At this time a little over five years ago

The 2008-09 Cavaliers were awesome. The 2008-09 Lehman boys basketball team was awesome. Zac Schmitz, Nathan Horstmen, Brian Adams, Max Cartwright and Dan Westerheide, who attended Holy Angels in Jr. High, went undefeated during the Holy Angels days and Corbin Peltier were seniors. Bruce Vanover was in his 2nd year as head coach and this team was poised to make it to regionals. I remember being at the Anna regional semi final in 2008 and saw Schmitz and Adam Freytag, who was a sophomore at that time at the game and told them, “You guys are going to be good enough to be playing at this time next year”. The season got off to an awesome start, they went undefeated through their first 9 games, before playing Jackson Center, who beat them by 6. They won the Piqua Holiday tournament thanks to the heroics of Dan Westerheide. Lehman finished the regular season at 18-2, losing to Jackson Center and Ft. Loramie. Went undefeated at the Schlater Gymnasium for the first time in the gyms then 12 year history. They squared off against Triad in their first tournament game and won by 7 in a game that was closer then anyone thought. Then raced past Tournament tough Botkins and held off Mechanisburg in the sectional final. Late in that game, Zac Schmitz sprained his ankle. Injuries are always apart of sports, Keith Bogans (2003 Kentucky vs Wisconsin), Carson Palmer (2005 Bengals vs Steelers), Kenyon Martin ( 2000 Cincinnati vs Memphis). If Bogans and Palmer do not get hurt in their respective games, Kentucky wins the 2003 National Championship and the Bengals make it to Super Bowl XL. Lehman squared off against Cincinnati summit Country Day. The Cavaliers lost 53-50, ending their season at 21-3. For a basketball program that had only won 3 tournament games from 1989-2004, to making it to the District Finals in 2005, 2007 and 2009 is an awesome accomplishment. Lehman has had some pretty decent basketball teams during the 1989-2004 time frame, but could not get over the hump: 1995 (14-7), 1999 (10-11), 2003 (10-11), 2006 (11-10) all were one and dones. In 1995, Lehman lost to eventual Regional runner up Russia and in 2006 lost to eventual regional runner up Houston in the first tournament game.