Most of you know I’m a big supporter of Greenville High School athletics. I was recently dismayed by several encounters around town and elsewhere here in Darke County. While standing in line at a local pharmacy I was approached by an individual who wanted to know what was going on with Greenville athletics, particularly the football and boys basketball programs.
In the course of conversation others joined in and also expressed their opinions about sports and other programs at both the middle and high school levels. Needless to say, these were all concerned citizens, fans, parents, and grandparents who have all been longtime supporters of the schools, many of whom are GHS graduates and have the best interests of the school and community at heart.
Whenever I attend ballgames around the area, am at the grocery, at church, or just around town in general I am again constantly asked what is the matter with Greenville sports. Let’s take a look at the different sports programs at GHS since the resurrection of the Miami Valley League six years ago to give us statistical information upon which to base a response as I’m sure many of you are asked the same question.
Volleyball has seen steady improvement over the six years, compiling a 67-41 league mark and 78-61 overall against solid competition.
Boys’ golf has gone 30-23 in league play, 49-34 in total, and had a second-place finish in ‘23.
Girls golf has an outstanding 31-9 record, including a league title in ‘21 and a share of league honors in both ‘19 and ‘22. Overall, the team has a 55-22 mark.
Boys and girls cross country teams have both been solid, consistently in the hunt, with the girls having finished fourth or higher in the MVL each of the last five years.
Girls tennis has a 34-29 record in MVL action and is consistently in the top half of the league.
Switching to some winter sports the wrestling program has regained some of the luster of what has traditionally been one of Greenville athletics’ strong suits. Steady improvement and an increase in numbers of grapplers led to a second-place finish at this year’s league meet and a strong showing at the D-II sectional with another second-place finish and nine members advancing to this week’s district meet at Wilmington High School.
Both the boys and girls swim teams have improved over the past few years but the lack of numbers has hampered both although the boys compiled a fourth-place finish in this year’s league meet.
The boys and girls bowling teams have greatly improved the last two years with the boys finishing second in the Miami Division of the league this year. The boys are 20-16 in league play and 22-20 overall while the girls have recorded a 17-19 league mark, 17-24 in total.
Going into this spring’s competition the boys and girls track teams have consistently been in the top half of MVL standings, sending individuals to the regional and state meets.
Boys tennis is a program that has been historically strong. The netters have a 25-10 league record, going 54-21 overall the past four years and sending players to the district level.
A young baseball program has struggled somewhat with many underclassmen having to take over starting roles. The team has a 25-47 record the past four years in MVL play, 38-63 overall.
Now for the pride of GHS athletics, the softball team. The girls program has been the envy of West Central Ohio in D-II competition and you all know the background of the Lady Wave. Just a small sampling of the past four years shows a 69-3 league mark, 113-18 overall, and a trip to the Final Four, one of many over the years. Every little girl who takes to the diamond wants to be a Lady Wave!!
That brings us to the sports that are frequently asked about and of interest to many of the fan base. Let’s start with girls soccer—over the past six years, the girls have gone 6-48 in the MVL and 11-87 with 4 ties overall.
Boys soccer, like the girls, has seen several coaches take the helm since rejoining the MVL. The Green and White are 6-47 with a tie in league play, 9-80-1 overall, and have an ongoing string of 44 straight losses.
Girls basketball has been competitive for the most part but the Lady Wave haven’t quite gotten the consistency desired in going 35-73 in league action, 48-91 overall the past six years.
Boys basketball has truly struggled since the strong teams of ‘15 (the GWOC North champions), ‘16, and ‘17. Over the past eight years the Wave has compiled an overall record of 19-164 under the guidance of three different coaching staffs.
Finally, the Wave football squad has also struggled. The last six years (including a 7-3 mark in ‘19) have seen a record of 10-43 in the MVL, 12-48 overall, and a current string of 22 straight losses.
Greenville has the athletes, the coaching staffs have the best interest of the young athletes at heart, the fan support is always there—but in certain sports, particularly a few of the “high profile” ones, something has been missing the past few years. A lot of reasons can be discussed, some valid, some not—decreased enrollment (down from the highs of the ‘70s with over 300 graduates per class to today’s fewer than 200); tough competition; a lack of dedication to improvement; etc.
This article is not meant to be critical but rather to provide background information when approached by people wanting to know “what’s wrong with Greenville sports?”. Those of us who bleed Green and White want the best for the student-athletes and the Greenville community as a whole!
