognition
Nick Karl’s story is one of sustained excellence — from the fairways of Parkersburg Country Club to the greens of West Point, from a small West Virginia high school to the Ohio University Hall of Fame. He is arguably the best golfer Sistersville High School has ever produced, and the two state championships he helped deliver in 1958 and 1959 remain a remarkable — if underappreciated — chapter in the school’s athletic history.
Martha Evans: A Pioneer in Women’s Basketball
Sistersville High School’s First Professional Female Athlete — By Gene & Steve Hadley
A Legacy Begins
Girls basketball was once a cornerstone of athletics at Sistersville High School, beginning in 1910 and thriving until 1930. After the program was discontinued, the school went more than four decades without girls varsity sports. It wasn’t until 1973 that girls basketball returned — marking a new era that would continue through 1993. Even during the years without a formal program, talented female athletes continued to emerge. One of the most remarkable among them was Martha Evans.
Rising Talent in Sistersville
Martha Evans developed her basketball skills at a time when opportunities for girls were limited. Despite the absence of a school-sponsored team, she found ways to compete and excel. She played regularly on independent teams, gaining valuable experience and recognition, quickly standing out as one of the area’s top players.
There have been some outstanding lady athletes at SHS over the years and some of them never played in a varsity game or received a varsity letter. One of these ladies was Martha Evans who graduated in 1952 and who spent her four years at SHS when there were no ladies varsity sports. That is a shame because Martha was one of the most outstanding basketball players in SHS history, male or female. The game came easy to her. She was a natural player who was outstanding in all elements of the game, and could shoot any kind of shot from anywhere on the floor.
Playing Beyond High School
Independent Team Competition
Evans’ basketball journey extended far beyond local competition. An independent team she played for was sponsored by Harry Meidel’s Sistersville Western Auto store.
Leagues & Exposure
Competing in the Ohio Valley League and the Clarksburg League, these games provided a higher level of competition and exposure, helping her build a reputation as a formidable player.
Martha, known as “Slats” to her friends, started playing street ball at a basket on a utility pole on Fifth Avenue when she was about 10 years old. When she was in junior high school she would attend practices of the local men’s independent team that her brother played on, “The Western Auto Wizards”. She would play any time she could get in the gym.
She started playing independent basketball with a girls team made up of local high school girls Janice Forrester, Phyllis Stull, Madeline Houston, Joan Shreves, Marion Lapp and Idabel Shreves. They played full court men’s rules and played teams all up and down the valley from Huntington to Wheeling.
In 1949 this independent team was asked to play in a Clarksburg Women’s League. They then added two players from Pine Grove, Nell DeBolt and Mary Lee Miller, to the team. They played twice a week all winter, and then in a tournament where Martha was named to the All Tournament Team. She was 14 years old.
The next year the independent team was sponsored by Harry Meidel’s Sistersville Western Auto Store. They played twice a week in the Ohio Valley League and on weekends they played in the Clarksburg League. She played in these leagues all through high school.
A Professional Opportunity
In December 1951 a traveling professional ladies basketball team called The Hazel Walker Arkansas Travelers appeared in Sistersville to play an exhibition game in the high school gym against some of the local male athletes. Martha attended the game, and SHS basketball coach George Strager told her she should try out for the team. After the game Hazel Walker gave Martha a tryout. Walker told Martha to let her know when she graduated from high school.
After she graduated in 1952, she was shy and didn’t call Walker, but Hazel Walker remembered her. That fall Walker called Martha and invited she and her mother to fly to Little Rock to see how she would like it. Martha and her mother went to Little Rock and after a few days Martha accepted Walker’s offer and became a member of the Arkansas Travelers. She was 17 years old.
In October 1952 Martha started her professional career. She ate, slept and drank basketball, and loved it. The team played nine months out of the year against men’s teams, every night and twice on Saturdays. The Travelers lived up to their nickname, visiting 42 states plus Canada and Mexico and winning 85 percent of their games, in the three years that Martha was with the team. Quite an experience for a teenager from Sistersville, West Virginia to become the first professional lady basketball player in the state.
It was a well planned and organized team. Martha was making $425 a month (that was good money in the early 1950’s) and enjoying what she was doing. There were many exciting times, and some scary ones as well.
