|
 |
|
|
|
Here is the full reference card for this book...
If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113.
Growing Up Green: Newark Catholic Football and the 1985 State Championship by William B. Evans 340 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0185; ISBN 1-55395-822-5; US$27.50, C$30.99, EUR22.50, £16.00 With seven state championships to its credit, Newark Catholic High School has one of the top prep football programs in the state of Ohio. Learn about the program, its traditions and how the 1985 championship season came to be. Over 300 pages with photographs, box scores, year-end statistics and more.
Read more!
about the book
about the author
sample excerpts or Table of Contents
catalogue info
About the Book
In 1985, the Newark Catholic High School football team finished with a perfect 14-0 record and won its fourth state playoff championship. The championship was also the second in the incredible string of four-in-a-row that occurred in the mid-1980's. The 1985 season was an amazing and unexpected feat when one considers that 20 starters from the 1984 championship team were lost to graduation. The year that brought the biggest rebuilding job ever turned out to be one of the greatest.
Growing Up Green is a detailed journey of the 1985 football team from day one of summer conditioning to the post-season awards banquet. Each opposing team is discussed in detail. Play-by-play is provided for all games including the Division V semifinal thriller against Mogadore and the hard-hitting title game against Delphos Jefferson. Get a fascinating inside look at the legendary Newark Catholic football program. Experience the heartbreaks and celebrations of a group of average kids as they struggle through an incredible season and fulfill a dream. A truly inspiring story for any athlete!
Reviews
"There's high school football- then, there's REAL high school
football. Newark Catholic embraces what high school football embodies.
I've been a huge fan of the program for many years and Bill's book shows
what it takes to make a championship program and the dedication that's
required to be #1."
George Lehner
Sports Director
610 WTVN Radio, Columbus, Ohio
"Outstanding! I was captivated with each chapter and lost a lot of sleep reading late into the night."
-Joe Bell
New Albany, Oh
"I've never read a book that was so graphic with it's descriptions of each football play. It should certainly be
a help to those who may not understand the sport of football."
-Frances Keck
Newark, Oh
"Inspirational. I felt like I was there watching the games and it made me want to stand up and cheer for the team."
-Donna Fleig
Leetsdale, PA
"The book does an excellent job of capturing Coach Graham's language and tone. I couldn't put it down and was often up reading until 2 a.m."
-Tim McKenna
Newark, Ohio
"Growing Up Green is a very pleasurable trip through Americana. The game to game replay is very detailed and the insights into the coaches and players is superb. It's football's answer to "Hoosiers!"
-Robert Greismer
Concord, Ohio
"The book was fantastic! I was laughing uncontrollably and my wife was wondering what was wrong with me."
-Albert Ghiloni
Newark, Ohio
"This is a must read for all fans of the old Licking County League. It brought back many great memories. Bill shows his great love for Newark Catholic and Newark Catholic football."
-Wes Poth
Assistant Varsity Football Coach,
Newark Catholic High School
|
About the Author
William B. Evans is a 1986 graduate of Newark Catholic High School and was the defensive captain on Newark Catholic's 1985 State Championship football team. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy, he received a B.S. degree in Agriculture from The Ohio State University in 1995 and was an assistant varsity football coach at Newark Catholic that same year. His varied interests include composing and recording jazz/rock/fusion music, antique tractor restoration, model building, military history, jogging and, of course, following Newark Catholic football with savage devotion. William is employed by Licking County government and lives in Newark with his wife Jo-Ella.
|
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Author's Note
Prologue
Introduction
Part I: Preparation
Laying down the Law
Summer Break
Meet the Coaches
Meet the Team
Conditioning Begins
Three-a-days
The Scrimmages
School Bells Ring
Putting on the Game Face
Part II: The Season
Week 1: Tuscarawus Catholic Saints
Week 2: Northridge Vikings
Week 3: Watkins Memorial Warriors
Week 4: Johnstown Johnnies
Week 5: Coshocton Redskins
Week 6: Heath Bulldogs
Week 7: Licking Valley Panthers
Other Memories
Week 8: Granville Blue Aces
Week 9: Utica Redskins
Week 10: Lakewood Lancers
1985 Licking County League Statistics
Part III: The Playoffs
Week 11: Richmond Dale Southeastern Panthers
Week 12: Bainbridge Paint Valley Bearcats
Week 13: Mogadore Wildcats
Week 14: Delphos Jefferson Fighting Wildcats
Accolades
Growing Old Green
Appendix A: Formations and Plays
Appendix B: 1985 Newark Catholic Football Statistics
Appendix C: Where Are They Now?
Bibliography
Prologue
November 23, 1984...
