By Stephen D. Bowling

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The 1992 Breathitt High School football season ended with a loss to perennial nemesis Bell County. The Bobcat players took a few weeks off while volunteers completed the expansion of the football den. By February, preparations for the 1993 season were in full swing.

Finishing the Den

Football addition almost completed

By Jack Niece

The new football addition is nearing completion thanks to a bunch of recently donated labor.

Though the addition is “nearing completion,” there is still a lot of work to be done, according to Coach Mike Holcomb. “We need help with painting and carpet laying especially,” he stressed earlier this week. He said he and the boosters’ club still needed and would surely appreciate donated labor and money for materials.

The sheetrock is now in place thanks to Conley Trent, Greg Hollon, Phillip Hollon, and Clarence Stamper.

Before that was nailed up, Ernie Turner and several Bobcats helped install insulation. “We’ve had a lot of help in recent weeks,” stressed Holcomb, “and we appreciate what everybody has done.”

David Danner and Jeremy Rice did well when they textured the drywall.

Water fountains are now in place, the doors arc up, and the wiring has been run.

The next big job is getting the heat in.  After that is completed, Holcomb said the other jobs should fall into place fast.

He added that donations had come in “pretty well” in recent weeks, for which he expressed sincere appreciation.

Pointing out that Breathitt High football has a bunch of friends in the county, Holcomb said he. the other coaches, players.  Administrators and football boosters were all very grateful for all that’s been done for the new football addition.

He stated that anyone who would like to contribute either labor or money toward the completion of the building can do so by seeing him or the principal, P. R. Herald, at the high school.

“We want as many as possible to share in our dream of helping make our new addition a reality,” Holcomb concluded.

The Jackson Times, January 21, 1993, page 19

Weightlifting Competitions

Football Bobcats in weight-lifting competition

Twenty-two (22) members of the Breathitt Bobcat football team competed last Saturday at Knott County Central in the 4th Annual “King of the Mountains Weight Lifting Competition.”

According to Coach Mike Holcomb, his squad competed against representatives of 13 other football teams from all over the state, including Hazard, Leslie County, Shelby Valley, Clay County, Knott County, Belfry, Bell County, Whitesburg, Betsy Layne, Lexington Catholic, Jenkins, M.C. Napier, and Lynn Camp.

MICHAEL LIVELY finished 2nd in the 125 pounds and under division; RICKY RITCHIE finished first in the 175-pound division, setting new records in all lifts; ADAM STUERWALD finished 2nd in the 195-pound division; SHAWN SMITH finished 5th in the 235-pound division; JOEY STEWART “deadlifted” 550 pounds to finish 2nd in the heavyweight division, while AL COLLINS finished 5th.

Team competitors participated in the bench press, squats, deadlifts, and power cleans.  Hazard finished in first place as a team, Leslie County was 2nd, and Breathitt County finished in 3rd place overall.

Bench press and deadlift competition will continue one week from this Saturday (Feb. 27) at Lexington Catholic.

The Breathitt County Voice, February 17, 1993, page 8

Graduation Controversy

No one opposed the proposed remodel of the football field when school officials asked for permission from the Board of Education in March 1993. The old, worn-down field needed some help. Despite the hard work and tireless efforts of the grounds department, the field needed help.

Coach Holcomb and many football Boosters devised a plan to reseed the field for free as part of a program with the Cooperative Extension Office and agrostologists at Quicksand. The plan called for the botanists and workers from the Plant Materials Center at the Quicksand Center to plant and resod the field with Bermuda grass. The only issue was that no one could be on the field until the new grass had a firm start. The timing of the announcement caused graduation concerns for many.

A facelift in store for BHS football field

Breathitt High School has asked the Board of Education for approval of a project headed by the Plant Materials Center at Quicksand (UK extension) in resodding the football field with “Quicksand” Bermuda Grass.

Renowned as an excellent surface for outdoor sports, BHS is very high on this project. Now the board, too, is convinced that this project would be a worthwhile investment.

The PMC has agreed to “reseed” the field with Bermuda Grass plugs and then fertilize it. Breathitt High School would share the responsibility for grooming and maintenance – mowing the grass and keeping unauthorized personnel off of it.

The basic project will be performed at no cost to the school system.

However, the board would have to purchase special grass-cutting equipment, valued between $7-or 8-thousand dollars for the machine.

The project is expected to begin within the next few weeks.  Due to the projected project schedule, Breathitt High School’s senior graduation ceremonies will have to be held inside the PE gymnasium, if not elsewhere, since both the Coliseum and football field will be off-limits.

The Breathitt County Voice, March 24, 1993, page 9

The issue at hand was where the Breathitt High School class of 1993 would have their graduation in May. The collapse and subsequent condemnation of the Breathitt High School Coliseum and not the resodding of the football field left only one location for the proposed graduation. The “New Gym” at the high school was a much smaller space. School officials announced that graduates would have to limit the number of guests they could invite due to the limited space.

Relatives of the 166 graduates started a campaign to avoid limiting the number of attendees. Angry relatives called the newspapers and school administrators to complain. Many in the community voiced similar concerns, including several calls to A Piece of Your Mind.

School officials assured callers they were doing everything possible to correct the problem. By May 19, the graduation controversy ended when the School Board announced that the graduation would occur on the BHS football field. Pressure from parents and relatives delayed the installation of the new grass over the entire field until after the end-of-the-year activities were concluded. The football field was used for graduation on May 28, and then work was completed to overhaul the field.

New Den Ready in May

Stadium weight room ready by early May

by David W. Strong

It was nearly a year ago in June that early construction phases began on Breathitt High School football stadium’s new weight room addition.

The Jake Henson Construction Company donated their time and labor in getting the footer dug to get the project underway.  Progress took off and maintained a rapid pace until limited funding and bad weather conditions dictated a limited number of available work days.

Now, nine months later, Henson’s Construction Company, which had been contracted to do the actual construction phase, has completed its work. The new facility has been wired for electricity and lighting, and the weight room awaits the finishing touches of carpeting, painting, and office furnishings.

“I’ve been doing all of the painting myself, and the few furnishings I’ll need in the office area won’t amount to that much,” said BHS football coach Mike Holcomb.  “We already have some good, quality weights that are being used right now, so we won’t have to worry about having to buy new ones for a while yet. What we need is more room to put them in and this facility will take care of that.

“When we get these final phases of the weight room finished, it’s going to be open to all high school athletes and student body. It won’t be just for the football team,” he said.

When the football team begins utilizing their new space in a few weeks (hopefully by May 1st), the old area will revert to what it was designed for all along — a locker room.

“We held a meeting last March with all the people who were originally in on this idea,” Holcomb said, “and we’d like to draw all of them back together for another meeting to plan our open house ceremonies. We’ll hold that whenever Superintendent Rogers wants to have it, but personally, I’d like to see it held during Labor Day weekend if at all possible.

“We still need to get our recognition board set up. The names of all the people who donated to us will be listed on the wall inside the facility,” Holcomb said.

Meanwhile, the football team continues to work out every day during the off-season. According to Holcomb, the team is getting bigger, stronger, and faster, and is coming together very nicely. He said it’s the things they do right now that will be the key to what kind of a season they have this fall.

The young talent moving up from lower levels of skills have played well.  It is expected that they will continue to show good production, especially the sophomores.

“We’ll be up to a challenge with our younger players, and that’s why this weight room project is so important to us,” Holcomb said. “We have a pretty good football program, and if they’ll stay on the weights, I look for a successful season this year.”

The Breathitt County Voice, April 7, 1993, pages 1 and 3

Lift-A-Thon Announced

BHS Football annual lift-a-thon scheduled

Breathitt High’s annual lift-a-thon is going to be taking place in just over two weeks – May 8th, to be exact.

This year it’s going to be at the new football facility, the first official use of the new building that’s an impressive addition to the local football program.

Basically, all that is lacking is the carpet. “Once it is finished, I think we ’II have as good a facility as anybody in the area,” observed an elated Coach Holcomb.

Fans who attend the lift-a-thon will get to see it all, another reason for being present for this annual straining, gruntin’, and groanin’ event.

The football players will be giving the lift-a-thon every ounce of energy they can muster for the bench press, squat, and deadlift.  Each will strive for the honor of being tops in his weight division which includes 139 and under; 140-152; 153-165; 166 177; 178 189; 190-202; 203-215; 216-230; and 231 up.

All the action will start at 4:00 p.m. on the 8th.  It should be over at about 7:00. According to Coach Holcomb, fans are invited to come for the entire event or any portion thereof. The lift-a-thon will start with the lightest division and work upwards.

The concession stand will be open to provide food and drink for those who get hungry and/or thirsty.

This event is a money-making activity for the football program.  The football Bobcats are seeking sponsors who will pledge a specific amount per pound lifted.  Any person not contacted who would like to contribute to the program can do so by contacting any football player or Coach Holcomb at 666-8406.

All lift-a-thon participants will be receiving a tee shirt courtesy of Little Caesars. Wal-Mart is co-sponsoring the event. “We’re very grateful for the support the community gives our football program,” stated Coach Holcomb. “We appreciate every large and small gift,” he stressed.

This will be the 8th year for Breathitt High’s annual lifting event, and it continues to be a very popular activity with the football players, Holcomb said.  He added that his players have been lifting weights hard since December, especially in preparation for this upcoming lift-a-thon.

“This has proven to be a fun event in the past,” smiled Holcomb. “We think it will be again this time, and we invite all of our friends and fans to attend the lift-a-thon and, at the same time, see our new facility here.”

The Breathitt County Voice, April 22, 1993, page 22

Lift-A-Thon Results

Top 9 finishers lift 9,180 lbs. at lift-a-thon

By Jack Niece

A lot of high fives and encouragements like “Come on, you can do it” were all part of the lift-a-thon scene at the new football addition on Saturday afternoon.

From start to finish, the 8th annual lift-a-thon was a fine success, according to Coach Holcomb, head football coach. “I don’t see how it could have been improved,” he smiled.

There was good participation, an excellent turnout, and impressive community support.  “The community always comes through for our football program,” added Holcomb. “I’m always impressed about how gracious and supportive the community is of our kids. We really appreciate that, too.”

The lift-a-thon was financially successful also. The football players secured sponsors who pledged so much per pound lifted. Money continues to come in, and when it is all counted, Holcomb thinks there will be a fairly good nest egg to start the fall program.

The lift-a-thon was divided into nine different weight divisions ranging from 130 down to 231 up. About 40 of the Bobcats participated in the contest which included the bench, squad, and deadlift.

In the 139 down category, Mike Lively was the top finisher. His bench was 130; squat 265; deadlift 370 for a total of 765.

Chris Hollon won the 140-152 division. His stats as follows: bench 230, squad 280; deadlift 350, total 860.

Winner in 153-165 category, Jamin Noble. Slats: bench 225; squat 300; deadlift 390, total 915.

Rob Hounshell won the 166-177 division. Stats: bench 200; squat 310; deadlift 370, total 880.

The top finisher in the 178-189 section was Ricky Ritchie. Stats; bench 300; squat 410; deadlift 430, total 1140.

In the 190-202 category Mark Benham finished first. Stats: bench 260; squat 370; deadlift 430, total 1060.

Earl Young was first in the 203-215 division. Stats: bench 275; squad 350; dead lift460, total 1085.

Shawn Smith took the lead in the 216-230 division. Stats: bench 320; squad 450; dead lifl430, total 1200.

In the 231-up section, Joey Stewart finished first. Stats: bench 330; squat 450; deadlift 500, total 1280.

Coach Holcomb said the successful lift-a-thon was the result of good help and hard work from several people. He said he was especially grateful for support from the football boosters and Little Caesars.  Little Caesars gave a tee shirt for each participant “We appreciate that,” concluded Holcomb.

The Jackson Times, May 13, 1993, page A10

Midnight Madness

1993 Schedule

Romance in the Newspapers

One of the most popular newspaper features in the local newspaper in the early 1990s was the section of The Breathitt County Voice that allowed callers to record messages and have them printed in the newspaper. The section, A Piece of Your Mind, featured serious criticism, humorous or witty statements, and some outlandish claims and observations.

Just before the 1993 season started, messages to an unnamed football player or players started appearing.

Sadly, as quickly as the weekly romance blossomed, it faded and disappeared from the pages to the newspaper. The true identity of the “sweetest person ever,” who also happened to be a “blonde football player,” was never revealed. We may never know if both parties found their true love.

Football Camp

Bobcat football team departs for camp

Coach Mike Holcomb and staff will be departing Breathitt High School this Saturday morning (August 7)enroute for a football camp at Lake Cumberland. The buses will leave the high school around 10:00 am and will return Wednesday evening (August 11) by 9:00 pm.

“This just gives the kids a chance to get away for a little bit. We’ll be concentrating on some things that we need to work on and the camp atmosphere lets themdo that without the usual distractions here at home,” said Holcomb. “It’ll be a tough week, but well worth it, and it’ll help us on down the road.”

The Breathitt County Voice, August 4, 1993, page 9

Bobcat football team arrives tonight

The Breathitt High School football team, which left last Saturday morning (August 7) for a football camp at Lake Cumberland,returns home tonight following five days of activity at the resort.

According to assistant coach Irton Sparkman, 46 of the 48 players that could have made the trip did. The team departed the high school in two buses shortly after 10:00 am Saturday and should be back in town not later than 9:00 pm tonight.

Grid-A-Rama Announced

Bobcats to host 1993 Grid-a-Rama this Saturday

The long-awaited 1993 high school football “Grid-a-Rama” gets underway this Saturday evening at Bobcat Stadium as six area teams offer fans a preview of their 1993-94 squads.

This year’s Grid-a-Rama is a showcase of some of the best football talent in the mountains, featuring several top players, including a Mr. Football candidate with the Clay County Tigers.

