Basketball History - Putnam County League

Boys’ & Girls’ Basketball in Putnam County 1908 – 2013 

Introduction 

Some abbreviations will be used in this paper. As 

you are reading it, please refer to this list if 

necessary. 

BVC Blanchard Valley Conference 

CG Columbus Grove 

CC Crawfis College 

CNR Continental News Review 

GAA Girls Athletic Association 

GIA Girls Interscholastic Association 

FJ Fort Jennings 

HS High School 

LFP Leipsic Free Press 

MC Miller City 

NWC North West Conference 

OP Ottawa Public 

OG Ottawa-Glandorf 

OHSAA Ohio High School Athletic Association 

PC Putnam County 

PCAA Putnam County Athletic Association 

PCG Putnam County Gazette 

PCL Putnam County League 

PCT Putnam County Tournament 

PCS Putnam County Sentinel 

PCV Putnam County Vidette 

PG Pandora-Gilboa 

SPPS Sts. Peter and Paul School 

WBL Western Buckeye League 

WCN Western County News 

The information for this document has come from 

many places such as newspapers, yearbooks, 

scorebooks, school news letters, personal memories, 

school board minutes, countless interviews, 

previously written booklets, old photographs, etc. 

The year books, scorebooks, school newsletters, and 

photographs provided specific information on 

respective basketball teams. However, the bulk of 

the information on the previously uncollected data on 

the early days of Putnam County came from 

newspapers. Most newspapers in the early days did 

not have a sport’s page as we see today. Short and 

limited articles were interspersed throughout the 

paper. They might be on the front page or the last. 

Schools that had a newspaper in their towns were 

better covered. Newspapers that have existed in 

Putnam County are as follows: Putnam County 

Vidette, Continental News Review, Leipsic Free 

Press, Putnam County Gazette, Putnam County 

Sentinel, Pandora Times, The Kalida Record, Gilboa 

Gazette and the Western County News. 

The history of boys’ and girls’ basketball in PC has 

many different and interesting facets. The following 

areas will be addressed: Schools, the Putnam 

County League, the Teams, the Coaches, the Players, the 

Putnam County Tournaments, Putnam County Foul 

Shooting Contests and the Records. 

The Schools of Putnam County 

At one time or another there were nineteen different high 

schools playing boys’ or girls’ basketball in PC. As 

schools consolidated through the years, the number of 

schools gradually declined to the present number of nine. 

The entire list is as follows: Belmore, Blanchard, 

Columbus Grove, Continental, Crawfis College, Fort 

Jennings, Glandorf, Kalida, Leipsic, Miller City, Ottawa, 

Ottawa-Glandorf, Ottawa Public, Ottawa SPPS, Ottoville, 

Palmer, Pandora, Pandora-Gilboa and Vaughnsville. 

The current high schools in Putnam County are Columbus 

Grove, Continental, Fort Jennings, Kalida, Leipsic, Miller 

City, Ottawa-Glandorf, Ottoville and Pandora-Gilboa. 

Belmore consolidated with Leipsic in the early 1930’s. 

Its last entry in the PCT was in 1932. Belmore recorded 

basketball scores from 1922-1932. Leipsic has scores 

from 1916 to the present. 

Crawfis College and the Gilboa district joined to form 

Blanchard High School in 1940. Its last entry in the PCT 

was in 1939. Crawfis College has scores from 1916- 

1939. 

Blanchard and Pandora consolidated to form Pandora- 

Gilboa High School in 1952. Blanchard’s last entry in the 

PCT was in 1951. It has basketball scores from 1940- 

1951. Pandora’s last entry in the PCT was in 1951. It has 

scores from 1915-1951. Pandora-Gilboa has basketball 

scores from 1952 to the present. 

Vaughnsville consolidated with Columbus Grove in 1963. 

Its last entry in the PCT was in 1962. Vaughnsville has 

recorded basketball scores from 1915-1962. Columbus 

Grove has scores from 1914 to the present. 

In the summer of 1941, Palmer High School was 

dissolved and a new school district was formed. Some of 

the New Cleveland area was added to the original Palmer 

district. A portion of the old Palmer district was taken 

away and put into the Continental school district. Thus, 

the ‘new school’ was the ‘old school’ with a new name. It 

was renamed the Miller City-New Cleveland School 

District. Palmer’s last entry in the PCT was in 1941. It 

has recorded basketball scores from 1924-1941. Miller 

City has scores from 1942 to the present. 

The consolidation of Ottawa Public, Ottawa SPPS and 

Glandorf took place over a three year period. Ottawa 

Public and Ottawa SPPS joined together in 1962 to form 

one school. Ottawa Public then joined with Glandorf in 

1965 to form Ottawa-Glandorf. Ottawa Public’s last


entry in the PCT was in 1964. It has recorded 

basketball scores from 1908-1964. Ottawa SPPS’s 

last entry in the PCT was in 1961. It has scores from 

1928-1961. Glandorf’s last entry in the PCT was in 

1964. It has scores from 1915-1964. Ottawa- 

Glandorf has recorded basketball scores from 1965 to 

the present. 

Three schools are basically the same since their 

beginning, Continental, Fort Jennings and Kalida. 

Continental has recorded basketball scores from 1910 

to the present, Fort Jennings from 1940 to the present 

and Kalida from 1915 to the present. 

All of the Putnam County schools have had boys’ and 

girls’ basketball at one time or another except for 

Ottawa SPPS which never had girl’s basketball. 

All the schools in Putnam County participate in the 

PCL except for Ottawa-Glandorf. OG participated in 

the PCL in 1965-1967, but it is now a member of the 

WBL. Leipsic, Pandora-Gilboa and Columbus Grove 

also play in another league. Besides the PCL, Leipsic 

and Pandora-Gilboa are in the BVC and Columbus 

Grove plays in the NWC. 

The Beginning of H.S. Basketball in PC 

and the Formation of the PCL 

The first recorded boy’s basketball score was in 1908 

when Ottawa lost to Defiance 27-25. 

An early article on basketball stated that A. F. Ptak 

was the basketball coach at Continental in 1910. No 

games or results were found on this season, just that 

it had a coach. 

In 1915, Columbus Grove, Glandorf, Kalida, 

Pandora and Vaughnsville had teams with Columbus 

Grove posting a 6-2 record. The earliest picture of a 

team and their coach was Pandora in 1916. This 

Pandora team, coached by Lester Harkness, claimed 

to be the Champions of Putnam County with a record 

of 9-2. The article stated that Pandora had played 

outside basketball before but that this was its first 

‘indoor team’. 

The seasons from 1917 to 1919 were similar to the 

previous years with a sporadic reporting of games. 