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" A euphoric crowd clad in green and white
counted the final seconds as they ticked from the giant score board. Newark
Catholic's 1984 football team had just completed an incredible 13-game journey
that lead to the turf of Ohio Stadium- the site where a powerful Middletown
Fenwick team was defeated 14-6 in the Division V State Championship game. The
victory gave the Green Wave its third state title and the second in three years.
As the November sun smiled brightly in the autumn afternoon, Head Coach
J.D. Graham assembled his winning team on the eastern sideline to first hand out
praises to his seniors and then to issue a challenge to his younger troops. "Juniors
and sophomores," he said. "You reach down and touch that turf. Remember what it
feels like and remember what it took to get here. Not every kid gets a chance to
experience this. If you guys want it bad enough and work for it, you can get back
here again."
I was one of those juniors. Overcome with emotion, I reached down and briskly
scraped my knuckles on the abrasive surface until they were raw- the abrasions to
serve as my personal trophy to remember this day. Though I was elated and
stunned to be part of a state championship team- something I had long dreamed
of, I also felt unfulfilled. This victory belonged to the seniors and I envied them.
They had accomplished their dream and went out as winners. After hearing Coach
Graham say, "If you work for it, you can get back here again," I really couldn't
savor this moment and my thoughts turned toward next year. The 1984 team would
be a tough act to follow and our class would be under immense pressure. Could we
not only return to this place, but also win another one?
Introduction
On the west side of the small town of Newark, Ohio, tucked away atop the
Church Street hill at "1 Green Wave Drive" rests Newark Catholic High School-
home of the "Green Wave." The school appears modest and mediocre as any other
small Ohio high school would. However, one step into the south lobby will expose
a visitor to a collection of awards and trophies so vast and awesome that one
quickly realizes this school is anything but mediocre. It is no exaggeration to say
that finding space for all of the trophies is a problem. With a walk down the "Hall
of Champions" and a left turn into the gymnasium, a visitor will see the upperwalls
adorned with several kelly-green and white banners that proudly display the
state championships achieved in several sports: Volleyball in 1979, '80, '82, '83,
'84, '88 and '89; Girl's Basketball in 1984; Girls Track in 1987; Baseball in 1988,
'89 and 2002; Football in 1978, '82, '84, '85, '86, '87 and '91. Newark Catholic
has built such a storied past. I am awestruck when I stand in solitude in the gym
and read those banners that silently scream to the world of past glories. I get lost
pondering- pondering all of the average athletes with over-sized hearts, who
achieved superior things under the leadership of the superior coaches who knew
how to make it all happen.
Of the 19 championship banners on display, seven were secured by the football
program. Each title is an amazing accomplishment and a major component of the
Newark Catholic football tradition. But the one that means the most to me is the
one found in the middle of them all: 1985. I was a senior on that team and I want to
tell our story. My goal is to share the sad, happy and serious moments, reveal what
went into preparing for a state championship, show how we dealt with adversity,
rose to the challenge when it counted most and came home with a state title when
many outsiders- and even ourselves at times- doubted that it could be done.
Before this journey begins, however, we must briefly discuss the evolution of
the football program- events that transpired long before I ever knew what a
"Green Wave" was.
Building a tradition
Newark Catholic first opened its doors in 1958 and fielded its first football
team that same year under Jack Bickle. Admittedly, the program was rather
abysmal for the first few years, but that is in no way a criticism of the coach or
players. These were the natural growing pains, as dynasties are not born overnight.
Newark Catholic began to mix it up with some fine central Ohio teams that had
been around for years and some preliminary embarrassments were to be expected.
The Green Wave went 3-3-2 that first season and had established a record of 31-28-3 by the time Coach Bickle stepped down after the 1964 season.
The replacement for Coach Bickle was an intense individual named Matt
Midea. Under this man, the Newark Catholic football program was molded into a
force to be feared. One could also say that the best and worst happened during
Coach Midea's watch. In Midea's inaugural season of 1965, which was Newark
Catholic's second year in the Mid-Buckeye League, the program suffered its worst
defeats in school history back to back. Week 5 resulted in a 64-7 defeat by West
Jefferson, followed by a 68-0 trouncing by Columbus DeSales in week 6.
By 1967, however, coach Midea had turned things around and led the Green
Wave to its first perfect season with a record of 10-0. During the '67 season, the
year I was born, Newark Catholic had two running backs rush for 1,000 yards-
Mike McKee for 1,495 and Denny Welsh for 1,021. The team averaged 46.5 points
per game while allowing just 6 defensively. A game worth mentioning was a 50-0
blowout of Mt. Vernon St. Vincent, alma mater of a future Newark Catholic coach
named J. D. Graham. This was the last time these two schools ever met.