Admission to the Grid-a-Rama is $3.00 per person. Gate proceeds will be equally divided among the six teams from Leslie County, Estill County, Shelby Valley, Clay County, Whitesburg, and Breathitt.

There will be three modified ballgames again this year, with each team playing two 15-minute halves.

The schedule finds Leslie County (in dark jerseys) taking on Estill County at 6:00 pm.  The Bobcats will be playing both of these teams during the regular season.

Estill County drew Honey Bowl honors this year and will be back in town on Saturday, September 3.

Leslie County, a District 2 rival, pays us another visit for the last game of the season on Friday, October 29.

At 7:30, the “prime-time” game features our own Breathitt Bobcats scratching it out with Shelby Valley High School.  The Bobcats will be wearing their road blues.

Then at 9:00, the Grid-a-Rama ends with Clay County (dark jerseys) taking on Whitesburg.

Whitesburg will be Breathitt’s first regular season opponent on Saturday, August 28.

The Bobcats will also play District 2 rival Clay County this year down in Manchester on October 1, so here’s an opportunity to get an early look at two future opponents.

The Breathitt County Voice, August 18, 1993, page 9

Bus Strike Threatens Season

As far back as May, there were signs of serious issues ahead. By the middle of August 1993, both sides were expressing their displeasure. The bus drivers raised their concerns after the August 11th announcement of changes to the bus routes. Superintendent Hargus Rogers and the Board of Education told local media outlets that reducing the number of routes and increasing the number of students on each bus was necessary to balance the books.

The Board also cited the reduction in student numbers as a major factor in the reorganization. Bus drivers objected to the changes and told officials that the pay did not support increased numbers and that the added hours were necessary after the number of “runs” dropped. After months of discussion, the drivers voted to strike.

In a special meeting on Sunday, August 15, the bus drivers voted 32-23 to not report to their jobs on Monday to protest the Board’s actions. The group elected Bill Terry as their spokesman and chief negotiator. The vote came just hours before the start of school on August 16. During the weeks that followed, school officials and bus drivers negotiated unsuccessfully. The drivers asked for a 15% pay increase, but the Board refused.

“I wish we had the money for that,” Rogers said. “But we don’t.” Rogers repeatedly told the driver that he did “not believe in strikes. I think they are illegal.” The strike delayed the start of school, and the State Department of Education sent a mediator to help solve the dispute.

Discussions continued, and the start of school was moved back. School officials agreed, and school started on Wednesday, September 1, 1993, despite “a large number of teachers” who did not report for work and the buses not running. State news sources reported that a majority of students did not show up for classes.

After 14 days, the drivers agreed to return to work on Friday, September 3. The drivers voted 30-9 to allow the arbiter to settle the dispute, which Rogers said cost the Board about $50,000 in lost attendance pay. Ultimately, the drivers agreed to a 5.5% pay raise, two more sick days, and other demands.

Grid-A-Rama

Grid-a-Rama packs stadium with eager football fans

By judging the massive turnout at Saturday’s 1993 Grid-a-Rama, you never would have known that there was a bus drivers’ strike going on and that Breathitt County Schools weren’t even in session yet.

Most of the six teams featured in this year’s showcase appeared to be in mid-season form already, including our own Breathitt County Bobcats.

I’m not saying there were no flaws.  Coaches yelled and screamed at players from the sidelines all evening long, but the spirit and enthusiasm of players and fans alike did not suggest this was the first time on the field against “foreign” competition in the 1993 season.

The Grid-a-Rama featured teams from Leslie County, Estill County, Breathitt County, Shelby Valley, Whitesburg, and Clay County– four of which the Bobcats will play during the regular season (all but Shelby Valley).  Of those four teams, two are District 2 rivals (Leslie and Clay).

The teams each played two 15-minute halves during the showcase.   There were no kickoffs.  Instead, teams automatically took possession of the ball on their 30-yard line.

All other elements of the game were kept intact.

Breathitt -vs- Shelby Valley

That set the stage for the primetime game of the evening between the hometown Breathitt County Bobcats and the visiting Shelby Valley Wildcats.

Breathitt had not played on the gridiron since the shutout defeat they suffered at the hands of the Bell County Bobcats in the postseason tournament in mid-November of last year.

The Bobcats won the toss and elected to go on offense.  In a play that was planned during the team meeting prior to the game, quarterback Waylon Chapman came out firing long on the first play of the drive down the left sideline and found Matt Sharp for an immediate 32-yard gain.

Six plays later, Breathitt County went on the scoreboard when Shorty Combs scampered in from 6 yards out.  Mark Bonham’s PAT was blocked.  Breathitt took the early 6-0 lead with 12:17 showing on the clock (BC=6, SV=0).

The Wildcats, perhaps stunned by the burst of offense from Breathitt County, gained only 3 yards on five plays during their opening drive and punted back to the Bobcats on the Breathitt 37-yard line.

Shorty Combs gained 3 yards on a run, and then Chapman connected with a pass to Matt Sharp out to the 40-yard line.  Sharp was hit hard by the Wildcat defense and couldn’t hang onto the ball.  Shelby Valley recovered, then drove 60 yards for a touchdown with 6:17 remaining in the half.

The Wildcats took the lead when their kicker sent the PAT between the uprights, and Shelby Valley took the one-point advantage (BC=6, SV-7).

Breathitt County came right back in the next series of 6 plays to score a touchdown when Chapman connected another pass to Matt Sharp from 22 yards out.  He was perfect again to John Rader for the 2-point conversion, and Breathitt County regained the lead, 14-7, with 4:03 remaining in the half.

The Wildcats moved to within the Breathitt 36-yard line on their next possession but could get no closer.  The Bobcats went to the locker room with a 7-point lead.

Following the mid-game break, Shelby Valley fumbled away a 19-yard gain on the 3rd play of the drive, and Breathitt recovered on their own 45-yard line.  Four plays into the next drive, Ricky Ritchie reeled off a big gainer down to the 1-yard line, but the play was called back on multiple flags against the offense.

Now facing a 4th and 20, Tim Taulbee punted the hall into the end zone for a tone back, and Shelby Valley took over on their own 20-yard line.

The Wildcats put together their longest and best drive of the evening, moving 80 yards on 12 plays for a touchdown. The Tl) was shaky, though, when the ball earner fumbled the ball in the end one after an 8-yard run but managed to make his own recovery for the score.  A controversial 2-point conversion was ruled no good as Shelby Valley moved to within a single point of the home team, 13-14.

With the clock ticking down in the final period, Shelby Valley seemed to have the momentum on their side. Shorty Combs converted a crucial 3rd-n-inches for Breathitt County near their own 40-yard line to keep a Bobcat drive alive.  The march continued down to the Valley 34-yard line when Ricky Ritchie lost the handle and fumbled the ball back to Shelby Valley with only 1:18 remaining.

The Wildcats carefully moved the ball to the Breathitt 40 but then lost steam.  With less than 10 seconds to play, the Wildcat quarterback launched three straight desperation “bombs” to the endzone but, thanks to a solid Breathitt County defense, could not connect.

The final nail went into the coffin’s lid when TimTaulbee intercepted the pass for the Bobcats, sealing Shelby Valley’s fate.

In what turned out to be a nailbiter, the Bobcats hung on to win it, 14-13.

The Breathitt County Voice, August 25, 1993, pages 9-10

The 1993 Season

The Team

Whitesburg – August 27, 1993 – Win 35 – 12

Bobcats Win Letcher Bowl, 35-12

Following Cumberland’s 36-0 pounding of Fleming-Neon in the opener of the first annual Letcher County Bowl at Whitesburg Saturday night, the Breathitt Bobcats took the field for the featured game with the Whitesburg Yellowjackets.

Both coaches had only 30 minutes each to scout their respective opponents — at the BHS Grid-a-Rama just one week ago.

Coach Mike Holcomb spent Saturday afternoon at SMS watching Coach John Chapman’s young squad scrimmage with a team from Morgan County. In the few moments that we talked, Holcomb admitted that he had some butterflies because he didn’t know how his team would play at the Letcher Bowl.

As it turned out, they did OK — or, should I say, just as well as the opponents.

1st Quarter

The Bobcats received the first possession and kept the ball on the ground for just over 3 minutes en route to a game-opening touchdown on a 6-yard pass completion from Waylon Chapman to John Rader. Mark Benham’s PAT was good, and Breathitt captured the early lead, 7-0, with 8:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Whitesburg came right back to score on a pass from Chester Adams to Jamie Hatton, but the chief concern about that was the way they got it done.

With a 3rd-and-long yardage from their own 23-yard line, the TD came on a 77-yard passing play. Someone on the Bobcat defense didn’t do their job.

Trying for a 2-point conversion, the Yellowjackets failed to convert and trailed Breathitt County 7-6 with 6:41 remaining in the quarter.

In adding to those butterflies, Chapman came out on 2nd-n-8 from their own 30-yard line to throw a pass that was picked off by Whitesburg’s Roger Caudill, giving the Yellowjackets excellent field position on Breathitt County’s 27-yard line.

Keeping the ball on the ground this time, Adams led his team to another touchdown in four plays as Hatton carried the ball over the goal line from 4 yards out.

Whitesburg missed the PAT wide to the left, but the home team still took the 12-7 lead with 3:42 remaining.

With the first quarter winding down, the Bobcats mixed up the offense in their third possession after Tim Taulbee returned the kickoff to the Whitesburg 44-yard line for a seemingly good start.

The Bobcats moved to the Yellowjacket 34 in four plays but were flagged for an offsides penalty. Kicky Ritchie then lost the handle on the football with 2nd-n-15 from the 39, and Jamie Hatton recovered the fumble for Whitesburg.

By this time, things were looking dim for the Bobcats, but fate turned the tide of events when, on the very first play, Whitesburg’s quarterback fumbled the ball on a keeper and Joey Stewart fell on it for the Bobcats, giving Breathitt County the ball right back on the Whitesburg 34.

Holcomb had time for two plays before the first quarter expired, with Whitesburg leading 12-7.

2nd Quarter

Breathitt finally put themselves back together and continued this drive all the way down for their second touchdown.

The score came on the sixth play of the second quarter when Chapman hit Tim Taulbee with a pass from 11 yards out. Benham’s PAT was right on the money as the Bobcats reclaimed the lead, 14-12, with 9:37 left in the first half.

Whitesburg, perhaps suffering from the shock of the back-to-back fumble, made one first down, then lost yardage when Billy Stamper was dropped behind the line of scrimmage for a 4th-and-17 on their own 47.  The Yellowjackets punted away for a touchback in the endzone.

Breathitt gained only 7 yards on their next possession and returned the favor by punting back to Whitesburg with 5:02 remaining in the half.

From their own 23-yard line, Chester Adams launched a bomb down the sidelines that was broken up by Ricky Ritchie.

The 2nd-and-10 play was stopped near the line of scrimmage, then the 3rd-and-9 play put the Yellowjackets back 5 yards on a “delay of game” penalty.

With 3rd-and-14 from their own 20-yard line, the home team broke it open when quarterback Chester Adams broke through Bobcat tacklers all over the field, netting his team 68 yards and a 1 st-and-10 on the Breathitt 12-yard line.

With that sickening feeling returning to his stomach, Coach Holcomb watched as his team made up for their shortcomings by stopping Whitesburg at the 5-yard line on a 4th-and-3. The Bobcats narrowly escaped and got the ball back on Whitesburg’s loss of downs.

Knowing how lucky they were, the Bobcats were content to protect the football for the remaining minute in the first half. The clock expired with the Bobcats still leading, 14-12.

3rd Quarter

The second half was good for the visitors — much better than in the first.

This was immediately apparent with the opening kickoff to Whitesburg after Billy Stamper fumbled the ball at the 31-yard line on the attempted runback.

Breathitt County was called for holding on their first play of the possession, but Chapman overcame the 1st-and-25 situation on the next play with a 46-yard pass completion to Ricky Rite hie for the touchdown.

Benham again nailed the PAT, and Breathitt extended their lead to a much safer 20-12 margin with 11:15 left in the third quarter.

Woes continued for the Yellowjackets when they fumbled the ball back to Breathitt on 1st-and-ten at their own 48.

The Bobcats reeled off seven plays for another touchdown pass from the 29-yard line (Chapman to Matt Sharp) and a PAT from Benham to go out front, 28-12, with 6:15 left in the period.

Whitesburg netted one first down on the following play of their next possession but then lost the ball to downs on 4th-and-10 from the Bobcat 33.

Breathitt County then engaged in what would become the longest (clock) drive of the ballgame, taking them to the end of the 3rd quarter and into the 4th, still leading 28-12.

4th Quarter

At 3:02 into the final period, the Bobcats scored another touchdown when Chapman hit Matt Sharp on a pass from 14 yards out. Benham remained perfect on the evening to give his team a 35-12 lead.

Whitesburg lost the ball back on four straight downs with only a 3-yard net gain as Breathitt took over on their own 27 after the punt.

The Bobcats kept the ball for eight plays before missing a Jamie Holbrook field goal attempt on 4th-and-10 from the 20-yard line.

Whitesburg’s final possession of the game saw eight plays down to the Bobcat 31-yard line.

With 2nd-and-10 and their drive still alive, the final born sounded to give Breathitt County the win in Whitesburg’s first-ever Letcher County Bowl, 35-12.

The Breathitt County Voice, September 1, 1993, page 17

Estill County – September 3, 1993 – Win 14 – 12

Due to the extensive coverage of the Honey Festival, the Breathitt County Voice did not print a news article about the 1993 Honey Bowl. They did print an interview with Coach Mike Holcomb in his weekly article.

The Bobcat Den with Mike Holcomb

“That was one of the biggest crowds I’d ever seen considering the weather conditions,” began Coach Mike Holcomb, as he reflected upon last Friday’s 1993 Honey Bowl game with f still County. “I was just

disappointed with all the rain. If it had been pretty, we could have had one of the bigger crowds here than we’ve seen in a long time That’s something you can’t control, though, so there’s no need to worry about it.”

