The state champs get in

It's funny that over the course of time during my time of covering sports in Columbia and attending the school on the hill, the number of great teams and athletes I've seen. Yet since the early part of the 1970s through last spring, the number of teams, which could have and probably should have won the gold are many. But if there is one team that came out of no where, it was the 1987 boys' basketball team.

The year before, the Columbia girls' basketball team made it all the way to the state finals before falling to Linesville. There was plenty of hype concerning the team's ability to get back to the big show, but they fell short.
Meanwhile, the Tide boys' team had some good talent such as Albert Ellis, Chris Phiel, Brian Smith, Bo Draper, Keary Smith, Andy Fahringer and a freshman named Mike Wisler.But they stumbled out of the gate, losing seven of their first 10 games.
The Tide hit a hot steak after losing back-to-back games in their own holiday tournament to York Suburban and Conestoga Valley. They won five straight before losing to Warwick and during that stretch, head coach Gary Sutton submitted his resignation to school Superintendent Dawson Detwiler before a game Cocalico.
The team after their loss to Warwick had a 9-8 record. And that was the start of good things for this group of players and coaches.
After losing to Warwick, 68-52, coach Sutton's squad won seven straight including a 101-55 pasting of Cocalico in the final game of the regular season. Heading into the District Three playoffs, the Tide had a pretty good 16-8 record.
The Tide opened districts with its second 101 point game, outscoring Upper Dauphin as Smith and Wisler combined for 61 points. Next up was Kutztown and the Tide survived, 46-45 qualifying for the state playoffs in the process.
Game three of districts was a match up with D-3 heavyweight Trinity and it wasn't a pleasant game as the Shamrocks won 69-57. That semi-final loss put the Tide into the consolation game against Reading Holy Name, which was another Tide loss by a 68-58 score
The hope of that end of the season hot streak was now gone and the Tide, a fourth place finisher in District Three, was sent to Northeast, Pennsylvania to meet Riverside in the first round of the state playoffs.
It was a Saturday and I figured I'd make the trip. One, after a morning of watching cross river rival Eastern play at the Farm Show, I figured there wouldn't be a lot of Columbia people making the trip, outside of parents and a few loyalists. Plus, being a fourth place finisher, not much was expected. Well, someone forgot to tell the Tide, it was suppose to be one and done. Columbia won the game and survived for another day with a 61-56 win. Next up was Wyalusing, which the Tide crushed.
Columbia was now in the Eastern semi-finals, but on a Saturday afternoon at Reading's Geigle Complex with District One power Bristol. The Geigle was packed for the game and in my mind and many others, it probably was one of the best wins in the history of CHS basketball as the Tide won, 82-76. Foul shooting was the key as the Tide went 30 of 34 from the line.
And it started a long line of parades and a rematch with Trinity in the Eastern finals.
Again, many expected the season to end. But at the buzzer Draper rebounded a Smith air ball, putting the winning points in for a Tide 43-42 win. And the celebration was on at Mechanicsburg and back in Columbia.
The Tide was in the state finals and the final foe was Windber from District Five.
As the team left the day before, there were parades, pep rallies and a feeling of confidence that set in with the team and town. I can remember the night before the game sitting with Sutton on the floor/ice at the old Hersheypark Arena watching York Catholic win a state title and liking the feeling I had.
The next morning, I can remember, loading up and leaving with many others from Park School, making the trek to Hershey. That day it seemed like everyone in Columbia was in Hershey. If they weren't tailgating, they were already in the old barn.
It was a close one. I can remember sitting on press row, not wanting to talk to anyone, I wanted to enjoy the moment and as Phiel hit some foul shots in the final minute, I like many were celebrating the win and luckily I could get on the court to celebrate.
That celebration after the game stretched the whole way from Hershey through Elizabethtown, Marietta and Columbia.
It was a great experience and something I will always remember.
The state champs and their coaches will be inducted into the CHS Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night. The players -- Draper, who became the legend after that winning shot against Trinity; Phiel, who made the big foul shots; Wisler, Brian and Keary Smith, Ellis, Fahringer, along with John Sheetz, Matt Phillips and Mike Burke and coaches Sutton, Ken Haverstick and Jeff Morral will return.
Also to be inducted are Steve Ward, Hilary Hershey, Mike Keiper and Haverstick as a player.
A reception will be held at 5 p.m. in the high school cafeteria, followed by the induction at halftime of the football game with Daniel Boone.
Aw, the memories, even writing this, I got a little choked up, remembering that dream season.