Crown Not Yet too Heavy for Central

 

William Shakespeare wrote in his play King Henry IV, "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." For ten consecutive years Louisville Central has worn the district champion crown and after 27 seniors graduated from the 2015 team, along with a strong push from several teams within the district, there was talk that this year would be the year the title was relinquished. After starting 0-4 in 2016, that talk grew even louder. However, to modify an old Mark Twain quote, "the report of Central's death was an exaggeration."

 

On Friday night, #6 Central rushed to a 27-0 halftime lead over #8 Waggener and cruised to their first victory of the season, winning 41-21. Central's balanced attack ran for 173 yards and passed for 184 yard, while holding explosive Waggener (3-2) to 197 total yards and three late fourth quarter touchdowns. The Yellowjackets (1-4) were led on the ground by Corey Johnson, who totaled 77 yards on the ground before leaving with an injury. Quarterback James Simpson threw two touchdowns, one in each half, to wide receiver Ukari Baker.

 

Central's winless start is due in part to a murderous opening schedule that saw them lose to 2A #2 CAL, 3A #2 Corbin, and 6A powerhouses #6 St. Xavier and #8 DuPont Manual. Coach Ty Scroggins told the Courier-Journal “I think we’ve always known we have a good 3-A football team. We’re able to compete at 3-A this year. In previous years we were able to compete in 6-A. Our offensive lines and defensive lines are just as good as anybody we’re going to play from now on. Now we just have to start fine-tuning some things.” (Friday Night Rewind | News, notes, more from around state | | USA Today High School Sports).

 

Belfry and Corbin both Licking Their Wounds after Tough Weekend

 

Belfry and Corbin have spent the entire year ranked 1-2 in Bluegrasspreps' Class 3A rankings and even after tough losses over the weekend will likely remain 1-2. Both teams, however, were exposed in some areas and will need to make repairs to achieve their ultimate goal of a state championship.

 

Belfry (4-1) made the long trek to Tennessee to face Knoxville Catholic, ranked #1 in Class 4A in the Volunteer State, and the Pirates fell 45-20. Belfry fumbled nine times on the evening, losing six. Five of those were inside the Belfry 30 yard line and resulted in 28 points for the Fighting Irish. Knoxville Catholic, who boasts a prolific offense, saw quarterback Chase Cunningham throw six touchdowns, four to Amari Rodgers, a four-star wide receiver already committed to Clemson. When they weren't fumbling, Belfry was able to move the ball on offense, rushing for 340 yards on the game.

 

Meanwhile, in a matchup of 3A's #2 team and 2A's #1, Corbin fell to Mayfield, 35-34, at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia. Corbin saw Mayfield dominate much of the first half, taking a 35-14 lead midway through the third quarter. The Redhounds would mount a comeback, however, as quarterback Cameron Sizemore scored twice and threw for another score as Corbin closed the Mayfield lead to one in the fourth quarter. Corbin coach Justin Haddix chose to go for two after Corbin scored with 4:26 left in the game, but the conversion failed. Corbin (5-1) struggled much of the night offensively, gaining only eight first downs and 180 yards of total offense, while Mayfield's high powered attack totaled 493 yards, 350 of which came through the air.

 

Red Devils Continue to be Stingy on Defense

 

If you are the scoreboard operator at Russell football games, you don't have to click the score button too often. Russell (4-1) hasn't allowed double-digit points in any game this season and have only allowed 23 points total through five games. The Red Devils took care of defending district champion West Carter on Friday night, 28-3, setting themselves up for what could be the district championship this coming weekend at Fleming County. Entering the West Carter game, Russell's leading tackler was senior linebacker Blake Thompson with 40 stops, but five other Red Devils have either tackled or assisted on at least 20 stops. Coach T.J. Maynard has needed that strong defense, however, because Russell averages only 18.4 points per game.

 

Around the Rankings

 

#3 Lexington Catholic continued their slide, losing their fifth straight game, this time to 6A #10 Cooper, 38-20. Catholic's schedule has been brutal, with losses coming to a 4A, 5A, and three 6A teams. Now the Knights (1-5) get a week off before starting district play.