The second game of the young season produced a big win for the Bobcats, who now go 2-0 on the year. Waylon Chapman came out on the very first play for the second week in a row to connect on a pass down the sideline resulting in a touchdown.

“We thought we would come out and pass early in the game before the hall got too wet to handle,” Coach Holcomb said. “We’re going to pass against everybody we play this year, so the fact that Waylon threw the passes was no real surprise… All of a sudden, the score was 14-0, just like that.

“We were fortunate enough to hang on to the lead, even though we went to sleep for a little hit and let Estill County get back into the ballgame after running a couple of trick plays on us,” he said. “The fact that they did win the game was proof to me that they can rise to the occasion when they need to and do what it takes to win football games.”

Due to the horrid conditions, there were no stats to pass along to you from this game. I guess the players just did well to finish a game like that, but Estill County did manage to make it exciting toward the end of the ballgame.

Looking ahead to Belfry this Friday, Holcomb says his team will key on Belfry’s quarterback (Jason Stacy) and the running hacks.  This team played well against Knott County, after losing BIG to one of the toughest teams in the state (Danville).

“Our games have developed into a rivalry, so we’re looking forward to going over there for this matchup,” Holcomb said. “We had a good practice Sunday, and I think we’re ready to go. The trip isn’t so had anymore, since we’ve been over there several times now. This will be our first district game of the season, and we’re looking forward to it.”

The team will be followed to Belfry by a private tour bus filled with pep fans.  Anyone who would like to go see the game in person should contact Debbie Holcomb, Rose Calhoun, or Loretta Jones no later than 6:00 pm this evening (Wednesday).  The cost for the trip is $15 per person.

In the 1993 Little Honey Bowl on Saturday, SMS defeated the A. B. Combs Bearcats, 48-6. Following that contest, the Breathitt Bobcat Freshmen team beat the visiting Johnson Central Freshmen, 14-12.

Belfry High School – September 10, 1993 – Win 29 – 28

Bobcat defeat Belfry, 29-28

1st Quarter:

Breathitt won the coin toss and began their offensive attack. The Pirates held them through the first series and took over with an opportunity to become the first team to score, but they also failed to get it done.

Taking over on their own 28, Breathitt advanced the ball down to Belfry’s 25-yard line, but a penalty moved them back to the 30. Four plays later, the Bobcats ran out of downs.

The 1st Quarter came to a close with Belfry in possession at their own 48 on 2nd-and-12.

2nd Quarter:

On the opening play of the second period, Stacy launched a pass which was picked off by Tim Taulbee. The Bobcats took over the football on their own 33.

Breathitt County gained only six yards in four downs and had to punt back to the Pirates.  Belfry picked up a first down to their own 44, then shocked the Bobcats on 3rd-and-6 when QB- Jason Stacy ran the ball all the way down to the Bobcat 20-yard line.

On 4th-and-1 from the Breathitt 11-yard line. Coach Haywood decided to go for it. With Stacy going back as if to pass. Bobcat defender Farl Young swarmed all over him for a Belfry loss of six yards at the 17.

On the next Bobcat series, Ricky Ritchie legged out 42 yards for the biggest Bobcat run of the game down to the Belfry 40-yard line.

After another first down on four plays to the Belfry 27, Chapman hit John Rader for a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Mark Benham’s point after touchdown (PAT) was “good” to put the Bobcats on top, 7-0.

A Belfry drive ended at the Breathitt 41-yard line, and the 2nd quarter ended with the Bobcats in possession.

3rd Quarter:

Breathitt kicked off to Belfry to begin the second half.  From their own 30-yard line, the Pirates gained only five yards before punting.

The Bobcats then moved nine yards from their own ten up to the 35 before running out of chances.

On the punt reception, the Pirate receiver fumbled the ball, and John Kader of the Bobcats recovered for Breathitt County on the Belfry 30-yard line.

Chapman carefully guided the offense down inside the 5 when Kicky Ritchie made it into the end/one for the Bobcats’ second touchdown of the ballgame with 3:50 left in the 3rd. Mark Benham added the PAT to put Breathitt into the lead, 14-0.

On the kickoff, Belfry returned the ball to their own 43-yard line.

The Pirates legged out a big gainer of 25 yards down to the Bobcat 32, then Denzil Young carried twice more for the Pirates’ first touchdown.  The PAT was good, and Belfry closed the gap to a 7-point Bobcat lead, 14-7.

4th Quarter:

The final period began with Belfry in possession of the football and threatening to score.  Denzil Young plowed through the Bobcat defense to get the job done.

The PAT was no good, and a disappointed Belfry found themselves still trailing by a point, 14-13, with about 10 minutes left in the ballgame.

The kickoff to the Bobcats sailed all the way into the end/one for a touchback, so Breathitt began their first drive of the final period from their own 20-yard line.

After picking up two first downs out to the Belfry 43, Shorty Combs took a play up the middle and was hammered, forcing a fumble, which the Pirates recovered at their own 37-yard line.

With 8:50 left on the game clock, the Pirates again went to work, picking up one first down at their own 49.

On 4th-and-6 from tire Bobcat 47, the Pirates punted with 6:22 remaining in the game.

With 5:32 remaining, 1st-and-10 on the Bobcat 30, Ricky Ritchie broke all tackles for a 70-yard touchdown run. Benham’s PAT put the Cats in front, 21-13, with 4:55 to go.

Belfry began their final series of regulation play with 1:01 remaining, Denzil Young scored a touchdown from six yards out to draw the Pirates within two points, 21-19.

Coach Caywood went for the two-point conversion to tie the game, and again, Denzil Young came through for him.

Breathitt County took possession and moved to the Bobcat 42 with 0:16 left to play. A double handoff from Chapman to Ritchie to Taulbee, followed by a 58-yard pass from Taulbee to Matt Sharp for an apparent game-winning touchdown, left the Belfry crowd in shock.

A flag against Breathitt brought the play back to the line of scrimmage, and time expired, sending both teams into a sudden-death playoff.

Sudden Death:

Belfry took the first try at scoring from 10 yards out in sudden-death overtime. It took two plays, but Young scored from 3 yards out.  The PAT was good, putting Belfry ahead for the first time in the ballgame, 28-21.

Breathitt County took all four downs to accomplish the same goal. Chapman missed on a pass to Matt Sharp, but on 4th-and-4, hit Shorty Combs for the touchdown.

Breathitt won the game, 29-28, on a 2-point conversion pass from Chapman to Taulbee.

Belfry’s district record now goes to 1-1. Breathitt is 1-0.

The Breathitt County Voice, September 15, 1993, pages 1 and 10

Madison Central High School – September 17, 1993 – Win – 34 – 28

Bobcat net fourth in a row over Madison

After a couple of years of frustration and several football games.  Coach Mike Holcomb finally has the monkey off his back when it comes to the AAAA Madison Central Indians football team.

1st Quarter:

Breathitt kicked off to Madison Central in near-perfect weather conditions Friday night – a welcomed change over conditions of the rain-soaked previous home game with Estill County at the 1993 Honey Bowl.

The Indians picked up one 1st down but then were forced to punt after receiving a penalty and failing to move the ball past the 50-yard line.

From their own 25, the Bobcats picked up five yards on a Shorty Combs run, then missed on two straight passes from Chapman to Landsaw and Rader.

With 8:00 minutes left in the quarter, from their own 45, Madison Central moved in the wrong direction on an incomplete pass and two running plays that didn’t reach the line of scrimmage.

The Indians punted on 4th-and-19.  Taking possession at 6:33, Breathitt County’s offense finally clicked into gear.

The Indian punt had rolled all the way to the Bobcat 8-yard line. Ritchie added four yards on a running play out to the 12; then Combs picked up 14 more to the Bobcat 26.

Chapman connected with Paul Landsaw for a gain of 4 out to the 30, then Rickie Ritchie broke all tacklers for a 70-yard pass reception down the sideline for the game’s first score.

Mark Bonham added the PAT to put Breathitt County into the early lead, 7-0, with 4:09 left in the 1st Quarter.

2nd Quarter:

Madison Central was in possession on their own 37-yard line when the 2nd Quarter began. They picked up two 1st Downs down to the Bobcat nine-yard line when J. D. Bowling ran it in for a touchdown with 10:45 left in the half.

The PAT by Byron Embry was wide to the left, and Breathitt County maintained a 1-point lead, 7-6.

Breathitt gained only 5 yards out to their own 25 on the next possession, and Madison Central picked up 29 yards with one 1st Down to the Bobcat 32.

The Bobcats then ran eight plays, picking up three 1st Downs, to the Indian 22-yard line before running out of steam (and downs) on 4th and 11.

Madison Central moved backward again on four plays to their own 14 and punted away with just over 2:00 minutes left in the half.

Breathitt County’s next possession netted the Bobcats only 4 yards, then Madison Central’s quarterback Eric Weis threw a pass interception to John Rader with less than a minute left in the half.

Rader went all the way in for a touchdown, but the play was called back on a Bobcat penalty. 

Breathitt County still had possession (and the lead) when the 1sthalf clock expired.

3rd Quarter:

The Bobcats wasted no time in stirring up the home crowd when the Indians kicked off to begin the 3rd Quarter.

Receiving the ball on the five-yard line, Matt Sharp set a new Breathitt High School Kickoff Return defensive record of 95 yards on the opening play of the 2nd Half (Danny Back held the previous record of 92 yards in a game with Clay County in 1978).

Benham’s PAT was no good, but Breathitt extended their lead to 13-6.

Madison Central wouldn’t let down, however, as they nearly ran a kickoff return in for a touchdown.

Stopped at the Bobcat 36 with a 1st and 10, Breathitt was flagged for a penalty, which gave the Indians an additional 15 yards down to the Bobcat 16.

A series of running plays by Jason McIntosh, McWhorter, J. D. Bowling, and Derrick White gave the Indians another touchdown when Bowling ran it in from 3 yards out, drawing the team to within a single point, 13-12.

The Embry PAT was good, and the game was tied, 13-13, with 9:21 left in the 3rd Quarter.

Breathitt picked up two 1st downs on their next possession, moving the ball from their own 25 to the Indian 46 before punting on a 4th and four.

Madison Central would score again before the end of the period after picking up 72 yards on seven plays and three 1st Downs.

It was Bowling again scoring the touchdown from four yards out with 3:20 left in the period.  Embry’s PAT was good, and suddenly, the Indians led for the first time, 20-13.

Breathitt County showed signs of getting those points right back when Waylon Chapman led his team from the Bobcat 45 to the Indian 39 before throwing an intercepted pass to Clark Cornelius on a 2nd-and-8 with 0:55 seconds left.

The 3rd Quarter expired with Madison Central in possession at their own 30-yard line on 3rd-and-11.

4th Quarter:

The final period would offer all the excitement that players and fans could handle.  The Indians could not convert on a 4th-and-11 from their own 30 and were forced to punt the ball back to the Bobcats.

On lst-and-10 from their own 27, Shorty Combs fumbled after taking the handoff from Chapman but fell on the ball for no gain in keeping possession for the Bobcats.

Chapman missed Combs with a pass on 2nd-and-10, then Ricky Ritchie broke free up the middle for a 73-yard touchdown run at 10:48 left in the game.

The Bobcats set up for the PAT, but Madison Central was flagged 5 yards for being offsides. This now changed the situation, so Coach Holcomb went for the 2-point conversion instead.

Shorty Combs ran it in for the extra 2 points to put Breathitt back into the lead, 21-20, with 10:36 remaining.

Madison Central’s next drive consumed seven plays while netting them only 16 yards, a delay of game penalty, and a 1st down.  Breathitt got the ball back with 6:15 left to play, then stung the Indians again on a 55-yard touchdown run from Ricky Ritchie with 5:29 left.  Benham’s PAT put the Bobcats up by eight, 28-20.

Madison lost 5 yards on their next possession, while Breathitt only picked up 6 yards to midfield.

A Matt Sharp punt resulted in a touchback; then Trie Weis struck with an 80-yard touchdown pass to Ivan Morrin down the sideline with 1:33 remaining to pull the Indians within two points, 28-26.

Weis’s conversion pass to Frank Parks tied the 28-28 game with 1:22 left to play.

On the kickoff, Waylon Chapman returned the ball approximately 30 yards to mid-field, giving the Bobcats excellent field position.

From their own 49, running plays totaling 51 yards by Shorty Combs gave the home team the final score of the ballgame with 0:22.6 seconds left, 34-28 (Benham’s PAT was blocked).

Following the kickoff, Madison Central’s Weis was flagged for intentional grounding to stop the clock, then threw an intercepted pass to Malt Sharp at mid-field to seal their fate.

The game clock expired on Breathitt’s first play from the 45-yard line.

Unofficially, for Madison Central, Weis threw 14 times for six completions (43%), 141 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Jason McIntosh also attempted a pass (on a flea-flicker), which fell incomplete.

For Breathitt County, Waylan Chapman threw 18 times for eight completions (44%), 132 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Madison Central scored one time in the 2nd, twice in the 3rd, and once in the 4th Quarter.

Breathitt County scored once in the 1st, once in the 3rd, and three times in the 4th Quarter.

In other individual statistics, Ricky Ritchie led the team in rushing yardage with 176 on 16 carries (averaging 11 yards per carry) for two touchdowns.  Shorty Combs carried the ball 15 times for 114 yards (7.6 yards per carry) for one touchdown and a 2-point conversion, and Waylan Chapman had two carries for one yard.

The longest punt of the game belonged to Madison Central’s Byron Embry – a 58-yard boot.  Breathitt’s longest was off the foot of Tim Taulbee – 47 yards.

The Breathitt County Voice, September 22, 1993, page 7

Nicholas County – September 24, 1993 – Win 50 – 28

Bobcats continue to roll

For the second straight week, the opposing team was held to 28 points, and the hometown Breathitt Bobcats are developing a scoring pattern.

