[Blau Vogel]

http://dailyindependent.com/localsports/...le-matchup

ASHLAND — It’s come down to this for Ashland: A cold November Friday night in Putnam Stadium where the stakes are huge and the opponent is a longtime nemesis. These are the games that make the playoffs worth watching.

Not since the year “JAWS” swept the summer box office and then kept biting opponents on the football field that fall in Ashland have the Tomcats defeated Covington Catholic.

The ’75 JAWS Tomcats took a bite out of the Colonels, 56-14, on the way to a 14-1 season.

Since that time the teams have played six times — all Covington Catholic playoff victories. Two of the six were memorable for Ashland even in defeat.

Covington Catholic came to Putnam Stadium in 1988 for the Class 3A state semifinals as a prohibitive favorite — four touchdowns according to most power rankings. But Ashland would have none of that. The Tomcats played a hard-hitting defensive game and battled the Colonels to a scoreless tie after regulation.

It wasn’t to be, though, as CovCath won 6-0 in overtime en route to capturing the state championship that season.

It was so close it ached for the Tomcats and their fans. It remains one of the most remembered and talked about games ever played in the 74-year-old stadium.

Three years later, in 1991, they would meet again on a Saturday afternoon in Park Hills.

The day started out unseasonably warm but turned bitterly cold before the fourth quarter ended. Everything looked better at the start of the game for the Tomcats, who bolted out to a 24-7 lead behind unstoppable running from Chris Hutt. Covington Catholic was simply having a hard time tackling Ashland’s senior running back.

But on one crushing hit, Hutt went down in a heap with a shoulder injury. He came off the field and the Covington Catholic doctors (Ashland didn’t have one at the game) said they were going to monitor him on the sideline, suspecting a numbing stinger injury. But the next thing you knew, an ambulance was called and Hutt was strapped to a board and taken to a local hospital. He was whisked away and with him went the Tomcats’ hopes.

Hutt came back in the fourth quarter and the injury was nothing more than the stinger, a painful nerve injury that most of the time goes away after a short time. He could have stayed on the sidelines for a couple of series and probably been fine to return. But by the time he was able to get back to the game, it was over for the Tomcats.

Covington Catholic went on to win 41-24 in the regional championship game. Bell County defeated the Colonels the following week in the semifinals en route to the state title.

Aside from those matchups in 1988 and 1991, Covington Catholic vs. Ashland has mostly been a mismatch. The Tomcats were 0-5 in the 1990s and fell 43-19 last season in the opening round.

But this year, things look different. If anything the teams look fairly even. Both of them have experienced quarterbacks, good offensive lines, good defensive lines and some playmakers to call upon. This one has the makings of another classic.

Rowan County played the Colonels to a 7-7 tie in the first half before CovCath rallied (woke up?) to outscore the Vikings 31-0 for a 38-7 victory. Ashland may have found some confidence from what happened last Saturday.

Ashland’s defense has not given up more than 18 points in any game this season. That streak ends tonight — but not by much.

If the Tomcats do win, they’ll likely play Highlands in the regional finals. Ashland hasn’t beaten the Bluebirds since 1954 (although they did tie in 1955).

But one giant hurdle at a time …

Here we go with predictions for Week 2 of the playoffs:

Ashland 22, Covington Catholic 20: Tomcats snap a six-game losing streak to the Colonels with a JAWS-like performance on defense at the finish.

Highlands 42, Johnson Central 21: The Bluebirds look too good for everybody in Class 4A. Not even a heavy dose of J.J. Jude can save the Eagles.

Garrard County 28, Russell 14: Red Devils have a long road trip ahead against a 10-game winner. It will be a longer ride home.

Belfry 35, Lawrence County 6: The Bulldogs won’t be able to keep the run-run-run Pirates from the regional championship game.

Pikeville 28, Raceland 24: For the second time this season, the Rams will be returning from Pikeville with a tough loss. This one is season ending.

Fairview 38, Nicholas County 0: Eagles struggled a little in the first half of the first meeting with the Bluejackets three weeks ago. It will be no sweat this time around with a school-record 12th consecutive win — and another shutout — in their sights.

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