Highlights: Bryan Station rallies late, Great Crossing catch makes ‘SportsCenter’
Bryan Station 25, Scott County 21: Phillip Hawkins did his homework. He knew the less than stellar track record of success he was becoming part of when he was named Bryan Station head coach in January 2020.
In particular, Hawkins noted the Defenders’ dismal history against Scott County. Hawkins found just two wins for Bryan Station against Scott County, in 1999 and 2014.
“They were 2-18 against Scott County and the games were horrendous deficits. I mean 30 points, 40 points, 50 points,” Hawkins recalled. “This is a hump that I wanted to get over.”
If a one-point loss to Scott County (1-2) to start last season served as a springboard for the Defenders (2-1) to win 10 games, there’s no telling what Friday’s result could do.
Sophomore quarterback Trenton Cutwright scrambled for a 25-yard touchdown run with two minutes left, helping the Defenders overcome a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit for a historic win.
The Defenders got rushing touchdowns from Cutwright, senior Joseph Bond and junior Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd in the win, which Hawkins said was the first time some Bryan Station coaches who played at the school had tasted victory over the Cardinals.
Hawkins described it as “a scary time” when Bryan Station fell behind two scores at the end of the third quarter, given Scott County’s penchant for controlling the clock with its Wing-T offense under the direction of experienced head coach Jim McKee.
But Hawkins credited Bryan Station’s defense — which forced three turnovers — with keeping the Defenders within striking distance during the game before shutting the door late.
“We have a lot of talented, athletic kids,” Hawkins said. “I think that makes us who we are in these ball games ... the number of kids that can make plays and score touchdowns. When you’ve got that, you’ve just got to keep at it, keep at it, knowing those kids will make plays.”
Eastern 42, Henry Clay 41: A 9-yard touchdown run by senior Pierce Humpich with three minutes to go was enough to give the Eagles (3-1) the win in a back-and-forth affair. Humpich finished with 246 rushing yards and the game-winning score, while senior Eli Scott threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns for Eastern. Scott also ran for three touchdowns for Eastern.
Henry Clay (0-4) got four rushing touchdowns from junior Jacob Childress and two other scores on the ground from junior Jayden Bailey. The two teams combined for 990 yards of total offense.
Madison Southern 23, Lafayette 19: A 50-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Cole Carpenter to senior Walter Smith with less than 90 seconds to go propelled Madison Southern (1-3) to a late comeback win over Lafayette (0-4). Carpenter had a hand in all three Eagles touchdowns, scoring on a 17-yard run in the first quarter and recording a 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Lafayette led 19-10 at halftime but didn’t score in the second half. Hayden Dawahare had two touchdown passes and senior Lucas Doneghy had a 97-yard kick return touchdown for Lafayette.
Lexington Catholic 45, Pleasure Ridge Park 30: Junior Walker Hall ran for 160 yards and a touchdown, while senior quarterback Jack Gohmann added 72 yards on the ground and two rushing scores of his own as the Knights (4-0) remained undefeated. Gohmann also had three passing touchdowns.
Pleasure Ridge Park (1-2) took an early lead through a 3-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kayden Anderson to junior wide receiver Kendrick Jackson, but LexCath scored the next 28 points.
Frederick Douglass 56, Paul Laurence Dunbar 13: Samuel Cornett threw TD passes of 26 yards to Thomas Howard, 63 yards to Cameron Dunn and 11 yards to Tylon Webb in a dominating first half for the Broncos (4-0).
Meanwhile, Ty Bryant, TJ Horton and Davaun Hart all had rushing scores in that same span with Hart’s 4-yard run putting Douglass up 43-0 at halftime. Cornett completed 10 of 11 passes for 269 yards. Dunn led the Broncos with 111 receiving yards. Horton added a TD run in the second half and Jeremiah Lowe returned an interception 67 yards for Douglass’s final score.
The Broncos scored touchdowns on their first eight possessions and held Dunbar (1-3) to 30 rushing yards. Dunbar committed three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble). Cole Colony had a touchdown run and a 33-yard TD pass to Shyheim Drew late in the fourth quarter.
Great Crossing 42, East Jessamine 6: Junior quarterback Gabe Nichols threw for 228 yards and five touchdowns to help the Warhawks (4-0) remain undefeated.
One of those connections, a 14-yard fade to Zackarrey Kelley earned an ESPN “SportsCenter” Top 10 No. 1 highlight from the video shot by WTVQ-36. Kelley made a leaping one-handed catch while keeping a foot in bounds as he fell backward out of the end zone. Nichols also had a 47-yard TD pass to Jacob Coulter.
East Jessamine (0-4) scored via a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Chance Jackson.
Boyle County 48, Henderson County 14: Boyle County senior Cole Lanter dominated in this game, recording three receiving touchdowns in the win. Lanter had five catches for 140 yards and scored on touchdown passes of 45, 43 and 39 yards for Boyle County (3-1).
Henderson County (2-1) scored on a 73-yard drive on its first possession, but then allowed 41 unanswered points. Junior Jordan Wright scored both of Henderson County’s touchdowns in the first quarter and fourth quarter.
