As a young lad growing up in the Paden City community, one of the things I looked forward to was high school sporting events. The excitement of watching the Wildcats play back in those days was unmatched. The community was hopping with kids looking for something to do. Most of the time the activity was centered around the schools. The desire of most kids was to grow up and be a part of the Wildcat team. They didn’t lack for kids, there were always plenty and the competition was tough. To make the varsity as a freshman you had to display skill beyond your age. There was always a freshman team, a reserve team and a varsity team. It was like that in most towns across the state.

However, as jobs faded so did the population and with it went many of the town children. Those that were left no longer felt the allegiance to the community schools and many left for out of town schools. So began the decline in enrollment and the battle to keep Paden City open. The once big events held at the athletic field (like the Labor Day celebration) also took a hit as the PC Athletic Association lost membership and funding, and the once large celebration became more of a small street fair that didn’t have the draw to bring outsiders in. The annual parade continued and is still the highlight to this day, however the large crowds of years past have disappeared.

Community schools have come and gone and a new age of education is now here. School consolidation brings with it several positives. One is the ability to have enough kids to play on the sports teams and another is the offering of alternate sports that the small schools couldn’t offer. Yet another bonus is new and improved sports facilities. My hope is for today’s youth to enjoy their school days, to have new opportunities, to make friends, to participate in extracurricular activities and most importantly to get a good high school education that will prepare them for their future.

Twenty five years ago I was watching a high school all-star basketball game on TV. One of the players was LeBron James, an 18 year old Akron, Ohio high schooler who was considered the best high school player in the country and possibly the best overall athlete in America. In that game he led his team to victory by scoring 32 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, blocking four shots and getting nine steals. He went on to go straight to the pro’s as the number one pick in the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has since been with the LA Lakers for a number of years, and recently signed a deal with the team for $52.6 million to become the only player ever to play 23rd season in the NBA.. The NBA legend has given back millions of dollars to his former community and has paid for 100’s of kids to attend college.

As I thought about that, it made me think about how long I have been watching sports. It started as a very young age living in Cleveland and watching the Indians, also walking with my older brother to the lakefront industrial league softball games, and then to Paden City where I grew up as a Wildcat fan. I remember watching pro basketball, baseball and boxing on TV, plus boxing. I have seen the great teams of the Pirates when they had players like Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente. I watched basketball players like Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Lew Alcinder, Oscar Robertson, John Havelchik, Larry Bird and all the other greats. I watched as many Muhamid Ali fights as I could. But most of all I still liked the great high school rivalries between Paden City and Sistersville.

The Wildcats had some great teams and so did the Tigers. Some of the great running backs of those days included Larry Sine, Alan Pryor, Mike Nelson and Dennis “Dink” Blatt, to name a few. There were many more. Sistersville had many great backs, however one that I remember is still around here today. Paden City won the Class A title in 1970, but maybe the best back came from Sistersville. They called him “speedy.” If you see him in action today you’ll know why! Randy Rutherford could flat out move. He was known in those days for his ability to avoid defenders and break into the open where he was off to the races. He went on to a stellar collegiate career at Fairmont State College where he is now enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Legend has it that he gained much of his speed running from the Paden City kids who invaded the downtown area on weekends. That is something he denies as he says it’s vice versa.

With all fun aside though it’s fun to look back on those early days of our high schools, as we now look forward to watching today’s youth.

One other note as we’re talking greatness, this past week Pittsburgh lost another great one as Hall of Famer Dave Parker passed at the age of 74. Parker will be inducted into the HOF next month. Known to many as the “Cobra” he played 11 seasons with the Pirates and was the NL MVP in 1978, and won a World Series with the team in 1979. Parker won NL batting titles in 1977 and 78. He grew up in Cincinnati where he was a three sport star at Courter Tech High School. Rest in Peace Dave Parker!