all photos courtesy 1985 Mendon-Union Yearbook
(1-1-19) – On February 1, 1985, Delphos St. John’s Hall of Fame boys basketball coach Bob Arnzen and his Class A 3rd state-ranked Blue Jays (14-1) traveled to Mendon to play in the ‘Hoosier-like gym. Coach Mike Schumm’s (3-8) Mendon-Union Pirates would hope to play a respectable game after losing the last two times they had played St. John’s 100-23 and 94-21. That goal would be accomplished.
This night would be a night to remember for the Mendon-Union faithful, the Pirates never trailed in the game and there were no ties.
Senior Joel O’Neill led Mendon with 24 points and ten rebounds, with help from teammates Rick Ziegenbusch and Chris Welker who both added 14 points. Mendon would out-rebound the Blue Jays 40-32 and would lead late in the game by as many as 12 points.
But the Pirates had some late game issues with senior Brett Derossett and junior Jeff Godwin who each had four fouls and Chris Welker had three. That would bring in a future Pirate star freshman Eric Goodwin into the game.
In the end the Pirates would hang on to win 70-62, in a game that many declared as the game of the century in Mercer County.
The Pirates would go 7-13 overall in 1985, 3-6 in the Midwest Athletic Conference and 2-4 in the short-lived Frontier Athletic Conference (Blackhawk Christian, Temple Christian and Ohio City).
How good was Delphos St. John’s in 1985?
They would end the season 21-4, losing in the Regional semifinal to Mansfield St. Peter’s 72-60. There other two losses on the season were to Marion Local and St. Henry.
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