Ballard 31, Franklin County 13: The Flyers (2-2) overcame a putrid start and trailed just 17-13 by halftime after spotting the Bruins the first 17 points. But Tristen Hawkins threw TD passes to Chaunte Marrero and Caleb Benton in the fourth quarter as the Bruins’ (3-1) pulled away.
Kaden Moorman had a 92-yard kickoff return touchdown and Payton Ledford had an interception return for a TD for Franklin County.
Madison Central 69, South Laurel 6: The Indians (3-1) racked up 284 rushing yards and eight touchdowns from six different backs in a game Madison Central led 49-0 at the half. Kenyatta Hardge had three of those scores on short runs. Brady Hansley had two scores while Hagan Harrison actually had the most yards rushing with 73.
Madison Central held South Laurel (0-4) to 10 yards of total offense thanks to a minus-55 yards rushing total that included a sack and seven tackles for a loss. Cooper Mullins had two interceptions.
West Jessamine 49, Harrison County 14: Bryce Chestnut led the Colts with 150 yards rushing and three touchdowns and West Jessamine (2-1) also got a 51-yard run off a fake punt from Dalton Carter.
Colts QB Jacob Jones’ stat line included 12-of-23 passing with TD passes to Ernest Stanfield and Carter. Jones also ran for 41 yards and a score. Harrison County fell to 1-3.
Mercer County 45, Western 0: Mercer County led 23-0 after the first quarter and 38-0 at halftime. The Titans (3-1) began the scoring with a 75-yard touchdown pass from senior Trosper Buchanan to senior Jaylen Lukitsch, who also scored on an end-around later in the quarter.
Senior Brayden Dunn also had a punt return touchdown for Mercer County. Sophomore Jackson Perry recovered a fumble late for Mercer County to help ensure the shutout of Western (1-2).
Montgomery County 21, Clark County 14: Junior Alex Hatton threw a 93-yard touchdown pass for the game’s only second-half score as Montgomery County (2-1) knocked off Clark County (1-3).
Senior Adrian Jones scored a rushing touchdown in the first quarter as Montgomery County led 14-0 after the opening period, before Clark County rallied to tie the game at 14 at the half.
Anderson County 34, Breckinridge County 24: Sophomore Charles Lipps had a pair of short rushing touchdowns and freshman quarterback Eli Castle twice connected with senior Hudson Uebel for touchdown passes for Anderson County (1-3). A highlight of a scrappy effort from Breckinridge County (0-4) was a 50-yard rushing score by junior Michael Johnson to close the first half.
The win snapped a 17-game losing streak for Anderson County and gave head coach Mark Palmer his first win with the Bearcats.
Bell County 33, Lincoln County 14: The Bobcats (2-1) returned a squib kick for a touchdown on the first play of the game, paving the way for a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. The Bobcats led 26-0 at halftime and took advantage of Lincoln County (1-3) turnovers to grow the lead.
Senior quarterback Cameron Burnett and junior Dawson Woolum both had short rushing touchdowns for Bell County. Senior Carter McCune also had a highlight-reel interception for the Bobcats.
Central 37, Belfry 6: Freshman Cortez Stone ran for four first-half touchdowns, including one from 40 yards out, as Central (2-2) cruised. Stone accounted for more first-half yardage, 88, than the entire Belfry team, 50. The Pirates (0-4) scored on a 51-yard rushing touchdown by senior Isaac Dixon in the third quarter.
Covington Catholic 24, Dixie Heights 8: Senior Adam Holtz threw a 64-yard touchdown pass and senior Nicholas Darpel had a 4-yard touchdown run as Covington Catholic (2-2) led wire-to-wire in a win over Dixie Heights (2-2). The only score for the visitors came on a 90-yard kick return touchdown in the second half by Aumad Edwards.
Bardstown 42, Elizabethtown 14: Head coach David Clark got his 100th career victory as Bardstown (3-0) beat Elizabethtown (1-3).
After Elizabethtown opened the game with a 99-yard touchdown drive, junior TJ Greenwell returned the ensuing kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown for Bardstown. The Tigers also scored on a 74-yard touchdown pass from senior Brady Clark to junior Shannon Tonge, as well as a 1-yard rushing score by senior Shyrel Williams.
Clark also had a 52-yard touchdown pass to open the third quarter.
Corbin 49, Pulaski County 6: Senior Seth Mills had a 71-yard rushing score and junior Dakota Patterson had a 57-yard receiving touchdown for Corbin (4-0) in a blowout win. Pulaski County (1-3) got a rushing touchdown by backup quarterback Brysen Dugger.
Paintsville 33, Somerset 6: Junior Frederick James connected with junior Jonah Porter on a 29-yard touchdown pass for the opening touchdown in what became the first head coaching victory for Trevor Hoskins at Paintsville (1-2). The Tigers generated almost 400 yards of total offense, including a 15-yard touchdown run by junior Harris Phelps. Sophomore running back Guy Bailey had 103 rushing yards for Somerset (1-3).
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 11:57 AM.
