The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky., Mark Maynard column [The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.]

Aug. 31--ASHLAND -- There is one link between Ashland's 1975 and 1990 state championship football teams.

Say hello to Vic Marsh.

Marsh was a 26-year-old assistant for Herb Conley in 1975, trying to break into the coaching ranks of his alma mater. He was the freshman coach at Coles Junior High and one of three scouts along with Putnam Junior High coach John Tuttle and Bill Burch.

Instead of Friday night's at Putnam Stadium, the scouts Fridays were spent on the road preparing for the following week.

Marsh, of course, would rise up the ranks and become Ashland's head coach and eventually its winningest coach. His biggest moment? The Tomcats' 1990 state championship team.

But his early coaching teeth were cut with the team nicknamed JAWS.

"The only person who was really a part of both teams was me," Marsh said. "We went to preseason camp and when our (junior high) season was over, every day we went to Blazer and practiced with the Tomcats."

Marsh said the buzz surrounding the fantasy matchup between the Tomcat titans this week is becoming intense. Everybody has an opinion and there's a lot of pride being shown by both sides.

"I can't go anywhere without somebody asking me about it," he said. "I can't go to Lowe's or to the store without somebody stopping me and asking 'What do you think? Who do you think would win?' I tell them ask Mark (Maynard), I have no idea.'"

Mark's not saying, by the way. The game is a simulation from a Michigan man who has developed a dice-driven board game that matches great high school basketball and football teams.

"I don't care how it turns out, there's going to be people mad," he said. "But I think it's great. It's all fun. And talk about creating interest."

The reason for the game is not to determine Ashland's greatest champion or divide Tomcat Nation. After all, there are a few other state champions who'd like their day on the field, too. The Tomcats' 1967 champions were outstanding and the 1958 Tomcats of Herb Conley's playing era never tasted defeat.

But the similarities between 1975 and 1990 are uncanny and Friday night they share an anniversary date in Putnam Stadium.

Marsh said the only loss in Ashland's 1990 season may have been the turning point to the season.

Greenup County, behind quarterback Steve Dowdy, shocked the Tomcats 18-15 in the third game of the season. Marsh still shakes his head over the loss but it did serve as an attention-getter to a team that kept getting better and better.

Ashland 1990 star Juan Thomas didn't play against rival Boyd County the week before the Greenup County game because of an ankle sprain. Marsh held him out of the first half against the Musketeers.

"We wanted to hold Juan out as long as we could," Marsh said. "The (assistant) coaches were on me at halftime, so we put him in and he ran roughshod. I held him out too long. The second half he dominated."

However, Thomas had an ill-timed fumble when the Tomcats appeared headed in for the go-ahead touchdown late in the game.

Dowdy, who ran a naked bootleg with success all night, helped the Musketeers lock up the victory. Dowdy is an assistant principal and assistant coach at Ashland.

But after showing film of the game the next week, Marsh said the message got through to the players that they better do what the coaches tell them.

"They're high school kids and they wanted to do things their way," he said. "We said 'You're doing this and you're coached to do the right read. This is what happens.' It was like a light bulb came on in everybody's head."

The following week, the Tomcats crossed the Ohio River and defeated Ironton 15-10 as Thomas, Charlie Johnson and Chris Hutt all had 100-yard rushing games.

"I've taken a lot of teams across the river, and some of them good teams, that go into that stadium and don't think they can win," Marsh said. "This bunch thought they could win. It wasn't a fluke. We were a good team. The game was closer than it should have been because we had a touchdown called back on a holding penalty."

Ashland wasn't challenged the rest of the regular season although some luck may have played into it. Paris came to Putnam Stadium with a team full of speed. However, a downpour turned the turf into muck and the Tomcats powered their way to a 29-7 victory.

"We didn't know how we were going to keep those kids off the edge," Marsh said. "It just so happened we had a monsoon. It rained like a son-of-a-gun."

The Tomcats swept through the regular season with a 10-1 record and while preparing for the first round of the Class 3A playoffs against Clay County, Marsh said he asked his coaching staff:?"Do you guys think we can win this thing?"

"Their jaws dropped and they looked at me with big eyes. Nobody had given it consideration. We had literally taken it one week at a time."

The Tomcats defeated Bell County 19-14 in the semifinals in what turned out to be the championship game. Ashland pounded Lincoln County 35-13 the following week for the title.

Marsh said he has an idea about what might happen if 1975 and 1990 could have met. But hes keeping it to himself.

"I know who I think I would pick and I know who Herb would pick. You tell me who wins and I'll tell you what I think."

Sorry Vic, no dice.

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

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