Highlights: Madison Central squeaks by Dunbar; Rockcastle wins in Larkey’s home debut
Highlights from Friday’s Kentucky high school football games:
Madison Central 29, Paul Laurence Dunbar 28: Brady Hensley’s 1-yard touchdown run and ensuing two-point conversion with 1:30 left in the game helped Class 6A’s No. 4 Indians (2-0) escape a tough matchup at home against the No. 10 Bulldogs.
Hensley’s final score answered a Dunbar TD for the lead moments earlier and was set up by an 82-yard kickoff return to the Bulldogs’ 7-yard line by Brock Eads.
“I was just trusting my guys and following my blocks, saw the hole and hit it and ran it as far as I could,” Eads told The Richmond Register.
A season ago, Madison Central failed on a conversion for the lead late in a loss against district rival Bryan Station.
“We weren’t going to let that happen again,” Hensley told the Register. “Our big guys up front gave me a hole.”
Dunbar (1-1) benefited from three Madison Central fumbles, including one picked up and returned 17 yards for the game’s opening score on the Indians’ first possession.
The Bulldogs’ Jakobe Biggerstaff caught TD passes of 31 and 24 yards from Ethan Teall as Dunbar took a 21-14 lead early in the third quarter. A Hensley 1-yard rush tied the game for Madison Central at 21-21 with 10 minutes left.
After the third Madison Central fumble, Teall capped an eight-play, 36-yard drive with a 1-yard score to put the visitors up 28-21 with 2:20 left in the game, setting up Eads’ big special teams play.
Rockcastle County 27, East Jessamine 17: In his first game coaching on the field where his father, Tom Larkey, led Rockets for 23 seasons, Chris Larkey’s Rockets rallied from a 17-7 deficit with nine minutes left to go in the game with 20 unanswered points to stun the Jaguars (0-2).
“It was a swamp down there after the game,” Larkey said of the postgame jubilation. “It was probably an hour before we got everybody off the field. People were down there taking pictures and having a good time.”
After Isaiah Jackson’s 20-yard rushing TD to cut the deficit to 17-14, the Rockets’ defense held and set up another drive capped by Christian Larkey, the coach’s son, for the lead. The Rockets squibbed the ensuing kickoff and recovered the ball as it was muffed by East Jessamine at midfield. Caleb Moore then capped the 27-7 second half with a 48-yard touchdown run.
“The coaching staff does a great job. It’s just about changing the mentality of the kids and getting the fans back into it,” said Larkey, who led North Laurel from 2009 to 2021. “And they are.”
Frederick Douglass 57, Tates Creek 8: Seniors Ty Bryant and TJ Horton each had two rushing touchdowns for the Broncos (2-0), who outgained the Commodores 348-133. Also recording rushing touchdowns for Douglass were sophomores Pharo Watts and Josiah Lemond, and senior Davaun Hart. Tates Creek (1-1) scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from junior Andrew Witherington to senior Ke’shon Douthitt.
Sayre 40, Fort Knox 0: Luke Pennington threw two touchdown passes to Brock Coffman, one to Charlie Slabaugh and ran another score in from a yard out on a fourth-and-goal as the visiting Spartans (2-0) rolled. Brady Atkins added a pair of field goals in the second half and Jackson Stuart recovered a fumble for a TD to cap the night.
Scott County 43, Lafayette 6: Sophomore quarterback Andrew Hickey completed five of his six pass attempts for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Scott County (2-0) built a 41-0 lead, which triggered a running clock, just minutes into the second quarter. Total yards in just the first quarter alone favored Scott County, 238-17. For the game, Scott County held a 385-53 advantage. Lafayette (0-2) scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown by senior Pharell Thurman.
Woodford County 43, Campbell County 13: The host Yellow Jackets (2-0) took a 37-0 lead into half as Andrew Nason threw TD passes of 36 yards to Makhi Smith and 6 yards to Preston Stacy while Jasper Johnson hooked up with Aden Nelson for two TD bombs of 40 and 41 yards and another deep ball to Kenyun Maxberry. Stacy also had a rushing TD to go with a Sawyer Ford field goal. The Camels (1-1) didn’t score until a blocked field goal return for a TD late in the third quarter.
Clark County 43, Madison Southern 13: The Cardinals (2-0) scored all of their points in the first half as Tyleik Maxwell threw a TD pass to James-Michael Davis and rushed for two more scores, including a 34-yarder. Kalen Washington broke loose for a 60-yard TD to go with a 1-yard plunge and Zaydin Turner hammered in a short-yardage score. Madison Southern (0-2) suffered the mercy rule running clock by the break, but got a 19-yard TD pass from Ethan Woods to Jayshaun Ethridge in the second quarter.
Great Crossing 12, North Oldham 0: The Warhawks (2-0) recorded a historic result on the road with the first shutout win in program history. Great Crossing scored on a pair of field goals by junior Jack Herald and a 9-yard touchdown run by junior Zach Morris. Senior Drake Byrd had an interception for Great Crossing, while senior Jakeece Patterson had 85 rushing yards for the Warhawks against the North Oldham (1-1) defense.