Double figures in the first quarter, single digits in the second and third, then double figures again in the fourth quarter seems to be the mold that Mike Holcomb’s team has settled into.

Whether you are superstitious or not, we all must agree on one thing — this pattern is working for the Bobcats.

Netting their fifth straight win of the season puts them at 5-0 at the halfway point, sharing first place with the traditional rivalry of the Leslie County Eagles (Leslie County was off last week, so their coach drove down to scout this game from high in the stands).

The Class-AA Nicholas County Bluejackets just came off a disappointing loss to Coach Brugh’s (remember him?) Paintsville Tigers in week #4, 14-12, in the closing moments of that ballgame.

During the pregame warmups, starting quarterback Shane Kenney got his finger caught in the helmet of one of his running backs during a handoff and suffered a dislocated finger.

Fans who saw the game at Bobcat Stadium last Friday night may not have been aware that the opposing QB, Mike French (# 3), usually plays the dual positions of running back/defensive back (RB/DB) and doesn’t see that much action as QB. Still, he threw the ball 15 times (8 completions for 53%) and was intercepted just once.

Coach Letcher couldn’t have asked for any more from one of his regulars at that position, so it kind of makes you wonder how the situation might have been different had Shane Kenney been behind center instead of Mike French.

(We’ll talk more with Coach Holcomb about that thought in this week’s Bobcat Den “column).

1st Quarter:

Each team shared four possessions of the football in the first quarter, beginning with Breathitt County from the opening kickoff.  The Bobcats ran one play of their fifth possession as the quarter ended.

In their flag-riddled (3 flags, two against Nicholas County) first drive, Breathitt ran eight plays, netting 71 yards, which ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Shorty Combs and the “point after touchdown” (PAT) by Mark Benham at 7:25.

Nicholas County picked up only one yard on four plays and had to punt.

The Bobcats stalled in their second possession, netting -3 yards, while the Bluejackets picked up 17. In spite of that moderate success, they still lost possession on a failed 3rd Down conversion.

The spark returned to the home team, as Kicky Ritchie highlighted the third drive on the second play by reeling off a 41-yard touchdown run at 1:01. Benham uncharacteristically missed his PAT, but the Bobcats led 13-0.

Things turned sloppy for both teams in the closing seconds of the 1st Quarter.

Nicholas County fumbled their reception of Benham’s kickoff, and Breathitt County recovered at the 25-yard line.

Chapman’s opening pass to Matt Sharp to begin their fourth drive of the game proved disastrous as senior defensive back Nick Pope stepped in for the interception with 0:25.8 seconds left in the period and ran it 92 yards for a touchdown.

Senior kicker Pat Baker added the PAT and Nicholas County was right back in it, 13-7.

The 1st Quarter ended with the Bobcats in possession, 2nd-and-4 at their own 45 yard line.

2nd Quarter:

The Bobcats continued their drive in pretty good field position.  On the first play of the 2nd Quarter, Chapman connected on a pass to Paul Landsaw, but Landsaw could only pick up one yard.

On 3rd-and-3 from the Bobcat 46, a bad snap created a fumble (the first of 3 fumbles for BHS in the game), and Nicholas County recovered at mid-field. 

The Bluejackets ran off four plays for a net gain of 48 yards.  Senior running back Ronald Newby broke free on a 41-yard run and carried it in for a touchdown.

Baker’s PAT was good as Nicholas County took their first lead, 14-13, with 9:41 left in the first half.

Baker’s kickoff sailed inside the Bobcat 35 yard line, where Shorty Combs broke free for an exciting kickoff return of 73 yards for another Bobcat touchdown.

With the way the Bluejackets were playing, Coach Holcomb wasn’t satisfied with just 7 points on the play.  He ordered a 2-point conversion.

Chapman hit Ritchie with the pass and Breathitt County regained their lead, 21-14, with 9:05 left in the half.

The Bluejackets reeled off eight plays in drive #6, picking up 49 yards down to the Bobcat 8 yard line before running out of downs.

For the first time this season at home, Bobcat fans saw a field goal attempt – this one by Baker – an angled kick to the left.  He nailed it to give his team another 3 points as Nicholas County closed the gap, 21-17, with 5:31 to play in the half.

Breathitt County’s 7th drive of the game netted a total of 7 yards, thanks to a penalty flag. Then on 4th-and-6 from their own 36, the Bobcats created their second fumble of the ballgame, again recovered by Nicholas County.

Taking over on the Bobcat 27 with an excellent opportunity to go ahead, Nicholas County gained 27 yards on six plays down to the 9-yard line.

Again, the defense held off the coveted touchdown and the Bluejackets attempted their second straight field goal.  Baker’s kick sailed through the uprights with 0:28.4 seconds left in the half. Suddenly, it was a 21-20 ballgame with Breathitt County holding on to a spine-tingling 1-point lead going into the halftime break.

3rd Quarter:

Fans had already seen a game’s worth of football with another half left to play. The 3rd period got underway as rain began to sprinkle from the overcast sky.

Breathitt kicked off to Nicholas County in drive #8 and the Bluejacket ran five plays in picking up 42 yards to the Bobcat 25 yard line. 

On 1st-and-10, French handed off to junior lineman Derek Anderson. Anderson was jarred for a 3-yard loss by the defense, forcing Nicholas County’s second fumble of the game.  The Bobcats recovered on their own 28.

Perhaps angered by the turn of events, Nicholas County’s defense held Breathitt to a gain of just 2 yards, forcing a Bobcat punt on 4th-and-8.

Ricky Ritchie nearly came up with an interception on a 1st-and-15 pass to Nick Pope.

Then, a 32-yard big gainer by Pope was nullified on a penalty, forcing 3rd-and-21 from the Bluejacket 11.

Baker punted on 4th-and-19, and Waylan Chapman called a fair catch on the Nicholas County 43 yard line with 5:48 left in the 3rd Quarter.

In the 10th possession of the game for Breathitt County, Ricky Ritchie and Shorty Combs turned on again.

Five plays and 34 yards later, Ritchie ran it in on 1st-and-goal from the 9 yard line for the touchdown, hurtling over the Bluejacket defender at the goal line.

Benham’s PAT was wide to the right, but Breathitt’s lead was now thick up to 7 points at 27-20 with 4:01 left in the period.

Nicholas County had possession of the football on the Bobcat 15 as the quarter expired, following a drive of 8 plays and a pickup of 68 yards.

4th Quarter:

On the opening play of the final period, senior running back Jerry Watkins scampered in from 15 yards out for the touchdown.

With the store at 27-26, Breathitt’s favor, Nicholas County went for the 2-point conversion.

French’s pass found junior tight end Wes Broderick waiting in the endzone, and the Bluejackets regained the lead, 28-27, with 11:54 left in the game.

Breathitt County’s 11th drive of the game saw six plays and a gain of 66 yards.

On 1st-and-10 from their own 47, Chapman hit John Rader with a short pass, and Rader powered his way for a 25-yard gain, carrying several defenders on his back.

Then, on 1st-and-10 from the Nicholas 28, Shorty Combs broke free for the touchdown. Chapman found Combs again – this time, in the air – as the Bobcats added the 2-point conversion to regain the lead, 35-28, with 8:51 left to play.

On 2nd-and-10, with Nicholas County at their own 22 yard line, French launched a pass for Nick Pope. There waiting for it was Waylan Chapman, and Breathitt County got the ball back on the Bluejacket 44.

With 7:33 left to play. Chapman handed off to Ritchie on the first play of their 12th possession.

Ritchie picked up 3 yards, then was hammered by the defense.  The ball jumped free, and Nicholas County recovered the fumble at their own 41.

The Bobcat defense stood firm as Nicholas County went to 4th-and-10 with no gain. This one defensive stand may have been the turning point in the ballgame, with only 5:01 left to play.

Baker’s punt sailed deep within Bobcat territory, but Matt Sharp brought it back in a devastating 75-yard touchdown.

Despite a 15-yard penalty against the Bobcats after the TD, the touchdown was allowed to stand.  The Bobcat now led 41-28.

Again, going for the 2-point conversion, Chapman connected with Ritchie on the pass to put the Cats up by 15 points, 43-28.

That took the wind out of the sails as “good ship Bluejacket” sputtered and went dead in the water.

Nicholas punted on 4th-and-12 from their own 30.

Breathitt’s final points came in the 14th drive of the game.  On four plays and a pickup of 85 yards, junior Jamin Noble ran in an 8-yard touchdown.

Senior Bobcat kicker Stephan Zee (a foreign exchange student) kicked the PAT to give the Bobcats their final margin of victory, 50-28, with 1:49 left in the game.

Nicholas County’s final possession was shortened to just two plays after Mike French picked up an impressive 31 yards on a quarterback keeper, then fumbled the snap on 2nd-and-10 from the Bobcats at 27.

Breathitt County recovered the fumble and had possession on their own 33 when time expired.

According to the official stats, Breathitt County gamed seven first downs on running plays, four on passing, and one due to penalty yardage (this compares to Nicholas County’s 7-2-1).

The Bobcats were flagged seven times for a total of 55 yards in penalties.  Nicholas County drew five flags for 30 yards in penalties.

John Rader and Shorty Combs shared the lead in the tackling department.  Rader was credited with five tackles and six assists, while Combs had five tackles, seven assists, and a fumble recovery.  The Collins and Arlie Lovins also had five tackles each; Earl Young, Waylon Chapman, and Chris Hollan all had four tackles each.

Rushing leaders for week #5 were Shorty Combs (233 yards on 12 carries) and Ricky Ritchie (101 yards on 16 carries).

As a team, the Bobcats gained 336 yards on 35 carries (9.6 yards per carry), scoring five touchdowns and completing two conversions.

In the air, Waylan Chapman was 9 of 12 for 135 yards, including one interception.

Breathitt County remains undefeated (5-0/1 -0) as they hit the road for the next two weeks -beginning with Clay County this Friday, then on to Hazard on October 8.

The Breathitt County Voice, September 29, 1993, page 10

Clay County – October 1, 1993 – Win 32 – 26

Bobcats tame Tigers, 32-26

Last year’s Clay County Tigers finished 10-3 overall, won the district title, then lost to Bell County (as so many other teams did), 7-0, in the regional tournament.

That was then.  This is now.  The Tigers have a new coach this year in the form of former middle school coach, Wayne Napier.

After week #6, Clay’s record is already 2-4 – 1-2 in their district. There’s no way they can match last year’s season record, but they may not have to.  Anything could happen in the post-season playoffs.

The Tigers still have a senior running back, De-Shea Henson, but “one player does not a team make.”  Every opponent on the schedule this year knows they have to shut Henson down in order to achieve success against the Tigers.

1st Quarter:

After winning the opening loss, the Bobcats were the first to go on offense from their own 3-yard line.

That first possession was cut short on the fourth play of the drive after Paul Landsaw was jarred by the Tiger defense after catching a 3rd-and-5 pass from Waylan Chapman.

Clay County recovered the fumble only 23 yards away from the game’s first touchdown.  Already, it appeared as though Breathitt County would have an uphill battle in Manchester.

The Bobcat defense did its job, though.  Clay picked up one first down to the 13-yard line, then on 4th-and-3 at the six, decided to go for it.

The Bobcats keyed their defense on big De-Shae Henson; for who else would you go to in that situation?

Henson was dropped for a 1-yard loss behind the line of scrimmage, and the Bobcats goal line stand was successful.

The momentum increase following such a show of defensive confidence had to be in Breathitt County’s offensive favor as well.  It showed during their next drive.

On 3rd-and-1 from their own 10, Ricky Ritchie did what he does best – RUN! – all the way for an 84-yard touchdown.

Mark Benham had regained his kicking form from last week’s mediocre performance and kicked the PAT to put Breathitt in front, 7-0.

De-Shae Henson nearly broke free for a touchdown on the kick-off but was finally brought down near mid-field.

A five-yard penalty against Breathitt gave Clay County an excellent position to begin their drive from the Bobcat 48-yard line. 

Six plays later, on 3rd-and-9 from the Bobcat 23, freshman quarterback Tim Rogers hit senior wide receiver Scott Collins with a touchdown pass.

Sophomore Adam Garrison’s PAT tied the game at 7-7 with 3:27 left in the first period.

Breathitt started their next drive from their own 35-yard line.  On lst-and-15 from their own 41, Chapman found Matt Sharp on a 50-yard pass to the Tiger’s nine-yard line.

Shorty Combs ran it in for a touchdown on the next play.  Benham’s PAT was good, and the Bobcats regained the lead, 14-7, with seconds left to play in the opening period.

2nd Quarter:

The Tigers were forced to punt on 4th-and-4 from their own 37; then the Bobcat offense went to work one more time. 

Picking up a first down to the Clay 45, Ricky Ritchie picked up five more yards to the Tiger 36.

On 2nd-and-5, Chapman handed off to Ritchie, who then rolled out to pass.  He found Paul Landsaw on his 36-yard strike to the endzone, and Breathitt tacked on six more points to lead 20-7 (Benham missed the PAT).

Clay County regained some composure and got back on the board during their next possession.

On 1st-and-10 from the Bobcat 43, Henson picked up 9 yards to the 34-yard line, then on the next play, scampered in for the touchdown.  The PAT was good, and Clay County closed the gap, 20-14, with 7:08 remaining in the half.

Breathitt picked up four first downs and 64 yards to the Tiger 10-yard line on their next drive, highlighted by a 22-yard pass completion (Chapman-Landsaw) and a 16-yard pass (Chapman-Sharp).

The Bobcats were flagged for a 5-yard penalty, then on 4th-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Ricky Ritchie crossed the endzone line for another touchdown.  Chapman was sacked during the 2-point conversion attempt, but the Bobcats now held a 26-14 lead with 2:43 left to play in the half.

