With
@Mikefln's post this morning ... it's the perfect segue into a BONUS PAC Game of the Year post. The goal of this series is to prompt discussion and help us count down the weeks to the new 2024 season. And after last week's second post of the series, @89 reached out directly and asked if I was planning to go back to the start of the PAC to recap any games. Perhaps if I had started with 35 weeks left before the season, I would have. But the calendar dictated that this would be a 25 games in 25 weeks series. That said ... looking back at that initial PAC season in 1989, when considering PAC history, the discussion will always start with Manchester. And ... when you look at the numbers, was there ever a better Panthers squad than the 1989 edition?
The 1989 Panthers were unblemished heading into the Regional Final. Manchester recorded 8 shutouts in 12 games and outscored their opponents 482-36. Has there ever been a more dominant PAC team? Here are Manchester games.
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And yet, despite the dominance of the Panthers, that PAC was not a one-team race. The league championship was decided in Week 6. You see, the East Canton Hornets weren't just another opponent. This edition of the Hornets was the best team in school history. The teams were both undefeated heading into Week 6, and the Hornets finished the regular season with just one loss - of course to Manchester:
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The Canton Repository tells the story of the events of Friday September 29, 1989. The Panthers forced seven! turnovers, but there was, of course, some of that Manchester mystique at work, as the game was not without a bit of controversy as the men in stripes made a crucial call that went the way of the visitors. It probably wouldn't have impacted the final result. But you never know. Read on:
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I'll let @89 take it from here, as he shared with me his personal recollection of the night and the key play:
"That year was the first and that game probably had more people at it than most the games in Stark County."
"The second half kickoff was a big play - the rule is the receiving team has to have a chance to catch the ball."
"Manchester guys all ran back to set up return - the ball hit the ground making it a free ball. The ref was out of position running back as well and said EC caught it in the air, which they didn't. The problem was the kid they said caught the ball may have touched it before it hit the ground but he was diving for it and a different kid is who came up with it. It all happened so fast, hard to see what actually happened but it was right in front of France and the Manchester bench and old Koach definitely was in the refs ears. LOL It paused the game for a hot minute but the result gave Manchester the ball on the 35 going in. If EC gets the ball where they recovered it - they would have had about a 40 yard field to score. End of game EC switched to what we would call a spread offense and was having some success."
"Both teams hit all game - and Leland Phillips was a talent and lived up to the billing."
"Mihalik and Joseph were a tough combo running the ball. Thought this Manchester team was as tough as any other that came after and had great success. Warren JFK beat Manchester 7-0 I think. JFK was stacked and was pushing title game several years in that time period."
The Warren JFK Regional Final game was actually a 14-6 JFK victory. The Eagles advanced to the Division 4 State Championship game before falling in the final to Wheelersburg by a touchdown.
But let there be no doubt as this series continues that the 1989 Panthers squad should have a special place in the pantheon of greatest PAC teams since the inception of the conference. Thanks to @89 for the prompting to look this one up.
Back tomorrow with regularly scheduled Week 3 of the series as we'll look at the Game of the Year from 2001.
