High school football: Who came up big, who started slow on opening night
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2020 Kentucky high school football preview
The 2020 high school football season kicked off Friday, Sept. 11. High school sports beat writer Jared Peck wrote numerous stories in the Herald-Leader and on Kentucky.com previewing the season around the city, region and state and highlighting the top players and games and rankings. Click below to read all of his stories in case you missed any of them.
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Kentucky’s 2020 high school football season kicked off Friday night three weeks later than originally scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but kick off it did. Here are some of the highlights from around the state on opening night.
Sayre 38, Eminence 34: Before the season began, Coach Chad Pennington preached the need to be able to finish games as the Spartans entered their first full season of varsity play. Consider that message received after Sayre overcame a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter Friday to win in the final minute.
Cole Pennington hit Trey Dennis on a short post from 16 yards out with 38 seconds left to give the Spartans the win. Pennington, the coach’s son, threw for four TDs in the game, two to Dennis.
“It was a great team win,” Cole Pennington said. “It was great for Sayre and the community and as a team we were super excited.”
Sayre cut the lead to 34-31 on a Pennington bootleg pass to Ford Webb with five minutes left. Then Corey Givens intercepted an Eminence pass with two minutes left to set up the Spartans again near the Warriors’ 40-yard line. After the go-ahead score, Webb clinched the victory with another interception.
“Last year, we lost a lot of close games in the fourth quarter,” Coach Pennington said. Sayre played an abbreviated schedule in the program’s second year since returning from decades of dormancy. “We also talk about how there’s always adversity in a football game. It only matters how you respond to it. ... It was the first time in our program that we didn’t fold when adversity struck. It was a real turning point for us.”
Eminence comes off a 9-3 season in Class A’s 3rd District.
Scott County 7, Bryan Station 6: A successful extra-point conversion was the difference as host Scott County got the best of a defensive battle against visiting Bryan Station.
Amodeus Taylor’s 1-yard touchdown plunge midway through the third quarter gave Bryan Station a 6-0 lead, but Scott County’s Campton Martin blocked the extra-point kick, setting the stage for some serious fourth-quarter drama.
Montago Jones tied the game late with a 6-yard TD run, and Jacob Bange’s successful extra-point kick put the Cardinals in front. Bryan Station was forced to punt near midfield with about four minutes left to play and never again got the ball.
On Scott County’s ensuing possession, Jones converted three first downs on the ground and the Cardinals went on to run out the clock.
Though Bryan Station didn’t manage to pull out the win, it was an encouraging effort from a Defenders’ squad that in its last two games against the Cardinals surrendered a combined 106 points.
“You are a good football team. Right now, tonight, you are a good football team,” new head coach Phillip Hawkins told his players as they knelt on the field for the postgame talk. “You didn’t just get beat by ‘who-in-the-hell-knows.’ You got beat by Scott County. They’re going to win 12-13 games this year, and this may be their toughest one.”
Jones finished with 134 yards on 22 carries for Scott County, while Joseph Bond led Bryan Station with 103 yards on the ground.
In addition to his all-important blocked extra point, Martin made two interceptions for the Cardinals’ defense, which held the Defenders to 138 total yards. Scott County managed 198 yards of offense.
Franklin County 55, Anderson County 0: Nick Broyles threw for 367 yards and five TDs on only 15 completions, with six of them targeting wideout Fred Farrier for 172 yards and two scores as the Flyers rolled. One of those was a deep pass that Farrier took 95 yards to the house to put Franklin up 21-0 early in the second quarter. Kaden Moorman, twice, Peyton Ledford, twice, Gavin Hurst and Zach Claudio also reached the end zone.
Southwestern 42, Wayne County 41: The Warriors blocked a potential 26-yard game-winning field goal with 8.6 seconds left and Southwestern survived a back-and-forth battle against the Cardinals and their Mr. Football candidate Braedon Sloan.
Sloan tallied 294 yards rushing and five touchdowns, including scoring runs of 40 and 64 yards.
Southwestern’s Giddeon Brainard didn’t match Sloan’s yardage, but pounded in four TDs and added a 65-yard kickoff score that tied the game at 14 in the second quarter. There would be five lead changes in all. Brainard’s 3-yard TD with 1:31 left provided the winning score.
Shelby County 40, Frankfort 20: Shelby County scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to take control on their way to a season-opening win over the visiting Panthers.
Azeno Williams got Frankfort on the board first with a 42-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. A 78-yard scoring scamper by Charles Ellis put the Panthers ahead 14-12 in the third quarter before Michael Phillips got Shelby County’s run started with a 3-yard TD plunge. Phillips scored twice more on the ground as the Rockets pulled away.
Zach Miracle threw for a touchdown and ran for 121 yards and another score to lead Shelby County, which converted 20 first downs while holding the Panthers to nine.
