PurpleHaze

Correction: Fr K Lee Ramsey booted one PAT...Hanks was perfect on three attempts. Sorry about the goof-up!

Senior Night at The Big El, and it was very emotional with some folks. I realized an important goal of mine last night...I got a photo made with each assistant coach who wore the Purple and Gold back in the day! Because Blue Tisdale and his brother Napoleon are seniors, I got to see a friend I had not seen in quite a while: their father, Vito, who was quite the fullback in the early 1990s under the late Coach Dan Haley! It was the first time he'd seen me without legs, but I didn't surprise him at all that I was doing great! I got my photo taken with several of the seniors as well...the photo with Nacarius will always be special to me and Mrs PH! During the National Anthem, I put my left hand on Josh Kelly's arm while I saluted the flag as is my custom being a veteran. Another special moment was with Porter Riggs and his father Mike, who was my teammate in 1975-76. Porter has some offers to play at C with some colleges, and I will be following his progress! It is a special thing on Senior Night when I meet with all the seniors, shake their hands (especially in front of their parents), and thank them for all they have done for Alma Mater and the community! These may be young men playing in a different era than I did, but they will ALWAYS be teammates! All points except for the PATs and one TD were scored by seniors. RB Blake Pillow led the scoring parade with two TDs on the ground of one and 54 yards and a ten yd TD toss from Devin Hayes, who completed eight of ten passes for 100 yds and the one score. RB Blue Tisdale scored on runs of three and 46 yards. DB Logan Paris returned an interception 32 yds for a score. TE Patrick Simms scored a 2pt conversion on a pass reception. Jr TE Cameron Wallace scored on a 40 yd pass play from Jr QB Campbell Gott. Jr K Hunter Hanks was perfect on four PAT attempts. We had the running clock imposed with seven seconds left in the first quarter! Next on the hit parade is Christian County (5-6), who got by Barren County 26-12. By the way, last night was the 200th win for Kevin Wallace as BGHS's gridiron mentor!!! I am very proud for my friend and former adversary back in the day! He now has 245 wins all time as a head coach. Second at BGHS is our late friend Head Coach Dan Haley with 119. Sic 'em, Purple!!!:thumb::thumb::thumb:

They came out of their locker room, used our path to the field, and started taunting our fans out of the gate. Also, there definitely was a safety when Jr DE Darrian Scott met their RB head on. It happened almost right in front of us and we were sitting on the track, but the official ruled it down on their one yard line...incredible! Also, later in the first half, one of their players threw a forearm shiver into the helmet of one of the Purples. In the NFL, that's a $15,000 fine and an unpaid suspension. It wasn't called either. Neither was a facemask penalty when Devin Hayes was blatantly grabbed by the facemask in the second half. They quoted their coach in the Park City today and he roasted the officiating of the game. I knew that they were going to be sore after their 9-3 loss to crosstown Oakland that cost them the district title, but I never expected anything that vicious. Many of the Blackman fans were apologizing to Mrs. PH for their behavior...they weren't bad people. But if that football team was as sportsmanlike as their head coach claimed, you couldn't prove it by me, and I was field level!!! But class is as class does, and the good guys did win this game!

First, Blackman lost their first game of the season and it cost them a district title to their crosstown rival Oakland (also unbeaten) 9-3 the previous Thursday. They reviewed our films, and their players apparently mouthed off that our players didn't look very physical. However, in the first half, they found out that our players won't back down from anybody looking for a confrontation. But that's not what the Purples are all about, even though they can really dish out the punishment when they have to. Quickness and speed are the game for the Purples. It is also about heart. It is about leaving everything on the field, smart coaching, and smart players. When the guys came out for the second half, I told them to let them play their "game", and for them to play The Purple Way. The guys understood, and the more agressive, raucous Blackman players shot themselves in the foot with a ton of 15 yard penalties. Some of their players dared to try to enter the Fieldhouse going into the Purples' locker room, not the visitors' locker room. I was where I welcome our players and pointed them the right way until one of their coaches got there to herd them in the right direction. He asked me if any of his players hurt me in any way (he had told them to leave the man in the wheelchair alone!). They didn't do anything to me. This coach was great...I think that it was the players who were very disappointed with their game with Oakland and hurting their chances at scholarships...just my theory. One thing is for sure...underestimating the heart of the Purples and The Purple Way will get you beaten. They found a way, and I'm so proud of the guys and the staff!! I can't resist twistin' again!!!:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa

