*All athletes have that one game, that one contest, that ranks as the most unforgettable of their lives. It can be memorable because of a personal or team achievement, a dramatic finish, a sentimental moment, or a number of any other factors.
Continuing a series begun last summer, Packers.com caught up with the members of the 2008 draft class to ask them about the game they'll never forget. It could be a game at any level of competition that took place at any time. They're all hoping their new NFL careers will give them new memories and new games to cherish, but for now, these rank at the top.*
Six years later, it's one of the most talked about high school football games in Kentucky history. It will be in 60 years, too.
On Dec. 7, 2002, Brian Brohm's Trinity High School in Louisville faced crosstown rival Male High School for Kentucky's Class 4A (largest division) championship. Both teams were 14-0, held the top two rankings in the state, and had combined for 19 state titles in their illustrious histories.
Seventeen touchdowns and 1,338 yards later, Trinity emerged with a 59-56 triumph in the highest scoring championship game in state history.
"It was just a back-and-forth game, with a lot of guys who went on to play college ball," Brohm said. "That was a wild one."
Brohm, drafted by the Packers in the second round this past April, was a junior that year and would head to the University of Louisville two years later. Meanwhile, the senior quarterback at Male was Michael Bush, who also went to Louisville and became a star running back and fourth-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders in 2007.
The two QBs put on a ridiculous show. Brohm completed 19 of 25 passes for 552 yards with seven touchdowns. He also added 52 yards rushing and another score. Bush was 33-of-47 for 468 yards with six TDs, plus 24 carries for 116 yards rushing and an additional touchdown. He also caught two passes for 24 yards.
Brohm was finding the end zone from all over the field, hitting TD passes of (in order) 32, 72, 45, 18, 36, 77 and 85 yards.
"I think there was a stretch there where we had four plays and three touchdowns," Brohm said. "We were scoring real quick, and they were going down on nine-, 10-, 12-play drives and scoring. I was on the field maybe a total of six minutes. They had the time of possession easily won."
Indeed, Male ran 89 offensive plays to Trinity's 47, as Trinity averaged 14 yards per snap. Trinity had one receiver with 300 yards receiving and another with 201, on a combined 13 catches.
The offensive showdown was stunning when you consider the two teams gave up a combined average of 19 points per game (Trinity six, Male 13) in their first 14 contests of the season.
Brohm explained that Male played a defensive scheme that forced the opposing quarterback to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately, and he was able to take advantage.
"They played what you call 'Cover zero man' and blitzed everybody," Brohm said. "They played man-to-man with no safety - every play - that's how they played the entire season. They had that many good athletes. For some reason that game I was just on the money and completing deep balls all day long."
Trinity needed an old-fashioned grind-it-out drive to help seal the game, though. After two fourth-quarter scores pulled Male within 52-49, Male adjusted its defense at safety to take away the big play. Trinity ultimately needed a fourth-and-goal run from inside the 2-yard line for its final points.
{sportsad300}Male wasn't done, though. Bush, who never came off the field and played more than 150 snaps on offense, defense and special teams, threw his sixth TD pass to get Male back within three points again, and he drove Male into Trinity territory in the final minute.
But his last pass was picked off at the 1-yard line - incredibly the only turnover of the game - in the final seconds, and Brohm had to run a quarterback sneak to keep the ball in play and run out the clock.
"You couldn't take a knee because you were too close to the end zone," Brohm said.
Brohm's memorable performance capped a season in which just one of his 335 passes was intercepted, while 47 went for touchdowns.
More importantly, the victory was the second of three straight state championships for Brohm and Trinity, and a grudge match of sorts with Male. Brohm's freshman season, Male had defeated Trinity 24-14 for the 2000 state title, and Trinity came back in 2001 to post a 45-19 win in the championship game.
Becoming teammates with Bush in college made for some extensive reminiscing sessions. Attending college in their hometown of Louisville, neither Brohm nor Bush could get away from discussions and memories.
"It's something everyone asks us about back home," Brohm said. "People still talk about it. When he was a senior, I was a junior in college, and people were still coming up and talking to us about that high school game. It was a big-time game and a fun game to play in."