Leipsic, coached by William E. Edwards, posted a 

14-2 record in 1917 and Tom Kurtis is mentioned as 

Ottawa Public’s coach in 1918. In 1919, the 

legendary Louis W. Heckman from Ottoville was 

first mentioned. Only three games were reported 

with Delphos St. Johns. Ottoville won one and lost 

two. 

In 1920, three complete schedules were reported for 

Continental, Leipsic and Pandora. All of Continental’s 

game results were found, with Coach Bert Mull leading 

them to a 12-8 record. 

In 1921, another new aspect to Putnam County basketball 

was that teams started to play in post season tournaments 

leading to a state championship. These tournaments were 

different than today because schools were separated by 

town size and only invited schools could participate. This 

tourney was broken into two classes, A and B. The Class 

A level was for towns with 2,500 or more people. The 

Class B level was for towns with less than 2,500 people. 

Columbus Grove, Leipsic, Pandora and Vaughnsville 

participated in the Defiance Tournament for Northwestern 

Ohio. Leipsic, with a 16-9 record and coached by Harry 

Kerns, played eight tournament games, six in one day. As 

a result of this feat of stamina, Leipsic placed 3rd in the 

Class B Tournament. Gomer won the Class B and 

Montpelier won the Class A. 

In 1922, the first Putnam County Tournament was held at 

the Ottawa Armory. It was not an elimination tourney 

leading to the state tournament, but just a tournament to 

determine the best team in Putnam County. Some of the 

county schools played basketball that season, but chose 

not to participate in this tourney. Those not participating 

were Belmore, Columbus Grove, Crawfis College, 

Glandorf and Ottoville. Those that did participate were 

Continental, Kalida, Leipsic, Ottawa Public, Pandora and 

Vaughnsville. Ottawa Public placed 1st, Kalida 2nd and 

Continental 3rd. 

Thus, this was not a Putnam County League 

championship, but it was the first organized method for 

determining the best boys’ basketball team in PC. 

In 1923, no mention of a PCT is recorded, but the 

majority of the teams were still participating in the post 

season invitational tournaments. These tournaments were 

having serious problems since so many teams wanted to 

play in them. Defiance had over 100 teams trying to 

playing in its two-level tourney. As a result, it was 

determined to break the post season tournaments into 

many county tournaments at the first level. The Class A 

level was for schools with 150 boys or more. The Class B 

level was for schools with less than 150 boys. The boys 

in the top four grades, 9-12, were counted. In 1970, this 

was changed to the top three grades, 10-12. 

In 1924, basketball tournaments changed dramatically. 

All county teams had to play in the Putnam County 

Tournament in order to advance in the Ohio High School 

Athletic Association’s state tournament. From 1924 to 

1934, the PCT was the only documented way that the best 

team in boys’ basketball was picked. During this time 

period, the superintendents, coaches and faculty advisors


would administer to athletics in PC but no league 

schedule or league champion in basketball was 

organized. 

During this time frame, however, a Putnam County 

Track Meet was organized and run each year by the 

administrators. In 1931, the first PC baseball league 

was organized. A schedule and rules governing the 

league were reported in the county newspapers. 

Glenn Hilty of Pandora was elected president, Homer 

G. Jones of Vaughnsville, vice president and Supt. 

Dale Rikard of Crawfis College was chosen 

secretary. 

In 1932, an article in the Putnam County Gazette 

reports that Ottawa Public lost a boys’ basketball 

game to Vaughnsville “by one point in their only 

league defeat”. Another article mentioned that 

“Vaughnsville last year’s County Champions, were 

decisively beaten by Gomer”. It seems that even 

though there was no official PC basketball league, the 

other county schools were still recognized as ‘league’ 

games and that the winner of the PCT was recognized 

as the champion of Putnam County. 

In the fall of 1933 the Putnam County Sentinel 

printed a detailed report on the formation of the 

PCAA. 

ATHLETICS IN HIGH SCHOOL 

Association Formed in 1933 to Promote Policies 

A Putnam County Athletic Association was formed 

recently, with the county superintendent an ex-officio 

member and the management vested in the board of 

control, consisting of a member from each school, 

said member to be either the superintendent, principal 

or faculty manager of athletics. 

The object of the association is to promote a practical 

working basis for the mutual well-being of the 

schools of Putnam County, so that the policies of the 

state athletic association may be realized to the fullest 

extent. 

Any school that is a member in good standing in the 

state association is eligible to membership, and is 

accepted as soon as the administrative head of the 

school has signed the prescribed membership blank. 

At the annual teachers’ institute, the board of control 

organizes by selecting from its membership a 

president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer for a 

term of one year. 

The annual dues are one dollar for each member, 

payable January 1 st . A school which has not paid 

before Feb. 1 st is automatically dropped from 

membership. 

The constitution and rules of the association may be 

amended by a majority vote of the member schools and 

the changes become effective at the time specified in the 

amendment. The board of control may make regulations 

to promote the aims and interest of the association. 

PCL Basketball’s 1 st Year in 1935 

In the spring of 1934, the “Putnam County Athletic 

Association met in the county superintendent’s office and 

formed a basketball league for the 1934-1935 season”. 

Ten teams were entered to play. The league sites were to 

be reversed for the 1935-1936 season. This PC basketball 

league was recognized for both boys and girls. This is the 

first documented year for the PCL in basketball. The 

1935 girls’ PCL champion was Leipsic with a 7-0 record. 

Leipsic also placed first in the PCT. The boys’ PCL 

champion in 1935 was Ottoville with a 10-0 record. 

Ottoville had a 20-1 record and an undefeated regular 

season that year. They also won the PCT. 

In 1936, Leipsic, coached by Earnest D. Radenbaugh, 

won the girls’ basketball PCL again with a 6-1 record and 

the PCT. Vaughnsville, coached by Eldon C. Shook, won 

the boys’ PCL with a 10-0 record. Vaughnsville had an 

undefeated regular season, finishing at 16-1 and placing 

first in the PCT. 

The 4-Year Plan from 1937-1940 

At the spring Putnam County Athletic Association 

meeting in 1936, a basketball plan for the next four 

seasons 1937-1940, was submitted by Coach Willard 

Schaller of Columbus Grove that “was deemed most 

suitable for this county”. “Under Mr. Schaller’s plan each 

school in the county will play six Putnam County teams 

and may fill out the rest of their schedule as they see fit. 

