The team has experienced some bumps in the road along the way, but South Warren still finds itself just one game away from the Class 5A state championship game at Kroger Field.
The Spartans advanced to the state semifinals after a shocking 28-21 victory over Bowling Green in last Friday’s Region One title game, and Coach Brandon Smith has his team back in the final four for the third time in his five seasons as head coach.
South Warren (11-2) will now shift its focus to undefeated Covington Catholic, as the Spartans will host the Colonels on Friday night.
Covington Catholic (13-0) advanced to the state semifinals with a decisive 49-7 victory over South Oldham on Friday night, and the Colonels have established themselves as one of the more premier teams in the state by leading of all of Kentucky in average margin of victory at plus-35.8 points per game.
While the Spartans will look to several players to make plays on Friday night, South Warren will especially look to seniors Christian Winn and Greg Byrd.
Winn rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns in the Spartans’ win over the Purples last Friday night, and he opens up passing lanes for junior quarterback Gavin Spurrier when he runs the football well.
Byrd has played remarkably well on the defensive side of the ball for South Warren, recording seven interceptions in his last four games. The senior snagged an interception at Bowling Green’s own 4-yard line to set up Winn’s go-ahead touchdown run in the win against the Purples.
The Colonels are led by senior quarterback and Miami (OH) commit AJ Mayer, who has 141-of-223 passes for 2,438 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 328 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Defensively Covington Catholic will look to Michael Mayer, who has recorded a team-high 66 tackles on the season. The sophomore already has offers from several Division I schools, including Kentucky and Minnesota.
Kickoff between the Spartans and Colonels is set for 6 p.m. at Spartan Stadium. The game will be broadcast on STBNTV.com, with pre-game starting at 5:40 p.m.
