Chillicothe HS Names Its Athletic Hall of Fame Class
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The next Class of the Chillicothe High School Hall of Fame has been selected for induction on February 1, 2025. (photos submitted)
The inductees are:
Terry Richardson (1975) Track & Field, Boys Basketball. In the spring of 1975, Richardson placed 4th in the Long Jump at the Class AAA State Track & Field Meet. Now 50 years later, his Long Jump of 23-feet, 1-inch still stands as the record for Chillicothe High School. Richardson also qualified for the State Meet in the High Jump that same year. In addition, he was CHS MVP, 1st team All-District and All-Central Ohio League and Honorable Mention All-Ohio in Basketball.
Joe Deffenbaugh (1975) Football & Wrestling. Deffenbaugh excelled in two sports as a Cavalier. In 1974, he was CHS Team Captain in both Football and Wrestling. On the gridiron, he earned 1st Team All-District and 3rd Team All-Ohio honors and was selected Outstanding Sophomore in 1972 and Outstanding Defensive Lineman in 1974. As a Wrestler, Deffenbaugh was a Class AAA Heavyweight Sectional Champion and Central Ohio League Champion and landed the Pins Leader Trophy in 1975. He played Football at Capital University.
Ryan Brown (1993) Boys Basketball. As a Cavalier, Brown fell just shy of scoring 1,000 points while earning the 1992-93 Co-Player of the Year in the Ohio Capital Conference and Player of the Year in the Southeast District. He was also Special Mention All-Ohio. Brown attended Quincey University in Peoria, Illinois from 1993-97. Brown tallied 1,193 points in his career which included two NCAA Tournament appearances. Brown and his teammate were inducted into the Quincy Athletic Hall of Fame.
Oshlyn Brown (2017) Girls Basketball. Brown was a 4-year starter for the Cavaliers and became the only player in Ross County to surpass 1,000 Points and Rebounds in their career. In 2016, Brown was selected Honorable Mention All-Ohio and 1st Team All-Ohio in 2017. She was named DII District 14 Player of the Year and Southeast District Co-Player of the Year in 2017. Brown has played in 146 collegiate basketball games in her 5-year career between Ball State and Rutgers. She finished 4th in the nation in rebounding her senior year at Ball State and had more than 60 consecutive double-doubles. Following college, Brown has played professionally for the St. Louis Surge in addition to playing in Spain and currently in Greece.
Zach Ayres (2017) Swimming. A 4-year swimmer for the Cavaliers, Ayres was undefeated in the Boys 100 Meter Butterfly. He was a 9-time South Central Ohio League Champion during his career and held SCOL records in the 100 Fly and 50 Freestyle events and on the 200 Free and 200 Medley Relay Teams. He was a 6-time district qualifier. Ayres was also selected MVP each of his four seasons at CHS. He was also Team Captain of the Boys Swim, Cross Country and Volleyball teams. Ayres swam three seasons for Ohio Northern University where he had 7 Top 10 finishes in the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships. Dr. Zach Ayres earned his Masters of Science in Sports Science and Rehabilitation and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees at Logan University.
Bill Davidson 1984-2014 Coach (Head Coach, Football 2003-09). A graduate of Columbus Central HS and Muskingum College, Davidson came to Chillicothe HS the fall of 1984 where he became an assistant coach to Bill Trent. He served in that capacity for four head coaches before being hired as the Cavs head coach in 2003. Davidson has participated in nearly 300 Chillicothe varsity football games, more than twice as many than any other coach in the history of the Chillicothe Football Program. Davidson led the Cavaliers to only their second Playoff win in school history, a 13-7 victory over Canal Winchester in 2008.
1992-93 Boys Basketball, Head Coach Joel B. Stewart. The 1992-93 team battled through injury and illness and despite not having their squad fully healthy until late January, they compiled an 18-6 record. This group of Cavaliers was the last CHS Basketball Division 1 District Champion following a 52-44 win over New Philadelphia at Ohio University. That win sent the Cavaliers to the Sweet 16 to face Akron Firestone at the Canton Civic Center. It was Chillicothe’s 9th Regional appearance.
Members of the team: (players) Shannon Brown, Brandon Grubb, Matt Rockhold, Jeremy Siberell, James “Doodle” Lee, Brad Highland, Josh “Doc” Holliday, Kevin Brown, Jye Breckenridge, Chris Heisig, Tom Henshaw and Ryan Brown. (Coaches) Joe B. Stewart, Harold Bates, Martin Dunn, Kyle Wolfe and Henry Stolly. (Ball Boys) Brian Stewart and Tyler Stewart, (Manager) Brock Cunningham.
AWARD OF MERIT: Nancy Arledge & Kenny Bonner. Together, Arledge and Bonner served a Treasurer and President of the Chillicothe Touchdown Club, which under their leadership raised and donated approximately $2-million for not only the Chillicothe High School Football, but also a number of other Chillicothe City School District programs such as PBIS and their Cavalier Closet.
An induction ceremony will take place in between the Junior Varsity and Varsity Boys Basketball game with New Albany on February 1, 2025.
To nominate an athlete, administrator, coach or supporter of Chillicothe High School Athletics, paper nomination forms are available from the Athletic Director’s office or by download from the CHS Athletic Website or CLICK HERE to submit nominations digitally.