Paris knocks Bracken County from unbeaten ranks as Greyhounds off to best start in years
On a homecoming evening where Paris High School paid homage to some of its storied football past, the current Greyhounds delivered a fitting tribute as well with a hard-fought 14-8 victory over previously unbeaten No. 10 Bracken County at Blanton Collier Stadium.
Paris’ Elijah Webb came back for a slightly underthrown pass from Kaden Frederick to score the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter and helped seal the game late as a defensive back by intercepting a wounded Polar Bears throw with less than four minutes left.
“I’m a ball hawk,” Webb said. “If it’s up in the air, I’m going to go get it.”
Webb had to swim past a defender at the goal line and lay flat out to catch his TD.
“I had to put my body on the line for it. If I didn’t catch it, it might have been a pick,” Webb said, shooting a smile over at his QB, Frederick.
Frederick acknowledged some nerves about the 26-yard strike.
“He saved me,” Frederick said. “I know he’s going to go get the ball anytime I throw it up there to him. I had some doubt when it was in the air, but you can’t count him out.”
Homer Goins, the former Paris principal and longtime head coach for the Greyhounds, including the unbeaten 1973 state champions, conducted the pregame coin toss in front of Paris players past and present. For a long while, it looked like another coin toss might be the best way to decide the outcome after a scoreless first half.
But the Greyhounds finally broke through in the second half. Their opening drive was capped by Darian Bell’s 14-yard touchdown run and a Frederick to Jakari Ransom two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Bracken County answered on the ensuing possession. After converting a fourth down near midfield, the Polar Bears’ Dylan Teegarden burst through the line for a 30-plus yard run to the Paris 3-yard line. Moments later, he punched in a TD and a two-point conversion to tie the game 8-8 with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
Coming into the game, Bracken County led Class A in scoring defense, allowing only 10.6 points per game. Paris led Class A in scoring offense with 47 points per game. Defense won out Friday, and Paris’ defense proved to be the difference.
The Greyhounds turned Bracken County over on downs twice, forced two punts and got Webb’s interception. Bracken County showed its toughness, too, turning back Paris in the red zone twice in the first half, once on downs and once via an interception by Garrett Fields.
“The adversity, we had faced it all year, and they really showed they can overcome adversity and I’m proud of them for that,” Paris Coach Tyquan Rice said.
Rice, in his second year, has Paris off to a 5-1 start, its best mark to this point since its 9-2 season in 2017. The Greyhounds have endured four losing seasons since, results that don’t sit well for the three-time state champs (1973, 1981, 1982).
“Coming in last year, a lot of people didn’t give us a shot,” Rice said. “We knew it was just going to take a little time. We want to get the wheels rolling now. We don’t want to wait two or three seasons. And I think we’re on the right track.”
Players know getting a district win over Bracken County (5-1) and knocking the Polar Bears from the unbeaten ranks is just a first step.
“One game’s not going to prove ourselves,” Frederick said. “We’ve got to fight through it. Fight through these last district games and show it in the playoffs.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 8:45 AM.
