×

Merger a key point in city sports history

There were years of built-up animosity, trash talk, skirmishes and a deeply rooted city-wide division.

One side of town didn’t care for the other, and vice versa. Two schools within the same city limits — about 3 miles apart — created a heated rivalry that led to epic sporting events. The setting was slightly volatile, but there seemed to be a respect in the middle of it all.

And then, everyone was just supposed to forget about all the contention. Just like that.

That was the situation in Warren back in 1990 as two schools, Warren Western Reserve and Warren G. Harding, prepared to merge into one.

Most of the the tension circulated through neighborhoods and between past graduates of opposing schools, but it seemed impossible to breach such hostility — especially when it came to the violent sport of football.

Hated rivals joined together? How could that ever work?

Fortunately, that wasn’t how the players saw it.

“We were young,” said LeShun Daniels Sr., a star offensive lineman who was one of numerous players to go from Reserve to Harding. “That (animosity) was more of maybe parents or choosing this school over that school or a certain area.

“We played little league against each other and basketball,” he added about the merger, “so over the years, we did get to know each other pretty well. We wanted to have those bragging rights for that year, whether it was playing football or basketball. It was an exciting time because we knew we could be pretty good.”

The joy of winning and a surprising camaraderie overwhelmed any pent-up aggression.

In other words, the newly formed “Raiders” took their disdain out on their opponents, not each other. A team with more talent than hatred decided it was going to form a bond, not a mutiny.

“Basically we all grew up together, so it was more about getting acclimated,” said Daniels, one of two offensive linemen on that state championship team who later played professionally — the other was Korey Stringer. “That initial season, the competition was going to be a little stiffer. Really, (we were) just giving our best and trying to come together. That was basically our main goal was to win football games. It made us put our little differences aside and actually just go out there and work.”

Daniels Sr., the father of Chicago Bears offensive lineman James Daniels and free agent running back LeShun Daniels Jr., is one of countless graduates from either Reserve or Harding being honored this weekend.

The Warren Gridiron’s Football Legends of Warren Reunion and Celebrity Golf Outing concludes today. Registration for the golf outing is at 9 a.m., with tee times starting at 11 a.m.

Legends such as NFL Hall of Famer Paul Warfield will be on hand, and Daniels Sr., and some of his old teammates may have to reminisce about that memorable season back in 1990.

Daniels and Stringer, who both later played at Ohio State and with the Minnesota Vikings, were just two of several standouts on that milestone team. There were players like wide receivers Omar Provitt, Kendal Richardson and Tom Powell, running backs Anthony Butler and Myron Elzy, quarterbacks Chris Ensign and Chauncey Coleman, among others.

Daniels said seeing such size and skill every day kind of made him to numb to the level of talent Harding possessed.

“We didn’t realize it then,” he said. “I think you realized it at the next level. A couple of those guys, they could have easily started on the Ohio State team that I played on. They were just amazing athletes.”

The stars came from all over the city, too, and each had the same vision of winning, Daniels said.

He and Stringer, juniors at the time, did their best to simply lead by example and let the seniors take charge. Daniels said the captains held a few early-season meetings to make sure tempers didn’t flare. Sure, there were scraps from time to time, but the problems were short-lived.

“Warren’s a small community,” Daniels said. “We were probably either related or had family connected somehow. So, it was really in all of our best interests (to get along), and we were able to realize it pretty quickly. Of course you had some skirmishes on the field, but I don’t think anything amounted to any animosity. We just really wanted to work together.”

Daniels still vividly remembers moments from that season.

The Raiders rallied to beat Howland in the final minutes of their regular season finale. They beat Boardman, 23-7, in the first round of the playoffs before rolling past Fitch, 31-6. That set up a classic semifinal matchup in which Harding beat previously unbeaten Sandusky, 27-14, storming back with a wild second half.

They eventually beat Cincinnati Princeton, 28-21, in the title game. It was a perfect end to a perfect 14-0 season.

“I remember talking to (NFL Hall of Famer or former Ohio State lineman) Orlando Pace, who we played with at Ohio State,” Daniels said, “and he was like, ‘Man, just watching you guys play Sandusky, those are the guys I want to be like.’ I believe he said something about Korey in his Hall of Fame speech.

“That team, those were just Warren guys playing the best ball they could.”

A team no one thought could coexist showed the strength of a city can come from its youngest citizens. The city honors them once again today.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today