Highlights: Scott County holds off LexCath; Bryan Station rolls over Dunbar
Highlights from Friday’s Kentucky high school football games:
Scott County 28, Lexington Catholic 21: The Cardinals (9-1) piled up 298 rushing yards and capitalized on an early Knights fumble to build a 21-7 first half lead that LexCath couldn’t turn around.
Scott County’s Thomas Feickert, Ellis Huguely and Jacob Fryman each ran for more than 80 yards with Feickert scoring twice and Huguely once in the first half. Quarterback Andrew Hickey scored the Cardinals’ lone second-half TD, but it was enough to hold off LexCath’s comeback attempt.
The Knights’ Jackson Wasik threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, the last two in a fourth-quarter rally that fell short when Scott County’s Luke Valencia recovered an onside kick with 1:39 to play. Sam Clements caught his second TD of the game to cut the lead to the final margin moments before. Max DeGraff had the other LexCath TD catch.
The loss means Lexington Catholic will be Class 4A’s No. 3 seed in the playoffs. It will host any postseason game except potential matchups with either No. 2 Boyle County or No. 1 Corbin. Despite LexCath’s win over Boyle, the KHSAA’s RPI formula gives more weight to the Rebels’ strength of schedule.
Scott County enters the postseason as Class 5A’s No. 2 overall seed. The Cardinals’ wins this season included knocking off three of Dave Cantrall’s top-25 teams: Bryan Station, Ballard and LexCath.
“The regular season is your body of work. It’s a hell of a body of work,” Scott County head coach Jim McKee told the Georgetown News-Graphic. “We wanted to set it up where we don’t play Frederick Douglass until Kroger Field. I’m not saying we’re gonna make it. I’m just saying let’s give ourselves the best possible path.”
Simon Kenton 43, Woodford County 34: A controversial dead-ball call after the Yellow Jackets (9-1) appeared to have made a fourth-down 48-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery for the lead with five minutes left in the game helped swing the outcome for the Pioneers (7-3).
Woodford County turned the ball over on downs on the possession after the ensuing punt.
Simon Kenton’s Chase Crone scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the game moments later for the final margin. Crone’s five scores included an 80-yard run in the fourth quarter. He also had a 28-yard TD pass to Jackson Galbraith
Woodford County’s Aden Nelson caught four TD passes from Andrew Nason, including a 78-yard strike in the second half, in a wild, back-and-forth game. Preston Stacy also scored for the Yellow Jackets on a 1-yard plunge.
Woodford hurt its cause with three turnovers, including a fumble at the 1-yard line and an interception in the end zone.
Bryan Station 50, Paul Laurence Dunbar 15: The Defenders (7-3) rattled off 50 straight points from late in the first quarter to late in the third quarter to enter the postseason on a high with a dominant victory over Dunbar (5-5).
Bryan Station had 269 rushing yards and got three rushing scores each from junior Bayubahe Benit and senior Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd. Seniors Noah Chapman and Cole Colony each had rushing touchdowns for Dunbar.
Lexington Christian 50, Henry Clay 14: The Eagles (6-4) overcame a slow start to score 43 consecutive points in a rout of the Blue Devils (3-7).
Star sophomore quarterback Cutter Boley completed 16 passes for 208 passing yards and four touchdowns. Senior running back J’Veontae Emerson also continued his strong form since returning from an extended illness with nearly 100 rushing yards to go with two TDs.
Henry Clay senior Jacob Childress had 105 total rushing yards and one rushing score.
Tates Creek 46, Boone County 19: Tates Creek (4-6) scored 36 points unanswered and gained a whopping 304 rushing yards against Boone County (3-7).
Junior Marquevion Smith led the way for the Commodores with 183 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Theo Jones totaled 105 rushing yards and two rushing scores for Tates Creek.
Junior quarterback Jamarion Hocker did nearly everything for Boone County on offense: 104 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with 220 passing yards and a passing touchdown.
Bethlehem 35, Sayre 28: An interception in the end zone late in the game by Bethlehem sophomore Nicholas Osborne helped the Eagles improve to 8-2 on the season and see off a spirited Spartans squad (5-5).
Bethlehem senior Haydon Osborne had a 70-yard interception return touchdown and also recorded a 69-yard touchdown reception. Osborne is now Bethlehem’s all-time leader in receiving yardage.
Sayre sophomore quarterback Luke Pennington had four touchdown passes to four receivers — Owen Murphy, Brock Coffman, Charlie Slabaugh and Grant Barnsten.
