Your day has finally arrived. No more preparation and planning. It’s time to play.

My advice? Don’t blink because, when you do, it will be over. Blink again. It’s been 10 years since this day. Blink another time. You’re looking back on 20 years. Some of your brothers may no longer be here.

Blink again and it’s been 30 years.

Life is short, legacy is forever.

My favorite movie is “Remember the Titans.” I’m sure you’ve seen it. If the Titans had not won that championship game to complete that perfect season in Virginia, they may still be remembered, but it would be in a different way. And that movie probably never happens.

The same goes for you. The 2023 Raceland Rams will be fondly remembered, no matter what happens today. But win and you’re legendary. You’ve been here before and understand the pain of going home as runnerup, no matter how great an accomplishment that may be. Your community and family will love you regardless of what happens today. You’ve given them lifetime memories and thrills.

Your coach has tested you with a schedule that has few equals. Look back on those games for strength when the game gets tough today. You will need that resolve. You may not have understood it when the game against powerhouses like Fort Thomas Highlands and Lexington Christian, among others, were being played. But today the lessons learned from those games will be something that gets you through the moments of adversity that are sure to come against a great team like Pikeville.

Don’t blink.

I’ve covered some of the great Raceland teams of the past and many had disappointing finishes in the postseason. They had to go through the northern Kentucky gauntlet, so it was hard to get any traction. Things are different now although not easy. All season long, no matter what RPI says, you and Pikeville have been the best teams in Class A. You have made history and now it’s time to do what no other Raceland team has ever done. You will be the standard. Nobody will ever forget these Rams.

It’s only 48 game minutes away.

You may have heard the phrase “luck is when opportunity meets preparation.” I think there’s even more to it. If no action is taken when preparation and opportunity collide, nothing happens. It becomes a lost opportunity, a time when you will have wished you did something. That can also translate into regret.

Don’t regret.

Don’t blink.

And WIN!

Remember every second and let’s make sure Pikeville remembers the Rams.

Thirty-five years ago this season, Ashland and Covington Catholic slugged it out in one of the greatest games ever played in Putnam Stadium’s 86-year history.

It was the 1988 state semifinals and Covington Catholic came into the game roaring. The Colonels were 12-1 and entered as a 17-point favorite with a powerhouse running game and a slick passing attack that had devoured opponents.

Ashland had underachieved in the regular season but began hitting a stride in the playoffs. The Tomcats came into the semifinals with a pedestrian 7-6 record but much better than the record showed.

Still, nobody gave them much of a chance, including their own loyal followers, to defeat the northern Kentucky powerhouse.

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

Those Tomcats didn’t listen to the pre-game talk. Today’s Tomcats may want to stay away from the naysayers, too.

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

If Ashland had any chance, it would be because of a battering-ram offense that had carried the Tomcats most of the season. It included running back Mike Johnson, who that season would become Ashland’s all-time leading rusher.

But on this night, it was a defense designed by assistant coaches Don McReynolds, Steve Salyers and David Arthur that befuddled the Colonels. It was a mix of zone looks and was predicated on a fierce pass rush. And it worked. An uncomfortable Hladon completed only 4 of 22 passes for 28 yards. It wasn’t all Hladon’s fault. Some of his throws were rushed but his receivers also dropped many passes after some jarring hits from Ashland’s secondary, namely Jason Hall and David Hicks, who had two interceptions and made an early statement with a thunderous hit on a receiver who dared to come over the middle on the first play.

By the end of the game, the receivers were hearing the footsteps of Hall and Hicks when a football was thrown their way. The pass rush was effective, too, keeping Hladon uncomfortable in the pocket.

Marsh’s coaching trademark was preparation, and it was the most prepared Tomcat team I can ever remember. They were ready and they were motivated to win, not just play a good game against a team that frankly had superior talent.

That kind of mental preparation was the only way the Tomcats were going to compete with Covington Catholic. They weren’t the more talented team, so they had to be the more physical team. Tonight’s game with Covington Catholic will be another test of toughness for these Tomcats.

Hladon left the game knowing the Colonels were fortunate to go home with a victory. “I’ll tell you, Ashland Paul Blazer deserved to win,” he said.

The game may be the most exciting scoreless football ever played in Putnam Stadium.