Breaking Barriers
At a time when women’s professional sports were virtually unheard of, Martha Evans became one of the first female professional basketball players from West Virginia. Her achievements highlighted her determination and helped pave the way for future generations of female athletes.
Trailblazer
One of the first female professional basketball players from West Virginia
Determination
Overcame the near-total absence of women’s professional sports opportunities
Legacy
Paved the way for future generations of female athletes
Enduring Impact
Martha saved her money and after her professional career was over she attended Morehead State University where she received her degree. After graduation she spent the next 35 years working with special needs children. She says that you need patience and endurance for that profession and she learned those qualities from her athletic days. She returned to Sistersville after college and worked with the School of Hope. Later she worked at the West Virginia Colin Anderson Center until she retired.
On September 24, 1999 Martha received an honor when she was inducted into the West Virginia Sports on the Net (WVSPN) Hall of Fame.
Athletic Genes
She has a son, Jeff, who was an outstanding athlete at SHS where he was All-State in Football in 1983. He then played at Glenville State until an injury sidelined him, then became an outstanding golfer — looks like athletic talent was in his genes!
Martha had an exciting life and brought honor not only to herself through her accomplishments in sports, but her life in her chosen profession. She richly deserves all the honors that she has received.
Honoring a Pioneer
By Gene & Steve Hadley
Martha Evans stands as Sistersville High School’s first professional female athlete — a remarkable distinction earned through skill, grit, and an unwavering will to compete at the highest level available to her. Her story continues to inspire.
Martha Evans’ legacy remains an important chapter in the history of Sistersville High School athletics, reminding us that talent and determination can overcome even the most significant barriers.
Lou Nocida
One of the greatest high school football coaches in West Virginia history — a legacy so extraordinary that outsiders wouldn’t believe the numbers.
Lou Nocida
One of the greatest high school football coaches in West Virginia history — a legacy so extraordinary that outsiders wouldn’t believe the numbers.
A Career That Defies Belief
Lou Nocida’s 10-season tenure at Sistersville High School produced a record that stands virtually alone in West Virginia football history. What he built from a struggling program into a national showcase remains unmatched. (At left: frustrated opposing coach trying to figure out what Louie is up to this week. Most never did decipher it.)
Before Sistersville, Nocida built a remarkable record across multiple programs in Ohio and West Virginia. His overall career numbers tell the story of a coach who won almost everywhere he went.
Overall Career Record (1968–1986)
Nocida went 115-40 across Fort Frye (Ohio), Magnolia, Oak Glen, and Sistersville — with eight state championship game appearances in total.
Magnolia Coaching Highlights
In 1972–73, Nocida coached Magnolia to the state finals in both football and basketball. He went 41-22 at Magnolia playing a football schedule loaded with AAA teams — a remarkable achievement against much larger programs.
Awards & Recognition
Nocida was a two-time West Virginia High School Coach of the Year (1982 and 1986) as voted by the state sportswriters association, a two-time Intelligencer Ohio Valley Coach of the Year (as voted by fellow coaches), and a two-time OVAC Coach of the Year.
National Recognition
From 1980–86, Sistersville’s dominance was recognized nationally by multiple Associated Press stories printed in hundreds of newspapers, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston, and in multiple USA Today articles.
The 1981 Season: A Perfect Juggernaut
Chosen by readers of The Intelligencer as the best Small School team in Ohio Valley history, the 1981 Sistersville Tigers set a standard no West Virginia team has legitimately challenged since.
The Numbers
The Story Behind the Stats
The 1981 Tigers allowed only one touchdown in their final 10 games, including three playoff wins by a 98-9 combined margin. In what was supposed to be one of their toughest tests — against an undefeated, state Class AA-ranked Wirt County team — Sistersville won 60-0 and played reserves most of the second half.
Seven players earned The Intelligencer’s “Small School” All-Valley first team honors — an unprecedented achievement. Five of the seven also earned first-team All-W.Va. Class A recognition. The team featured record-setting QB Rick Glover (nearly 2,200 passing yards, then a state record), wide receiver/kick returner Brian Swisher (nearly 60 catches for more than 1,000 yards), and running back Tim Henthorn (just over 1,300 rushing yards) and a host of outstanding defensive players, including all-stater Mike Salmons.
