1988 Senate League Chaampions

1988 District Champions

1988 Regional Champions

1988 State Finalist

The 1987-1988 Boys' Basketball team brought a sense of excitement to the Tusky Valley community that has rarely been matched in school history. Coming off an 8-13 season the year before the Trojans were expected to be an improved squad looking for a solid season. Instead they provided a season to remember!

The team consisted of a group of players who brought unique talents to the team. Senior Derek Vaughn would be named First Team Senate League, First Team Eastern District, District V Player of the Year, First Team Division III All-State Tournament, and Special Mention All-Ohio. Other key players included bruising senior center Duane Wernecke (2nd team Senate League) and senior leader Matt Edwards. Junior Craig Taylor was a defensive specialist who shut down the opponent's best player on a consistent basis while Juniors Darrin Vaughn and Dave Oiler provided instant offense for the team. Sophomore Steve Franks, who would go on to become the school's all-time leading scorer, stabilized the point guard position for the Trojans. Rusty Roof, Mike Adams, Ryan Kramer, and Aaron Rosetti added depth for the Trojans. All the pieces were in place for a special season.

The Trojans roared out of the gate by winning their first five games and never looked back. The team captured the Senate League Title by defeating East Canton 54-52 in the last game of the regular season to finish 16-4 and capture the school's first ever league championship in basketball. The accomplishment of winning the Senate League title is an amazing feat considering 5 of the league's 8 teams would make it to the Sweet Sixteen in tournaments.

Once tournament play started the battle-tested Trojans began a run that would bring an entire community together. They knocked off Barnesville, Mingo Junction and Frontier as they captured the school's first ever District Title. In regional play, the Trojans defeated River and heavily-favored Wheelersburg to capture the Regional Title and advance to state!

Coach Bob Von Kaenel was elated to see the season of sacrifice and hard work pay of for his team, "Winning Regionals was the best feeling I've ever had in coaching. Knowing you have made it to the Final Four brings chills to me."

In 1988 the State Tournament was held at historic St. John Arena in Columbus. The Trojans were not intimidated as they defeated Triway 62-53 to advance to the state finals to take on the state's top-ranked team Hamilton Badin. The Trojans led throughout much of the game but could not survive a 4th quater rally by Badin and lost 68-63. The Trojans finished the year as State Runners-up with a record of 22-5.

For many area fans the 1987-1988 Tusky Valley team is not remembered for their remarkable accomplishments. Instead, they are remembered as a group of undersized players that played the game of basketball with a spirit and sense of teamwork that has rarely been seen in Ohio basketball. Overlooked by many, the Trojans seemed to relish their role as the underdogs. "No one was counting on us to win. I guess you could say we were the underdogs and that's how we wanted it. When we win, it feels a lot better to beat someone who was supposed to better than us," commented Derek Vaughn.

Perhaps senior Matt Edwards summed up the experience the best, "It was totally indescribable. 10,000 people cheering for a team that had always beaten the odds. I wanted to win for those people as well as the team. Just being there made you feel like a winner. No matter what happened, we can always say we are champions. The dream fell one game short but we can still be proud of our accomplishments."

Truer words were never spoken.