Got a huge hug from Blue Tisdale too. His hug was so hard it almost crushed my glasses!! :lol2:

Man, what an atmosphere on the field after the game and the Blackman crowd went home...you would have thought we had just had a huge upset to make it to a championship game for the first time! People were all over milling about in celebration, all smiles. Mrs PH and I waited our turn patiently to see Nacarius Fant during his myriad of impromptu interviews. When he finally saw us, it was the biggest smile I've seen from him in a long time! He gave both of us a huge hug! When the guys came back out on the field after halftime, I told them to let them play their "game"...you just play The Purple Way. It worked, and a whole bunch of elated players agreed after the game!!

Nobody in the PH household has a voice left after this one!! The best way I can describe Blackman is a St X sized team with Male speed. But great teams find a way...BGHS is a great team this year, and I'm proud of every one of my boys! :dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa

Stick a fork in this one...thanx to the running clock the entire second half, no other scoring. Purples 42, Gators 0.

At the end of the first half, the Purples are up 42-0. Of the six TDs scored, only Sr RB Blake Pillow has more than one score (runs of 15 and two yards). All but one of the BGHS drives have started in Greenwood territory, and BGHS has scored on each posession. Sic 'em, Purple!:clap:

I haven't heard anything about the celebration yet. If/when I do, I will get back on here and let you all know!:thumb:

Outstanding synopsis of The Backyard Brawl, 'Fire!!:thumb:I was a soph on that 1974 BGHS team that met the Dragons for the first time ever. I also attended the first loss...Rusty Dyer played his guts out, while BGHS was still demoralized by dropping a lead over Christian Co at Walnut St Stadium earlier in the year, losing 28-27 and the district title in one game! However, that doesn't take away from Central's outstanding performance that night, the final night of the regular season! For you folks not in the know, Central was still wearing Purple and White in 1974...they didn't switch to Navy and White until 1975! The Purple and White was from the days before consolidation when the old Warren County High wore Purple and White. Warren Co played varsity ball from 1959 until 1967. North Warren played varsity ball in 1967 and 1968 before being absorbed into the Warren East consolidation.

Words cannot express the emptiness I feel right now. He was the head coach at Paducah Tilghman when I played at BGHS in 1974-76. I am proof that you can consider an opposing head coach a mentor, as I admired how the Tornado played with such precision and togetherness. He brought those traits to BGHS when he became head coach here in 1984. He is tied for third in tenure as head coach of the Purples with 12 years (1984-95). He brought us many exciting moments and great young men during that time, along with our first two state championship appearances in 1994 and 1995, winning our first title in 1995. He is second all time in victories at Alma Mater with 119 behind current mentor Kevin Wallace, who assisted Coach Haley in 1994 and 1995. How prophetic his words were in 1975 when, after a blowout win handing the Purples their first loss in 1975, he was quoted in the Park City as saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day," expressing his feeling that a colossus was about to emerge at Alma Mater. The following year, we had our very first ever win over the Tornado at McRight Field by a score of 9-7. It would be the first of four consecutive wins over the Tornado. Before that game, the Purples were 0-19-2 against the Tornado. I can, and still do, wear that same gold jersey to our games. Ol' #57 has come to be known as a very lucky jersey. When he retired, I met him to shake his hand. I told him, "Once a Purple, ALWAYS a Purple...". He nodded his head in agreement. This statement has become a statement of solidarity among those in Purple Nation, player or not. His statement, "It is always a GREAT day to be a Purple!" is another statement of solidarity. The last time Mrs PH and I saw him, it was at a scrimmage at The Big El. In a very rare display of how he was personally, he met our little pocket beagle, Molly. He and Molly hit it off immediately, and I could tell that he was a dog lover. I was concentrating on the scrimmage too much, and heard that they were kissing on each other! Had I known, I would have approached him to say, "What are your intentions with my daughter, young man?"! I guarantee that he would have gotten a big laugh out of that! He left us way too soon. He will be remembered as somebody who was a tremendous force in the molding of outstanding young men and one who made his assistants much better. He was a positive influence with everybody he met. But most of all, he was a class gentleman on and off the field. He can never be replaced...one can only hope to emulate him and hope that his spirit will approve. He will be sitting up there at The Big El with Coach Donaldson, Coach Pickens, and Monie Beard watching over the Purples. :cry:

