T-L Photo/KIM NORTH The 1984-85 Skyvue Hawks, left, and 2024-25 Monroe Central Seminoles boys’ basketball teams are pictured together along Ohio 78 in Lewisville. Helping put the sign together was Lewisville Carryout owner Jeff Marley.

LEWISVILLE — There’s an aura of March Madness in this tiny Monroe County community nestled along Ohio 78 just west of Woodsfield — and it has absolutely nothing to do with the NCAA tournaments.

In 1994, Skyvue and Woodsfield high schools consolidated to form Monroe Central.

Now, the success the Monroe Central boys’ basketball team has enjoyed thus far this season has awakened memories of a team four decades ago. Skyvue High School, based in nearby Graysville, reached the 1985 Ohio Class B state championship game.

The Seminoles (25-3) play for the Ohio Division VI state title on Saturday against Marion Local (26-2) inside the University of Dayton Arena at 2 p.m.

Jeff Marley, owner of the Lewisville Carryout, was partly responsible for a sign that features the 1984-85 Skyvue team and the 2024-25 Monroe Central team pictured side-by-side along Ohio 78.

The Hawks and Seminoles are very similar, not just in their styles of play but also in their makeup. Both teams have a set of brothers. Skyvue had Mitch and Mike Hannahs, while Monroe Central has Tucker and Cooper Howell.

“I had Mitch’s mom get a hold of Mitch because we were kind of running out of slogans to put on the signs. He sent the slogan: 1985 Skyvue Hawks Bring The Hardware Back to Monroe County. I had this sign made up of the two teams and thought it would look great. We had someone (unnamed) step up and help us out,” Marley said. “That Skyvue picture has been around for years.

“It’s brought a lot of excitement to this area because Mitch grew up just two houses down the road (Ohio 78) to the east. He played basketball up there,” Marley said, pointing West from where the sign is located. “Mitch was well respected on and off the court. Tucker Howell is a splitting image of him.”

Mitch Hannahs went on to Indiana State University, where he was a legend on the baseball diamond. He then shifted to head coach of the ISU Sycamores for 10 seasons before leaving for the University of South Florida last summer.

Although he has relocated to the Tampa area, he has kept tabs on the Seminoles.

“I have watched them on TV a couple of times,” he said Wednesday morning via phone before his Bulls played at Florida Gulf Coast. “The game has changed a lot over the years. … It’s been four decades, but they are very similar to our 1985 team in that they are very athletic.

“It’s a testament to both teams, but winning is just the first piece of what makes a team great,” Hannahs said. “How you carry yourself. Winning the right way and being unselfish and disciplined. Our team had those traits, and I think Monroe Central does as well.”

Most people around Monroe County are comparing Hannahs to Tucker Howell, who broke Hannahs’ all-time scoring mark earlier this season.

“I’m happy for him. He plays the game the right way. He seems to be a solid team guy,” Hannahs said.

But, according to Hannahs, the comparisons stop there.

“He’s a little taller than me. I would compare him more, size-wise, to Todd Hilverding,” Hannahs said. “Todd could play all five positions, and I think Tucker can as well.”

Hilverding was the winning pitcher in both the state semifinal and championship baseball games later in 1985. He is also the assistant girls’ basketball coach at Waterford, which claimed the Ohio Division VII state title last weekend, also in Dayton.

While Hannahs hasn’t seen the Seminoles play in person, former Skyvue head coach Mark Huffman has.

“I don’t think it is fair to compare the two teams. It’s been 40 years … different eras of the game,” Huffman said Wednesday during a phone interview. “The two things I see similar, though, are the team speed and basketball instincts. Both teams seemed to be in the right places at the right times and anticipated cuts through the lane.”

When asked if he saw any comparisons between Hannahs and Howell, Huffman said it would be hard to pick one over the other.

“They were and are great players. They made and make the other players on their teams better,” Huffman noted. “The sign of a great player is when he doesn’t care how many points he scores. All he cares about is winning. I think Mitch and Tucker both have that trait.”

Huffman said watching Monroe Central play a few times has been a pleasure.

“They are a fun group to watch. The thing that has impressed me is their quickness and toughness or defense,” he said. “You can’t rely on outshooting every team.”

According to the Lewisville Carryout Facebook page, a final sign challenge has been issued.

“Support the ‘Noles as they head to the state championship,” the Lewisville Carryout posted on Facebook. “Decorate a yard sign for the game vs. Marion Local on Saturday. Comment a photo of your sign on this post by Saturday at noon and the top two signs with most likes each win a $250 gift card from the Lewisville Carryout (prize amounts subject to increase before Saturday).

“Thank you to our sponsors: Virgil Hamilton/Nationwide Insurance, Paul Shook/Shook’s Repair, Brian Shields, and anonymous.

“Re-enter your sign or make new ones, the only rule is that the same sign can’t win twice. Let’s Go Noles!”