5????s high school football game with Ironton last weekend reminded me of the good old days, when fans couldn’t wait for Friday night.

It’s been a while since there was such anticipation for a game around here, and then to have it fulfill the hype was an added bonus.

Ashland’s 26-12 victory over Ironton did a lot for the community, not to mention the confidence of a good football team.

As Tomcat coach Leon Hart said, the community was “starving for a victory over Ironton.”

It had been 19 years, spanning 17 games, since it last happened.

There was not much rivalry left. It was only history.

Ashland’s win will no doubt rejuvenate that rivalry, and that’s a good thing. You better believe Ironton will be waiting for them next season.

Ironton is always a great measuring stick because it’s a model program for the Tri-State area, a consistent winner that commands respect in a state where football is most definitely king.

Any victory over Bob Lutz, already a Hall of Fame coach, is one to be savored. He has 357 victories and will soon be the all-time winningest coach in Ohio high school football history. Lutz is 28-5 against Ashland in his illustrious career.

Lutz is a classy coach who never makes excuses for losing. He gives the opponent credit and moves on. He respects Ashland because the Tomcats continued the series with Ironton after the breakup of the Ohio-Kentucky Athletic Conference in 1992.

Over the past few years, I’ve heard some Ashland fans question why the Tomcats keep playing Ironton given the domination of the Fighting Tigers since 1991. There are several reasons why, including what was probably a near $20,000 gate on Friday night.

But beyond the financial bonus, it’s because playing a program like Ironton, win or lose, makes you better. If the Tomcats are fortunate enough to make a playoff run, having played — and beaten — a team like Ironton will give them confidence to compete against almost anybody.

Mostly, though, the reason to keep playing Ironton is for games like Friday night. All week, everybody was talking about it, looking forward to it. That does nothing but good for the sport.

Last Friday, upon arriving at Putnam Stadium a few minutes after six o’clock, there was already expectation in the air. Fans were lining up for tickets and many were already finding their seats in anticipation of a full house. The crowd was estimated at 6,000 (the stadium seats only 5,500). They were standing three and four deep behind the stands on both sides.

“The last time I saw a crowd this big, I was sitting right over there when Ashland played Bell County,” said Steve Dowdy, a Tomcat assistant coach, pointing toward the visiting stands.

Friday’s crowd was likely the largest since that state semifinal game with Bell County. Back in the ’70s, it seemed like almost every week the stadium, or at least the home side, was full.

That’s the way it has been so far for the 2009 Tomcats, who have played in front of five large crowds — three at home (Greenup County, Raceland and Ironton) and two on the road (Belfry and Russell).

I would say the crowds for the first three home games have been the largest to start a season since 1990 and it may well have outdrawn the 1990 Tomcats in the first three home games of that special season.

The game with Greenup County was one of the biggest crowds I can remember on opening night. That was largely due to a huge following from the Musketeers, who seem to be solidly behind their new young coach Mike Copley.

Raceland came into Putnam Stadium on a three-game winning streak against the Tomcats. So the crowd in Week 2 was much like another season opener because of the anticipation for that game.

But neither of those games came close to what we witnessed on Friday night.

Like always, Ironton showed up in force and Ashland’s crowd was in their seats well before kickoff. They seemed to know something special was about to happen.

I remember the game in 2005, when a failed field goal attempt on the last play kept the Tomcats from snapping the streak against Ironton and how a large crowd fell suddenly quiet.

But on Friday night, they were glad they came and glad they stayed for a game that will be remembered for a long time in Tomcat history.

It wasn’t just a victory for Ashland, it was a victory for high school football in general.

We need more of those.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.