High school football highlights: Sayre rolls, Mercer County prevails in OT thriller.
Highlights from Week 3 of the 2020 high school football season around Kentucky:
Sayre 40, Trimble County 0: The Sayre resurgence rolled on Friday night. The host Spartans jumped all over the Raiders, building a 33-0 halftime lead on the way to their third straight win to open the season.
Jackson Marshall was part of a lethal one-two punch on the ground for Sayre (3-0), as the junior rushed for four first-half touchdowns. Marshall’s 64-yard scamper on the first play of the Spartans’ second drive put them ahead 14-0. His 41-yard TD run set the halftime score.
Trimble County (1-2) put together a nice drive toward the end of the first quarter, converting three first downs during a march that reached deep into Sayre territory. But the Raiders fumbled in the red zone and the Spartans recovered.
Sayre senior Trey Dennis — who’s playing his first season of high school football — moved the chains in both the passing and running games. In the second quarter he caught a throw over the middle from Cole Pennington and turned it into a 65-yard touchdown.
Pennington completed six of seven passes for 150 yards while Dennis caught three balls for 97 yards. Marshall finished with 130 rushing yards and five TDs.
Freshman Cole Alexander ended the game with his first career interception. Cole’s twin brother, Brody Alexander, got his first career carry as a Spartan — grinding out a 3-yard gain after breaking a tackle in the backfield.
Mercer County 31, Christian Academy-Louisville 28 (OT): Noah Davis’ 27-yard field goal in overtime helped Mercer County survive a furious rally from Christian Academy-Louisville to secure its first district win of the season.
“It was a team effort, man,” Mercer County quarterback Trosper Buchanan — the son of Titans’ head coach David Buchanan — said. “That’s a very cliche thing to say, … we had our sophomore cornerback (Thaddeus Mays) make the play to keep it even in overtime and we had our senior kicker was able to put it away for us.”
The Centurions got the ball first in OT, but Mercer County (2-1) held thanks in part to Mays and forcing a missed field goal. That set up Davis’ game winner.
Mercer County’s Jalen Lukitsch scored TD runs of 15 and 35 yards and Brayden Dunn scored on a run and a 30-yard shovel pass to help stake the Titans to a 28-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
But CAL (1-2) responded. Brandt Babin’s two-point conversion tied the game at 28 with 54 seconds remaining, ultimately sending it to overtime.
“Both teams played their guts out,” David Buchanan said.
Frederick Douglass 49, Ballard: 21: Samuel Cornett completed TD passes to Dekel Crowdus, Cameron Dunn and Dane Key in the first half as the Broncos (1-1) jumped on the host Bruins (1-1) in their quickly scheduled Saturday morning matchup.
The game was arranged Thursday after Scott County backed out of its scheduled date with Douglass over COVID-19 concerns related to Fayette County’s brief “red level” status on the state’s coronavirus map.
Darius Neal and Elzandrae Hartley each notched rushing TDs. Kentucky offensive line commit Jager Burton capped the scoring with a 28 yard interception return.
Lexington Christian 45, Williamsburg 7: Drew Nieves threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers in a game LCA (3-0) had settled by halftime with a 38-0 lead.
Xavier Brown contributed a rushing TD, 114 yards receiving and a TD catch. Tyler Morris broke away for a 58-yard TD run early. Will Vernon and Elijah Hammond also had TD catches.
Bryan Station 41, Lafayette 0: The host Defenders lived up to their name, holding Lafayette to 103 yards of offense and forcing four turnovers while coming up with five sacks.
Asa Taylor made two of those sacks and forced a fumble. Damin Green returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to put Bryan Station (2-1) ahead 21-0. Giovanni Watson returned a fumble 12 yards for a score to make it 34-0 Defenders early in the fourth.
Carl Mundford caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Bryant intercepted a pass and broke up two others for Lafayette (0-2).
Lexington Catholic 44, Tates Creek 13: Jack Gohmann was a model of efficiency under center as the visiting Knights cruised past the Commodores. Gohman completed 10 of 12 passes for 202 yards and five touchdowns — four in the first half — and did not turn the ball over.
Gohman’s 48-yard TD pass to JD Woodall early in the first quarter got the scoring barrage underway for Lexington Catholic (1-1). Later in the quarter, Gohman tossed a 31-yard touchdown to Jackson Corbett and followed that up with a 48-yard scoring strike to Blake Busson.
Ke’Shon Douthitt caught four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown for Tates Creek (0-2).
Scott County 42, Clark County 14: Host Scott County leaned on a bruising running attack to get the best of visiting Clark County (0-2) in a bout that was booked unexpectedly.
Montago Jones and Campton Martin each topped the century mark for Scott County (3-0). Jones rushed 24 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while Martin went for 100 yards and three scores on 12 carries.
Clark County’s Jordan Manley threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Gibson to tie the game 14-14 midway through the second quarter, but Scott County scored the final four TDs of the game — beginning with Martin’s 4-yard plunge with just over a minute to play in the first half.
Clark County was originally slated to visit Ballard this week, but pulled out because of the ongoing social unrest in Louisville.
Danville 28, Wayne County 24: Sage Dawson capped a huge night with the game-winning score as the host Admirals came back from a 13-0 deficit to improve to 2-0.
On fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Dawson punched into the end zone on a QB-keeper with just under six minutes to play. Danville (2-0) held tight on defense the rest of the way.
Dawson completed 15 of 20 passes for 214 yards and scored twice on the ground. It was another heartbreaking loss for Wayne County (1-2), which fell to Southwestern, 42-41, in its season opener two weeks ago.
Boyle County 46, Highlands 7: Jagger Gillis completed 14 of 21 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown and punched in two more TDs on the ground as the visiting Rebels beat up on the Bluebirds.
After Jackson Smith nailed a 35-yard field goal to open the scoring, Luke Sheperson returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown and Cole Lanter ran for the two-point conversion to put Boyle County (3-0) ahead 11-0 in the first quarter. Will McDaniel ran for 95 yards and two TDs in the win.
Charlie Noon threw a 20-yard TD pass to Brennan Kelsay to pull Highlands (1-2) within 25-7 at halftime.
West Jessamine 36, East Jessamine 28: The Colts scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter bolstered by a fumble recovery and an interception. West Jessamine QB Jacob Jones threw for 310 yards and one touchdown and ran for 15 yards and another score. Jackson Green had 132 yards receiving and two rushing TDs in the comeback. Dalton Carter had 130 yards and a TD receiving, as well.
It was West Jessamine’s (2-1) second win of the season after going winless in 2019. The Colts last beat East (1-2) in 2014. East Jessamine’s Bryson Garrison-Kelly and Donovan Motley each had breakaway TD runs in the first half.
Dixie Heights 26, Madison Central 14: Silas McDaniel’s second touchdown of the game proved to be the dagger as Dixie Heights (1-2) outlasted the visiting Indians. After Nathan Storie ran for a 2-yard touchdown to pull Madison Central (1-1) within 19-14 halfway through the fourth quarter, McDaniel capped a Dixie Heights drive with a 5-yard scoring plunge with just over two minutes to play. That decisive TD was set up by a 6-yard completion from Logan Landers to Devin Holbert on fourth-and-4.
Collins 21, Madison Southern 13: Joe Lucas hit Kenyon Goodin on a pass play that went 77 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game for the Titans (3-0). Collins’ Keaton Edwards scored two TDs, one rushing, one receiving. Cameron Holbrook scored twice for the Eagles (0-2). An interception by Goodin late in the fourth quarter sealed it.
Covington Catholic 41, Cooper 0: Caleb Jacob threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns — two of them to Ethan Reardon — as the visiting Colonels crushed Cooper (0-3). Covington Catholic (3-0) held the Jaguars to 97 yards of offense.
Conner 40, Boone County 0: Colton Roy ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns as the host Cougars breezed past Boone County (1-2). Alex Castrucci completed 11 of 14 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns for Conner (2-0), which held the Rebels to 29 rushing yards.
Somerset 41, Russellville 9: Visiting Briar Jumpers QB Kaiya Sheron ran for 102 yards and threw for another 159 yards and three TD passes, two to favorite target Kade Grundy. Chase Doan also racked up 107 yards rushing and pounded in two TDs for Somerset (3-0).
Bell County 57, McCreary Central 13: Eight different Bobcats scored in the rout. Quarterback Cameron Burnett threw for 109 yards and two TDs. Bell County (2-1) running back Dawson Woolum had 108 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Paintsville 54, Hazard 0: Quarterback Jake Hyden threw for 191 yards and three TDs and rand for 107 yards and two scores as the Tigers (3-0) cruised. Harris Phelps led five other scorers with two touchdowns as Zach Thompson, Colby Fugate, Devin Hall and Karsten Poe all reached pay dirt.
Johnson Central 47, Simon Kenton 17: Mason Lawson scored four TDs, including breakaway runs of 36 and 40 yards as the Golden Eagles (3-0) extended their winning streak to 17 games. Grant Rice had a TD pass to Lawson for 32 yards and pounded in a 1 yard score himself.
Southwestern 22, Knox Central 20: Josh Walden’s interception with under a minute to play sealed the win for the Warriors (3-0) who overcame a 12-0 deficit early. Giddeon Brainard had two rushing touchdowns for Southwestern, including the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter. Knox Central (2-1) had a pair of passing TDs from Brady Worley to Abram Brock.
Harlan 22, Berea 20: Ethan Clem’s two-point conversion in the game’s final minutes gave the Green Dragons (2-1) their first lead of the game and the win. Darius Akal’s TD catch with under a minute and a half to play capped a 91-yard Harlan drive to tie it after Berea was turned over on downs trying for a clinching score.
Pulaski County 50, Whitley County 36: Quarterback Drew Polson threw four TD passes to four different receivers and totaled 372 yards in the air, plus a three-yard touchdown run as the Maroons (2-1) got their first district win.
Lincoln County 54, Anderson County 14: Lincoln County improved to 3-0 with a rout of visiting Anderson County (0-3). The Patriots have scored 50 or more points in all three wins this season. Patriot QB Clayton Davis scored on TD runs of 1, 51 and 63 yards. Rodney Alcorn and Thaeden Garr added two more scores each.
This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 1:13 AM.
