Vinton County Viking History

[Dundas]

Records in decades...

1966-1970..

1 winning season

Record..38-41

1 MOVC Championship
1 Sectional Championship

1970/71-1980..

4 winning seasons

Record..89-107

1 TVC Championship

1980/81-1990..

2 winning seasons

Record..78-134

1990/91-2000..

5 winning seasons

Record..90-124

3 sectional championships

2000/01-2010

9 winning seasons

Record..160-62

5 TVC Championships (3 undefeated)
4 sectional Championships
1 District Championship
1 undefeated regular season (06-07)

All-time record..

21/44 winning seasons

455-468

7 League Championships (6-TVC, 1-MOVC)

8 Sectional Championships

1 District Championship

...In 10 years with Coach Combs, VC has had only 1 losing season. (9-12 in 2000-01, His first season as Coach) In the season before he took over, VC went 3-17.

[hawkeyepierce]

Dundas - we did not win a TVC championship before the 1973-74 season. It was then we won our first. We didn't win our second until 2003-04 season. Since then we have won a bunch.

[VIKED_MAN]

We won a jv TVC league championship 71-72, back in the day when they gave a trophy and recognized a jv champ. It was the first ever VC TVC championship of any kind. Two years later 73-74 Vikes won the varsity championship; then thirty year drought.
The trophy was one of the ones that got stolen when the old high school was broken into.

[Dundas]

You are right Hawk...Not sure what heppened to me there! lol I corrected it!

Viked...Its too bad they dont recognize he JV champion like they did in the past! Im sure VC's JV team has won 6 or 7 championships in the last 10 years. Do you have an exact number Hawk?

[FANOSPORTS]

Did Vinton County consolidate in 1966 ? I was a young pup back then but my Dad who graduated in the 1950's used to talk about the Hamden Engineers having some decent teams (don't remember what sports) back when he was in school in a nearby county. Also, what other teams were in the county when they consolidated and did any of them ever win any championships ?

[Dundas]

Yes, VC consolidated in 1966. The other schools in the county before '66 were...

McArthur, Hamden, Allensville, Wilkesville and Zaleski.

Not 100% sure on their mascot names but I think they were the...

McArthur Generals (McArthur was the only school with a football team)

Hamden Engineers

Wilkesville ???

Allensville Bombers

Zaleski Panthers

I have seen old paper clippings of basketball games. I would imagine they played each other, but im not sure as to if they were all in the same league or who they played outside of the county. Hopfully someone else knows because like you FOS, i am very interested!!

[jottings]

If I remember correctly, Gerald (Poppy) Wagner coached at Hamden in the 1950s and played several Gallia County teams (Rio Grande, Mercerville, Cheshire, Cadmus, Centerville, Vinton and Bidwell-Porter). Wonder if he is still living? I think he also coached in Gallia County at one point in his career.

[rivercat]

Was wondering what year Bob Grillo took over the youth program in Vinton County. I'm sure the Vikings success has a lot to do with the outstanding program he runs. I'm sure that Coach Combs would agree with this as well

[Dundas]

River...Not sure of the year that Bob started the program...but I took part in it in 1997-99 (as a player). It had been around a couple years before that im sure.

[FANOSPORTS]

If I remember correctly, Gerald (Poppy) Wagner coached at Hamden in the 1950s and played several Gallia County teams (Rio Grande, Mercerville, Cheshire, Cadmus, Centerville, Vinton and Bidwell-Porter). Wonder if he is still living? I think he also coached in Gallia County at one point in his career.

I don't know Jottings, he'd have to be at least 80 years old now and that's if he was in his mid twenties and just a couple years out of college when he was coaching if it was the mid to late fifties. Could be though.

[Jake Roberts]

The school in Wilkesville was actually called Wilton. I think they were the Wilton Jets.

[hawkeyepierce]

I believe that is correct. My mom was a 1961 graduate of the Wilton Jets.

[VIKED_MAN]

Vinton County's own great school superintendant, John "Rabbit" Simmons, was a graduate and star athelete of the Hamden Engineers . They were good at basketball and baseball. I think they once went to state finals in basketball, if not close.
It was the Wilton Jets. I do belive that Zaleski was the Bobcats; like OU.
At one time there were at least 6 junior high schools in the county. Maybe 7, I think at one time Radcliffe had a jr hi, I know there was an old school building out on a county road near Raccoon Creek. We used to play ball in there years ago, if the court was not flooded.
Of course they were considered 1 thru 8 elementry schools. I remember playing basketball (schools only sport) one year for the Swan satilites. Only played if there happened to be a male teacher or janitor at the school willing to coach. My 8th grade year went to Allensville as part of consolidation of jr hi, except Wilton and Zaleski. They stared the next year, hence Vinton county jr. high. The rest is modern history. Man I feel old now!

