Red Rider Playoffs: 1994 (Part 1)

Back at it....hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Football season is right around the corner, and it's time to knock the rust off this site. What better way to get back in the groove than to dust off the Red Rider Football Playoff History series?

Next up on the docket, the 1994 playoff run.  This one was fun...and it just happened to be my senior year, so the memories run thick and deep.  Get ready for tons of minutiae.

Still here...and a Spring Sports Update

Not a lot of activity here lately...life gets in the way sometimes. I'm sure we all can relate to that.

Hearing good things from all four spring sports. Nice to see each get off to fast starts, and nice to see the weather not wreaking too much havoc. It's been cold, but not rainy or snowy to the point that too many games, meets or matches have been canceled.

Some interesting stuff coming up so let's get right to it.

The 'Red Rider' nickname....Part 2.

I knew when I started down this road, that I might not nail the complete story in one blog post. As always seems to be the case, there's another layer to this onion.

Got some good reader feedback on this topic, some clues and another newspaper article that helps further establish the time line of the creation of the Red Rider nickname.

At the risk of becoming a genealogy blog, I'll keep this short, but want to do my best to be thorough.

The Origin of the Orrville "Red Rider" Nickname

I had this question posed to me twice in the last few months...once via e-mail and once via my Facebook page. Both questions wondered about the history of the "Red Rider" nickname. It's a simple enough question, but one that I wasn't really sure of myself, so I thought I'd try to find out for myself and share it with those who didn't know (myself included).

We all know and love the "Red Rider," and I think a lot of us appreciate it's uniqueness.  Martins Ferry in southern Ohio call themselves the Purple Riders and Texas Tech are the Red RAIDERS (something we've been mistakenly called many times), but other than the Canadian rock band that gave us Lunatic Fringe (the all-time greatest pre-game football song), and the BB gun made famous in The Christmas Story movie, the term 'Red Rider' is very native to Orrville. According to this link at the OHSAA, we're the only 'Red Rider' in the state, and quite possibly, the nation. (A commenter correctly points out that there is another Red Rider in the country. It's Weir High School in Weirton, WV. What's even more odd, is that their helmet logo is exactly the same as our rivals in Wooster.

That's all fine and good, and a lot to be proud of, but where did it originate?  I'll do my best to lay it out, and some of the other theories that have been documented over the years.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1992

Coming off a 3-7 season in 1991, Orrville's first losing season since 1974(!) and what would turn out to be the only losing season in the 90's, there was unusual pressure in Orrville to win and get back to the playoffs. Once they got to that point, they only had a five-game playoff losing streak starting them in the face. A streak that began in the latter years of the Mo Tipton era and had continued right into the early tenure of Coach Mac.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1990

Let's look at the 1990 season and playoffs.

The Riders were coming off a 4-loss season in 1989 and a 28-0 playoff drubbing at the hands of Ironton (the eventual state champ).  A talented junior class would now lead the team as seniors, and as always, expectations were high.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1989

Now we're getting into the years that I recall more clearly. Let's look at the '89 season and the playoffs. The Berlin Wall fell, Batman was the hit movie and computers cost a small fortune.  (20 mhz, lol!)

It was also the first year as an independent for the Red Rider football team.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1988

Ok...apologies first. It's been almost 7 months since I've made an installment to the Orrville Football Playoff History series. If you're new to the site in the past few months, or if you're a younger Red Rider fan (or current player) please check out the link. Gain some appreciation for the teams that came before you.

I knew it had been a while, but had no idea it was before Christmas since my last one. That's unacceptable to me. This was a project that gave my blog life, and a purpose, and it deserves more than back burner status. So we'll knock out a few more years leading up to the 2009 football season, and I'll work more in during football and basketball season. OK? OK.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1987

The '87 Red Riders became the 3rd team in school history to win 10 regular season games (1963 and 84 were the other two) and they did it in typical fashion....a potent offense, and a staunch defense. This year's defense was especially dominant, recording six shutouts, five of those coming against AOL opponents.

For the season, they outscored league opponents by an amazing 155-0 score. The irony of the season, however, would be the way the season ended.

Let's jump in the time machine and head back to 1987, we'll discuss the season, as well as the Riders 6th playoff appearance and some minutiae that you've come to appreciate from me.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1985 (Part 2)

Note: I can't believe I never posted this, it was complete back in early August, but I never published. Many apologies.....

Here's part 1 if you need to refresh yourself on the first 2 rounds of the '85 playoffs.

Click the link below for the final two games....and again....forgive me for not posting this sooner.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1986

The following is the latest in a series of historical reflections dealing with the Red Riders of Orrville High School and their quest for a football championship in the Ohio High School Athletic Association's state playoffs. The full archive can be found here.

This edition look at the year 1986.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1985 (Part 1)

The following is the latest in a series of historical reflections dealing with the Red Riders of Orrville High School and their quest for a football championship in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s state playoffs.  The full archive can be found here.

This edition looks at the year 1985.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1984

Division III Regional Final:
Orrville 21 - Warren JFK 0

After one of the most successful regular seasons in school history, one that saw an undefeated 10-0 regular season, an AOL championship, a 3rd straight win over arch rival Wooster, and a defense that recorded five shutouts, and three other efforts where opponents were held to just 6 points, and an offense that scored 30 or more points an amazing 7 times, expectations could not have been higher.

