This weekend, St Patrick's, Maghera will attempt what no other school has achieved - win back-to-back hogan Cup titles for the second time.
Their only successful title defence came a quarter of a century ago, their first two hogan titles, and legendary coach Adrian McGuckin was at the helm for the breakthrough.
"We had won the MacRory Cup a number of times at that stage and the hogan had then become the big one," he said.
"But we had a really good group of players in 1989, and they needed to be really good because we got pushed to the wire in some of the games."
"Everyone still talks about the MacRory final that year, how good the football was. James McCartan scored 3-2 [for St Colman's, Newry] and still finished on the losing side.
"Eamon Burns put over a long-range free in the last minute for us to win by a point and that was the first time we had beaten st Colman's in a MacRory final. That was a big result for us."
The current UUJ coach then goes through the team .... Anthony Tohill, Brian McCormick, Karl Diamond, Eamon Burns, players that went on to win the sam Maguire for Derry a few years later.
"They were a tremendous team and we came up against Colaiste Chriost Ri in the final - Colin Corkery had a great battle with Anthony [Tohill] at midfield. We wasted a number of chances and it went to a replay in Longford that we won handily enough."
There was not a huge turnover of players for the following year, but Tohill departed for Australia at Christmas and MacRory captain Paddy McAlister damaged his knee and was out for the year.
"Those were setbacks, but the team was a bit more experienced and they coped well, although there was a replay with St Colman's in the MacRory final and we were lucky enough to get it," said McGuckin.
"After that we beat St Mel's, Longford and then St Jarlath's, Tuam in a replayed final. So we really earned our double." St Jarlath's came back, however, and defeated Maghera in the Derry school's next hogan Cup final appearance in 1994.
"That was a really tight game against an excellent St Jarlath's team. Seven or maybe eight of them won the All-ireland with Galway in 1998 - Padraig Joyce, Michael Donnellan, John Divliy, the Meehans. They were a good side alright."
But Maghera bounced back to win the 1995 hogan title, beating Good Counsel of Wexford in the final.
"Good Counsel were a fair side at that time and they did win a hogan eventually in 1999.
"The experience we had gained the year before helped us, even though we lost Sean Marty (Lockhart) our MacRory captain and a couple of others because of the age difference that existed between the two competitions for nearly two decades." In 1996, Maghera reached a third hogan final in-a-row, a record for MacRory champions, but it was the one that got away and still gets to the Ballinderry man.
"We will always feel that we were unfairly treated with suspensions coming out of the MacRory final with Magherafelt. Three of our defenders - John heaney, Niall Farren and Paul Wilson - were all taken out of our hogan plans."
Maghera overcame that handicap, though, to reach the final where intermediate school, Killorglin, in their first ever final, were the opposition.
"We had to bring in three new defenders and in Croke Park we gave away a few bad goals and ended up losing by 4-8 to 1-14. i will always feel that we didn't lose that final in Croke Park, it was taken from us before we got there."
The similarities between 1996 and the present are not lost on McGuckin.
"here we have a Kerry school in their first final trying to prevent a Maghera double in Croke Park. It is much the same scenario." However, this Maghera team will not face the same handicap as the earlier version.
"No, they get to play their full side and it is a very good side, up there with the best the school has produced," he said.
"i have really enjoyed their performances. They're playing great football. It has been said a few times this year that it will take a good team to beat them.
"i don't think they will be beaten."