It was hot last Friday, but high school football teams were even hotter.
Although temperatures were in the low 90’s at kickoff last Friday night, that didn’t seem to slow 5th Region Football teams down as the scoreboards were lighting up all over. Ten teams scored over 30 and a few exceeded that with the Bethlehem Eagles topping all area teams putting 73-points on Berea last Friday night. Coach Ron Kootz must really like to see Berea on the schedule, because last season his Eagles put over 40 on them then and former running back star Jake Yates went wild. Nelson County got a little revenge against crosstown rival Thomas Nelson for their upset win over them last season with a big 34-0 blowout. Washington County put 40-points on Kentucky County Day in their 40-36 win while Adair County continued to add to LaRue County’s misery pounding them, 47-8. 
Edmonson piled on 43-points in a 43-7 beat down of 3rd Region foe Grayson County. Meanwhile, Elizabethtown had no trouble with North Oldham 38-0 as Coach Mark Brown’s team has yet to be challenged seriously yet this season. Central Hardin took a close first half leading only 7-6 and turned it into a runaway against Bullitt East, 35-13. It was a game in which the Bruins accumulated 0-yards passing, but flew on the winged feet of Xavier Arnette for 210-yards and scoring runs of 61, 66 and 78-yards.
The John Hardin Bulldogs followed up their big win over North Hardin the previous week with a big win over Warren Central, 33-29, but it was far from easy. It took a 3-yard scoring run from running back Korie Cleveland with about 4:30 left and an interception to seal the win. The Bulldogs had their hands full last week and will travel to PRP next week before they can finally come home to play their first game. Meade County returned to their winning ways with a 44-7 win over Breckenridge County while North Hardin scored 35-points, but a were unable to outscore Caldwell County. And after nearly two seasons, the Fort Knox did something they hadn’t done which is break into the win column with a 14-6 victory over Trimble County.
Games to watch in week 4 – Bardstown @ Nelson County: It’s been quite a while since Nelson County tasted victory against Bardstown (2010 to be exact, 35-7) and after both teams pulled out runaway wins the previous week, it does set up an interesting matchup and for one of the few times in quite a while, the Cardinals might be on firm ground. Coach Jamie Egli has switched gears and turned to a powerful running game much like they did against Thomas Nelson last week and Bardstown does have a strong ground game, but has shown versatility under quarterback Santrel Farmer and that could be a factor. Watch the Nelson County running backs against Bardstown’s defensive line and whether they can control the line.
North Hardin @ Elizabethtown: The revival of one of the classic area matchups, the last being 2010 with North Hardin winning 35-8. Although the Panthers are unbeaten (3-0) and have outscored opponents 137-12, they really haven’t been tested yet and this may be one of the few opportunities for Coach Mark Brown to see a fast break offense (other than Bardstown the following week) during the regular season. The Trojans at 1-2 are reeling and need some kind of positive result as they head into District play. Look for Brown to try to control running back Taven Graves and prevent his big game potential, while Coach Brent Thompson will try to do the same against Graves’s opposite number Bernil Cecil.
