5 Takeaways from Week 4 in Football
BRUIN BLUES – Looking at the Central Hardin Bruins and you can trace most of their problems to two things: 1. Difficulty of schedule and 2. Injuries. At 1-3, playing the likes of Bowling Green, Christian Academy of Louisville and South Warren has certainly shown in their inability to outscore or stop their opponents as during their three losses they have been outscored 34-128. To make matters worse has been the loss of several key players to injuries like starting quarterback Chase Elmore and Gavin George to name a few. Since both play skill positions on offense and defense that’s like losing four players. Their recent loss to South Warren was especially painful trailing 38-0 at the half and the schedule doesn’t get much kinder with North Hardin, Meade County and Ballard along with John Hardin next week.
PANTHER PROBLEMS – Although the KHSAA scores only go back to 1998, during that time head coach Mark Brown has never started 0-3 during that time with either Nelson County, John Hardin or his current team Elizabethtown. Unfortunately, the Panthers 48-10 loss to Christian Academy of Louisville has Elizabethtown on the wrong end of that record which could say something about the greatness of his system and some of the problems this current team has had. The biggest problem has been the first three games against Franklin Simpson, North Hardin and the Centurions along with the inability to stop the run. CAL piled up 299-yards running and seven TDs on the ground. The Panthers have been getting turnovers though including three last week and the schedule will be a little kinder, yet an interesting fact is that only one team in their remaining seven games have a losing record at this point.
BULLDOGS BIT BACK – After losing two straight games after starting the season on a high note, the John Hardin Bulldogs found their winning ways with a 36-6 victory over Warren Central and their next game on the road at Central Hardin could be a defining moment for both teams at this point of the season. Two years ago, the Bulldogs were 1-3 until beating the Bruins in week 5, 14-7 and it spearheaded a five-game winning streak which eventually led the team to a Final Four matchup against Franklin-Simpson. The next season, the Bulldogs lost a tough physical game with Central Hardin (27-12) on the way to a 5-6 finish. Both teams love to run and the ability to stop it will decide who is victorious
TROJAN POWER – Last year at this time, North Hardin was 1-2 before their road game against Pleasure Ridge Park and came home with a 41-7 loss and a 1-3 record soon to be 3-8 at seasons end. This season has so far been a different story and the team’s 3-1 record along with their 41-14 running clock win over PRP may have been a surprise to some, but maybe not Brent Thompson. Maybe the biggest reason has been the defense. Last season after four games, the Trojans had allowed nearly 40-points a game in three losses, but this season have allowed under 20 in all three wins. The offense has really been clicking with quarterback Eric Moore’s 10-touchdown passes during that time and seven have been to younger brother Josh, while the running game has been paced by sophomores Lavell Wright and Elijah Banks.
COUGAR PAYBACK – Speaking of paybacks, last season the Grayson County Cougars weathered another rough season winning just one game and one of the lowlights of that year was a 60-7 blowout by the Ohio County Eagles. It was a loss that frustrated head coach Ed Smart on the post game coaches show because of the piling on effect of the Eagles against a beaten foe. So last week’s 41-12 win over Ohio County had to be especially sweet as the Cougars pounded out a win with Q’Daryius McHenry’s 125-yards rushing and two touchdowns. Grayson County pounded out 260-yards rushing and five touchdowns and the Cougar defense allowed just 146-yards running and are 4-0 for the first time since 2012. Ed Smart’s team will be tested next week against powerful South Warren, but after several down seasons at least for now “Football is A lot of Fun in Grayson County for now.”
