MANSFIELD — They played the game a long time ago, but their exploits will never be forgotten.
In March it will mark 40 years since the 1979-80 St. Peter’s girls basketball team brought home a state championship trophy. On Friday night, the storied squad was saluted before a strong crowd at the Franciscan Activity Center.
“We didn’t go to sleep that night,” said Cathy Nadolsky-Miller, reflecting on that special night. “At about 2 in the morning, we drove down to the News Journal to get the paper as soon as it was printed.”
Their journey to St. John Arena in Columbus capped a remarkable season for the Spartans.
During the 1973-74 school year, St. Peter’s added the sport of girls basketball. In March of 1976, the Ohio High School Athletic Association hosted its first girls basketball tournament. The Spartans advanced to the district semifinals in their inaugural season with a 14-4 record.
The following year, St. Peter’s finished 15-6 and advanced to the state final before falling short in a loss to Delphos St. John. In 1978, the girls lost in the regional finals, and in 1979 they made it to the Final Four again before dropping a 42-39 loss to Holgate.
The 1980 team started the magical season looking to make it back to Columbus for the second year in a row and third time in four seasons.
“Aggie (Varga) got to play down there three years,” said Lynne Nadolsky, one of four players who returned for Friday night’s festivities.
Three returning starters fueled the title team, and it was up to new coach Dennis Rissler to put the pieces together.
“We’ve practically started over. The team will have a new look this season,” Rissler told the News Journal. “These girls will be playing a faster-paced offense and more person-to-person defense. There will be very little zone.”
The three starters are well known to this day, twin sisters Joan and Jane Cowdery and Agnes Varga. Rounding out the starting lineup for the Spartans was junior Lynne Nadolsky and sophomore Stacy Dowiatt.
To prepare for the season, the Spartans beefed up their scrimmage schedule with Class A powerhouse Buckeye Trail and defending AAA state champ, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s.
The regular season didn’t provide too many challenges. Only Canal Winchester came close – losing by 13 points. The Spartans put up 104 against Mansfield Christian, 87 against Norwalk, 79 on Madison, and 75 against Mansfield Senior.
It wasn’t until St. Peter’s traveled across town that a challenge arrived at Malabar High School.
The Falcons were also one of the top teams in the state, coming into that game ranked No. 1 in Class AA and boasted 6-foot-1 sophomore Francine “The Mahine” Lewis. She was already considered one of the best players in the state, and eventually enjoyed a fine career at Ohio State.
With a tournament atmosphere and a standing room only crowd of more than 2,000 plus packed to see the best in girls high school basketball, neither team disappointed.
“We learned a lot from that game,” said Liz Varga Snodgrass.
In what was dubbed the Miracle on Cook Road, Lewis turned a 58-55 deficit in the final 27 seconds of the game into a 59-58 Malabar win. It was a contest that is still considered one of the most exciting games in north central Ohio history.
“You have to look at it from a positive side,” Rissler said. “Though no one likes to lose, the important thing is to learn something from it (the loss), to learn something from everything.”
The Spartans wouldn’t be challenged again in the regular season. They steamrolled through the sectional tournament defeating Mohawk by 28 and Wynford by 47. In the district semifinals, St. Peter’s struggled against Monroeville before earning a 49-39 win.
Next came a stern test from Buckeye Central, as the Spartans struggled from the free-throw line. However it was the work on the boards by Lynne Nadolsky that helped the Spartans hold off B.C. for a fourth straight district crown.
St. Peter’s returned to Wooster for the regional tournament and easily defeated Hanover United Local by 15 in the semifinals. Agnes Varga took charge at the regional finals, canning 12 of 18 shots from the field for 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. East Canton did what it could to keep the score close, but in the fourth quarter the Spartans pulled away when it counted to earned the regional crown.
That meant another trip to St. John Arena, a majestic basketball palace that left an unforgettable impression on the girls.
“It was so overwhelming. It was just a huge place,” said Aggie Varga. “But our student section filled the place (with noise).”
Lynne Nadolsky said Aggie was one of the team’s leaders, and someone she long looked up to.
“I just wanted to get down there to play at St. John Arena, like Aggie did three times,” Lynne Nadolsky said.
The Spartans drew Antwerp in the state semifinals, and it was no contest. St. Peter’s delivered a 67-49 beating of the Archers.
Legendary News Journal sports writer Jon Spencer noted Joan and Jane Cowdery and Agnes Varga “played like three girls who know this is their swan song, their final chance to capture the crown.”