The 1986 Season: A Perfect Farewell
Nocida’s final season at Sistersville in 1986 was nearly as dominant as that 1981 team was. With no opponent available for a 10th regular season game, the Tigers played 12 games — and won every single one.
12-0 Record
No opponent could be found for a 10th regular season game. The Tigers went undefeated through the entire season and playoffs.
455-91 Scoring
Outscored all opponents by a combined margin of 455-91 across the full season.
State Championship
Defeated Tyler County 14-8 in the state final — Nocida’s fifth and final championship at Sistersville.
“Can you imagine [the pressure] these kids go through? They always hear it [as soon as the season ends]. What about next year? [Other teams] get to enjoy theirs all year.”— Lou Nocida, after the 1986 state championship win
The Streak & Playoff Dominance
The sustained excellence Nocida built at Sistersville produced records that still stand in West Virginia high school football history.
1980–1984: 42 Consecutive Wins
42 consecutive regular season wins — a state record. The streak ended in the final regular season game of 1984, a 30-21 loss to undefeated St. Marys (10-0). The Tigers then steamrolled three consecutive playoff opponents.
1980–1986 Playoff Scoring
Over seven playoff runs, Sistersville outscored its 21 playoff opponents 776-159 — an average margin of nearly 30 points per game in the postseason.
Playoff Record
Sistersville went 20-3 in the playoffs under Nocida. They won 70 of their final 73 regular season games — a winning percentage that defies comprehension at any level of football.
Seven Straight Finals
A state record of seven consecutive state championship game appearances, winning five. No program in West Virginia history until then had matched this run of sustained excellence.
Record-Setters & Award Winners
Nocida’s system produced individual greatness alongside team success. His players set records at every level and earned the highest individual honors the sport offered.
Rick Glover
Set a state passing record in his one and only season as a starter, throwing for nearly 2,200 yards — yet did not make first-team all-state. From 1980–83, QBs Tommy Archer, Rick Glover, and Matt Archer combined for nearly 8,500 passing yards.
Brian Swisher
Set multiple Ohio Valley receiving records and later set pass receiving records at Marshall University. A three-time all-state selection and Hunt Award winner. Caught nearly 60 passes for more than 1,000 yards in the 1981 season alone.
Jeff Swisher
Set multiple Ohio Valley rushing records and was a Kennedy Award winner — the highest individual honor in West Virginia high school football. One of three Swisher brothers to star in the Nocida system.
Other Record-Setters
C.R. Howdyshell set a state record for most rushing attempts in a game (and season) at Sistersville. At Magnolia, QB Brian Book set a state record for pass attempts in a game. Joel Wilson was also a Kennedy Award winner under Nocida.
The Sistersville Brain Trust, circa 1979
Coach Nocida with all-state wide receiver Brian Swisher in 1979 — the beginning of what would become the greatest Class A dynasty in West Virginia high school football history. From these early years, Nocida would build a program that captured national attention.
Season-by-Season: The Nocida Years at Sistersville
A complete record of all ten seasons under Lou Nocida, from a rebuilding 1-9 first year to five state championships and a 104-18 overall mark.
| Year | Record | Pts For | Pts Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 1-9 | — | — | Rebuilding year (14 healthy players) |
| 1978 | 11-1 | 243 | 159 | Playoff Semifinals |
| 1979 | 7-3 | 268 | 78 | 9th in Class A |
| 1980 | 12-1 | 339 | 55 | STATE CHAMPIONS |
| 1981 | 13-0 | 521 | 26 | STATE CHAMPIONS (9 shutouts) |
| 1982 | 12-1 | 434 | 116 | State Runners-Up |
| 1983 | 12-1 | 460 | 114 | State Runners-Up |
| 1984 | 12-1 | 420 | 156 | STATE CHAMPIONS (42-game win streak) |
| 1985 | 12-1 | 341 | 71 | STATE CHAMPIONS |
| 1986 | 12-0 | 455 | 91 | STATE CHAMPIONS |
Eight of Nocida’s ten teams lost no more than one game. Two went undefeated. The 1981 and 1986 squads are widely regarded as two of the finest small-school teams in Mountain State history.
