In a matchup of two area teams, 3-A Elizabethtown built a big lead over 6-A North Hardin and nearly let it slip away, but a strategic error by the Trojans eventually allowed the Panthers to capitalize and escape for a 34-28 win.
At one time the two teams were rivals in football, but after a longtime absence of scheduling the Panthers and Trojans did meet in 2010 (North Hardin won, 35-8) and this season the two seem to be going in different directions with Elizabethtown unbeaten (3-0) and North Hardin having lost their last two games (1-2) over very good teams, but it didn’t seem to matter early when the Panthers scored 28-unanswered points after the Trojans took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and actually led 28-7 early in the third quarter after the third of three touchdown passes by quarterback Jack Wilson to wide out Peyton Payne for 27-yards.
That’s when everything suddenly changed as North Hardin going to a hurry up offensive attack drove down the field on a drive consisting mainly on running back Taven Graves, who ran and caught passes from junior quarterback Isaiah Bankhead and eventually led to the senior back’s first touchdown of the game from 11-yards out. Then early in the fourth quarter, Bankhead dialed in wide receiver Will Alexander for his second touchdown on a fade routine from 31-yards out to make the score 28-21.
North Hardin capped another long drive with a 7-yard touchdown by Graves to tie the score at 28, but with the Elizabethtown defense gassed, the Trojans had pouch kicked on every kickoff because of a strategic move by North Hardin coach Brent Thompson and this time it cost them.
Chase Bridges was lined up on the right side of the Panthers kick coverage and when the first kick was redone because of a penalty, Bridges thought the Trojans might do it again to his side and he caught the ball on one bounce. With everyone on the North kicking team having run past him because of their momentum, Bridges went 45-yards untouched for the go-ahead touchdown.
Although the extra point was missed, the Panthers finally stymied the Trojans when driving on their last possession, Dalonzia Cates intercepted Bankhead’s hurried pass with 1:30 left to secure the win.
The Trojans strategy of running the ball (Graves gained 136-yards rushing mostly in the second half) to tire the Elizabethtown defense worked in the second half, but coach Mark Brown’s team found a way to escape with a win much like all good teams do. After three straight easy wins, one had to wonder how the unbeaten Panthers would react when faced with a real dogfight. Well, now we know as they look to stretch that against another good offensive team in Bardstown next week.
