Highlights: Dunbar wears down Breathitt; LexCath, LCA eke out wins; Lafayette, Henry Clay fall
Paul Laurence Dunbar 69, Breathitt County 28: With no film, no time to prepare, no idea, really, what they were getting into, Paul Laurence Dunbar wore down a smaller, undermanned Breathitt County team, but not before getting a scare from the Bobcats.
“It’s like a second scrimmage,” Dunbar Coach Wes Johnson said of the hastily drawn matchup between his Class 6A Bulldogs and the Class 2A Bobcats. Both teams had their original opponents cancel due to COVID-19. “You just come out and you just play football. And it takes you half to figure out what they’re doing, and what you need to do. And they’re good. They’re very good.”
The big school took the lead quickly as Erik White returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. But Breathitt answered with a Jaylen Turner 3-yard keeper and another run for a two-point conversion to cap a long drive and take an 8-7 lead. After pushing back ahead 22-8 early in the second quarter, Dunbar saw Breathitt County tie the game at 22-22 with just over three minutes left until halftime on another Turner score.
Dunbar clapped back with a Cole Colony 20-yard TD pass to Komarion Robinson just before the break and then torched Breathitt in the second half, outscoring the Bobcats 40-6.
Robinson had 129 yards and two TDs rushing as well. Colony, a sophomore, threw for 212 yards and two TDs to go with a rushing touchdown in his debut. Seven different Bulldogs scored.
“It’s a great feeling to win, especially when it’s a team win like that,” Colony said.
Breathitt had to leave 14 of its players home in a COVID-19 quarantine, a huge loss for a roster of 42 players. But Coach Kyle Moore felt the Bobcats needed to get a game in if they could. It was the first meeting between these two schools.
“My kids have worked so hard, I was like, you know, we’re just going to go play,” Moore said. “Our kids are going to put it all on the line and they deserve an opportunity to play. We don’t know when our last game will be. We might be shut down tomorrow. …
“They wore us down as the game went on … but I’m proud of my guys tonight.”
Lexington Christian 21, Madison Central 12: The Eagles overcame three turnovers thanks to a couple of TD connections from Drew Nieves to Mason Moore and an interception return for a touchdown by J’Veontae Emerson.
“We weren’t particularly sharp tonight,” LCA Coach Doug Charles said. “We had a lot of bad, untimely penalties and overcame some adversity to get the win. It was a very physical game.”
Madison Central’s Brady Hensley recovered an LCA fumble in the end zone for a 6-0 Indians lead. Nieves hit Moore for TDs of 27 yard in the second quarter and 20 yards in the fourth to sandwich Emerson’s second-quarter interception. Adrien Parks cut into the LCA lead early in the fourth quarter with a 78-yard TD run.
Lexington Catholic 24, Ryle 21: Jack Gohmann completed 17 of 25 passes for 220 yards and three TDs, including a 39-yarder to Blake Busson in the second quarter.
Walker Hall had a 5-yard TD reception for the Knights in the first quarter as LexCath took an early lead. Max Mooring’s 9-yard catch in the third quarter put LexCath up 24-14. A second-quarter Max DeGraff field goal from 22 yards out proved to be the difference.
Ryle QB Logan Verax completed 16 of 29 passes 224 yards and three TDs and had one interception. Hunter Vaughn, Gavin Ruark and Kaden Gardner each had a TD catch for the Raiders.
Conner 35, Lafayette 12: Cougar rushers had a big day as Alex Castrucci had TD runs of seven and 13 yards in the first quarter and Alijah Thompson ran for an 8-yard score in the second quarter and a 34-yard run in the fourth to cap the victory. Thompson finished with 160 yards to Castrucci’s 120. Conner’s Terry Phillips had a 24-yard TD run on his only rush of the game.
Lafayette’s Hayden Dawahare completed touchdown passes to Lucas Doneghy (30 yards) and Tanner Pace (4) in the second quarter to cut the Conner lead to 21-12, but the Generals’ first four possessions of the second half ended with two interceptions and two turnovers on downs.
Johnson Central 60, Henry Clay 21: The Golden Eagles racked up 394 rushing yards with a pair of 100-yard backs, Zach McCoart and Mason Lawson. McCoart scored a pair of TDs with Matt Crum and Chase Price adding two more. Grant Rice completed TD passes of 22 yards and 66 yards to Jacob Cain.
Johnson Central has a 44-7 lead at half. Kasen Parks scored on a 93-yard kickoff return for Henry Clay. The Blue Devils also scored on a 25-yard TD pass from Blake Van Horn to Malcolm Paul and a Jacob Childress 1-yard run.
