Remembering the last MVL football state champion – the 1977 Crooksville Ceramics

CROOKSVILLE, Ohio – This Saturday the Tri-Valley football team will try to do something that no MVL team has accomplished in the last 40 years – win a state title.

The last time it happened was 1977. The Crooksville Ceramics took home the state crown that year. Now all the MVL is waiting to see if the Scotties can join the ’77 Ceramics as the league’s only two teams to win a title in the playoff era.

Lead by a great defense that only gave up six points per game he Ceramics went 8-2 in the regular season. Their record was good enough to qualify them for the playoffs for the first time in school history.

The team was quarterbacked by senior Greg Rosser, who said that the ’77 Ceramics were a very tight-knit group.

“We were all very close. We loved to play football. From the time were knee high, it’s what we did,” said Rosser.

At the time only one team from each region made the playoffs. The Ceramic drew an undefeated West Jeff team in state semi-final and beat them 9-6. That set up a state title matchup at the Rubber Bowl in Akron against Ashtabula St. John.

Rosser said the game its self was dominated by defenses and mother nature.

Temperatures were below freezing and several inches of snow had fallen on the Rubber Bowl field. The winter conditions made for a low scoring game. St. John was held to just 121 yards of total offense. Crooksville had a mere 109.

The Heralds got on the scoreboard in the first quarter on a 70 yard punt return for a touchdown. After the PAT St. John took a 7-0 lead. Crooksville’s defense struck early in the second quarter. St. John tried a toss play that was fumbled. Rick Buckley picked up the ball and rumbled 16 yards for a touchdown. An extra point would tie the game, but Crooksville head coach Craig Spring new scoring would be a premium considering the weather.

So he called on his senior quarterback to make a play.

“We ended up going for two. We didn’t make it the first time but they had a penalty so we got another shot at it. Actually the play was supposed to go to the tightend Kevin Bowen in the corner of the endzone. But Brian Wolfe had snuck out into the flat and he was open and that’s how we scored,” said Rosser.

The successful two-point conversion gave Crooksville a 8-7. Both teams struggled to move the ball on the snow-covered field in the second half and the Ceramics hung on to win by one point and take the Class A state title.

To this day Rosser says people still talk to him about the 1977 Crooksville football team.

“This town will always be proud of it. It wasn’t just the team that won. It was the whole town that won,” said Rosser.

So come Saturday who will Rosser be cheering for? Does he want there to be another MVL team to win a state title, or would he rather see his Ceramics team stand alone in that category?

“I’ll be pulling for the Scotties,” said Rosser.