1981 Sistersville: Best Small School Team in Ohio Valley History
In a 1991 poll of Ohio Valley sports fans covering the best football teams from 1953–1990, the 1981 Sistersville Tigers were selected as the top Class A team — alongside the 1987 Brooke Bruins as the top Class AAA program. The recognition by The Intelligencer in Wheeling was well-earned.
The 1981 All-Ohio Valley First Team
Sistersville landed an unprecedented seven players on The Intelligencer’s “Small School” All-Valley first team, including: Rick Glover — QB, state record passer (~2,200 yards); Brian Swisher — WR/KR, co-captain, Hunt Award winner; Tim Henthorn — RB (~1,000 rushing yards); Mike Salmons — TE/LB, co-captain, regarded as one of the best punters in state history; Randy Kehrer — OL, first-team All-W.Va. Class A; Joe Wells — OL, first-team All-W.Va. Class A; Jerry Shepherd — DE, first-team All-W.Va. Class A.
Why This Team Stands Alone
Five of the seven All-OV honorees earned first-team All-W.Va. Class A recognition; the other two were second-unit choices. The team’s 521-26 scoring margin across 13 games — with nine shutouts and only one touchdown allowed in the final 10 games — represents a level of dominance rarely seen at any level of football. No team since in West Virginia can mount a legitimate claim it was better than the 1981 Sistersville Tigers.
West Virginia Coach of the Year — Twice
Sistersville High School football coach Lou Nocida (center) was presented the West Virginia State High School Coach of the Year award at the 40th annual Victory Awards Dinner at the Mountainlair in Morgantown. It marked the second time in five years that the ultra-successful mentor had been voted this prestigious award by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. The presentation was made by Alan Robinson (left), a Sistersville alumnus and Pittsburgh sports editor of The Associated Press. At right is Carmelo Nocida of Glenville, Lou’s father.
“Nocida Left His Mark on OV, W.Va. Football”
When Lou Nocida departed Sistersville for Glenville State College, the reaction from coaches, players, and media across the Ohio Valley spoke to the magnitude of what he had built. These tributes, drawn from a February 1987 Intelligencer article by Joe Myers, capture the consensus view of his peers.
“He’s probably the most knowledgeable coach in West Virginia on any level. When he had a passer, he had a passing attack. When he had a runner, he had a running attack. I think the guy’s in a class by himself.”
— Dave Cisar, Magnolia coach
“I’m glad for the man but disappointed for high school football. He beat my brains out a few times, but I enjoyed the challenge of coaching against the best.”
— Dave Bohrer, Paden City coach
“It’s going to take away the one thing that has really given the town — not just an identity, not just something to cling to — but their biggest source of self-motivation and pride.”
— Alan Robinson, AP sportswriter and Sistersville alumnus
“There’s a gray cloud over this town right now. It’s all over.”
— Mike Silliman, All-LKC lineman on Sistersville’s 1981 team
The Legacy He Left Behind
Athletic Director Chuck Heinlein, a former assistant to Nocida, put it plainly: “I think he’s given us a good indication of what excellence is; he’s helped us to understand what it takes to be the best.”
Nocida was never a rah-rah Knute Rockne type. He never needed fiery halftime speeches or pre-game pep talks. He didn’t even address the team at halftime of the 1986 championship game. His coaching was built on preparation, system, and the ability to maximize whatever talent he had — overachievers included.
Sistersville didn’t win another championship until the school closed in 1993. Then again, it didn’t have Lou Nocida as coach, either. He proved that players can be replaced — Brian Swisher yields to Scott Swisher who yields to Jeff Swisher, Tommy Archer yields to Rick Glover who yields to Matt Archer. Tom and Jerry Shepherd yield to Jim Shepherd. But it is very hard to replace the best high school football coach in West Virginia.
The Coaches of Sistersville
Sistersville long had an abundance of two great athletic qualities: dedicated, hard-working athletes and exceptional coaches to teach them. For a small Class A school in West Virginia, the coaching legacy that emerged from these sidelines is nothing short of extraordinary.