Over a period of four years the plan equalizes every 

schedule so that each team plays the same number of 

teams with and without girls teams, and the same number 

of games at home as away from home.” This particular 

league set up was designed to have the county schools 

play each other on a regular basis, but it was not meant to 

determine a yearly PCL basketball champion. Ottoville, 

the 1936 PCL champion, gives this plan for 1937 

credibility since they did not play four other county 

schools, Continental, Glandorf, Ottawa Public or Palmer. 

During the fall meeting of 1937, members of the PCAA 

discussed concerns about the “advisability of continuing 

the County Basketball League” for the 1937-1938 season. 

There was a major concern between the larger and smaller 

schools, with the small high schools in favor of 

continuing the present set-up, while the larger schools felt 

it was a great handicap to their teams. There was no 

explanation as to which schools were considered the small


or larger schools of Putnam County. The schools did 

not play all the other schools in the county. 

However, in February of the 1938 season there was a 

head line article in the Continental News Review 

which said “Pirates Still Undefeated in County”. In 

the article it stated that “along with this thrilling 

game the Pirates took the League Championship for 

the year of 1937-1938”. Continental is still playing a 

partial schedule. They were undefeated against the 

Putnam County schools they played, but they didn’t 

play Columbus Grove, Crawfis College, Kalida or 

Ottawa SPPS. 

There is no mention of the Putnam County basketball 

league in 1939. Leipsic placed first in the PCT but 

did not play Crawfis College or Glandorf in regular 

season play. Glandorf placed 2nd in the PCT but did 

not play Columbus Grove, Leipsic or Vaughnsville. 

There is no mention of the Putnam County basketball 

league in 1940. Vaughnsville placed first in the PCT 

but did not play Fort Jennings, Pandora or Palmer. 

Ottoville placed 2nd in the PCT but did not play 

Blanchard or Glandorf. This set up for 1939 and 

1940 still fits the league parameters that were set up 

by the PCAA for basketball from 1937-1940. 

Girls’ basketball was terminated in Putnam County 

following the 1940 season. There were no specific 

reasons given, but girls’ basketball was never 

completely endorsed by the OHSAA. Girls’ teams 

were permitted to participate in the PCT at the end of 

the season, but there was no state tournament. The 

OHSAA would allow the girls to play only one game 

per week and boys were sometimes playing two per 

day at this time. 

The girls’ game was different than the boys’. An 

obvious difference was that there were six players on 

a team and they played half-court, three on three. 

The girls had many tie games since overtime games 

were not permitted most of the time. Girls’ 

basketball was essentially ended for almost 35 years. 

However, the OHSAA started administering to the 

girls’ game again and its first state sponsored 

tournament was in 1976. 

PCL Set-Up for 1941 & 1942 

The cancellation of girls’ basketball had no affect on 

the boys’ league scheduling. However, the boys’ did 

go to a double-elimination PCT in 1941. In the 1939 

fall meeting of the PCAA, “it was decided to choose 

a high school basketball champion every two years”. 

A schedule would be set up where each school would 

play half the league schedule in 1941 and the other 

half in 1942. At the conclusion of the 1942 season, a PCL 

champion would be declared. 

At the conclusion of the 1941 season, Vaughnsville, 

Continental and Columbus Grove finished the first half of 

the season with 5-1 record. Some problems with this two 

year plan developed in the 1942 season and adjustments 

had to be made. In 1941, Glandorf lost to Continental. 

However, Glandorf did not play Vaughnsville in 1941 and 

did not have a team in 1942. As a result, Vaughnsville’s 

defeat of Glandorf in the PCT was counted as a league 

game. 

A second development was that Kalida started play in 

1942, but didn’t play in 1941. As a result, Kalida played 

an eleven game league schedule in one year whereas the 

other teams played five or six league games each season. 

They were 0-11 in the PCL. 

As a result of this two year plan, Continental and 

Vaughnsville finished in a tie with an 11-1 record. Since 

Continental and Vaughnsville played each other in the last 

game of the season in a non-league game, this game was 

used as a tie breaker. Vaughnsville won. This gave the 

1942 PCL championship to Vaughnsville. 

PCL for Basketball Dropped in 1943 

In the spring of 1942, a Putnam County Athletic 

Association meeting was held. It was mentioned that 

“basketball for the coming year, 1943, also had its place 

on the program”. However, in 1943 the PCL for 

basketball was dropped due to the war effort. The 

Pandora Times reported on October 29, 1942, that “high 

school coaches and school officials met at Vaughnsville 

Tuesday night to consider the fate of basketball in Putnam 

County during the gasoline rationing, and it was voted to 

continue basketball, but abandon the Putnam County 

League”. It was mentioned that squads should be limited 

in size and only the varsity teams would play. Schools of 

any distance would not be played. 

This move was more symbolic than effective. In 1942, 

188 regular season games were played and, in 1943, 175 

were played. This was a difference of only one game per 

school since twelve schools participated in the PCT in 

1943. There also didn’t seem to be a noticeable effort 

made to limit the miles traveled. For example, Ottawa 

SPPS played Celina Immaculate Conception; Fort 

Jennings played two Lima schools; Kalida played 

Blanchard twice; Ottoville played Fremont St. Joseph and 

Pandora. In contrast, Columbus Grove’s most distant 

game was with Ottoville. 

PCL Up and Running Again in 1944 

In the fall of 1943, the Putnam County Athletic 

Association stated that “a county high school basketball 

league will be in operation again this season after a lapse


of one year”. The PCL was set up so that all twelve 

schools would play all the other league schools. A 

champion would be declared at the conclusion of the 

season. This same format has now been used for 

boys’ basketball for determining the PCL 

championship for 68 consecutive years 1944-2011. 

The girls have used this method for 38 consecutive 

years, 1974-2011. 

Boys’ PCL Trivia 

Kalida has won the most titles with 23. All of the 17 

Putnam County schools, past and current, have won 

at least one PCL championship except for Belmore, 

Crawfis College and Ottawa Public. Ottoville and 

Miller City share the best PCL record at 12-0 in 1947 

and 1950 respectively. Miller City also has the 

fewest wins of an undefeated champion with a 6-0 

record in 1990. 

The most consecutive league wins was accomplished 

by the OG Titans when they won 24 straight from 

1965-1967. The most consecutive league titles 

record is claimed by the MC Wildcats when they won 

four consecutive titles from 1961-1964. There was a 

three way tie for first place four different times. This 

happened in 1964, 1977, 1991 and 1998. 

Girls’ PCL Trivia 

Ottoville has won the most titles with 16, the last four 

in a row. All of the current Putnam County schools 

have won at least one title with the exception of O-G. 

Pandora, before the consolidation with Blanchard, 

tied with Leipsic to win the 1936 championship. 

This was the only title won by a school that is not 

currently in the PCL. 

