First varsity start yields 5 TDs as defending Class 6A champs top Woodford County
Bullitt East forced two critical second-half turnovers that helped the defending Class 6A champions pull away to a 41-28 win over Woodford County in the opening game of Saturday’s Fort Harrod Bowl at Mercer County’s Alvis Johnson Field.
But the game also marked a breakout performance for junior running back Mikey West, who scored five rushing touchdowns in his varsity debut.
“It was amazing, but I’ve got to give it all to my O-line,” said West, who scored three of his TDs in the first half. “Football is fun. … I was actually pretty nervous about it on the way here, but we had to lock in.”
The Chargers relinquished their 13-0 first-quarter lead to trail 21-20 at half, but the complexion of the game changed drastically after Gabe Henderson’s blindside sack of Woodford quarterback Andrew Nason forced a fumble at midfield that was recovered by the Chargers’ Isaiah Hare.
“It was a good team second half to propel us to victory,” Hare said. “(The fumble) was big, especially coming out at half and being able to score off of it, too. That hurt them a lot and gave us a lot of momentum.”
Nason was shaken up on the play and did not return.
Bullitt East took advantage of the short field and went ahead 27-21 on quarterback Jack Zwernemann’s plunge from inches away with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Chargers followed that up with Bryce Elder’s interception of Woodford County’s backup QB to take over deep in Yellow Jackets territory. West scored his fourth TD of the evening for a 34-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. A blocked Woodford punt recovered on the Yellow Jackets’ 11-yard line teed up West’s final score.
After shocking the commonwealth with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Male to claim the 2022 Class 6A state championship, the Chargers came into this season as the Herald-Leader’s preseason No. 8 team in the division with some of the skepticism about them based on the loss of offensive production after graduating 2022 Mr. Football Travis Eagan and 13 other starters.
But this neutral-site win over Class 5A No. 6 Woodford County could signal Bullitt East is here to stay as a championship contender.
“What I’ve talked to our kids about is really not worrying about what outside voices say,” Bullitt East Coach Keegan Kendrick said. “As long as we stick to improving our culture, do the things we do right, we believe the scoreboards will take care of themselves.”
Woodford’s first-half rally came via big-play TD runs of 72 and 64 yards by Nason that sandwiched a reverse from near midfield that Leland Taylor took in for a score.
Woodford missed Nason’s presence in the second half and also played without a few other surefire starters due to injury, most notably three-star junior wide receiver Makhi Smith, who is expected to return from a knee strain soon.
Despite those setbacks, Woodford Coach Dennis Johnson was encouraged by his team’s resilience after ceding a 13-0 lead early and its determination to score late in the game despite the game getting away.
“When we’re playing really good teams, every fundamental, every alignment, every half step is very important, so we’ve got to make sure we go back and clean some of those things up,” Johnson said. “They’re a good football team. I think we’ve got a chance to be a good football team, but I told our kids it isn’t easy. We’ve got to come back to the drawing board and get ready for next week.”
Before the game, a moment of silence was held for Coach Johnson’s father, Alvis Johnson, who died last month. The bowl event was held at the field named in honor of the former Harrodsburg High School coach, now the home of Mercer County’s team.
Mercer County 38, Taylor County 22: The Titans grabbed three fourth-quarter interceptions to help turn a slim 24-22 lead into a 16-point victory in the Fort Harrod Bowl nightcap.
Thaddeus Mays’ 40-yard interception return set up Ashton Drakeford’s 1-yard TD moments later for a 31-22 lead with 4:43 to play. Seconds later on Taylor’s next possession, Denim Griffith snatched a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown to set the final margin. But Drakeford added another interception on the Cardinals’ ensuing drive to help make sure.
In the first half, Griffith and Mays had rushing touchdowns and Mays threw a TD pass to Donavan Wright. Peyton Smith scored two rushing TDs and Dylan Williams had an 82-yard kickoff return for a score for Taylor County.