Zeroes dominated the scoreboard but on the field there were blocked punts, blocked field goal tries, a touchdown called back by penalty, long runs, big losses, passes dropped, passes intercepted, fumbles, a goal-line stand, critical penalties, great decisions, bad decisions and gutsy decisions.

The only score came on Dan Ruh’s 10-yard run on a draw play in overtime.

Ashland had taken possession first in overtime and got to the four on two runs by Mike Johnson before Hicks, the quarterback, was dropped for a two-yard loss. That left it up to Charlie Johnson’s foot and Roger Werner blocked the sophomore’s 22-yard field goal try.

When Covington Catholic took possession for its overtime opportunity, Charlie Johnson chased Hladon back to the 23 and looked to have him corralled for a sack when the quarterback flung a pass out of bounds in the vicinity of a receiver.

On the next play, Ruh went up the middle, did some stutter steps to avoid the first wave of tacklers, cut left and went into the end zone.

Ruh, excited with the win, spiked the ball. The officials threw a flag, but unless it was going to be marked off on the kickoff of the state title game, it was meaningless.

Ashland’s players stood frozen on the field and it wasn’t because of the November chill. Their emotions were chilled. This roller-coaster ride of a game was over and so was the season.

Ashland had its chances to win the game in regulation with only seconds remaining. Stopped at the Covington Catholic 12 with only nine seconds to play, the Tomcats called a timeout. Johnson tried a 27-yard field goal that was slightly wide left, but an illegal procedure penalty gave the Tomcats a five-yard setback but another try for the win, much to the protest of the Colonels’ sidelines. Again though, Johnson’s kick, this time from 34 yards out, was wide left and regulation ended 0-0.

Covington Catholic had a chance in the fourth quarter, but a goal-line stand by the Tomcats kept the shutout. The Colonels had a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. The first two plays were one-yard gains and then fullback Chris Penn was stopped twice for no gain. Ashland’s fans in the end zone went wild. Everybody who was at this game was into the game. For the Tomcat fans who had invested so deeply, that’s what made losing so much tougher.

But the 1988 state semifinal game, even though a loss, will be forever remembered by those same fans and those who played in the game. Those gentlemen are between the ages of 50 and 53 today but the memory of a time when you put so much of your heart and soul into a battle – win or lose – stays with you.

I’m sure the same is true for the Covington Catholic players of that era. They remember the Tomcats.

Will these Colonels remember the Tomcats after tonight?

Covington Catholic went on to repeat as state champions in 1988, defeating Paducah Tilghman 30-24 in overtime the following week. Ashland was left to wonder what if?

Two years later, the sophomores on this Ashland team, including Charlie Johnson, would win a 19-14 semifinal game against Bell County in Putnam Stadium on the way to the 1990 state championship.

Ask them today and they’ll proudly tell you about both games, each considered epic in Ashland’s proud history.

Gary Thomas, who had one of the biggest runs in Ashland Tomcat football history in 1975 against Paducah Tilghman and gained more than 3,000 yards rushing in two memorable seasons, was one of the most best athletes in school history. He died on Sept. 29, 2023 at the age of 64.

Thomas’ 85-yard run against Paducah Tilghman in the Class AAAA State At-Large Championship game broke a 7-7 tie with less than four minutes to play led to a 13-7 victory. It was a third road playoff win for a team that was ranked No. 1 in the Class AAAA At-Large classification most of the season.

Paducah had bottled up Ashland’s vaunted running attack and had the Tomcats deep in their own territory when Thomas got loose. The JAWS defense, where Thomas was a hard-hitting cornerback, kept the game at 7 apiece in a defensive struggle. Thomas darted off-tackle, found a seam and followed some good downfield blocking to outrace Tilghman defenders to the end zone.

The Paducah crowd was stunned, and the small Tomcat faithful were cheering wildly with hundreds more listening intently on the radio broadcast in Ashland, hanging onto every word from Dick Martin Sr. and Pete Wonn. The Tomcats were the first high school team in state history to take an airplane flight to a game. The Tomcat Boosters raised enough money in three days to charter a flight across the state for the beloved team.

The 1975 JAWS team is one of the most memorable in Tomcat history and Thomas was a good reason why. He rushed for 1,754 yards and 20 touchdowns by using his quickness and speed and a tremendous offensive line to help deliver one of the best seasons in Ashland history. He was a second-team All-State running back.

