article Inside Wilderness Trace Football (9-8-13)

Inside Wilderness Trace Football

A weekly notebook focusing on Boyle County, Danville and Mercer County, with occasional info on other nearby teams:

LOOKING BACK

Boyle County 41, Danville 7

Boyle (3-0) cruised over Danville (1-2) in the crosstown showdown at Admiral Stadium, as the Rebels broke the game open with four second-quarter touchdowns to defeat the Admirals for the fifth time in six years and the 11th time in their last 15 meetings.

Levi McKinney scored one touchdown on offense and another on defense, Josiah Robbins threw two touchdown passes and Seph Burke ran for two touchdowns for Boyle.

Robbins completed seven of 13 passes for 128 yards, while Burke rushed for 96 yards and Aiden Stewart-Hoskins rushed for 62.

The Rebels scored three times before Danville got on the board midway through the second quarter, and they led 34-7 at halftime.

Jawan Grey scored the Admirals’ only touchdown on a 76-yard run, but he had a net loss of 3 yards on his other 10 rushing attempts. Damani Del Rosario rushed for 62 yards, and Zach Dampier completed eight of 18 passes for 127 yards.

Danville, which leads the series 32-18-1, had four turnovers, one more than Boyle.

Mercer County 33, West Jessamine 20

Drew Davis threw three touchdown passes, including two in the fourth quarter, as Mercer improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2006, when it won the Class AA championship in the first year following its merger with Harrodsburg.

Davis’ fourth-quarter scoring passes of 9 and 15 yards, the latter on fourth down-and-5, completed the Titans’ comeback from a 20-14 deficit in the second half. The gme was tied at 20-all entering the fourth quarter.

Kobe Ford scored on an 18-yard run and an 80-yard kickoff return for Mercer, which defeated West Jessmaine (1-2) for the third consecutive year.

Mercer’s defense held West Jessamine quarterback Jackson Pearce to 69 yards on 4-of-11 passing one week after he threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Rockcastle County. Devin Taylor ran for 209 yards and three touchdowns for the Colts.

Lincoln County 22, Lexington Christian 21

Lincoln (1-2) gave up 21 unanswered points in the first half but countered with 19 straight in the second half to defeat LCA (1-2) for its first victory.

It was an emotional win for the Patriots, as it came five days following the funeral of assistant coach Mickey Goodwin, who was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident Aug. 30.

Nathan Hooper scored on a 24-yard fumble recovery to give Lincoln the lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

The Patriots held on as the Eagles tried to rally behind quarterback Dima Ballard, who was 7 for 7 on their final two possessions. But LCA turned the ball over on downs on its penultimate drive, and Lincoln Henzman missed a 20-yard field-goal attempt that would have won the game on the final play.

Marvin Robinson rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown for Lincoln, which was outgained 350 yards to 160. Ballard was 11 for 14 for 223 yards and a touchdown.

Wayne County 42, Garrard County 15

Wayne (3-0) scored 42 unanswered points over the final three periods as Garrard (1-2) lost a double-digit lead for the second straight week.

Quarterback Tyler Guffey threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns for the winning Cardinals. Slade Crutchfield threw for 90 yards and one touchdown and Keagan Penman rushed for 58 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Lions.

Russell County 40, Casey County 6

Russell (3-0) outgained Casey (0-3) by almost 400 yards to win the first meeting between these rivals since 2008. The Lakers rushed for 463 yards — averaging 14.5 yards per attempt — totaled 516 yards and held the Rebels to 126 yards.

Wyatt Bishop rushed for 98 yards and scored Casey’s only touchdown on an 86-yard run that accounted for most of the Rebels’ 130 rushing yards.

LOOKING AHEAD

(All games Friday)

Anderson County (2-0) at Boyle County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Boyle faces perhaps its toughest test to date from Anderson, a powerful offensive team that has scored 85 points in wins over George Rogers Clark and South Oldham.

On the other hand, it is also probably the toughest test yet for Anderson, as Boyle has 107 points in its wins over Lincoln County, Warren Central and Danville.

This will be the first meeting between the Rebels and Bearcats since the 1990s, when they were in the same Class AA district.

Danville (1-2) at Corbin (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Old rivals Danville and Corbin have renewed their series for another two years after facing off in three of the last four seasons. Corbin defeated Danville in the Redhounds’ bowl in 2009, and the Admirals won in 2011 and ’12.

The Redhounds have put together three strong defensive performances, allowing a total of 14 points in wins over Southwestern, Perry County Central and Trimble County. Danville scored 45 points in its first two games before Boyle County held the Admirals to seven.

Central Hardin (3-0) at Mercer County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Mercer will try to extend its impressive start in its first meeting with Central Hardin, which matches the Titans’ perfect record.

The Bruins, who went 5-7 last year, have beaten North Hardin, Grayson County and Madisonville-North Hopkins by an average margin of 31.3 points.

The Titans have allowed 20 points to all three teams they have beaten — Allen County-Scottsville, Danville and West Jessamine — but have averaged 36.3 points.

Garrard County (1-2) at Lincoln County (1-2), 7:30 p.m.: 

The Garrard-Lincoln series has become the area’s most one-sided rivalry in recent years, as the Patriots have dominated the Golden Lions even in years when they have struggled against most of the other teams on their schedule.

Lincoln won 19-18 last year and has won seven of the last eight meetings, with the only exception being a 35-25 Garrard win in 2011, the Lions’ most successful season ever. And the Patriots have two shutout wins and have held the Lions to a single touchdown in two other wins during that span.

Lincoln has at least a little momentum on its side after rallying to beat Lexington Christian last week. Garrard is looking for a change of fortune after squandering leads in losses to Glasgow and Wayne County.

RATING THE TRACE

1. Boyle County

2. Mercer County

3. Danville

4. Lincoln County

5. Garrard County

6. Casey County

That was well written, quality work general, as always. Nice job keeping us all informed on your area.

All of this weeks matchups are interesting as everyone has a chance to make a statement.

Good stuff thegeneral. I always look forward to your posts.