Best Team Ever In Southeastern Ohio

[portsmouth_98]

Portsmouth was really good in 1931. They went 11-3 with a 1 point loss to the Cardinals and a 3 point loss to the Bears they later avenged. They also had a couple Hall of farmers that year.

[XandOs]

81 Ironton team

Mark Snyder - QB Oklahoma State

Dennis Bacon- RB Syracuse

Mike Smith- RB Navy

Jimmy Morris- RB Morehead State

There were also D1 kids on the team in the classes of 82/83. They didn’t have a close game all season. Avg. 40 point wins and only missed the playoffs cause Logan had a strike and we missed playing that game.

[XandOs]

Ironton in 1943 had George and Wes McCafee. George is one of the top 50 greatest players of all time. Pro Football Hall of famer. Played at Duke. Wes also played on the team and followed his brother to Duke and onto the NFL.

[XandOs]

Ironton also is home to “MEAT” Boykin. Many of the old timers say was the greatest football player they’ve ever seen. Only guy I recall in history to go straight from HS ball to the NFL. Many say he was Jim Brown way before Jim Brown.

[Crab's Brother]

I'm not saying these two teams were even near the greatest ever because for one I wasn't born, and their is many many other great teams on this list. But for small schools, I was always told that in 1970 Portsmouth West vs Notre Dame was called the game of the century, played at spartan stadium. Was told it was standing room only. ND won 13-7. West had 5 shutouts that year. Beat Burg by 40, East by 62, and also beat Jackson that year. It's a shame we didn't have different playoff systems at that time. Alot of good teams never got their shot.

There was no playoff system at all at that point.

The best team I have seen in person around Scioto County is the 2000 Portsmouth team. Just loaded at every position except QB. Van Wert had no business being on the field with that team. Van Wert lost the next week in the state finals.

[Pat]

81 Ironton team

Mark Snyder - QB Oklahoma State

Dennis Bacon- RB Syracuse

Mike Smith- RB Navy

Jimmy Morris- RB Morehead State

There were also D1 kids on the team in the classes of 82/83. They didn’t have a close game all season. Avg. 40 point wins and only missed the playoffs cause Logan had a strike and we missed playing that game.

That year NY won the D4 state championship. Would love to have seen them lock horns with Ironton that year.

[SiderBlood]

Joe Burrow’s team wouldn’t have killed Kirkland???!?!

No, Kirtland has won the state championship the last 3 years in a row, and played in 4 consecutive state championships for a reason. I think Kirtland would've gave Athens all they wanted and maybe more.

Different animal between D5 and D3. You really don’t think Joe Burrow would’ve picked them apart? Did you watch him play? Greatest high school qb in Ohio history. 4 d1 weapons around him

Ben Mauk is the only thing that kept West from a ring in 02, and at that time was the best QB ever in Ohio. But Burrow has to be number one now.

[LucasDavenport]

agree with Mr Vanderlay from Vanderlay industries about the best Scioto County team I have seen. 2000 Portsmouth was special and defeated a crazy good Chaminade Julienne team at Hillsboro in the Regional Finals. But I believe the ‘17 Wheelersburg Pirates would have beaten them in the playoffs that year for the same reason Van Wert beat Portsmouth and Wheelersburg defeated Madison and Pemberville Eastwood. The ‘17 Pirates were winning at 0:00 somehow, someway.

Best Scioto County team: Portsmouth 2000 but best team doesn’t always win.

Now … can we all be real here and come to a consensus that 14 Athens is The Best Southeast District Team of All Time?

They defeated Akron St Vincent St Mary in the State Semis and broke ASVSM’s 13 game playoff winning streak (ASVSM won 2012 and 2013 state championships and defeated Massillon Washington in 14 regular season). In my opinion That was the biggest or best win by a Southeast District team in our playoff history.

Toledo Central Catholic beat Athens in the D3 State Finals on a last second TD thrown by the future Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Cleveland Brown QB Kiser.

I would put the 2000 Portsmouth victory over Chaminade Julienne in that category. D3 Regional Final. 31-24

West’s 2002 D4 State Semi win over Youngstown Ursuline (13-7).
West had defeated the 2 teams who beat them in the regular season on this playoff run (Portsmouth and Coshocton) and finished 7th in Region 15 that year.

