Clymer head coach Irv King talks to his players during a timeout in the Class D Far West Regional at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. P-J photo by Cody Jacobson

Clymer boys basketball has claimed 10 Section VI championships since 1951, but since the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships began in 1978 the Pirates had never managed to reach the final four. With five attempts to reach the pinnacle of New York basketball Clymer had lost in the Class D Far West Regional and once had the tournament cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Irv King was the head coach for the 2006 team that lost to eventual state champion C.G. Finney in the Far West Regionals and then again the coach for the 2021 team that had its season end with the sectional title game.

Retiring at the end of this season, it was King’s final chance to reach the state final four and make history for a school that his father played for, he played for and his daughters played for.

For King’s final season, the Pirates boasted a deep roster with a talented starting five which had the potential to represent Section VI well, but after the first eight games the Pirates held just a .500 record, although they had played quality opponents from Pennsylvania and Class B Southwestern. So after a stretch of three straight losses in nonleague competition, Clymer won its next six games as it established itself as the top team in Class D.

Building on Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 victories against Sherman 43-35 and Panama 44-34, the Pirates controlled their destiny in the league with wins over Westfield 49-39, Brocton 81-38 and then Maple Grove 59-47.

Clymer stumbled just twice more in the regular season, dropping two out of three after its six-game winning streak. Falling 44-43 to rival Sherman, the league title was at risk as the Pirates needed to finish perfect.

Clymer bounced back with a key 43-37 victory over Panama and then lost one last time in the regular season, dropping a final contest against Southwestern 58-56.

The Pirates shut down league opponents Westfield 59-50, Brocton 41-20 and then Maple Grove 67-51 to clinch a share of the Division 2 championship and earn the No. 1 spot in the Class D playoffs.

Starting as the top seed did not make it an easy road for the Pirates as they drew in the semifinals the defending Class D state champion Panama, needing a third victory on the season against the Panthers.

In the postseason, King’s greatest asset went on full display as his complete team defense overwhelmed opponents. The Pirates shut down Panama in the first half of the Class D semifinals at Jamestown Community College’s Physical Education Complex, limiting the Panthers to just 13 points.

Panama picked up the pace in the second half, but by then the damage was done and King saw three of his Pirates reach double-digit scoring with Carson White at 13, Kameron Einink at 12 and Blake Beckerink at 11 to reach the Class D final with a 53-46 victory.

Twenty years after his first sectional title with the Pirates, King was back in the Class D final against the same opponent, rival Sherman, in a rubber match and a chance to play another week.

If the Clymer defense was impressive during the semifinals, it somehow was even more dazzling in the championship against a Sherman team that last defeated the Pirates by scoring 44 points.

The Class D final was much different as Clymer did not let the Wildcats score double-digits in any of the four quarters, limiting the team to less than 30 points in an impressive 41-29 victory to land the program an 11th title.

King’s Pirates successfully sent him out with another championship, but they were not done there as they had history on their mind.

With one last chance to reach the state final four, Clymer had one obstacle remaining against Section V champion Andover/Whitesville.

Clymer found itself against an unfamiliar opponent and, by the numbers, the Pirates were up against an offensive juggernaut that scored less than 60 points just once this season. Based on the New York State Sportswriters Association rankings, the state final four would elude Clymer again.

However, King crafted perhaps the best defensive game plan of his career and stymied the Section V champion in the Class D Far West Regional at Buffalo State Sports Arena. Clymer played at Andover/Whitesville’s pace in the first quarter, but then King’s team settled in and limited their opponents to eight and nine points in the middle quarters to get in a comfortable position to make program history.

Clymer held on in the fourth quarter for a 63-49 victory to become the first team in program history to reach the state semifinals.

Clymer’s season came to an end there as a first-half deficit against Section III’s Sackets Harbor was too much to overcome, losing 46-37. However, King left his impact as the first coach to take Clymer to the state final four, possibly inspiring future generations to get back.

King shared the Division 2 Coach of the Year with fellow league champion Cory Emory, but after making program history and going further than any local boys team he is the choice for the 2026 Post-Journal/OBSERVER Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.