High school football week in review: Lexington Christian proves it belongs in Class 2A title talk

“Hello, Class 2A. We’ve arrived.”

That was the message Lexington Christian sent with its 42-40 come-from-behind victory at Danville on Friday night.

LCA snapped a five-game losing streak to Danville and became the first school to score more than 30 points against the Admirals this season. The Eagles, who defeated Middlesboro and Somerset the previous two weeks to set up a winner-take-all battle for the Class 2A 7th District crown in Boyle County, improved to 9-0 for the first time in school history. The Eagles hadn’t won a district title since 2010, its last season in Class A.

“That was the biggest win of my life,” junior Drayden Burton said. “The biggest win for our team. It feels like a big monkey off our backs, y’know?”

A Danville fumble helped Lexington Christian pull to within 26-14 after the Eagles fell behind by 19 points early in the second quarter. That score — along with a defense that seemed speedier in the second half — sparked a 29-0 LCA run that went deep into the fourth quarter.

The Admirals pulled to within 36-33 with 4:10 left but a few minutes later yielded their fourth touchdown to LCA running back Dillon Wheatley. Danville’s David Walker caught his third TD of the game with 14 seconds left to keep hope alive, but the Ads couldn’t recover an onside kick.

LCA trailed 21-19 going into the fourth quarter of its game at Somerset last week but poured on 22 points in the final period to win by double digits. The Eagles, whose 438 points this season are the most by any Class 2A team (five more than reigning champion Mayfield), put up 21 in the fourth quarter at Danville.

The way it was able to wear down Somerset in the second half gave LCA belief that it could do the same thing against Danville, even as it trailed 26-7 in the early going.

“We knew our conditioning was better than theirs, no offense to Danville,” Burton said. “We started telling each other, ‘Hey they’re falling down, we got ’em, we got ’em, we got ’em.’ They started losing composure and it was over from there.”

Third-year coach Ethan Atchley inherited a program that went 1-10 the season prior to his takeover. The Eagles finished .500 his first season and 8-5 a year ago with a big loss at Danville in the regional finals. Friday’s outcome means if the two were to meet in that round again, LCA will host. That would go a long way to helping the Eagles reach the state finals for the first time since they won it all as a Class A program in 2009.

“9-0 wouldn’t have happened if we had a bunch of selfish kids on this team,” Atchley said. “That’s a testament to how these kids were raised and what they’re willing to do and sacrifice for each other and the brotherhood we’re trying to keep in tact here at LCA.”

To suggest someone is “most selfless” sort of goes against the spirit of the philosophy, but Wheatley might fit that bill despite receiving 38 carries and churning out a game-high 249 yards on the ground. Friday’s performance put 6-foot-0, 197-pound back at 1,148 yards on the season.

“It’s all about the team, not me,” said Wheatley.

Atchley said Wheatley’s a kid he’ll never forget for as long as he’s on the sidelines coaching football. Back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons grab the headlines, but its his willingness to play both ways and get after blocks that set him apart.

“I’ll hate to see him go in a year but I’m thankful for the next however many games this year and one more year that we’ll have with him,” Atchley said. “What he’s done since he entered this program has been nothing but selfless. ... I can’t say enough about what 32 does for us.”

City roundup

This year’s Roy G. Walton Bowl featured a lot of grit and hostility between Lafayette and Tates Creek, but it was the Generals who were able to overcome the Commodores as they rolled to a 50-28 victory on Friday night.

The game’s momentum shifted back and forth in the first half before ultimately being claimed by Lafayette, but control of the game was not as easily attained by the officials as late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct calls littered the game. A total of 23 penalties for a combined 225 yards were called in the contest; Lafayette contributed the most, racking up 16 flags for 164 yards.

Cameron Morgan rushed for 232 yards and two TDs for the Generals (9-1), who swept the district for a third straight season. Laron Warner had 194 yards and a TD for the Commodores (5-4).

