article Who wants Two?

[JDEaston]

If there was any doubt, Bowling Green solidified themselves as the team to beat with a convincing win over St. Xavier. The real question is who is #2? Fern Creek, Christian County and Owensboro have all had their chance to prove that they are the second best team in the class. Owensboro being the most recent team to falter after receiving the #2 ranking, lost to rival Owensboro Catholic, which to be honest was a bit of a shocker. Christian County has worked their way back into the top spot for other teams not named Bowling Green for the time being, but Covington Catholic and Greenwood are right behind them. Both Covington Catholic and Greenwood had excellent showings last week, posting win’s over Sycamore, (OH) and previous 4A #1 South Warren. This week looks to be another interesting week with 6 of the top ten teams playing teams also ranked in the top ten in their class.

 

 

A Recap of This Weeks Games

 

 

Last season Bowling Green only suffered one loss, a lopsided (45-19) loss to the St. Xavier Tigers. If someone told you that the Tigers held the Purples to under 50 yards rushing in this game, one would likely expect a similar result as the 2015 edition of this matchup. However the Purples avenged last season’s sole loss with a 31-10 win that left no doubt who the top team is in class 5A. While the Tigers were able to put the Purples running game on pause, quarterback Clark Payne completed a staggering 25 of his 36 pass attempts for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns. He spread the wealth around completing passes to 5 different receivers with Jamale Carothers and Luke Brown being his top two targets combining for 156 yards and a couple of touchdowns. This week the Purples face the former #2 5A team as they take a road trip to Owensboro to face the Red Devils.

 

Speaking of Owensboro, the Red Devils were upset by class 2A rival Owensboro Catholic last week in a close one, losing 29-34. While the loss was a bit of a surprise, the Aces are a top 5 2A team and class 2A is absolutely loaded this season. Not all is lost for the Red Devils however as they still amassed over 350 yards of total offense, led by running back Landon Board with 221 yards rushing. There is no such thing as a good loss, but if Owensboro can keep things close this week as they host Bowling Green it would certainly be a huge boost in confidence after being upset last week.

 

On the positive side of things in class 5A, Covington Catholic and Greenwood pulled off a couple of upsets of their own. Covington Catholic knocked off Ohio Division 1 Sycamore High school in overtime, while Greenwood upset 4A preseason favorite South Warren.

 

For the second week in a row, the Colonels built a comfortable lead in the first half against large Ohio schools, only to see their opponent come back and fight them to the final bell. The Colonels however, have delivered the final knockout blow in each of those games and are really starting to put things together to make a run that could earn them a trip to Bowling Green. The Colonels couldn’t get much going on the ground in this game, so they once again took things to the air. AJ Mayer led the way with 247 yards on 18-36 passing, accounting for 3 touchdowns. Mayer also led the Colonels on the ground with 26 yards on 15 attempts, adding another touchdown along the way. The receiving corp also looked great with 7 different players catching passes. This week doesn’t get much easier as the Colonels face 3A #3 Lexington Catholic.

 

We all knew that Greenwood has a solid team, but like the Colonels, the Dragons surprised most of us last week as they knocked off 4A #1 South Warren 17-16. Coming in to this game, the Dragons with a run heavy offense had to face one of the best rushing defenses in the state. One would think that would potentially make for a long night for the Gators. While South Warrens defense held the Greenwood rushing attack well below their average, the 111 yards rushing and 83 through the air on just 3 completions was just enough to edge the Spartans. The Gators have surged upward in the polls and this week will give us a real idea if they are for real or not as they face 4A #4 Franklin-Simpson at home.

 

Highlands looked poised to knock off 6A #6 Scott County early in the game, but the Cardinals rushing attack proved to be too much for the Bluebirds. After last week’s loss to Campbell County, Highlands should focus on the positives from this game and continue to move forward. Quarterback Brady Gosney got things back on track after a rough week against the Camels. Gosney completed 21 of his 35 passes for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns. He spread the ball around well hitting 7 different receivers along the way, with Nick Veneman being his top target with 9 catches for 225 yards and 4 touchdowns. This week Highlands takes on 6A #6 Ryle, which beat the Bluebirds rival and district foe Covington Catholic to open the season.

 

Other games in the top ten pretty much went as expected, with Christian County and Fern Creek amassing blowout wins. Christian County beat 6A Henderson County 41-7, while Fern Creek beat 3A Moore 55-10. Christian takes on 3A Fort Campbell this week and Fern Creek faces yet another 6A Louisville school in Moore.

Southwestern knocked off a solid 4A top ten team in Knox Central 34-20. The Warriors offense keeps on chugging along amassing 465 yards of total offense in this one, while only giving up 286 total yards. Quarterback Brandon Pruitt accounted for 300 yards and 2 touchdown completions. This week Southwestern hits the road to take on 4A #9 Mercer County.

South Oldham and Pulaski County had open dates last week. South Oldham faces cross county 4A North Oldham this week, while Pulaski County travels to 4A Russell County.

Edited September 6, 2016 by JDEaston

[JDEaston]

Somehow the title didn't copy over completely. Could a mod please edit the title to "Class 5A Notebook 9/6/16: Who wants Two?