MARK MAYNARD: '88 game history lesson for 'Cats 11/18/08

 

Ashland will go to Fort Thomas Highlands with an “I Believe” attitude on Friday night.

 

Coach Leon Hart won’t have it any other way. I’m sure he’s been preaching it to his players already.

 

But the Tomcats are certainly decided underdogs against the Bluebirds, the top-ranked Class 5A team and one that many say has no equal in Kentucky, at least in their classification. State ratings systems indicate it will be a one-sided romp of five touchdowns or more.

 

Ashland can take a history lesson from its own books for inspiration.

 

It was 20 years ago this month that the Tomcats and Covington Catholic staged one of the greatest games in Putnam Stadium history in the Class 3A semifinals.

 

Catholic was a prohibitive 17-point favorite, a northern Kentucky powerhouse who was ranked No. 1 and seemingly unbeatable. Sound familiar?

 

What happened on that cold November Friday night in 1988 was, well, chilling, the stuff of goose-bumps and legends. The Tomcats battled the Colonels to a scoreless tie in regulation before dropping a tear-your-heart-out 6-0 decision in overtime. While a haunting loss for the 1988 Tomcats of coach Vic Marsh, it’s one of the classics of Putnam Stadium. It remains one the fans still talk about today.

 

Those Tomcats didn’t listen to the “lunch-counter” pre-game talk. These Tomcats may want to stay off the Internet chat boards this week.

 

The game with Covington Catholic in ’88 was supposed to be a mismatch. The Colonels were high-powered with quarterback Paul Hladon expected to make it look easy for the defending state champions.

This was a fantastic football game. A ton of excitement for a game that ended 0 - 0 in regulation.

 

I thought the Ashland kicker actually had three cracks at the field goal at the end of the game due to two false starts by Ashland and one offsides by CovCath? Either way, fantastic game that could have gone either way and having it played in Putnam Stadium made it even more memorable.

This was the article I was thinking of when I read the HHS fans that were suprised that 40 people had chosen (predicted) Ashland to win Friday night. Never count out a team with no pressure and nothing to lose.

 

 

Nice post!

You know, talk about games in 1988 as if they come from "deep" in the history books is making me feel OLD!!!

 

The late 80's was just yesterday.

 

Wasn't it??????????? :confused:

You know, talk about games in 1988 as if they come from "deep" in the history books is making me feel OLD!!!

 

The late 80's was just yesterday.

 

Wasn't it??????????? :confused:

 

Tell me about it. I remember that CCH team with Hladon fondly and they were very good.

Great article. I'm sure the Birds realize that the Tomcats aren't going to show up in Ft. T and just lay down because Highlands is the favorite. I expect a good, hard fought game.

Jeez, from the article you would think Cov Cath was a GCL team, and Gene Hackman was on the sideline coaching Ashland. :lol:

Jeez, from the article you would think Cov Cath was a GCL team, and Gene Hackman was on the sideline coaching Ashland. :lol:

 

:thumb:

Jeez, from the article you would think Cov Cath was a GCL team, and Gene Hackman was on the sideline coaching Ashland. :lol:

 

For those who played and were in attendance for the game, it was a special night. Ashland was a decided underdog in the game, but were on a serious roll, having beaten a very good Russell team earlier in the playoffs. To get beat in OT is never easy, to get beat in OT in the state semis is especially hard. Vic Marsh and his staff had a terrific game plan in place that night and came up only a little short. They would have matched up very favorably with Tilghman in the finals had they won this game.

Jeez, from the article you would think Cov Cath was a GCL team, and Gene Hackman was on the sideline coaching Ashland. :lol:

 

 

That's twice you've cracked on Mark Maynard and the DI this week. I'm going to personally introduce him to you on Friday. By the way, his boy is the one who played the role of EKR during our BGP outing at GABP that one year. :lol:

That's twice you've cracked on Mark Maynard and the DI this week.

They haven't been making me a happy reader this week. I may have to cancel my subscription. :banana:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Umm, how big is he...and how fast?

Gee I remember that game, but it the 67 game that I remember the best. It was a muddy mess at Ashland that night and it was CovCath first real road trip for a football game. We lost but played ok, but the one big thing I remember was the mud all over the inside of the bus and Mr. Payne the then CovCath AD being so mad that he had to pay a fine to the bus company for all the mud inside the bus..... To this day I can remember (and can still see his face as we pulled into CovCath and he saw the mud) how mad Mr Payne got at Coach Rasso.

You know, talk about games in 1988 as if they come from "deep" in the history books is making me feel OLD!!!

 

The late 80's was just yesterday.

 

Wasn't it??????????? :confused:

 

You're old.

You're old.

 

So my children never fail to remind me... :sssh:

 

I graduated from Oldham County HS in 1980...

So my children never fail to remind me... :sssh:

 

I graduated from Oldham County HS in 1980...

 

You're only as old as you feel. 1988 was only yesterday!