The News-Messenger from Fremont, Ohio • 30

2 News-Messenger, Fremont, Friday, November 18, 1983 Ross had a shot at 5 inishing 5-5 Fremont and the surrounding area. Stride 1 mont St. Joe) this reporter boldly predicted that "Ross would fare a bit better this season." I gave Ross an outside shot at finished 5-5 but it would be a struggle. That was based on the team staying healthy. The team stayed healthy and the rest is being etched into Ross By BOB MARKER N-M Sports Editor "Little Giants, Streaks better, read the headline of a Sept.

2 column I wrote. It was the day before the 1983 high school football season. Continuing into the column, (F11 skip over the references to Fre up the middle for the TR Sophomore place-kicker Shawn McCarthy hit the extra point and the Little Giants were on a slow roll toward a history making season. "For the first ball game, I believe it let us see that we have something to work with," Moore said after the season debut. 1 4,, 4 1k' 1 ill'r Nnoow A 4 JEFF GENTRY Ross 24 Columbian 0 Headline: "Ross chews up Tornadoes 24- 0" It was a nice beginning, Ross coaches could see room for improvement despite the Little Giants' domination of Tiffin Columbian 24-0 in the season opener.

Ross unleashed a quartet of running backs who chewed up 362 rushing yards out of a total offense of 411. Tailback Jeff Gentry ran for 125 yards in the first half and finished with 187. The Little Giants senior carried 30 times to roll up the best single game performance of the season for a Ross running back. Mike "Mighty Mite" Pa lomo scored Ross's first touchdown of the seasom, bolting 30 yards The following statement made by the coach held true for most of the season: "The lines," he said, "just dominated the game." "When you have that many yards and that many first downs," Ross offensive coordinator Rex Rade loff said, "you know you have dominated the line of scrimmage." "For the first time out of the box," defensive coordinator Joe Siesel said, "I was pretty hitting was good but we still have a lot of things to work on." The shutout was the first of six this season. 4, Noset7' High School history.

It was one game past mid-season when I had to change my tune. Faced with a 5-0-1 mark by the Little Giants, it dawned on me that a 6-4 record was out of the question. I pulled off one of the better changes of pace and boldly said Ross would be be 8-0-1 heading into the season finale against Sandusky. The Little Giants shouldered the added pressure of my reincarnation as a prediction specialist without a shudder and went into the season finale just as I had predicted in my revision. But, Ross had to make believers out of the media fraternity and it was not easy.

In the team's first scrimmage game, it was manhandled by Toledo Whitmer. Gradually, however, Coach Pete Moore and his staff began to pull the Little Giants together but the team still had to prove itself to its fans and the media. The Little Giants went on to win their llth Buckeye Conference crown and win the Division Region II championship to get into the state semifinals against Cincinnati Princeton Saturday. On the day of the opening game of the season, Sept. 3, not one member of the media in the surrounding area picked Ross to defeat Tiffin Columbian, a team that would claim the Northern Ohio League championship this season.

As it turned out, Ross knocked off the Tornadoes 24-0 and it was the first stride on a trail that has caught the eye and fancy of Ot OA, I14.0,1 it 4 To fko.w.o.,,, i I 1.1' 1 1.yi.s1 "'I .64. ir 44 440 4,,.., 4 4,, kih. 'k i I 1 i. 1 I 1 1 i ee i A Ael- MIKE PALOMO roaches knew about Giants The Buckeye Conference coaches should have been listened to intently. The guys knew that Fremont Ross was a team to be reckoned with despite a 3-7 record in 1982.

Six of seven coaches, not including Ross Coach Pete Moore, rated Ross in the top three but the majority had either Lorain Admiral King or Sandusky at the top of the seven-team circuit. In preseason prospectus sheets, here is how the conference coaches rated Ross's chances at winning an Ilth conference title: Terry Doan, Elyria: Sandusky and Lorain Admiral King. Dan Evans, Findlay: Sandusky, Admiral King, Fremont with Marion Harding commanding respect. Vic Furiga, Lorain: Admiral King (underlined three times), Sandusky and Fremont. Bill Provident, Admiral King: Sandusky, Fremont and Lorain Sr.

Mike Goebbel, Marion Harding: Sandusky, Fremont and Lorain Admiral King. Jim Colwell, Sandusky: Fremont, Admiral King and Sandusky. Colwel was the better prophet. And how did Moore rate his chances? Moore, Fremont Ross: Sandusky, Admiral King, Lorain Senior, Elyria and Findlay with Marion Harding. The Ross coach must have been attempting to run his first sweep of the Buckeye Conference.

QUARTERBACK KEVIN Wilhelm pitches back to a running back during the preseason scrimmage game against Elida at Harmon Stadium. Wilhelm went on to become a second team, All-Buckeye Conference selection. KEEP IT DiGEITIER LITTLE GIANTS! CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES, LITTLE GIANTS God LIM GituttA WHITEY'S AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE, INC. Since 1930 24 HOUR TOWING FREMONT IS PROUD OF YOU! Beat et Luck haat WELDING LARGE TO SMALL COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE BONNIE CY'S THE HOME OF THE MINI-MEALS 1224 W. State Tel.

332-6293 Closed Monday 130 C.R. 130 Fremont Phone 332-7031 215 N. Ohio 332-6471 II.