The most consecutive league wins by any school is 

30. Ottoville accomplished this feat by winning the 

last two games in 2009, going undefeated in 2010 

through 2013. This streak is still alive going into the 

2014 season. Four consecutive league titles have 

been claimed by Miller City, 2002-2005, Kalida, 

1986-1989 and Ottoville 2010-2013. 

Great Boys’ Basketball Teams 

The PCL has been one of the top small school 

basketball leagues in the state of Ohio. A measure of 

league strength is how well the members do in 

tournament play. Schools from the PCL and Ottawa- 

Glandorf have won 64 District, 21 Regional and six 

State Championships through 2013. 

Boys’ State Champions 

1950, 1981, 2000, 2004, 2008 & 2013 

The Miller City ‘Mighty Mites’ won the Class B 

State Championship in 1950 by defeating Eaton 44- 

36. The Wildcats finished 1 st in the PCL with a 12-0 

record, 1 st in the PCLT and had an undefeated season 

record of 29-0. They were coached by Norris Simpson 

and led by All-PCLT players Ralph Meyer and Frank 

Schroeder. 

Kalida won the State Championship in 1981 by defeating 

C.A.P.E. 58-44. The Wildcats, with a 6-1 record, were 

Co-champs of the PCL with Fort Jennings and had an 

overall 27-1 record. They were coached by Dick 

Kortokrax and led by All-PCL players Dan Utendorf, 

Greg Verhoff and Rob Kortokrax. 

Fort Jennings won the Division IV State Championship in 

2000 by defeating St. Henry 64-58. The Musketeers 

finished 2 nd in the PCL with a 6-1 record and had an 

overall 24-3 record. They were coached by John 

VonSossan and led by All-PCL players Kevin Grothause, 

Matt Metzger and Kyle Liebrecht. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won the Division II State Championship 

in 2004 by defeating Canal Fulton 75-42. The Titans 

finished 1 st in the WBL with an 8-1 record and had an 

overall 27-1 record. They were coached by Dave Sweet 

and led by All-WBL players Eric and Tim Pollitz. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won the Division III State 

Championship in 2008 by defeating Sugarcreek Garaway 

62-44. The Titans lost 3 WBL games early in the season, 

but finished strong with a 23-5 record. They were 

coached by Josh Leslie and led by All-WBL players 

Justin Schomaeker, Jake Meyer and Taylor Pothast. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won the Division III State 

Championship in 2013 by defeating Versailles 67-46. 

The 26-3 Titans lost two WBL games late in the season, 

but finished strong by winning the last 11 games in a row. 

They were coached by Tyson McGlaughlin and led by 

All-WBL players T.J. Metzger, Mike Rosebrock and 

Noah Bramlage. 

Boys’ Regional Champions 

*1925, *1937, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1988, 1996, 

2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 

*In 1925 and 1937, Leipsic and Ottoville respectively, 

went directly to the state tournament from the District 

Championship. There were no regional tournaments at 

that time. 

In 1925, Leipsic placed 2 nd in the PCT, losing to Ottawa 

Public 26-27. However the two schools met again in the 

District Tournament and Leipsic won 26-16. The Vikings 

later defeated Delphos St. Johns in the District Finals 25- 

13 to advance to the State Tournament. Leipsic lost in the 

State-Quarter Finals in 1925 to Oberlin 16-33. Their 

overall record was 13-7. The Vikings were coached by 

Al J. Sacksteder. They were led by All-PCL players Bob 

Hutton, Bill Wagner and Oscar Robinson.


In 1937 Ottoville won the PCT by defeating 

Columbus Grove 35-23. The Big Green won the 

District Finals by edging Haviland 26-24 to advance 

to the State Tournament. Ottoville lost in the State 

Quarter-Finals to Lockland 14-40. Their overall 

record was 19-5. Ottoville was coached by Louis W. 

Heckman and led by All-PCT players Cyril Becker, 

Leis and Wannemacher. 

Kalida won its 1 st Regional Championship in 1967 by 

defeating Fayette 67-65. They lost in the State Semi- 

Finals to Arcanum 48-55. The Wildcats were 5-3 in 

the PCL and had an overall record of 17-9. Kalida 

was coached by Allan Clase and led by All-PCL 

player Bill Trentkamp. 

Continental won its 1 st Regional Championship in 

1972 by defeating Hardin Northern 89-87. They lost 

in the State Semi-Finals to Ridgedale 68-73. The 

Pirates were 4-3 in the PCL and had an overall record 

of 19-6. Continental was coached by Don Huber and 

led by All-PCL players Greg Spitnale and Don 

Brown. 

Continental won its 2 nd Regional Championship in 

1977 by defeating New Bremen 65-62. They lost in 

the State Semi-Finals to Fort Loramie 50-70. The 

Pirates, Co-champions of the PCL with Fort Jennings 

and Kalida with a 5-2 record, had an overall record of 

20-7. Continental was coached by Don Huber and 

led by All-PCL players Ron Harter and Kevin 

Homier. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won its 1 st Regional Championship 

in 1977 by defeating Lexington 75-69. They lost in 

the State Semi-Finals to Cathedral Latin 67-85. The 

Titans won the WBL with a 7-2 record and had an 

overall record of 22-3. Ottawa-Glandorf was 

coached by Ron Niekamp and led by All-Ohio Ken 

Pothast, Joe Maas and Al Laubenthal. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won its 2 nd Regional Championship 

in a row in 1978 by defeating Elyria 63-57. They lost 

in the State Semi-Finals to Portsmouth 46-59. The 

Titans had a 5-4 WBL record and had an overall 

record of 18-7. Ottawa-Glandorf was coached by 

Ron Niekamp and led by All-WBL players Joe Maas 

and Al Kaufman. 

Ottoville won its 1 st Regional Championship in 1978 

by defeating Marion Local 57-48. However, in their 

2 nd trip to State, they lost in the State Semi-Finals to 

Tipp City Bethel 49-53. The Big Green had a 5-2 

PCL record and an overall record of 23-4. Ottoville 

was coached by Phil Muehlfeld and led by All-PCL 

players Joe Kemper and Keith Miller. 

Kalida won its 2 nd Regional Championship in 1980 by 

defeating the Upper Scioto Valley Rams 71-69. They lost 

in the State Semi-Finals to Cincinnati Country Day 66-72. 

The Wildcats were 6-1 in the PCL but Ottoville was first 

with a 7-0 record. Kalida’s overall record was 25-2. 

The Wildcats were coached by Dick Kortokrax and led by 

All-PCL players Barry VonderEmbse and Jeff Nartker. 

