OCEAN PARK – The grade school leagues in the early days were divided into light- and heavy-weight divisions with the cut off weight usually 105 pounds. Football, basketball and baseball were most often the sports that the boys competed in. The girls had a handful of play days at best during the years before Title IX legislated equality in athletics.

The Ocean Park “Blue Devils” competed with teams from Bay Center, Naselle, Chinook, Ilwaco, and Long Beach. The following names were on trophies Ocean Beach School District placed on loan in August to Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.

? 1951 heavy weight football “South Pacific County Champions”-George League, Jim Walters, Melvin Flury, Edu Elm, Ronnie Stone, Rex Davis, Jack Frye, Phillip Stamp, Walt Wilton, Ronnie Biggs

?1951 light weight football “South Pacific County Champions”-Tommy Murakami, Charles and Max Rutzer, Billy and Joe Biggs, Johnny Bell, Ken Driscoll, Gary Johnson, Teddy League

?1954-55 light weight basketball “South Pacific County Champions”-Max, Ray, and Roy Rutzer, U. Chellis, Stanley Sonntag, R. and Max Weidner, Chuck Winn, J. Martin, and J. Martenson

?1952 light weight football-John Bell, Charles and Max Rutzer, Jerry Rumsey, Eugene Andrews, Ted League, Stanley Sonntag, Bill Biggs

?1953 So. County Grade School League Heavyweight Football Champions Ocean Park School – Tommy Murakami, Teddy League, Billy and John Biggs, Johnny Bell, Kenneth Driscoll, Charles Rutzer, V. Matthews, George Miklos

?1956-57 Ocean Park School “Pacific County Grade School Heavyweight Basketball Champs”- Jim Chellis, Roy and Ray Rutzer, Stanley Sonntag, Buff Dawson, Ed Wolfe, Max Weidner, Miles Matthews. Other players not on trophy, Ron Weidner, Jack Carnahan, Jesse Martin, Mike Matthews, Jim Nance, Daryl Scheckla, and coach Ed Sonntag

?South Pacific County League baseball (year unknown)-Tommy Murakami, Charles and Max Rutzer, Billy and Joe Biggs, Johnny Bell, Teddy League, Billy Johnson

The Nahcotta School opened in 1874. It burned to the ground Jan. 14, 1936, about the time “movers-and-shakers of Ocean Park had been trying to convince state officials to fund a grade school in Ocean Park,” Sydney Stevens states in her book, “Ocean Park School-the First Seven Decades.” Nahcotta and Ocean Park students completed the term in a nearby church.

In April 1936 architects Morrison and Brigham made blueprints for the Ocean Park School, complete with gymnasium. The state of the art school included indoor plumbing, three wood stoves for heat, and electric lights throughout. The Nahcotta school fire was deemed either fortuitous or suspicious, depending upon how far north one lived. The school planners had the wisdom to officially name the structure “Nahcotta Grade School Building, Ocean Park, Washington.”

The following names were on athletic teams or were cheerleaders included in Stevens’ book:

?1936 Ocean Park Grade School basketball-Jack, Lee, and Dobby Wiegardt, Everett Hatfield, John and Lloyd Slagle, Billy Dockery, Ernie Jones, Paul Bowen, Rex McVicker, Danny Orland, coach and principal Emil Schmike

?1942 Girls’ basketball-Catherine Stevens, Jerry Jones, Carol Bilodeau, Beverly Trondsen, Aileen Stevens, Eunice Wilson, Bernadine Lehman, Grace Martell, Margaret Millspaugh

?1949 Ocean Park Chamber of Commerce Softball-Chick Descamps, Art Matthews, Jack, John, and Dobby Wiegardt, Marty, Jack Lofton, Bob Stacey, Alan Westphal, Bill Radford, Ralph Haslam, Pat Hinkle, Gearhard Eberhardt

?1951-52 Ocean Park School “South Pacific County Champions”-Bill Frazier, Phillip Stamp, George League, Walter Wilton, Jim Walters, Edu Elm, Ronnie Stone

?1952 light weight basketball-John Bell, Tom Murakami, Kenneth Driscoll, Charles Mays, Sonny and Max Rutzer, Stan Sonntag, Jim Chellis, Eugene Andrews, Teddy and Joe Biggs, coach Gene Anderson

?1961-62 Blue Devils basketball-Dave and Fritz Wiegardt, Ron Martinson, Don Sheldon, Jim Kary, Don Church, Pat, Lloyd Clark, Terry Millbrook, Bill Hulett, Steve Watterberg, John Strong, Tracy Moore, Ernie Soule, Chris Freshley

?1961-62 cheerleaders-Laura Teague, Linda Davis, Katie Moore, Penny Profitt, Phyllis Davis

?1962-63 cheerleaders-Kathy Holway, Penny Clark, Katie Moore, Phyllis Davis, Lois Pederson

?1964 Ocean Park School football “South Pacific County Champions”-Lloyd Clark, Tom Millbrook, Doug Pedersen, Tracy Moore Jr., Tim Watterberg, Fritz Wiegardt, John Strong, coach Ed Sonntag and one unidentified player (record 6-0, 139 points to 6)

?1988 Ocean Park T-ball-Russell Dingus, Jacob and Jenny Watterberg, Jesse Noll, Zack Stephens, Sabrina and Samantha Wilson, Brian Underwood, Kyle Holmes, Troy Wilson, Jason Moore, Daniel Cox, Gwen Heimbigner, Tania Reardon, Rachel Holmes, Misty Rodriguez, coach Steve Holmes