article 3A Notebook: West Side Story

[gchs_uk9]

Caldwell and Tilghman Secure Meaningful Wins Before District Play

 

When West Side Story was released on Broadway in 1957, it told the story of two rival gangs competing for turf in an Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. In the play it was the Jets and Sharks looking to control the territory. In Kentucky Class 3A football in 2018, one could say it is the Tigers and Tornado looking to take control. And after three consecutive years of seeing the region trophy go home to Elizabethtown, both Caldwell County and Paducah Tilghman are looking to secure their own passage to the state semifinals this time around.

 

Caldwell County and Paducah Tilghman both picked up resounding wins to pad their resumes on Friday night. Seventh-ranked Caldwell County (3-2), behind 217 yards passing and two touchdowns from quarterback Joby Jaggers, beat 6A power Henderson County, 34-14. Caldwell had defeated Class 1A #7 Crittenden County last week, but had failed in two earlier attempts to beat large class powers, falling to both Christian County and Hopkinsville.

 

Meanwhile, ninth-ranked Paducah Tilghman (4-1) was romping to their fourth win in five outings, dominating Class 4A #7 Hopkinsville, 47-13. Tilghman, who had lost their only other game against a ranked foe, was led by Damien Ford's 128 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while the defense also forced four turnovers. Hopkinsville, which had defeated Caldwell two weeks earlier, was playing without their starting quarterback.

 

Now the question is which team will take control of the west? We won't have to wait long for the answer. Paducah Tilghman will play host to Caldwell County this Friday night. The winners will certainly say "I Feel Pretty" as they take a huge step toward a district title (both teams do have games with undefeated Union County remaining). The losers will know "Something's Coming," and that's an early playoff road trip - perhaps to old bugaboo Elizabethtown. Either way, both teams will be looking to "Just play it cool, boy, Real cool!"

 

Floyd Central tops Prestonsburg, Breaks County-Wide Dry Spell

 

The last couple of weeks have been really good for teams who haven't had a certain type of success since 1986. Last Saturday night the Kentucky Wildcats went to Gainesville and beat Florida for their first win in 31 tries. The story captivated the commonwealth and led numerous news and sports broadcasts. However, on a much smaller level there was another huge win after a long drought. Friday night, Floyd Central (4-1) defeated Prestonsburg, 49-6, marking the first time a Floyd County team had defeated the Blackcats in football since 1986.

 

Since Betsy Layne topped Prestonsburg, 12-8, on September 12, 1986, Floyd County has seen schools at Wheelwright and McDowell (who did not play football) consolidate to form South Floyd, and then seen South Floyd and Allen Central consolidate to form Floyd Central - all the while never beating Prestonsburg. In a brief conversation with Floyd Central head coach Shawn Hager, he told me in something of an understatement that "our kids and community was very happy and excited to get that win."

 

Floyd Central, in just their second season as a school, started their inaugural campaign 4-0 before falling to Prestonsburg. That wouldn't be the case this year. Hager credited improved team strength for the success of the Jaguars, saying "we have continued to get better and the big difference is that we are stronger from working in the weight room."

 

With a landmark victory behind them, now Hager's team must get ready for a tough slate in District Six. That will start with consecutive road trips to Pike County Central and Belfry. Asked where he thought his team fit within the district, Hager stated "I think we are right in the middle of the pack with Belfry at the top and we hope to get one of the two top seeds to get another home playoff game."

 

Four Teams Strike Gold for the First Time in 2018

 

One of the most difficult things about covering high school sports is seeing a team go winless. Coaching staffs and players are working hard throughout the year and it is nice to see those efforts rewarded. Four teams in Class 3A found their way into the win column for the first time on Friday night. Traditional powers Elizabethtown and Russell got their first victories after slow starts against top-tier competition. #10 Elizabethtown (1-3) dismantled Thomas Nelson, 47-7, behind quarterback Clay Games' 158 passing yards and three touchdowns. Russell (1-3), behind three second quarter touchdowns from Ethan Sharp, shut out rival Boyd County, 49-0. Also in northeastern Kentucky, Lewis County romped to their first victory, beating Fairview, 52-0. Lewis (1-3) rushed for 337 yards as a team in the win.

