FINALS NOTEBOOK: Pirates' seniors leave winning mark on program

FAIRBORN — When first-year boys basketball coach Andy Hoying was hired last spring, four Perkins seniors had a choice. Having played for Eric Kochendoerfer their first three years, Kellen Glass, Sam Schweinfurth, Kash Koch and Levi Groot bought in. The quartet were a big reason why the Pirates had the kind of season they had. "Our seniors were just phenomenal throughout the year," Hoying said. "You can't ask for a better group of four guys. They played their butts off all night long." It was a tough, heartbreaking loss to Glenville on Thursday at Wright State University, but they were trailblazers. Not only did the Pirates win the first-ever regional title in program history, they set a program record with 25 wins this season. "We've never been down here at state," Hoying said. "That's a lasting legacy these guys have brought. We can put that up on a banner in the gym." Things came tough all day for Perkins. In the third quarter, the Pirates trailed by as many as 18 points as hope faded. Perkins made a run at it, getting within nine points in the fourth quarter and awakening the crowd. The Tarblooders (19-9) were too much though on this day. "Glenville is a good team," Glass said. "We got it within nine. I thought we really had a chance, but then honestly, I don't think we gave our full effort. It's OK because with how much history we made this year, I'm proud of this team." The group checked out for good with 1:14 left. Most of the bench had to fight back tears as they tucked their heads into their jerseys. Some were upset. Some were sad. Some saw the reality of the last organized basketball game of their high school careers. There were hugs up and down the bench as reality sat in. "It stings, but this group of seniors — Kash, Kellen, Sam and Levi — just phenomenal young men," Hoying said. "I know they're going to do great things and continue to work hard at whatever they do after this." Heartbreak again For the third time in less than a year-and-a-half, Perkins reached the state level of a tournament. But for the third time, the Pirates are going home without the big gold trophy. Schweinfurth, Kaden Legando and Bryce Davie were among those on the football team when they were state runners-up in December 2024. Koch, Schweinfurth, Legando and Davie were on the baseball team that lost by a run in the state title game last June.The Pirates return all but one player to this year's baseball team. Perkins' first game is March 31 at Fremont Ross. "We bring back a lot of guys," Koch said. "It's going to be really exciting. Our goal is to win it all. That's really how it is in every sport, but I think we have a really good shot this year." Davie matches mom Bryce Davie duplicated what his mom, Danielle (Meyer), was able to do with the Margaretta girls basketball team. The Polar Bears also advanced to the state semifinals during the 1997-98 season, losing to Peebles. Thursday's contest between Perkins and Glenville played out similarly to Margaretta's loss on that day in 1998. The Polar Bears trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter before losing 52-49. Taking it a step further, the Perkins boys basketball team practiced Wednesday at Capital University, which is where Davie's mom and dad, Drew Davie, played collegiately. Drew was able to reach out to Damon Goodwin, the same Capital coach he played for in the late 90s, to set up practice time this week. Nutter Center issues The contest between Perkins and Glenville — the first of the boys tournament — had its issues early on. The countdown clock before the game was paused around 11:50 a.m. with an announcement being made that the arena was facing electrical issues. Tim Stried from the OHSAA relayed a message that a panel that controlled the fire alarms had blown and that the nearby Fairborn Fire Department was on its way, meaning it could be a delay of anywhere between 15 minutes and a hour. The delay to the start of the game ended up being around 20 minutes with the game tipping at 12:21 p.m. During the first quarter, the scoreboard above the playing court froze, not indicating the correct time and score. It was fixed before the second quarter began. Nutter Center bites back The 10,000-seat arena just outside of Dayton was once again the site of a tough loss for a Register area team. The Sandusky boys basketball team played its state semifinal at the Nutter Center last year, coming up short against Cincinnati Aiken. Last November, the Monroeville volleyball team finished state runner-up for the second time in four years, losing at Wright State to Tiffin Calvert. In 2022, the Eagles lost in the final at the Nutter Center to New Bremen. Just last week, the Margaretta girls basketball team lost in a Division VI state semifinal to Canton Central Catholic.