The Logan Daily News
Football History
1989 Chieftains exceeded expectations
Clarence Perry’s swan song as LHS head coach resulted in an unexpected third-straight SEOAL title
BY SPENCER WAUGH
FOR THE LOGAN DAILY NEWS
Editor’s note: The following
article is the third of a series
of Logan High School football
history stories LHS sports
historian Spencer Waugh is
writing for The Logan Daily
News this season to com-
memorate the anniversaries of
the greatest Chieftain football
teams of all time. This story
covers the 1989 Chieftain
team. Waugh is continuing the
process of speaking with LHS
athletes and coaches from
all eras and can be contacted
either via email at admin@
loganfootball.com or at 740-
974-4531.
———
Thirty years ago, the 1989
Logan Chieftains became
perhaps the school’s most
“forgotten” Southeastern Ohio
Athletic League champions.
By all outside observations,
the 1989 Chiefs exceeded
expectations by finishing 7-3
and earning an SEOAL co-
championship despite return-
ing only 11 lettermen and two
starters on offense.
“We played a tough sched-
ule,” former Chieftain grid
boss Clarence Perry recalled.
“But we knew if we won three
or four non-league games and
went undefeated in the league,
we would have a great shot at
the playoffs.”
The season would end up as
Clarence Perry’s swan song at
LHS. He arrived in 1985 and
set off on a five-year reign of
terror that saw him win an
astounding 88 percent (22-3)
of his SEOAL games and over
80 percent (41-10) overall. His
’87 Chiefs were the first-ever
playoff qualifier and he was
named the SEOAL’s Coach
of the Year four times in five
seasons.
“Coach Perry had an unbe-
lievable football knowledge.
He didn’t just think about one
part of the game or a couple
parts, he thought about every-
thing,” remembers Rob Ram-
age, an assistant under Perry.
“His knowledge of every part
of the game amazed me, even
down to little techniques — in
positions he never played —
he just understood movement
and leverage and how that
impacted players and game.”
The seniors on the ’89
Chieftains largely were forced
to wait their turn to play on
Friday nights. The class ahead
of them finished their career
with a sterling 25-6 record
and qualified for the OHSAA
playoffs in 1987 for the first
time in school history.
“Those (1989) guys stepped
up and took their turn,” said
Perry. “When you build a good
program, which I think we had
at that point, you expect that
the next group will be ready,
and they were.”
Tight end Jim Redd and
guard Marc Palmer were the
only returning starters on of-
fense. The Chiefs scored only
143 points in 1989, but they ac-
tually outscored the ’88 Chiefs
in their five league games.
At quarterback, Scott Sigler
stepped up to replace three-
year starter Jimmer Breining.
Sigler threw for over 1,000
yards in his lone season as a
starter.
“Sigler was a winner,” noted
Ramage. “He was quiet, but he
got things done.”
In the backfield, do-
everything junior Bill Copley
topped the team in rushing
yards, receiving yards, and
scoring while also being a
dangerous return man.
Joining Copley were Rusty
Dennis and sophomore Bryan
Lambert at fullback. Dennis
had been a top contributor on
the JV team while Lambert
was one his way to becoming
one of LHS’s all-time best
two-way performers.
“Bryan Lambert was the
best player I played with, with-
out a doubt,” former Chieftain
and current associate head
coach at Iowa State University
Tyson Veidt stated.
Jason Allison had waited
his turn behind Nick Maniskas
and performed at a high level,
leading the team in receiving
while the wingback duo of Joe
Blackford and Brian Kessler
did their parts as well. Redd
was an athletic and physical
target at tight end.
Up front, Palmer was the
lone returnee at guard. John
Smith and Talmadge Lewellen
were the tackles with guard
Bryan Cox and center Doug
Robers rounding out the for-
ward wall.
The defense had more expe-
rience, especially up front. The
unit allowed only 11 points per
game during the season, includ-
ing a paltry 28 combined points
in their five league games.
