Notable Teams

The SSAC Rule Change & The 1964 Championship

The SSAC tossed out the rule that discounted losses against schools in a higher classification immediately after Sistersville won the 1964 title despite losing its final three regular-season games. Regardless, it still appears the best team in the state won the title, given Sistersville’s 27-0 dominance of previously unbeaten Fairview.

The St. Marys “Unbeaten” Season — With an Asterisk

St. Marys to this day is credited with an unbeaten, unscored-upon 10-0 season in 1963 — but that Blue Devils season deserves an asterisk. Sistersville and St. Marys played to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 20 in St. Marys, apparently giving the Tigers a 2-0-1 record following a dominant 53-33 win over River and a 7-0 win against Tyler.

However, it was determined at midseason that Sistersville inadvertently used an ineligible player in its first four games, forcing in the forfeiture of those games (the fourth game already was a loss, 20-0 to Clarksburg Notre Dame and future Virginia Tech All-American Frank Loria). The result was a 3-6 record, rather than the on-field 5-3-1 record. St. Marys, incidentally, was coached by Sistersville grad Bill Hanlin, who later coached Glenville State.

So when your St. Marys friends brag to you about that 10-0 season, be sure to mention it didn’t really play out that way on the field!

Sistersville’s Revenge on St. Marys — 1964

Sistersville got a measure of revenge the following season with a 19-10 win over St. Marys that was a major catalyst of that state championship season. St. Marys went 7-2-1 that season, losing only to Sistersville and Magnolia — with another of those pesky ties, to Ravenswood.

Paden City: Loss, Revenge, and a Rainy Tie

Sistersville also got a measure of revenge for a 40-14 loss to unbeaten, Larry Sine-led Paden City (10-0) in 1963 by beating the Wildcats 13-0 in 1964. Despite its record, Paden City (somehow) didn’t make the state title game in ’63.

Sistersville played yet another tie against an undefeated team in 1966 when the Tigers deadlocked Paden City 0-0 in a downpour at Berger Field. Paden City ended up going 9-0-1 (sound familiar, St. Marys?)

Wirt County: A Last-Minute Win and a Bitter Revenge

Sistersville’s other big win in 1964 was a last-minute 13-12 victory at Wirt County. But those Wirt Tigers got their revenge by handing Sistersville its only loss (19-13) in that 8-1-1 season in 1966.

Wirt County, by the way, rode its 1966 win over Sistersville to an 11-0 record, crushing Crum in the state title game. Wirt also was 10-0 in 1967 — but lost the state championship game to Marlinton.

The Magnolia Rivalry: A Stunning Consequence

The 1960s also saw the end of the Magnolia-Sistersville rivalry, the most longstanding on Sistersville’s schedule. Magnolia went 10-0 in 1961 with one of the best teams in school history, but a 59-7 win against Sistersville ended up knocking the Eagles out of the state championship game.

How is that possible? Because the Eagles were Class AA, playing a Class A team actually brought down their ranking even though they entered the game as the top-ranked team in the state.

Magnolia Drops Sistersville — and One Last Parting Shot

As a result, Magnolia dropped Sistersville after the following season, no doubt to avoid such a repeat in the future. Good thing for the Eagles, too — they would win the 1964 state title two years later with Sistersville off the schedule.

But the Tigers gave the Eagles one last parting shot, tying them 7-7 in 1962 in the last-ever Magnolia-Sistersville game — one delayed a night by weather, but still played in a rainstorm at Core Field. John Stewart (later WVU’s soccer coach) scored the lone Tigers touchdown. The tie ended Magnolia’s seven-game winning streak in a season in which it lost only to Marietta but tied Sistersville and Follansbee.

The Decade at a Glance: Rivalries That Shaped a Season

The many rivalry games on Sistersville’s schedule defined the 1960s in West Virginia high school football. Here is how the key matchups played out across the decade:

Aren’t Rivalries Fun?

Aren’t rivalries fun?

From the SSAC rule change sparked by Sistersville’s 1964 championship, to the asterisk on St. Marys’ “perfect” season, to the rainy final chapter of the Magnolia rivalry — the 1960s were defined not just by wins and losses, but by the fierce, complicated, and deeply memorable contests that made West Virginia high school football what it was.

Sistersville won a state championship in 1964 (with a 6-4 regular season record) and had a near miss in 1966, going 8-1-1 with the only loss coming at Wirt County on a 98-yard fumble return touchdown. But Sistersville still played quite the hand in the West Virginia high school football playoffs in the 1960s, in great part because of the many rivalry games on its schedule.

— Alan Robinson

The 1960s brought Sistersville High its second WVSSAC state high school football championship, in 1964, and in unusual circumstances, too. A team with a 6-4 record and a three-game losing streak to end the season ended up the top-ranked team in West Virginia … and upheld that rating with a 27-0 rout of previously undefeated Fairview in the state championship game. Much to the chagrin of many in the state who said a 6-4 team didn’t belong in the title game (overlooking the fact Sistersville played almost every game against a larger school).

At the time, losses outside of a team’s class didn’t affect its ranking — and Sistersville’s schedule was loaded with Class AA teams that season. The SSAC amended the rule the following season to count all losses, regardless of an opponent’s size.

What’s interesting is Sistersville’s manhandling of a much larger (physically) and much more highly regarded team (media-wise) in Fairview actually was evidence of why the SSAC adopted the previous rule that discarded losses to larger schools.

The Tigers were coached by former WVU quarterback Dale Evans and assistant Jim Stalnaker and featured a multi-dimensional offense featuring all-state running back Tony Sutton and fullback Paul Long, an extremely effective runner around the goal line and quarterback Jay Kuehne, who had a nice throwing arm and also could beat a team with his legs.

The season began with a 7-0 loss to Williamstown, which would go on to nish 5-3-1 with a 48-6 loss to St. Marys, a team Sistersville defeated. A six-game winning streak followed, including the very important win over St. Marys and a last-minute 13-12 win at Wirt County.

The Tigers would lose their final three games, all to much-larger schools: Ravenswood (7-2-1), River (7-1-1) and Calhoun County (6-3-1) with excellent records. Sistersville’s 11 opponents that season were a combined 57-39-11 with only Tyler County (1-8-1) having a poor season. Paden City was an uncharacteristic 3-5-1.

The Tyler Star News commemorated the Tigers’ 27-0 state championship game victory by publishing an EXTRA edition, its first since World War II. When Sistersville residents arrived home from New Martinsville following the game, and before the team bus stopped in the middle of town for a celebration, the paper was already being sold. It was quite the effort by editor Adam Kelly and his staff.

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Lou Nocida

In 1982, the West Virginia Sports Writers Association confirmed what many Sistersville fans had claimed for years -- that Lou Nocida was the best high school coach in the state.

Nocida was honored with the all-sports Coach of the Year award, becoming just the second coach from a Class A school to win the award in 42 years. He won the award over two other coaches whose teams also won their second consecutive football championships in 1981, Roy Michael of North Marion and Carl Ward of Ceredo-Kenova.

Many coaches leave behind excellent records when they leave a high school. When Lou Nocida leaves Sistersville, he will leave behind a legendary legacy.

No other high school football team in state history ever won 37 games in three seasons like Nocida's 1980-81-82 teams did. No school in state history has ever won 55 games in five seasons like Nocida's 1978-82 teams did.

But Lou Nocida was no stranger to success before he came to Sistersville.

At Magnolia High School, Nocida turned out a series of excellent teams - including the 1972 team, which ended 10-2 and lost to Ravenswood 14-6 in the state championship game. His 1973 team also reached the state playoffs before losing to Ceredo-Kenova and his 1974 team went 7-3 while playing one of the toughest schedules of any team in state Class AA history. From 1972-74, Nocida's Magnolia teams had a combined record of 26-7. Over his last 11 seasons, counting coaching stints at Magnolia, Oak Glen and Sistersville, Nocida's record is 91-33 - and, taking away the 1-9 record in his first Sistersville season, the record is an even more impressive 90-24.

A former Glenville High School and Glenville State College athlete, Nocida came to the Ohio Valley in 1966 to play for the Wheeling Ironmen, and has stayed except for one season, 1968, when he coached Fort Frye (Ohio) High School to a 9-1 record.

Nocida's teams have been noted for their discipline, their ability to both run and pass and for complex, multiple defenses that change not only from week to week but play to play.

