6 in 2019 class of Clinton County Sports Hall of Fame

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Led by five-time state champion coach Dan McSurley, the 2019 class of the Clinton County Sports Hall of Fame will be inducted June 26 at the Expo Center on the Clinton County Fairgrounds.

In addition, 32 nominees have been made for the Wilmington News Journal Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the winners will be announced on June 26.

The nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award are from Blanchester Ricky Davis, Olivia Gundler, Emily Hinkle, Regan Ostermeier, Elecia Patton, Sally Schafer, Clayton Schirmer, Savanna Shank; from Clinton-Massie Ty Beam, Jennifer Callewaert, Hailey Clayborn, Logan Fisher, Tyler Greathouse, AJ Houseman, Emily Ireland, Griffin Laake, Corey May, Spencer Voss; from East Clinton Mackenzie Campbell, Kaitlin Durbin, Alex Hughes, Zachary Mitchell, Austin Rolfe, Brittney Wheeler, Taylor Boeckmann; and from Wilmington Rachael Billups, Madi Flint, Tiara Harris, Brady Henry, Mason McIntosh, Emma Schroeder, Jordan Snarr, Cayleigh Vance.

McSurley will be joined in the Hall of Fame class by Lawrence Boles, Angie Whiting Bahr, Alan Ledford, Larry Miller and John Patton.

Reservations can be made for the event by stopping in to the News Journal office, 761 S. Nelson Ave., or by calling 382-2574. Reservations must be paid prior to the banquet to assure placement. Cost is $25 and payable only by cash or check. Credit cards will not be accepted.

Boles, a posthumous inductee, was a 1901 graduate of Blanchester High School. There is no record of Boles as an athlete at Blanchester nor did he play in college at Ohio Wesleyan. But as a coach, he excelled at the high school and collegiate levels. At Fostoria High School his football teams were 47-4-2 and proclaimed state champions in five of six seasons. His 1912 team outscored its opponents 596-0. As a football coach at the College of Wooster, Boles had a 134-50-19 record in 24 seasons. He also coached basketball, baseball, golf and track/field. From 1917 to 1923, Wooster football was 52-4-3 and outscored its opponents 1,179 to 110. Boles had 43 shutouts in the 59 games.

Bahr, a Wilmington High School graduate, was a national and world champion gymnastics tumbler. Clinton County Sports Hall of Fame gymnastics coach Joni Streber said Bahr was the best gymnast she coached during her long career. Whiting won the Gold Medal in 1981 at the World Games in Santa Clara, Calif. She won numerous national titles in tumbling and acro-gymnastics trio competitions.

Ledford, a Blanchester High School graduate, earned nine varsity letters in baseball (3), basketball (3), soccer (2) and football (1). A three-time MVP of the Wildcats baseball team, Ledford his .482 as a junior, earned SBAAC Player of the Year honors and then was the East-West All-Star Game MVP as a senior. As a baseball player at Wilmington College, Ledford was All-OAC first team in 2002, when he ranked 43rd in the nation in batting average and 18th in the nation in slugging percentage.

McSurley, who has been at Clinton-Massie since 1996, won state football titles in 2012 and 2013. His Falcons were the first team sport state champion in Clinton County history. But McSurley won his first state championships as a wrestling coach. He had two individuals win three titles – Nathan Thobaben (2004) and Corby Running (2009, 2010).

Miller, a 1964 Sabina High School graduate, earned 12 varsity letters at Sabina High School in baseball, basketball and track/field. During his senior season, Miller placed fourth in the state track/field meet in both the 100- and 220-yard dashes. He clocked 10.2 seconds in the 100 and 22.4 in the 220. Miller later played basketball and ran track/field at Ohio University.

Patton, a 1964 Wilmington High School graduate, excelled in several sports while wearing the orange and black. He earned nine varsity letters – two in football, two in basketball, three in baseball, one in golf and one in track/field. He earned All-SCOL first team honors five times, including captains honors as the top offensive player on the All-SCOL football team in 1963. He earned All-Ohio honors as well in football in 1963. He was two-time team MVP on the WHS basketball team.

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