Lima Senior High's 1996 State Football Champions reminisce at Rotary.
On November 30, 1996, Lima Senior High School defeated five-time defending state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius, 38-30 to win the Division 1 state football championship - the first state title in school history. Monday at Rotary, linebacker coach Frank Crea and players Jim Morris, Jair Torres and Jim Barker reminisced about the game. The Spartans capped a 13-1 season and a 12-game winning streak, overcoming an early 10-0 and 16-3 deficit in the title game to seal the win in the fourth quarter. lima Senior finished the year ranked 13th in the USA Today Super 25 national rankings - the school's first=ever appearance in the national poll.