thegeneral

Mercer (4-3, 1-1 4A-5) and Taylor (3-4, 0-3) meet in Campbellsville.

Southwestern (1-7, 1-2 5A-7) and Lincoln (4-4, 1-2) each need this win to stay on track for a playoff berth in their six-team district.

Marion (3-4, 1-1 4A-5) and Boyle (7-0, 2-0) face off in a series Boyle has dominated for more than a decade.

Middlesboro (6-1, 1-0 2A-7) and Danville (4-3, 1-0) battle for sole possession of first place in their district.

Chris Crawley-Goodman, substituting at quarterback for the second straight game, threw two touchdown passes on Mercer's first four plays, both to Layne Peavler. He threw for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns, and he blocked a punt and returned it for a TD. Russell Sims caught two touchdown passes in the end zone, and Peavler returned a kickoff for a TD.

Game preview from amnews.com: Prep Football: Garrard County ready to take its best shot at No. 3 Bourbon County - The Advocate Messenger: High School Sports

Game preview from amnews.com: Coming off open week, Mercer County is set for Marion County

Game preview from amnews.com: Danville looking to end losing streak to Somerset

There are rivalries that go way back, and then there are rivalries like Danville-Somerset. The Admirals and Briar Jumpers don’t play every year, but they have played often enough and long enough to develop a history that few regular rivalries can equal. But kids don’t care about a hundred years of history, so we’ll talk about that later. In the here and now, both teams badly need a win in their showdown Friday at Somerset’s Clark Field. There is zero margin for error in a four-team district, and the winner of this game will be one of only two teams left with a realistic shot at winning the difficult District 2A-7. The Admirals and Jumpers aren’t the only dogs in this fight, as a much-improved Middlesboro team is also taking dead aim at a district title, and struggling Lexington Christian can revive its season and entertain its own title hopes with a win in Middlesboro tonight. Beyond the championship implications, Both of these teams also have something to prove as they meet for the 65th time in 105 years. Danville has lost six games to Somerset over the last four years, and the Jumpers have ended the Admirals’ season with postseason wins in each of the last two years. That 0-6 run against an old rival has been one of the most tangible signs that Danville hasn’t been Danville in recent years. First-year coach Clay Clevenger has been trying to stop that slippage and has placed a priority on restoring the Admirals to prominence. Neither he nor anyone else expected that to happen easily or overnight, and it has not. The Admirals were optimistic after opening with a win, then in chaos after three straight losses, including two blowouts. Now they are on an uptick again following some soul-searching and consecutive wins over Green County and Campbellsville. But with due respect to Green and Campbellsville, neither of those teams bears any resemblance to Somerset. Campbellsville hasn’t won a game, and Green has three wins over teams that have combined for just two wins. Danville needed those wins and did what it should have done in those games, but Somerset is another matter. The Jumpers have a passing attack that won’t be easy to stop, a defense that has shown improvement and plenty of players who are used to winning. A win in this game would be one the Admirals could hang their hats on, a signature victory that would not only serve them well this season but also be valuable as they move toward 2014 and beyond. Somerset has enjoyed a renaissance under coach Robbie Lucas that saw the Jumpers reach the Class 3A finals in 2009 and reach the state semifinals in each of the three seasons since. Lucas is 50-13 in 4 1/2 seasons, with a school-record 14 wins in 2009 and 13 in 2010. But the Jumpers are just 3-3 this year, and that’s only after beating Glasgow and Letcher County Central in their last two games. They have lost to good teams, to be sure — Pulaski County, Belfry and Hazard have a combined record of 17-2 — but they are not scoring points or stopping teams in the same manner they did even a year ago. Like Danville, Somerset is on an uptick again, following a close loss to Hazard with those two wins before an open date last week. Now they will try to once again contain the Admirals’ big-play threats and shut down their offense as they have done during their four-year run of success. A win in this game would indicate that the Jumpers’ setbacks were more likely a product of their strength of schedule than that their latest golden age might be winding down and would cement their status as the favorite in their district and one of the top 2A teams in the state. Now back to our history lesson. The (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal reported in 2009 that the first Danville-Somerset game took place in 1909, and that the Admirals won that first meeting 21-5. The two teams didn’t meet again until 1922, and they started playing regularly in a series in which the Southern Railway, which had operations in both cities along its Cincinnati-to-Chattanooga line (and still does as Norfolk Southern) began awarding a trophy to the winning team. “That’s when the rivalry got started,” the late William M. Clark, who coached Somerset from 1938-57, told the Somerset newspaper in a 1985 interview. “Before long, it turned into quite a festival. We always had capacity crowds.” There are stories of Danville fans taking the train south for the game — how much fun would it be to ride in a passenger car packed with fellow fans? — and Somerset fans surely took the train as well when the game was played in Danville. There are also stories of bitter battles between fans and players on the two sides that twice shut the series down for a number of years. According to that 2009 story, a fight between fans at a Science Hill restaurant following Danville’s 7-6 win at Somerset in 1946 made that the last game in the series until 1958. And a pregame fight before Somerset’s 29-28 win in an epic 1974 battle between unbeaten teams at the then-new Admiral Stadium put the series on ice again until 1985. Many of the games between the Admirals and Jumpers have decided district and regional championships, paved the way for the winners to move on in the state playoffs and led to a long winter for the losers. Danville has dominated the series overall, leading 43-19-2, but Somerset has pushed the Admirals around over the last four years, holding them to a single touchdown in four of their six meetings and to two touchdowns in another and winning by an average score of 33-11. Danville’s last win in the Jumpers came in 2006, when the Admirals won 48-14 at Somerset.

