Loudonville High School All-Sports Hall of Fame to induct two new members
In conjunction with the varsity football game Aug. 26 against Utica, Loudonville High will host "Mike Warbel Night" to celebrate his legendary career and formally induct him into the Loudonville High School All-Sports Hall of Fame.
Warbel served as a teacher and administrator in the L-P School District while also leading the football, girls basketball and track and field teams at LHS.
In 22 years as the football coach, Warbel had a remarkable record of 151-75-2. His 1990 team finished as the state runner-up with a 13-1 record. The 1983 and 1988 teams were also state semifinalists, and the 1975 and 1978 teams both finished the regular season with 10-0 records.
Warbel was a six-time football coach of the year selection by the Ashland Times-Gazette.
His 1979-80 girls basketball team won the Johnny Appleseed Conference, and his 1981 track and field team won the Mid-Ohio Conference and qualified four athletes to the state meet, with three finishing on the podium.
"When you think of Loudonville High School athletics, you think about coach Warbel,” Loudonville athletic director Tyler Bates said. “The stories from his tenure as a coach and educator in our district are legendary. In our school's rich athletic history, it is tough to find someone who won more big games than coach Warbel.
“His teams never shied away from playing the toughest competition. In fact, they embraced it.”
Ceremonies for Warbel will be held prior to the game, so fans should plan to arrive early at the stadium. Tickets for the football game will be $8 for adults and $5 for students. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
In conjunction with the high school volleyball tripleheader Aug. 27 against Orrville, Loudonville High School will host "Carolyn Vickers Carmichael Day" to celebrate her legendary career and formally induct her into the school's HOF.
Vickers Carmichael was a true pioneer for women's sports. She started the volleyball program in 1973. Her teams won eight conference championships, advanced to the state final four in 1982, finished as state runner-up in 1981 and ultimately won the school's first state championship in 1991. Her record at Loudonville was 266-69.
Vickers Carmichael was also instrumental in starting the girls track and field program at LHS and served as the team's first coach, winning conference championships and sending a host of athletes to the state meet.
"If it weren't for coach Vickers Carmichael, we wouldn't have the female athletic programs at Loudonville High School that we do today,” Bates said. “Words like ‘pioneer’ and ‘innovator’ are thrown around too often, but coach Vickers Carmichael fits both of them perfectly. She fought for equality at a time when we didn't have it. Once her teams had a chance to compete, they did so at the highest level, providing our community with some of the best memories of the last 50 years."
Ceremonies for Vickers Carmichael will be held between the JV and varsity games. Tickets for the volleyball tripleheader will be $7 for adults and $5 for students. One ticket gets you into all three games, with the freshmen beginning at 10 a.m. and JV and varsity to follow.
After a long layoff, the Loudonville High School All-Sports Hall of Fame is being jumpstarted again this year, with a plan for dozens of new inductees to be honored over the next few years. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor and preserve the legacy of athletes, coaches and contributors who made a positive impact on Loudonville’s athletic programs while also inspiring current athletes to achieve greatness of their own.
Loudonville fans are encouraged to visit the new www.lpredbirdnation.org website for historical athletic information and HOF nominations.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Loudonville High All-Sports HOF to add two new members
