Best team in the old Class 3A to not win the State Champoinship?

[Sweeperboy]

And, some older people (ahem) would say the 1981 team that lost to Highlands in the Region was better than the 1988 team........

 

That was a very dangerous team...:thumb:

[Mr.Network]

I would say it's close but '88 was the best Lincoln County team that I saw. Their line was very, very strong. Penman was a steady RB and their defense played solid. The '81 team had a perfect blend of inside running and speed with a great leader at QB. Line was good but not as large as the '88 team. I think if not for the wind playing such a factor in the PT Semi-Final game, it would have been a possible trip to L'ville for the Pats in '88.

 

Hatz, the 1981 team gave up 72 points in 13 games. I'm very aware of both teams, having seen every down of every game. The '81 offensive team speed would have been a problem for the '88 defense. And, I don't see how the '88 team would score. I've had this discussion/debate/argument A LOT with some '88ers.........

[Hatz]

Hatz, the 1981 team gave up 72 points in 13 games. I'm very aware of both teams, having seen every down of every game. The '81 offensive team speed would have been a problem for the '88 defense. And, I don't see how the '88 team would score. I've had this discussion/debate/argument A LOT with some '88ers.........

 

You would know better than I. :lol2:

 

I do know that the 88 team contained Danville's speed in Walker and Redd. They shut them out.

[ThrillVille Cardinal51]

I don't know how they stack up with everyone else, but the 2004 and 2005 CovCath teams were pretty solid.

[ATLCat]

1989 Belfry Pirates

 

The old school Belfry fans adamantly still insist the greatest Pirate team all-time was NOT one of the 10 Pirate teams to reach the State Finals. That it was this squad.

 

This was the group who ended Pikeville's (who won the A Championship that year) 33 game win streak. in the midst of the Panther's dominating run.

 

Belfry's run ended in the Semi's at Ft. Thomas Highlands losing 21-14 in Overtime. The Bluebirds went on to win the Title.

 

 

 

 

 

As to the OP...as a big admirer of the Bell County program I struggle to give that 2004 team the same reverence as the two others mentioned. The 2004 Bell team did push Highlands to their limit, but they also may very well have been the 3rd best team in EKY that season. They lost vs. Pburg that season, a team Belfry beat twice.

 

Now if we are discussing the best 2A team who never won it... the Blackcats certainly could make a case for that 2004 team. Not only did they beat Bell but they beat a very stout Ashland team and IMHO was easily the 2nd best team in 2A that season taking Belfry to the wire in a pair of heavily hyped games that lived up to their billing.

[Commander 25]

1989 Belfry Pirates

 

The old school Belfry fans adamantly still insist the greatest Pirate team all-time was NOT one of the 10 Pirate teams to reach the State Finals. That it was this squad.

 

This was the group who ended Pikeville's (who won the A Championship that year) 33 game win streak. in the midst of the Panther's dominating run.

 

Belfry's run ended in the Semi's at Ft. Thomas Highlands losing 21-14 in Overtime. The Bluebirds went on to win the Title.

 

 

 

 

 

As to the OP...as a big admirer of the Bell County program I struggle to give that 2004 team the same reverence as the two others mentioned. The 2004 Bell team did push Highlands to their limit, but they also may very well have been the 3rd best team in EKY that season. They lost vs. Pburg that season, a team Belfry beat twice.

 

Now if we are discussing the best 2A team who never won it... the Blackcats certainly could make a case for that 2004 team. Not only did they beat Bell but they beat a very stout Ashland team and IMHO was easily the 2nd best team in 2A that season taking Belfry to the wire in a pair of heavily hyped games that lived up to their billing.

 

Bell County had a great team in 2004. That game at P-burg was total home cooking. But P-burg won so that I will give them the credit.

[mexitucky]

Wasn't he a defensive player? A defensive player would have been the difference?

 

Absolutely. He still played in the game, he just was never healthy. Look what he did against Moeller.

[Hatz]

I'm going to add one other. Danville 1980. Not a lot of college players on the team (Roger Turner went to Villanova but that's the only one I can recall) but it was Tom Duffy's first season at the helm.

 

The Ads played a very good schedule that season and finished 8-3. They lost three close games that year:

 

1. Henry Clay. The Blue Devils finished 10-3 and the statewide 4A runner-up.

 

2. Tates Creek. The Creek finished near the Top Twenty statewide in the Lit rankings.

 

3. Woodford County. Jackets were unbeaten in the Regular season but lost in the Regional. They beat Danville in OT when they stopped the QB literally inches from the goal line.