Clark County 31, Conner 0: The Cardinals (7-3) got three TDs from Kalen Washington, including a 51-yard run to go with Kareem Guerrant’s short rushing touchdown in the shutout over the Cougars. Clay Turley opened the scoring with a short field goal. Clark County’s 363 points scored this season is the program’s second-most ever, according to Clark stats maven Mike Rogers.
Great Crossing 49, Collins 7: The Warhawks (8-2) shut down dual-threat Titans QB Kenyon Goodin, limiting the Collins (6-4) standout to one TD pass that opened the scoring before Great Crossing tallied 49 unanswered.
Jakeece Patterson rushed for 223 yards, but the rushing scores went to Isaiah Johnson (twice), Armon Williams and Michael Pettigrew. Caden Bays and Gabe Nichols each had a TD pass to Zackarrey Kelley and Jacob Johnson, respectively.
Mercer County 63, West Jessamine 13: Thaddeus Mays threw for three TDs, including a 55-yarder to Ashton Drakeford, and had a 40-yard TD run as the Titans (5-5) established a mercy rule margin by halftime over the Colts (4-6).
Mercer’s Morgan Pennington scored twice to go with run scores by Denim Griffieth and Andrew Shepperson. Jackson Perry and Wade Lane caught the TD passes. Carter Devine added a pick six in the first half.
Southwestern 36, Madison Central 0: The Warriors (10-0) held Madison Central (7-3) to 169 yards of offense as they racked up four rushing TDs by Christian Walden to go with another score by Braxton Walters in the shutout. Walden had 80 yards rushing to go with Tanner Wright’s 119 yards. The Indians’ Brady Hensley rushed for 112 yards but was held out of the end zone as his team committed three turnovers and was held to just nine first downs.
Berea 21, Jellico (Tenn.) 7: Yamil Cruz scored two touchdowns, including an 81-yard breakaway in the fourth quarter to seal it. The Pirates (4-6) got a pick six by Shawn Keat to take a 6-0 lead just before halftime.
Franklin County 42, Madison Southern 8: Kaden Moorman rushed for 128 yards and two TDs, Christian Moore added three more rushing scores, and Emanuel Smith threw for 206 yards and a touchdown to Gilead Galloway for the Flyers (5-5).
Paris 47, Clinton County 14: The Greyhounds (7-3) dominated the winless Bulldogs despite only having the ball for only seven minutes and 39 seconds of game time thanks to big plays that included an 85-yard scoop and score by Jakari Ransom and a 46-yard pick six by Marcus Garr. Garr also had a 51-yard TD run to go with quarterback Kaden Frederick’s two rushing scores, one a 44-yarder, and a 35-yard TD pass to Elijah Webb. And Darian Bell broke a 48-yard run for a Paris TD.
Whitley County 54, Danville 50: Despite 532 yards of offense and five TDs for Demauriah Brown, the Admirals (4-6) dropped a shootout on the road against the Colonels (3-7). Brown had 319 yards rushing. Whitley’s Tye Hamblin threw for 216 yards and three TDs to go with running back Shane Parker’s 178 yards and three scores.
Covington Catholic 47, Ryle 21: Owen Leen rushed for 185 yards and three TDs and quarterback Zacc Roberts had 120 yards rushing in two TDs on the ground to go two in the air as the Colonels (8-2) pounded the Raiders (5-5). Oliver Link and Braylon Miller had CovCath’s TD catches. Kaden Gardner scored two TDs for Ryle.
Letcher County Central 45, Bourbon County 6: Jonah Little rushed for 125 yards and two TDs and threw for 122 yards with touchdown passes to Keaston Branham for the Cougars (7-3). Isaac Matthews and Koby Johnson also scored for Letcher. Dae Dae Ross scored for the Colonels (2-8).
Bell County 38, Harlan County 16: Daniel Thomas rushed for 213 yards and four TDs and caught an 80-yard score from Blake Burnett as the Bobcats improved to 8-2. Jonah Swanner had both TDs for the Black Bears (4-6).
Belfry’s Haywood injured in game
A sideline collision sent Belfry coaching legend Philip Haywood to the hospital with two broken ribs in the Pirates’ 35-0 loss to Johnson Central in Paintsville on Friday, according to the Williamson Daily News and a Facebook post by Haywood’s wife, Linda.
“Coach Haywood has been discharged from Paul B Hall. He was injured during the football game at Johnson Central,” Linda Haywood posted on Facebook. “Miraculously he only sustained 2 broken ribs. Thanks for all the kind words and prayers.”
Haywood is the winningest coach in Kentucky high school football history and led Belfry to its eighth state championship last season. The Pirates are 5-5 this year.
