Same here, I was just thinking about this game last weekend as I clearly remember where I was and who I was listening with. That was a tough one to lose.

I remember the '67 state tournament. I was 12 years old and listened to it on WSGS Hazard radio. I wanted Breathitt County from the 14th region to win it, but they were knocked out by Earlington on Saturday morning in the semifinals. Breathitt had led for most of the game but they got in foul trouble late in the game and lost in the final minutes.

Breathitt was the crowd darlings of the tournament according to the articles in the Lexington Herald at the time. Their players had baggy socks and and didn't tuck in their uniform jersey. Players on their team, coached by Fairce Woods, were Fred Combs, B.G. Lovings, Eugene Cundiff, Larry Noble (who went on to star at Austin Peay), Goldie Salyers, and sub Charlie Turner. Coach Woods only played 6, sometimes 7 players, and didn't sub for the starters unless they got in foul trouble. Fred Combs told me last year, when I asked him about the game, that they got tired in their game with Earlington. They had played the last game on Thursday, which led to them having to play on consecutive days. His take on it was the teams who are fortunate to draw the Wednesday games have an advantage due to having a day to rest between their next game on Friday, whereas the Thursday matches have to play straight through. With Coach Woods not keen on substituting (similar to Coach Rupp at the time), stamina might have caught up with his team.

 

I'm not sure because it's been a long time, but I believe Breathitt only had 1 loss going into the Earlington game. I also think they played Covington Catholic that year, maybe in the Ashland Invitational, but I could be wrong about that. As I said, that been a long time, 47 years.

According to the Associated Press, Breathitt County finished 34-6 that year.

That was quite a possession for Earlington, nineteen total passes.

According to the Associated Press, Breathitt County finished 34-6 that year.

I told you it's been a long time, and I was only 12 at the time, lol. A Breathitt fan had told me they only lost 2 games that year, once in the Ashland Invitational Tournament and the other to Earlington in the state tournament. Obviously if the AP is correct the 2 loss number is wrong.

Team records have always been a topic of conversation. In doing forty years of research, I have found all kinds of discrepancies. Here is a note I put on the 13th Region page with the 1972 tournament.

 

"My original records said Brodhead finished 18-14; the Middlesboro Daily News said they started the region at 26-8; and the UPI recap of their state tourney game said Brodhead was the only team at state with a losing record. What??"

 

Interestingly, it was the last year for Brodhead; it became part of the new Rockcastle County H.S. the next year.

In 1967, my brother in law would have been either a junior or senior at CovCath.