5 Takeaways from the Week in Football
Bardstown vs. Elizabethtown should be a GREAT matchup! Well anyway for one team. Since starting 5-2 and a couple of pretty respectable losses to Glasgow and Waggener, Bardstown seemed to be back on track after last year’s offseason until Louisville Central brought them down to earth, 45-6. Although that’s really not to be taken too seriously since the Yellowjackets only two losses were to Ballard and St. X. Still, head coach David Clark will find out how far his team has come with a home game against Elizabethtown next Friday. A good guess is that we will see a good dose of LaDarion Montgomery and Frank Burton against the Panther defense.
Elizabethtown POUNDED LaRue County! So much for a great showdown. Once Elizabethtown finished their Murderers Row (three teams to start the season with a combined record of 21-3), the Panthers have looked nothing less than spectacular going 5-0 since and a comfortable 4-0 in the District. The funny thing is that the total yardage between the two teams last week in their game was pretty close (Elizabethtown 298 LaRue County 241), but head coach Mark Brown’s team kept forcing and coming up with big plays particularly on defense. The Panthers forced seven turnovers (three fumbles and four interceptions) along with a 56-yard kickoff return by Cameron McNeil which showcased the difference between weeks one through three to the present.
The SEVENTY Club! For a team which struggles to win games, Fort Knox does carry one strange distinction and that is that they have had a least one game three of the last four years where they have scored seventy points or more in a game. This year, it was against Caverna, who had the embarassing job of allowing the scoreboard keeper to get a finger cramp from keeping up as the Eagles won 71-48. Fort Knox senior runner Alton Pendergrass had quite a night running for 227-yards and six touchdowns, while senior Jerome Jones tried to keep pace with 129-yards and a TD. The funny thing is that the Eagles actually trailed at one point 12-0 until a kickoff return for six by T J Pittman changed that and after that it was a deluge of 40-straight Fort Knox points. Last season, it was Shawnee which was the unlucky victim (74-0) and in 2015 it was McCreary County (74-44). The Eagles also put 66-points up on Caverna last year too in a 66-14 Fort Knox win.
Still HOT after a win are the BULLDOGS! Yes. It wasn’t pretty, but John Hardin did get by Breckinridge County 21-6 last Friday night and the win assures the Bulldogs of a home playoff game. Now, next up is a huge game against Louisville Moore, which is currently 7-1. During their six game winning streak, defense has paced John Hardin as they have allowed only double digits just once and will be severly tested by the Mustangs, which average thirty points a game and have allowed only 123-points in eight games.
Grayson County gets a much needed WIN! After going 4-0 for the first time since 2012, the Grayson County Cougars hit a rough patch, but after being outscored 50-147 by South Warren, Allen County-Scottsville and Bowling Green, head coach Ed Smart’s team got back on the winning track with a 35-14 win over Greenwood. Although 2-6, it was the first win for an Ed Smart team over the Gators and it came by way of a powerful performance by sophomore Q’ Daryius McHenry, who carried 24 times for 215-yards and three touchdowns. HcHenry now has 761-yards and eleven scores along with senior Noah Bullock who threw for 58-yards and a touchdown. The Cougars could improve their record with upcoming games against Barren County (2-6) and Muhlenberg County (3-5).
Game of the Week: Central Hardin (3-5) @ North Hardin (6-2) – Both teams are defined by different identities and each has seen their season going in different directions as well. The Bruins have been beset by injuries at the quarterback position as head coach Tim Mattingly is on his fifth quarterback as Shaun Hay took over and played well against Meade County last week. North Hardin has been the biggest surprise this season with a 6-win record and two close losses to powerful Boyle County and DeSales. Although offense is a diverse conversation with the Trojans as they use Lavell Wright on the ground and quarterback Eric Moore throwing to brother Josh Moore for long scores. Still, defense will decide this game and North Hardin has proven all season long that they can handle the heat. Central Hardin’s game plan is usually pretty simple using the ground game to control the clock and keep the ball out of the opponents hands. It’s been a great philosophy during the last several seasons, but when it doesn’t work it puts too much pressure on an overworked defense. Look for the Bruins to control the clock and force turnovers like they did against Meade County. Three of the Bruins TDs were on takeaways and Central Hardin cannot afford to fall behind early and play catchup.