And the coaches these coaches produced — Mick Price (2nd-winningest WV HS basketball coach), Craig Carse (LSU top assistant during Shaquille O’Neal’s era), and the Soliday brothers (state champions in Georgia) — only deepen the legacy.
Ben Schwartzwalder
A national championship-winning football coach at Syracuse in 1959, Schwartzwalder actually had a better basketball record (33-13) than football record (10-9-1) during his two years at Sistersville. He then spent 25 years as Syracuse’s head coach, becoming one of the first to heavily recruit Black players — among them Jim Brown (arguably the greatest running back ever), Floyd Little, Jim Nance, Larry Csonka, and Ernie Davis, the first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis’s story was told in the film The Express, in which Dennis Quaid portrayed Schwartzwalder.
Bill Stewart
Stewart spent two seasons on Tom Swisher’s Sistersville staff in the mid-1970s before a lengthy college career. At VMI, he gave future Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin his first coaching job. He joined WVU as an assistant in 2000, and after Rich Rodriguez’s departure, was named interim coach for the Fiesta Bowl against national championship aspirant Oklahoma. His 48-28 upset win — one of the most impactful in school history — earned him the permanent head coaching job. He then produced three successive 9-4 seasons before stepping aside.
Gene Hester
Hester’s 1939 team was the runnerup to Charleston for the mythical state high school football championship and was the highest-ranked small school in the state. His football record of 29-12-4 (.714 winning percentage) from 1936–40 is second only to Lou Nocida’s in school history. His basketball teams went 72-32. After leaving for Parkersburg, he spent three decades as athletic director, basketball coach, and assistant football coach (under future Ohio State coach Earle Bruce) at California (Pa.) University, where he is in the athletic hall of fame.
Ray Barnhart
Sistersville’s most successful basketball coach (87-30 from 1972–77), Barnhart coached three 20-win teams and two WV state tournament teams — the only Tigers coach to do so. He coached four first-team all-staters: Steve Deaton, Bill Patterson, Richard Summers, and Randy Shuman. Known for exceptional preparation, he once drove to California on his own to spend a week with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. He left to coach at Salem College and later served as an assistant at national champion Louisville under coach Denny Crum.
Randy Shuman
The former first-team all-state point guard at Sistersville spent only two seasons as Tigers head coach (1981–83), going 30-15 and winning the school’s only OVAC basketball championship in 1982. He then became an assistant at WV Class AAA powerhouse Logan before being hired at Boca Ciega (Fla.) High in the Tampa area, where he compiled a remarkable 601-246 record as a state championship-winning coach over 31 seasons.
Lou Nocida
The most successful football coach in Sistersville history and one of the most successful in West Virginia history. After going 1-9 in his first season (1977), his teams went a remarkable 103-9 from 1978–86, appearing in seven consecutive state championship games and winning five. From 1980–86, his teams never lost more than one game in a season, and their 85 wins were the most in the nation during that span. Named statewide all-classes Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1985. Left to coach at alma mater Glenville State and later at Parkersburg South.
John Eberle
Sistersville’s first full-season football coach, Eberle went 13-7 from 1912–14. A former all-Ohio player at Ohio State — where “his terrific line plunges could not be stopped by any team” — he ushered the Tigers into the modern era of football with the 1912 adoption of rules encouraging the forward pass. He was also one of the first nationally to establish a rule still followed universally today: if you don’t practice, you don’t play.
A Coaching Tree Like No Other
Mick Price
Barnhart’s assistant → 2nd-winningest HS basketball coach in WV history
Craig Carse
Top assistant at LSU (Shaquille O’Neal era) → coached multiple nationally ranked Div. II schools
Erik & Casey Soliday
Both became state championship-winning coaches in Georgia with combined careers spanning 70+ years
Stars in Any Galaxy
The untold stories of Sistersville’s greatest athletes — the overlooked, the underrated, and the unforgettable.
Friday night under the lights
The Lineage That Confounded Opponents
Sistersville’s offensive and defensive lineups weren’t all that confounded opponents over the decades. So did their lineage.
Just when a team was wearying going against Brian Swisher, here came Scott Swisher… and then Jeff Swisher.
The Brothers Grimm wasn’t a fable at Sistersville, it was stark reality for teams that had to block against a Grimm — Erik or Craig or Brett or Jason — for more than a decade.