Above, Boyle County coach Larry French talks to his players Friday following the Rebels' 22-13 victory over Lexington Catholic, their first win over the Knights since 2010.

Marion (3-3, 1-0 4A-5) and Mercer meet in Harrodsburg. Mercer lost its district opener to Lexington Catholic before a bye last week; Marion defeated Taylor County last week in its first district game.

A weekly notebook focusing on Boyle County, Danville and Mercer County, with additional info on other nearby teams: LOOKING BACK Boyle County 22, Lexington Catholic 13 Boyle (7-0, 4-0 District 4A-5) came up big on defense in its biggest game of the year to defeat Lexington Catholic (4-3, 1-1) for the first time since 2010. The Rebels stopped the Knights 22 points short of their season average, and while the Knights outgained the Rebels with 330 yards on offense, that was their second-lowest total of the season. Boyle’s Levi McKinney intercepted a pass with 2:43 remaining to deny Lexington Catholic a chance to take the lead after the Knights had pulled within 19-13 on their previous possession. That allowed the Rebels to put the game away with a 30-yard field goal by Addison Coffey, who had missed two of three extra-point attempts but put four of five kickoffs in the end zone and averaged 42 yards on four punts. It was the second of three fourth-quarter interceptions thrown by Lexington Catholic quarterback Reese Ryan, who was 12 for 29 for 181 yards and one touchdown. Boyle’s Josiah Robbins picked off a fourth-down pass in the end zone early in the period after the Knights had driven to the Boyle 14-yard line. Defensive lineman Justin Roution also helped the Rebels repel a Lexington Catholic advance deep into Boyle territory in the first quarter. The Knights drove to the Boyle 4 before Roution threw down Ryan for a 15-yard loss on third down moments after throwing up during a timeout, and Ryan couldn’t complete a fourth-down pass. Seph Burke rushed for 87 yards for Boyle, and he scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter and an 8-yard run in the third, the latter giving the Rebels a 19-7 lead. Robbins went 6 for 11 for 94 yards. Boyle got 172 of its 266 yards on the ground, with Aiden Stewart-Hoskins rushing for 49 yards and Robbins running for 34, including 17 on a touchdown run in the second quarter. The Rebels did not commit a turnover. Boyle has beaten Lexington Catholic 12 times in 21 games since 1997, but the Knights had won the previous four meetings: regular-season and playoff games in each of the last two years. This win gave the Rebels the right to host any postseason rematch next month. There has been a rematch in each of the last six years, and the team that won the regular-season game also won the playoff game in all nine instances that the Rebels and Knights have played twice. Boyle, which has an open date this week, can secure home-field advantage throughout the Class 4A playoffs by winning its remaining district games against Marion County (Oct. 18) and Mercer County (Oct. 25). Danville 41, Campbellsville 12 Danville (3-3) scored 27 points in the first quarter and went on to rout Campbellsville (0-6) and get back to .500 in its final pre-district game. All four first-quarter touchdowns and five of the Admirals’ six scores came on plays of 10 yards or more. Jawan Grey had three such plays, scoring on runs of 12, 44 and 20 yards, and he rushed for 204 yards on 16 carries. Zack Dampier threw only five passes for Danville, but he completed four of them for 113 yards and one touchdown. The scoring play was a 32-yard pass to Ace Ray, who had three receptions for 65 yards. The Admirals had more than twice as many yards as the Eagles, 384 to 190, though they also