SIDNEY — Sidney High School is enjoying one of its best athletic years in recent decades, and the reasons to celebrate grew earlier this month.
The race for the first Piqua vs. Sidney all-sports trophy is over. Sidney clinched the trophy earlier this month when its boys and girls bowling teams completed a season sweep of the rival Indians.
The bowling teams’ victories on Feb. 6 were just one of many the school has had against Piqua this winter. Outside of two victories by Piqua’s girls basketball team over Sidney, the Yellow Jackets beat Piqua in wrestling and coed swimming meets and also in two coed bowling matches and boys basketball games.
“For us to win it already in winter, totally unexpected,” Sidney athletic director Mitch Hoying said. “But then again, athletically, we’re kind of at a high-water mark. We’re competing very successfully in many sports. That has a tremendous amount to do with the quality of coaching we have and the quality of kids that are in the building right now.
“We don’t fight eligibility issues, we have very few discipline problems. Rarely do we have anybody miss time for anything other than an injury. So when you put together some good kids, good families, good health and good behavior, we can win some ball games. We’re ecstatic to be where we’re at in the Sidney-Piqua rivalry.”
It’s the first year the two schools have competed for an all-sports trophy. The winner is determined by a points system. In sports where the schools play each other twice, half a point is awarded for each game, while one point is awarded for sports where the schools play each other once.
The schools compete in 22 sports, meaning the first to 11.5 points clinches the trophy. Sidney’s bowling wins on Feb. 6 pushed the Yellow Jackets lead from 10.5-5 to 11.5-5. Sidney led Piqua 5-4 heading into winter sports season.
“All the coin flip situations where we’re really close competitively have gone our way, which has led to a score that’s a touch lopsided,” Hoying said. “But again, a lot’s gone our way to get us where we’re at.”
Piqua athletic director Chip Hare had the idea for the trophy competition. An all-sports trophy is awarded each season among Greater Western Ohio Conference American North teams, but Troy and Vandalia-Butler have historically dominated that race.
“We’re appreciative of Chip Hare for getting the idea off the ground,” Hoying said. “The concept of an all-sports trophy between two schools was his idea, and since then Indian Lake and Ben Logan are looking at doing it and Butler and Northmont already have. It’s a really neat concept that other people are grabbing a hold of and running.”
All of Sidney’s fall sports teams finished above .500, and the success has largely carried over to winter.
Both bowling squads finished in the top half of the GWOC North, and the boys squad finished 16-2 overall. Both swimming squads competed well, and several Sidney boys swimmers placed well enough in a sectional meet last Saturday to qualify for districts.
The boys basketball team improved to 15-6 with a win over Butler last Tuesday and can secure a share of the GWOC North title with a win over Greenville on Friday.
Hoying said the athletic department’s goal is to keep the school’s programs in positions for more success like this season.
“Historically, we’ve had some peaks and valleys,” Hoying said. “We’re trying to make the peaks higher and decrease the valleys that we go through. My personal opinion right now is that we’re in a really great run as a community.
“We need to enjoy the ride, celebrate what the kids and coaches are accomplishing and just take a moment and enjoy athletics. The kids are getting their results in terms of life lessons learned and positive experiences. Getting a chance to win the Sidney-Piqua rivalry in its inaugural year, that’s just another one.”