The forward wall included
returnees Keith Taulbee and
Redd on the ends along with
Robers at nose guard. The new-
comers up front were Lewellen,
Smith, and Cox at the two
tackle spots.
Copley returned at one
linebacker post while Lambert
emerged as one of the team’s
top players while Shane Champ
played the monster back role,
a hybrid outside linebacker/
strong safety position. Allison
and Blackford were the corners
while safety Sigler intercepted
a team-high four passes.
Because the Chieftains
sustained so many losses from
a personnel standpoint, there
were serious question marks
about their prospects entering
the season. League media and
coaches both tabbed Athens as
the pre-season favorite in the
SEOAL, and despite dropping
to Division II, it seemed only
the people inside the locker
room entertained playoff hopes.
Only 33 players made it
through two-a-day practices,
which were held at the old
Green Elementary School
and were legendary for their
intensity.
Summing up his preseason,
Perry told The Logan Daily
News that “Our players have
had a good attitude and work
ethic all through practice.
Everybody has been rootin’ for
everyone else and it’s been a
real team effort.”
The season opened with
a 23-6 pasting of host New
Lexington, who featured Ohio
State-bound junior quarterback
Dan Finck.
“We’re pleased, but not satis-
fied,” Perry stated following
the victory.
Next up was Nelsonville-
York, which returned a four-
year starter at quarterback in
Heyes Dean. The Buckeyes and
Chieftains battled to a scoreless
tie in regulation, despite each
team having red zone posses-
sions, which led to the first
overtime game in LHS history.
Overtime was implemented
before the 1985 season.
Logan got the ball first and
scored on the second play
when Sigler connected with
Redd for the winning score.
The 6-4, 220 pound tight end
out-jumped and out-muscled a
Buckeye defender to make an
outstanding catch.
The extra point try failed, but
the Buckeyes fumbled on their
first play after a pass comple-
tion handing Logan the victory.
“It’s better to play poorly and
win than it is to play great and
lose,” Perry told The Logan
Daily News after the hard-
fought win.
Sitting at 2-0, the Chieftains
traveled to Columbus to take
on DeSales. The Stallions had
given Logan their only loss in
’87 and followed it up with a
second-straight win over Logan
in ’88. The Chieftains felt they
had unfinished business.
DeSales entered 2-0 with
wins over neighborhood City
League rivals Beechcroft and
Brookhaven. The Stallions took
a 7-0 lead, but Logan answered
with a touchdown by Lambert
late in the first half to tie the
game up.
“At halftime we thought
Bryan Lambert was gonna
have a heat stroke. We couldn’t
get him to cool down,” Ramage
recalled. “He played the game
of his life — as a sophomore.
What a ballplayer. He was
everywhere at linebacker.”
A scoreless third quarter
set the stage for a frantic final
stanza. Logan drove from its
own 18-yard line to within field
goal range, thanks to heroics
from Sigler, and Redd booted a
31-yard field goal four seconds
into the final quarter to give
Logan a 10-7 lead.
DeSales answered with a
touchdown pass to retake the
lead with 9:01 to play.
Logan started its winning
drive on its own 20. A pass
interference penalty on fourth
down gave Logan a first down
on the Stallion 18-yard line,
but LHS lost three yards in as
many plays, setting up a crucial
fourth-down play.
“We always ran this play
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Logan’s Keith Taulbee (62) crushes Athens’ QB Scott Stricklin while the Chieftains’ Jim Redd (42) waits to pounce on the flying
football during a 1989 football game.
called 770. It was a rollout to
the left side, the weak side, and
forced man-to-man coverage
on our split end,” remembered
Ramage. “It’s a very, very
powerful play. It put our best
receiver on their weakside
corner, and was very difficult
to stop.”
“But DeSales had a great
coaching staff and they had
scouted us extremely well,”
continued Ramage. “So as
soon as Scott would roll left
their safety, in the middle of
the field, would fly over there
— I mean on a dead sprint,
he didn’t even bother trying to
read anything else — so we’d
have double coverage over
there and the safety coming
over the top meant they’d be
able to knock it down.