Under Nocida, the Tigers have been the class of Class A. And Nocida has been the class of Class A coaches.

Cat People

DORIS NOCIDA - Probably one of the few people in the world who holds down three full-time jobs. She's a teacher, homemaker and, during football season, runs her own professional sign-painting shop out of her kitchen. And, according to her husband, often finds time to coordinate the Tigers' offensive and defensive schemes. She's the No. 1 fan of the No. 1 Class A team in the state, and over the course of a year feeds thousands of cookies and almost as many sandwiches to Tiger players, fans and coaches of past and present.

TOMMY ARCHER - One of the most versatile Class A athletes in history. He threw for 1,085 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior, then topped that by passing for 1,739 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. Counting rushing yardage, he was the state's most productive player in his junior and senior seasons, accounting for 4,222 yards and 43 touchdowns - including 2,474 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. He ran for 735 yards and 12 touchdowns on 125 carries as a senior. "He was the best. Simply the best," said Lou Nocida.

BRIAN SWISHER - The only three-time all-stater in Sistersville history. There was nothing he couldn't do on the football field. He established receiving records, chronicled elsewhere, that may never be broken in Class A in West Virginia. As a track sprinter, he won the 100-yard dash in Class AA as a sophomore in 1980, and had six second place finishes and two third place finishes in the state meet in other events. He also was on the 1980 Sistersville 400-meter state championship relay team. He was named the winner of the Hertz Award, emblematic of the top scholastic athletic performance in the state, as a senior. He was also voted as the top lineman in the state and received the prestigious Hunt Award. Is now playing at Marshall University.

MIKE SALMONS - If he wasn't the best linebacker in Sistersville history, he was close. The two-time all-Ohio Valley and one-time all-stater also found time to catch nearly 60 passes his final two seasons and played on three Sistersville teams that had a combined record of 32-4.

JERRY SHEPHERD - An honor student off the field, on it he was one of the most consistent players in Tiger history. A two-time all state Class A defensive end, Shepherd shut down the run on his side of the line and also started offensively on the most explosive single-A offense in state history, the 1981 Tigers.

MATT ARCHER - He didn't know he would start at quarterback for the 1982 Tigers until three weeks before the season. He would go on to throw for more yards, nearly 1,800, than only a handful of players in state history. Not as quick or as good a runner as brother Tommy, but extremely intelligent and rarely gets rattled. He can be as good in 1983 as he wants to be.

TOM BUCHANAN - He didn't even make all-state in 1982, but he was one of the most consistent defensive players in Sistersville history on a 12-1 team that some predicted would have trouble breaking the .500 mark. If he didn't hit you, David Rustemeyer usually would.

DAVID RUSTEMEYER - Played only infrequently during 1981 on a senior-laden state championship team, but still had an exceptional senior season. Wasn't particularly big, but could physically dominate opposing players as a linebacker and fullback. Perhaps his best game came against Mullens in the 1982 playoffs, when he intercepted a pass for a touchdown, rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries and caught several key passes.

TIM HENTHORN - Rushed for only 700 yards his senior season, less than half the over 1,500 yards he accumulated as an all-stater in 1981. But he didn't have the dominating offensive line in front of him that he did before, yet still had several exceptional games, including a 220-plus game at Tyler County in a 24-22 Tiger victory. His yardage total in 1981 is the second best in school history.

RICK GLOVER - Didn't receive the attention that many of his Tiger teammates did in 1981, his only season as the starting quarterback. Yet he passed for over 2,100 yards - the best single-season effort in West Virginia history. Made the best use of his talents - and more.

RANDY KEHRER - Also didn't receive the recognition as some of his more-honored teammates, yet survived broken legs in both his sophomore and senior seasons to captain the Tigers' defense for two seasons. May have made all-state in 1981 if he hadn't missed most of the playoffs with an injury. He gave new meaning to the word courage.

MARK BRENNEMAN - He did only one thing for the Tigers, kick. But he did it better than any kicker in state Class A history. He scored nearly 130 points in two seasons, including 77 his senior season in 1982, when he kicked a state record 10 field goals. He accumulated more kicking points his final year than any kicker in state history.

ERIK SOLIDAY - One of three Tiger kickers who made all-state in the past five seasons. Established an Ohio Valley single season kick scoring record that was broken the following season by Mark Brenneman. Kicked eight field goals his senior season and now kicks at Fairmont State College.

JOHN CHUTE - A second-team all-state defensive guard who would have probably been recognized again in 1979 if the Tigers had made the playoffs. Made up for a lack of great athletic skills with hard work, intensity and desire.

MATT WAGNER - A first team all-state linebacker in 1979. In 1978, he helped bring about a major turnaround in Tiger football. In 1979, his intense play helped the Tigers set the stage for three successive seasons of single-A dominance.

C. R. HOWDYSHELL - The player, who, more than anyone else, turned the Tigers from a dying program into a dynasty. His 2,315 yards in 1978 are far and away the most in school history and is the third best total in state history. His 386 rushing attempts in 1978 are - by more than 100 - the most in state history and among the most in national history. He rushed for well over 3,000 yards in his final two seasons and had 52 attempts in a 1977 game against Pennsboro for a state record that wasn't broken until three years later.

BILL HALEY - His aggressive play on defense more than complemented Howdyshell's play on offense. Among the top pure hitters in Tiger history. Would have fit in perfectly with the Tigers' defensively dominant teams in 1980 and 1981.

The 1979 Tigers were among the most under-appreciated teams in school history. They lost three times: to Double-A power Williamstown (whose captain, Jeff Deem, started for WVU on its 1981 Peach Bowl team) and Class A state finalists Paden City and Bishop Donahue on absolutely horrible, muddy fields that neutralized Sistersville’s speed advantage.

Remember, this Sistersville team featured the 1980 W.Va. Class AA 100-meter dash champion Brian Swisher AND 200-meter champ Joe Heintzman.

Once the fields dried up and the weather cooled, the Tigers heated up, winning their final three games by a combined score of 131-17 — giving a preview of what was to come in 1980 and 1981.

And something to remember: the Tigers lost 7-6 to Class A champion Paden City on a blocked punt in the end zone. In three games in the 1979 and 1980 seasons, two of the best in Paden City history, the Wildcats scored ZERO touchdowns on offense against Sistersville. And two of the games were on their home field.

Sistersville finished .1 away from the eighth and final place in the SSAC Class A rankings. If they’d somehow made it into eighth place, the Tigers would have played — guess who — Paden City on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Want to guess who would have won? Brian Swisher, a sophomore, caught at least one pass in every game (just as he would do during every game of his 36-game, three-season career) and became the first sophomore football all-stater in school history. Strong-armed junior Tom Archer did the throwing. It would turn out to be a pretty lethal combination.

From Intelligencer-News-Register football tab

From the Intelligencer-News-Register football tab — Coach Lou Nocida, Kenny Stead, Joe Heintzman, Matt Wagner

Back in the 1980s, it seemed that no matter what the Sistersville Tigers did, they always found something else to accomplish, something else to achieve. They pushed aside the talk that the state championship game run was over, that finally their magic would run out.

No, no and no. The 1983 Sistersville Tigers football team was a great team, with emphasis on team. They did everything well — wait, they did it better than well. They did it exceptionally well.

Sistersville could do that to teams in the 1980s, no matter how the personnel changed, no matter how big or how small they were, no matter what offense Lou Nocida chose to run or what defense he chose to play.

The Stars Who Made It Happen

Every great team is built on exceptional individual talent working together. The 1983 Tigers had that in abundance.

The Men in the Trenches

Jeff Evans and Jim Cavezza were tall and elite targets when Swisher wasn’t catching the ball, and players you didn’t want to run up against on defense. Jim Shepherd would hit you on Friday and knock you into Tuesday.

The Regular Season: 10-0

Look at the scores:

A Championship Team in Every Sense

A reminder once again: This was one of the best teams in Sistersville High School history. Sure, the record books show they lost the state championship game to Tyler County 16-14. But they'd already beaten Tyler during the season, and the team that loses the first game almost always has the edge in a rematch.

So don't dare say this team wasn't a championship team. It certainly was, and it always will be. They don't need a ring to prove it, either.

No, that one loss doesn't diminish what a great football team this was. They proved it in subsequent years as multiple players went on to play on the 1984 and 1985 state championship teams.

