ASHLAND — Few Ashland Tomcats will be more appreciative of the chance to suit up and play in Putnam Stadium one more time tonight than senior Drew Walters.

And it’s not just because it may well be the last game in grand “old” Putnam Stadium.

When Walters suffered a broken leg in the fourth game of the season against Russell, the big center’s world collapsed around him.

He laid on the Putnam Stadium turf in horrendous pain, the biggest being the mental anguish of knowing this may be it — not how you expect it to end.

Walters’ senior year was over in a snap.

“I didn’t think I was going to play again, not this year anyway,” he said.

But upon further review, Walters began to set a goal of returning to the Tomcat lineup and his journey is complete tonight when Ashland plays Covington Holmes in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs.

The snapper is back in the lineup.

While there’s been much talk in the community about this being the last game in Putnam Stadium as we know it, the Tomcats just want to win and let everything else take care of itself.

There’s an outside chance Ashland could have another playoff game in Putnam Stadium but the odds are against it. The Tomcats would have to win tonight, beat top-ranked Fort Thomas Highlands on the road and then hope somebody besides Johnson Central wins the other half of the bracket.

Possible? Yes.

Probable? Well ...

“We want to win this week, win next week and then we can have it at Putnam again,” Walters said of the potential of hosting the regional championship. “But this is a game where you definitely want to sell out for the fans.”

And family, in Drew’s case.

His name has a strong Tomcat legacy attached to it. His father Phil was a former outstanding Tomcat player as was his late grandfather, John Paul Walters, who kicked the famous field goal in Ashland’s 3-0 victory over Ironton in 1950. It’s the only 3-0 game in the long series between the rivals.

“I want to make my family proud,” Drew Walters said. “They know what the tradition is about and I know what it’s about. It’s definitely a big factor for me.”

That’s what made Walters’ devastating injury all the more hard to swallow. He was looking forward to the next Friday night when Ashland went to Ironton and he was selected to be one of the senior captains.

Instead of walking to midfield in a Tomcat uniform, he had to go out in crutches.

But Walters never gave in to the thought of giving up. Quitting is not in his DNA.

The cast was removed six weeks later and he’s worked himself back into playing shape, although he said he was “about 70 to 80 percent.”

Walters said several trips to Premier Therapy made the comeback possible. The leg feels fine but his ankle, that was sprained before the injury, remains tender and stiff.

“I thank God every day that I get the chance to play in Putnam again,” he said. “I don’t take any day for granted.”

He remembers watching practice and seeing teammates not always giving it their best, and it bothered him.

“I’d go to practice on crutches and wished for that second chance,” he said. “I’d see guys out there goofing off and thought ‘I wish I could be out there.’ I have a different attitude.”

While Walters understands his high school career is ending, he wants to soak up every last drop of it for as long as it lasts.

He also has a sense of Tomcat history and understands there’s a chance that this will be the last game played in the way the 75-year-old stadium looks. It’s the way the stadium looked when his father played and when his grandfather played. And now when he plays. Again.

“I think it plays into a little bit,” he said. “It’ll be an emotional game.”

Coaches honored

Plans are to honor some former head coaches — Vic Marsh, Herb Conley, Jake Hallum and the late Rex Miller (who will be represented by one of his sons, Dean, and possibly his wife Ruth) — and current head coach Leon Hart and assistant Dave Arthur (also a former head coach) in a brief pregame ceremony tonight.

Those coaches combined for 338 total victories, 31 playoff wins, three state championships, a state runner-up finish and an undefeated season.

Also, the Putnam Stadium Restoration Committee will be recognized for their work the past five years that has led to the $1.5 million reconstruction of the stadium. That’s just the first phase of the project that will cost $5 million when it’s completed.

The aim of the first phase is to make it a safe place for students and fans. The concrete stands will be taken out and replaced with enclosed aluminum bleachers that supply ample storage underneath. The grassy corner areas will also have bleachers on them and there are more reserved seats than in the current structure.

There will also be new lockerrooms, a new press box and new concession stands on the ends of the stadium.Bids are still out on the project but the goal is to have everything ready to begin the 2013 season in “new” Putnam Stadium.

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