Koby Frye has three more games in the regular season in which to set the final mark for some future Rider to shoot for in career rushing. If the Riders add games to this season through qualifying for the state play-offs the career record is going to further shatter the old record set by Mike Hirschfeld. Passing the 4000 yard barrier is very possible.
Here’s a little housekeeping item. There are eleven 3000-Yard club members. Overlooked from 1999-2001 was Roughrider Nathan Homan, a hard charging runningback whose sophomore statistics were somehow not included all these years later. He stands on the current list at seventh place since Koby Frye now is first. At the beginning of the season he would have been sixth. There will be a story about Homan later in this series. Justin Nagel and Dana Etter are now tenth and eleventh on the list.
Currently now in ninth place of the 3000 yard club is a running back whose style was very much like Koby Frye’s. During 1986-1988, Scott Schlosser was turning up divots on the gridiron, breaking tackles, popping out of the grasp of defenders, and chalking up hugh gains as a Rider warrior ball carrier.
He ranked in second place behind Jeff Cisco in the single season rushing list at the end of his 1988 senior season with 1618 yards. Since then he has been pushed back to fourth place on that list.
When he played, though, he was the Riders’ big gun on the 1987 WBL Champion team and on the 1988 WBL runners-up.
The line that blocked for him, along with his supporting backfield mates QB Derek Turner and RB Tony Neiter, were, as usual, an accomplished group of football players.
Starting at center was the Western Buckeye League Offensive Lineman of 1987, Travis Kuenning. Alongside him were some guards, All-WBL 1st team - Butch Suchland, All-WBL 2nd team - Bob Miller, and messenger guard Doug Burke. These of course were some more of legendary guards and centers of coach Dennis Long.
Two tackles coached by Roger Duncan and both also All-WBL 1st team selections were Mark Huber and Travis Cross.
Together, the offensive line for 1987 was one of the finest and most accomplished lines ever to walk onto a Roughrider football field.
The 1987 WBL slate of teams ended in a three-way tie between St. Marys, Bath, and Kenton for the title. Two more teams finished just one game back from these top teams making for one of the toughest years among the league competitors.
Over the years Roughrider runningbacks of different speeds, body builds, and character have come and gone. Scott Schlosser was fast and powerful. His and Kobe Frye’s style of play was very much alike. They also share similar body builds, powerful lower backs, and thick, strong upper legs. When hit by a defender, rather than go down, both bounce off sideways, and keep running.
Later in this series when reviewing Jeff Cisco, this description also fits him.
Schlosser seemed to enter more piles of players only to “pop” out the other side and keep gaining ground. In his Longest runs from scrimmage stats, he has three of the longest gains on one play, and holds the all-time longest play of 98 yards (vs O-G '87) just one yard longer than Rocky Clark’s 97 yards (vs Van Wert '78).
After the 1986 season which saw a lot of Rider passing records set, the emergence of Schlosser’s explosive running brought 10 defensive players up to the line of scrimmage as WBL opponents geared up to stop him. The Roughrider line met the challenge, and Schlosser could be counted on to break a tackle attempt on about every other play. In 1988 against Celina, Schlosser put together a 314 yard performance for the top rushing in a game record.
The 1987 WBL Championship was succeeded by 1988’s 2nd place finish, and then five-in-a row WBL Championships from 1989 to 1993. Had the 1988 team caught maybe one more break and won the WBL, it would have meant seven-in-a-row. Six out of seven was pretty impressive. Even more impressive were the three Ohio Division II Championships in ‘90,’92, and ‘93. But that’s another story.
One cannot but feel that the genesis of those glory years had its foundation built in the last three years of the 1980’s.
Scott Schlosser led the Rider rushing attack in 1986, '87 and '88 with 3,162 yards.