Coaching Staff & School

1983 Roster — Class A

Sistersville High School

The Season at a Glance

Coach Lou Nocida had a saying when a football season started: “If we can win a few games, we’ll have a banquet.” The 1984 Tigers won more than a few games. And they ended up having a pretty nice banquet, too.

A Season of Transition

It was a season of transition for these Tigers, more so than usual. They’d played in the state championship game the previous four seasons, but they’d lost the last two.

And for the first time in six seasons, there were considerable questions about whether they could mount a sustainable passing attack. They had an exceptional run/pass balance when Tommy Archer, Rick Glover and Matt Archer were the quarterbacks, but they were gone, now. And there didn’t appear to be much of a balance, just a running game.

But what a running game it would prove to be. The Miami Dolphins once won with a running back duo of (Larry) Czonka and (Jim Kiick), with some Mercury Morris thrown in, too.

These Tigers countered with Wilson and Swisher, and what a combination it was.

With blockers including Matt Snodgrass, Erik Grimm and Stan Dennis leading the way, Wilson and Swisher combined for 3,276 yards and 46 touchdowns. Keeping stats up in the press box, a harried Doris Nocida could barely keep up.

The Record & The Loss

The Tigers reeled off nine consecutive wins to break the all-time Ohio Valley record of 42 consecutive regular season wins, then lost their final regular season game, 30-21 to unbeaten Class AA power St. Marys (10-0).

While the record was nice, the state playoffs were more important, and they turned out to be a relative breeze — even though the St. Marys loss cost the Tigers home-field advantage for the first two rounds.

State Playoffs — At Morgantown

Gilbert almost didn’t know what hit them. By the way, it was No. 31.

It was the third straight season Gilbert went undefeated during the season, only to lose in the playoffs. Record: 11-1.

“We tried to get more people after Wilson, but he’s hard to stop after he gets going. And not too many people have stopped him this year.”— Gilbert coach Jerry Miller

State Championship Game — At Charleston

Dec. 1 · vs. Fayetteville

Fayetteville didn’t stop Wilson, either, in the state championship game as Wilson gained 166 yards and ran for two touchdowns and Swisher ran for three.

It was a nice feeling for the Tigers to raise the championship trophy again after two straight disappointing losses at Laidley Field in 1982 and 1983.

Snodgrass, Wilson and Swisher all made first team all-state, and Erik Grimm, Stan Dennis and kicker Craig Drain made second team as Sistersville became the first school to play in five straight championship games.

The Banquet — A Celebration to Remember

Oh, and that banquet? The boosters club held that Dec. 16 to honor not only the 1984 championship team but the five teams that went to the finals from 1980–84.

The special guest speaker was one of the greatest offensive linemen in college football history, three-time All-American Pitt Bill Fralic of Pitt.

Fralic went on to become the No. 2 pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, a four-time Pro Bowl lineman and a two-time All-Pro with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

Fralic played at a large high school himself (Penn Hills in Pittsburgh) but was impressed with the obvious passion a small town had for its talented teams — and the fact some Sistersville games attracted as many fans as the population of the town. That’s why he volunteered to make the four-hour round trip visit to Sistersville despite having just ended his season.

News-Register — Wheeling, W. Va.

Sistersville paid tribute to its 1984 state champions and the Tiger football teams that have won three West Virginia Class A crowns and twice been runners-up over the last five years. A banquet, sponsored by the Sistersville Booster Club, was held Sunday at the Sistersville Elks. Coach Lou Nocida was presented with a bronzed version of his favorite visor. Pitt All-American offensive tackle Bill Fralic was principal speaker and Sistersville native Al Robinson, now Associated Press sport writer in Pittsburgh, was toastmaster.

From left to right: Robinson, Coach Nocida, Sistersville all-state running back Joe Wilson, Fralic and Doris Nocida, Lou’s wife. (News-Register Photo)

Coaching Staff & School Info

Lou Nocida

Head Coach

Assistant Coaches

Charles Heinlein
Mike Mercer
Fred King

School Info

Principal: Robert Daquillante
Colors: Orange and Black
Nickname: Tigers
Classification: Class A

Band Director

Duane Dober

Cheerleaders

Joanne Evans (Captain)
Larissa Nichols, Jodi Frum,
Amy Buchanan, Tara Thomas,
Jamie Howard, Michele Smith (Mascot)

1984 Team Roster

Class A — Sistersville High School — Full Season Roster

A Season of Doubt — and Surprise

This looked like the year it all could end. The run of consecutive state championship game appearances. The so-called Sistersville invincibility. The mystique of playing a Lou Nocida-coached team.

Oh, there was plenty of talent around in 1985. But Kennedy Award winner Joel Wilson was gone, and so were many of his linemen. Jeff Swisher was a returnee in the backfield, but he’d yet to prove to be the workhorse Wilson was.

The quarterback was as green as the grass that was usually gone from Core Field by October. There were sophomores all over the field in a sport where it often takes seniors to win a state championship. One of the starting defensive backs weighed 118 pounds (after a pizza dinner).

This was the year when the preseason schedules didn’t list a season-ending game at Laidley Field in Charleston, per usual.

Oh well, it’d had been a great run while it lasted.

Only — surprise! — it lasted yet another season longer.

Swisher, a returning all-stater, didn’t have a 100-yard game until the fourth week of the season, but then became a runaway train — a very fast runaway train. The sophomores grew up in a hurry (except for Tommy Still, who didn’t need to grow up — he was a man on defense at 5-foot-7 and 118 pounds). The Tigers kept winning, game after game, month after month, to the surprise of almost everyone outside of the Sistersville city limits.

The Road to Charleston — Bumpier Than Usual

Still, there were a few warning signs the road to Charleston was going to be much bumpier than usual.

Up next: the state championship game opponent was a formidable, experienced and unbeaten Morgantown St. Francis team that some considered to be the favorite. The week before the game, The Intelligencer in Wheeling cautioned: “This Time Nocida Has Reason for Concern.”

The Championship Game: Sophomores Whipping ’Em

But by the third quarter, Lou Nocida turned to no one in particular on the bench and said, “Our sophomores are whipping ’em.” It wasn't the kind of statement he was accustomed to making during a game but, then again, this was a much-younger team than he was used to coaching, too.

By the end, Swisher had 165 yards rushing and a touchdown and an interception return for another touchdown in the 22-13 win. Erik Grimm had about a dozen pancake blocks (maybe he learned something from Pancake King Bill Fralic at the previous season's championship banquet) added to his collection. And Mark Swartzmiller and Tommy Still had reporters asking them how two defensive backs who weighed a combined 265 pounds could keep shedding blocks from linemen who weighed almost that much. And how a middle linebacker who weighed 155 (Bryan Cline) could be so dominating.

This coaching job didn’t earn Nocida just another state championship trophy. He also was chosen as the West Virginia High School Coach of the Year (all sports) for the second time in five years. He earned it, just like his kids did. And this season, they really were kids.

Coach Lou Nocida celebrates with his Tigers after the 1985 state championship victory

The same celebration captured for the newspaper

Sissies? Not at Sistersville

This also was the season the Tigers were featured nationally in an Associated Press story that ran in scores of newspapers nationally, including many in major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston, and brought Sistersville even more national recognition. WVU and Pittsburgh Steelers announcer Jack Fleming saw the story in a Chicago newspaper at an airport and brought me a copy, saying, “I knew you had to write it!”

AP feature photo

1985 Football Statistics

Sissies? Not at Sistersville

Associated Press — By Alan Robinson

SISTERSVILLE, W. Va. 4 The name, Sistersville High School, hardly seems menacing, and for a long time the Tigers' football team was justifiably called "The Sissies."

Nobody calls them that anymore. From 1980 to 1986, the Tigers won three West Virginia Class A championships and became the first school in state history to appear in five consecutive title games. Their worst record during the span was 12-1, they outscored opponents by nearly six touchdowns to one in winning 61 of 80 games, and they reeled off a 45-game winning streak.

Hardly the sissy stuff of the mid-1970s, when Sistersville won only four games in three years.

Doug Huff, a Wheeling sports writer who has charted high school sports records the past 35 years, says he knows of no other school winning as many games this decade.

How do the Tigers do it? With the Grimm brothers, Erik and Craig, a pair of 260-pound linemen. They also have a swift tailback with gazelle's speed, a 130-pound free safety and a 130-pound inside linebacker. Remember, this is small-school football.