Devin's yardage total is a new BGHS record. It is also a new team record (367 yds v Greenwood in 2005 when Trent Steelman was a soph, he split time with Rondale McMillian, who transferred to J-town after that season). I wish that more schools were paying attention to him as well...he deserves it!

I am sorry about my mixup. I had forgotten that BGHS's game with Bryan Station was canceled earlier in the year. Instead of playing the 1000th game in program history this week against Warren Central at home, it will be played next week at the Swamp against Greenwood. But I sure am looking forward to #999 this week as well...!!:thumb:

He had a 99 yard KO return against McCallie. That tied the BGHS records for longest scoring play and longest KO return. This was extremely impressive considering McCallie is the fastest team we've played in years! :thumb:

Sr QB Devin Hayes threw five TD passes to four different receivers in this one. Congratulations to Ben Holt (RB) and Tre Boards for scoring their first varsity TDs and Fr K Lee Ramsey for scoring his first varsity FG. K Hunter Hanks a perfect seven for seven on PATs. Coach Wallace called off the dogs at the start of the third qtr. The Purples travel to Russellville next week for another district contest with Logan Co before Fall Break. Sic 'em, Purple!!!:thumb:

Sic 'em, Purple!!! Happy Homecoming this week!

Hey Pride! Interested in an Alma Mater program this year? I have one for you if you're interested! I wouldn't mind having one of yours as well. Get together with me on PM and we'll work it out!

Many thanx from both of us, 'Pick! You are one of our favorites too! It is hard to pick out who respects whom more...Mayfield or BGHS! Got a program with your name on it if you want it...just let me know via PM! If you can latch on to a Mayfield program, I'd love to have one also!

Hey Purple88! My turn to welcome you to the site! Pride can tell you that I know more about Alma Mater gridiron history than just about anybody, so if you have a question you need an answer to just give me a holler. If I don't know the answer, I will beat the bushes to find it for you! I played from 1974 to 1976, and I was on the first BGHS team to beat Paducah Tilghman back in 1976. Still able to wear my gold #57 jersey I wore that night! If you come out to The Big El for a game, just ask almost anybody where Bulldog is, and they'll point me and Mrs PH out almost immediately! I have a tradition of welcoming the guys on and off the field, so I'm not hard to find. Hope to get to meet you there...Homecoming is Friday! Again, welcome to the site!!

What a night for Eli Brown!!!:thumb:Congratulations to my old friend Head Coach Steve Long and the Raiders for East's first ever win over the Tigers!:clap::clap:

This was one amazing game. Five total TDs in the first qtr. Three kickoffs returned for scores. Coming from behind 30-19 to win 40-36. To top that off, BGHS was able to keep the ball away from McCallie for the last 7+ minutes of the game to protect the precious four pt lead to win. This game had just about everything you would want to see in a game. Incredible! Hats off to the Tornado for a marvelous game! Massive pat on the back to Sr DB Hunter Rogers for the interception that ended the final Tornado threat and started BGHS's win preserving drive!:thumb::thumb:

My better half posts Casper the Muscle Ghost!!!:ylsuper::thumb:

How about a whole gallon?!!!!!

To overcome a 30-19 deficit against a team as potent as McCallie to win 40-36 was truly a remarkable feat! I'm proud of my boys tonight! Uh-oh...guess what I feel coming on...:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa:dancingpa Yep, a twisting fit!!! Sic 'em, Purple!!! The Purples will host Barren County next week as the Homecoming Victim...uh...Homecoming Guest in our first district contest next week. But for now, we in Purple Nation will savor #34!!