The 1967 season was indeed awesome, but many people consider the 1968
team not only the greatest team in Newark Catholic's history, but also perhaps the
greatest team ever around central Ohio. It was in 1968 that Newark Catholic won
its first Associated Press State Championship. In those days, there were no
playoffs or computer-points systems in place to determine who was the best.
Simply going undefeated was not enough. A team had to go undefeated and steamroll
its opponents. Without question, the '68 squad delivered this and more as it
averaged 63.7 points per game, including destructions of Lucas 89-0 and East
Knox 83-0. Again, the team had two 1,000-yard rushers in Mike McKee and Gary
Kutch. Defensively, the team gave up only 3.8 points per game. The 1968 season
would be coach Midea's last at Newark Catholic. He left with a 29-10-0 record.
The next coach to take the helm of the now awesome Newark Catholic
battleship was Lou Novak. In his first year, Coach Novak led the Green Wave to
its third straight unbeaten season. Novak's second year, 1970, was his last season
with the team and it was not as victorious as the first. The noteworthy game of that
year would be the game against cross-town nemesis Heath in which the Newark
Catholic Green Wave was the visiting team on its own home field. Newark
Catholic suffered an embarrassing upset to the Bulldogs that ended a 36-game
winning streak. Eyewitnesses say that in a post game meeting, Coach Novak all
but destroyed a classroom and spewed out many profanities. The season ended at
8-2- a record most schools would be happy with but I dare say that after three
perfect seasons, an 8-2 record must have been hard to accept. Coach Novak left
Newark Catholic with a record of 18-2.
Newark Catholic's next coach had been a two-year assistant under Coach
Novak named J.D. Graham. To say that the program was in good hands during his
watch is the understatement of a lifetime. In his first season, 1971, J.D. Graham led
the Green Wave to a 10-0 season- the notable game being a stunning victory over
Portsmouth Notre Dame.
In 1973, Newark Catholic left the Mid-Buckeye League and began playing in
the Licking County League (LCL). Supposedly, some members of the public
claimed that it was easy for Newark Catholic to win so often because "they weren't
playing anybody." Once Newark Catholic joined the LCL, it was thought, they
would find out what it was like to play "real teams" and their success would be
sharply curtailed. To be sure, the LCL had some outstanding football teams in
Granville and Licking Valley. Once again, the "Greenies" shocked everyone by
posting a perfect 10-0 record, sweeping the Licking County League and winning
Newark Catholic's first LCL Championship. The fine season also qualified
Newark Catholic for the 1973 state playoffs in Class A, but the Green Wave lost in
the semifinal 19-8 to Montpelier. (The playoffs began in Ohio in 1972 and
consisted of a three-class system: AAA, AA, and A. Only four teams in each class
made the playoffs- 12 from the entire state!) Newark Catholic made the playoffs
again in 1974 and met up with defending state champion Middletown Fenwick in
the semifinal. Fenwick won 34-6 (J.D. Graham's worst defeat) and would go on to
win the championship game a week later. In 1975, Newark Catholic and
Middletown Fenwick squared off again in semifinal action. This time Newark
Catholic, which allowed only 18 points in 10 regular-season games, put up another
tremendous defensive effort and prevailed 11-0 over Fenwick. The win secured
Newark Catholic's first trip to the state final game, but they lost in overtime to
Carey 15-7. Newark Catholic returned to the state final game in 1978 with a team
that had not only the best defense in school history (2.08 points per game), but it
also had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Dan McKenna and Chris Marshall. The
Green Wave brought home their first state championship trophy by defeating
Lorain Clearview 21-0.
In 1980, the high school playoff system in Ohio was changed to a five-division,
20-region arrangement that expanded the playoffs from twelve teams to 40 teams
across the state. Newark Catholic enjoyed phenomenal success under the new
playoff format and succeeded in reaching the final game regularly beginning in
1980. Make no mistake: it was no easy task to reach the final game. Many tough
games were played- some of which will be mentioned later. Once the final game
had been reached, victory was elusive: 1980, Newark Catholic lost to Tiffin
Calvert 22-0; 1981, Newark Catholic lost again to Tiffin Calvert 3-0; 1982,
Newark Catholic defeated Fostoria St. Wendelin 14-7; 1983, Newark Catholic lost
to McComb 6-0; and in 1984, Newark Catholic renewed the war with Middletown
Fenwick and won 14-6.
From 1971 to 1984, Coach Graham had accumulated a 141-18-1 record that
included two Mid Buckeye League Championships, ten regional computer
championships, four Associated Press championships, three United Press
International titles, three Division V State Championships and nine Licking
County League titles.
Coach Graham had proven that he could build winners. As he stepped to the
helm of the Green Wave ship once more in 1985, could he do the same with our
class?
Catalogue Information
