(Photos courtesy of Dave Kerschbaumer)

The Bulldogs went 29-2 that season and beat Darby Township, 72-66, to win the PIAA Class 1A title on March 22, 1980, at the old Hershey Park Arena in Hershey, Pa.

The team featured the twin younger brothers of Jim Kelly, Dan and Kevin, Mike Vasbinder, Bill Olcus and Dave Kershbaumer, who went on to earn PIAA state gold as an assistant coach with the Karns City girls’ basketball team in 2000, in the starting lineup and a “great” sixth man in Dean Fair and were under the direction of John Jamison.

“I just remember the love we have for each other,” Kershbaumer told D9Sports.com at the 2019 PIAA championships. “When you play basketball, five guys playing together, it was just a big thing for us. I really never played for myself. I was always playing for my buddies. You never wanted to let those guys down.

“We are still in touch with each other today. Danny’s kids played college football and we go to see them. Kevin’s kids played college football. It’s just nice to keep tabs on them. It was just the family atmosphere that we have.”

Olcus, who was watching some championship basketball with Kerschbaumer, said the Kelly twins led the team, which played what he described as “good old Clarion County basketball”.

“How do you get from Point A to Point B?” Olcus said when asked to describe what Clarion County basketball was. “You go straight through it. That’s how we did it. The Kelly twins were our leaders. They were not afraid to lead us right down the middle of the road.”