Starting from their own 36, Clay County reeled off three straight first downs to the Bobcat 16 (including a 27-yard pass play, Rogers-Collins).

On 2nd-and-12 from the 18, another Rogers’ pass targeted for the endzone was picked off by Ricky Ritchie.  He was finally brought down near mid-field on a fine runback to the Tiger 47-yard line with 1:09 left to play in the 2nd quarter.

The clock expired on 3rd-and-3 at the 30-yard line with the Bobcats still in possession and the lead, 26-14.

3rd Quarter:

With 81% of Breathitt’s scoring accomplished in the first half, the team ended up playing defense (probably not by design) throughout the final two quarters, trying to protect their lead.

Clay County struck during their opening possession of the quarter.  On the very first play, De-shae Henson legged out 30 yards to the Bobcat 30, picking up a first down.

Junior fullback Stephen Roberts then gained 26 yards of his own to put Clay County at the Bobcat 4-yard line.

Henson got the call and powered his way in for another touchdown.  The PAT was aborted following a high snap, but Clay County had made it interesting, 26-20.

The Bobcats suffered two 5-yard penalties on 2nd down during their next possession, eventually having to punt on 4th-and-9 from their own 31-yard line.

The Breathitt County defense took control on Clay’s next opportunity, limiting the Tigers to a net gain of -1 yard.  The Tigers had to punt.

On the opening play of Breathitt’s next possession, Chapman fired downfield to John Rader.  Rader cradled the pass and was brought down at the Tiger 19 for a gain of 57 yards on the play.

Shorty Combs picked up 5 yards on the ground, followed by nine more for Ricky Ritchie.

On 1st-and-goal from the three, Ritchie took it across the goal line to give the Bobcats some breathing room.

Chapman’s conversion pass to Malt Sharp was intercepted by De-Shae Henson, but the Bobcats now led the Tigers 32-20.

Clay County got careless again on their final drive of the 3rd quarter.  After picking up the first down on the ground, the Tigers were flagged for a 5-yard penalty, putting them into a 2nd-and-13 situation at the Bobcat 32-yard line.

Smelling a pass, the Bobcat defense covered the intended receiver.

On 3rd-and-13, Rogers tried it again but was picked off this time by Matt Sharp at the 16-yard line with 2:11 in the 3rd quarter.

After taking over at their own 16, the Bobcats picked up a first down to their own 31 as the 3rd quarter came to an end.

4th Quarter:

On 2nd-and-9 from the 35, the Cats were flagged for a holding penalty (-15 yards), which brought the ball back to the 25.

Then, on 3rd-and-23 from their own 26, a Chapman pass was picked off by De-Shae Henson, who was finally dropped at the 42-yard line.

Clay County picked up two first downs to the Bobcat five-yard line.  Henson took it in for the touchdown, but again, the PAT was aborted on a high snap.

Breathitt County now led 32-26, which turned out to be the margin of victory for Mike Holcomb’s Bobcats.

Clay County falls to 2-4 overall (1-2 in district play), with four more weeks left in the regular season.  They’re idle this week while Breathitt County plays their final regular season road game at Hazard on Friday night.

The Bobcats improve their record to 6-0 (2-0 in the district).

The Breathitt County Voice, October 6, 1993, page 10

Hazard High School – October 8, 1993 – Loss 13 – 31

Bobcats suffer first loss at Hazard, 31-13

Despite several coaching changes following last year’s banner season for the Hazard Bulldogs, the Dawgs have rebounded from a slow start in 1993 to regain top form midway through this year’s schedule.

Finishing at 11-1 last year (losing to Pikeville in the regional semifinals) and seven weeks rated as the number one team in Class A football, new head coach Mike Jones and chief assistant Ricky Brewer were looking at a record of 4-2 coming into last Friday’s matchup with Breathitt County.

Although they lost several players from the team, including Joey Kilburn, Tom Slatzer, Pat Turner, and Chuck Parsons, there’s enough talent left to make this oversized team tough enough to handle in 1993.

1st Quarter:

Breathitt County received to begin the first period, moving 79 yards on four plays for a touchdown when Waylan Chapman hit Paul Landsaw for a TD pass with 9:51 left.  Mark Benham’s PAT put the Cats up, 7-0.

The Bobcats defense then stopped the Bulldogs’ fine running back attack of seniors Pete Combs (#7) and Robert Warren (#32).  Hazard lost 4 yards on their first possession and were forced to punt on 4th-and-14 from their own 29-yard line.

Breathitt County’s offense could gain only 23 yards over a series of six plays (in spite of a Hazard “gift” penally flagged against the Bulldogs), and Matt Sharp punted on 4th-and-8 from midfield.

Hazard then joined the scoring ranks, picking up two first downs and 79 yards on seven plays.  The big blow was a 55-yard pass play from quarterback John Grigsby (#10) to senior wide receiver Mark Walker (#3) on 3rd-and-6 from their own 24-yard line.

Then, on 2nd-and-6 from the Breathitt County 22, Pete Combs picked up 17 yards to the five-yard line (finally brought down by Breathitt’s Dustin Hickey).

It took Robert Warren two carriers to get it done, but he did finally take it in from the 3-yard line for Hazard’s first points with 1:38 left in the period. Warren missed his PAT attempt after his kicking shoe came off, and Breathitt County still led by a score of 7-6.

With the Bobcats back in possession of the football, Waylan Chapman had picked up a first down on a 14-yard pass completion to Paul Landsaw at midfield. Ricky Ritchie then got the call.  He was tackled hard at the Hazard 48, forcing a fumble just as the quarter expired. Hazard recovered.

2nd Quarter:

Even though the Bulldogs may have had the psychological edge with that fumble recovery going into the second period, they failed to capitalize on the opportunity. The Dawgs picked up only 4 yards in four plays and had to punt on 4th-and-7 from the Bobcat 48. Unfortunately, Breathitt County could do little better, picking up only 6 yards in five plays to their own 20.

Hazard went on the board again, having moved the ball 58 yards, while picking up four first downs on seven plays. Big runs by Pete Combs and Colby Combs (#24), plus an 18-yard pass completion from Grigsby to Warren, set up the 9-yard TD run by Colby Combs with 0:10 left in the first half. Grigsby tried to hit his junior wide receiver Brian Campbell with a pass on the 2-point  conversion, but Dustin Hickey was again there for the Bobcats to break up the play.

Still, Hazard had regained the lead, 12-7. Breathitt managed 16 yards on their next possession, punting from midfield with 4:36 left. A 15-yard penalty against the Bulldogs killed their next drive at their own 25-yard line, and following the punt, Breathitt had it back at the 50. The Bobcats picked up two first downs in five plays, highlighted by a Chapman to John Rader 17-yard pass completion and a 16-yard run by Ricky Ritchie.

It was Landsaw, however, scoring the touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Chapman into the right corner of the endzone.  Landsaw went high for the reception, gaining control of the ball on his way to the ground. Chapman was about a yard shy of the goal line on the 2-point conversion “keeper,” but the Bobcats had regained the lead, 13-12, with 1:57 left to play in the first half. With less than two minutes to play, fans still saw a tremendous amount of football action.

Hazard came right back at the Bobcats when Grigsby hit Mark Walker with a 35-yard strike on the first play of possession down to the Breathitt 27-yard line. On 2nd-and-8 from the 25, it was Walker again with a 14-yard pass reception to the Bobcat 11. Pete Combs rumbled in for the touchdown on the next play but was stopped short of the goal line during the 2-point conversion attempt.  Hazard was stopped again with less than a minute to play.

Shorty Combs’ kickoff return to midfield gave Breathitt County good field position at their own 47. Combs picked up 15 yards on the run, then Ritchie did the same thing to put the Bobcats at the Hazard 23 with 0:06 seconds left to play. Chapman hit Paul Landsaw with a 10-yard pass, but Landsaw was brought down at the 13-yard line with no time remaining.

Hazard led the Bobcats, 18-13, going into the halftime break.

3rd Quarter:

The see-saw action continued as the third period began. Mark Benham kicked off to Hazard’s Robert Warren, and the Bulldogs began play from their own 43 after Warren’s run-back had ended.

On 3rd-and-6 from their own 47, Grigsby dropped back to pass.  He was intercepted by Breathitt County’s Arlie Lovins, who made his way to the Hazard 26-yard line before being brought down.

The momentum had shifted to the Bobcats but was short-lived.

On the first play of their possession, Chapman’s pass to Paul Landsaw was picked off by Hazard, and just like that, the Bobcat drive was over. From their own 21, Hazard’s Robert Warren picked up a first down on a 21-yard run to their own 42. The Bulldogs were Hazard for another 15-yard penalty, which set them back to the 27-yard line, and were forced to punt on 4th-and-13 from their own 39.

The punt, off the shoe of Grigsby, hit his teammate in the butt, then took a Breathitt County bounce all the way to the 20-yard line.

On 1st-and-10 from the Hazard 20, things started to go wrong for the Bobcats in a hurry.  In a series of major penalties, Breathitt County was flagged twice for -30 yards (two 15-yard penalties, back-to-back), taking them back to near midfield. Hazard went offsides, giving five yards back to Breathitt, and the first snap was yet to leave the Bobcat center’s hands.

A pass to Landsaw went incomplete, and then Breathitt was flagged for five more yards. A pass to Sharp also went incomplete, and the Bobcats were forced to punt from the Bulldog 40-yard line. Sharp’s kick sailed all the way into the endzone for a Bulldog touchback.

Hazard picked up three first downs on five plays during their next possession then scored another touchdown on a 9-yard run by Pete Combs with 3:52 remaining in the third period. Warren’s PAT was good to put Hazard further into the lead, 25-13.

4th Quarter:

Officials had completely taken over control of the game clock by the end of the third period (due to scoreboard problems), making it nearly impossible for media and fans to follow what was going on.  They did a pretty good job, however, according to Coach Holcomb. Each team would see two more possessions each, and in what became a frustrating task, I tried to keep up with the action as closely as possible.

Breathitt County had the ball to begin the final period, 1st-and-10 from the Hazard 49-yard line. The Bobcats picked up a first down on a 19-yard pass completion from Chapman to Landsaw down to the Bulldog 22. On 4th-and-4 from the Hazard 16, Chapman’s pass to Landsaw went incomplete, giving possession back to the Bulldogs. Going entirely to the running game (to eat away at the clock), Hazard moved the football 84 yards over a series of 10 plays for an eventual Pete Combs run of 4 yards into the endzone. Combs fumbled on that play, and Breathitt County recovered, getting the ball back at their own 20. 

The final first down of the ballgame for the Bobcats came up with a 13-yard defensive pass interference call at the Breathitt 40-yard line. Chapman dropped back to pass on a 1st and ten but was intercepted by John Grigsby at the Bulldog 31-yard line. Again, keeping the ball on the ground, the Bulldogs moved 69 yards for a touchdown over a series of eight plays when Pete Combs took it in from the 9-yard line as time expired.

Hazard received credit for the points but wasn’t given the opportunity to add the PAT.

The game ended 31-13.

Team/Individual Stats:

Breathitt County gained three first downs rushing, seven from pass plays, and three more due to penalties for a total of 13 for the game.

Hazard picked up 14 first downs on the ground, three on pass plays, and two from penalties for a total of 19 for the ballgame.

Each team had one fumble recovered, and one lost.

Hazard more than doubled Breathitt County in penalty yardage (backed up 105 yards on ten penalties), while the Bobcats suffered a total loss of 50 yards in penalties on five flags thrown.

Matt Sharp punted five times for the Bobcats (his longest kick was his last one – 44 yards); John Grigsby also punted five times (his longest was his first – 44 yards).

Paul Landsaw returned a kickoff for 17 yards as the team high, while Robert Warren had a 34-yard return for Hazard.

Sharp’s 10-yard punt return was the game’s longest.  Hazard did not return a punt all night.

From the air, Waylan Chapman threw 27 limes, connecting on 11 of them for 103 yards of offense, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

John Grigsby was 4 of 10 for 117 yards and one interception.

The Breathitt County Voice, October 13, 1993, page 8

Montgomery County – October 15, 1993 – Loss 13 – 14

Montgomery County curse continues

No one knew what the outcome might be in this contest — only that it would be a good football game.

Coach Paul Raines’ team had beaten Breathitt in the past two years and would surely be going after their third straight win in 1993, if at all possible.

Breathitt County fans were stunned by the defeat of their Bobcats at Hazard one week earlier and perhaps were uneasy as to how the team would react against Montgomery County.

1st Quarter:

Montgomery County received the football to begin the ballgame and ended up with two possessions in the first period to Breathitt County’s one.

They moved the ball 40 yards on 11 plays to the Bobcat 31-yard line before quarterback Brandon Childress (#10) threw a pass interception on 2nd-and-11 to Ricky Ritchie to end the first drive. Breathitt County’s longest drive of the entire game came on their first possession – 14 plays from scrimmage for a net gain of 50 yards to the Montgomery 13-yard line.

For the most part, plays remained on the ground, alternating between Ricky Ritchie and Shorty Combs.  Chapman went to the air four times (completing two passes to Matt Sharp and Ricky Ritchie for 18 yards). On 4th-and-4 from the Montgomery 13, the Bobcats went for it but failed to pick up the necessary yardage to keep the drive alive.

Montgomery took over on their own 11-yard line and moved back out to the 30 on four plays by the time the quarter ended, still scoreless.

2nd Quarter:

The drive continued into the second period in what became the longest drive of the evening for either team – 19 plays, five first downs, and 89 yards of offense. Junior tailback Shane Finch (#13) scampered in from the Bobcat 12 for the game’s first touchdown with 7:06 remaining in the half. Junior tight end John Morton (#42), doubling as Montgomery’s kicker, planted the PAT to give Montgomery County a 7-0 lead.

Breathitt’s second drive began at their own 19 but ended 11 plays later at midfield.  The highlight of the drive was a 19-yard pass completion to Matt Sharp to give the Bobcats their first of two first downs (the only completion of Chapman’s six attempts).