For the second time in the program’s short history, the Spartans headed to the state finals. This time they ran headlong into defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Old Washington Buckeye Trail. It was the same Buckeye Trail team they scrimmaged before the start of the season.
To get past the Warriors, St. Peter’s had to find a way to contain Class A Player of the Year Lori Heady. That was no small chore, as Heady erupted for 32 points and willed her team to the lead for most of the second half. It was Heady’s three-point play with under three minutes remaining that gave Buckeye Trail a 54-52 lead.
The Spartans got one last chance to tie when Heady lost control of a pass with eight seconds left. Aggie Varga grabbed the ball and gave it to Jane Cowdery near midcourt. She drove down the middle of the lane but her shot missed. Fortunately, her sister Joan was Johnny-On-The-Spot for the putback as time expired to send the game to overtime at 54-54.
The 1980 state champion was going to be decided in overtime. Jane Cowdery hit the first basket in OT, one of her team-leading 23 points, only to be answered by Heady.
Joan Cowdery, who finished with 22, then gave St. Peter’s the lead for good with a shot in the lane. Moments later, Agggie Varga fouled out with 1:39 showing.
The Spartans called timeout to regroup, and then their defensive skills took over. Buckeye Trail only scored one point the remainder of the game. Finally, with 25 seconds left, a free-throw by Joan Cowdery gave the Spartans a 59-57 edge. With under five seconds left, Joan Cowdery was fouled and went to the line once again.
For senior Joan Cowdery, standing at the foul line, she could only think back to the team’s lone loss of the season. It was in that defeat to Malabar that she missed the front of end of a one-and-one situation, and the Falcons capitalized on it. She was looking for redemption, and she found it. It was her two free throws that sealed the win and clinched a 61-57 victory.
“I knew it would be a close one right down to the wire, we didn’t anticipate overtime though,” Rissler told WCLW in a postgame radio broadcast.
Jane Cowdery said the Spartans earned the victory after that heartbreaking loss at Malabar.
“That was for Malabar,” Jane Cowdery said. “We just wanted it more than they did, and we got it.”
Her twin had a similar take on the game.
“There was no way we were not going to let that (Malabar loss) happen again,” Joan Cowdery said. “It was the greatest way to end our senior year.”
Agnes Varga and junior Lynn Nadolsky each had eight points to support the Cowdery twins 45 combined points.
Their efforts as a team are what helped seal the championship. Rissler said the loss to Malabar probably helped more than hurt the Spartans — since the pressure of an undefeated season had gone away.
The Cowdery twins were named tournament Co-MVPs. Both Joan and Jane Cowdery earned 2nd Team All-Ohio honors, while Agnes Varga was 3rd team All-Ohio. Agnes Varga still is the all-time leading rebounder for the Spartans.
The 1980 state championship team was the foundation that left a strong legacy every since. The Spartans girls basketball program has brought home more tournament hardware than any other sport at St. Peter’s, winning 12 regional titles.
Of those 12 trips to Columbus, the school has reached the finals five times. The Spartans returned to the state tournament in 1983, 1984 and again in 1987 and 1988. After the turn of the century, the Spartans made four consecutive trips to Columbus in 2002-2005 and their last trip was in 2012.
St. Peter’s has the second-most state tournament appearances. Only Berlin Hiland has more with 15.
Those that returned on Friday night included Liz Varga-Snodgrass, Cathy Nadolsky-Miller, Lynne Nadolsky, Aggie Varga, and team manager Julia Dillon Mills. Other team members unable to attend included Joan Cowdery, Debbie Blunk-Ticknor, Cindy Lang-McNellis, Sharon Baki, Stacy Dowiatt, and Kathy Cusic-Thompson.
The Cowdery twins went on to play at Ohio State. Jane Cowdery died in 2014 at the age of 51.Joan is a professor at Eastern Michigan University and was unable to attend.
After leaving St. Peter’s, Rissler coached at Liberty Benton and finished his career with more than 400 victories. He died in 2015 at age 69. Assistant coach Jeff Strang, who later became head coach of the St. Peter’s girls basketball team, and assistant Charlie Henrich were also recognized.
Henrich was unable to attend as he is undergoing chemotherapy. In his place, Henrich’s oldest son Luke, a 2019 St. Peter’s grad, wore his dad’s state championship jacket to the ceremony.