[Poo Bear]

Vinton County's own great school superintendant, John "Rabbit" Simmons, was a graduate and star athelete of the Hamden Engineers . They were good at basketball and baseball. I think they once went to state finals in basketball, if not close.
It was the Wilton Jets. I do belive that Zaleski was the Bobcats; like OU.
At one time there were at least 6 junior high schools in the county. Maybe 7, I think at one time Radcliffe had a jr hi, I know there was an old school building out on a county road near Raccoon Creek. We used to play ball in there years ago, if the court was not flooded.
Of course they were considered 1 thru 8 elementry schools. I remember playing basketball (schools only sport) one year for the Swan satilites. Only played if there happened to be a male teacher or janitor at the school willing to coach. My 8th grade year went to Allensville as part of consolidation of jr hi, except Wilton and Zaleski. They stared the next year, hence Vinton county jr. high. The rest is modern history. Man I feel old now!

Thats some good stuff there. Let me ask you something VIKED MAN, I agree that these small schools such as Hamden, McArthur, ect did give those small communities a sense of identity and pride, BUT with the way the school system is set up now, the kids can go to school and play basketball or whatever and be a VC viking from 2nd grade up through high school. I think that helps alot get the best talent from the county regardless what part of the county there are from. I know there is still alot of hard feelings harbored with the older generation, and it is justified. As recently as 20 years ago good players were being driven off or just benched until they gave up who were as good or better than the starters being played. I saw it with my own eyes so I dont need anyone to get on here and confirm it for me. My vinton county south 2nd grade team had kids from wellston, hamden, wilkesville, mcarthur and every holler in between. The bottom lines they are all Lil Vikings and they dont have that rivalry in the back of their head that is counterproductive and having the county work together has helped VC boys and girls basketball become much more competitve on every level. JMO

[Poo Bear]

Vinton County's own great school superintendant, John "Rabbit" Simmons, was a graduate and star athelete of the Hamden Engineers . They were good at basketball and baseball. I think they once went to state finals in basketball, if not close.
It was the Wilton Jets. I do belive that Zaleski was the Bobcats; like OU.
At one time there were at least 6 junior high schools in the county. Maybe 7, I think at one time Radcliffe had a jr hi, I know there was an old school building out on a county road near Raccoon Creek. We used to play ball in there years ago, if the court was not flooded.
Of course they were considered 1 thru 8 elementry schools. I remember playing basketball (schools only sport) one year for the Swan satilites. Only played if there happened to be a male teacher or janitor at the school willing to coach. My 8th grade year went to Allensville as part of consolidation of jr hi, except Wilton and Zaleski. They stared the next year, hence Vinton county jr. high. The rest is modern history. Man I feel old now!

Thats some good stuff there. Let me ask you something VIKED MAN, I agree that these small schools such as Hamden, McArthur, ect did give those small communities a sense of identity and pride, BUT with the way the school system is set up now, the kids can go to school and play basketball or whatever and be a VC viking from 2nd grade up through high school. I think that helps alot get the best talent from the county regardless what part of the county there are from. I know there is still alot of hard feelings harbored with the older generation, and it is justified. As recently as 20 years ago good players were being driven off or just benched until they gave up who were as good or better than the starters being played. I saw it with my own eyes so I dont need anyone to get on here and confirm it for me. My vinton county south 2nd grade team had kids from wellston, hamden, wilkesville, mcarthur and every holler in between. The bottom lines they are all Lil Vikings and they dont have that rivalry in the back of their head that is counterproductive and having the county work together has helped VC boys and girls basketball become much more competitve on every level. JMO

Sorry, never did ask my question. But do you think this has helped the VC programs as a whole?

[VIKED_MAN]

YES!
I am for the consolidation of the county. Best thing that has happened here until we got all new schools.
Think what Meigs could be around here if they consolidated into a county school district, or Jackson .
Oh well niether one of those will happen. Jackson County would be a large DI school, kinda like Logan Hocking County.
GO VIKES

[bump in the road]

I just wondered how good these teams were back then. Larry Kruger was obviously a great athlete. How about Wayne Young, Dave Graham,
ect....

[hawkeyepierce]

No, I do not have any ideal what the JV records are, a lot of that information had been lost during the move from the old school to the new school in the summer of 2000. I can probably dig up the JV records since Matt Combs has been here, before that, it might be a crap shoot.

When I wore an younger man's clothes, I had played plenty of pick-up games with guys like Dave Graham, Marvin Hale, Charlie Hale, Larry Kruger, and a few others. Every one of them could hold their own and more.