 

#4 Caldwell County took a big step toward another district title by toppling Paducah Tilghman 45-20. Caldwell (3-3) has another tough district matchup this week when they play host to surprising Union County.

 

#5 Boyle County continued to click on offense, romping over neighboring Lincoln County 57-7. The Rebels (3-3) again got good play from two quarterbacks, with Sam Tiller throwing for 115 yards on 8-for-10 passing and Reed Lanter going 6-for-7 and another 95 yards.

 

#7 Bardstown won over Henry County in a game that was close on the final scoreboard but a blowout in reality. The undefeated Tigers roared to a 41-7 halftime lead before the junior varsity surrendered three late touchdowns to set the final margin at 41-28. Bardstown (5-0) hits the road again this week for a big matchup with Waggener. A loss by either club could potentially mean a road trip for the first round of the playoffs.

 

#10 Garrard County shook off a slow start and withstood a late field goal attempt to knock off 2A #10 Lloyd Memorial. The Golden Lions (4-2) fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter and 19-8 just before halftime, before rallying to take a 26-19 lead late. Lloyd Memorial scored halfway through the fourth quarter but then failed on a two-point attempt. The Juggernauts then recovered an onside kick and marched all the way to the Garrard three before hooking a field goal attempt on fourth down with 25 seconds remaining. Garrard's Jacob Foley became the school's all-time leading rusher in the win. Foley has ran for 3,772 yards for his career.

 

Extra Points

 

Adair County continued their hot start to the season, winning their sixth game in a row, this time beating 1A #9 Kentucky Country Day, 44-3. The Indians now must prepare for two tough district road games, at Edmonson County this week and at Elizabethtown on October 14.

 

Union County improved to 4-1 on the season with a 56-15 victory over Crittenden County. The Braves, something of an unknown entering the year, have been paced by Jacob Winters' 647 yards passing and 10 touchdowns and running back Dontae Smith's ten scores on the ground (stats through last week's games).

 

Bath County (3-2) squeaked out a 12-6 overtime victory over Pendleton County in their district opener. Landan Swartz ran for both Wildcat touchdowns in a game that had significant postseason implications.

 

Larue County (2-4) won their first district game since 2012, a streak that had reached 12 straight losses, knocking off Hart County 17-0. Larue's defense was allowing 36.4 points per game before pitching the shutout against the Raiders.

 

Three to See

(Each week the 3A Notebook will preview the three best games featuring Class 3A teams for the coming week)

 

1. Russell at Fleming County. The defensive-minded Red Devils travel to Fleming County to square off with the offensive powerhouse Panthers. Fleming (4-1) is scoring 41.2 points per game while Russell has only allowed 23 points the entire season. Fleming beat Russell last year, keeping the Red Devils from a district championship. Friday's winner will gain the upper hand in the district this season.

 

2. Bardstown at Waggener. Can Waggener prove itself a meaningful Class 3A contender? The Wildcats have allowed six points in their three wins, but 87 points in their two losses. A home loss to undefeated Bardstown could mean a first round playoff road trip to one of the powers in District 4.

 

3. Union County at Caldwell County. Caldwell County weathered the storm of three straight losses to open the season by winning their next three with relative ease, including a district win over Paducah Tilghman. Union County is 4-1, but the Braves' schedule hasn't been nearly as strong at Caldwell to this point. Caldwell has won five straight in the series, with the last Union win coming by a 16-14 count in 2010.

 

Just One More

(Tired of the same teams every week? Want to go off the beaten path for a 3A game this Friday night? Each week we'll look at an under-the-radar matchup to watch in Class 3A)

 

Bell County at Casey County. This matchup has been lopsided for many years, with Bell having won all five meetings by a combined score of 247-41 since they were placed in the same district in 2011. Bell (2-3) has struggled this season after running back Treyton Humfleet went out with a knee injury while Casey County's offensive machine has passed for 1,387 yards and ran for 865 already. A Casey County (5-0) win could mean the first home playoff game for the Rebels since 2010.

Fleming and Russell should be a great game. Both teams are playing well defensively. Fleming's starting defense has only given up 2 touchdowns this season and their defense overall has only given up 3 touchdowns.

Edited September 25, 20169 yr by Pick-six

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