Mount Notre Dame High School, and coach Dr. Scott Rogers in particular, have been blessed with great talent and multiple state championships in girls' basketball, but perhaps the finest team he ever coached was the first one – the 2003-04 undefeated Ohio Division I state champions.

Led by Ohio’s Ms. Basketball and LaRosa’s Hall of Famer, Mel Thomas, the Cougars returned all five starters from the previous year’s team who suffered a heart-breaking loss to the eventual state champion in the regional finals.

The fervor of the 2003-04 season was cast by that loss. Including Thomas, the top six players returned from the previous season – guard Robyn Shipley, Michelle Jones, Cassie Brannen, Angela Estes and Ali Rohlfs.

“Our mindset was, ‘This is our last chance. We’re going to win.’,” recalled Thomas. “I remember, even in conditioning before the season, it was always in our minds. It was the ultimate goal. We were going to win. There were no times we felt more confident than other times.”

After cruising through most of the season, the Cougars first big test came in the regional championship game again. This time versus Pickerington North, Mount Notre Dame trailed by four points in the final 3:15 before Thomas scored six points in MND’s 12-3 closing run.

“North was unbelievable,” Rogers said. “We managed to pull the game out late. The confidence level of the kids was at an exponential level from that point on.”

Three of the four teams in the Final Four were undefeated with Dayton Chaminade-Julienne favored as the No. 1-ranked team in United States and Ohio.

MND had a tough battle in the semifinals against Slyvania Northview. After a 14-1 run put Northview on top 45-44 with 3:57 left in the game, Thomas sank a field goal to put the Cougars back on top and then made six free throws in the final 32.9 seconds to hold off the Wildcats.

The championship finals was supposed to belong to Chaminade. MND has other thoughts. The Cougars led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter. Thomas scored 21 points to lead Mount Notre Dame on her way to being named the state tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Lee Stephens added 20 points to also earn a spot on the all-tournament team. MND was subsequently named No. 1 in the country.

The victory was considered an upset, but not by Dr. Rogers and especially by his team.

“People said we were underdogs, but not in our minds,” Thomas said. “I don’t think any of us paid attention to the rankings.”

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Unquestionably the finest football team in Purcell-Marian history (that’s after the merger), the P-M Cavaliers overpowered just about every team it played that season. It was a remarkable accomplishment given that the team was unranked and totally off everyone’s radar and it wound up the city’s No. 1 team, the Ohio Division II state champion, the only undefeated team in Ohio and was regarded No. 4 in the country in USA TODAY’s final poll.

With no home football stadium, no league affiliation (as it was no longer in the Greater Cincinnati League,) a practice field that was essentially dirt and a coaching staff of four, coach Herb Woeste molded this team into a force that was totally fearsome.

Led by quarterback John Paul Case, tight end Jay Koch and an overwhelming defense led by nose guard Cliff Pope, Koch at linebacker and strong safety Scott Barnett, the Cavaliers played primarily Division I schedule. It included the eventual Division I state champion Fairfield, along with Moeller, Roger Bacon, Wyoming, Oak Hills, and neighborhood rival Norwood.

The Cavs finished 14-0, setting five school records along the way -- 443 points scored, 32 points per game average, 84 points allowed on defense, six points allowed average per game and five shutouts.

Purcell-Marian’s toughest games of the year came against two of the state’s best clubs in Fairfield and Moeller.

At a sold-out Fairfield Homecoming game, the Cavaliers sent a 10-10 tie at the end of regulations in to two overtimes. Both teams traded TDs in the first OT, then in the second OT Purcell started their series with a seven-yard loss, followed by a six-yard gain. On third down, 235-pound fullback George Riley rumbled 21 yards for a game-winning touchdown – 23-17.

Two weeks later, Purcell hosted No. 2-ranked Moeller at Norwood Stadium. The only coach in Cincinnati to pick the Cavaliers was Fairfield’s Ben Hubbard. Again, the Purcell defense pushed the game into overtime at 7-7. After holding Moeller to a field goal, Purcell responded with an 11-yard pass from Case to Koch. On the next play, Case dashed the final nine yards on a quarterback draw to cinch the game, 17-10.

Purcell proceeded to win the regional championship over Lemon-Monroe, 37-14, then followed with a 33-10 victory over Wooster in the state semifinals.

The state title game was against unbeaten Willoughby South (13-0), before more than 30,000 fans at Ohio Stadium. Though South had defeated state powers Cleveland Benedictine and North Canton Hoover earlier in the season, the Cavaliers totally overwhelmed the Rebels, 26-7.

Case had one of his best games of the season, hitting 13-of-20 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He kicked a 42-yard field goal which set the state record for longest FG made in a championship game. Pope led a defensive line of Vince Lomboy and Greg Reed as he had 10 tackles (8 solo) and two sacks; Reed had nine tackles and Lomboy had two tackles and a sack.

“We couldn’t go to the pass pocket,” Willoughby South Coach Dan Hoffman said. “Their pass rush was just too strong.”

Jay Koch – one of three captains along with Tony Adkins and John Chambers – and was named Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post Player of the Year, first-team all-state and Defensive Lineman of the Year. Scott Barnett was a first-team all-state safety as well as first-team all-city by both the Enquirer and Post. Woeste was named the Cincinnati Class AAA Coach of the Year. An amazing 20 of the 22 Purcell starters received either first team or honorable mention all-city honors.

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