 

Meanwhile, after scoring only fifteen points total in their first four games, Fort Campbell went to Fort Knox and won the Army Bowl, 27-12. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak for Fort Campbell (1-4) and continued their dominance over Fort Knox, making it sixteen straight wins in the series. Falcons' quarterback Matt Middleton was 11-20 with three touchdowns on the night.

 

That leaves McCreary Central (0-5) as the only team in Class 3A without a win. With their next three games all against undefeated opponents, the most likely spot for a Raiders win appears to be October 12 at home against Jackson County.

 

Around the Rankings

 

#1 Boyle County wasted no time in moving to 5-0, scoring forty points in the first half and coasting home with a 40-13 win over Collins. The Rebels were again balanced, rushing for 217 yards and three touchdowns and throwing for 198 yards and another two scores.

 

#3 Central lost for a second consecutive week to a top-ranked Class 6A foe, this time losing 20-19 to #4 St. Xavier. Central (3-2) had a chance for the win but turned it over on downs after an incomplete fourth down pass.

 

#4 Belfry (3-1) took a good shot from Class 1A #2 Pikeville but used three interceptions and a goal line stand to win, 36-21.

 

#5 Lexington Catholic was tied with Class 5A #6 Highlands midway through the third quarter before the Bluebirds blew it open with three touchdowns to win, 44-27. Beau Allen was 29-48 for 309 yards in the loss for Catholic (4-1).

 

#6 Casey County stayed unbeaten topping Jeffersontown, 56-22. Preston Tucker ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns for the Rebels (4-0).

 

#8 Bell County (4-0) also remained unbeaten, whipping Whitley County, 45-7. The Bobcats are averaging 43.8 points per game while allowing only 7.3.

 

Extra Points

 

Larue County became the first team in Class 3A to win a district game, beating Hart County, 45-18. Anthony Adkins rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns for the Hawks (3-2).

 

Perhaps the most impressive win in Class 3A came from Lawrence County, who demolished Class 4A #10 Greenup County, 37-6. Bulldogs quarterback Noah West ran for 292 yards and five touchdowns, while also converting a two-pointer and kicking an extra point. Lawrence County (3-2) rushed for over 500 yards as a team.

 

Trigg County (3-2) beat Russellville, 45-16, and broke a couple of streaks in the process. The Wildcats' win snapped a six-game losing streak to Russellville. It also marked the first Trigg win at Russellville since 2001 and was the largest margin of victory over Russellville at Rhea Stadium since a 44-6 win in 1972.

 

Three to See

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

 

1. Corbin vs. Mayfield at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Two of Kentucky's premier programs meet south of the border in Tennessee for what should be one of the best games of the weekend. Undefeated Corbin (4-0), coming off a bye week, has defeated Danville, Pulaski County, and Beechwood in consecutive order, while Mayfield is also undefeated and among the favorites in Class 2A.

 

2. Lexington Catholic at DeSales. Some of the luster came off of this one when Lexington Catholic fell to Highlands last week, but both Catholic schools are on the short lists of favorites in their class to win a title. Three of four wins for Class 2A DeSales have been against higher class foes.

 

3. Caldwell County at Paducah Tilghman. Caldwell has defeated Tilghman in each of the last three years, although last year's win was by only three points and this year's game is in Paducah. It should be a dandy.

 

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)

 

Union County at Crittenden County. Undefeated Union County is positioning themselves as a challenger to both Caldwell County and Paducah Tilghman in District One. The Braves are 4-0 and own a nice win at Madisonville-North Hopkins. If Union wants to compete with the two District One favorites, they have to be able to beat smaller school powers like Class 1A #7 Crittenden County. Union has won five straight in the series.

Edited September 16, 2018 by gchs_uk9

[charlesw88]

The "Three to See" is right on. I can't wait to see how Friday plays out.

 

Great job as always!

[gchs_uk9]

ttt

[TilghmanPride]

If Tilghman weren't playing Friday night, I'd definitely be driving down to Clarksville for the Mayfield/Corbin game.

 

The "Three to See" and the Union/Crittenden game should be fun to watch.