Matt Sharp’s punt from the 50-yard line sailed high for only 10 yards and veered to the left into the stands.  As a result, Montgomery began their next drive from their own 40. Six plays into the drive, Montgomery was flagged for a 15-yard clipping penalty and had to punt on the 8th play from the original line of scrimmage with just 0:33 seconds remaining.

The first half ended with Breathitt County in possession at their own 26 on 4th-and-19, thanks to two straight quarterback sacks.  Chapman was 0-2 in the air, and the Bobcats lost 9 yards on four plays.

3rd Quarter:

Breathitt County came out of the locker room to begin the third period on an 11-play possession and a pickup of 53 yards to the Montgomery 17-yard line. Junior running back Chris Hollan took some pressure off of Ritchie and Combs by carrying the ball eight times in 10 of the 11 plays.

On 2nd-and-8, Chapman’s only pass of the drive found the hands of senior halfback Ryan Barnes (#6) on an intended pass to John Rader.  Montgomery took over on their own 15. The Bobcat defense dug in, and Montgomery gained only 12 yards on six plays, aided by another 15-yard penalty against the visiting team, from which they could not recover.

Eight plays into Breathitt’s next drive, Chapman connected with John Rader on a 4-yard pass into the endzone with 0:11.9 seconds left in the third.  Mark Benham’s PAT was good, and the Bobcats finally tied the game, 7-7, as the third quarter came to an end.

4th Quarter:

Montgomery’s next possession was good for only (our plays, thanks to freshman Eric Collins’ sack of senior quarterback Craig Gilliam (#11), giving Montgomery County a 3rd-and-19 situation at their own 24-yard line. Breathitt County stayed on the ground in the next series but could gain only 4 yards of offense after beginning the drive with excellent field position at Montgomery’s 46-yard line.

With starting quarterback Brandon Childress now back at the helm, the visiting team executed a 12-play drive, which resulted in another touchdown with 3:29 left in the ballgame. Montgomery picked up four first downs in 10 plays before Shane Finch ran it in from the 6-yard line for his second TD.  Morton’s PAT was good, and Montgomery led 14-7.

Breathitt’s final possession of the game saw nine plays and four first downs. A 14-yard pass to Ricky Ritchie on 2nd-and-10 from their own 34-yard line put Breathitt at mid-field with four new chances to get even closer.

Shorty Combs picked up 12 yards to the Montgomery 40, then Chapman connected with John Rader on a 26-yard pass to the 14-yard line. Ricky Ritchie then scored the touchdown with 1:39 left to play to bring the Bobcats to within one point, 14-13.

Faced with a tough decision, Coach Holcomb made the move that most coaches would make in a non-playoff, non-district game- go for the win instead of the tie. Chapman’s pass to John Rader in the endzone was swatted away at the last second by John Morton in what turned out to be the biggest play of the ballgame.

Montgomery County had held off the Bobcats’ attempt at the 2-point conversion and won the ballgame for the third straight year, 14-13.

Post-Game Remarks:

Breathitt County’s season record now moves to 6-2 (2-0), and the standings are virtually unaffected.

All of the district teams lost their games last week, so Breathitt lost no ground in the race.

Statistically, Waylan Chapman completed nine of 21 passes (43%) for the Bobcats for 111 yards, one TD and one interception.  Matt Sharp led all receivers with four receptions for 51 yards.

In rushing, the team carried the ball 32 times for a total of 109 yards.  Shorty Combs led with 11 carries and 53 yards.

Coupled with Chapman’s 111 yards of passing, the team gained a total of 220 yards on offense for the night – not one of the stellar performances we’re used to seeing.

Special teams statistics show that Matt Sharp punted twice for 46 yards and returned two punts for 17 yards.  Paul Landsaw led in kickoff returns with a 20-yard comeback.

Up next is 0-8 Knott County Central – who lost in overtime last week to visiting Harlan. 

This is a district game.

The Breathitt County Voice, October 20, 1993, page 12

Knott County – October 22, 1993 – Win 62 – 14

Bobcats focus on playoffs; Knott County died, 62-14

First-year coach Jay Cobb’s trip from Shelby Valley to Hindman may have been pleasant, but the landing as Knott County Central’s new head football has been anything but.

With one week remaining in the 1993 regular season, Cobb’s crew will play one more game at Betsy Layne, then watch from the sidelines, for they won’t make the playoffs this year.  In fact, they’ll be lucky just to record a victory this season.

At KCC, there has been a problem keeping head coaches in the football program because basketball at KCC is number one, followed by baseball, and football gets the leftovers.

Cobb came close to recording his first victory in week #8 when Harlan had to go to overtime to beat the Patriots by one point.

The football game last Friday night in Jackson was all Breathitt County, as this report clearly indicates.

1st Quarter:

Knott County received the football to begin week #9’s contest, then moved the ball 9 yards on the ground in 4 plays. Breathitt County ran over the Patriot defense in 7 plays en route to the game’s first score and an indicator of what was to come.

Shorty Combs drew first honors on a 5-yard run with 6:52 left in the 1st Quarter.  Mark Benham’s kick put Breathitt County on top, 7-0.

In the Patriot’s next drive, senior quarterback Kevin Slone tried the air option on two passes but could not connect with intended receivers Anthony Patrick and L. C. Dodson.  With only one yard net gain, the Patriots had to punt again.

Breathitt County again capitalized on Knott County’s mistakes.  In the third play of the drive, Ricky Ritchie broke free a 40-yard run for the game’s second touchdown with 4:14 remaining in the 1st period.  Benham missed the PAT, but Breathitt County had an early 13-0 advantage.

Knott County finally picked up a first down in the next series.  Through 6 plays, however, they managed to squander it by running out of downs on a 4th-and-11 from their own 34-yard line.

Breathitt took over with 1:48 left in the period and maintained possession into the 2nd Quarter.

2nd Quarter:

On the third play of the 2nd Quarter (7th play of the series), the Bobcats did it again – Waylan Chapman hit Matt Sharp in the endzone for a 30-yard touchdown pass – with 11:09 left in the half.

Ricky Ritchie did it on the ground in the play right before that, but a clipping call against the Bobcats brought it back.  He added the 2-point conversion, though, and put his team up 21-0.

Now trailing by three touchdowns, the Patriots struggled to get something going.  Alas, a 3-yard pickup in three plays brought on a 4th-and-7 from their own 44. A high snap to punter Jason Thornsberry was fumbled, and the Bobcats recovered at the Patriot 30-yard line.

On the 4th play of the series, Ritchie scored again on a 10-yard run with 8:12 still to play in the first half.  Foreign exchange student senior Stephen Zech came in to kick what would be the first of five straight PATs to put the Cats ahead, 28-0.

Slone again went to the air in KCC’s next drive, but the results were devastating. He missed his intended receiver, Jarrod Bentley, on the first attempt, then threw the ball into the hands of Breathitt County’s Matt Sharp on the second try for an interception.

Breathitt had possession at their own 40 but were backed up to the 25 on a clipping penalty during Sharp’s run after the interception. It took seven plays this time, but the Bobcats did it again with 4:16 left in the half; Chris Hollan capped off the drive with a 3-yard run for the touchdown.

Knott County finally showed signs of some productive offense in their final drive of the 1st half, picking up three first downs in 8 plays and a net gain of 45 yards. With time running out, the Patriots were on the 21-yard line with a 3rd-and-3, but the halftime horn killed off the drive and KCC’s chances of another 1st half score.

Many fans hit the exits early, with the home team leading 35-0.

Knott County was showing no signs of getting into this ballgame, and their second-half performance would only confirm that suspicion.

3rd Quarter:

Knott County kicked off to Breathitt with a little trickery in mind – an onside kick.  It didn’t work, though, as the Bobcats downed the hall to begin their second half of offense from their own 39-yard line.

Waylan Chapman worked his final series of the game as Breathitt’s quarterback, connecting with Matt Sharp for a 27-yard touchdown pass on the 4th play of the series.

Knott County, now trailing 42-0, gave the ball back when the frustrated quarterback, Kevin Slone, was intercepted again – this time, try Waylon Chapman – at the Patriot 42-yard line.

Six plays later, freshman quarterback Jeremiah Chapman (Waylan’s brother) directed his team to another touchdown, when freshman Randy Clemons ran it in from the 4-yard line. Zech was still on target as the Bobcats took a 49-0 lead with 7:24 left in the 3rd Quarter.

Finally, against a now predominant freshman Bobcat team, the Patriots scored their first touchdown when senior Anthony Patrick ran it in from the 6-yard line with 3:23 left in the period.

Patrick also picked up the 2-point conversion as Knott County went on the board 8-49. Jason Thornsberry’s onside kick worked to perfection, as the Bobcats couldn’t hang onto the ball.  Knott County had new life at the Breathitt 47-yard line.

The drive continued into what would become Knott County’s longest offensive effort of the game – six first downs on 18 plays. At the 5-yard line on 4th-and-3, Slone’s pass missed the intended receiver Brandon Thomas in the endzone, and Breathitt County took over on a loss of downs.

Junior Jamon Noble picked up 18 yards on the first play of the series out to the Bobcat 21.  Then sophomore Dustin Hickey was hammered on a tackle, making a Breathitt County fumble on their own 34 as the quarter came to an end.  Knott County recovered.

4th Quarter:

Again, Kevin Slone went to the air for some hopeful results, but again, he didn’t find any.  On 4th-and-10, after having missed three straight passes to receivers Kevin Roberts and L. C. Dodson, Breathitt County’s sophomore lineman Robbie Hounshell got a hand on the pass, knocking it into the hands of Jeremiah Chapman for the interception.

Taking over at the Patriot 14, freshman Will Noble needed only one play to scamper in for the touchdown.  Breathitt County led, 56-8, with 11:22 left in the game. 

Knott County put together another fine series of plays, picking up four first downs and 66 yards en route to their final points of this contest.  With 4:59 left to play, sophomore quarterback Brock Hall ran it in from the 11-yard line on a quarterback-keeper.

He also tried the same thing on the 2-point conversion but came up about a yard short.  Breathitt still led, 56-14.

Breathitt would score one last time in their next series.  Taking over near midfield on an onsides kick from the Patriots, Jamin Noble busted through the defense for a 56-yard touchdown run with 2:52 left to play. Stephen Zech then missed his 6th PAT attempt of the game (5 of 6), but the Bobcats had much more than they’d need on this day, winning the game 62-14.

The Breathitt County Voice, October 28, 1993, page 17

Leslie County – October 29, 1993 – Loss 30 – 48

Bobcats fall short in gallant effort, 48-30; earn #2 seed

Leslie County’s 6’4″ sophomore quarterback, Tim Couch, threw for 189 yards (15 of 24 for 62.5%), three touchdowns, and two interceptions (unofficial tally) last Friday in leading the Eagles to a 48-30 Class -3A, Region IV, District 2 title over Breathitt County.

Breathitt County’s sophomore QB, Waylon Chapman, wasn’t any slouch, though, as he edged out Couch in the aerial department with 207 yards (14 of 19 for 73.7%), two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The difference in this classic matchup was rushing, defense, and a psychological edge for the visiting team – thanks to an unexpected injury to the Bobcat’s star senior tailback, Ricky Ritchie, early in the 2nd quarter.

Leslie County outrushed Breathitt on the ground, 239-169 yards.  In fact, the Bobcats were shut out in a traditionally strong 4th quarter.

The home team elected to keep the ball in the air, with Chapman throwing seven times (5 of 7) with one interception in the final period for a net gain of 61 yards of offense. 

The Bobcats outrushed Leslie early in the matchup but saw nothing but “taillights” from the rushing game after the Eagles got on track in the 2nd Quarter.  Ritchie rushed 12 times for 128 yards (10.66 yards per carry) before his injury (75% of Breathitt’s total rushing gains).  He left the game with an injury to his left knee.

One can’t help but wonder how the outcome might have been different had he played for the full duration.  In his absence, Shorty Combs carried 14 times for 47 yards (3.35 yards per carry).

1st Quarter:

Breathitt County was first to receive the football, embarking upon an immediate scoring drive of 73 yards in 5 plays.  Ricky Ritchie legged out a 60-yard carry from the Bobcat 40 with 9:27 left in the 1st, and senior kicker Stephen Zech put the home team into an early lead, 7-0.

Leslie County’s only 1st quarter possession consumed eight plays and a net gain of only 12 yards. The Eagles blew a 4th-and-5 conversion at the Bobcat 43, and Breathitt County got the ball back.

In what turned out to be Breathitt’s longest drive of the game, the Bobcats picked up six first downs and 90 yards (75 of it in rushing) in their march down the field. Shorty Combs crossed the endzone with a 1-yard carry on the 17th play of the drive, and Zech added the PAT for a comfortable 14-0 lead with 0:23.6 seconds left.

Things were looking very good for the Bobcats as the 1st quarter came to a close.

2nd Quarter:

Leslie County squandered another opportunity in their first possession of the 2nd quarter. Starting from their own 36, the Eagles had marched 38 yards to the Breathitt 26 when Couch’s pass to 5’9″ junior wide receiver Eddie Melton (#86) found Ricky Ritchie inside the 10-yard line. 

The Bobcats stopped the drive and got the ball back on their own 10. During this drive of only four plays, senior tailback Ricky Ritchie met disaster. The Bobcats lost 2 yards on the opening play when QB Chapman was sacked for a loss. On 2nd-and-12 from the 8, Shorty Combs got the lost yardage back.

On 3rd-and-10 with 8:19 left to play in the first half, Ricky Ritchie took the handoff and moved to the right-side line, looking for some running room.  He picked up 8 yards on the play but suffered a painful hyperextension injury to his left knee during the ensuing tackle, which brought him down at the Bobcat 16. After Ritchie was helped from the field to the sideline bench, the Bobcats were forced to punt on 4th-and-2 from their own 16.