had four turnovers. Lincoln County 37, South Laurel 6 Lincoln (4-3, 1-1 5A-7) bounced back from a loss in its district opener to manhandle South Laurel (2-4, 0-2). Dalton Godbey completed 10 of 13 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and Trevor Gaines caught eight passes for 111 yards, including both touchdown passes, for the Patriots. The Lincoln defense held South Laurel to 34 yards in the first half while the Patriots built a 30-0 lead. Garrard County 32, Powell County 6 Garrard (3-3, 2-0 3A-5) held Powell (4-2, 0-2) to 96 yards, 69 of which came on the Pirates’ final drive after the Golden Lions had built a 32-0 lead. The Lions’ offense rolled up 439 yards, led by Keagan Penman with 113 rushing yards on 14 carries and Slade Crutchfield with 13 completions in 24 pass attempts for 210 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. Nick McCollum caught five passes for 59 yards. Bell County 48, Casey County 0 Casey (1-5, 1-1 3A-4) fell to Bell (4-3, 1-1), which outgained the Rebels 320 yards to 160 and led 28-0 at halftime. LOOKING AHEAD (All games Friday) Danville (3-3) at Somerset (3-3), 7:30 p.m. Things are vastly different for Danville than they were the last time the Admirals traveled to Somerset. The Briar Jumpers handed the Admirals a 31-7 loss in a Class 2A regional final last year at Clark Field that turned out to be Sam Harp’s last game as Danville’s longtime coach. The Admirals have already gone through all sorts of highs and lows in their first season under a new coach, Clay Clevenger, and they’re on an upswing at the moment following consecutive wins over Green County and Campbellsville. Now they will test themselves and their newfound resolve in their District 2A-7 opener against Somerset, which has gone 6-0 against Danville over the last four seasons, with regular-season and postseason wins in each of the last two years. Like the Admirals, the Jumpers were 1-3 before evening their record with wins over Glasgow and Letcher County Central before an open date last week. Marion County (3-3, 1-0 4A-5) at Mercer County (3-3, 0-1), 7:30 p.m. Mercer returns to action after an open date to face Marion in a critical district game. The Titans badly needed a bye after dropping three straight games following a 3-0 start and dealing with a handful of injuries. The Knights already have won more win than they got all last season, including a victory over Taylor County last week in their district opener. Mercer won 55-0 at Marion last year. Garrard County (3-3, 2-0 3A-5) at Bourbon County (6-0, 2-0), 7:30 p.m. Garrard will try to slow down the high-octane offense of Bourbon, which is averaging about 500 yards per game and whose 43 points last week against Estill County were a season low. The Colonels, coached by Garrard County alumnus John Hodge, beat the Golden Lions twice last year, winning 28-8 in the regular season — it equaled their lowest point total of the season — and 49-8 in a second-round playoff game. Lincoln County (4-3, 1-1 5A-7) at North Laurel (5-1, 1-1), 7:30 p.m. Lincoln battles much-improved North Laurel in a game both teams need to stay in the upper tier of their district. Each team has lost to district favorite Pulaski County. The Jaguars edged Southwestern two Fridays ago, while the Patriots routed South Laurel last week. North Laurel beat Lincoln 35-14 last year. Wayne County (7-0, 2-0 3A-4) at Casey County (1-5, 1-1), 7:30 p.m. Casey welcomes Wayne, which has confirmed it is the team to beat in this district with wins over Bell County and Corbin and established itself as one of the top teams in 3A. RATING THE TRACE 1. Boyle County 2. Mercer County 3. Danville 4. Lincoln County 5. Garrard County 6. Casey County