“In the second half — I kept
saying we need to change the
route from a flag to a post —
he’s gonna run right past the
safety. They’re not expecting
it, it’s something we’ve never
even practiced , so finally it’s a
(fourth) down late in the game
and finally Clarence called the
play and so instead of 770 it’s
called 780. He sent it out and
said to make sure he hits the
post.”
It worked. Allison broke
infield instead of toward the
sideline, giving a perfect fake
to move the Stallion safety.
The 21-yard pass gave Logan
a 17-14 lead and the defense
forced DeSales to miss a field
goal in the final minute to
finally break through against
the Stallions.
“I have to give him (Perry)
credit: if it worked, it was a
team credit, but if it didn’t, he
wasn’t gonna throw me under
the bus. He was gonna take
responsibility for that,” Ramage
concluded.
“Our kids played on nothing
but guts all night,” Perry said
after the game. “The last two
years (DeSales) knew they
were in a game. Tonight I think
we finally got the respect we
worked so hard for in those
games.”
Perhaps it was overconfi-
dence, but the Chiefs’ rocket
would come crashing down
to Earth the next week in a
21-7 home loss to Washington
Court House. The Blue Lions
outscored Logan 14-0 in the
second half to break the game
open.
The next week, Ironton shel-
lacked the Chiefs 44-6 — the
Tigers, state runner-up in 1988,
would win the Division III
state crown later that fall — but
league play would provide a
new opportunity for the purple
and white to make things right.
“We’re looking at this as two
different seasons,” Perry said
in the lead-up to the league
opener with Gallipolis. “We
didn’t quite get it done in the
first part, so we’re looking to
go 5-0 the rest of the way.”
Gallipolis had been the only
league team to defeat Perry —
in each of his first two seasons
— but now Logan was looking
to extend a win against the
Blue Devils to three games.
A tenacious defense held Lo-
gan to only 66 yards rushing,
but Sigler and the passing game
Logan’s Bill Copley (30) is brought down as Bryan Lambert (45) looks on.
connected for 13 completions
and 219 yards. Copley scored
the lone Chieftain touchdown
late in the second quarter, but
the Gallia Countians answered
with a score and add the kick
for a 7-6 halftime lead. It would
stay that way until the final
minutes.
Logan drove to the Gallia
Academy 1-yard line and faced
a fourth down with less than
3:30 to play. Perry decided to
let Redd attempt an 18-yard
field goal, which split the
uprights to raucous cheers,
and Logan held on for the 9-7
victory.
A trip to Warren followed
and Copley’s short run at the
outset of the second quarter
marked the game’s only points.
Logan held a physical Warren
running game to 64 yards and
only five first downs.
Next up was Marietta,
which put up little opposition
as Logan won its 14th-straight
league game by a 41-0 score. It
was Copley’s night. The junior
accounted for 323 all-purpose
yards against the Tigers, rush-
ing 17 times for 119 yards,
catching five passes for 143
yards, and returned five punts
for 61 yards. He had touchdown
catches of 78 and 36 yards and
scored on runs of 40 and three
yards.
As big as the Logan victory
was, it was Gallipolis’ 10-6 win
at Athens that night that put the
Chieftains in control of their
own destiny for the league title.
“We knew Gallipolis was
a good football team,” Perry
stated. “We’re in the driver’s
seat now and all we have to do
is win.”
So all that stood between the
Chieftains and the title was a
trip to Jackson, where it was
all over but the shouting by the
time the fourth quarter opened,
with Logan leading 21-7.
The Perrymen wasted no
time to take the initial lead.
Sophomore Dustin Mowery
blocked a punt that Joe Black-
ford picked up and returned
40 yards for the opening score
and Copley capped off a short
drive after an Ironman fumble
to give Logan a 14-0 halftime
lead. Copley repeated the trick
in the third quarter to put the
game out of reach.