"Do the kids have a perception of what has gone on here?" asks assistant coach Chuck Heinlin. "No. And we don't want them to. We just go out there and prepare for this week's game and then go on to next week. We don't want them worrying about what has gone on in the past. We don't want them to hear that pressure."

Sistersville had a fine athletic tradition when coach Lou Nocida arrived in 1977, but football had fallen on hard times. Interest had diminished, victories were infrequent. The school where former national championship-winning Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder began his coaching career. Where state titles were won in 1953 and 1964, but the same school that was the verge of dropping football when only 14 healthy players dressed for the final two regular-season games in 1977.

One year later, the Tigers were 11-1 and the top-ranked team in the state, the greatest one-season turnaround in state history. There have been only six defeats since.

"As bad as things were for awhile, I realized when I got here that most of the kids had the attitude they wanted to play, and very badly," said Nocida, 42, who built winning programs at two larger schools before moving to 300-student Sistersville.

Nocedia's success formula is simple: be prepared. And it has paid off. His winning percentage in his last nine seasons is an amazing 88 percent.

"He is the most prepared individual I have ever known," Heinlein said of Nocida. "Everybody talks about how disciplined we are. It comes from him. He doesn't have to ask for it because the players just give it to him naturally."

"None of us wants to be on the Sistersville team that loses down," says senior cornerback Mark Swartzmiller, a 140-pound wide receiver and safety. "We all want to win for Coach Nocida as much or more than we do for ourselves. I don't think a lot of us could look in the mirror if we lost a game for him."

"A lot of coaches at big schools have four right tackles, and they can choose the one who practices the best," Nocedia said. "We have one right tackle and he plays no matter what."

"But when I watch other guys coach, I say, 'I can't do it that way.' Every boy has a personality. If a boy knows he has to play and he has to do it right and if he doesn't, we might not win, his personality comes out. We try to find each kid's limit and teach him to reach that every week." This is The Associated Press photo that you DIDN'T see, with a smiling Lou Nocida. The AP photos for the story were taken by free lancer Fred Vuich of Pittsburgh, who later became the chief photographer for Sports Illustrated. His photo of Tiger Woods was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated edition devoted to the best sports photographs of all time.

The Point After: Nocida Worked Wonders (Again) This Year

The Intelligencer — By Joe Myers

Louie Nocida, master of doublespeak and gridiron supremacy, gets better with age.

His hard-boiled Tigers of Sistersville High have earned yet another trip to Charleston. "So what?" you ask. "Let me know when Sistersville doesn't finish its season at Laidley Field. Now that would be news."

Nocida's legacy will be that he made it easy for everyone4outside of Sistersville4to take him for granted.

But this year's team is something special. Sistersville has only three seniors playing regularly, with eight sophomores holding down starting jobs. Talent-wise, it gets thin once you get past junior back Jeff Swisher. One could make the argument that Sistersville has no business being in the West Virginia Class A championship game.

So what gives? Let's put it this way: If you ever needed a heart transplant, you'd want the product to come out of Sistersville. They make 'em proper down there. Just watch these kids play football4they give everything they've got, and they are disappointed when they can't give more. It's the trademark of Nocida's teams.

"The team takes the coaches to the playoffs," Nocida says in typical self-effacing style. "I'm along for the ride. I'll be on the bus with them."

He may as well drive it, because he knows the route better than Arch Moore. Nocida has guided his teams to the state finals six straight years now, an unprecedented feat in West Virginia. They've won it all three times. His nine-year record at the tiny school, including a 1-9 mark his first season, is 91-18.

"I've been a very fortunate man," he says. "Since I've been here, nobody's been more fortunate than I have."

Just talking to Nocida, one gets the feeling that he's especially proud of this edition of Tigerdom. "It always feels good (going to Charleston), particularly when you've got a bunch of kids you didn't expect much from. We don't have a lot of talent, but they're getting it done. We've got special kinds of kids."

That's tall talk for Nocida, who wouldn't give a straight answer to Mike Wallace.

Small but quick, gutsy, fundamentally sound... It's the recipe that Nocida has concocted to get his team a berth against top-rated Morgantown St. Francis.

"That's no coaching," he insists. "I'm just fortunate to have those kinds of players."

Perhaps nobody on the team personifies Sistersville's swashbuckling style more than sophomore Tommy Still, a cornerback with a pipe-cleaner physique.

"When you get a guy to play corner at 5-6, 118 pounds," says Nocida, "it's a real problem. The Cline boy (Bryan) at middle linebacker (5-8, 152, soph) is another one. But they seem to apply themselves. They're rather intelligent."

Last week, Gilbert tried repeatedly to take advantage of the tiny Still. They worked on him via the pass; they tried to overpower him with the run; they tried to foul him on occasion. But Still was up to every challenge. By the day's end, he was the tallest member of a defense that had secured a 17-4 win over an explosive football team.

"They kept picking on Tommy," Nocida said after the game. "Of course, when you have someone that doggone small out there you're gonna pick on him."

But it's not so much the size as the results. After all, Louie was skilled enough to play semi-pro ball for the Wheeling Ironmen at 5-9, 175. He is, however, a better coach than he was a football player. E.F. Hutton has nothing on Lou Nocida. When the coach says something to one of his players, it's usually followed with a hearty "Yes-sir!"

In the Gilbert game, Sistersville faced 4th-and-2 at the Mountain Lion 45. "Let's kick it out of here," Nocida barked, and the punting unit took the field. "Hey son," Louie said to sophomore punter Casey Soliday, who had shanked one on his last try. "Kick that thing downfield, will you?"

“Yes-sir!” Soliday, with a determined air of purpose, assumed the position and promptly punted it down to the five.

Jeff Swisher Rewrites the Record Books

The Intelligencer — By Joe Myers

Jeff Swisher is not your state-of-the-art tailback. Part of the 165 pounds he packs on his 5-11 frame hangs over his belt. He doesn't run with the authority of say a Joel Wilson. He doesn't have the speed of say a Brian Swisher. He just gets it done—and the same.

Swisher has stepped out from under the ample shadow of Wilson and become a major offensive force for Sistersville, which will face unbeaten Morgantown St. Francis in Charleston Saturday for the West Virginia Class A championship. In 12 games the junior has amassed 1,485 yards and 20 touchdowns on 141 rushes, improving his stock after being named all-state.

Tiger Tailback Enters the 4,000 Club

Jeff Swisher, the recordable all-stater from Sistersville High, has a habit of leaving clouds of dust behind him. On Friday, the senior tailback kicked up so much dust that Frontier defenders could see little else—except the scoreboard that flickered in strobe-light fashion. And the mind-boggling numbers he chalked on small sportswriters that of the old record books, where the name Jeff Swisher is now firmly entrenched.

Swisher riddled the Frontier defense for 455 yards and nine touchdowns during Sistersville's 74-62 conquest of the Cougars, scoring 62 points in an unprecedented one-man showcase. He broke four Ohio Valley records and three modern West Virginia state marks in the 22-carry effort, prompting the NBC television network to appropriate the game films for a yet undetermined feature. (KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh also featured him during an evening newscast.)

It also put Swisher over the 1,000-yard barrier for the season and the 4,000-yard standard for his career (including playoff games). He now has 4,031 yards and 58 TDs on 410 carries for an average of 9.7 yards per attempt. He's the sixth runner to enter the 4,000 Club in modern OV annuals, joining former teammate Joel Wilson, who leads with 4,527.

"It felt great!" said the 5-10, 160-pounder, who admitted he didn't know about breaking the rushing record until the fourth quarter, after he'd taken his final bow with a 75-yard romp.

"I really didn't think about any records or anything," he says. "I just wanted to win."

Indeed, Sistersville is 4-0 with Swisher in the lineup, including two straight W.Va. Class A titles. True to the Tiger code of honor, Swisher puts team laurels ahead of individual accomplishments. He seems more willing to talk about the efforts of his linemen, who on Friday "did a super job."

Swisher won't specify his season goals for yards or touchdowns, but admits that he wouldn't regret duplicating Wilson's Kennedy Award season of 1984. "Yards," he says, "I just wanna get a lot." He says, "But I really don't look at that. I look for the team to win, not individual things."

Of course, records aren't easily shattering developments in the Frank Swisher household. Jeff's older brother, Brian, a multiway player on what may have been Sistersville's finest squad (1981), holds OV marks for career pass receptions (136) and yards (2,174), not including the playoff performances which tack the numbers to 149 and 2,330.