Kalida won its 4 th Regional Championship in 1988 by 

defeating East Canton 59-57. They lost in the State Finals 

to Columbus Wehrle 54-71. Kalida won the PCL with a 

7-0 record and had an overall record of 25-2. The 

Wildcats were coached by Dick Kortokrax and led by All- 

PCL players Brian Vorst and Dave Hovest. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won its 3 rd Regional Championship in 

1996 by defeating Columbus East 75-57. They lost in the 

State Finals to Orrville 63-64. The Titans won the WBL 

with a 9-0 record and had an overall record of 25-2. 

Ottawa-Glandorf was coached by David Sweet and led by 

All-WBL players Ryan Maag and Brad Schumaker. 

Continental won its 3 rd Regional Championship in 2005 

by defeating Tiffin Calvert 64-58. They lost in the State 

Semi-Finals to Columbus Africentric 61-45. They were 

later awarded a win due to a forfeit. The Pirates won the 

PCL with a 6-1 record and had an overall record of 23-3. 

Continental was coached by Kevin Homier and led by 

All-PCL players Kurtis Brown and Nick Wilson. 

Columbus Grove won its 1 st Regional Championship in 

2006 by defeating Wynford 68-63. They lost in the State 

Finals to South Webster 83-65. The Bulldogs had a 21-6 

record. Columbus Grove was coached by Troy 

Schwemley and led by All-PCL players Kyle Meyer and 

Eric Maag. 

Kalida won its 5 th Regional Championship in 2009 by 

defeating Toledo Christian 46-41. They lost in the State 

Finals to Oak Hills 48-43. Kalida was the Co-Champion 

of the PCL with a 6-1 record and had an overall record of 

23-5. The Wildcats were coached by Dick Kortokrax and 

led by All-PCL players Jordan Basinger, Scott Schnipke 

and Justin Kahle. 

Continental won its 4 th Regional Championship in 2011 

by defeating McComb 37-34. They lost in the State 

Semi-Finals to Berlin Highland 70-56. The Pirates had a 

5-2 PCL record and an overall record of 21-4. 

Continental was coached by Kevin Homier and led by 

All-PCL players Brock Homier and John Spitnale. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won its 6 th Regional Championship in 

2012 by defeating LCC 44-38. They lost in the State 

Semi-Finals to Portsmouth 74-66. The Titans had a 7-2 

WBL record and an overall record of 19-7. Ottawa-


Glandorf was coached by Tyson McGlaughlin and 

led by All-WBL players Michael Rosebrock and T.J. 

Metzger. 

Leipsic won its 1 st Regional Championship in 2013 

by defeating Ottawa Hills 63-54. The Vikings 

defeated Fairfield Christian 61-58 in the State Semi- 

Finals and lost to Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph 

87-63 in the State Finals. Leipsic had a 7-0 PCL 

record, a 7-2 BVC record and an overall record of 25- 

5. Leipsic was coached by Scott Maag and led by 

All-PCL players Devin Mangas, Austin Brown and 

Zach Kuhlman. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won its 7 th Regional Championship 

in 2013 by defeating Bloom-Carroll 60-56. The 

Titans defeated Ironton 61-60 in the State Semi- 

Finals and Versailles 67-46 in the State Finals for its 

3 rd State Championship. O-G had a 7-2 WBL record 

and an overall record of 26-3. Ottawa-Glandorf was 

coached by Tyson McGlaughlin and led by All-WBL 

players T.J. Metzger, Mike Rosebrock and Noah 

Bramlage. 

Other Memorable Boys’ Teams 

In 1952, Miller City and Columbus Grove tied for the 

PCL with a 10-1 record. Miller City had defeated 

Columbus Grove in league play 44-42 and 32-30 in 

the PCT. However, in the District Finals, Columbus 

Grove defeated Miller City 26-25. These two, 

evenly matched, PCL championship teams played 

three games and only five points separated them. 

Columbus Grove finished with a 22-4 record and 

Miller City’s was 25-2. 

One underdog team that got ‘hot’ in tournament play 

and advanced to the Regional Tournament was 

Ottawa SPPS in 1957. SPPS finished 2 nd in the PCL 

and 3 rd in the PCT. Following the PCT, SPPS then 

proceeded to beat North Baltimore, Liberty Benton, 

Elmore and Vanlue. The Trojans eventually lost 58- 

63 to Ayersville at the Lima Regional. Ayersville 

then went on to win the State Championship. The 

only loss that Ayersville had that season was to 

Miller City. 

Some remember that the 1964 season was the last 

year for the PCT. It is also thought by many to be 

one of the strongest years for the PCL. Kalida (18- 

6), Miller City (17-6) and Ottoville (18-5) tied for the 

PCL with an 8-1 record. Kalida lost to Miller City, 

Miller City lost to Ottoville and Ottoville lost to 

Kalida. In addition to these three strong teams, 

Glandorf (23-5) finished 6-3 in league play, losing to 

all three. 

However, when the 1964 PCT was over, Glandorf had 

placed 1st, Miller City 2nd and Kalida 3rd. Ottoville was 

edged out of the tournament by Kalida in the consolation 

game. As the tournament progressed, the strength of the 

PCL was witnessed first hand by Celina ICHS, the 

number one ranked team in the state of Ohio. Celina 

eliminated Miller City in the District Semi-Finals 46-44 

after trailing the entire game until the last minute of the 

game. Kalida lost to Celina ICHS 72-63 in an overtime 

game in the District Finals. The third PCL team 

eliminated by Celina ICHS was Glandorf in the Regional 

Finals 60-55. Celina ICHS went on to the State 

Tournament and lost the championship game. Any one of 

these four PCL teams seemed to be equal to any teams in 

the state of Ohio. 

Two Boys’ Basketball Dynasties 

From 1977 to 1983, Kalida had arguably the strongest 

small school boys’ basketball teams in Ohio and 

represented the PCL very well. Kalida’s record for these 

seven years was 146-21. In 1977, a 17-4 Kalida team lost 

in the Sectionals to Continental, a state semi-finalist. In 

1978 Kalida, while going 20-3, lost in the District Finals 

to Ottoville, a state semi-finalist. In 1980 Kalida, while 

going 25-2, lost to Cincinnati Country Day in the state 

semi-finals. In 1981, a 27-1 Kalida team won the State 

Championship. In 1982 and 1983, Kalida lost to Delphos 

St. Johns in the District Tournament. Each year, Kalida 

had a 20-3 record. Delphos was the State Runner-up in 

82 and the State Champion in 83. 

From 2001-2004 Ottawa-Glandorf put together four of the 

best years in Putnam County history. The Titans went 96- 

9, winning four consecutive WBL, Sectional and District 

titles. At the regional level, they were in the finals all 

four years, but only won one Regional title. If not for Mr. 

