A REUNION OF CHAMPIONS

By Brandon Hurley
Managing Editor
News@beeherald.com

Members of the back-to-back state champion Paton-Churdan football teams reunited Saturday, Nov. 27 for a 35th anniversary celebration.

The Rockets captured the 1985 and 1986 state titles, powering through a remarkable 23-game winning streak.
Former head coach Jim Cox (wearing a No. 21 P-C jersey in the above pictures) was also in attendance as several former players congregated to reflect on P-C’s historical run.

Cox and company, which included several all-state players on both defense and offense, orchestrated the single-greatest stretch in Paton-Churdan football history.
The Rockets won 29 straight games in the mid-80s, tallying undefeated championship runs in both 1985 and 1986.

The initial state title was secured in dramatic fashion, a 20-14 quadruple overtime victory against Sanborn. Dondi Culbertson scored the game-winning touchdown on first down of the fourth overtime period, punctuating the 1985 season with a perfect 12-0 record.
The Rockets defense was nearly impenetrable during the entire two-year stretch. P-C secured a 7-0 victory over Alden in the 1985 state semifinals, and held Sanborn to just seven points in regulation during the championship game.
P-C played the role of giant-killers perfectly, knocking off third-ranked Northeast Hamilton and fourth-ranked Alden en route to their title.

P-C’s second straight undefeated title came via a low-scoring slugfest in 1986.

The Rockets were expected to win a second championship, and did so in dominating fashion, holding down Class A’s top ranking wire-to-wire and stifling every opposing offense along the way.  
The P-C defense was once again ferocious, securing a 6-0 shutout of Aurelia in the state final. The victory punctuated a perfect 11-0 season, marking a magnificent 23-game winning streak, spanning two seasons, which was the longest winning streak in the state at the time. Quarterback Danny Sabus, a second team, all-class selection, connected with his brother David Sabus for a 16-yard go-ahead touchdown in the first quarter, which ended up being the game-winning score.
P-C held Aurelia to just 114 total yards, highlighted by a mere 22 yards in the opening half. Greg Carey recorded three sacks, while Matt Sabus recorded two of his own.

The Rockets outscored their 11 opponents 239 to 17 during their second straight state title run. The defense never once allowed more than 150 yards in a given game all year.
P-C track and field also captured a state team title in 1986, engineered by who else but head coach Jim Cox, marking three boys’ state titles in a span of a year-and-a-half.