Bluegrassrivals

What where there best years, Where they all redneck brawlers those 3 schools, Do you thank combinding the schools made Harlan County High School the power of the mountains they are now???????

FilthyAnimals Wrote:What where there best years, Where they all redneck brawlers those 3 schools, Do you thank combinding the schools made Harlan County High School the power of the mountains they are now???????

It sure did. Lynch East Main won several state titles, Cumberland went to the finals a couple of three times in the 80's. I think Evarts had some good teams in the 70's and in the 90's. Cawood also had some good teams in the 70's. HC i'm sure even has a little Harlan Ind.(good teams in the early 80's) blood coursing through it's veins.There are members of BGR,such as HDE and Mountain Pride and Bear Paw that can tell you more about it than I can. But,yes they did come together to make HC the mountain power they are today.

Dragonsdad Wrote:It sure did. Lynch East Main won several state titles, Cumberland went to the finals a couple of three times in the 80's. I think Evarts had some good teams in the 70's and in the 90's. Cawood also had some good teams in the 70's. HC i'm sure even has a little Harlan Ind.(good teams in the early 80's) blood coursing through it's veins.There are members of BGR,such as HDE and Mountain Pride and Bear Paw that can tell you more about it than I can. But,yes they did come together to make HC the mountain power they are today.

It was easy to see that a strong team could be built from the three even in their last few years of existence. Cumberland pretty much always had speed, Evarts always had size, Cawood usually had a little of both, put them together and you have a pretty darn good high school football team.

That said, I loved the old Evarts and Cumberland stadiums. It doesn't get more old school than those two, really awesome environment for high school football.

RoShamBo Wrote:It was easy to see that a strong team could be built from the three even in their last few years of existence. Cumberland pretty much always had speed, Evarts always had size, Cawood usually had a little of both, put them together and you have a pretty darn good high school football team.

That said, I loved the old Evarts and Cumberland stadiums. It doesn't get more old school than those two, really awesome environment for high school football.

I loved playing in those stadiums,also. Not very many of them left. Pineville still plays on their's and it's just as beautiful now as it was then. I can't wait for my son to play there this season. I wish someone could post pics of it for everyone on this site to see. Those old stadiums were built for playing and watching football only. No other facilities/tracks. Just both sides,bleachers,right down on top of field,very compact.

Probably Evarts 2 best years were probably:

1948. ranked #1 or #2 in state the entire season. This was before classes. This was overall #1 or #2. 10-0 record.

1990. Undefeated regular season. Upset 3 time defending champion Pikeville in the regional championship game.

I distinctly remember as a child, going to the Lynch football field.
This would've been late 50s or early 60s.
We nearly froze to death!!

Granny, I grew up on my dad's stories about Lynch football. I can remember, even though the high school had closed, going up to the old football field to watch my dad play softball. It was a cool facility, and I can't imagine how intimidating it had to be for other teams to make the drive through Lynch, head up Black Mtn and turn down the field.

Those are the stories I used to dread hearing when I was a teenager, now that my dad's gone...I'd give anything to hear him talk about it again.

Blue_Blinker Wrote:Granny, I grew up on my dad's stories about Lynch football. I can remember, even though the high school had closed, going up to the old football field to watch my dad play softball. It was a cool facility, and I can't imagine how intimidating it had to be for other teams to make the drive through Lynch, head up Black Mtn and turn down the field.

Those are the stories I used to dread hearing when I was a teenager, now that my dad's gone...I'd give anything to hear him talk about it again.

Great post BB.

anyone know of the running backs from the early 70's from Lynch high school

FilthyAnimals Wrote:What where there best years, Where they all redneck brawlers those 3 schools, Do you thank combinding the schools made Harlan County High School the power of the mountains they are now???????

Having coach Lackey sure doesn't hurt anything. But I don't know that I would say Harlan is a mountain power just yet. They look to be very good this year and finished the season strong last year. They are probably well on their way to being a mountain power but I would say they need a few more years of good seasons to earn that classification.

LionEagle Wrote:anyone know of the running backs from the early 70's from Lynch high school

The best was Joe Washington (1969). Ronnie Ellington (1972) was another good one.

Dragonsdad Wrote:I loved playing in those stadiums,also. Not very many of them left. Pineville still plays on their's and it's just as beautiful now as it was then. I can't wait for my son to play there this season. I wish someone could post pics of it for everyone on this site to see. Those old stadiums were built for playing and watching football only. No other facilities/tracks. Just both sides,bleachers,right down on top of field,very compact.

I love that about the old stadiums. The new stadiums kind of takes the fans a little out of the picture and we are just too far away from the field. It seems like a lot of things from yesteryear are better in a lot of ways.