James and Akron St. Vincent St. Mary’s, Ottawa- 

Glandorf would probably have gone to state three times. 

The Titans won the State Championship in 2004. 

Legendary Boys’ Basketball Coaches 

There have been and are currently many outstanding 

basketball coaches in PC. I would like to expound on a 

few who have coached exclusively in PC. 

Louis W. Heckman 

The first legendary coach in PC was Louis W. Heckman 

of Ottoville. He coached from 1919-1951 for 30 seasons. 

His record was 448-169. Coach Heckman won the PCL 

two times and the PCT seven times. His 1937, 19-5 team 

went to state and lost their first game. He was the only 

coach in Putnam County to coach at the same school for 

this length of time until one of his former players, Dick 

Kortokrax, passed him by completing his 37 th season at 

Kalida. Two other teammates of Mr. Kortokrax and 

Ottoville graduates of 1951 were Tom Weber and Don 

Altenberger. Mr. Weber won 172 games at Glandorf and


Ottawa-Glandorf. Mr. Altenburger won 83 boys’ 

games and 174 girls’ games at Fort Jennings for a 

total of 257 wins. Do you think that Mr. Heckman 

would have ever imagined that three of his former 

players would later coach in Putnam County and win 

nearly 1,300 games? 

Dick Kortokrax 

The next legendary coach is Dick Kortokrax who is 

well known in Putnam County and Ohio as the coach 

with the most wins in the State of Ohio. Mr. 

Kortokrax has coached for 53 years in Putnam 

County at three schools, two at Fort Jennings, 13 at 

Ottoville and 37 at Kalida. His record through 2013 

is 850-343. At Ottoville, Coach Kortokrax was 

named the PCL Coach of the Year 5 times. His 

teams won 4 PCL and 4 Sectional Championships. 

At Kalida, he has been named the PCL Coach of the 

Year 11 times. His teams have won 18 PCL, 20 

Sectional, 10 District, 4 Regional and 1 State 

Championship. 

Dave Sweet 

Dave Sweet coached at Ottawa-Glandorf for 26 years 

from 1980-2005 with a record of 449-162. He has 

the second highest number of wins in Putnam 

County. Coach Sweet won 11 WBL, 20 Sectional, 8 

District, 2 Regional and 1 State Championship. 

Don Huber 

Don Huber coached at Continental for 20 years from 

1972-1991 with a record of 285-170. Coach Huber 

was named the PCL Coach of the Year 4 times. He 

won 5 PCL, 10 Sectional, 3 District and 2 Regional 

Championships. 

John VonSossan 

John VonSossan through 2013 has coached at Fort 

Jennings 27 years from 1987-2013 with a record of 

309-300. Coach VonSossan was named PCL Coach 

of the Year 3 times. He has won 5 PCL, 12 

Sectional, 4 District, 1 Regional and 1 State 

Championship. Mr. VonSossan also coached the Fort 

Jennings’ 7 th , 8 th and 9 th boys’ teams for nearly 30 

years with over 400 wins. 

Kevin McGlaughlin 

Kevin McGlaughlin coached at Miller City for 19 

years from 1977-1996 with a record of 274-154. 

Coach McGlaughlin was named PCL Coach of the 

Year 4 times. He won 4 PCL, 9 Sectional and 4 

District Championships. Coach McGlaughlin is 

currently assisting his son, Tyson, at Ottawa- 

Glandorf. 

One final note as to boys’ basketball coaches over the past 

100 years in Putnam County, Crawfis College had a 

unique coaching situation in 1917 and 1922. The 1917 

boys’ coach was Miss Della Luginvilla, the first and only 

female boys’ varsity basketball coach in Putnam County. 

In 1922, the Crawfis College boys’ team didn’t have a 

coach. The boys coached themselves. 

Great Boys’ Players of the Past 

Who was the best boys’ basketball player ever in Putnam 

County? Could the best players of the 1940’s compete 

with the players of the 1990’s? How would Kalida’s Joe 

Verhoff have been defended with the six foot lane? 

Would Greg Verhoff from Columbus Grove have scored 

another 100 points with the 3 point line? How could 

Miller City’s Tyler Niese in 2004 be defended if the no 

contact rules of the 1970’s would have been in effect? 

Would Ottawa-Glandorf’s Tom Heckman in the 1960’s 

been as effective with the all the body contact and hand 

checking of today? 

I hope that these questions will make one appreciate the 

difficulty in fairly comparing players in different eras for 

at least three reasons. The physical aspects of basketball 

today are quite different than in the 1950’s. The playing 

floors are longer, wider, firmer and uniform in size. The 

ceilings are higher and the lighting is much better. The 

three-second lane is twice as wide and the backboards are 

all glass and the same size. The ball is more uniform in 

size and texture. However, three items haven’t changed. 

The rim is the same size, it is ten feet from the floor and 

the foul line is 15 feet from the backboard. 

Another problem is the player himself. The high school 

athlete today is bigger, stronger and quicker than his 

predecessors. Genetics has something to do with this fact, 

but so does weight training and eating habits. It is a 

slow and gradual process, but irrefutable. For example, 

Bill Russell of the 1960’s and Shaquille O’Neal are often 

compared. These are two of the best players at their 

position in their respective eras, but look at the 

differences in their bodies in terms of bulk and height. It 

is difficult to believe that Russell would be able to 

dominate O’Neal. 

A third reason on the difficulty of comparing different 

eras of basketball are the rule changes. The physical 

contact allowed today has made the scores of the game 

comparable to the 1950’s. It is very difficult to drive to 

the basket or for post people to position themselves. Thus 

the three point line has encouraged many longer shots to 

be taken. The game of basketball from the late 1960’s to 

the early 1990’s is hardly recognizable today with all the 

contact.


The elimination of the jump ball after made field 

goals in 1937 changed the game dramatically. The 

game became faster without the interruption. 

The widening of the three second lane in 1957 made 

it more difficult for the bigger players to ‘hang 

around’ the basket. 

The tinkering with the rules pertaining to when foul 

shots are taken has had an effect. The rules have 

ranged from shooting after every foul to only 

shooting after so many have been committed. Miller 

City was involved in two extreme examples. In a 

Miller City/Continental game in 1951, Miller City 

shot 63 foul shots and Continental 37 for a total of 

100 foul shots. In a Pandora-Gilboa/Miller City 

game in 2005, a total of 10 foul shots were taken. 

