School: Douglas
Nickname: Bearcats
Colors: red and blue
Stadium: Bearcat Stadium
State championships: 1975, 1978, 2008 and 2009
Times worth remembering: Douglas was a force in the 1950s, and if it hadn’t been for Torrington, the Bearcats could have been a dynasty for the ages. From 1951-60, Douglas went 67-23. Eight of those losses in that time period were to Torrington; seven of the losses kept Douglas from reaching the playoffs.
Times worth forgetting: For as good as the 1950s were, the 1960s were just as bad. The Bearcats didn’t have a winning season in the decade, including four one-win seasons and an 0-8 campaign in 1967.
Best team: Few teams in state history have been as dominating as the Bearcats were during their 12-0 championship season in 2009. Douglas won all but one game by at least 25 points, a 26-10 victory over Belle Fourche, S.D., the lone exception. The offense averaged more than 46 points per game and the defense gave up fewer than eight points per game. Led by running back Pierre Etchemendy, who ran for 2,036 yards, and nine other all-state players, the Bearcats won their second consecutive state championship and helped establish Douglas as one of the best teams in the state regardless of classification.
Biggest win: As important as the first two championships were to the program, the Bearcats’ 2008 championship victory – a 34-21 win over Buffalo for the 4A title – may have been the most special. Not only did Douglas break a 30-year championship drought, it got to do so at home over a team that has had a knack not only for winning championships, but for beating Douglas to get there.
Heartbreaker: Douglas barely scraped together a winning record in the 1986 regular season, but won the ones that counted to win the 3A East Conference’s bid for the championship game. And facing Jackson — a team with the same 5-4 record — at home in the title game, the Bearcats had a great chance to sneak away with a championship. But the Bearcats lost a 16-0 third-quarter lead and sputtered on both sides of the ball on its way to a disheartening 17-16 loss.