THE 1968-69 Bridgeport Bulldogs basketball team is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its state runnerup finish. Pictured is the team photo was that was contained in the state tournament program. In front are coaches Rich Saffield and Frank Baxter. Standing, from left, are Kingsley Williams, Dave Mroczkowski, Lou Burk, Allen Glitch, Mark Thompson, Carl Price, Jerry Moore, Greg Chesonis, Paul Da’Re, Jim Tomolonis, Duke Stewart and Dan Rinkes.

BRIDGEPORT — The year was 1969.

Richard Nixon had just been sworn in as the 37th President of the United States, a new car cost $2000, a postage stamp was 6 cents, Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy” had moved to the top of the Billboard Music Chart and the New York Jets had just won Super Bowl III.

As it pertained to the Ohio Valley, all eyes were firmly planted on Bridgeport High School and the Bulldogs’ boys basketball team.

After all, Coach Frank Baxter’s team was about to take the school to heights it had only dreamed of before.

This past Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Bulldogs — comprised of 12 juniors and seniors — playing Arcanum for the Class AA State Championship inside St. John Arena in Columbus.

Like many small-school teams, the Bulldogs had been building for this type of season. With basically an all-junior lineup, the Bulldogs were solid during the 1967-68 season, but with the likes of Mark Thompson, Paul Da’re, Allen Glitch, Jim Tomolonis, Lou Burk and Carl Price all returning the expectations were sky high.

“We did pretty well the preceding year,” Thompson, who now lives in Boise, Id., recalled. “We didn’t have a great season in terms of wins and losses, but we played well. We had a sense we could be a decent team, but I am still not sure anyone was really thinking regional or state tournament. It was more like a decent season with wins and losses and maybe win the sectional.”

Along with the aforementioned seniors on the team, the junior class included Dan Rinkes, Dave Mroczkowski, Duke Stewart, Jerry Moore, Greg Chesonis and Kingsley Williams (since deceased.)

Glitch, who shined at a shooting guard with unlimited range, thought the returning pieces coupled with watching Bridgeport advance to the regional just a few years prior were big factors in setting up the mindset that a special season could be on the horizon.

“We saw what that ’66 team and we knew we had some potential,” Glitch said.

With Baxter and assistant coach Rich Saffield, both of whom are now deceased, calling the shots, the Bulldogs went to work.

Living up to their pre-season hype, the Bulldogs reeled off victory after victory. Not only did they win, they won by large margins. Bridgeport won its first 10 games of the season by an average of 30.1 points a game by scoring 97 points a game despite there being no 3-point shot.

With each decisive victory came growing confidence. However, a trip to Sugarcreek to take on always powerful Garaway loomed to begin the second half of the season.

Not only did the Bulldogs fall that night to the Pirates, but they got a feeling of what they had made other teams prior feel like as they sustained an 86-57 setback.

“We played probably our worst game ever at Garaway that night,” Glitch remembered.

Thompson, who has only been back to the Ohio Valley once since he graduated and left for college, concurred.

“We went up there to Garaway and they just killed us,” Thompson said. “It really kind of put us in touch with our own mortality. I honestly didn’t know how we’d respond and whether or not that game would affect us in a negative way.”

It actually did just the opposite of what Thompson was worried about. It totally refocused the Bulldogs, who closed the regular season with seven straight wins, including a 123-36 victory over Powhatan in the season finale.

“Things really came together for us,” Thompson said. “Once we started winning so many games, our collective confidence just seemed to really develop. We ended up being ranked in the state poll and people started to think we could make a run.”

There was one problem lurking, however. If the Bulldogs were going to make a run, they’d have to find a way to solve the aforementioned Garaway Pirates, who were lurking in the district.

After blow-out wins over Springfield, Hopedale and Brilliant in the sectional, the Bulldogs took down Highland, 74-57, in the district semifinal to set up ‘the rematch’ with Garaway at Steubeville’s St. John Arena.

“No matter where we (played), we were packing the gym every night,” Glitch said. “But, when we played Garaway in the district final, it was probably the biggest crowd ever at St. John Arena. It was jam packed. I remember getting off the bus and there were people everywhere already lined up.”

In what was a back-and-forth affair, the Bulldogs were able to avenge their only setback and punch a regional ticket to Canton with a 73-72 victory.

“To be heading to a regional was almost unheard of,” Thompson said. “It was just surreal. Simply like a fairytale season.”

But, the fairytale wasn’t done yet. Bridgeport won a pair of five-point games over Avon and Petersburg Springfield to claim the regional championship and advance to Columbus.

“Teams from Bridgeport and the Ohio Valley didn’t make it to Columbus back then,” Thompson said.

Bridgeport, with the entire Ohio Valley in its corner, made the trip to Columbus and took down Fort Recovery, 87-86 to earn the right to play for the state title. Glitch and Thompson both had 11 points in the semifinal and Burk added 10. It was Da’Re, who was another impressive shooter from the perimeter, that led the way with 22.

Unfortunately, the fairytale turned into what Thompson called “a nightmare” against Arcanum in the state championship game the next day.

“We didn’t handle the moment too well,” Glitch said.

On top of Arcanum being a very good team, both Thompson and Glitch admitted that they didn’t come down from the high of winning the semifinal in a quick enough manner.

“We can’t make any excuses because (Arcanum) was playing under the same conditions,” Thompson said. “Fort Recovery was big, good and it came down a nail biter at the end. We were simply spent both physically and emotionally.”

The Bulldogs returned to their team hotel, many of the players were experiencing those accomodations for the first time, and kind of rode the wave of emotion for longer than they should have that night.

“We didn’t get a lot of sleep that night and came back (on Saturday for the final) pretty flat,” Thompson said. “Arcanum was really good and we didn’t have the same spark that we had. They played well and had some schemes (defensively) that we hadn’t seen. We got behind and simply couldn’t recover.”

Arcanum definitely took control early with a 19-8 lead after one. Bridgeport simply could never recover.

“I had the worst game imaginable (against Arcanum),” Thompson lamented. “Their defense was so good and so sophisticated.”

The Bulldogs returned to Belmont County with the silver trophy after an 84-59 defeat. Thompson, who was an all-district player with nearly 500 points during that regular season, was held to five. Da’Re had 18 to lead Bridgeport, while Burk and Tomolonis went for 15 and 11, respectively.

“We had never faced an opponent like that,” Glitch said. “We got in foul trouble, couldn’t make a shot and they were just too physical. They were huge, strong and quick. They were the better team.”

Burk, Thompson, Glitch and Tomolonis were all named all-Eastern Ohio Class A after that season.