I will list the great players of the past based on the 

all-league selections. From 1925-1955, the county 

newspapers would list the all county players at the 

end of the season for most of the years. Sometimes 

these would be called All-PCL players and 

sometimes All-PCT players. These would be 

selected by either coaches, the newspaper sport’s 

editors and in earlier years, by “knowledgeable 

basketball fans”. From 1956-1964, the players at the 

county level were selected by only the coaches and 

these players were ranked on skills during the season 

and not just the PCT. Since the PCT ended in 1964, 

the PCL selection process takes place shortly after 

the regular season and during the tournament trail. 

JUST FOR FUN, this is who I picked for my 

‘fantasy dream team’ of ten players. Go through the 

various names and pick your own teams. It’s fun to 

imagine these young men playing again as they did in 

the movie Field of Dreams. My “Past Era Team” 

would consist of Stretch Goedde 1942, Vaughnsville; 

Mel Meyer, 1948, Miller City; Ken Kuhlman, 1956, 

Leipsic; Ken Vennekotter 1958, Miller City; and 

Tom Heckman, 1965, Ottawa-Glandorf. My 

“Modern Era Team” would consist of Bill Kramer, 

1970, Ft. Jennings; Greg Spitnale, 1974, Continental; 

Joe Verhoff, 1983, Kalida; Randy Siefker, 1992, 

Miller City; and Tim Pollitz, 2004, OG. 

Great Girls’ Basketball Teams 

Schools from the PCL and OG have won 31 District, 

9 Regional and 3 State Championships. 

Girls’ State Champions 

1988, 1989 & 1997 

Kalida won its 1 st State Championship in 1988 by 

defeating Zanesville Rosecrans 52-46. The Wildcats 

won the PCL with a 7-0 record and had an overall 

record of 27-0. Kalida was coached by Frank 

Schroeder and led by All-PCL players Annette Trenkamp 

and Mary Peck. 

Kalida won its 2 nd consecutive State Championship in 

1989 by defeating Berlin Highland 67-45. The Wildcats 

won the PCL with a 6-0 record and had an overall record 

of 27-0. Kalida was coached by Frank Schroeder and led 

by All-PCL players Annette Trenkamp, Sondra 

Ehrnsberger and Leslie Stechschulte. 

Kalida won its 3 rd State Championship in 1997 by 

defeating Fort Loramie 42-38. The Wildcats won the 

PCL with a 7-0 record and had an overall record of 26-1. 

Kalida was coached by Deb Lammers and led by All-PCL 

players Francine Miller and Kerri Unverferth. 

Girls’ Regional Champions 

1993, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2007 & 2013 

Ottoville won its 1 st Regional Championship in 1993 by 

defeating Hilltop 71-67. They lost in the State Semi- 

Finals to the Upper Scioto Valley Rams 51-74. The Big 

Green had a 5-2 PCL record and an overall record of 20- 

6. Ottoville was coached by Dave Kleman and led by 

All-PCL players Tracy Wenzlick, Karla Wenzlick and 

Amy Hilvers. 

Ottoville won its 2 nd Regional Championship in 1996 by 

defeating Minster 49-32. They lost in the State Semi- 

Finals to Southeastern S.C. 49-52. The Big Green won 

the PCL with a 7-0 record and had an overall record of 

24-2. Ottoville was coached by Dave Kleman and led by 

All-PCL players Karla Wenzlick, Jaime Knippen and Kris 

Youngpeter. 

Miller City won its 1 st Regional Championship in 2004 by 

defeating Stryker 51-28. They lost in the State Semi- 

Finals to Mansfield St. Peter 45-54. The Wildcats won 

the PCL with a 7-0 record and had an overall record of 

25-1. Miller City was coached by Chris Rump and led by 

All-PCL players Brooke Hermiller, Megan Niese and 

Lynn Schroeder. 

Ottoville won its 3 rd Regional Championship in 2005 by 

defeating Hopewell-Loudon 48-29. They defeated Xenia 

Christian 48-41 in the State Semi-Finals but lost to Berlin 

Hiland 55-47 in the State Championship game. The Big 

Green placed 2 nd in the PCL with a 6-1 record and had an 

overall record of 23-4. Ottoville was coached by Dave 

Kleman and led by All-PCL players Stacey 

Wannemacher, Megan Kleman and Amy Honigford. 

Ottoville won its 4 th Regional in 2007 by defeating 

Stryker 53-37. They lost in the State Semi-Finals to 

Africentric 42-39. The Big Green was Co-Champs in the 

PCL at 6-1 and had an overall record of 21-5. Ottoville 

was coached by Dave Kleman and led by All-PCL players 

Courtney Schimmoeller, Erica Vorst and Gina Beining.


Ottoville won its 5 th Regional Championship in 2013 

by defeating Arcadia 52-37. They lost in the State 

Semi-Finals to Fort Loramie 49-42. The Big Green 

won the PCL with a 7-0 record and an overall record 

of 27-1. Ottoville was coached by Dave Kleman and 

led by All-PCL players Abby Siefker, Rachel 

Beining and Nicole Vorst. 

Dominating Girls’ Teams 

The Kalida Wildcats and Coach Frank Schroeder 

had an impressive five year stretch from 1987-1991 

when they had five consecutive 20 win seasons with 

an overall record of 116-11. The Wildcats won four 

PCL, five Sectional, four District, Two Regional and 

two State Championships. In 1988 and 1989, they 

were undefeated with 27-0 records. Over four 

seasons, Kalida won 50 consecutive regular season 

games. The Wildcats also won 59 consecutive games 

when the regular season tournament games are 

combined. 

The Miller City Wildcats and Coach Chris Rump had 

an impressive five year stretch from 2002-2006 when 

they had three consecutive 20 win seasons with an 

overall record of 98-21. The Wildcats won four PCL, 

five Sectional, two District and one Regional 

Championship. Miller City won 29 consecutive PCL 

games over this time period, a PCL record. 

The Ottoville Big Green and Coach Dave Kleman 

have had 21 years of unparalleled success from 1993- 

2013. During this time period, the Big Green has had 

eleven 20 win seasons with an overall record of 400- 

97. They have won 11 PCL, 16 Sectional, 10 District 

and five Regional Championships. 

Legendary Girls’ Basketball Coaches 

There have been and are currently many outstanding 

basketball coaches in Putnam County. The first 

noticeable difference between the coaching lists for 

the boys and girls is that there are only three female 

coaches who have over 100 wins. 

The late Vicki Mauk coached 17 years and won 308 

games. She coached four years at Kalida with 67 

wins, one year at Delphos Jefferson with 13 wins and 

12 years at Elida with 228 wins. 

Ken Brooks coached at Pandora-Gilboa for 21 years 

from 1992-2012 with a record of 267-192. Coach 

Brooks was named PCL Coach of the Year in 2000. 