 

Danville beat Corbin that year. (AA State Champion)

 

Ads also beat a 4A District Champ in Madison Central.

 

Finished the season ranked 2nd in the Lit rankings for AAA and ranked in the Top 5 despite missing the playoffs. If the Ads had gotten there that season their defense was stout enough to compete with anybody in AAA that year.

 

Ironically the 2 top rated teams in AAA by Lit at the end of the year missed the post season: Danville and Highlands.

[colonel-fan]

1987 Paduacah Tilghman and 1987 Montgomery County.

[Bluesport]

Absolutely. He still played in the game, he just was never healthy. Look what he did against Moeller.

 

We can agree to disagree. CCH was hurt as well. HHS also had the benefit of changing their uniforms at Halftime which was to their favor. CCH was the better team.

[ColonelMike]

1998 Oldham County team was awfully good. Lost first game of the season against 4A Tates Creek (state runner-ups that year) in the Constitution Bowl, then didn't lose again until the third round of the playoffs, when Louisville Waggener upset them. Waggener, which had a dynamo team themselves that year (and should also be on this list) wound up being the 3A runner-ups.

 

Key in the Waggener loss (Oldham had defeated Waggener at Waggener in the regular season) was an injury to star running back George Taylor early in the second quarter during a punt return.

 

Oldham, under coach Mike Jackson, ran the Wing-T to perfection that season, with wings George Taylor (just a tick under 2,000 rushing yards) and Adam Ripperdan (over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards.).

 

CM

[NEERFAN]

All great teams.

 

'99 Owensboro. They had a heck of a team. Bo Miller and who was the other kid? Went to Clemson..played in the pros for the Jets? Or was that Miller? And the other kid I'm thinking of was the one who went to UK and played DB I believe? Also had Buster Ashley who was a very good OL on that team...went to IU, later transferred to WKU and was a starter on WKU's '02 1-AA Natty Champ team. That team was very good....Highlands was just SCARY.

 

'93 Lincoln County. Featured Mr. Football that year, Jeremy Simpson. They lost to a powerful CovCath team by a couple TD's.

 

Bowling Green and their 2-3 peat as runners up in the Mid 2000's.

 

Justin Miller went to Clemson and then on to the league.

[Ham Bone]

1998 Oldham County team was awfully good. Lost first game of the season against 4A Tates Creek (state runner-ups that year) in the Constitution Bowl, then didn't lose again until the third round of the playoffs, when Louisville Waggener upset them. Waggener, which had a dynamo team themselves that year (and should also be on this list) wound up being the 3A runner-ups.

 

Key in the Waggener loss (Oldham had defeated Waggener at Waggener in the regular season) was an injury to star running back George Taylor early in the second quarter during a punt return.

 

Oldham, under coach Mike Jackson, ran the Wing-T to perfection that season, with wings George Taylor (just a tick under 2,000 rushing yards) and Adam Ripperdan (over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards.).

 

CM

 

Waggener and Oldham played two great games that year. Not to leave out the great Louisville Valley team of '98. The district was strong with South Oldham rounding it out. I believe that era was historically Waggener's best run from 98-00 and were up there in terms of wins over the stretch compared to the other Louisville teams.

 

After beating the Colonels on the road, the Wildcats hosted the Bowling Green Purples and won in a thriller to head to state. The dream ended against the buzz-saw that was Lorenzen and Smith of Highlands.

[JJD]

Covington Catholic 1990 and 1992. The 1990 team was #1 overall, per Dave Cantrall for a good portion of the season. Lost to a big school OH team early in the year and lost in OT @ Bell Co in the playoffs, after a tough holding call and a 50/50 call on the goal line on 4th down - both in OT. If you're a CCH fan, it looks like the RB scored to set-up a game tying extra point attempt. If you're a Bell fan, he was stopped short.

 

CCH '92 - only CCH team to go undefeated in a regular season, including a win over Moeller. This was the best team CCH has ever had, with apologies to the state title teams. Upset by Highlands in playoffs, after beating them 42-7(ish) in regular season at Highlands.

[ColonelMike]

You are correct, that district was loaded that year. South Oldham won 8 games and Valley had an offensive machine; they and Oldham combined for 80+ points in a game at Oldham, as I recall.

 

Really wonder what Oldham would have done if Taylor hadn't been hurt in that playoff game....although Highlands was the clear #1 that season, I've always felt that Oldham was the runner-up that should have been.

 

Waggener was a solid team - well coached, with great skill players.