We have reached the second week of the Kentucky high school football playoffs, and the opponents are starting to become more evenly matched.
On Friday, Madisonville-North Hopkins and Franklin-Simpson will face off in the second round of the Class 4A Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl in Franklin.
The Wildcats sit at 8-3 on the season after beginning the year at 2-3 while the Maroons come to town boasting a 7-4 record after their 28-7 win over Allen County-Scottsville in last Friday’s first-round game.
Both teams have relied on a very potent rushing attack this season, Franklin-Simpson posting 3,485 rushing yards while Madisonville has racked up 3,394 on the ground.
The breakout season from junior running back Tre Bass has led the charge for the Wildcats as Bass has carried the ball 63 times for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.
Following in the footsteps of Bass is fellow junior Carlos McKinney, who has run for 935 yards and leads the workload with 141 carries and 12 scores. Senior running back Saul Brady has tallied 718 yards rushing on 85 carries and six touchdowns.
The Maroons are led by sophomore sensation Jariah Hightower, who has gashed opposing defenses for 1,523 yards and 15 touchdowns on 230 carries. Junior Aaron Miller has 958 yards on the ground and 12 more touchdowns.
It looks as if Franklin-Simpson may have the edge on Madisonville as far as rushing defense is concerned. The Wildcats have given up only 557 yards this season (50.6 yards per game) while the Maroons have given up 1,124 rushing yards (102.2 yards per game).
The Wildcats advanced to the second round with last week’s 43-6 win over Hopkins County Central. Friday night’s matchup is set to begin at 7:30 pm CT.
