COLUMBIA, Pa. - Frederick Sample graduated from Columbia High School in 1948.
When he returned to the school on Saturday, he jokingly said he was worried about being one of the "old guys."
Sample joined more than 150 other former players who came back to their alma mater to help commemorate a century of Crimson Tide basketball.
Columbia introduced interscholastic basketball in 1917. Eight years later, the Tide won their first Lancaster County Championship, led by top scorer Bootsy Shinton.
District and regional crowns followed in later years, culminating in the program's only state championship in 1987.
The centennial celebration included a Parade of Decades, featuring athletes from the past 70 years.
Sample received a warm ovation as the only representative from the 1940's.
"It's just amazing to see the program continuing to grow and continuing to contain interest," Sample said. "Programs often die out, but this one hasn't."
Transitioning from the past to the present, the current Columbia squad then took the floor and soundly defeated Pequea Valley, 67-29. The Tide were led by Jaden Neal who scored a game-high 21 points.