The Riders continued their recent playoff success, and looked to take their first step back to Columbus, defeating Warren JFK 21-0 at Canton's Fawcett Stadium.

It was again the Riders dangerous combination of speed & talent, on both sides of the ball, that overwhelmed the Eagles.

Here is the article as it appeared in the Courier.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Orr - Keith Amstutz 27 yd TD reception from Tom Bolyard (Extra Point good) 7-0

3rd Quarter
Orr - 84 yd Punt Return by James Bradley (Extra Point good) 14-0

4th Quarter
Orr - James Bradley 7 yd TD reception from Tom Bolyard (Extra Point good) 21-0

Stars of the Game

James Bradley - 2 TD's

Roger Davidoff - 2 INT's

Tom Bolyard - 2 TD passes

Red Rider Defense - 135 total yds allowed

Divisional III State Semifinal:
Elyria Catholic 14 - Orrville 13

This picture sums it all up.

For the 3rd straight year, the Red Riders were eliminated from the plaoyffs by a private school that would eventually be crowned State Champions.

This time, the green & white Panthers of Elyria Catholic did the honors, ending the Riders season by a 14-13 score at Parma Byers Field. But unlike last year's drubbing at the hands of Columbus Bishop Ready, the Riders were there own worst enemy on this night, committing several costly turnovers and missing an extra point to tie the game and a 34 yd field goal that would have put the Riders ahead late in the 4th quarter.

To look at the stats alone, most would agree that the Riders did enough to win the game. They outrushed & outpassed the Panthers, outgaining them 351-261 in total yards, but it was the 1 point difference in the score that mattered the most.

Individually, Red Rider Keith Denson had a monster game, gaining over 200 yards, including an amazing 80 yard scamper for a touchdown to pull the Riders within 1 point. On the other side of the ball, EC All-Ohioan Al McKinney was held under 100 yds for the first time all season, but the Panthers' supporting cast took up the slack and wore down the Rider defense in the first half.

In doing research for this, it was told to me that a Red Rider defenseman, Scott Zacharias was injured in a car accident in the week leading up to the game, and was not available to play. His replacement became a target for the EC offense and was run at early and often.

Here is the article as it appeared in the Courier Crescent.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Orr - 19 yd rushing touchdown by Keith Denson (Extra Point good) 7-0
EC - 2 yd rushing touchdown by Ron Traut (Extra Point good) 7-7

2nd Quarter
EC - 1 yd rushing touchdown by Gary Plas (Extra Point good) 14-7

3rd Quarter
Orr - 80 yd rushing touchdown by Keith Denson (Extra Point missed) 14-13

Star of the Game

Keith Denson - 209 rushing yards, 2 TD's

Notes and Misc.
1. This was an amazing collection of talent on the 84 team. The backfield alone of Denson (Tennessee), Bolyard (NE Oklahoma A&M/Indiana) and Leeder (Ohio U), quality receivers like Bradley (Michigan St), Auble and Davidoff....not to mention guys like Tom Moore (Ohio St) & Brad Booth. We've always been blessed with great skill position players, but the 84 team might have been the best of them all in terms of talent.

2. Uni-Goodness. Take a look at this article, and pay close attention to the Elyria Catholic jersey. Notice how instead of the more modern name-on-back (NOB) that it's merely EC's "Panthers" nickname? Well....thanks to a tip from a Uni-conscious reader, I discovered that this was a trend sported by your own Red Riders as recently as the 1980 season. See here. Yep, that's a "Red Riders" on the back of those jerseys. Again, the sooner we can bring back that look, the better.

3. The following week, Elyria Catholic beat Cincinnati McNicholas 45-20. If we played EC to within 1 point, I'm fairly confident that we'd have hoisted our first state title if we'd have earned the chance. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

4. The 1984 title marked the 2nd straight and 3rd overall title for Elyria Catholic, they won their first in 1976. The 1984 title was won under the direction of Fred Schmitz who took the reins from Jim Rattay who left the head coaching position after leading the Panthers to the 1983 title. I wonder how many schools have won back to back football titles while changing coaches in the process? Not many I'd imagine.

5. Speaking of Jim Rattay, he is still coaching in Arizona, and was just hired at Laveen Cesar Chavez school in the Phoenix area. He has won 7 state titles in his career including the 2 he won while at the helm of Elyria Catholic. His son, Tim, played college football at Louisiana Tech and is now a pro QB for the Arizona Cardinals.

6. The 1984 season began a stretch of regular season dominance for the Riders. From 1984 to 1988 (5 seasons) the Riders compiled an amazing regular season record of 48-2, losing only to Copley in 1985 and Wooster in 1986.

If you have anything to add, a correction, or just more information, feel free to post it in the comments section or email it to me. Enjoy!!

Red Rider Playoffs: 1983

Division IV Regional Final:
Orrville 15 - Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas 8

The Red Riders finished the regular season with a 7-3 record (losses to Timken, Northwest and West Holmes) but a 23-21 win over arch-rival Wooster secured the school's 2nd playoff appearance.

Red Rider Playoffs: 1980

Division III Regional Championship: Orrville 27 - Fostoria 6

The Red Riders earned their way into their first state playoff appearance on the heels of a 9-0 record and a #1 ranking in the AP poll and a #3 ranking in the UPI poll (remember the UPI poll?) among Class AA teams.