Explosive? Don't take your eye off the kid or you'll probably miss something special. He's ripped off touchdown runs of 30 yards or better nine times this year.

"Jeffrey's got some pretty good tools," his coach acknowledged. "He's got good size and pretty good feet. He's also got a pretty good knack at reading blocks. But in my opinion, he still can improve."

"I don't think I'm that good," Swisher contends.

One could disagree with the young lad, but he'd probably disappear before you could finish the first sentence...punctuating his own statement with a cloud of dust.

Nocida Named W. Virginia High School Coach of the Year

By Doug Huff

Lou Nocida — WV Coach of the Year

Lou Nocida, who coached an underclass-laden Sistersville High team to the school's fourth Class A football championship in the last six seasons, has been voted the state High School Coach of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

It is the second statewide honor for Nocida, who won in 1981 after his Tigers capped a perfect 13-0 record with a second straight single-A title.

Nocida will join other statewide honorees, football and basketball all-stars, and four Hall of Fame inductees to be feted at the 46th annual Victory Awards Dinner May 4 on the West Virginia University campus in Morgantown.

Nocida prevailed in the closest statewide balloting in recent years over runner-up Don Smith, who coached Huntington Vinson basketball team to a 3-1 record and the Class A crown. Leon McCoy, who guided the state's only unbeaten football team, Winfield in Class AA championship and Paul (Bud) Billiard, who coached Brooke High to its first Class AAA football championship.

Sistersville capped a 12-1 record season by advancing to a state record sixth straight title game and defeating previously unbeaten and favored Morgantown St. Francis by a 22-12 score at Laidley Field in Charleston.

With only three seniors in their starting alignment, Nocida's Tigers continued the most dominant "small school juggernaut" in Mountain State annals. The seniors included four-year regular linemen Erik Grimm, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound recruit from Ohio State University; 5-8, 155-pound split end and defensive back Mark Swartzmiller; and tight end Kevin DeVaughn. Grimm and Swartzmiller played both offense and defense. The only other graduate among the "regulars" is placekicker Craig Drain.

Grimm earned first team all-state recognition as did two juniors4tailback Jeff Swisher, selected the all-state offensive captain, and defensive end Steve Kelly.

"What can anyone say about an honor?" Nocida exclaimed. "The kids did the job on the field and were as determined a bunch of high school athletes that I've ever seen or happy to be along for the ride."

The Tigers' all-games record the last six seasons is an amazing 73-2 with losses in 1982 and 1983 title games to Duval and backyard rival Tyler. The overall success percentage during that period is believed to be the best in the land. Included was a 42-game regular season victory streak, an all-time West Virginia record and 31 consecutive all-game victories, just one shy of the state standard.

Overall, Nocida's nine Sistersville teams have won 92 games and lost 18, a winning percentage of 84.6 percent. Nine of the losses came in his first season with the Tigers.

Sistersville won its first nine regular season games last fall before ending its regular-season schedule for the second straight year with a loss to Class AA St. Marys, 28-17. In the playoffs, the Tigers defeated Buffalo of Putnam, 20-12, and Gilbert, 17-0, to advance to the finals against unbeaten St. Francis, which was season-ending.

The championship was Sistersville’s sixth crown, four under Nocida. Earlier titles were claimed in 1953 and 1964.

The National AP Story

Associated Press — By Alan Robinson

SISTERSVILLE, W. Va. (AP)—The name, Sisterville High School, hardly seems masculine, and for a long time the Tigers football team was justifiably nicknamed "The Sissies." Nobody calls them that anymore. From 1980 to 1986, the Tigers won three West Virginia Class A championships and became the first school in state history to appear in five consecutive title games.

A one-time oil boom town located 100 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Sisterville is just close enough to the fertile college recruiting grounds of nearby Ohio and western Pennsylvania to know what great high school football is all about—and just far enough away so its athletes don't labor under weekly media pressure.

Donn Hall, a Wheeling sports writer and national scholastic sports record keeper, can locate no other high school in the nation that has won so many games this decade. And how do the Tigers do it? With a pair of 240-pound linemen, the leaders Erik and Craig Grimm; a swift tailback with track sprinter speed, Jeff Walker; and a 110-pound free safety and 130-pound inside linebacker. Remember, that is small school football.

Although there is a large Union Carbide plant several miles down the road and several chemical and aluminum plants 35 miles up river, Sisterville has been touched by tough economic times. To a male populace largely unaware about the uncertain economy, Sisterville football is a welcome weekly three-hour oasis of relief.

"I know sometimes we win games because we want to win more than the other team. But I keep wondering, what happens when we play a team that wants to win as much as we do and has two times the ability we do? And then I don't want to think about it anymore," Nocida said.

Houston Oilers Coach Bum Phillips once said admiringly of an opposing coach, "He can take his 'uns and beat your 'uns and take your 'uns and beat his 'uns." Opposing coaches say the same thing of Nocida, 42, whose winning percentage in his last nine seasons of coaching is an amazing .951.

Nocida's preparation is legendary in the rolling hills and deep valleys of West Virginia, so are his wit and humor and tendency to overrate his opponents. He is an hilarious banquet speaker. His former players routinely drop by his home to watch games on the flat-screen TV given him by grateful Sisterville fans or to eat pizza prepared by his energetic wife, Doris.

Doris and several friends spend hours each week painting the hundreds of pro-Tiger signs, placards and banners that grace nearly every utility pole in the picturesque community, whose tree-lined streets and upscaling Victorian-era mansions look like they have been lifted from a 19th century postcard.

"None of us wants to be the Sisterville team that lets down," says senior co-captain Mark Swartzmiller, a 160-pound wide receiver and safety. "We all want to win for Coach Nocida as much or more than we do for ourselves. I don't think a lot of us could look in the mirror if we lost a game for him."

Yet even a loss would unlikely lessen the respect Nocida privately harbors for his inexperienced 1985 team. "A lot of coaches at big schools have four right tackles, and they can choose the one who practices the best. We have one right tackle and he plays no matter what."

"But when I watch other coaches say, 'I can't do it that way.' Every boy has a personality. If a boy knows he has to play and he has to do it right and if he doesn't, we might not win, but personality comes out. We try to find each kid's limit and teach him to reach that every week."

The untold story of Sistersville’s most impressive state championship — a small, relentless team that shocked the undefeated Morgantown St. Francis Trojans in 1985.

Seven Titles, One Stands Apart

A Dynasty Built on Versatility: 1980–1983

From 1980 to 1983, the Tigers ran and threw the ball with equally devastating execution, fielding a succession of elite offensive weapons.

A Season of Transition: 1985

The Opponent: Morgantown St. Francis

St. Francis was an exceptional team all season, rolling through its schedule without difficulty. They fielded a college-sized team that even warmed up impressively — giving off the unmistakable air of a squad that expected to win, regardless of Sistersville’s storied resume of six consecutive state title game appearances.

Morgantown St. Francis, no doubt, was aware of Sistersville’s transitional state while doing its advance scouting. A smaller-than-usual Tiger squad. A new feature back. A conservative passing game. A team that, on paper, looked beatable. What the Trojans apparently did not account for was the one element that defined Sistersville football above all else.

Every player on offense and defense, regardless of size, was willing to hit you on every play with extreme intensity — a relentless and unexpected whirlwind of physicality that was hard to endure for 48 minutes by a team accustomed to winning by 35-0 scores.

“They Hit You Really Hard and Never Stop”

After the game, several St. Francis players — without realizing it — epitomized precisely what Sistersville High School football was under coach Lou Nocida.

Read those quotes again. These were not the words of players who had been outschemed or outtalented. These were the words of bigger, stronger athletes who had been physically overwhelmed by a smaller team — and who couldn’t quite explain how it happened.

The Anatomy of a Hit Squad

St. Francis tackle Jay Rollo’s postgame account offered a remarkably detailed breakdown of exactly how Sistersville’s physicality manifested on the field — play by play, block by block.

“They pulled a guard on the powers and traps. He’d come out and wipe out anyone who was left standing. I don’t know if that happened to anyone else, but it happened to me. They blitzed everybody and his brother. We couldn’t pick everybody up.”

“Our sophomores are whippin’ ’em.”— Coach Lou Nocida, during the game

Tommy “Never Stands” Still

The hitting wasn’t limited to tacklers on ball carriers. There was plenty of it along the line of scrimmage, too — and it came from every direction, from players of every size. Sistersville’s across-the-board physicality impressed someone beyond St. Francis’ own players.