Leslie County got on the scoreboard in their next possession after 6’2″ senior tight end Danny Maggard scored with a first down 19-yard carry on the 6th play of the drive.

Couch then connected with Maggard through the air for the 2-point conversion with 5:10 remaining in the half to close withing 6 points, 14-8.

Breathitt County failed to convert on 4th-and-4 at mid-field, then Eagle wide receiver Eddie Melton caught a strike from Couch for a 49-yard touchdown on the very next play.  Couch scored the 2-point conversion on a quarterback keeper to put Leslie County into its first lead, 16-14, with 2:59 left in the half.

Not to be outdone, the Bobcats came right back in the next possession, moving 59 yards on three plays. Waylon Chapman showed that he could sparkle with the “bomb,” too when he connected with John Rader down the right-side line for a 56-yard touchdown.

Shorty Combs picked up 3 yards for the 2-point conversion, and the Bobcats regained the lead, 22-16, with 1:48 left to play in the 2nd.

What followed was a perfectly timed retaliation from Couch’s crew. Beginning at their own 24, the Eagles picked up three first downs to the Bobcat 15 in an all-aerial attack with just seconds remaining. Couch was 5 of 7 on this drive, ending with a first down 15-yarder to Danny Maggard on the 8th play of the series with just 0:07.6 seconds remaining. Couch again kept the football on the 2-point conversion as the Eagles were back in front. 24-22.

3rd Quarter:

The apparent good luck for Breathitt County continued with the opening kickoff to begin the 2nd half.

The kickoff was caught at the Eagle 21, brought out to their own 40, then fumbled.  Breathitt County recovered – only 40 yards away from another score.  But fate couldn’t make its mind up which team to favor.  Chapman dropped back to pass on the first play and was intercepted by Leslie County’s 6’4″ junior defensive tackle Bryan Barrett (#76), who then returned the ball to the Bobcat 48.

On the Eagle’s opening play (are you ready for this?)… Leslie County tried some trickery with a flea flicker from Couch to 5’9″ junior wide receiver Dan Baker (#7), then back to Couch.

Couch’s pass down the right-side line was intercepted by Tim Taulbee, and the Bobcats had it back again at their own 34.

The night for the weird wasn’t over yet!  On the ensuing series of Bobcat plays, the Eagle pass defense forced two fumbles in a row by Waylon Chapman, who was hit both times just as he was about to release the football.

Fortunately, Breathitt County recovered both fumbles but had to punt away on 4th-and-17 from their own 37.

Dan Baker caught the ball at the Eagle 40 and brought it all the way back for a 60-yard touchdown run to put Leslie County further out front.

Eddie Melton (#86) received the snap on the 2-point conversion, then handed off to 5’8″ junior tailback Jim Ed Couch (#42) for the conversion. Leslie County now led, 32-22, with 8:07 left in the 3rd.

Breathitt County still refused to roll over and play dead.  On the 7th play of the series, Chapman found receiver Matt Sharp open for a 7-yard pass on 2nd-and-goal.

John Rader was open in the endzone for the 2-point conversion attempt, and Chapman connected with him to draw the Bobcats within 2 points, 32-30, with 5:27 still left in the 3rd.

Leslie County maintained possession through the end of the 3rd quarter, picking up three first downs to the Bobcat 34 when the horn sounded.

4th Quarter:

On the second play of the final period (11th play of the series), 5’10” senior full back Pearl Spurlock (#31) lunged across the goal line from the 1-yard line Couch connected with Jim Ed Couch (#42) for the 2-point conversion, and the Eagles led 40-30 with 11:47 left in the game.

Breathitt County picked up 17 yards on a pass from Chapman to Sharp, then another 16 yards on a pass interference call against the Eagles on the next play. Add five more from an Eagle offsides penalty and the Bobcats were at the Leslie 45-yard line with a 1st-and-5.

Chapman dropped back to pass to Matt Sharp but was picked off at the Eagle 28 by Dan Baker (#7). Breathitt was flagged on the play for a face mask penalty, but Leslie County declined and took over on their own 43-yard line with 9:55 left to play.

On 1st-and-10 from the Bobcat 41, 5’11” junior tailback Brannon Caldwell ripped off a 25-yard run to the Breathitt 16.  A costly penalty against the Bobcats on the play (half the distance to the goal) set up the Eagles with a 1st-and-goal from the 8. On the 6th play of the series, Couch handed off to 5’11” senior tailback Brent Sizemore (#15), but the Eagles collected a 10-yard penalty, backing them up to the 18-yard line.

It didn’t matter, for on the next play, Couch connected with Danny Maggard for the touchdown – his third TD pass of the game.   Dan Baker caught a 2-point conversion pass from Couch, and the Eagles completed their scoring with an 18-point lead, 48-30.

With 7:01 remaining, the Bobcats suffered another blow when Chapman was again hit from behind while attempting to pass.  This time, the home team wasn’t so lucky.  The Eagles recovered the fumble at the Breathitt 14-yard line.

Another facemask penalty against Breathitt was declined as the Eagles kept the ball at the 14-yard line with a 1st-and-10.  The Bobcat defense settled in for the goal line stand and stopped the Eagles at the 8 with 4th-and-4. Leslie County, obviously, went for the 4th down conversion but failed to convert.  Breathitt County got the ball back on their own 8-yard line with one last chance to add some points to the score.

Chapman hit Matt Sharp for a 27-yard pass to pick up the first down to the 35-yard line.  He also found Tim Taulbee on the next play but for a loss of 3 yards.

Finally, on 4th-and-9 from their own 36, the 4th down conversion failed when Chapman was sacked for a 5-yard loss. Leslie County took over for the final possession of the game at the Bobcat 31 with 2:23 left to play.

With the title firmly in hand, Couch and the Eagles picked up two first downs with 1:06 left to play but were content to let the clock run out on 2nd-and-10 at the 20-yard line.

In the final two snaps of the game, Couch went down to one knee, a sure way to ice the remaining seconds on the clock but also a symbolic “bow,” perhaps, to an opponent that had played their hearts out in clinching the # 2 seed for the upcoming district playoffs.

The Breathitt County Voice, November 3, 1993, page 9

Bobcat Tracks

Bobcats trackin’ to a victory season

When teacher and Bobcat at enthusiast Bonnie Turner went off to a meeting recently, no one had any idea that she would return with an idea that would literally change the appearance of football at Breathitt High School.

Football fans, along with everyone else, noticed the change on Monday (Oct. 25) upon passing through the front gate at Breathitt High School.

There, painted on the asphalt in parallel lines leading down Bobcat Lane all the way to the door of Bobcat Den was a set of paw prints – one line painted in blue, the other in white (representing the school colors).

The paw prints, of course, were huge likenesses of Bobcat tracks.  Each one measures approximately two feet in diameter, and the prints are equally spared about 10 feet apart.

Bonnie had seen this same thing done at another school and brought the idea back with her.  She discussed it with her friends in the Football Boosters Club, and they decided to give Breathitt’s parking lot a hit of ‘makeup.’

“Iwana Combs drew and cut out the stencils for us, so last Saturday (Oct 23), she, Debbie Holcomb, and I came down here and painted the little paws on the blacktop,” said Rose Calhoun as we briefly talked at the programs stand before the Leslie County game last Friday.

Calhoun said it look the three of them about three hours to complete the project. The prints consumed 12 cans of spray paint – six for each color.

“We were going to go all the way out to the highway with the tracks, but we ran out of paint,” Calhoun said.  “I think we’ll probably come back and finish up later on.”

An earlier version of the paw prints was painted in 1989 but was confined inside the fencing at Bobcat Stadium.  Each print had the name of a player on the paw. 

Since then, many of the original paws have faded away to where the names aren’t legible anymore, so the trio painted over the old ones with the newer design.

The huge banners hanging high up against the wall of the stadium last Friday were also projects from the 1989 season.  They haven’t been put to much use up until now, because there were no hooks or attachments in place to hang the sheets from.

“Debbie and I, along with Joe Williams (one of the players), came over here last Wednesday and drilled holes at the top, so we’d have a means of placing hooks to hang the banners from,” said Calhoun.

The banners are made from two king-sized sheets sown together at the middle.

Although the idea has been used before at other schools, it is unique to us, and we kinda like it.  It doesn’t take too much imagination to picture a 10-15 foot bobcat roaming free across the parking lot.

The project was done especially for the big game – Leslie vs Breathitt – but the effects will be here for fans to enjoy for quite some time to come.

The Breathitt County Voice, November 3, 1993, page 6

The Playoffs

High school playoffs begin next week

The KHSAA has released the playoff brackets for the 1993 football season. By design, any given team will have to win five games in order to become state champions on December 4th at Louisville’s Cardinal Stadium.

Two wins will place a team into a quarter-final matchup on November 19.  Three wins get them into the semi-finals one day after Thanksgiving.

As each team advances through the playoffs, home sites will be determined by the higher seeds.  If the same seeds should meet each other, the home team will be the team from the odd-numbered district or region (this year. Districts I & III or Regions I & III would be home sites).

But first, the regular season must be completed to determine the final order of district standings. Our own district title is still up for grabs, but our Bobcats are guaranteed a #2 seed at the very least.

If Breathitt beats Leslie County at home this Friday, Breathitt will finish as the district champs (#1 seed), and Leslie County will occupy the #2 seed. Breathitt would host the winner of this week’s Whitley County/Pulaski Southwest game in the opening round of the district tournament on Friday, November 5.

Should Leslie County beat Breathitt, then Leslie wins the district title (as the #1 seed), and Breathitt would take the #2 seed.  This would mean that Breathitt would host Knox Central in Jackson on Friday, November 5.

Other likely opponents: Bell County will host the “losing” team of this week’s Belfry/Clay County game, while Cawood would host the “winning” team of the Belfry/Clay County matchup.

More next week on the playoff picture as it unfolds.

The Breathitt County Voice, October 27, 1993, page 16

Knox County – November 5, 1993 – Win 40 – 22

No problem with Knox; BHS meets Bell Co. this Friday

The premier matchup that local football fans like to talk about has materialized again for the 1993 post-season as Breathitt County prepares to meet mighty Bell County at Middlesboro this Friday night for playoff game #2.

Our Bobcats had little trouble with Knox Central last Friday at Bobcat Stadium in the opening district playoff game, handing them a 40-22 defeat. In fact, this game was over in the first half.

1st Quarter:

Knox Central won the toss and received the ball first.  They didn’t hang on to it very long, though, as their 5′ 10″ junior quarterback Dave Collins (#44) ran only two plays before the Bobcats’ Tim Taulbee picked up a fumbled pitch out at the KC 12-yard line.

John Rader scored the first touchdown for Breathitt after catching an 8-yard pass from Waylon Chapman on 2nd-and-6 with 9:22 left in the first quarter.  Stephan Zech hit the PAT to put the ‘Cats up, 7-0.

Things got worse for Knox Central before they got better. Following the Bobcat kickoff, Coach Robert “Hooker” Phillips’ Panthers ran one play from their own 51 when the snap was fumbled and recovered by Breathitt County’s Bobby Hoffman (#70).

The Bobcats picked up 2 yards on three plays, and then Chapman’s pass to Matt Sharp was intercepted by 6′ 1″ senior John Prichard (#5) at the KC 28 with 6:07 remaining. Coach Phillips changed quarterbacks to begin this series of plays for the Panthers, putting 6′,0″ junior Charlie Sanborn (#7) at the helm.

On Sanborn’s first play, he was intercepted by Waylon Chapman at the 33-yard line.

Breathitt County then embarked upon a series of 8 plays en route to their second touchdown of the game. Again, John Rader drew the honors when he received a 5-yard pass from Chapman on 1st-and-goal with 2:26 remaining.  Zech centered the PAT, and Breathitt now led 14-0.

Knox Central appeared to have something going on their next possession, moving the football 26 yards and picking up a first down on four plays to their own 39. Sanborn’s handoff to Dave Collins (#44) on 3rd-and-1 with 5.6 seconds left in the quarter was lost in the third Panther fumble of the evening (recovered by Arlie Lovins) as the quarter expired.

2nd Quarter:

The Bobcats opened the second quarter from the KC 40-yard line. 

In a series of 4 plays, highlighted by Chapman passes to John Rader (19 yards) and Paul Landsaw (15 yards), Chris Hollan (#32) ran it in from the ten on 1st-and-goal with 10:41 remaining in the half.  Zech kicked his third PAT to put the team up, 21-0.

Following a kickoff from their own 33, Sanborn fumbled the snap on the first play, and Earl Young (#64) recovered for Breathitt County at the 25-yard line.

This time, the Bobcats scored on the first play when Chapman connected with Matt Sharp for the touchdown.  The PAT was automatic with Zech, putting his team in front, 28-0, with 10:00 left in the half.

Knox Central ran off six plays in their next drive, highlighted by a 45-yard run by 5’10” sophomore half-back Rodney Bullock (#22), before (you guessed it) Sanborn fumbled another snap at the Bobcat 7-yard line on 3rd-and-4 with 7:13 to play in the half (recovered by Shawn Smith).

The Bobcats continued to play well for the rest of the half.  Breathitt picked up two first downs and moved the ball 51 yards on five plays to the KC 39 before a fumble occurred at the line of scrimmage and was recovered by Knox Central with 4:15 left.

Knox Central, however, wasn’t through slopping the ball around.  From their own 41, the Panthers fumbled twice (recovering both), then ran out of downs on 4th-and-19 at their own 32 (despite the only bright spot of the series – a 15-yard pass play from Sanborn to Prichard).

With 17.4 seconds left to play in the first half, the Bobcats chalked up another touchdown on 3rd-and-7 from the 47 when Chapman again connected with his receiver, Matt Sharp

Coach Holcomb put Mark Benham into the game’ to attempt the PAT.  Benham’s kick was on target but short of the goal, and Breathitt went into halftime with a 34-0 lead.

