Central Hardin and John Hardin played a classic that helped remind us that old style football was at once a ground game.
At the halfway point of the high school football season, several teams are trying to make a statement just as their District schedules begin and one of the loudest was by Central Hardin. Last Friday, the Bruins, like their opponent the John Hardin Bulldogs were in a desperate fight for control. Not over their District position, because those games haven’t started yet, but over pride. Both 2-2 teams were coming off ugly losses and played a brutal game of ball control waiting for the other to flinch and in the end the game came down to a pair of defensive gambles. One that worked, when the Bruins chose to blitz when John Hardin went on fourth down in the fourth quarter with the score tied that stopped running back Robert Shorter for a 5-yard loss and another the backfired when the Bulldogs did the same with time running down and Darius Barbour avoided the rush and escaped or a 12-yard game winning touchdown with 00:21 remaining. Central Hardin’s 28-21 win kept two streaks alive in that coach Tim Mattingly has now beaten John Hardin twice as a head coach and the Bruins are now 2-0 since he came over from Meade County last year.
Meanwhile, the Elizabethtown Panthers continue their drive for perfection in Coach Mark Brown’s second season at that school and ran over and around the Bardstown Tigers, 38-7. The Panthers had the running game going that night behind Bernil Cecil’s 185-yards rushing and his two long scoring runs of 82-yards and 56-yards that helped pace a 404-yard ground assault against the Tigers.
The other undefeated area team in 3-A was also keeping pace as Adair County was beating up winless Russell County, 48-0 and has looked every bit as impressive as Elizabethtown at times. Quarterback Chance Melton completed only 6-passes, but for 112-yards and 3-TDs to wide-out Shymez Branbson, who has eight for the season and running back Jordan Lasley ran for 100-yards and a touchdown.
Down in North Hardin, the South Warren Spartans continued their dominance over Hardin County teams by beating the Trojans, 21-0. Even though they were down to their backup quarterback, South Warren had little trouble keeping North Hardin’s explosive offense at bay running for 476-yards and holding Trojan quarterback Isaiah Bankhead to just 94-yards passing and running back Taven Graves to just 48-yards on the ground.
Games to Watch:
Meade County @ John Hardin: The continuation of one of the best area rivalry’s and even though neither are in the same Classification (JH 4-A and Meade 6-A) it’s still fun to watch. The Bulldogs are reeling after a tough loss to Central Hardin and Meade County is likewise after losing to Lexington Bryan Station 54-14. Both teams love to run and use the pass as an additional weapon and we will see who will flinch first this time.
Adair County @ KCD: Another game of well matched opponents. Adair County is a hot team and Kentucky County Day should be a good test after their big win (33-14) over previously unbeaten Bethlehem. Adair County has a multi-threat offense with three running backs that are productive and a quarterback who manages the game well. It should be a fun to watch.
