Malvern High School (Ohio)

The final basketball game in the Hornet Gym (1970-2016) was held on Friday, February 12, 2016. Several past players and coaches were in attendance. A celebration was held at the conclusion of the game.

Dave Tucci was introduced as the new Malvern head coach in the spring of 1999, following the resignation of Steve Miller after a disappointing 5-5 campaign the year prior. Tucci's coaching style was immediately beneficial and the veteran group of seniors helped turn the Hornets around. Tucci installed a Wing-T offense and a rarely seen 6-2 defense, which proved to be one of the best defenses in the Inter Valley Conference. The Hornets started the year with three straight shutouts over Berlin Center Western Reserve, Sandy Valley and East Canton. The most points the defense would give up in a single game was 22, twice, to Newcomerstown in Week 5 and to Amanda-Clearcreek in the OHSAA Division V Regional Playoffs, the only two losses of the 1999 season. Arguably the biggest win of the season came in Week 7, where the Hornets shut down high-powered Toronto, a Division VI powerhouse, 8-6 on a cold and rainy afternoon in Malvern. The Hornets clinched a share of the IVC Championship with a 35-21 Week 9 win over West Lafayette-Ridgewood. The championship was their first since 1992.[7] They finished the regular season 9-1.

Malvern landed the #8 spot in the OHSAA Division V Regional Playoffs (Region 23), drawing Amanda-Clearcreek. The Aces were the clear favorite not only to win the game, but to win the Division V Championship. The Hornets played tough against the Aces early, taking a slight lead of 7-6 in the first half after blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown. But Amanda was just too powerful and dominated the line of scrimmage on their way to a 22-7 win. The 22 points given up by the Hornets were the fewest points the Aces would score throughout the rest of the OHSAA playoffs on their way to the Division V State Championship.[8]

Malvern finished the season 9-2.

The Hornets posted a perfect season going 10-0 winning the IVC, District and Regional Championships and ending the season with an overall record of 13-1 after losing to Hopewell-Louden in the State Semi-Final. This was their only appearance in the State Final Four.[9]

The football team again had an outstanding season going 11-2 for the season eventually losing to Grove City Christian in the Regional Final.

2010 was a season of change for the Hornets having lost 19 of 22 starters from the 2009 team.[10] The team started out 2-3 but with two big wins over Newcomerstown and undefeated Strasburg, they went 5-0 the rest of the season to end the regular season with a record of 7-3. In the first round of the playoffs they faced a familiar opponent in Symmes Valley. In 2009 Willow Wood Symmes Valley had traveled to Malvern in the first round of the OHSAA playoffs. This season it would be Malvern's turn to travel the nearly 4​¹⁄₂ hour trip to Vikings Field. The Hornets came away with a win defeating Symmes Valley 48-28. In the second round Malvern faced Shadyside and were defeated 20-41. The Hornets finished the season with an 8-4 record.[11]

The Hornets have started out with a record of 4-0 and were ranked #1 in Ohio Division VI according to the 2011 Foortball AP Poll in weeks 3 and 4.[12] They ended the season with a record of 10-2 and Co-Champions of the IVC.[13] This is the fifth straight year the Hornets have qualified for the playoffs, and the fourth straight year they have reached at least the second round.

The seniors are the winningest group in school history with a 42-9 mark. They have played in 11 playoff games, posting a 7-4 record. They have won two league titles and one regional title, reaching the state semifinals during their freshman season in 2008.[14]

The Hornets ended the 2012 season with a record of 10-2 losing in the OHSAA Regional Semifinal game for the third straight season. The Hornets finished the season with a #2 rank in Region 21. Malvern’s running game has racked up nearly 3,000 yards through 11 games, as the Hornets earned their sixth straight playoff berth.[15]

The Hornets captured the IVC title outright with a win over rival Sandy Valley in the final game of the regular season. With a loss to Caldwell in the first round of the playoffs, the Hornets ended the season 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the Inter-Valley Conference and finish ranked #3 in Region 25, Division 7.[16] This is the 7th straight season the Hornets qualified for the OHSAA playoffs.

The Hornets momentum came to an end and finished 1-9, with their only win coming against Strasburg-Franklin 28-6. This was the first losing season in over a decade. Malvern's streak of 7 straight playoff appearances was snapped.

The Hornets had a perfect season going 20-0 in the regular season winning its first IVC Championship in Boys Basketball. They finished their season 25-1 after losing to Bedford Chanel in the Regional Final.[17] The Hornets were led by the outstanding play of their top 3 scorers Trevor Halter, Zak Kapron, and Tyler Tucci. Each of them scored over 1000 points in their careers at Malvern with Tyler Tucci eventually becoming the Hornets all-time leading scorer with over 1500 points.[18]

Boys: For the third year straight the Hornets were defeated by Zanesville Rosecrans in the Division IV boys basketball district tournament semifinals at Meadowbrook High. With the loss the Hornets end their season with a 19-4 record.[19]

Boys: The Last Regular season played in the Hornet Gym at the historic Malvern High School located on 401 W. Main St. was capped off with a district title and a trip to the Regional Semis in Canton. The team was led by two Seniors; Ansley Williams and Brevin Thomas, Junior Jaret Majestic (First Team All-Ohio), and two sophomores; Drew Hutchinson and Mark Mayle (All-Ohio Honorable Mention). They Hornets captured the district championship in a 62-58 victory over Tuscarawas Central Catholic, who made a run to state the year before. Jaret Majestic led the way with 38 points. The boys would then go on to lose to the soon to be state champion Cornerstone Christian in a 62-57 nailbiter. Other notable achievements: Jaret Majestic scored his 1000th point on a 35 point performance in a game vs Sandy Valley on January 29, 2016.

Boys: The Hornets posted a record of 18-9 and won their 6th district title in school history. Most notably, they defeated the IVC champions Strasburg in the district final 53-41 on March 10, 2017 at New Philadelphia High School after dropping two regular season games to them. They went on to lose in the Regional Semifinals to Falcons Lutheran East 69-64 in overtime. Mark Mayle was high scorer for the night with 29 points. The Falcons would go on to win the Division 4 State Championship. The Hornets were led by Senior Jaret Majestic (honorable mention All-Ohio) who currently plays for the Malone Pioneers, Junior Mark Mayle (3rd team All-Ohio) who currently plays for UMass-Lowell, Junior Drew Hutchison, Junior Jake Moser, and Junior Brandon Patterson.