1979-80                          Return to Year-by-Year             HOME                                         Update: August 14, 2018

STATE CHAMPIONS  6A: Wichita South  5A: Wichita Kapaun  4A: Kingman  3A: Sacred Heart-Salina  2A: Garden Plaine   1A: Ell-Saline-Brookville

       Coach Bartley entered this season not knowing it would be his last.  The team had lost the top 10 players off  last year's Class 5A 4th place finisher.  The team struggled to get better but could not record a win until the consolation round of the Topeka Invitational. The inexperienced players displayed talent but could not sustain the play over 4 quarters.

         Meanwhile, the Hayden Freshmen team was racking up huge wins on their schedule. Coach Bartley said he received calls from other schools asking him to move the Freshman players up to at least the Junior Varsity level. Coach Bartley wanted to leave the players where they were to compete as a team. Finally, he did move Tom Meier to the varsity at the end of January. That, coupled with generally better team play , began to make a difference. They kept on losing but by closer margins. After 4 straight competitive games, Hayden got a victory over Seaman with freshman Tom Meier scoring 20 points. 

         Still, most figured that Hayden might as well pack it up as they faced  #1 ranked Atchison in the semi-finals of the Class 5A Sub-State. Rick Morris scored 14 points in the first half to help build a 28-16 lead at halftime. Coach Bartley was under rated as a game coach and he never let his players give up the lead.  "They never quit," he told TCJ reporter Jim Ramberg. "That's the way we have played all year. I've never had a team give me so much effort." + 

        Amazingly, Hayden had the chance to go on to the State Tourney in Emporia if they could get by Shawnee Heights. Hayden was not as hot from the field as they were against Atchison. But they hung close enough to have the chance to put the game into overtime. Rick Morris had the ball and drove the baseline with 5 seconds left. He hit a shot in heavy traffic that apparently tied the game at 47-47. It was thought for a second that the whistle by the referee might even give Morris a chance at a 3 point play. Instead, Morris was called for charging by the referee ( a former Hayden alumnus) and the goal was wiped out . Then, the T-Birds sank 2 free throws to put the game away.

         Coach Bartley was scheduled to continue as Head Coach for the 1980-81 season, but he could not agree with certain conditions of his contract and decided to resign instead. 

+ TCJ game report by Jim Ramberg 3-7-1980

January 4, 1980 Leavenworth - Box score from LVT