1979 AA State Final Ironton 7 Akron St V St M 6. From what I understand this was an epic battle and upset when Ironton broke through for their First State Championship.

1989 Waverly over CAPE.

[TheFlyingDutchman]

Bob Lutz has been on record saying his 78 team was his best that missed the playoffs due to a missed game because of a strike. I agree with X&O that 81 team was loaded. People forget just how good Bacon, Morris and Smith were. Smith would have been a starter at Navy had he not been playing behind Napoleon McCallum one of the greatest Navy backs ever.

[Attack]

agree with Mr Vanderlay from Vanderlay industries about the best Scioto County team I have seen. 2000 Portsmouth was special and defeated a crazy good Chaminade Julienne team at Hillsboro in the Regional Finals. But I believe the ‘17 Wheelersburg Pirates would have beaten them in the playoffs that year for the same reason Van Wert beat Portsmouth and Wheelersburg defeated Madison and Pemberville Eastwood. The ‘17 Pirates were winning at 0:00 somehow, someway.

Best Scioto County team: Portsmouth 2000 but best team doesn’t always win.

Now … can we all be real here and come to a consensus that 14 Athens is The Best Southeast District Team of All Time?

They defeated Akron St Vincent St Mary in the State Semis and broke ASVSM’s 13 game playoff winning streak (ASVSM won 2012 and 2013 state championships and defeated Massillon Washington in 14 regular season). In my opinion That was the biggest or best win by a Southeast District team in our playoff history.

Toledo Central Catholic beat Athens in the D3 State Finals on a last second TD thrown by the future Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Cleveland Brown QB Kiser.

I would put the 2000 Portsmouth victory over Chaminade Julienne in that category. D3 Regional Final. 31-24

West’s 2002 D4 State Semi win over Youngstown Ursuline (13-7).
West had defeated the 2 teams who beat them in the regular season on this playoff run (Portsmouth and Coshocton) and finished 7th in Region 15 that year.

1979 AA State Final Ironton 7 Akron St V St M 6. From what I understand this was an epic battle and upset when Ironton broke through for their First State Championship.

1989 Waverly over CAPE.

2013 Trimble over Shadyside for the first time ever and to advance to state semis and then the next week Trimble over Western Reserve to advance to state finals for the first time. Two epic wins one week apart.

[eagle one]

1989 undefeated Ironton state Champs would have to be my pick.

2014 Athens Joe burrow best player in southeastern Ohio history with multiple weapons to throw to

you must have never seen jermon jackson live...... that team was great also but mine would be the team that lost to akron stv st m

[Ironmen34]

1989 undefeated Ironton state Champs would have to be my pick.

2014 Athens Joe burrow best player in southeastern Ohio history with multiple weapons to throw to

you must have never seen jermon jackson live...... that team was great also but mine would be the team that lost to akron stv st m

I actually did watch him live

[kantucky]

Not much diversity in my response. Ironton would have at least 10 in the top 12 and you can't sort them out by state titles either. The Fighting Tigers on!y lost 3 regular season games the whole decade of the 80's.


Its such a piece of cake today to make the playoffs people lose sight of how good many of those teams were. Before it became a pud, Ironton had the third most playoff appearance behind Newark Catholic and Cincinnati Archbishop. The fact that Ironton was public and not a parochial school made it all the more remarkable

[SciotoCfootball]

Not much diversity in my response. Ironton would have at least 10 in the top 12 and you can't sort them out by state titles either. The Fighting Tigers on!y lost 3 regular season games the whole decade of the 80's.


Its such a piece of cake today to make the playoffs people lose sight of how good many of those teams were. Before it became a pud, Ironton had the third most playoff appearance behind Newark Catholic and Cincinnati Archbishop. The fact that Ironton was public and not a parochial school made it all the more remarkable

Only three regular season losses ina decade is quite the stat! Not sure there are many programs who can say that. SEO football may not be a powerhouse but we sure do have a lot of history and a lot more to be made.