From the very first time Boyle County and Lexington Catholic played, you could tell this series was going to be something. But there was no way to know it was going to be this good. There are better, older, more storied and more bitter rivalries out there, but for most of the last two decades, few series have been more compelling than Boyle-Catholic. They will face off again Friday at Rebel Stadium in a matchup of two of the state’s best Class 4A teams. Fans on both sides fully expect that it will be the first of two meetings this season between the Rebels and Knights, because that has been the case for the past six years and on nine occasions in the 16 years since they first met. And that is what makes this game great. That’s the ingredient that we didn’t see coming in 1997. When Boyle defeated Lexington Catholic 28-27 in overtime in that first meeting, all we saw was a great game between good teams that left us hungry for more. There were contrasts both real and embellished that served as talking points and even rallying points on both sides — public vs. private, city vs. country — but the truth is the two programs were more similar than they cared to admit. Both teams were making their way upward through Kentucky’s football establishment, like families with new money that weren’t yet fully accepted in an old neighborhood. Boyle was six years removed from a one-win season that led to the hiring of a new coach, Chuck Smith, who had turned a program that had become a doormat into a rapidly rising power in Class 2A. The Rebels were winning playoff games regularly but were still two years away from the first in their string of five consecutive championships. Lexington Catholic was six years removed from its first varsity season, and coach Bob Sphire had turned a program that was still in its infancy into a consistent winner. The Knights, who were still eight years away from their first championship, had good rivalries in Class 1A in their early years — thought they lost most of their biggest games — and now had to deal with Boyle and Danville as they moved up to 2A. The Knights played Danville twice in 1997, their first year in 2A, losing to the Admirals in the regular season and beating them in the playoffs. The next year, they avenged their overtime loss to Boyle with a 44-17 win in the regular season, then beat the Rebels 28-13 in the playoffs. And that’s when things got serious. They played twice again in 1999, when Boyle won both games, and in 2000, with the same result. Those four games were decided by a total of 16 points, and they were among the most difficult hurdles Boyle faced on the path to its first two championships. And just like that, the rivalry was over. Realignment left the teams in different districts, and they played only once from 2001-06. Another realignment brought them back together in 2007 in Class 4A, and it felt right again. The first game was another dandy — Lexington Catholic won 18-14 — and it breathed new life into a rivalry that some Boyle fans have said has become bigger than Boyle-Danville, especially given the high stakes of their semi-annual meetings. The first game is critical to set up the second game, and the second game much more so because it means the end of one team’s season. The series has been nearly even. Boyle leads 11-9 overall, 7-6 in the regular season and 4-3 in the postseason. And, without exception, every time there has been a rematch, the team that has won the regular-season game has also won the playoff game. Lexington Catholic has closed the gap in the last two years by winning four straight games, all of them decided by 11 points or less, after Boyle had won six in a row. The Knights figured to be the team to beat when this season began as well. They returned many of the top skill players from a team that lit up the scoreboard last year, and the Rebels began the season with heaping helpings of inexperience and questions. Through the first half of the season, however, the gap between the two teams seems to have closed, largely because Boyle has been better than expected. Lexington Catholic is the only one of the two teams that has lost, but its losses to Bowling Green and St. Xavier count against them only in the sense that they are losses by definition. Where might Friday’s game be decided? There’s a good chance it will go to the team that is best able to stop its opponent. Pass defense was a problem at times for Boyle last year, and the Rebels gave up 211 yards earlier this year to Anderson County, the best passing team they have faced to date. Lexington Catholic, meanwhile, is throwing for 251 yards per game. On the other side, Lexington Catholic is allowing 30.0 points per game. And yes, the Knights gave up 48 to Bowling Green and 49 to St. Xavier, but they also gave up 28 to Lafayette, 21 to Bryan Station and 28 to Madison Central, and those teams have a combined total of four wins. Maybe nobody stops anybody and the game turns into a track meet. Maybe one team will turn the ball over a few too many times. Maybe something unforeseen or unpredictable or just plain crazy happens. As usual, it’s difficult to predict. And that’s why it’s so much fun. Boyle County-Lexington Catholic series history (Boyle County leads 11-9) 1997: Boyle County 28, Lexington Catholic 27, OT 1998: Lexington Catholic 44, Boyle County 17 1998: Lexington Catholic 28, Boyle County 13 (second-round playoff) 1999: Boyle County 29, Lexington Catholic 21 1999: Boyle County 21, Lexington Catholic 17 (regional final) 2000: Boyle County 16, Lexington Catholic 14 2000: Boyle County 18, Lexington Catholic 16 (regional final) 2004: Lexington Catholic 43, Boyle County 42 2007: Lexington Catholic 18, Boyle County 14 2007: Lexington Catholic 41, Boyle County 12 (second-round playoff) 2008: Boyle County 14, Lexington Catholic 11 2008: Boyle County 23, Lexington Catholic 16 (regional final) 2009: Boyle County 21, Lexington Catholic 19 2009: Boyle County 34, Lexington Catholic 20 (regional final) 2010: Boyle County 42, Lexington Catholic 10 2010: Boyle County 45, Lexington Catholic 35 (regional final) 2011: Lexington Catholic 20, Boyle County 13 2011: Lexington Catholic 10, Boyle County 7 (regional final) 2012: Lexington Catholic 24, Boyle County 21 2012: Lexington Catholic 27, Boyle County 16 (regional final)