West Jessamine 46, South Laurel 36: Sophomore QB Jacob Jones threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns, all to wideout Jackson Green as Scott Marsh’s first year as head coach got off to a feel-good start. The host Colts outlasted the Cardinals to snap a 14-game losing streak which dated to September of 2018. Haden Rowland and Jay Emerson each scored rushing TDs.
Western Hills 39, Paris 0: The visiting Wolverines pounded the Greyhounds, dominating on both sides of the ball. Jacob Fields and Gilead Galloway each scored twice on the ground, while Jason Rogers returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown.
Simon Kenton 27, Highlands 14: Jayden Lawson ran for a 59-yard touchdown to give Simon Kenton a 10-0 lead then capped the scoring with an 8-yard TD run in the third quarter as the Pioneers knocked off the host Bluebirds. Charlie Noon ran for 131 yards and a touchdown for Highlands, which hurt its cause with 13 penalties totaling 113 yards. Simon Kenton was flagged five times for 24 yards.
Covington Catholic 21, Dixie Heights 14: Caleb Jacob threw for one TD and snuck in for another as the defending Class 5A champs held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the 6A Colonels. Ethan Reardon had the TD catch, a 30-yarder from Jacob in the second quarter. Dixie Heights scored 14 in the final quarter and recovered an onside kick at midfield with 24 seconds left, but was unable to advance from there. CovCath’s Owen Nally also scored.
Boyle County 51, Mercer County 7: The Rebels’ Jagger Gillis threw for four TDs, including a 36-yard flea-flicker in the second quarter. Will McDaniel, Cole Lanter and Coleman Clark each scored twice in the rout that was 41-0 at halftime.
Bourbon County 34, Harrison County 14: Clay Estes tossed a pair of TD passes and ran for another as Bourbon County took control from the outset. Jaylan Sidney and Jaden Commodore also scored for the Colonels. Tayshaun Custard had a 35- and a 40-yard touchdown reception to lead Harrison.
Paintsville 39, East Jessamine 24: The Tigers staked East Jessamine two TDs before roaring back to outscore the Jaguars 39-10 in the second half. QB Jake Hyden threw for 192 yards and two TDs and ran for another 107 yards and two scores for Paintsville, which also got 144 yards rushing and two TDs from Harris Phelps. Karsten Poe and Zach Taylor were on the end of Hyden’s scoring passes. Tajii Jackson had 112 yards rushing and all three scores for East Jessamine.
Woodford County 35, Great Crossing 13: JD Alexander had a 55-yard TD reception and the Yellow Jackets defense held the Warhawks without at score in the second half as they pulled away. Jackson Geilear led Woodford with 10 tackles.
Collins 36, Spencer County 28: Trailing by seven, Collins scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and rallied to knock off the host Bears. Joe Lucas tossed a 49-yard touchdown to Kenyon Goodin then the pair hooked up again for the two-point conversion to put the Titans up 29-28.
Darius Evans sealed the win with a 2-yard touchdown run with under two minutes to play. Lucas threw for 233 yards and two TDs. Goodin caught both touchdown passes and had 112 yards on seven total receptions. Colton Price and Wade Hutt both ran for more than 100 yards for Spencer County.
Beechwood 20, Corbin 14: Cameron Hergott and Cole Stammer each reached the end zone from 1 yard out and kicker Colin Graman kicked a pair of field goals as the Tigers held off a fourth quarter rally. The Redhounds’ Cameron Combs threw TD passes to Seth Mills and Dakota Patterson in the second half.
Belfry 33, Pulaski County 13: Isaac Dixon rushed for 205 yards and two scores for the Pirates as the hosts jumped to a 21-7 lead at halftime by scoring on each of their four possessions. Dixon’s 33-yard TD early in the fourth quarter sealed the win. Belfry’s Kyle Webb also had two TDs. Pulaski’s Drew Polston threw for 172 yards and a TD to Chandler Godby and ran for 92 yards. Tristan Cox also scored.
Somerset 40, Whitley County 8: Kentucky QB commit Kaiya Sheron threw for two TDs and ran for another score before an ankle injury sidelined him in the second half for the defending 2A champs. Sub Josh Gross added a pair of TD passes to pad the lead. Briar Jumpers wide receiver Kade Grundy had 109 yards receiving and a score. Gavin Stevens had a pair of TD catches.
Johnson Central 36, Bell County 0: The defending 4A state champs squashed the 3A Bobcats thanks to five TDs from Dylan Preston, who also tallied 151 yards on 17 carries.
Bowling Green 14, St. Xavier 0: Javeius Bunton scored in the first quarter and Conner Cooper found Dez Wilson in the endzone from 3 yards out in the last. The Purples’ defense dominated St. X, allowing only six first downs
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 2:14 AM.