And then there was the Shepherds’ flock! Sometimes two at a time! You couldn’t tell the Shepherds without a scorecard at Sistersville during the 1970s and the 1980s… and they were all good. Bill Shepherd was the first to arrive in the mid-1970s and then came twins Tom and Jerry (twice the Shepherds, twice the trouble for running backs trying to go outside), then Jim and, finally, David.
The folks in Harrisville and Wirt County and (especially) Fayetteville, Gilbert and Pineville must have wondered how such a small town could keep producing such talented, dedicated, determined and willing-to-be-coached athletes.
Remember the road sign motto that once greeted visitors at either end of Route 2: Not big, but busy. It should have been: Not big, but busy (winning titles).
Deserving of Recognition
There are plenty of stars highlighted on this website, but there are dozens and dozens more who deserve to be mentioned. Just because some weren’t first team all-state or all-conference or all-Valley doesn’t mean they weren’t good — and not just in the 1980s, either. And a few who were all-state sometimes were overshadowed, too.
Some played at a time there were so many good players around them, they didn’t get the attention they justifiably deserved. And there’s many more who aren’t in this article, either.
As Lou Nocida once said, Sistersville was a small high school, but many of its players could have played at any school in the state.
Here’s just a few:
All-State Overlooked
Players who earned all-state honors but deserved even more recognition given their impact on the field.
Lost in the Crowd
Athletes surrounded by so many talented teammates that their individual brilliance was often obscured.
Stars Regardless
Players who would have shone at any school in the state — small town, big talent, timeless legacy.
George Pryor
One of the greatest athletes in Sistersville history, he was the key offensive force on the unbeaten 1939 team that finished second to Charleston in media balloting for the state championship (there was no state playoff system at the time). The voting was conducted, ahem, by the Charleston Gazette. Despite averaging a touchdown and a half per game, Pryor somehow made only second team all-state. He also was an exceptional basketball player, and received multiple votes for the state amateur athlete of the year award.
Starred for only the second Sistersville team to defeat Magnolia in 35 years. After serving in World War II, he was a two-time all-conference player at Wake Forest and was a 29th round pick by Baltimore (All-American Football Conference) in 1929.
His son, Greg, was a major league infielder for 10 seasons with the Rangers, White Sox and Royals, batting a career-high .275 in 476 at-bats in 1979. George also spent four decades coaching in Florida.
The early era of Sistersville football
Steve Kelly
A Mount Rushmore Lineman
If there was a Mount Rushmore for Sistersville linemen, Steve Kelly would deserve to be on it. He is the only Tigers player to have been chosen first team all-state on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Defensive lineman — First Team All-State, 1985
Offensive lineman — First Team All-State, 1986
The X-Factor
In 1986, Jeff Swisher ran for more than 2,300 yards — and Kelly was one of the engines that made it possible. He was the X-factor in Tyler County’s inability to gain much yardage in the 1986 Class A championship game.
A dominant force on both sides of the ball, Kelly exemplified the kind of two-way excellence that defined Sistersville football at its peak.
Charles “Red” Shurtliffe
A former Sistersville player who went on to play (briefly) in the NFL. A talented back in football, he was better known throughout the Ohio Valley for basketball. The Valley’s leading scorer as a junior, he was the first player selected for The Intelligencer’s first All-Valley team in 1924. The paper said he was “averaging close to 14 baskets a game,” extraordinary for the time. No other Valley player was close to him that season.
Football Career
Went on to play football at Marietta College and played four games for the Buffalo Bisons (NFL) as a back in 1929.
Basketball Dominance
The Ohio Valley’s leading scorer as a junior — a rare dual-sport talent who left a lasting mark on the region’s athletic history.
David Shepherd
Gilbert tried and tried and tried to throw the ball against David Shepherd and Mark Swartzmiller in the 1984 state semifinals and the result was evident: a 47-14 Gilbert loss on its home field. He played like a senior when he was a freshman, and he played like a college senior when he was a high school senior.
He was the second team defensive captain on the 1986 all-state team, but it was a total absurdity. Of all the Sistersville players overlooked for first team in the 1980s, he’s at the top of my list.
