Submitted Photo
The later Hershel Sartin (44), pictured at right, is shown in action back in 1964 when Kermit High School won the Class A state championship. The family tree of Sartin has produced several top-notch basketball players of the years, including a pair grandsons on this year’s Tug Valley state title team.
Submitted Photo
Austin Brewer (30) and Hayden Sturgell (20) are first cousins and are both related to the late Hershel Sartin. Several of the Sartin clan have played for either Kermit, Lenore of Tug Valley over the years.
If you cover sports long enough, sooner or later you will see the offspring of former players that were standout athletes from past years continue the family legacy.
And this year’s West Virginia boys’ high school basketball tournament was like a walk down memory lane for many former players and coaches.
Eventually, if you have done this job as long as I have, you’ll even see grandchildren who come along and continue to shine as athletes in a certain family.
The Sartin family tree of the Kermit area has had several top-notch basketball players from their family play at Kermit High School and now at Tug Valley High School.
It started with the late Hershel Sartin back in 1964. He was a 6-2 center on Kermit’s 1964 Class A state championship team. That Blue Devil squad went undefeated.
Sartin’s brother Odell was also a member of that Blue Devil team.
Present and past Tug Valley players Hayden Sturgell, along with Austin and Nathan Brewer are the grandsons of the late Hershel Sartin, who was a star on the 1964 championship team.
Both Austin and Nathan made all-tournament teams while playing at the Civic Center in the state tournament, as did their grandfather Hershel Sartin.
Another nephew, Scotty Baisden, played on the Lenore Class A runner-up squad back in 1984. He was also on the all-tournament team.
Buddy Sartin, a nephew of Hershel, was on the 1975 Kermit state championship team. Manny Rose, Hershel’s half-brother, was a starter on that 1975 team.
Another great-nephew, Rusty Sartin, (Buddy’s son), was a teammate of Nathan Brewer when that Panther team made it to the state tourney.
Greg Farley was on the 1987 team from Kermit, the last Blue Devil squad that made it to state tournament.
Former Panthers Kyle Gilman and Brett Brewer were both great nephews of Sartin and his brother Odell. Both were all-state performers during their career at Tug Valley.
Evan Sturgell, Hayden’s older brother, was also a former player for the Panthers, but did not make it to the state tourney.
Hershel Sartin became a teacher and coach. He taught Driver’s Education and Health at Williamson High School and was an assistant basketball coach under the late George Ritchie and also the assistant baseball coach.
This was the100th year of the West Virginia boy’s state tournament, which was first played back in 1914 in Buckhannon.
During the games, the Secondary School Activities Commission recognized teams and players from past tournaments. Basketball memorabilia from throughout the years also was be on display at the Civic Center.
The SSAC also published a book with pictures of all of the former state championship teams.
This tournament was indeed one to remember and very special to the Sartin-Brewer families of the Kermit area.
(Kyle Lovern is the sports editor for the Williamson Daily News. Comments or story ideas can be sent to klovern@williamsondailynews.com.)
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