There was another team in Harlan Co. that integrated with Harlan,in I think '64 or'65,by the name of Rosenwald. They were a black school and had some pretty good teams. I am not sure of any accomplishments they might have had but I am sure there were some. I have always heard that they had Harlan's number for sure. Many black athletes in this county have family ties to there. Two coaching legends from Harlan went to school there. Coach Tolbert Walker and I think E.R. Gray. If anyone knows more about that school I would enjoy hearing about it.

dont forget blackstar,hall,loyall,wallins,benham, they all had high schools before james a cawood was built.my uncles and dad tell war stories[some of them true]of games home and away.

big blu 2 u Wrote:dont forget blackstar,hall,loyall,wallins,benham, they all had high schools before james a cawood was built.my uncles and dad tell war stories[some of them true]of games home and away.

I think Steve Hudson went to school at Loyall. I've heard he was one of the best players to come out of Harlan. There have been many over the years.

my dad played at blackstar and i remember when i played for knox central cawood best team i ever played against their running back i think his name was ronnie ball and cumberland was as tough as they came they had a running back i remember to i dont know if this is right name or not but i think it was bobby mcquilkum

David Hensley, of Cawood, and Bobby McIlquham, of Cumberland, were the star backs in the early 80s. Hensley played at EKU. McIlquham suffered a leg injury.
Cawood was unbeaten during the 82 and 85 regular seasons. They won a regional championship in 75.
Cumberland went to the state finals three times in the 80s. Freddie Maggard went on to start at quarterback for Kentucky.
Evarts won its regional title in 1990. They also had 2A playoff teams in the late 60s.
I think Rosenwald closed in 63.

Dragonsdad Wrote:There was another team in Harlan Co. that integrated with Harlan,in I think '64 or'65,by the name of Rosenwald. They were a black school and had some pretty good teams. I am not sure of any accomplishments they might have had but I am sure there were some. I have always heard that they had Harlan's number for sure. Many black athletes in this county have family ties to there. Two coaching legends from Harlan went to school there. Coach Tolbert Walker and I think E.R. Gray. If anyone knows more about that school I would enjoy hearing about it.

ER (Doc) Gray never attended school at Rosenwald. Coach Gray is from near Columbus, Ohio and went to college in Arkansas. Coach Gray was a well known and successful basketball coach at Roasenwald.

big blu 2 u Wrote:dont forget blackstar,hall,loyall,wallins,benham, they all had high schools before james a cawood was built.my uncles and dad tell war stories[some of them true]of games home and away.

At one point Harlan County had at least 12 high schools (11 of which had football teams). The schools were:

Blackstar
Wallins
Loyal
Harlan
Rosenwald
Hall
Evarts
Cumberland
Benham
Benham Colored
Lynch East Main
Lynch West Main
Pine Mountain Settlement School (only went through 12th grade for a couple years)

Of course at one point Harlan County had nearly 90,000 people and was the 3rd most populous county in Kentucky. I also know that there was a Highsplint High School for a while but I don't know much about their sports history except they fielded a basketball team.

When I started following high school sports there were only the following schools left:

Wallins
Loyal
Harlan
Hall
Evarts
Cumberland
Lynch

By the time I participated in high school sports the list had been paired to:

Harlan
Cawood
Evarts
Cumberland
Lynch

HDE Wrote:David Hensley, of Cawood, and Bobby McIlquham, of Cumberland, were the star backs in the early 80s. Hensley played at EKU. McIlquham suffered a leg injury.
Cawood was unbeaten during the 82 and 85 regular seasons. They won a regional championship in 75.
Cumberland went to the state finals three times in the 80s. Freddie Maggard went on to start at quarterback for Kentucky.
Evarts won its regional title in 1990. They also had 2A playoff teams in the late 60s.
I think Rosenwald closed in 63.

Evarts had two AA playoff teams in the late 60s. Of first of these was lead by star running back Rex Estridge. Rex broke his leg the week before the playoff game at Knoxville Central. Evarts played Austin East and Knoxville Central on back to back weeks. In the playoff game Evarts was ahead of Belfry by about 2 touchdowns when the lights went out due to a power failure. After a long delay the game was moved to Huff Park in Harlan. Belfry came back and won. I think the score was 26-20.

The following year Evarts was again the district champion. The team was lead by running back Ralph Clayton. Evarts again played Belfry. The score was tied at the half but Belfry won the game going away in the second half.

Evarts also had a playoff team in the early to mid 60s. This team was defeated by Hazard. I can't remember a lot about this team.

Good Lord, I don't know where to start!!!

I remember Rosenwald School distinctly. It was located just behind where the old Harlan School is now; just up the hill. Doc Gray was a legend in his own time, and a great person. If my memory serves me correctly, he just passed away either this year or last year. He must have been 137 years old, and hadn't changed one iota in the last 50 years!!