Ashland fell to Louisville St. Xavier 20-0 in the overall Class AAAA championship game played in Louisville. Thomas carried for 107 yards in the team’s only loss in a 14-1 season. He ran for more than 100 yards in 10 of 15 games, including a career-high 222 yards against Belfry in a 47-6 rout.

That was his junior year and he came back the next season and led Ashland to a 9-3 record and the Class AAAA State At-Large semifinals where a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to Tates Creek ended the season in Putnam Stadium. Thomas gained 1,393 yards with 16 touchdowns with six 100-yard rushing games. He was a first-team All-State defensive back as a senior.

Thomas put his stamp on a great career, finishing with 3,147 yards and 36 touchdowns. His career rushing record stood for more than 10 years.

Anyone who watched Thomas run with the football would not forget it. It was like watching a great artist paint a picture. He was quick, fast and powerful all at the same time. Just give him the football and watch him go. Coach Herb Conley did that a lot in 1975 and 1976 in his vaunted wishbone offense that took opponents apart, not knowing who to take away. There was no better option than Thomas, whose quickness and running IQ made him one of the state’s most dangerous weapons.

As good as Thomas was on defense, he was a hard-hitting player with natural instincts on defense and that’s what Eastern Kentucky University liked him most. He went to EKU on scholarship after his senior season.

Thomas was the father to some athletic sons in Marcus and Matt and a third son, Hayden, who came along later in life. Thomas coached in Ashland’s youth leagues for many years. He was a good man with a deep love of football who wanted to give back. He lived his life in the Ashland community.

Gary Thomas will be remembered as one of the greatest players on one of Ashland’s greatest teams in 1975 along with being one of the best players to wear maroon and white. And that touchdown run in Paducah will be regarded as one of the biggest in Tomcat history because of what was at stake.

Herb Conley’s legacy didn’t end with the coaching job he did in Ashland.

Twenty years after hanging up the whistle for the Tomcats after the 1976 season, not because he was tired of coaching but to make a career change to the administrative side of education for the betterment of his family, he took a job across the Ohio River.

Symmes Valley High School offered him a head coaching position and he jumped at it. His five seasons with the Vikings built a foundation and gave him that taste of coaching again that never really left him.

They remember Herb Conley, too, and they revere him like we do. His teams ran the wishbone – Conley’s favorite offense since he installed it in the last game of the 1970 season to stun Ironton and save his job. The Tomcats were among the finest in Kentucky, regardless of class, over the next six years. Nobody wanted any part of them. They were hard-nosed, like their coach. Catch a pass over the middle at your own expense.

Herb Conley, left, early in his career with the Ashland Tomcats. Assistant Bill Tom Ross is with him.

That same kind of toughness was part of that Symmes Valley foundation. Big hits were a calling card of Herb Conley teams. He wasn’t happy until somebody on the other team was looking out of the ear hole on their helmet.

Oh, Symmes Valley remembers him. They plan to recognize Herb on Friday and dedicate the refurbished “Victory Bell” in honor of the man who many say saved their football program. They are asking any of his players during his coaching tenure from 1996 to 2000 to stand with him as he is re-introduced to a thankful community.

He was more than the coach of the football team at Symmes Valley. Herb Conley saved the program from extinction. Coach Conley was their last gasp of hope. He went door-to-door through the community asking any freshmen through senior student to play football for him. Coach Conley had a way of convincing you.

“Our community realizes that he helped save our program but he did so much more,” said Adam Corn, the current school board chairman. “He created a different culture in our community that showed us how to take pride in our district.”

Coach Herb Conley giving some advice to a Symmes Valley player during his five years there.

It was also Coach Conley who found the bell in a storage room in the first place, said Corn, who suggested the school recognize Conley and name the bell in his honor. “When Coach Conley saw the bell, he had the idea to have an A-frame built to hold it and for the players to ring it after practices and games.”

Conley will then be given the honor of the inaugural ring, followed by current Symmes Valley players and coaches and former players.

Symmes Valley gave Conley a chance to coach one more time in Putnam Stadium although it wasn’t against the Tomcats. The Vikings played Fairview and won easily, allowing him to walk out of the stadium with another victory.

The itch to coach never left him and likely never will. Truth be told, he was born with it. The Tomcat community is proud to share Coach Conley with Symmes Valley for a night.

He’s a legend worth sharing.