He won 1 PCL, 1 BVC, 8 Sectional and 1 District 

Championship. 

Frank Schroeder coached at Kalida for 7 years from 

1987-1993 with a record of 133-38. Coach 

Schroeder was named PCL Coach of the Year 3 

times. He won 6 PCL, 6 Sectional, 4 District, 2 Regional 

and 2 State Championships. Mr. Schroeder coached at 

Miller City for 7 years from 1978-1981 and 1998-2000 

with a record of 70-69. He was the PCL Coach of the 

Year in 1981 and won 2 Sectional Championships. His 

overall record at both schools was 203-107. 

Don Altenburger coached at Fort Jennings for 14 years 

from 1978-1991 with a record of 174-116. Coach 

Altenburger was named PCL Coach of the Year in 1985. 

He won 1 PCL and 3 Sectional Championships. 

The second woman to go over the 100 win mark was Lori 

Smith. Lori coached 12 years at Ottawa-Glandorf from 

2001-2012 with an outstanding record of 173-95. She 

won 4 WBL, 7 Sectional and 3 District Championships. 

Denny Mumaw coached at Miller City for 14 years from 

1984-1997 with a record of 170-133. Coach Mumaw was 

named PCL Coach of the Year in 1987. He won 1 PCL 

and 4 Sectional Championships. 

Greg Spitnale coached at Continental for 12 years from 

2000-2011 with a record of 144-114. Coach Spitnale won 

3 Sectional and 1 District Championship. 

Jerry Hoersten coached at C. Grove for 9 years from 

2000-2008 with a record of 123-80. Jerry was named 

PCL Coach of Year 2 times. Coach Hoersten won 2 PCL, 

1 NWC, 4 Sectional and 2 District Championships. 

Kevin Wilson coached at Continental for 14 years from 

1986-1999 with a record of 118-184. Coach Wilson was 

named PCL Coach of the Year in 1992. He won 1 PCL 

and 3 Sectional Championships. 

Another female to win over 100 games was Cheryl 

Althaus. She coached at Pandora-Gilboa for 7 years 

from 1985-1991 with a record of 106-47. Coach Althaus 

was named PCL Coach of the Year in 1987. She won 1 

PCL, 3 BVC, 2 Sectional and 1 District Championship. 

Deb Lammers coached at Columbus Grove for 4 years 

from 1993-1996 with a record of 16-69. She coached at 

Kalida for 3 years from 1997-1999 with a record 61-13. 

Coach Lammers was named PCL Coach of Year 2 times. 

She won 2 PCL, 2 Sectional, 2 District, 1 Regional and 1 

State Championship. Her overall record was 77-82. She 

is the only female coach to win a state championship. 

Current Coaches with 100+ Wins 

Dave Kleman through 2013 has coached at Ottoville for 

21 years from 1993-2013 with a record of 400-97. Coach 

Kleman was named PCL Coach of the Year 9 times. He 

has won 11 PCL, 16 Sectional, 10 District and 5 Regional 

Championships. His 400 wins are the most wins by any 

girl’s coach in Putnam County history.


Gary Kreinbrink, through 2013, has coached at 

Leipsic 27 years from 1986-2013. He also coached 

one year at Knox High School in 1985. His overall 

record is 330-291. Coach Kreinbrink was named 

PCL Coach of the Year 2 times. He has won 2 PCL, 

4 BVC, 8 Sectional and 1 District Championship. 

Chris Rump through 2013 has coached at Miller City 

for 13 years from 2001-2013 with a record of 152- 

139. Chris was named PCL Coach of Year 4 times. 

Coach Rump has won 4 PCL, 5 Sectional, 2 District 

and 1 Regional Championship. 

Great Girls’ Players of the Past 

Girls’ basketball can be separated into two distinct 

periods. The girls’ game from 1914-1940 was very 

different from today’s game. Each team consisted of 

six players, three on offense and three on defense. 

Each set of girls would play on their end of the court. 

Basically the girls were playing a three on three, halfcourt 

game with a jump ball after every basket. 

From 1965-1975, girls’ basketball was played as it is 

today. It was run under an organization called GAA 

which stood for Girls’ Athletic Association. This 

was mainly for intramural games of different sports 

such as badminton, basketball, track, softball, etc. 

Later, when the schools started playing each other, it 

was changed to GIA which stood for Girls’ 

Interscholastic Association. The girls’ started 

playing under the complete authority of the OHSAA 

in the school year of 1975-1976 and has continued in 

this fashion to this day. 

editors and in earlier years, by “knowledgeable basketball 

fans”. 

From 1977 to the present, the players at the county level 

have been selected by only the coaches based on their 

skills during the season. The PCL selection process takes 

place shortly after the regular season and during the 

tournament trail. 

For my girls’ ‘fantasy dream team’, I have only selected 

PCL players from the modern era. Go through the 

various names and pick your own teams. IT’S FUN! 

My picks are as follows: Carol Lammers, 1977, Miller 

City; Sue Honigford, 1978, Ottoville; Rhonda Unverferth, 

1981, Kalida; Michelle Foltz, 1983, Columbus Grove; 

Char Smith, 1984, Continental; Roxie Zimmerly, 1987, 

Pandora-Gilboa; Cheri Siebeneck, 1995, Leipsic; Trisha 

McDaniel, 1995, Leipsic; Karla Wenzlick, 1996, 

Ottoville; Francine Miller, 1998, Kalida; Kristen 

Luebrecht, 2000, Fort Jennings; Candy Myers, 2001, 

Leipsic; Stephanie Recker, 2011, Pandora-Gilboa; Abby 

Siefker, 2013, Ottoville. 

The modern girls’ game has changed just like the 

boys for many of the same reasons, bigger, stronger 

and quicker. In the beginning, many of the girls’ 

teams played only zones and a half court game. It 

was a slower and not a very aggressive game. Not 

today. Watching a girls’ today mirrors the boys’ 

game much more than it did in the 1970’s. 

Another change in girls’ basketball is the gender of 

the coaches. In 1976, eight of the nine Putnam 

County coaches were women. In 2013, seven of the 

girl’s coaches were men. Jessica Liedke of Pandora- 

Gilboa and Jaaci Caar of Continental were the only 

female basketball coaches in Putnam County. 

I will list the great players of the past based on the 

all-league selections. From 1925-1939, the county 

newspapers would list the all county players at the 

end of the season for most of the years. Sometimes 

these would be called All-PCL players and 

sometimes All-PCT players. These would be 

selected by either coaches, the newspaper sport’s

Basketball History - Putnam County League

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