"Hey, Hay Seed!"

From: Scotty Portis
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 4:57 PM
To: Bobby Ward; Ward, Paul - 08
Cc: Tom Portis; Tim Priest; Scott M. Portis; Ronnie&Nancy Rice; Ray Ivey; Paul Allen; Johnny Pitts; John Clement; Joe Smothers; Gloria Fortner; Fred Holladay; Duck Priest; Betty Ann Tanner; Buster Barger; Carl Holladay; Charlie Rhodes; Ned Priest
Subject: Fw: Coach Ward

Winston (Charles), great blog about your colon (glad it was ok). Every body needs a colonoscopy eventually. Also, I would encourage readers of this email to go to Winston's (his ailas) to read his side splitting humor of life at Huntingdon High School. Addresses below.

Great words also for our revered Coach. I knew Ray Chandler very well and was on the receiving end of at least one of his fights. The fight was so intense we rolled in the ditch (water included) down by the little store on Benton Street close to the old high school. I called him "Buffalo" and then preceded to pay the price. We became great friends on the football team during high school. I threw him a very important pass for a touchdown during the Paris game my senior year. The pass was not that good but Ray snaked his way through the entire Paris defense for one of the early TD's (final Mustangs 41-Paris 7). These were during Coach Wards days (years one and two after Larry Stewart) that the Huntingdon faithful thought that a successful season was not only winning every game but not letting the other team even score. Ray was an excellent football player as a blocker and pass catcher.

Coach Ward literally pulled Ray out of the scrap heap and made a solid citizen out of him. Poor Ray met an untimely death from the dreaded cancer (leukemia I think).

Phillip Barnett related a very funny story to me this morning at his gym concerning Johnny Compton. At Coach Ward's funeral someone remarked, "Poor Coach Ward, he will once more have to put up with ole Johnny Compton". I knew Johnny and have long heard of his antics on and off the football field. Tim Priest will enjoy this and probably remember this incident. Seems that the Mustangs had an open date mid season and Coach not wanting his well oiled machine to get rusty filled that date with a team from Nashville. When the team bus pulled up, one of the first players off the bus looked at Johnny and said "Hey, hay seed, we liked to have not found this hole". "We finally had to follow the 'cow shit' just to get here".

After the ensuing kick off Huntingdon had the ball and Compton looked up while still in the huddle to see the same guy who would be playing across from him in the line. Compton preceded to tell Tim that there was going to be a 5 yd. penalty for "off sides" on this first play. Tim said, "Johnny, how do you know"? Comp's reply "Tim, you just call the signals". Well, if the snap count was on 3 at 2 Compton jumped in that guys face and rearranged his nose with a tremendous forearm; I believe it may still be called a "forearm shiver". That set the tone and Huntingdon won the game something like 40 to 0. Tim, feel free to jump in and correct any of this as it is second hand and you were there. I remember Johnny as being a force on both sides of the ball (God rest his soul).

Thanks again to Charles (Wintson) Rhodes for his comments and to all of you who have participated and will continue to participate. These stories have done a lot to help a broken heart (mine) and hopefully for Little Paul (sorry Paul Jr. but that is how I know you), Bobby and Ms. Kay.

God Speed.

Scott Portis (Mustang 1955-1958)