The Top 15 games in Tiger football history: #5-#7

Tiger football is celebrating its 50th year and this week we take a look at games #5-#7 in the Top 15 of All-Time Tiger football games.  You can also find the other games on our website.

#7 ‘THE RE-KICK AND THE REVENGE…a two-part story’

 

TIGER STADIUM-- This game is best told over two seasons from 1989 and 1990.

Clay and Breathitt had a fierce rivalry at the time in a loaded district.

So, let’s go back to Tiger Stadium in 1989...Clay had a tough Bobcat team beaten.

The first half was all Breathitt, but the second half belonged to the Tigers.

Clay was trailing 7-6 when Brad Shepherd fielded a punt; he picked it up and raced down the right side, scoring on a 45-yard return.  Shannon Arnett drilled the extra point to give Clay the lead.

The Tigers held a 13-12 lead late in the game with Breathitt marching towards a winning score. The drive stalled and the Bobcats were forced to try and kick a field goal for the win with time running out.

With :12 seconds remaining Breathitt attempted a field goal for the win.

It was a 49-yard attempt, but Judd Hubbard had a strong leg and was a good kicker.  

The kick fell short, Clay had players back in case of a fake and the ball slipped through the hands of David Wombles at the 10.

Realizing the ball was still live, Breathitt Coach Mike Holcomb went halfway on the field in an attempt to get his team to go after the ball.  They finally did, with a Bobcat player picking it up and running it into the endzone.  At first, they signaled a touchdown.  Then the confusion set in.

Three officials said touchdown, but one said no and ruled two seconds were on the clock when the ball was recovered.  The question was, did any official really see if any time was on the clock?

“They missed the kick, but one of our players touched the ball thinking that the game was over,” coach Hensley said. “Breathitt jumped on the ball but there was no time on the clock so I thought we had won the game.”

The game officials decided to allow Breathitt another kick, with no time on the clock at a much closer distance. They made the kick on the second try. It was the first loss of the season for the Tigers and cost them a shot at the state playoffs.

Clay’s players wouldn’t let the memory of the loss die. During the off-season the players had put up the score in the locker room to remind them of the game.

Enter 1990. When the two teams met in Breathitt County the Tigers were more than ready for a rematch. There would be no game-winning kick, no controversy but only a beat down of the Bobcats as Clay rolled 55-7.

“We played a great game,” Hensley said. “Our kids remembered quite well what happened and used that to beat a very good Breathitt County team.”

Tiger running back Sam Davidson was unstoppable that night rushing for 250 yards.

 

#6 ‘THE HIT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD’

1982: TIGERS 10 – M.C. NAPIER 8

TIGER STADIUM-- It would be the win that signaled the coming of age for Tiger football, but it will always be remembered for just one hit.

The late Sammy Harp’s earth-shattering hit on a M.C. Napier tailback is legendary when discussing Clay County Tiger football. It is easily considered as the hardest hit in the program’s history.

“I’ll never forget it,” said former Tiger Jeff Woods in 1997. “I was standing about five feet away when it happened. Coach Hensley had told us that they would be going to that back a lot and that he didn’t like to take a hit.”

“We were in the fourth quarter and the guy caught a little screen pass and as soon as he turned, Sammy nailed him.”

The hit was so hard that both players remained on the ground for quite some time and an ambulance was brought in to remove the M.C. Napier player. He had an extended stay in the hospital after that hit.

“I remember Sammy felt really bad about hurting the guy,” Woods said. “It was a good clean hit, but you never want to see someone get hurt.”

Harp died a few years later in an automobile accident and will always be remembered as one of the hardest hitting players to ever wear the black and gold.

According to Woods, Harp went and visited the player several times in the hospital while he recovered, which resulted in a possible broken pelvis.

Many tales floated around about that hit, but one thing is for certain, the game in which it happened in helped put Clay County football on their way.

Napier came into the game undefeated and ranked as one of the top teams in the state.

“They had their best team in school history,” Hensley said. “We were starting to turn into a good football team.”

Clay trailed 8-0 but got a break on a Navajo turnover.

“Phillip Mobley punted a ball that seemed to go out of sight and it came back down like a bullet. It caused the M.C. Napier player to fumble, and we recovered the ball inside their 20-yard line.”

That recovery set up a touchdown that made the score 8-7. Mobley later kicked the game-winning field goal for the victory.

“Phillip is often overlooked when talking about the best players ever at Clay County High School,” Hensley said. “But he was a key in turning the football program around and into a winner for us.”

Mobley joined Harp and Anthony Short, who carried the ball an amazing 39 times during the game, as heroes in the victory.

Hensley said another thing he remembers about that week was it rained the entire week and forced his team to practice inside the old high school gym leading up to that showdown.

 

#5 ‘THE WAR IN THE RAIN’

1990: TIGERS 15 – ASHLAND 27

ASHLAND-- Clay County had raced through a tremendous schedule with a 10-1 record, but would have to begin their run through the state playoffs at powerful Ashland.

Ashland was led by all-everything back Juan Thomas, who was one of the most dominating players in the state at that time. Clay County wasn’t intimidated however and was able to jump out to a lead.

Playing in a driving rain storm, the two teams pounded at each other all night. That pounding eventually led to a brawl between the two teams after a late hit on running back DeShae Henson.

Fans at the game say the Tigers put a whipping on the Tomcats.  Ashland coach Vic Marsh told a Lexington Herald-Leader reporter in regards to the fight, “It doesn’t matter who won the fight, we won the game.”

What he didn’t mention was the fact that several Tomcat assistant coaches were seen throwing punches against Clay players.  Parents emptied the stands to defend the Tigers and they almost went to jail!

Tiger coach Eugene Hensley said, “If the Ashland coaches had done their job, we’d been in a whole lot better shape before the half.  They just didn’t do a good job of controlling their players.  They started the brawl, and it took the officials to end it.”

On the hit on Henson, Hensley said, “It was a screen pass to Henson.  The boy hit him late.  Everybody saw it. Then, somebody said something to somebody else.  And their (Ashland) kid just shoved his hand into DeShae’s face.  Then another Ashland player hit him and wouldn’t let him up.  All heck broke loose after that.”

The official told Hensley they didn’t know who started the fight.

“I told him (the official) that if they didn’t know who started it, they were the only five people in the stadium who didn’t know who started it.”

Clay led until around eight minutes remaining in the game when the Tomcats took the lead for good.

Ashland went on to win the state championship that year and the 1990 team is still regarded as one of the best, if not the best, team in program history.