Steve Hudson did attend Loyall High School and was a great athlete. I believe his biggest accomplishments came in basketball. Loyall was changed to a "junior" high school in the early sixties, and the 6th, 7th and 8th grade attended there. That didn't last very long. They are closed now.



Lynch football is legendary!! We took a coleman lantern with us to the last football game that we attended up there. I swear to you, it was so cold the snow that was falling was tinged blue! My mother always thought that it was so cold because of the proximity of that football field to the river. It appears to me that HC's new field will have much the same proximity to the river that Lynch's had. I hope we remember to have the visitor's seats on THAT side!! LOL Joe Washington did play for Lynch. I remember watching him, and he was phenomenal. I've seen him cut on wet grass with his body at a 45 degree angle, and still keep his footing. I don't know if he's as good as I remember, but I know I was impressed!

Anybody remember Highbank Elementary School? It was located at the foot of Pine Mountain on 413. They consolidated with Rosspoint early sixties. One of their students went on to be valedictorian for her graduating class of 1970.

Memories memories!!

rojas Wrote:The best was Joe Washington (1969). Ronnie Ellington (1972) was another good one.

Same time period was there a guy they called Friday night Lights late 60's early 70's. I went to college with Dave Vicini who I think was there Quarterback in 79-80

FilthyAnimals Wrote:What where there best years, Where they all redneck brawlers those 3 schools, Do you thank combinding the schools made Harlan County High School the power of the mountains they are now???????

I got side tracked!! But to answer your question, IMO, the consolidation did help. For one thing you obviously have the consolidation of talent AND Coach Larkey is a great coach and leader.

Redneck brawlers???? To be honest, there were fights at more ballgames back then than not. I remember playing a team (I'll keep the name of the team to myself), and we were all running our mouths. Some of the fans from the opposing team came over and got under our bleachers. We were playing at the old Cawood HS football field; located just behind where the central office buildings are now. But they grabbed a couple of us by the feet and drug us under the bleachers. The fight was on!!!

I'm not exactly sure WHY we were fighting, but fight we did. :redboxer:

I would KILL my grandchildren if they did half the stuff that I did in high school!!

I never hear the name Ed Miracle mentioned in threads from this area. He was at Lynch in I believe 1961. Great coach from the mountains as well as state wide. Maybe a State Champ in that year. A lot of players from Penn. in those years. Not many baby faced kids on teams in that era. Not many X-Box's and Pizza's either.No corvette's in the parking lots. Be assured Lynch had a football team. Those guys were as good as anybody ever.

Alot of football tradition in the county. Cumberland had some big time talent in the early 90s. Charles Tinsley, my personal favorite, had a stint in the minors in baseball and then went on to play LB at EKU (remember him sacking Couch twice at Commonwealth). George Massy went on to play some heavy minutes at UK as a d-lineman. Anthony "Fig" Ravizee went to Morehead State and ended his career as all-time leading rusher. Sanford "Champ" Baskin had a stint in college football (I believe at EKU also). All played on the same team at CHS. Ryan Duckworth followed them a few years later at QB- to this day, one of the best talents that the Harlan County area has ever seen. Harlan County has always been, and will always be, a football county. Don't know if anybody has mentioned him yet (even though I'm sure you are aware), Harlan County boasted Mr. Football in the state of Kentucky when Scotty Russell won it in the early 90s.

Dragonsdad Wrote:It sure did. Lynch East Main won several state titles, .

Of course the BlackBear success is because all the county kids now go to one school instead of three, however, throwing Lynch and all these other schools in there has very little to do with Harlan County's success other than just tradition alone. Lynch hasn't played 50+ years and the county is not a speck of what it was then, compare 90,000+ population to 25,000+ population. The history definately plays a role but the merger has everything to do with Cumberland-Evarts-Cawood, not Lynch and a host of other schools.

Administration has been a large part of their success.

Agree with you 3wishes. Coach Larkey coming to HC was a blessing for football in our county. A proven winner with a work ethic and hard-nosed demeanor was the perfect fit for our boys. Go Bears!

I recall watching a game at Cawood High in 1977(?) when the Trojans had a beast named Frank McDaniel. He was 6'3", maybe 240, and he played running back.

He went on to play at UK as a Tight End, and I think he even played a year or two in the NFL.

I think Lynch last year was 79 season, 80 graduating class?

Lynch closed in 1981. The last football team was the fall of 1979. They didn't have enough players the last year.
Frank McDaniels graduated from Cawood in 1978. He was on the regional championship team in 1975 and was one of the hardest guys I've ever seen to bring down because he was so strong. He played tight end at UK but didn't stay. I don't think he played in the NFL.

Harlan County has great football tradition, but the truth is football in this county was HORRIBLE over the last 15 to 20 years. Coach Larkey deserves a lot of credit for turning that around.