In 1974, the McClain Tigers defense stepped up to complement its offense.
The foundation of the team was set in 1973 with its new coach Fred Brisker. A native of Minford, Brisker was a graduate assistant coach at Miami University the season before. He took over a team looking to improve upon a 2-8 record.
The team had 10 lettermen back from the 1972 season.
The 1973 season netted them a 1-9 record, but the next season would complete a turnaround.
It was November 1974, and the Tigers were facing Oak Hill and came out with a 28-0 win. It was notable in that it was the team's sixth shutout win of the season. Greenfield moved to 6-3 on the season.
Greenfield quarterback Kevin Kensinger and his backup, Steve Weaver, connected on 22 of 31 tosses for 144 yards. In total, the Tigers had 335 total offensive yards while holding Oak Hill to 138.
The Tigers landed four players on the all-league team - wide receiver Donn Watts, and Chuck Conley, Gary Barr and Jim Granger on defense.
As one of the most improved teams, McClain made the biggest jump in one year in the computerized ratings used by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. No team in the area finished in the top 10 in any region. McClain had finished 66th last year but jumped to 15th in 1974 with its 6-4 record.
With the regular season of high school football starting this week, the Gazette has been running photo galleries at ChillicotheGazette.com of local teams. We have already featured Adena, Unioto, Paint Valley, Waverly, Huntington Piketon and Westfall.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Unlocking the archive: McClain Tigers posted six shutouts in 1974
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