Who:   South Oldham (3-1) vs. Oldham County (2-2)

When:  Friday 9/15/23   kickoff 7 pm ET

Where: Cy Tucker Field at Mitchell Irvin Stadium in Crestwood, KY on the campus of South Oldham HS

Broadcast:  Free, live HD video coverage begins at 7 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com

Announcers:  Mike Montgomery / Jamie Brown

The Colonels and the Dragons go at it again, this time in Crestwood, as the 3-1 Dragons, and the 2-2 Colonels - both led by first-year coaches - tangle.

South Oldham is led by veteran QB Nick Hamilton, who has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last two games, and scored 7 TDs on the ground in those two contests (vs. Spencer County and North Oldham).   Oldham is led by a young up-and-comer at QB, sophomore Derek Dees, who has thrown just 53 passes, but who has completed a whopping 38 (72%), albeit for just 318 yards and 1 score (but no INT).   

South, coached by Jonathan Sams, a former assistant at South under former coach Jamie Reed - looks a lot like South has for years, working out of the triple option attack from a flexbone look, with a powerful attack featuring a hardnosed FB (Cole Greenwell), two versatile wingbacks (Jacob Acevedo and Evan Hickerson), and a QB in Hamilton that is savvy, experienced, and who knows what to do with the ball when it's in his hands.

Greenwell - the younger brother of former South star fullback Keaton Martin - leads the team in rushing with 330 yards and is a bull-headed, hard-running back between the tackles.    His leg drive is extraordinary.   Hamilton has 310 yards rushing and has found the end zone more than any other Dragon, with 8 rushing TDs total and 4 passing TDs.

The Dragons have not been a huge threat through the air, averaging just 47 yards passing per game, and Hamilton has connected only 12 of 31 passes with 4 TDs and 3 INT, but they haven't needed it much, averaging over 250 yards rushing per game.  South rushed for over 300 yards against North Oldham last week.

Oldham, coached by first year coach Sean Little, who came over from Ballard where he was the offensive coordinator, features a solid running game of their own, led by the human bowling ball, Caden Sheppard.    Depending upon who you ask, Sheppard weighs between 250-275 pounds, but whichever is correct, he's a terror to bring down.    Despite his size, Shepard gets going downhill in a hurry, and he's hard to stop once he gets up to speed.   He leads Oldham with 379 rushing yards, averaging 95 yards / game.

Like South, Oldham's #2 runner is the QB, with Dees rushing for 198 yards so far this season, and one 100+ yard game already under his belt.    A remarkably cool player under pressure, Dees plays way beyond his years at QB, rolling effectively to buy time to find receivers, and keeping his eyes downfield the entire time.   He rarely seems flustered in the pocket, but when forced, he's a more than capable runner.   

Miller Brown has been a real threat for the Colonels all-around; the receiver has 10 catches on the year and leads OC in receiving yards.    He caught Dees' only TD toss, and is a threat to take it to the house from his secondary position or from his position as KOR.

Oldham's challenge so far has been sustaining drives; they'll need to be able to do so to beat a South team that would be more than happy to win the game by dominating the time of possession.    It will be interesting to see if Little opens up the Oldham passing game just a bit this week now that Dees has four games under his belt.   South's secondary has been the part of their defense that is most questioned, and North Oldham had success throwing the ball in the first half against South last week.

Pegasus Sports goes on the air at 7 pm ET at www.pegasussportsky.com

 

I think South rolls in this one.

The Dragons lead the all-time series, 18-17, and have been the dominant team of late, winning 12 of the last 13 matchups.

Oldham last won in 2021, defeating South, 28-20, but before that was a long string of South victories.

Dragons are averaging over 250 yards per game on the ground; Oldham will have to slow that attack down - particularly between the tackles - if they hope to pull the upset.

If South has a weakness, it may be the secondary, and Oldham's sophomore signalcaller, Derek Dees, may be the perfect guy to exploit it.    They really haven't "turned him loose" yet, but he's been very, very impressive in a very conservative passing attack.   Went 10 for 12 last week against Collins.