There’s a lot of anticipation for the 2009 Lake Highlands football season, but 20 years ago the neighborhood could hardly contain itself about Wildcat football.
The 1989 season was the third under coach Mike Zoffuto. After a 3-7 debut in 1987, Zoffuto led the Wildcats to their first winning season in five years with a 6-4 mark in 1988. That set the stage for a breakthrough season in 1989.
Led by little Larry Thomas, a classic option quarterback, the Wishbone offense took off in 1989. LH scored 35 points in an opening win over W.T. White (35-10) and scored at least 21 points in every game but one: a 34-7 loss to Plano in Week 10. That was LH’s only regular season loss, but it did nothing to slow down the Cats in the playoffs.
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In its first playoff game since the 1981 state championship season, LH whalloped Duncanville, 42-21, at Texas Stadium. The next week the Cats took on North Garland at Texas Stadium – a game noted by the fact both teams wore black jerseys.
According to the radio crew, LH was the home team and had the right to wear the darker color, but North Garland had built some mystique around their black jerseys that season and surprised everyone when they ran out of the tunnel wearing the same color. The Wildcats won an offensive battle, 42-35.
LH then went on the road to Waco to face Huntsville and Parade All-American quarterback Steve Clements. In a wild game with a controversial finish, at least from an LH perspective, Huntsville prevailed, 36-33.
LH finished the year 11-2, averaging 33.2 points a game from the high-powered Wishbone offense. It was the first of 10 straight playoff seasons for the Cats.
