Outlook- Last season looked a little like 2019 for Bardstown. They were a dominate running team with a strong defense and an experienced quarterback and give or take a few plays, they might have advanced past a second round playoff game against eventual 3-A State Runner-up Elizabethtown. Coach David Clark will still return a strong team with plenty of talented starters at the skill positions and got a big boost when quarterback Brady Clark was allowed to return for another season thanks to SB 128.
Lots to look at. The Tigers were very effective (scoring 415-points compared to 526 in 2019 in 14-games) when they were on offense. Clark threw for 1,396-yards and 26-TDs while coach Clark had four back that could carry the ball behind an experienced offensive line. The Tigers have plenty coming back with Clark under center for another season (he was the team’s fifth best runner (219-yds) and junior TJ Greenwell (877-yds-13-TDs) along with sophomore Tyleeg Williams (482-yds-6-TDs) form a powerful one-two punch in the backfield. Junior Shannon Tonge was the team’s leading receiver with 16-catches for 3-TDs and Greenwell had 14 for 243-yds. The OL will return a few starters with senior John Montgomery leading the way and Clark will look for other starters to fill holes.
Sill pretty good. The Bardstown defense allowed just 159-points in 2020 in just nine games and were very stingy against the run allowing just 998-yards, while the secondary allowed just 965-yards. The Tigers will return eight starters on defense including Greenwell, Montgomery, Ethan Poynter and Williams. The DL lost Kenny Jaggers, Maurice Williams and Dalton Smith, but Bryson Crume will be back and Clark will look for replacements. The LB corps return Greenwell, Montgomery and Poynter and the secondary which picked off five passes will return Williams, Yared Raley, Cameron Shewmaker and Shytel Williams.
Kicking game. Senior Lemark Veasey will return after going 21-of-30 in PAT’s.
Summation. Despite some holes on the OL, the Tigers should be a very good team and could challenge for the Class 3-A District 3 Title if not win it out right. After that, a little luck may go into what happens next. Last year’s team had a 14-point lead over Elizabethtown until things fell apart in the fourth quarter and teams like Belfry, Ashland Blazer, CAL and DeSales always seem to reload each year. Still, the return of Clark will be a welcomed sight and a favorable schedule will help a well.
Could be a breeze for the Tigers. Bardstown will open the season against Franklin Simpson (3-5) on August 20th and then four straight road games against John Hardin (5-3), Marion County (1-4), Elizabethtown (12-1) and then Spencer County (5-4) before finally coming home on September 24th against LaRue County (4-3) before going back on the road to face Nelson County (1-4) and then back home to play Thomas Nelson County (1-7) and Evangel Christian and then East Jessamine (1-60. The Tigers will face four teams with winning records in 2020 and four teams with just one win last season. This could be another epic year for Bardstown.
