Imagine for a moment if the Central Hardin Bruins and the Etown Panthers were combined into one team, into one school. Rivals, working together as a team to cohabitate one school building and pull through with a winning football season.

Thirty-five years ago, Central Hardin High School was opened, combining the former East and West Hardin High Schools in one building, a rivalry as big, if not bigger, than Etown vs. Central. Football players from both high schools came together to form a united team, ending the season with a 7-4 record. 

On Aug. 22, during halftime, the 1990 players, coaches, cheerleaders, and marching band were honored at Central’s opening game. 

“It was a pretty big deal,” Jesscia Hundley, a librarian at Central, who also graduated with the class of ‘91 and was a cheerleader for the first-ever Bruin team, explains, “It’s been 35 years since we’ve seen each other.”

“It was nice to see coaches and to be recognized for playing that first year,” Class of ‘91 graduate Rick Kuchowicz remarked. “Going through a team sport like football, you share blood, sweat, and tears.” 

Kuchowicz played for the Bruins from 90-91, his senior year, and had the opportunity to experience what it was like to have two rival schools become one. 

“East players had the advantage because the coach from East was the coach for the Bruins that first year,” Kuchowicz said. “It was a new venture for West players, for sure.”

Hoping that the football field would be ready for their first season, players from the first team helped to build the blockhouse that is still here today. 

Mike Coffman, a fellow ‘91 graduate and football player, who passed away in 2022, also helped to build the blockhouse. 

“He was a part of helping build the blockhouse,” Robbie Coffman, Coffman’s uncle, who is a teacher at Central, says on his behalf, “I would always remember he would tell me to take care of it when I played at Central because a lot of hard work was put into it.”

Because the school was brand new, the football field we know today was not ready to be played on that first year. The team instead played on both East and West’s fields.

“We never really had the ‘Home Field Advantage,’” Kuchowicz explained, “It was bittersweet.”

Despite the drawbacks of the season, the team won their opening game against LaRue County High School, and pulled through at the end of the season with a 7-4 record. 

Although both Hundley and Kuchowitz were somewhat disappointed by the lower-than-expected turnout—believing that holding the event closer to homecoming with more publicity might have attracted a larger crowd—the ceremony itself was still a success. Players and coaches showed up to talk, share memories, and finally gather on the Central Hardin Bruins field.