If you’ve never been to Kroger Field, the site of the 2020 KHSAA Football Championships then it is indeed an experience worth taking. This year’s edition has a different feel because of all the pandemic protocal, still it is the ultimate destination for any high school football player in the state of Kentucky.
After a busy Day One of the State Tournament in which two of the three games played went to overtime, the following day’s action could probably be just as exciting and you would think that the only KHSAA State Football Championship game that featured two unbeaten teams, that it might be the best contest of the weekend.
It really wasn’t.
Elizabethtown’s explosive offense against Ashland Blazer’s stifling defense. Instead we got what appeared to be a return to “Smash Mouth” Football as the Tomcats took it to the Panthers in a 35-14 win in the Class 3A title.
Ashland Blazer makes no secret about their offensive intentions and they detailed that very clearly by running the ball early, controlling the clock and keeping the ball away from the dangerous Elizabethtown offense. The deluge started a bit early as Elizabethtown won the toss and chose to kickoff to the Tomcats. Setting up on their 40-yardline, Ashland Blazer ran six plays, all runs with Hunter Gillum carrying four times for 36 of the 60-yard drive finishing it off with an 8-yard scoring run to make it 7-0 after SJ Lycans PAT eating up just 2:32. The Tomcats next drive began on their nine yardline and ate up 15-plays on a possession that began near the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, but ended on the Etown 19 when Caleb Tackett fumbled and the Panthers Ryder Gregory recovered.
After Elizabethtown surrendered the ball on their own 26, Ashland Blazer only had to run seven plays to score on Keontae Pittman’s 1-yard submarine run to make it 14-0 after the PAT. The big play was a 4th- and- 11 pass from Mullins to Paul Humphrey for ten yards to the Etown 14.
Elizabethtown moved the ball on their three possessions of the first half, but were unable to sustain drives in close. Their first drive died on the Ashland nine yardline, their second ended on their own 28 when they turned it over on downs and the third reached the Ashland 39 before four straight incompletions killed it.
The Tomcats Defense which had bent, but didn’t break all season was doing their job, but they would have to continue their strategy of slowing the Panthers down as they took the third quarter kickoff and after a big 32-yard run by Kam Sherrard and a personal foul by Ashland Blazer put them in position at the Tomcats eleven, it looked like they would get on the scoreboard, but after two runs gained seven yards, Clay Games threw two incompletions killing the drive.
From the four yardline, Ashland Blazer continued to pound away and drove the length of the field on nine plays, the biggest was a 62-yard run by Hunter Gillum which put them in position at the Etown nine yardline. Gillum, like Pittman was a difficult runner to bring down and the Army commit had surprising speed in the open field. Keontae Pittman scored his second touchdown from the three to ballon the score to 21-0 after the PAT.
The Panthers finally got things going and began to look like the team that scored over 500-points this season on a drive that covered 65-yards and ten plays. Games completed five-of-seven for 48-yards, the biggest to Camden Williams that reached the Tomcats five yardline and set up Games one yard dive to make it 21-7. Brandon Parson’s PAT came with 2:16 left in the third quarter.
After both teams exchanged punts, Ashland Blazer put the game away on a drive that covered 51-yards on four plays capped by Gillum’s second scoring run from a yard out to make it 28-7 after the PAT. The big play was a 37-yard gaunt by Pittman that carried to the one yardline.
Still, the Panthers still had some fight left and on a drive that covered 11-plays and 79-yards and ended on Games touchdown pass to Willaims from seven yards out to make it 28-14 after the PAT with 1:52 remaining. A 43-yard pass from Games to Williams was the key play moving the ball to the Ashland 21.
Unfortunately, the Tomcats got the score right back on Pittman’s racehorse like 58-yard run to make the final score 35-14.
Ashland Blazer’s win was best summed up by one stat and that was time of possession. The Tomcats held the ball for 29:02 compared to 18:58 by Etown ( 17:25 to 6:35 in the first half). Ashland ran 55 times of their 59 offensive plays and the running game was most effective with Ashland pounding out 415 compared to 84 by the Panthers. Keontae Pittman had 254 yards and three sixes along with Hunter Gillums 115 and two touchdowns were a powerful clock eating tool to keep Elizabethtown off the field. Gillum also contributed 11-tackles on the defensive end as well.
Elizabethtown moved the ball, but was simply unable to finish drives having their first five offensive possessions ending on downs twice in the Ashland red zone. Throughout the season and playoffs, the Panthers were deadly in close, but the Tomcats defense broke only twice giving up just two scores. Clay Games finished 18-of-37 for 200-yards, but was pressured several times and sacked twice. Both Cameron McNeil and Kam Sherrard were held to just 91-yards between them and Camden Williams finished with 6-catches for 92-yards and a touchdown catch.
While Ashland Blazer celebrated a 3-A Championship, Elizabethtown ponders “What might have been.” It was a great story throughout the season as the wins continued to pile up, you had to wonder when it might all come to an end. For twelve weeks, Ross Brown’s first year as head coach of the Panther’s saw his team meet any and all challenges and it finally took a superb effort by Ashland Blazer to end the storybook finish.
During warmups before the game, while the players milled about on the Kroger Field (home of the Kentucky Wildcats), several jogged through their paces while looking around the huge stadium. The same stadium that National Champions like Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Georgia have played in or walked on the same field that Heisman Trophy Winners and guys who are now playing on Sundays (in the NFL) have played on. Even the Elizabethtown coaches, despite the fact that this was a buisness trip probably were a little starry eyed the first time they led the team out on the field. The Giant Television screens on both sides of the stadium radiate images of the Panther Cheerleaders in the stands and the action of the field during the game as the fans in the stands were always emotionally occupied at all times. Even a 21-point loss will not completely erase the experience.
Although the Panthers left the game on the wrong end of the final score, there will be plenty of great memories. Even Ross Brown, who’s father won a State Championship at Nelson County will have plenty of great stories that he can share with Mark during the holidays and now he can compare tall tales about the “Big One that Got Away.”
A championship chase always has a way of bringing a town and a community together whether it’s the parents, fans, students and the alumni who travel in the fridged cold to watch what turns out to be a once in a lifetime event. Elizabethtown’s last trip to the state final in Football was 2003 and their state championship was way back in 1969. There were still a few around when that happened and they were present that cold morning in December.
A parting image. After select players and coaches did their post game interviews for the media, Clay Games quietly walked back to the locker room. About half way there he was met by his father. The two took a moment to reflect on the day and the long journey for both father and son.
This E-Town team will lose a lot as many as 16 seniors. Many are skill players going both ways. Games, Kam and Kia Sherrard, Camden Williams, Ryan Pyles, Brandon Parsons, Alandre Murphy, Camran McNeil, Nick Langseth, Dylan Miller, Drew Helton, Levi Duvall and several others will be missed.
Funny thing that so many players and coaches feared that the season would either be shortened or cancelled back in mid August. Yet, there they were on Kroger Field for the last weekend of the 2020 Kentucky Football season.
As both Quarterback and father made the long walk back to the lockerroom, I hope they took just a moment to reflect on team photo day four months ago and how far they and everyone came since then. Because in a year when nothing was certain, Elizabethtown took full advantage of their opportunity when it counted.
