Before everyone gets all worried regarding the South Central Ohio League, let me say this.
Having talked with league commissioner Jim Winner, there is nothing definite in terms of voting on expansion at the upcoming meeting of the league’s board of control.
Winner said the league’s principals, which make up the board of control, will convene at the annual winter sports banquet March 7 at the Grace Community Church in Washington Court House.
A vote is simply not a guarantee, Winner said.
There are some reports that have Jackson High School being put up before the league as a possible new member at this March 7 meeting. Jackson has come up previously and been told the league was not interested.
In my opinion, Jackson by itself will not get voted in to the SCOL. Jackson as part of a 2- or 4-school addition is possible, maybe even likely.
In talking with Winner, the SCOL is really going to great lengths to make expansion work. Let’s face it, there aren’t a great number of options that would be considered “perfect” fits for the league. Truthfully, there aren’t many “good” fits for the league.
There always seems to be something really, really wrong with the prospective schools, either the location or the size.
In Jackson’s case, it’s location. It’s 80 miles from Wilmington. More for Clinton-Massie, a little less for East Clinton.
Winner came up with an interesting twist when the league has talked about expansion of schools that are problematic because of their location — neutral site games.
“We’re thinking outside the box,” he said. “I’m not saying it will happen, but we thinking of every opportunity.”
So a game between Wilmington and Jackson might be played in Frankfort or Bainbridge — my ideas not Winner’s.
Granted, it’s not perfect but if the best way for this league to survive is to think “outside the box,” I’m all for it.
WHO DID DONKEY BEST: I had a call from Jim McClary regarding the county’s all-time scoring leader. Jarron Cumberland of Wilmington broke Don Fields’ all-time record of 2,135 points. Cumberland has 2,203 points going into Saturday’s tournament game.
McClary said he’s been asked hundreds of times whose record did Fields break?
Well, based on my research through the News Journal’s microfilm archive, it would be Larry Terrell of New Vienna High School.
I compiled the boxscores published in the News Journal from the beginning of the county basketball games back in the early 1900s through the early 1980s.
There are some possible holes in this research, but unless someone can come up with something more concrete, these records will have to do.
I have Terrell with 1,513 careers points from 1953 to 1957. He would have bested Dean Cluxton, another New Vienna High School grad who had 1,481 points from 1950 to 1954.
Cluxton broke Sid Bagford’s record of 1,160. Sid played from 1949 to 1953 at Clarksville High School. Bagford would have topped the county’s first 1,000-point scorer Bob Jacoby Jr. who had 1,120 points from 1948 to 1952 at Blanchester High School.
To be clear, this is the start of a Top Ten in county history in terms of scoring. These are simply all-time record holders. There are other players who scored more than Jacoby or Bagford, but never held the all-time career scoring record.
That Top 10 will be for another column.