Charleston Daily Mail writer Tom Aluisse focused his follow-up story on the smallest — and fastest — Tiger of them all: Tommy “Never Stands” Still. The nickname alone tells you everything you need to know about the relentless, never-stop motor that defined this team’s identity; the next two years, during his junior and senior years in high school, he was the high-point man both years among 1,000 athletes at the state high school track meet.

Aluisse’s feature on Tommy Still captured in print what the St. Francis players had described in the locker room: that Sistersville’s physicality was not a function of size, but of will, technique, and an unrelenting competitive spirit instilled by coach Lou Nocida.

Still’s story was yet one more testament to what should have been called — and what this piece now officially names — The Hit Squad.

What Made This Team Different

Context makes the 1985 championship all the more remarkable. Sistersville was not the favorite. They were smaller and younger than the opponent. Yet the outcome was never really in doubt once the hitting began.

The Legacy of the Hit Squad

The 1985 Sistersville Tigers were not supposed to be the story of that championship season. Morgantown St. Francis was undefeated, physically imposing, and supremely confident. Sistersville was smaller, younger, and in transition.

And yet, when it was over, the Trojans were left searching for words to describe what had happened to them — and the words they found were the same, over and over: “They hit real hard. They were quicker than I thought. Being the size they are, they’re strong, real strong. They hit you really hard and never stop.”

— Alan Robinson

What a way to go out. A second undefeated season in the 1980s. A second Kennedy Award winner in three seasons. A third consecutive state championship, and the fifth in seven years. And records, lots of records.

Here’s a game-by-game rundown of the 10th and final season of the Lou Nocida Era — the Years of the Tigers — and the greatest run of small school supremacy the Ohio Valley and West Virginia had seen to then.

1986 Season Overview

12-Game (Final) Football Statistics (Stats by The Intelligencer)

1986 Individual Statistics

Tigers Postseason History

A record (at the time) seventh consecutive state championship game appearance. Tigers’ All-Time Playoff Record: 42-3, .880 — Tigers’ State Championship Game Record: 7-2, .778 — Tigers’ Playoff Record Under Lou Nocida: 20-3, .870

1986 Game-By-Game Highlights: Regular Season (Part I)

Sistersville 38, Fayetteville 0 — Aug. 22, Laidley Field, Charleston
Tigers overcome first-quarter injury to TB Jeff Swisher (4 carries/14 yards) to score easy victory over Fayetteville. Starting time of 7:25 p.m. designated so game could be first in the nation. Tigers featured in USA Today article. Bryan Cline scores on runs of 6 and 11 yards and QB David Rial scores on a 1-yard dive to make it 19-0 with 1:31 left in first period. Cline's second score was set up by his own fumble recovery and Rocky Romine's fumble recovery set up Rial's TD. Tommy Still's blocked punt sets up Rial's 4-yard TD pass to David Shepherd with 10:30 left in 2nd period, giving Tigers a 26-0 lead. Mike Ebert gains 60 yards on 13 carries after replacing Swisher, while sub FB Chris Clegg has 50 yards on 9 carries. Tigers recover three fumbles and block a punt.

Sistersville 30, Beallsville, Oh. 29 — Aug. 29, Beallsville
One of the most remarkable games in the Tigers' 80-year football history. TB Jeff Swisher, despite not 100% because of ankle injury, rushes 35 times for 350 yards and three touchdowns, but Tigers squander 22-0 first-period lead by allowing Beallsville to score 29 consecutive points (Tigers would allow remaining regular-season opponents only 38 points). After Beallsville QB Yocum (18-34, 181 yds., 1 TD, 30 rushing yards and 2 TDs) scores on 1-yard run with 7:12 left to give Blue Devils a 29-22 lead, Tigers drive to Devils' 13 before David Rial throws 4th down interception. Beallsville stopped on next possession, and Tigers go 56 yards on 8 plays to score the decisive TD when Rial throws 9 yards on a third-and-goal play to an uncovered Tommy Still for TD, with 23 seconds left. Rial then throws to Still in the right rear corner of the end zone for the deciding 2-point conversion. Swisher scores on first-half runs of 46, 30, and 42 yards. Among Beallsville's TDs was a 79-yard fumble recovery return by John McElfresh of Swisher's fumble, tying the score at 22. Swisher carried 15 times for 217 yards in first half and 20 times for 133 yards in second half to eclipse C.R. Howdyshell's 1978 school record of 314 yards.

Sistersville 30, Williamstown 0 — Sept. 5, Charleston
Jeff Swisher rushes 30 times for 220 yards and touchdowns of 12, 36, and 4 yards, giving him 570 yards in last two games. Tigers lead 22-0 in first quarter on Rial's 8-yard keeper ending a 72-yard scoring drive and Swisher's 12 and 36-yard runs. Swisher's first TD comes two plays after Mike Stead's fumble recovery at the Williamstown 17. Tigers suffer three turnovers and have TD nullified by penalty in the second quarter. Swisher makes it 30-0 with a 4-yard TD run midway through the third period, completing a 14-yard, 62-play drive in which he or Bryan Cline carries the ball on every play. Tigers finish with 345 total yards to 40 for Williamstown, which managed only 4 rushing yards on 26 carries. Yellow Jackets complete only 2 of 9 passes for 27 yards.

The Record Game: Sistersville 76, Frontier, Oh. 8 — Sept. 12

His final TD came with 8:54 remaining and was with the junior varsity offense ... Swisher was reinserted after it was discovered he was only 3 yards shy of the all-time Ohio Valley rushing record ... The run also enabled him to break the W.Va. records for rushing yards and touchdowns in a game ... Curt Warner of Pineville had 424 yards in a 1978 game against Chapmanville ... Swisher had 266 yards and SIX touchdowns in just 15 carries in first half, then had 182 yards on only seven second-half carries, including only one carry in the final 18 minutes of play ... Tigers led 24-0 at end of first period and 46-0 at half ... 76 points were the most in school history ... After Swisher left game for the first time after 9-yard scoring run with 6:49 left in third period, Mike Noland threw a 32- yard TD pass to Aaron Craven, making it 68-8 with 2:28 left in third period ... Swisher now has 1,032 yards in last THREE games - a 344 yards per game average ... Tigers finish with 537 rushing yards and 53 passing yards for 590 total yards.

1986 Game-By-Game Highlights: Regular Season (Part II)

1986 Playoff Run: Three Wins to a Championship

The State/County Championship Game: Sistersville 14, Tyler County 8

It may have seemed anticlimactic after their earlier 34-0 rout of Red Raiders, but Tigers tie state record of three consecutive state titles set by Charleston in 1966-70 ... It's Tigers' fifth title in seven years and gives them an 85-5 record during the 1980s, an average of nearly 12½ victories a season ...

With Coach Lou Nocida playing a close-to-the-vest offense - the Tigers even punt in Tyler territory - Ville takes an 8-0 lead on Bryan Cline's 5-yard TD run and Jeff Swisher's conversion run with 11:00 left in first half ... Tigers needed only six plays to go 28 yards after Cline recovered Chad Seckman's fumble on a botched Tyler handoff ... Tyler then responds with 97-yard, 12-play scoring drive: the longest against the Tigers during the Nocida era ... Scott Holmes scores on 14-yard run with 1:10 left in the half, then throws to Larry Helwick for the two-point conversion for a halftime tie ...

The tie stands until one of the most amazing plays in Sistersville and W.Va. football history ... Jeff Swisher's spinning, twisting, tackle-eluding 65-yard TD run with 8:45 left in the third period that gives the Ville a 14-8 lead ... Swisher was touched by at least seven Tyler players on the run and eluded two with a mid-field, 180-degree spin.

Tigers then sit on lead the rest of the game and run out the clock at the Tyler 27 after running the ball for the final 10 plays of the game - only one of them by Swisher ... Swisher breaks C.R. Howdyshell's 1978 school record of 2,315 yards by rushing 19 times for 136 yards, giving him 2,336 yards on 258 carries, 130 fewer carries than Howdyshell had ... "Big play" Bryon Cline gains 76 yards on 19 carries, giving him 271 rushing yards in three playoff games ... Tigers again plagued by passing problems in the state championship game as Rial fails to complete any of four passes and throws an interception ... Tigers managed to complete only one pass combined - Rial's 52-yarder to Mark Swartzmiller against Morgantown St. Francis in 1985 - in winning state titles in 1984, 1985 and 1986 ... Tigers led 229-202 in total offense despite Holmes' 103 yards on 21 carries for Tyler ... Casey Soliday averages 31 yards on four punts, including a 50-yarder in the second half ...