Longtime rivals Lexington Catholic (4-2) and Boyle County (6-0) meet in Danville after both teams easily won their district openers. The Knights and Rebels have met 20 times over the last 16 years, including twice in each of the last six years. Boyle leads the series 11-9; Lexington Catholic has won the last four meetings.

Danville (2-3) visits Campbellsville (0-5) in the final pre-district game for both teams and the first meeting between them since 2008.

South Laurel (2-3) and Lincoln (3-3) look to bounce back after losing their district openers.

First win this season for Sam Marple and the Rebels.

You are only promised 10 chances during a high school football season to show what you’re made of — unless you’re in a four-team district — and for most teams, half of those chances have come and gone. And while half of the season still doesn’t give you the whole picture, it is enough to give us at least an inkling of whether a team might be able to make plans for deep into November and perhaps early December. So with five weeks of the season down, here’s a look at where the three Wilderness Trace-area teams we feature here weekly stand: Boyle County (5-0) Midseason grade: A Progress report: By just about any measure, Boyle’s season has been a success so far. The Rebels have not lost, which is reason enough to give them a high mark, and they have in many ways performed better than expected. A 5-0 first half certainly was a possibility for this team, but it wasn’t a given by any means. Give ’em a gold star: Boyle’s line play, especially on offense, was one of the team’s biggest question marks before the season but hasn’t really been a problem. Needs work: The defense has for the most part been effective, but there are vulnerabilities there, some of which have been exposed in their last two games against Anderson and George Rogers Clark. First-half MVP: It’s hard to ignore the passing and rushing numbers put up by quarterback Josiah Robbins, but I’ll take tight end-defensive end Levi McKinney, Boyle’s leading receiver (11 catches, 203 yards, 2 TDs) and one of its top defenders (49 tackles, 2 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries). Looking ahead: Just as it seems to every year, the regular season comes down to the annual District 4A-5 showdown with Lexington Catholic, the best team on the Rebels’ schedule, which is Oct. 4 at Boyle. But also keep an eye on the Oct. 25 game at Mercer, a game that many thought before the season could go either way. Danville (1-3) Midseason grade: D Progress report: Optimism ran high at Danville after its season-opening win over Franklin-Simpson, but things don’t look so good these days in the wake of back-to-back thumpings by Boyle County and Corbin. The Corbin game was the real eye opener, even though the Admirals were riddled with injuries, because of just how one-sided it was. Give ‘em a gold star: Shining stars are few and far between at Danville right now, but we’ll note that running back Jawan Grey, the Admirals’ leading rusher and receiver, is the only player on the team who has scored more than one touchdown. He has four of the team’s nine. Needs work: The offense has been stuck in the mud since the start of the season. The Admirals are averaging 14.8 points and just 242 yards per game. First-half MVP: The choice here is tight end-linebacker Jacobie Harris, especially for the way he stood out on defense in Danville’s first three games. He is currently sidelined with a broken foot, and the Admirals missed him dearly against Corbin and will continue to do so. Looking ahead: Coming off an open date, Danville is at a crossroads. If the injury situation improves and the team pulls together, there are a few more wins out there. If things start to crumble, the Admirals might finish with as few as two. This week’s game with Green County, another rebuilding team, will be a good indicator of where they’re headed. Mercer County (3-2) Midseason grade: C Progress report: What to make of Mercer, which started the season with three straight wins before coming back to earth with consecutive losses? In short, the Titans are a much improved team that still has a great deal of room to improve. Give ’em a gold star: Mercer’s passing game is working at least as well as was expected, and maybe better. Quarterback Drew Davis and wide receivers Chris Crawley-Goodman, Layne Peavler and Russell Sims have helped the Titans amass more yards in the air (846) than on the ground (701) to date. Needs work: The defense needed work last season, and it’s obvious that job isn’t finished. The Titans have given up 163 points — an average of 32.6 points per game — and Pikeville (163) and Lexington Catholic (174) are the only teams in Kentucky with winning records that have given up more. First-half MVP: Peavler, a wide receiver-defensive back, has played well on both sides of the ball for Mercer. He is averaging 28.5 yards per catch and 68.4 yards per game on offense, and he has made his share of big plays on defense as well. Looking ahead: The Titans have no trouble finishing third in District 4A-5, but they’d like to do better than that. To do so, they’ll have to win at Lexington Catholic this week and/or beat Boyle County at home on Oct. 25. That looks like a somewhat taller order now than it did three weeks ago, but it’s certainly not an impossible dream. Now for a quick assessment of the other Trace teams: Lincoln County (3-2) Midseason grade: B Comments: The Patriots managed to avoid the kind of prolonged first-half slump that has plagued them in recent years by winning three straight once their schedule improved. Once their district (5A-7) shakes out, they could be as high as second or as low as fourth. Garrard County (1-3) Midseason grade: C-minus Comments: It has been something a struggle for the Golden Lions so far, though none of their losses has really been a surprise. Their fortunes should improve within their district (3A-5), but a couple of their district foes are ahead of them at this point. Casey County (0-4) Midseason grade: C Comments: We’re grading on the curve here, too, because the Rebels have been overscheduled in the first half and overmatched in three of their four games. They’re a young team whose best days will come next year and the year after, but their schedule might also allow them to go .500 the rest of the way.

Game preview from amnews.com: Prep Football: Boyle looks to gets off to good start in district play against Taylor - centralkynews.com

Game preview from amnews.com: Prep Football: Mercer County has to play as a team to knock off Lexington Catholic - centralkynews.com

Game preview from amnews.com: Prep Football: Clevenger hoping Danville bounces back against Green after open date - centralkynews.com

Mercer and Lexington Catholic meet in the teams' District 4A-5 opener. Both teams are 3-2.

Green (3-2) and Danville (1-3) face off for the third straight year in the regular season after three straight postseason meetings from 2008-10.

Boyle (5-0) visits Taylor (3-1) in the District 4A-5 opener for both teams.

Lincoln (3-2) visits Pulaski (5-0) in the District 5A-7 opener for both teams.