Tom, Jerry & Jim Shepherd
Jerry and Jim were two of only 11 Sistersville athletes all-time to have been selected first team all-state at least twice. From 1980–83, there was a “J. Shepherd” from Sistersville on the all-state first team.
Jerry Shepherd
Multiple first-team all-state selections. A cornerstone of Sistersville’s dominant defensive era. Had a touchdown catch in the 48-0 playoff blowout of Pineville in 1981.
Tom Shepherd
Jerry’s twin — determined, cerebral, and dedicated. Shrugged off the lack of attention and concentrated instead on shrugging off blockers. Also had a touchdown catch in the 48-0 Pineville win. First team on my all-time all-Sistersville team — even if it’s 45 years too late.
Jim Shepherd
Continued the family legacy of excellence on the Sistersville defensive line. Another first-team all-state selection carrying the Shepherd name with distinction in 1982 and 1983.
Remarkable stat: Of the 48 players on Sistersville’s non-playoff 1979 team, one-third of them would later make an all-state team.
Mark Swartzmiller
He once tied for the Ohio Valley lead in interceptions, yet was only honorable mention All-Valley — not even particular honorable mention.
Maybe someone should have asked Morgantown St. Francis how good he was; his long reception (the only completed pass for Sistersville in either the 1985 or 1986 title games) was the play that swung the 1985 championship game.
He was the epitome of a player you’d want as a teammate. He could catch anything — except the recognition he deserved.
Mike Stead
The Unsung Blocker
Jeff Swisher had one of the greatest rushing seasons in West Virginia history in 1986 (in effectively eight games), yet only Swisher and Steve Kelly made first team all-state. Stead made second team. Behind every great rushing season is a great blocker. Mike Stead was that blocker, and he deserved far more than second team recognition.
The Ohio River Standard
Apparently, voters never paid any attention to the defensive linemen Stead blocked into the Ohio River — so many that the Sistersville Ferry was required to run extra hours on game nights to fish them out.
The Kicking Game All-Stars
Lou Nocida never overlooked the kicking game; he realized that it can make the difference between winning and losing. And it seemed he always had an all-state kicker or punter to call on. Coincidence? I think not.
Mark Brenneman
Set a number of Ohio Valley kick scoring records as a first-team all-state kicker. A foundational piece of Sistersville’s special teams dominance.
Erik Soliday
Also earned first team all-state honors as a kicker, continuing the Tigers’ tradition of elite special teams play. Later a great high school coach in Ga.
Craig Drain
“Drain-o” earned second team all-state recognition, another in a long line of Sistersville kicking specialists.
Joe “The Jet” Heintzman
First team all-state punter and state 200-meter champion. Speed and skill combined in one remarkable athlete.
The Tigers had all-staters aplenty in their backfield and on defense yet, in many seasons, they also had the best kicking game in the state. It almost wasn’t fair.
Roger Cline
On the Gridiron
One of Sistersville’s best-ever two-sport athletes, he was second team all-state as quarterback in 1963. He went on to play quarterback at Salem for former Sistersville coach Dale Evans.
To showcase Evans and Cline, Salem moved its home game against West Virginia Tech to Core Field on Oct. 1, 1965 — a testament to the attention Cline commanded even at the college level.
On the Court
An excellent outside shooter, Cline and teammate Lewis (Spike) Berkhimer — a future WVU football player — were twin headaches for Tiger opponents in the mid-1960s.
A rare athlete who excelled at the highest level in two sports, Cline embodied the multi-sport excellence that defined Sistersville’s athletic culture.
Shawn Laugh
Oh yeah, he also was special mention all-state linebacker — once again, on a less-successful team, he might have been a first teamer.
He was a great Sistersville football player. And in West Virginia high school football in the 1980s, that was as elite as it gets. You know why he was special honorable mention? Because Shawn Laugh was special.
Running through the defense
Paul Long & Rick Glover: Different Eras of Patience
Paul Long — 1964 State Champions
An exceptional blocking fullback and short-yardage rusher who also excelled on defense on the 1964 state championship team. The Tigers defeated Fairview 27-0 in the state title game, yet placed only one player on first team all-state. He should have been a second. Tony Sutton got the ball more, but Paul Long patiently waited for his opportunities and then bulldozed his way to key yardage, time and again.