Tigers finish second unbeaten, untied season in school history with 3,605 rushing yards to opponents' 695 and 4,498 total yards to opponents' 1,430 ... Tigers also outscore foes 137-10 in first quarter and 137-24 in second period ...

Records of the Nocida era: 1977-86, 104-18; playoff record, 20-3; regular season record, 84-15, including nine losses in 1977.

Sistersville’s Swisher Wins Kennedy Award

Charleston Gazette — By A.L. Hardman

Jeff Swisher — Kennedy Award

The top senior football player this past season has been the 4th annual Harry H. Kennedy Award, symbolic of the state's outstanding high school football player on the gridiron. It is Sistersville's Jeffrey Trent "Jeff" Swisher, who led the production of Coach Lou Noccida's offense, and by consideration, unbounded the good news about the award. He turns 18 today 4 December 21.

The Kennedy Award is presented each year by the West Virginia Writers' Association at the Kennedy Award Dinner at Morgantown, May 10-11, 1986. Swisher was an all-stater the past three seasons as Tigers won three straight Class A titles and their fifth in seven seasons.

Swisher, who led the production of Coach Lou Nocida's offense, and by coincidence, he turns 18 today 4 December 21. Swisher becomes the second player in the last three years from Sistersville to be honored by receiving the Kennedy Award, joining Joel Wilson in 1984. A good one in track, he was second in the state's "small school" 100-meter dash last spring.

Two States Get Licks In Early — West Virginia, Alaska Kick Off Prep Football

USA TODAY — By Roger Underwood (August 23, 1986)

Being first is a big deal at Sistersville, W. Va. High. It also is a common status for the school’s football team. Alaska and West Virginia are the only states playing pre-football this weekend. Much of the reason is Sistersville’s football heritage.

LEADING THE WAY: Coach Lou Nocida, center, and seniors David Rial, Mike Stead, Steve Kelly and Jeff Swisher — USA Today

One final note: only two players made first team all-state: Swisher and repeat selection Steve Kelly at guard. David (Should Have Been First Team) Shepherd was the captain of the second team defense. Mike Stead and Brian Brown were second team linemen. Tyler County, which lost twice to Sistersville, including a 34-0 thumping on the Red Raiders' home field, had three first teamers.

Sports In Brief: 1974 Blessing in Disguise

By Roy C. Heinlein

BLESSING IN DISGUISE — Several weeks ago on my Friday broadcast over WETZ of New Martinsville, we made the comment that we felt the defeat handed the Tigers during the season by Paden City may prove to be a “blessing in disguise” and it was.

When the Tigers defeated the Wildcats in that second regular season game they could very easily be on the outside looking in as far as the state tournament is concerned. The incentive is there, even more prominent than in the game at New Martinsville. The Tigers still must defeat a good Pennsboro team and win a game in the regional finals. Then a game at Charleston. But, win it –lose it, every basketball fan in Sistersville is proud of the great record hung up by this year’s team.

Steve Deaton hits a 15-foot jumper from the baseline

How Sweet It Is! On To Charleston — Tigers Regional Champions

Orange Will Meet Marsh Fork Friday Afternoon At 1 O’Clock In Charleston

Those magnificent, never-say-die Tigers brought more glory to Sistersville High and the community of Sistersville last Saturday in Clarksburg, where they stopped the undefeated Barrackville Bison and won the game, 66 to 65. The Bisons had to settle for a tough loss in a game that would have been a great state championship affair.

Sistersville High ran its record to 23 to 1, the best ever in the history of S.H.S. The Barnhart men will now play Marsh Fork in Charleston in the state tournament at 1 o’clock Friday afternoon.

Tigers Beat Wildcats — Paden City Falls 69-67

To set up the game against Barrackville, Sistersville’s Tigers would not be denied in a Regional victory over their up river rivals Paden City and Coach Ray Barnhart’s team handed the Green and White a 69-67 defeat last Thursday evening at the Magnolia high gym in a thrill packed ball game.

Carse went to the line for the 1-1, missed the first one but got another chance as a Barrackville player stepped into the lane too quickly. Carse then split the net with two freebies. The game ended 66 to 65 as the Tigers allowed Roberts to go for an uncontested goal as the game ended.

Sistersville had just 10 turnovers during the game as compared to 14 for the losers. The Bisons had 31 rebounds to 22 for Sistersville, but in the last period when the Tigers pulled ahead they took control of the boards. Sistersville dumped 16 of 25 at the charity line as the Bisons made 7 of 10.

When things became tight we got the ball to go.— Coach Ray Barnhart

Paden City Wildcats: 35.5 percent on 27 for 76. Dave Gallo topped the Paden City scorers with 19, Robert Galian had 15 and Tolman 14. Steve Deaton, who was “handled” by the Cats in their regular season game when they stopped an 18 game winning streak for the Tigers, and who was held to just one field goal and two fouls, had a 25 point effort in the big game. Craig Carse had 14 and Bill Patterson 11.

Tournament Echoes: A Legacy of Excellence

Sistersville never won a state high school basketball championship, but fielded excellent teams season in and season out. In each decade of the 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s, Sistersville had a team ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Class A poll at least once.

A recap of some of the top teams in Sistersville history follows.

The Cuppett Era: 1965–1969

The 1965-66 season was Cuppett’s first team and it started off well with a 6-2 record that included a 70-58 win against Paden City. After that it was up and down for two months. The Tigers lost twice badly to Parkersburg Catholic (100-71 and 87-55) and dropped four of six to end the regular season, including a 76-45 defeat to Paden City, but there were promising signs: 6-foot-7 freshman Mike Carson was improving with each game.

Cuppett eased Carson into the lineup at midseason, and it paid big dividends. As Carson got more experience playing alongside upperclassmen Robert Kelly, Perry Leach, Alan Morgan, Don Cline and Bill Springer, and more confidence, it helped drive the Tigers into tournament play. There seemed to be a different hero every night. Kelly was steady, averaging 16 points and making first team all-state. Morgan had 21 points, Leach 18 and Carson 15 in a revenge sectional tournament win against Paden City. Carson made the all-sectional team as a freshman, joining Morgan and Kelly.

The big upset win was against heavily favored Barrackville (78-67) in the regional semifinals at St. Mary. That huge win was followed by a tight 65-60 decision against Bethany in the regional finals as Leach scored 25 points and Carson had 21. The twin regional wins sent the Tigers into state tournament in Huntington, where a talented Williamson Liberty team ended their season with a 69-56 decision. Kelly and Leach both made the all-state tournament team. And Tom Cuppett realized he liked coaching basketball.

Everybody wondered how good Sistersville could be when Mike Carson got older and stronger, and they began to find out when he scored 54 points against Wirt County in the 1966-67 season — still a state record for a sophomore. A season later, with senior Kenny Livingston complemented by juniors Carson, Chuck Heinlein, Ron Lathey, Tom Menighan and Larry Heintzman, the Tigers were steady from start to finish. Two of the four losses were in back-to-back games against Magnolia and St. Marys, but the Tigers won 11 of their next 12 as Carson led the state in scoring by averaging 32 points per game. The season ended with a tight 60-55 loss to Barrackville in the regional finals in St. Marys. Barrackville would go on to win the state Class A championship in Charleston.

Sistersville began the 1968-69 season as the preseason Class A favorite in the state and lived up to it by winning the first 10 games, only to have their start-of-the-season streak stopped by Magnolia for a second straight season. Teams defended Carson a variety of ways, some playing multiple players on him down low, but that created outside shooting opportunities for Heinlein and Lathey. Carson, who was one of the Ohio Valley’s most heavily recruited players ever that season, still got his points and rebounds as he averaged 30 points. The only other loss came as the No. 5 team in the UPI statewide all-classes poll, to Ravenswood in a slow-down road game 43-37 to end the regular season. The Tigers waded through three games in sectional play but cruised in each game; Carson highlighted an 83-63 win over Pennsboro by making a three-quarters length of the court hook shot to end the third quarter.

