Dorchester Times: 35 Years Ago: The DHS Team That Was One Shot From State

Sunday, April 7, 2019

35 Years Ago: The DHS Team That Was One Shot From State

Some in our area have made quite a fuss over the future of DHS basketball, wondering if Dorchester's teams can ever "turn it around."

They forget that fortunes in sports, like life in general, can turn on a dime. Case in point: the DHS boys team of 35 years ago -- the team that wouldn't quit.

The 1983-84 DHS boys basketball squad will forever be known as the Longhorn team that was a shot away from the Class C-2 State Tournament -- just one second away from a chance to play in the Devaney.

Moreover, the team's success launched the start of a six-year run in which Dorchester became known for its prowess in boys basketball, appearing regularly in the top-ten rankings for Class C-2.

But go back to the beginning of that season thirty years ago, and the Longhorns didn't start off looking like state-worthy material.

Dorchester lost their season opener by 55 points to a feisty Class C-1 team in Henderson that put 98 points on the board. In fact, the Longhorns won only two of its first seven contests.

The situation was dour for the struggling DHS squad. But then DHS, coached by Larry Gish and Scott Pohl, found some magic. The team would go on to win 10 of its next 13 games, capturing the district title by knocking off Palmyra and emerging power Lincoln Christian.

The Longhorns were led by junior Lyle Weber, who would receive all-state accolades for his efforts, along with seniors Dean Slepicka, Bob Wolesensky, Eddie Moore, Brad Hohensee and junior Neal Pavlish -- a fan favorite.

The 1984 Class C-2 regional game pitted DHS against a top-notch Humboldt team. The winner would go onto state.

A last-second desperation shot by a Humboldt player, who unloaded from half court, dealt the Longhorns a season-ending blow that would be talked about for years to come.

Little did Longhorn fans know then, however, that just one season later the DHS boys would make it to the Class C-2 State Tournament, paving the way for the great DHS teams of the mid- and later 1980s.

And little did the DHS players of that 1983-84 season know then that three decades later folks would still be talking about their efforts -- and about the Longhorn team that wouldn't quit.

6 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 28, 2014 at 7:24 AM
Great article. I love hearing old war stories of past DHS teams. Keep these up
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AnonymousJanuary 28, 2014 at 11:18 AM
What was pretty amazing about the 80s and very early 90s is how competitive Dorchester was despite being one of the very smallest class c2 schools in the entire state. Friend, exeter and others were playing class d ball most of those years while Dorchester strived to play tougher competition as long as it possibly could.
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80s EddieAugust 2, 2014 at 2:06 PM
Suddenly I hear songs from the Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink and Weird Science playing in my head.....
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Scott PohlJanuary 18, 2016 at 7:18 PM
I have many fond memories of Dorchester athletes and coaches during my employment with Dorchester Public Schools. One of the things that I remember about many of the athletes I had the pleasure of working with, was their competitive spirit. Many of them had a competitive fire that burned bright and they were willing to push themselves to improve by putting in extra practice time, going to camps, developing team chemistry, and simply refusing to let others get the best of them. Community, school, and team pride drove many of these athletes to maximize their talents and give their best effort. They didn't win every game, but they weren't going down without a fight. I will also remember that when the Dorchester teams won, they did so with class and acted liked they had done it before. They respected the opposition and then looked forward to the next challenge. When they lost, they were willing to work on the aspects of the game that needed improving and move forward. I certainly was fortunate to work with many fine athletes over the years and will always cherish the memories I have of each and every one no matter the final outcome of the game.
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AnonymousApril 8, 2019 at 3:52 PM
Seems to me that early in the 70's we had a pretty fantastic basketball team too. And we were high class C back then too. Velder, Slama just to name a couple standouts.
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Matt BoltonApril 10, 2019 at 4:13 PM
Great story about a bunch of great guys and coaches. Great memories.
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."