Southwestern 59, West Jessamine 20: Tanner Wright scored two TDs by the midway point of the first quarter as Southwestern (2-0) rolled at home in the first game played on its new turf field. Christian Walden also had multiple scores for the Warriors, while QB Collin Burton completed 11 of 12 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown.
West Jessamine (1-1) got a pair of rushing TDs from QB Jacob Jones, who also completed 18 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. The Colts’ Dalton Carter had 11 catches for 219 receiving yards and a score.
Franklin County 69, Western Hills 0: The Flyers (1-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss to Scott County in a big way with three rushing TDs from Kentucky commit Kaden Moorman and TD pass plays from Gavin Hurst to Zack Claudio, Gilead Galloway and Peyton Ledford. Ty Taylor, Brennan Robinson and Carter Richardson also scored.
Collins 48, Bullitt Central 14: Collins (2-0) built a 21-0 lead with scores including an interception-return touchdown by sophomore Quinten Wooten. Senior quarterback Kenyon Goodin threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns and also had a pair of rushing TDs. Senior A.J. Higgins had 10 rushes for 138 yards on the ground and Darius Evans notched 105 yards receiving for Collins. Bullitt Central (0-2) senior Jahmad Wilder had four catches for 102 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Paris 57, Bath County 12: Tray Murrell had three catches for three touchdowns and 115 yards receiving as the Panthers moved to 2-0.
Harrison County 49, Anderson County 22: Harrison County (1-1) got multiple rushing touchdowns from junior quarterback Kaydon Custard, a 68-yard touchdown run and a 17-yard touchdown run by senior Malachi Feeback and a 19-yard receiving touchdown by senior Jacobie White in its victory over Anderson County (0-2).
Johnson Central 55, Fern Creek 19: Carter Conley rushed for 180 yards and four TDs and Zack McCoart tacked on another 133 yards rushing and a score as the Golden Eagles (2-0) routed Fern Creek (1-1) in the opening game of Lexington Catholic’s Traditional Bank Bluegrass Bowl. Johnson Central also recorded a rare TD pass for its offense, getting a 45-yard throw from Mason Lawson to McCoart, the only completion on three attempts in the game.
Belfry 42, Bourbon County 14: Dre Young, Caden Woolum and Ace Caudill each topped 100 yards rushing and scored a touchdown for the Pirates (1-1), who also got three scores from quarterback Chase Varney. Belfry led 42-6 after three quarters, rebounding from a season-opening loss to Pulaski County. Clay Estes scored both TD for Bourbon County (0-2).
Williamsburg 22, Middlesboro 21: Sydney Bowen threw a 15-yard TD pass to Nate Goodin and then converted a two-point play for the lead with under two minutes left as Williamsburg (2-0) claimed this battle of Yellow Jackets with a come-from-behind home win.
Pulaski County 55, Wayne County 20: Brysen Dugger and Trey Hornsby each scored a pair of rushing TDs for the Pirates (2-0) and Dugger added a pair of TD throws to Chandler Godby in a game Pulaski controlled from the outset. Wayne County (1-1) got a pair of scores on passes from Antajuan Dumphord to Wesley Cares.
Nicholas County 32, Berea 2: Nicholas County (2-0) stayed unbeaten thanks to plays like a 70-yard touchdown run by sophomore Alex Koeder in the Travis Sims BlueJacket Bowl. The lone scoring play for Berea (0-2) came as a bad snap on a Nicholas County punt attempt went out of the end zone for a safety.
Ballard 12, Male 7: Jaden Minkins’ 66-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown late in the first half helped the Bruins (2-0) snap a 10-game losing streak to Male (1-1) dating to 2009. Ballard’s Kameron Horton got his hand on the kick and the Bruins’ defense held, allowing only a Daniel Swinney TD on Male’s first possession.
Beechwood 46, Paintsville 7: Beechwood (2-0) won its state-leading 25th straight game with a dominant performance against Paintsville (1-1). Beechwood led 13-0 after the first quarter and 26-0 at halftime. Senior Mitchell Berger had three rushing touchdowns in the first half alone, including a 77-yard rushing score. Senior Antonio Robinson also had multiple rushing touchdowns for Beechwood.
Knox Central 32, Bell County 28: A 65-yard touchdown pass from junior Steve Partin to senior KT Turner with less than a minute left in the game propelled Knox Central (2-0) to a dramatic victory over Bell County (1-1) in the Appalachian Wireless Bowl. Partin also scored four rushing TDs. Among the Bell County scores was a 6-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Blake Burnett.
Murray 49, Calloway County 7: Junior quarterback Collin Wilson threw for two TDs on his only two passes and the Tigers (2-0) also got scores by Xavier Biggers (two rushing scores, one receiving touchdown), Kainoa Olive and Simon Rickman as Murray (2-0) claimed its sixth straight win against Calloway County (0-2) in the Cross-Town Classic.
