By Justin Graves

Justin@athensnews-courier.com

When Mike Nave took over the West Limestone football program for the second time in 1985, he wanted to do something Limestone County football teams had not traditionally done, be competitive outside of the county.

Nave believed that winning Limestone County championships was great, but he wanted his teams to achieve something greater, compete at the state level. Nave got his players to buy into goals, and through hard work and dedication West Limestone became a Class 3A powerhouse in the late 80s.

“Traditionally, Limestone County football teams didn’t do much when they got out of Limestone County,” Nave said. “But I knew they were capable of doing more. At that time, Lauderdale County, Lexington and Rogers all had very strong football programs and were having a lot of success on the state level. Those were the other three schools in our area, and they were the ones I wanted to beat.”

After a losing season in 1985, West Limestone won eight games in 1986. Nave was starting to see results. In 1988 everything came together for Nave’s Wildcats.

“Our baseball program had a lot of success the previous year, and our guys were starting to learn what it took to win,” Nave said. “I was fortunate to have an outstanding group of young men, with a lot of talent. I was finally able to do what I wanted from a coaching standpoint.”

When Nave took the Wildcat’s football program back over in 1985 – he had been a successful football coach at West Limestone from 1976-1980 – he wanted to do some different things offensively. Nave wanted to throw the ball more than West Limestone had in the past. He said with the talent he had in 1988, he was able to throw the football just enough to loosen up the opposing defense, so the Wildcats’ potent run attack could take over.

During the regular season in 1988, all four teams from 3A Area 14 – Lexington, Lauderdale County, Rogers and West Limestone – were ranked in the top 10. Lauderdale County had already secured a playoff spot as area champs, and the final playoff spot would be decided in the Rogers-West Limestone game.

After a power outage, three overtimes and controversial field goal, West Limestone secured the final playoff spot with a close win over Rogers around midnight.

“That was a crazy game,” Nave said. “First the power went out at our stadium, then I thought we had lost the game when Rogers kicked a field goal at the end of regulation. The kick was so close, I was already getting ready to go shake hands with coach (Butch) Tonner, then I saw my guys jumping up and down, and we got to keep on playing. We finally came out on top after a few overtimes, and we were in the playoffs.”

West Limestone finished its regular season in ’88 with an 8-2 record – losing only to Lauderdale County and Hazlewood. Nave wasn’t ready to stop there though.

West Limestone fought its way through the first two rounds with sound victories over Red Bay and Clements, but then the road got tough. The Wildcats had to travel back to the place where they had recorded their first loss – Lauderdale County.

West Limestone fell behind early, but battled back for a win late in the game, and then did the same thing the next week in the semifinals at Good Hope

“We were the comeback kids that year,” Nave said. “Those guys never gave up.”

The Wildcats finally fell the following week with a 44-6 loss to Thomasville in the 3A state championship, but there was no disappointment coming from Nave or the West Limestone community.

“Those guys were the first Limestone County football team to ever play in a state championship game, and they are the last ones to do it,” Nave said. “Athens won one in the 70s, but no county school had ever come close. The community was behind them all the way, and they deserved it.”

Nave left West Limestone in 1996 to take a coaching job at Hazel Green. He retired from coaching in 2001 and now works at the place where he started – the Limestone Recreational Center. Even though he no longer coaches, he said he still thinks about the past all the time.

“Anytime I see anyone who was part of what we did then, we always sit and talk about the good ol’ days,” Nave said. “That is a time in my life that I am very proud of, and I wouldn’t take anything for it.”