article Inside South-Central Kentucky Football (10-21-13)

Inside South-Central Kentucky Football (10-21-13)

-Friday night provided confirmation of something that everyone knew already, that Bowling Green (7-0) is far and away the best team in the area, truly without peers. Warren Central (4-4) managed to stay in touch with the Purples through 1.5 quarters by matching them score for score. It was 14 all at the 9 minute mark of the second quarter, and just 20-14 BG heading under 5 minutes in the half. But the Purples' powerful offense was stopped only once on the night and very rarely slowed, a clip that the Dragons just could not hope to match. In all, Bowling Green racked up a 467-247 offensive yardage advantage, including a Bowling Green single game record 374 yards passing by QB Devin Hayes. The win wrapped up the 5A District 2 crown for the Purples, and they will face the winner of Friday's Ohio County/Apollo game in the first round. It appears that Warren Central will host Hopkinsville in the first round of the playoffs in three weeks.

-South Warren (8-1) let loose the frustration of two years of losses to Monroe County out in a flurry of activity at the end of the second quarter of their 53-8 victory over Monroe County. The first quarter was fairly even with the Spartans up just 7-0, and just 14-0 heading under the 4 minute mark of the second. They would score 20 points via two TD runs and a blocked punt TD on defense in just under 3 minutes of gametime to seize control of the game and take a 34-0 halftime lead. The win clinched the first district title in South Warren history, and gives them homefield for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Spartans were fueled by QB Jay Eblen who ran for five TDs and 149 yards as South Warren held a 346-111 advantage in offensive yardage. Monroe County had won the first three meetings in the series by a combined 83 points.

-Glasgow (7-1) clinched a district title of their own, going on the road to take a 48-13 victory over Green County. The Scotties led just 13-6 after one, but would score the next 35 points in the game to put Green County down. Marquez Trigg and Quentel Bradley combined for 307 yards on the ground on just 36 carries, while QB Ryan Hinkley threw for three TDs. The effort put Marquez Trigg right at 1,000 yards rushing on the year. In all, the Scotties were the picture of dominance with over 550 yards of offense.

-Franklin-Simpson (4-4) continued their late year push with their fourth win in six games, the latest a 50-7 blowout victory over Breckinridge County. The win puts them just one more district win away from their second district title in three years. The first quarter belonged to Chris Holman, as he ran for scores of 23, 20, and 17 yards on the way to a 28-0 first quarter lead for the Wildcats. Holman accounted for 115 yards on just seven carries as part of a night that saw Franklin-Simpson rush for 414 yards.

-Before the bye, Warren East (4-4) were the receivers of a surprising 37-7 beatdown by Franklin-Simpson to lose control of their own destiny in the district. They kept themselves in the hunt for the #1 seed by knocking off visiting Allen County-Scottsville (4-4) 28-14 in a close affair at Jim Ross Field. The Raiders seized control early on a pair of Raymond Green TDs The first was a 46 yard strike from QB Antwan Gilbert, the second a 22 yard sweep. The Patriots rallied in the second quarter to tie it at 14 all in the half, and Charlie Trapp's 77 yard TD rush ultimately accounted for nearly 75% of Allen County-Scottsville's 105 yards of offense on the night. RB Antonio Shields put Warren East up for good late in the third quarter on a 14 yard run, then put the nail in the coffin with another TD run with less than two minutes left in the game for the final margin. The Raiders now have to become Patriot fans, hoping that Allen County-Scottsville can knock off Franklin-Simpson next week to create a three way tie atop the district.

-Barren County (3-5) clinched the 3 seed in the district - their highest since 2007 in the first year of 5A - with a 53-13 win over Logan County. The win gave Barren County multiple district wins on the year for the first time since 2001, and sets them up for a likely trip to Christian County when the playoffs begin. Chad Eaton was Mr. Everything for Barren County, scoring two TD receptions in addition to throwing for another. Cole Payne also had a pick six against the winless Cougars.

-Greenwood (3-5) got just the opponent they needed in Apollo to snap a two game losing streak in a 24-13 victory. Apollo entered the game with just a single win over the year - that over a winless opponent. The Eagles did make Greenwood work for the win, taking a 7-0 first quarter lead and maintaining a 13-10 advantage at the half. But the defense bore down in the second half, holding Apollo to just 33 yards of offense and turning a fumble into a 23 yard TD return for the final score of the game.

THIS WEEK

-The game with the most postseason implications will be Allen County-Scottsville at Franklin-Simpson. If Franklin-Simpson wins, they will take the district outright. A Patriot win coupled with an all but certain victory by Warren East over Breckinridge County will send it to a three way tiebreaker. The three teams are very close in potential tiebreaker scenarios currently.

-Two weeks after being the only team in the area to play, South Warren will be the only one to sit this one out as they prepare for a date with Russellville in the season closer.

-There will be a lot of familiar faces when Greenwood meets Bowling Green on Friday. Several coaches on the Greenwood staff were at Bowling Green last year, including HC Chris Seabolt. They'll get a chance to learn how the other half lives in that series, one in which Bowling Green has won all 21 meetings and most have not been close. The Purples have won the last seven meetings by an average of over 46 PPG, dating back to the last time Greenwood came within a single score, a 31-24 loss in 2004.

South-Central Kentucky Rankings (10-21-13)

1) Bowling Green at Greenwood

2) Warren Central vs. Logan County

3) South Warren - OPEN

4) Glasgow vs. Metcalfe County

5) Franklin-Simpson vs. Allen County-Scottsville

6) Warren East at Breckinridge County

7) Allen County-Scottsville at Franklin-Simpson

8) Barren County at 4A Taylor County

9) Greenwood vs. Bowling Green

Meant to include this earlier but I've got a touch of medicine-head today:

-I want to extend my condolences to the entire Bowling Green Purples family and of course the relatives in particular on the passing of Coach Dan Haley. Coach Haley was the guiding hand that built upon what Wilson Sears started several years before his arrival and elevated Bowling Green football to a level that Coach Wallace could then build on more to make it what it is today. I never met the coach, but from what I know about him and from the words of his peers and those who coached or played under him, I know him to be a great man and truly worthy of his 2007 induction into the KHSAA HOF. Rest in peace.