Mark Maynard
The Independent
ASHLAND —
When Ashland captured the 1990 Class 3A state championship, there were immediate comparisons to the 1975 Class 4A state at-large champions.
They each finished 14-1.
They each were wishbone teams.
They each had a star running back named Thomas.
Those were just a few of the things that made you wonder: So what would happen if the ’90 Tomcats met the ’75 Tomcats?
It was fun to play out in your mind, argue about with friends and dream of what a game it may have been.
Well, my friends, dream becomes reality this week.
While the ’90 and ’75 Tomcats can’t suit it up on Friday — too many years have gone by for both sides— we do have a way for a fantasy battle to take place this week in Putnam Stadium.
Thanks to Steve Clark, who runs a website called jimmychitwood.com, the Tomcat powerhouse teams will play it out in a game for the ages.
Clark, who lives in a Detroit suburb, specializes in making high school sports fantasy dreams come true. His site, which is very entertaining, has matched some of the best high school football and basketball teams around the nation.
All he needs are statistics.
For those two teams, plenty were available. A special shout out to Curtis Crye, an area sports historian who provided them to me. Nobody has more area sports history documented than Crye. He’s an amazing source and good friend.
Clark was thrilled to take on the assignment of matching the teams in a fantasy game. He played it this summer. I’ve been able to keep the results a secret for about two months. My wife knows but she’s sworn to secrecy, so don’t call. She may not even remember what I told her.
The unveiling comes in Friday morning’s newspaper, complete with a game story and full box score. I will tell you this much: It’s a tremendous game between a pair of storied teams.
While one side isn’t going to be happy with the outcome, remember that it’s only a re-enactment of what might have happened if the two teams met. And, after all, both of these teams are state champions.
I’m just saying.
Clark played the game only one time based on the statistics we provided him — and let the pieces fall where they may. If he would have played it 10 times, it would probably have been 5-5. That’s how evenly these teams are matched.
There are things that can’t be factored into the equation that have nothing to do with statistics. But the game plays out realistically based on the information we had. He even provided me with a play-by-play account that includes the game’s leading tacklers.
Clark doesn’t feed the information into a computer but simulates it through a dice-driven board game that he developed. It’s pure fantasy but it puts these great teams on the field one more time.
“It’s my own game,” he said. “It wouldn’t be good for public consumption. I grew up with Strat-O-Matic so I have an affinity for board games.”
I was drawn to the site in the spring when researching the 1961 Ashland Tomcat basketball team. On his site, he played a Kentucky Basketball Tournament of all-time teams and the state champions from ’61 were one of them. They actually went in as the tournament favorite but were upset by Clay County’s ’87 team, led by Richie Farmer.
Farmer hit a 3-point bomb against the Tomcats in overtime for the stunning 73-70 upset in a game played at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.
Clark’s box score was complete right down to who referred the game. Johnny Radjunas, George Conley and Foster “Sid” Meade were among the local officials who called games throughout the Kentucky Basketball Tournament. So, as you can see, he’s a detail guy.
There’s a lot of detail in the 1990-1975 football game as well with breakaway runs and hard hits up the middle. He had the game being played in Louisville but I moved it to Putnam Stadium. Seemed more fitting to me that the old girl would be the site for this Clash of Tomcat Titans.
Other than that venue change, everything else comes from Clark’s board game and our statistics.
We’ll have more stories leading up to Friday’s game as the week unfolds.
I hope you enjoy the journey back in time.
MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.