Rick Glover — The Patient QB
Imagine you’re a quarterback with a strong throwing arm, but you’ve got to wait your turn. And wait. And wait. That’s what Rick Glover did while backing up all-stater Tom Archer in 1979 and 1980.
But when Rick Glover finally got to play in 1981, all he did was lead the state and the Ohio Valley in passing. He completed 147 of 253 passes for 2,167 yards, 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while leading a 13-0 state championship team. He also made the All-Valley team by The Intelligencer.
But the all-state team? He had to settle for second team; once again, Rick Glover was No. 2 on the depth chart. But he certainly took advantage of his one and only opportunity to be QB1.
Jamie Moore & Mike Salmons: Intensity Personified
Jamie Moore — 1966
An indefatigable blocker, he somehow made only second team all-state in 1966, when Sistersville was one of the three best Class A teams in the state yet had no first team all-stater.
It’s no coincidence that Sistersville had two of its best teams in history with a Moore in the lineup — Larry in 1964, Jamie in 1966. What Moore could you ask?
Mike Salmons — 1979–1982
When Salmons played for Sistersville from 1979–82, the ‘I’ in Tigers stood for intensity. Arguably one of the five best defensive players in school history, he was a first-team all-state linebacker only once, but his drive and passion fueled the 1980 and 1981 state championship teams.
In his spare time, he was a second-team all-state basketball player in 1981 and a first teamer in 1982, when he made certain that rebounds came at a premium for opponents.
Chuck Heinlein & Ron Lathey
Quick, name the talented backcourt that played in the shadow of Mike Carson in 1968 and 1969. Each had very productive scoring nights of 20+ points, and Heinlein had a 32-point game against Williamstown, but neither truly gained adequate recognition for helping drive records of 20-4 and 22-3.
Chuck Heinlein
Returned to Sistersville High as head basketball coach, assistant football coach, and principal. Eventually served as interim state Superintendent of Schools in West Virginia — a career that would have forced W.Va. history students statewide to memorize his name.
Ron Lathey
Became the basketball coach at Williamstown High School, turning out a succession of state-ranked teams. An uncommon number of his former players became coaches themselves — including at least three college head coaches. A true measure of a coach’s lasting influence.
Let’s just say Heinlein and Lathey made the all-state team as adults.
Bernard Mehrley & Tom Menighan: “M” for Methodical
Bernard Mehrley — 1939
If Pryor didn’t score the key touchdown in any of the unbeaten 1939 Tigers’ nine wins, Mehrley assuredly did. One of the best clutch big-play athletes in the school’s football history, he was a key component on a team that didn’t lose a game despite playing a schedule loaded with much-larger high schools. He and Pryor were the touchdown twins before Kenny Mikes and Bob Wable were in 1953. Wheeling newspapers constantly played up his contributions.
Tom Menighan — 1968
Co-captain of an overlooked 7-3 team in 1968 that beat St. Marys (13-12) and lost only to eventual state runner-up Paden City, Wirt County (14-0) and Williamstown (6-0). A two-year basketball starter and ace rebounder on the Tigers’ twin 20-win seasons in 1968 and 1969.
One of Sistersville High’s great success stories: a WVU pharmacy graduate who founded Catizone, Luce & Menighan. He served as CEO of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) for 11 years, overseeing a membership of 67,000 pharmacists. He holds a doctorate degree plus honorary degrees from WVU and the University of Charleston.
He lacked one thing: a throwing arm — so you’d never know he’s the uncle of all-state quarterbacks Tom and Matt Archer.
Scott Swisher
Brother of Brian and Jeff Swisher, “all” he did was make second-team all-state football in 1983. Do these numbers sound like a second teamer?
There were first-team defensive players with worse stats than that who didn’t have anywhere near his offensive numbers. Oh yeah, he also was the best deep-ball Class A wide receiver in the state. His only problem was he played on a team with so many good players, his own many contributions often got overlooked.
The Swisher legacy — Brian, Scott, Jeff — is one of the most remarkable family dynasties in West Virginia high school football history. Scott’s story is the perfect emblem of Sistersville’s greatest paradox: so many stars, not enough spotlight.