article 6A Notebook 9/3 - Cream Rises To The Top

[Tigerpride94]

6A Cream rises to the top.

 

It is early in the season and the top 5 teams in 6A have demonstrated they are the cream rising to the top. Trinity has demonstrated they are the best team with wins over Indiana powers Carmel and Warren Central. Male and Saint Xavier are both playing at a high level and play each other this Friday to secure the #2 spot with their sights set for Trinity later in the season. North Hardin and Manual are both undefeated and would like to spoil some of that cream above them. Central Hardin has started the season undefeated and replaced McCracken County at #10 after McCracken County suffered two losses against ranked foes in other classes. Ballard, Fern Creek, Simon Kenton, and Butler all suffered losses to good teams. It’s still a long road until the playoffs, but it’s starting to become clear who the serious contenders are. Let’s look at how the top 10 teams fared.

 

1. Trinity went to Indianapolis and defeated Warren Central when K Sebastian Mata kicked a game winning field goal at 3:24 in the 4th quarter to secure a 17-14 victory and avenging last year’s loss. The impressive Trinity defense held Warren Central to 14pts despite the offense turning the ball over 3 times. The offense got it done by amassing 242 yards rushing. SB Brad West rushed for 123 yards and RB Armon Tucker added 113 yards. QB Nathan McElroy hit 6 different receivers for 139 yards and a touchdown. Next up for Trinity is Moeller (OH) at home.

 

2. Male hosted the #7 Ballard Bruins and put on an offensive show after going down 7-0 early in the first quarter and winning 41-14. Ballard couldn’t stop the Male trifecta of QB Elijah Parish, LB/RB Joe Kuerzi, and WR Briceson Rogers. QB Elijah Parish passed for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns. LB/RB Joe Kuerzi ran for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns. WR Briceson Rogers hauled in 7 catches for 89 yards and 1 touchdown. Next up for Male at #3 Saint Xavier.

 

3. Saint Xavier traveled to Lexington and jumped on Henry Clay early en route to a 48-7 win. The defense had an impressive effort by not giving up a score and holding Henry Clay to 104 yards total and 38 rushing. The defense also had 4 interceptions. Henry Clay’s lone score was a pick 6 interception thrown by backup QB Jack Sivori. RB Logan Davis led the offense with 128 yards and 3 touchdowns in 1 half of work. QB Doug Bodhaine passed for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. WR Mehki Smith led the receivers with 5 receptions and 69 yards. Next up for Saint Xavier is Male at home.

 

4. North Hardin went to 3A #6 Elizabethtown and came away with a 20-13 win. The defense held Elizabethtown to 188 total yards and limited the QB to 56 yards passing with an interception. North Hardin racked up 394 yards including 237 in the air by QB Logan Coleman. RB LaVell Wright ran for 169 yards with 2 touchdowns. Next up for North Hardin is #7 Ballard at home.

 

5. Manual won a close game against #8 Fern Creek 22-18. Manual was down 18-7 at the half and then shut out Fern Creek the 2nd half. Manual scored 15 in the 4th quarter to get the win. RB Ramont Townsend scored the go-ahead touchdown with LB/RB JuWuan Northington scoring the 2-point conversion. Next up for Manual is at 5A #3 Scott County.

 

6. Ballard had high expectations, but the Male Bulldogs were too much and Ballard defensively couldn’t stop the potent Male offense losing 41-14. Ballard’s bright spot was DB/WR Josh Minkins who scored 2 touchdowns; a fumble recovery and a long pass. He also helped limit Male WR Izayah Cummings to zero catches. Next up for Ballard is at North Hardin.

 

7. Fern Creek played well in the first half against Manual and had a 18-7 lead at halftime but couldn’t get much going in the 2nd half and gave up 15 points in the 4th quarter to lose the game 22-18. RB Anthony Teague, RB Donte Cambron, and WR Dmauri Owens each scored a touchdown in the first half for Fern Creek. Next up for Fern Creek is at 4A #6 Central.

 

8. Simon Kenton took on Cincinnati Anderson and couldn’t stop them giving up 44 points. They were also limited on offense to 16 points. Simon Kenton had some success by passing for 241 yards but were stymied on the ground with only 21 net yards rushing. Starting RB Austin Hammack was out again for 2nd week. Next up for Simon Kenton is at Oak Hills (OH).

 

9. Butler ran into a motivated 3A #2 DeSales team and couldn’t do much of any thing losing 37-8. Butler’s lone score was in the 4th quarter from QB Chaz Burks to WR/DB Kenyon Goodin for 42 yards. Butler was held to 8 yards rushing. Next up for Butler is 5A Western at home.

 

10. Central Hardin emerged into the top 10 after rolling 4A John Hardin 50-6. Central Hardin had 485 yards offense in a balanced attack with 285 yards rushing and 205 yards passing. QB Chase Elmore threw for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB Deonco Wilkerson led rushers with 110 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with his 95 yards receiving and 1 touchdown. RB Kyler Lee also contributed 70 yards and two touchdowns. The defense was led by DL Mason trout with 7 tackles. The defense held John Hardin to 158 total yards. Next up for Central Hardin is Apollo at home.