Last season was nothing short of spectacular for Logan County.
After winning just one game in the four previous seasons, the Cougars saw a complete 180-degree turnaround, finishing the 2017 regular season with an untarnished 10-0 record and advancing to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Among Logan County’s list of impressive wins from the 2017 season was a 28-21 win over cross-town rival Russellville, their first win over the Panthers since 2011.
The Cougars are poised to make it two in a row on Friday evening at Cougar Stadium, but that will be a tall task to face for Todd Adler’s undefeated squad.
Following a humbling 51-0 loss on the road to Glasgow to open the season, first-year head coach Mikie Benton has Russellville (2-1) rolling with two straight wins over Fort Campbell (28-3) and Butler County (17-13).
The Breakdown
Logan County boasts another high-powered offense heading into Friday’s matchup, as they have outscored their opponents 159-18 in the first three games of the season and have put up more points than any other team in Class 4A.
The Cougars (3-0) have found most of their success through the running game, riding the legs of junior running back Gary Hardy and junior quarterback Tyler Ezell, who have carried for 336 and 208 yards on the season, respectively.
Ezell has completed 22 of 36 passes for 575 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 192 passing yards a game. Reggie Powell and Tristan Blake have caught for 154 and 131 yards, respectively, and have each hauled in a touchdown pass.
Defensively, sensational senior defensive lineman Caden McKinnis leads the Cougars with 18 tackles on the season, including five tackles for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
Third Bell and Tristan Blake each have two interceptions on the season. Bell has forced and recovered a
fumble while Collier Kempf leads Logan County with three sacks.
Russellville brings a balanced offense into Friday night’s matchup as the Panthers have passed for 246 yards on the season while rushing for the same.
Senior quarterback Jacob Naylor has completed 16-of-44 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. Naylor has also rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries and another score.
Edward Barber leads the Russellville ground game with 176 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. Ryan Flores has caught five passes for 158 yards and a pair of scores.
Showing his versatility on both sides of the ball, Barber also leads the Panthers in tackles with 24 total stops on the season while Zavius Coleman follows close behind with 22 tackles.
Flores has two interceptions for Russellville while Naylor also has an interception with a 40-yard return.
Russellville (2-1) @ Logan County (3-0)
WHERE: Cougar Stadium, Logan County High School, Russellville, KY
WHEN: 7:00 PM
HOW TO FOLLOW: Twitter updates (@sportingtimes); STBNTV.com (PXP with Miles Schroader)
Clay Manlove; @ctmanlove58