Sayre 35, Eminence 6: Jackson Marshall ran in a pair of short touchdowns and caught a 32-yard TD from Cole Pennington as the Spartans established a 28-0 lead by halftime. Caleb Kern also scored. Sayre grabbed four interceptions, two from Dant Bowling and one each from Luke and Cole Pennington. Cole Pennington threw for 220 yards.
Pikeville 43, Paintsville 21: Defending Class A state champion Paintsville lost its season opener thanks in large part to Blake Birchfield. The Pikeville junior recorded three rushing touchdowns and more than 200 rushing yards, while Hootie Thomas also recorded two scores for the Panthers.
Isaac McNamee scored the final touchdown for Pikeville midway through the fourth quarter to seal the victory. A.J. James had a rushing touchdown for Paintsville that opened the scoring in the game early in the first quarter.
The game was a rematch of the 2019 Class A state title game, won by Pikeville in a 43-0 shutout. Paintsville was one of three defending Kentucky state champions to play and lose Friday night, along with 6A champion Trinity and 3A champion Ashland Blazer.
Woodford County 56, Glasgow 0: The Yellow Jackets led 7-0 after the first quarter thanks to a Bryce Patterson touchdown run before opening up a 36-0 lead at halftime.
Patterson scored again on a QB sneak in the second quarter, and he connected with Aden Nelson on a 58-yard touchdown pass. Preston Stacy added a short touchdown run in the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets also got a long-distance scoop and score fumble return touchdown by Christian Ponce.
Cooper 30, Clark County 3: The Cardinals could only manage a second-quarter field goal as the visiting Jaguars outscored the hosts 21-0 in the second half. Brendon Tye had an 18-yard touchdown run for Cooper. The game was Joe Chirico’s debut as Clark County head coach after winning the Class A state title last season with Paintsville.
Bourbon County 27, East Jessamine 20: DaMarius McKee Ross had a pair of touchdowns, one via a catch and another via a run in the first half and Zaeland Greene scored two rushing TDs in the second half for the Colonels. East Jessamine’s Justin Hisle threw TD passes of 52 yards to Dylan Carter and 20 yards to Jacob Crofts. The Jaguars’ Tajii Jackson also scored.
Lincoln County 50, Somerset 20: Lincoln County had nearly 500 rushing yards as the three-pronged attack of Lee Amon, Clayton Davis and Dalton Board found success on the ground against Somerset. Davis recorded 209 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Amon had 191 rushing yards and two scores and Board had 86 yards and a touchdown.
For Somerset, quarterback Josh Gross finished the game 19-for-27 passing for 173 yards and a touchdown. Grayson Turner also had a 70-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter for Somerset.
Danville 23, Garrard County 20: The Admirals scored on their first play from scrimmage and held on late for a victory over Garrard County. Keelan Story had the opening score for Danville, before Caleb Burns made it 14-0 with a fumble return touchdown also in the first quarter.
Austin Adams had a touchdown run for Garrard County in the second quarter, but the Golden Lions trailed 23-8 after the third quarter and couldn’t make up the deficit.
For Danville, Burns finished with 12 rushes for 77 yards along with his fumble return touchdown. Mauri Grey scored the other Danville touchdown. For Garrard County, Adams tallied 15 rushes for 110 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Montavin Quisenberry threw two touchdowns.
Collins 62, Shelby County 7: Standout junior Kenyon Goodin lines up a quarterback this season and his first effort was a good one. Goodin completed 13 of 23 passes for 294 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 92 yards and two scores. Mark Hutzel had three of those TD catches and 162 yards receiving. Darius Evans caught for 100 yards and two TDs.
Great Crossing 50, Western Hills 2:. Mekhi Wilson scored on a 26-yard run to open the scoring for Great Crossing before Jakeece Patterson and Kalib Perry added rushing touchdowns of their own. Wilson added another rushing TD in the second quarter and the Warhawks led 36-0 at the break. Perry, a Tennessee commit, also finished the game with several tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. The Wolverines registered no first downs in the game.
Pulaski County 55, Belfry 13: The Maroons recorded their first-ever win over Belfry behind five touchdown passes from senior quarterback Drew Polston, who threw for 317 yards in the win. Barek Williams and Chandler Godby each had two receiving touchdowns in the first half for Pulaski County. Antonio Palmer also scored on a 70-yard touchdown catch on a slant route to open the fourth quarter for Pulaski County.
Isaac Dixon gave Belfry an early 7-0 lead via a 19-yard rushing touchdown, but Pulaski County outscored Belfry 55-6 for the rest of the game. Dixon finished the game with 99 rushing yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.
Southwestern 55, Madison Southern 14: Southwestern recorded 400 rushing yards and were led by Tanner Wright, who had 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Giddeon Brainard added 81 more yards on the ground from eight carries and scored two touchdowns.