With a share of the title
clinched, Perry and the Chief-
tains prepared for the short trip
down U.S. route 33 to take on
the Bulldogs. It was the third-
straight season in which at least
a share of the league title was
on the line when the old rivals
met in the final league game,
but Athens was still looking for
its first title since 1971.
“This is the one we’ve been
waitin’ on,” Perry said after the
win over Jackson. “We’ll have
to play super ball to win and if
we do we have a shot to get in”
the playoffs.
The Chieftains hadn’t just
beat Athens with a league title
on the line the previous two
seasons: they had shut out the
‘Dogs 35-0 in ’87 and 9-0 in
’88. The Bulldogs relied on
do-everything tailback Ryan
Adams, who later became just
the second two-time SEOAL
MVP.
The first half went according
to plan for the visitors. Logan
controlled time of posses-
sion and was opportunistic on
defense.
Logan took the opening
kickoff to within inches of
an opening touchdown, but
the green and gold defense
held on fourth down. But five
plays later, Robers recovered
an Adams fumble to set up
Sigler’s 6-yard bootleg reach-
ing paydirt. But Athens’ Jesse
Wheatley blocked the extra
point try, and that would prove
to be crucial.
Logan stopped the Bulldogs
after they advanced inside
the Chieftains’ 10-yard line,
and AHS was marching again
when the defense made what
appeared to be a game-chang-
ing play.
Taulbee came off the right
end and hit Athens quarter-
back Scott Stricklin hard and
knocked the ball loose. Redd,
the opposite Chieftain end,
picked up the ball and raced
46 yards for a second purple
touchdown. The senior booted
the PAT this time, and Logan
led 13-0 at the half.
It marked 12-straight quar-
ters, dating to 1986, in which
Athens failed to score against
Perry’s Chieftains.
The Bulldogs started their
second possession of the third
quarter with a short field on
Logan’s 48-yard line. A pair
of Adams runs keyed the drive
to inside the Logan 10, and a
Stricklin keeper got the ball
inside the five. Fullback Will
Page B3
Coon took over and bulled in
from the 4-yard line, and Brent
Hartman’s PAT cut the lead to
13-7 with 41 seconds left in the
quarter.
After the teams traded
turnovers, Logan was on the
march when Bob Bailey picked
off Sigler in the end zone —the
first of two Bailey interceptions
in the quarter.
Athens’ winning drive cov-
ered 44 yards. Coon converted
on fourth and one, Adams
ripped off a 13-yard gain, and
Coon broke through the middle
for a 20-yard scoring run. Hart-
man converted his second PAT
to provide the winning margin
in a 14-13 game.
Stricklin’s midfield intercep-
tion ended Logan’s desperate
attempt for a winning score.
“That game still stings,”
John Smith recalled. “I use it as
motivation for my teams now. I
tell them not take anything for
granted — not even an extra
point. Leave it all on the field
and make sure you do what
you need to do. I still wonder
if I could have put in a little
extra effort on their go-ahead
touchdown. Maybe it could
have made a difference and I
make the tackle.”
Ramage echoed that thought.
“As coaches, you wonder,”
he said, “The kids play their
hearts out; but you always
wonder if there was something
else we could have done. Did
we miss something?”
Despite the loss to the
Bulldogs, the ’89 team played
an important part in the history
of Chieftain football. They
won the school’s first overtime
game, defeated DeSales for the
first time, and were the first
“three-peat” football champi-
ons.
“While there are those
outstanding individual per-
formances, if you look at film
everyone was doing their job
on those teams,” surmised
Ramage.
“We didn’t have a ton of
success at the lower levels. I
remind my kids of that today,”
added Smith. “Despite that lack
of success at lower levels, we
won three league champion-
ships. We weren’t a big senior
class, but our core group really
stuck together.”
And their plaque in the
LHS locker room still reads
“SEOAL Champions.”