It is just a week before Southmont and North Montgomery open their respective seasons which will be the 54th for both schools.
For Southmont, its best years were in the early days. Of course, the highlights are the two undefeated seasons — 1971 and 1981.
The 1971 team went 10-0 in the first year the school opened its doors and outscored the opposition 402-12. Coach Ken Coudret’s team ended the season with the memorable 80-0 whitewashing over undefeated Turkey Run in the showdown for the Wabash River Conference title. It ended the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 20 back before there were different classes in football.
The 1981 team outscored its opponents 357-56 as Coach Steve Williamson led his team to another WRC title.
Of course, more recently Coach Desson Hannum’s teams in won three consecutive Sagamore Athletic Conference titles, becoming the first school to accomplish that feat by going 8-3, 8-3 and 7-3 in 2009, 2010 and 2011. And then there was last year which saw the school’s first sectional and regional title on its way to an 8-6 record.
The school has had 23 winning seasons, a pair .500 seasons and 28 losing seasons. The Mounties have a record of 259-284 for a winning percentage of .476.
Here is a breakdown by decades:
• 1971-79 – 71-19 (78.8 %)
• 1980-89 – 51-47 (52.0 %)
• 1990-99 – 34-65 (34.3 %)
• 2000-09 – 35-70 (33.3 %)
• 2010-19 – 45-61 (42.4 %)
• 2020-23 – 23-22 (51.1 %)
For the Chargers, its best years were the 11-year stretch from 1986 to 1996 when the team went 78-29 and of course that included the back-to-back 13-1 state championship seasons in 1995 and 1996 – the only state football championships for any Montgomery Country school. If began with a 9-1 season in 1986 and had the 9-2 season in 1994.
The Chargers also put together an impressive 13-year run from 2003 to 2015 when the school compiled a 71-37 record. That stretch saw three head coaches, starting with Jake Gilbert, then Charley German and finally Josh Thompson. It also saw the schools second best single season record of 12-1 in 2008.
The Chargers have had 28 winning seasons, six .500 seasons and 19 losing seasons. North Montgomery has at least a .500 winning percent in all six decades it has fielded a football team.
The school has compiled a 313-245 record in its first 53 years for a winning average of 56.0 percent. The Chargers have been very constant.
Here is a break by decades:
• 1971-79 – 47-43 (52.2%)
• 1980-89 – 53-44 (54.6%)
• 1990-99 – 74-41 (63.4%)
• 2000-09 – 63-48 (56.7%)
• 2010-19 – 56-49 (53.3%)
• 2020-23 - 20-20 (50.0%)
Barry Lewis has been involved in Montgomery County sports for nearly 50 years. He has a passion for keeping its rich history and tradition alive.