Madison Southern quarterback Cole Carpenter recorded 203 passing yards, including a 62-yard touchdown pass to Walter Smith on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage. Smith finished the game with 89 receiving yards in addition to his score.
Berea 29, Harlan 8: Frank Parks won his coaching debut at Berea as the Pirates recorded a victory for the first time since 2019. Scoreless at halftime, Berea broke through in the third quarter on a deflected touchdown pass from Jayson Coburn to Yamil Cruz, who finished the game with three touchdowns. Jaiden Cunningham added a rushing touchdown for the Pirates. Berea’s defense force two Harlan interceptions in addition to a fumble recovery by Cameron Thompson.
Raceland 16, Ashland Blazer 7: The Rams knocked off the defending Class 3A champs, seizing on four fumbles, including a Cole Conlon 25-yard TD return in which he jumped the pitch play from Ashland QB Bailey Thacker in the second quarter. Noah Wallace added a 2-yard score for a 13-0 lead at half. Terrell Jordan scored on a TD pass from Thacker for the Tomcats.
Frankfort 41, Paris 14: Jaden Morgan had an 82-yard kickoff return touchdown and Azeno Williams added a pair of first-half touchdowns as Frankfort took a 19-6 halftime lead. With the win, Frankfort head coach Craig Foley tied Raymond Webb for the most wins in school history with 139.
Williams also scored in the third quarter for the Panthers, while Morgan had a 16-yard rushing touchdown and a 90-yard touchdown catch from Sam Davis. Darian Bell had an 18-yard touchdown run for Paris.
Spencer County 35, Anderson County 8: Camden Cardwell scored three touchdowns and Wade Hutt broke loose for an 80-yard score for the Bears. Spencer QB Gabe Bowling also connected with Eli Ballard for a score. Isaiah Fitzpatrick scored on a 37-yard run for the Bearcats.
St. Xavier 51, Owensboro 38: St. Xavier outscored Owensboro 20-7 in the final 18 minutes of the game to secure a season-opening win. The late scoring surge from St. Xavier included a touchdown pass from Jack Sivori to Michael Duddy and a nine-yard touchdown run from Sivori himself.
For Owensboro, quarterback Gavin WImsatt recorded 282 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air, while also running for 58 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Tramel Barksdale recorded more than 100 rushing yards and Jeremiah Goodwin had more than 100 receiving yards for the Red Devils.
Grayson County 43, Edmonson County 0: The Cougars kept the Tobacco Stick in Leitchfield for the third straight game with a dominating victory that included a 77-yard touchdown run from Chandler McCrady in the first quarter and a running clock before half. McCrady had two more rushing scores in the game to go along with a Michael Wood 42-yard scamper to set the final margin. Kaylor Decker added a pair of TD passes to Hunter Tomes.
Corbin 35, Christ School (N.C.) 21: Corbin despite trailing 14-0 to in the first quarter. Quarterback Cameron Combs had a 76-yard rushing touchdown and kicker Jacob Baker set a Corbin High School record by making a 51-yard field goal. Treyveon Longmire and Hunter Newberry each had touchdown catches for the Redhounds.
Bardstown 35, Franklin-Simpson 21: A 58-yard touchdown pass from Brady Clark to TJ Greenwell was one of the standout scores for Bardstown in its season-opening win over Franklin-Simpson.
Greenwell also had an 84-yard kickoff return touchdown early in the second half to provide some separation for the Tigers, who led 13-7 at halftime. Greenwell had also opened the scoring in the game in the second quarter with a 37-yard touchdown run.
North Laurel 30, Bell County 22 (OT): Sophomore quarterback Tucker Warren accounted for all four touchdowns for the Jaguars as North Laurel notched its first-ever win over Bell County. Warren threw for two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns, including a six-yard scoring run in overtime that proved to be the game winner.
Bell County scored on a three-yard touchdown run by Daniel Thomas, a 59-yard touchdown run by Dawson Woolum and another rushing touchdown from three yards out by Woolum.
Wayne County 42, Clinton County 6: Wayne County gave Tyler Guffey, a 2014 graduate and former assistant coach at Wayne County, his first win as head coach. The Cardinals jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Quarterback Wesley Cares had four rushing touchdowns for Wayne County, while Justin Curry also had a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Carmel (Ind.) 49, Trinity 38: Trinity led 17-0, trailed 28-24 at halftime, rallied to take a 38-35 lead late in the third quarter, but ultimately faded late. Carmel quarterback Zach Osborne, a Colgate commit, threw for three touchdown passes and rushed for two more touchdowns.
The game was the head-coaching debut for Trinity’s Jay Cobb, and the 49 points scored by Carmel was the most allowed by a Trinity team since the 2002 Class 4A state final. Trinity had five turnovers, including three Brady Willis interceptions, who also threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 8:48 AM.