3rd Quarter:

Everyone hoped that the halftime break would help Breathitt regain some composure.

Coach Phillips was horrified to see Matt Sharp return the kickoff for 83 yards and an apparent touchdown but was relieved to see a clipping penalty against Breathitt to bring it back to the Bobcat 12-yard line. After picking up a first down, Chapman was sacked on 3rd-and-10 at the BC 28, and Tim Taulbee punted on the 7th play of the series.

Knox Central started the second half of offense with a new quarterback- back to Dave Collins (# 44), who happens to be a converted running back.

Junior 5’7″ halfback Charles Miles highlighted the Panther drive with a 17-yard run to the Bobcat 21.  He was dropped for a 5-yard loss two plays later to set up 4th-and-13 from the BC 24.  Senior 6’1″ halfback Russell Fields was given the conversion assignment but couldn’t get the job done as Knox Central lost possession on downs.

On Breathitt’s first play from their own 27, Chapman’s pass to John Rader was picked off by KC’s John Bruner (#46) at the BC 40.  As the wind whipped up and conditions turned bitterly cold, Knox Central launched one of their better drives of the ball game.  KC moved 60 yards on seven plays to finally get on the scoreboard, highlighted by the 20-yard touchdown run by John Bruner (#46) with 1:59 left in the quarter.

Junior 5’8” fullback Jeremy Napier powered his way into the endzone on the 2-point conversion. Breathitt led 34-8 at the end of the third quarter.

4th Quarter:

With Breathitt in possession of the ball to begin the final period, the Bobcats picked up the first down at the KC 28. Then, in a rare quarterback keeper for Chapman, he ran it into the corner of the endzone for the touchdown with 11:17 left in the ball game.

The snap to Mark Benham on the PAT attempt was high.  Benham, lucky just to have retrieved the loose ball, became a running back but failed to reach the endzone.  The Bobcats led 40-8.

Knox Central then began their best drive of the game, moving 90 yards and picking up five first downs on 15 plays.  The drive was highlighted by a 24-yard pass from the BC 29, which set up a 3-yard touchdown run two plays later. The 2-point conversion failed, and Breathitt led Knox Central, 40-14, with 4:06 seconds to play.

Knox would score once more before the game ended.  With 46.4 seconds remaining, 5′,7″ senior halfback Cordon Freshour scored on a 30-yard touchdown run.  QB Dave Collins made good on the 2-point conversion to draw Knox Central within 18 points of the Bobcats for a final score of 40-22.

Tim Taulbee re-injured a recuperating knee in the closing seconds, but the report on Tuesday (Nov. 9) was that he would be ready to play this Friday at Bell County.

Game Statistics Summary:

Breathitt County gained seven first downs on the ground and two in the air.

The ‘Cats recovered five fumbles while losing two and were penalized six times for 60 yards.

The Bobcats rushed for 157 yards on 29 carries for two touchdowns.

Chris Hollan led all rushers with 74 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown; Shorty Combs carried 11 times for 48 yards; Waylon Chapman had 22 yards on two carries, including a touchdown; Tim Taulbee carried once for 10 yards; Jamon Noble had two yards, and Eric Combs gained 1 yard.

Waylon Chapman was 6 of 13 in passing for 124 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

John Rader caught 3 of those passes for 31 yards and two touchdowns; Matt Sharp caught 2 for 81 yards and two touchdowns; Paul Landsaw received one pass for 12 yards.

Defensively speaking, Eric Collins gets my nod for “Defensive Player of the Week” with four solo tackles and five assists.

Earl Young also had four solo tackles with one assist and a fumble recovery.

Other key defensemen last week were Joey Stewart with three solo tackles, two assists, and a fumble recovery; Shorty Combs with three solo tackles and five assists; Arlie Lovins had three tackles, two assists, and one fumble recovery, while Bobby Hoffman had two tackles and a fumble recovery.

With one tackle each were Chris Hollan, Shawn Smith, and Waylon Chapman.  Hollan and Smith also had two assists (plus. Smith recovered one fumble), while Chapman had one assist and a pass interception.

The Breathitt County Voice, November 10, 1993, pages 8 and 9

Bell County – November 6, 1993 – Loss 0 – 34

Bobcats down for the count – thanks for wonderful season

The premier matchup that local football fans talked about finally took place last Friday night at Middlesboro.  Breathitt County met Bell County on the “other Bobcat” gridiron for the playoff showdown, and once again, the second playoff game continues to jinx BHS’s post-season efforts.

1st Quarter:

BHS-1: Breathitt received the football first and ran six plays in their first series. Breathitt picked up 31 yards on four running plays and two pass plays while picking up two first downs in the process. This first drive was highlighted by a 12-yard run by Chris Hollon and a 16-yard pass play to Paul Landsaw. The ‘Cats finally lost possession on a loss of downs (4th-and-5) at Bell County’s 36-yard line.

Bell-1: Bell County’s first time- to see the football brought about similar results with a different ending. After running off 31 yards (five runs, two passes) on eight plays and three first downs, John Rader intercepted a pass at the BHS 33-yard line on 2nd-and-9.

BHS-2: Breathitt’s second possession went nowhere.  On four plays (two runs, one pass), our Bobcats gained only J yards and had to punt from their own 36.

Bell-2: Boll County’s second possession of the football netted them 15 yards on eight plays (5 running, two passing). They did pick up one first down in the drive, highlighted by a 27-yard pass, After suffering a 15-yard penalty, Bell had to punt away on 4th-and-18 from their own 45.

BHS-3: Now nearing the end of the quarter, neither team had managed to score. Breathitt ran off just four plays for a net gain of 1 yard. Chapman executed a running play and a pass play but was then sacked for a loss. BHS punted from their own 13 on 4th-and-9 with just 13 seconds left in the period.

Bell-3: Bell County ran two plays before the horn sounded, ending the 1st quarter in a scoreless tie.

2nd Quarter:

As the series continued, Bell executed their third play of ten in the drive, and then everything went dark as all the lights went out in the stadium.

After a delay of 10-15 minutes, action resumed as Bell County continued to pick up yardage (50 yards) on a total of seven running plays and one pass en route to a 1-yard touchdown run by the quarterback with 8:56 left in the half. Bell County went on the scoreboard first, 7-0. Other highlights of this drive included an 11-yard run and a 15-yard penalty against Breathitt. Aside from the temporary blackout, drizzle began to fall.

BHS-4: Breathitt picked up 38 yards on this possession, using six plays to do so (three runs, three passes). Chris Hollon turned in 11-yard and 13-yard running plays. Bell was flagged for defensive pass interference and a 15-yard penalty, then Breathitt lost the opportunity to score after fumbling the ball at the Bell 35 on 2nd-and-6 with 6:40 left in the half.

Bell-4: Bell County then embarked upon their longest possession and drive of the ballgame, consuming 16 plays in picking up 65 yards for the touchdown. Along the way, four first downs.  Bell turned in running plays of 9, 12, and 23 yards, picked up 12 gift yards in Breathitt penalties, and scored a 10-yard TD run by the quarterback with 33 seconds left in the quarter. A positive point for Breathitt – John Rader found the Bell quarterback in his grasp and brought him down for the sack. The PAT was no good, but Bell now had a 13-0 lead.

BHS-5: Breathitt’s fifth possession saw only three plays before the first-half clock expired. In those plays, our ‘Cats picked up 11 yards for a first down (two runs), then went to the locker room on the Bell 48 on 3rd-and-4.

Bell led at halftime, 13-0.

3rd Quarter:

Bell-5: It took six plays for Bell County to capitalize on the opening kickoff to begin the second half. Despite a Bell fumble (which they managed to recover), they picked up 53 yards and two first downs on a 36-yard pass play, a 15-yard penalty against Breathitt, a 1-yard TD run by the quarterback, and a 2-point conversion, the hosting ‘Cats now led 21-0.

BHS-6: Another failed series, here. On four plays from scrimmage, our boys had managed only 4 yards. The punt from their own 35 on 4th-and-6 sent the ball back to Bell County.

Bell-6: We saw five plays here for a gain of 65 yards and another touchdown. Bell ran three plays on the ground, including the big one – a 58-yarder on 3rd-and-4 from their own 42 with 6:26 left in the period. Breathitt’s Shorty Combs blocked the PAT, but Bell now held a 27-0 lead.

BHS-7: Things continued to sour for Breathitt. They lost five yards in seven plays (two runs, three passes), suffered one quarterback sack, and were penalized 15 yards. The positive point in this series was a 12-yard pass play to John Rader. Breathitt punted from their own 15 on 4th-and-29 with 4:44 left in the 3rd.

Bell-7: Here we saw ten plays and a pickup of 54 yards for another touchdown. Bell earned three first downs (on eight running plays), highlighted by 19-yard and 14-yard runs, then another 1-yard TD run by the quarterback with 47 seconds left in the period. The PAT was good – Bell had scored what would be the final points of the game and led 34-0.

BHS-8: In opening the final period, Breathitt ran seven plays from scrimmage and picked up 44 yards (four runs, three passes). Chris Hollon pocketed another 11-yard run and Breathitt succeeded in some trickery when Chapman handed off to Ritchie, who then threw to Paul Landsaw for a 35-yard pickup. Chapman was sacked again for a loss, and Breathitt turned over possession on a loss of downs at the Bell 20-yard line (4th-and-14).

Bell-8: In Bell’s eighth possession of the game, 57 yards were gained on six plays (all on the ground). They picked up 29 yards on a quarterback keeper in the opening play of this series, then another 15 yards on a Breathitt penalty. Bell’s offensive line was overcome by Breathitt’s defense on 4th-and-1 at the BHS 22, then Breathitt had the ball back with 7:32 left to play.

BHS-9: This was Breathitt County’s best drive of the evening, but like all the rest, they failed to produce a score. The ‘Cats ran 13 plays for a pickup of 48 yards (six runs, five passes), including an 18-yard run from Waylon Chapman, an 11-yard run from Chris Hollon, and an 11-yard pass to Paul Landsaw. On 4th-and-5 at the Bell 17, Chapman was sacked again for a 13-yard loss back to the 30.  Bell got the ball back on the loss of downs with 4:11 left to play.

Bell-9: After five plays (four runs), Bell had only three yards to show for it. The five-yard penalty they picked up on 3rd-and-8 set up the punt with 118 left to go.

BHS-10: The final possession of the game, time for only four plays (all on the ground).  The ‘Cats picked up two first downs on runs of 13, 9, and 8 yards… then time expired.

The Breathitt County Voice, November 17, 1993, pages 8 and 9

Banquet Scheduled

Football Banquet

Post Season Awards

Hounshell, Rice, Miller, Thorpe make All-Conference team

By Jack Niece

Four “younger” football Bobcats made the All-conference team as compiled by the Southeast Kentucky Football Coaches Association. They were Rob Hounshell, Jeremy Rice, Chris Miller, and Lester Thorpe.

When the coaches of the Southeast Kentucky formed their association a few years ago, they started with five teams in one local area.  Now, there are 12 teams in two districts.

Since there are 12 teams in the conference and only nine weeks to play the games, the conference is played in two districts. The top three teams in each district met to play for 1st through 6th place. This year’s “playoffs” were hosted by Shelby Valley High School on Oct. 23rd.  Pikeville defeated Leslie County for first place of the conference as Leslie was awarded 2nd.  Whitesburg defeated Belfry for 3rd place, and Belfry was awarded 4th.  In the final game, Breathitt defeated Prestonsburg for 5th place, and Prestonsburg was awarded 6th.

The following is the list of players that make up the all-conference teams.

lst – Pikeville: #25, Brent Coleman freshman halfback; #34, Abe Boyd, sophomore linebacker; #9, Doug Powers, freshman quarterback; #50, Ross Childers, sophomore offensive guard; #88, Cade Cinnimon, sophomore defensive end.

2nd – Leslie Co.: #34, Paul Milton, sophomore fullback/linebacker; #55, Ken Asher, sophomore offensive guard/linebacker; #5, Scott Brock, sophomore quarterback/safety; #60, Reuben Maggard, sophomore offensive guard/nose guard; #78, Jeremy Asher, sophomore offensive tackle/defensive tackle.

3rd – Whitesburg: #35, Billy Stamper, sophomore running back; #78, Brandon Pennington, sophomore center/defensive tackle; #1, Matthew Smith, sophomore corner back; #11, Charlie Wright, sophomore quarterback.

4th – Belfry: #21, Adam Eastwood, sophomore halfback/cornerback; # 13, Barry Crum, freshman quarterback; #58, Jason Vance, sophomore offensive guard/linebacker; #63, Travis Eicher, sophomore offensive guard/defensive line.

5th – Breathitt Co.: #62, Rob Hounshell, sophomore offensive guard/linebacker, #74, Jeremy Rice, sophomore offensive tackle/defensive tackle; #58, Chris Miller, sophomore offensive tackle/defensive tackle; #66, Lester Thorpe, sophomore defensive line.

6th – Prestonsburg: #29, Chad Spurlock, sophomore running back/defensive back; #80, Waylon Bevins, sophomore tight end/defensive end; #14, Keith Marsillett, sophomore quarterback/safety; #34 John Morris, freshman running back/defensive back.

Other teams that make up the conference are Knott Central, Clay County, Hazard, Shelby Valley, Pike County Central, and Johnson Central.

The Jackson Times, January 28, 1994, page 15

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The Bocat roared out of the gate running off six consecutive wins in 1993. Excitement grew as the team improved each week. Injuries and better competition slowed the charge to the state championship. The arm of Tim Couch in Leslie County stopped the drive for another district championship. In the end, the season was very successful. The first signs that the program was taking the necessary steps to make a state title run were visible.

The coming year, 1994, held much promise, and the team and coaches started work immediately in the new den to prepare for the season to come.

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© 2024 Stephen D. Bowling