▪  Behind a stellar defensive effort that included seven sacks, Henry Clay knocked off Bryan Station 30-7 to end a four-game losing streak and pick up its first win against a city opponent this season.

The Defenders (4-6) were without starting quarterback Jaylen Burbage, who sat out with a sprained ankle. Henry Clay (2-6-1) held Station to 162 yards of offense.

The Blue Devils found some much-needed success on the ground; Tyree Clarke ran 29 times for 105 yards and three TDs, becoming the first Henry Clay player this season to hit triple-digit rushing.

▪  Scott County poured it on against Paul Laurence Dunbar, rushing for more than 400 yards and demolishing the Bulldogs 73-18. The Cardinals used a 47-0 run after Dunbar (3-6) pulled to within 7-6 in the first quarter to easily come away with a district sweep. Junior Cooper Robb returned interceptions 35 yards and 57 yards for touchdowns on back-to-back possessions for Scott County (7-2).

▪  Lexington Catholic (4-5) continued its late–season surge, blasting host Garrard County 63-31 behind two rushing touchdowns apiece from running back Dameon Jones and quarterback Kirk Fagot. The Knights topped their previous season-high point total by 22 points and claimed the district’s No. 1 seed.

Ballers

▪  Myles Hurst, who had 411 yards and four TDs on 30 carries in Jackson County’s 68-44 loss at Bell County. That performance is good for 21st all-time for a single game.

▪  Nate Hobbs, who returned an interception 94 yards for a score in Male’s 27-14 win over Manual. Hobbs has now scored a TD five different ways this season: one interception return, one fumble recovery, one kickoff return, two punt returns and three receptions.

▪  Zach Hardin, who was 10-for-12 for 188 yards and four TDs in Madison Central’s 49-6 win over Clark County. The Indians improved to 7-2, giving them their most wins in a season since they won seven games in 2012.

▪  Carter Smith, who rushed for 188 yards and two TDs on only nine carries for Madison Southern in its 28-21 win at Anderson County. The Eagles played football for 27 years before winning their first district title last season; Friday’s win gave them back-to-back titles.

▪  Tanner Morgan, whose 261 yards and three TD passes led Ryle in a 32-25 victory against Simon Kenton and kept the Raiders (9-0) undefeated. It was the first loss for the Pioneers (8-1).

▪  Cash Jones, who threw six touchdowns for McCracken County in its 55-20 win over Muhlenberg County. The senior now has thrown 35 TDs this year, breaking the Mustangs’ single-season record for TDs in a season.

▪  Kent Phelps, who rushed for 159 yards and two TDs — including the game-winning score — in Paintsville’s 27-21 overtime win to knock Raceland (8-1) from the undefeated ranks. Bracken County defeated Nicholas County 22-21, leaving Russellville and Paintsville, both 9-0, as the only unbeaten teams in Class A.

Takeaways

▪  Bowling Green routed Greenwood 50-0, earning its fifth shutout in the last six games and further cementing the impression that the Purples are in a class of their own in Class 5A this season.

There was a sliver of positivity for the Gators on Friday night. Junior quarterback Jackson Adams rushed for 10 yards, making him the first Greenwood player with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

▪  Jake Johnson pulled down eight catches for 94 yards in Pulaski County’s 21-6 loss at Southwestern. The senior is now 234 yards away from breaking Kentucky’s all-time career receiving record of 4,981.

Southwestern’s victory gave head coach Larry French his 300th victory, making him the eighth coach in state history to hit that milestone.

▪  Thought Scott County’s 73 points were the most scored in the state Friday night? Almost. Harlan County set a school scoring record by defeating Perry County Central 74-49.

▪  Boone County ended one of the state’s longest losing streaks with a 20-14 win over Campbell County in double overtime. The Rebels had lost 28 straight games dating back to Sept. 2014. It was the third win in five seasons for Boone County.

This story was originally published October 22, 2016 at 8:06 PM with the headline "High school football week in review: Lexington Christian proves it belongs in Class 2A title talk."