The 1934 Portsmouth Trojans finished as Class AA state runnerup with a 20-5 record, only the 3rd PHS team to win at least 20 games in a season. The team had 4 seniors, those being Howard Wedebrook, George Carr, Earl Bender, and Chester Boren. In the regular season, PHS discontinued its series with New Boston, instead playing Portsmouth Central Catholic and won 14-7. The Trojans also defeated Middletown, Columbus Central, Columbus East, Norwood, and Ironton. They split a series with Huntington WV, while Springfield and Chillicothe topped PHS.
The Trojans beat Pomeroy (now known as Meigs) for the district title 19-15, and advanced to the state tournament, which at that time was formatted in a Sweet 16 bracket. PHS beat Tiffin Columbian in the state semifinals 23-18, then lost in the state championship game vs. Dayton Roosevelt 46-30. The Trojans trailed 23-15 at the half, and were unable to mount a rally to overcome Roosevelt. 6 of the 7 players who played for Portsmouth scored, with the leading scorers being Earl Bender and Harold Monk with 8 points apiece. Monk was the youngest player on the team, yet was selected as first team All-Ohio. This team was Coach Red Hopkins last team to advance to the state tournament.