On their way to 19 state titles the schools of the LPD have made some amazing plays & played countless great games. With the help of fans & former players we're going to take a trip down memory lane with some of those plays & games. Not all of the games or plays had a bearing on a championship, but are part of the LPD mystique. Enjoy!

In no particular order:

1971 - Appalachia VS Madison Co. - Appalachia's Ron "Flash" Davis picks off a Madison Co. pass just inside the end zone, and moments later is 100+ yards upfield to break Madison's back as the Dawgs go on to rout the Mountianeers 24-0 to win their 1st of 6 VHSL state titles, and give coach Jim Riggs his 1st & only state title. The win also marks the 1st of 19 VHSL state titles for the LPD.

1972 - Burton VS Clintwood - Burton's "Bub" Godsey's pass to Randy Stidham. Burton wins the game 20-14 and goes on to win the LPD's 2nd VHSL title by topping Madison 26-14. Clintwood was ahead late in the game before falling. It was a very cold, windy night as Stidham stretched out horizontally in the end zone to make the catch. As a side note, this would be the last LPD loss for Clintwood for the next 7 years....a feat that will unlikely ever be matched.

1981 - Kelly VS Parry McClure - Kelly's Scott Church's TD pass to Mike Osborne. The Indians were trailing and facing a 4th & long in the waning moments as Osborne went up over the outstretched hands of PM star Eric Martin to haul in the pass to give the Indians a 19-14 win, and advancing them to the state finals the following week where they downed Fluvanna Co. 25-17 on a bitter cold, windy day at VA. Tech to win the LPD's 6th VHSL title.

1989 - Powell Valley VS Lunnenburg Central - Lunnenburg takes a 20-14 lead over PV with less than a minute to play, but PV moves over 60 yards in 4 plays, with the final 36 yards covered as QB Robbie Duncan hits WR Ricky Webb in the end zone with only 11 seconds to go. Webb outleaped two Central defenders to make what will always be known around Big Stone Gap as "The Catch", and Tim Baker added the PAT to give PV a 21-20 win, and their 3rd VHSL title, and the LPD's 9th.

1980 - Powell Valley VS Clintwood - Powell Valley is on the verge of ending Clintwood's unbelieveable 7 year LPD win streak, as they come up with a magnificent goal line stand, stopping Clintwood a couple of inches short of the end zone to maintain a 7-6 lead with only a few seconds to go. However, Clintwood wasn't ready to go yet as on PV's next play QB Jim Jessee was trapped for a safety when the Wave defense sold out by crashing everyone through the middle. Clintwood wins 8-7 in perhaps the most bizarre ending to a game the LPD has ever seen.

1968 - Appalachia VS Gate City - In what is still one of the most talked about games in the entire region (East TN as well) these two unbeatens battled to a brutal 6-6 tie in front of an estimated 10,000 people in Riggs Stadium. Ed Clark ran for 150 yards, but was fairly well contained by the Blue Devil defense.

1969 - Appalachia VS Gate City - Only a year after their memorable 6-6 tie, these two powerhouses play another classic at Legion Field. Ed Clark's replacement is a guy named Roy Talley, and he picks up where Clark left off leading the Dawgs to a 12-0 win in front of an overflow crowd. This marks Gate City's last year in the LPD, as they move into the AA Southwest District in 1970, and quickly establish themselves by winning the state title like a runaway train.

1985 - Powell Valley VS Covington - PV's Upton Jackson returns the 2nd half kickoff 92 yards to give PV a 7-3 lead in the VHSL semis. Leading 14-3 late in the game, PV puts on a great goal line stand by stopping Covington on downs after the Cougars had a 1st & goal inside the 1 yard line. PV then goes on to defeat Lunenburg 28-27 for the state title the following week.

1988 - Powell Valley VS Appalachia - A huge downpour about 30 minutes before kickoff, and a steady rain afterwards reduce playing conditions to a quagmire at Riggs Stadium as these teams played for the LPD title. The PV defense held the Dawgs 3 times inside the 5 on downs, and PV's Dwayne Boatright somehow booted a 40 yard FG in the mud late in the 4th to break a 6-6 deadlock as the Vikings go on to win the game 16-6, and the LPD title. Ironically both teams were upset in the 1st round of the Region D playoffs the following week.