Clay-Battelle proved tougher than expected in going down 60-55 in the regional semifinals in Clarksburg, which might have raised warning signs for the regional final rematch in Bridgeport against Barrackville. The Bisons seized the lead and the momentum early and kept building on it, limiting Carson to 17 points for a 73-47 win that again prevented Sistersville from reaching the state tournament. Carson would go on to sign with WVU, Heinlein would sign with West Virginia Tech and Cuppett left to coach Chillicothe.

1968-69 Sistersville Tigers Roster

Name	Black	White	Ht.	Wt.	Gr.	Pos.
Mike Carson	45	44	6-8	208	12	C
Ron Lathey	13	14	5-8	155	12	G
Chuck Heinlein	41	40	6-2	165	12	F
Tom Menighan	25	24	6-1	175	12	F
Larry Groves	35	34	6-0	165	12	G
Fred Smith	51	50	6-5	215	12	F
Paul Howlett	21	20	5-9	155	11	G
Randy Rutherford	33	32	5-9	140	11	G
John Wright	23	22	5-9	165	11	G
Kent Watkins	31	30	5-9	145	11	G
Chris Carse	43	42	5-11	165	11	F
Jay Swisher	11	10	5-11	165	10	F

1968-69 Sistersville Tigers

Principal: Fred E. Smith · Coach: Thomas Cuppett · Asst. Coach: Charles Smith · Managers: Tom Carson, Ron McCullough, Ben Terrill, Joe Bolen · Cheerleaders: Jennifer Howlett, D’Ann Gay, Suzanne Eddy, Kathy Boone, Marilyn Starkey · Games Won 21 Lost 2

L/R Craig Carse, Bill Fletcher, Bill Patterson, Steve Deaton, Steve Northcraft, Coach Ray Barnhart (front)

1973-74: Coach Ray Barnhart (23-2)

The best record in school history was the product of Barnhart maturing in his second season as a high school coach — and a team maturing around him game by game, week by week. The team chemistry started to develop when Barnhart fielded four teams in a competitive summertime high school league.

An early season 77-73 win over defending state champion Paden City was a confidence booster and so were twin overtime wins against Pennsboro, which fielded its best team in seasons.

If nothing else, it was perhaps the most exciting season in school history. The Tigers had to beat Pennsboro for yet another third time in a tight game, 72-69, in the sectional finals, then eliminated Paden City 69-67 in a tense regional semifinal game in which they rallied after trailing by eight points late. The Barrackville regional final game at Bridgeport was more of the same … once again a near-double digit deficit erased late in a 66-65 win secured by two late Carse free throws and Deaton’s remarkable outshooting shooting. The dream season ended with a 66-52 loss to Marsh Fork in the state tournament in Charleston, but it was quite the ride. And a lot of Sistersville residents rode along, spilling out of their designated seating area to fill more chairs than many of the big schools did. Sistersville received the award for best cheering section.

1973-74 Team Rosters: Sistersville vs. Marsh Fork

Class A · Region 1 · Sistersville Tigers

Record: 23 Wins, 1 Loss · Colors: Orange and Black

Principal: George P. Michael · Coach: Ray L. Barnhart · Asst. Coach: Jim Willison

Managers: Tom Roberts, Craig Carse

Name	Gr.	Ht.	Wt.	Avg.
Steve Deaton	12	6’1”	175	27.1
Craig Carse	12	6’1”	160	15.1
Mark Fisher	12	5’10”	155	2.5
Clay Rustemeyer	12	6’1”	175	6.4
Brian Jones	12	6’0”	170	.7
Steve Northcraft	11	5’10”	150	3.7
Bill Fletcher	11	6’3”	215	12.1
Jeff Surface	11	5’9”	135	—
Larry Howlett	11	5’9”	140	—
Bill Patterson	10	6’4”	185	12.6
Joe Rosenleib	10	5’10”	140	—
Mark Westbrook	10	5’10”	150	—

Class A · Region 4 · Marsh Fork Bulldogs

Record: 19 Wins, 7 Losses · Colors: Orange and Black

Principal: Ted Lacy · Coach: Carl Bawagus · Asst. Coach: William Montgomery

Managers: Pat Daniel, David Massey

Name	Gr.	Ht.	Wt.	Avg.
Bill Jarrell	12	6’5”	215	23.2
Steve Flint	10	6’3”	175	1.1
Randy Webb	12	6’1”	180	7.5
Richard Evans	12	6’2”	180	5.9
J. D. Petty	12	5’10”	185	1.1
Danny Freeman	10	5’11”	160	13.5
Billy Saub	11	5’10”	150	1.2
Dale Spencer	12	5’11”	145	7.3
Greg Daniel	11	5’9”	135	.7
Rex Dickens	12	6’2”	155	.3
Joe Wills	12	5’11”	155	.1
Ricky Jarrell	12	5’6”	130	6.7

1975-76 & 1976-77: The Patterson and S-Gang Eras

1975-76 (Coach Ray Barnhart) (21-3)

Led by the scoring, rebounding and steadiness of returning all-state forward Bill Patterson, the 1975-76 team can mount a legitimate argument of being the best in school history. Patterson did it all on both ends of the court. Point guard Randy Shuman was a dynamic play maker and relentless defender. Mark Boston provided size and rebounding inside. Sophomore Richard Summers was an ever-improving shooter who forced defenses to defend the outside and not just pack it inside.

A one-point loss to Skyvue (Ohio) and an upset loss to Tyler County (a team they beat earlier 90-77) were the only setbacks in an 18-2 regular season. The Tigers had won eight in a row (by an average of 20 points) going into the regional final against Rivesville. The problem: A senior-driven Rivesville team hadn’t lost all season. In basketball. Or football. The Rams prevailed in a 59-50 decision that was closer than the final score, halting what might have been Sistersville’s best chance in school history to win a state title. Rivesville would go on to easily win that title.

Newspaper clipping — Tigers head to the state tournament at the Charleston Civic Center

1976-77 (Coach Ray Barnhart) (20-5)

Sistersville High’s basketball team goes into action in the semi-finals of the West Virginia Class A basketball tournament at the Charleston Civic Center Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Gauley Bridge. Pictured above with head coach Ray Barnhart are the top six Tiger cagers. Left to right are Randy Shuman, Jim Surface, Jeff Howard, Alan Patterson, Richard Summers and Bill Shreeves.

Bill Patterson was gone, but he left behind the S-S-S-S-Gang: Summers, Shuman, (Jim) Surface and (Bill) Shreves. The result was a third 20-win season in four years and a second trip to Charleston under Barnhart, an exceptional high school basketball coach.

Editorial note: Many high schools don’t get a single coach as talented, dedicated or astute as a Ray Barnhart or a Lou Nocida in a lifetime. But Sistersville immediately followed the Barnhart era in basketball with the Nocida era in football.

Van Horne on Sports: The S Squad, Plus One, Aims To Cross Bridge

By Bill Van Horne · News-Register Sports Editor

Can the “S” Squad, Plus One, cross over The Bridge? The Sistersville Five—Surface, Summers, Shreeves, Shuman and Patterson—takes on Gauley Bridge Friday at 7 p.m. in the semi-finals of the West Virginia state Class A basketball tournament at the Charleston Civic Center and, by Gauley, it could be quite a battle.

Ray Barnhart, the former Triadelphia High and West Liberty State College coach who plays the Tigers, must map a way to at least slow down—or outscore—the Fayette Countians’ 6 ft. 4 center, Don Meadows, who averages 22 points and 17 rebounds per game.

Barnhart candidly admits his current team is not as strong around the backboards as the ’74 combine, which boasted a rangy and rugged trio under the boards in Bill Patterson, Steve Deaton, and Bill Fletcher.

The ’74 team really dominated games. But we have more quickness and we have fire power with five players in double figures. Jimmy Surface and Randy Shuman are super leaders.— Coach Ray Barnhart

Barnhart isn’t taking the Tigers to Charleston until Friday morning. He likes the idea of them sleeping in their own beds on the night before the game.

The day before we played Barrackville in the regional final, we didn’t even put on our practice uniforms. We just let the kids put their basketball shoes on and shoot for about eight minutes. And then we walked through about every situation we figured could develop on the court. And we were especially quick in the Barrackville game.— Coach Ray Barnhart

The S Gang ran out of Ws in the state semifinals against Gauley Bridge (80-66), but not before Summers put on a shooting show for the ages. The only problem was the three-point shot still wasn’t in effect in high school ball. And one can only wonder: What would his average have been as a senior, when the best shooter in school history averaged 38.2 without the line?