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Senior Jim Stickley and the Buccs advance to the regional finals in '85.
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| team photo | letterman | coaches |
Coming into the 1985 season, Buccaneer fans knew the 1985 team would be something special. After all, this senior class dominated since their Little Bucc days. After four mediocre seasons which consisted of 6-3, 3-7, 6-4 and 4-5-1 seasons, the program needed a boost. Third year coach Charlie Burgbacher finally had the talent to make it happen.
Led by a kamikaze group of seniors, the Buccs won their first 8 games. They recorded shutout wins over Bradford, Tipp City, and Mechanicsburg before squeaking by Miami East 19-14. After a 42-6 win over Springfield Catholic, the Buccs suffered a minor setback to Versailles 13-3. They rebounded to close out the regular season with a 55-6 victory over Lehman to qualify for the state playoffs.
The Buccs destroyed Southeastern in the opening round of the playoffs 35-0 to set up a defensive battle with Middletown Fenwick. Played at Welcome Stadium at the University of Dayton, Covington and Middletown Fenwick wasted each other in a defensive battle for the ages. The Buccs won the battle of field position and took home a 3-0 win thanks to the kicking leg of Bill Besecker.
The win over Fenwick came at a cost as the Buccs played battered and bruised in the state semi-finals against Delphos Jefferson. The result was a 32-14 exit from the playoffs and it would be eleven years before the Buccs would get back to the tournament again.
The 1985 team set a Buccaneer record with 11 wins that would stand until the 2000 team broke the record with 12 wins. Coached by Charlie Burgbacher and led by a group of talented seniors the '85 Buccs claimed the Region 20 Championship and took their place among the best teams in Buccaneer history.
The players who contributed to the 1985 team were: Scott "Scooter" Williams, Butch Boehringer, Bill Besecker, John Boehringer, Matt Pond, Andy Ingle, Brian Olsen, Ty Owens, Jim Stickley, Andy Kenworthy, Rich Phillis, Mike Hagen, Rodney Kimmel, Scott Tyler and Heath Finfrock.