Class 6A football playoffs: Cooper keeps Bryan Station in check

Bryan Station’s football season came to an end at home as the Defenders fell 35-7 to Cooper in the first round of the Class 6A Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl on Friday night.

Cooper went 6-4 in the regular season but traveled to Bryan Station, which had a losing record coming in, because the Defenders finished higher in their district than did the Jaguars, whose district mates Conner and Ryle were ranked in the top 15 statewide this week. Cooper lost close games to both of those teams in the regular season.

Bryan Station’s underdog status didn’t keep it from putting an early scare into Cooper. The Defenders led 7-0 after Jalen Burbage, son of Cornell Burbage, hit Kendrick Curry for an 18-yard touchdown on an opening drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. The Jaguars quickly retaliated, evening things on a Michael Armour reception from Jerod Lonaker two and a half minutes later.

Cooper took a 14-7 lead on a second connection between Lonaker and Armour with 10:18 to play in the second quarter. Bryan Station had a chance at knotting things after a 49-yard reception by Desmond Bernard set it up at Cooper’s 14-yard line, but the Defenders couldn’t get further than the Jags’ 10 and turned it over on downs. Cooper marched down the field — aided by a pass interference call on Station — and Lonaker rushed for a TD with nine seconds left in the half.

“We thought we had a pretty good game plan put together,” Bryan Station Coach Frank Parks said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t come out and execute. They made some big plays and kind of took the wind out of us.”

Burbage, a sophomore, finished 14-for-27 for 150 yards and an interception in his postseason debut. He also netted for 27 yards on 15 carries. Bernard, a senior, led the Defenders with 74 yards on five catches.

Lonaker was 20 of 29 for 246 yards and three TDs. He rushed for two scores and 73 yards. Jaden Jackson rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries. Armour finished with 94 yards on 10 grabs.

The Jaguars will travel to Ryle next week in a highly-anticipated rematch of Northern Kentucky powers. Ryle, ranked third in Class 6A behind Trinity and Scott County, edged Cooper, 49-42, in the first meeting back on Oct. 7.

Coach Randy Borchers thinks his team has gotten better defensively since that shootout in the regular season. He said he’d like to avoid another fireworks show when Cooper takes to the road again, but this time unfavored.

“We’re happy to be the underdogs,” Borchers said. “We want to stay under the radar. We felt like we had our shot last time to beat them and we came up a little short.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Class 6A football playoffs: Cooper keeps Bryan Station in check."