Photos by Bob Catlett
After not reaching the Region Championship game last year, the Elizabethtown Football team didn’t take anything for granted this time around and built a 28-0 lead over Union County last Friday Night in a runaway victory for a 43-21 win. The Panthers Class 3-A Region title was accomplished with a quick strike offense and an opportunistic defense which created turnovers and took advantage of them.
After falling behind early against Bardstown, the previous week in the District Championship, Elizabethtown coach Ross Brown prepared his team for a Braves squad that may have started the season off with a four game losing streak, but had finished out with four straight wins and planned to make it five at Elizabethtown.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Unlike their slow start against Bardstown, the Panthers came out fired up and scored twice in the first quarter on Camran McNeil’s 20-yard pass from Clay Games and Kia Sherrard’s 7-yard run to make it 13-0. About the only thing the Panthers didn’t do right was a missed PAT, but they made up for that after Khia Sherrard’s 23-yard scoring pass from Games less than two minutes into the second quarter to make it 20-0 and a successful two point conversion upped the score to 21-0.
The Elizabethtown defense came up with the Panthers fourth score after forcing a fumble on Kanye Pollard which was picked up by Khia Sherrard, who handed the ball off to Alandre Murphy, who took it the rest of the way into the end zone for a 28-0 lead with 9:19 left before the halftime break.
Union County, stifled up to this point offensively, finally broke through with a drive which ended with a 1-yard run by Cannon Sheffer to cut into the huge lead, but Elizabethtown responded quickly driving downfield and scoring on McNeil’s 18-yard run. It was his second touchdown of the game and it bulged the lead back to 35-7 and then just before the half, the Panthers started piling on with a 26-yard scoring pass from Games to Khia Sherrard with just 00:54 left in the second quarter.
The 30-points scored in the second quarter helped start the running clock in the third quarter and despite two touchdowns by the Braves, the game was pretty much over at that point.
Unlike the previous week when Elizabethtown had to rally just to survive against the Tigers, Elizabethtown came out prepared to handle Union County and although they did allow Corithian Seales –Portee to rush for 138-yards and a 4-yard score in the third quarter, it came long after the game was decided. More importantly, Elizabethtown forced Union County’s offense into two turnovers both leading to Panther Touchdowns.
Once again, Elizabethtown statistically looked effective with Games going 13-of-16 for 201-yards passing and no interceptions while throwing for his 27th, 28th and 29th touchdown passes of the season, while the running game was paced by McNeil with 74-yards and two scores. The Sherrard brothers hauled in five of Games passes for 97-yards and Khia matched Kham, who had three scores the previous week with three touchdowns of his own.
Elizabethtown’s win means they will be at home this Friday when they welcome Christian Academy of Louisville for a chance to make a trip to Lexington to play in the Class 3-A Football Championship. For young Ross Brown, who might remember his father Mark when he won his only State championship at Nelson County, this really must seem like passing of the torch from father to son.
The city of Elizabethtown should be rocking come this Friday night.
