‘Ready to fight’: Woodford County snaps 13-year skid to Franklin County
Amid all the chaos, Dennis Johnson’s pen didn’t move.
There was liquid cascading down his face and dripping from his clothes, the result of a Gatorade bath from his players while he completed a postgame media interview.
There were hundreds of Woodford County fans on the field at the Community Stadium in Versailles — students and parents alike — all reveling in a monumental 24-21 win for Johnson’s Woodford County team against Franklin County, the first win for the Yellow Jackets over the Flyers since 2008.
But as Johnson straightened his posture and readjusted his soaking wet hat, his white and yellow pen remained tucked behind his right ear, undistributed by the madness.
It was a rare element of tranquility in a game that lacked any semblance of it.
“We kind of pushed it in their face all week,” Johnson said of how he addressed the 13-year losing streak to Franklin County with his veteran team. “Guys, you were sitting in the stands for a ton of years and watched this. You have a chance now to do something about it.”
The importance of the end result was known to everyone wearing black.
To motivate his team ahead of the game, Johnson showed the Yellow Jackets three-minute clips of “Rocky IV’‘ each day this week. It was meant to serve as a metaphor for being able to take and deliver punches.
With the game tied at 21 with just minutes to go and Woodford County with possession of the ball, Johnson huddled with his offense.
“This is you and the Russian,” he said referencing the film’s Rocky Balboa-Ivan Drago bout. “Now y’all are ready to fight.”
The final blow was delivered with just four seconds left, as junior kicker Sawyer Ford made a short field goal to win the game.
“This is what kickers dream of,” Ford said. “A game-winner to end a 13-year streak of losses to Franklin County. That’s a dream, man.”
Woodford County, now 5-0, led 7-0 midway through the first quarter after senior quarterback Bryce Patterson connected with freshman Makhi Smith on a 19-yard touchdown pass, but the Yellow Jackets wouldn’t lead again until Ford’s late field goal.
The Flyers were powered by junior Kaden Moorman, who accounted for all three Franklin County touchdowns: Two via short runs and one from a 90-plus yard kickoff return to open the second half.
This marked two straight weeks that Moorman has had kick return scores of longer than 90 yards.
That return gave Franklin County a 21-13 lead with 11:45 left in the third quarter, but the Flyers, now 2-3, didn’t score the rest of the game.
“We’re not there yet, we’ve got to become a team,” Franklin County head coach Eddie James said. “We’re still trying to do that and find leadership.”
The Yellow Jackets were down by eight instead of seven after the Moorman return touchdown because Ford had missed an extra point right before halftime.
But a potential Flyer scoring drive was thwarted by an end zone interception by junior Aiden Carroll, and it was turned into a short touchdown run by senior Jacob Jackson and a scrambling two-point conversion by Patterson, bringing the game back on level terms.
“I think we played kind of tight, the whole game really,” Johnson said. “But we finally found a way to win and that’s what you’ve got to do in games like this.”
Those clutch plays — Carroll’s interception, Patterson’s conversion and a two-minute drill to close the first half that resulted in a short rushing score by junior Preston Stacy — reflected Woodford County’s poise when the pressure was on.
This wasn’t something the Yellow Jackets had experience with this season either, given that they had won all of their previous games by at least 21 points.
And remaining calm when the situation calls for it is paramount to a kicker’s success, something Ford managed to do even after his earlier miss.
“My team is very supportive … there was not one negative comment said to me and they were all positive,” Ford said of the PAT miss.
Despite Woodford County’s large margins of victory to begin the season, Ford had a feeling Friday’s game was going to be close.
He’s a Cincinnati Bengals fan, and last Sunday he watched rookie Evan McPherson kick a game-winning overtime field goal for his favorite team.
Ford emulated McPherson’s tranquility leading into his big kick, keeping his heart rate down and controlling his breathing before sending the ball through the crooked uprights at Community Stadium.
Johnson knew Ford was ready for this moment two years ago.
As a freshman, Ford had been struggling. During fall break of 2019, Woodford County had scheduled an 8 a.m. practice.
Ford was on the field kicking at 6 a.m.
“He’s got that gene,” Johnson said. “He’s worked his butt off. I think he deserves the opportunity to win the game for us.”
