Playoff Thursday kicked off the first week of high school football in Kentucky and Fort Knox traveled to Bethlehem for their date with destiny. The Eagles scored quickly on their first offensive possession, and it was 7-0. Then Will Ray intercepted a Fort Knox pass and it was 14-0. Then it was 21-0 after Zane Wickliffe scored. Martavious Smith scored and it was 28-0. Then the first quarter was over. There was no stopping the Eagles (Bethlehem that is) and they were on their way towards a 56-6 victory over Fort Knox thus ending the Eagles first full football season (after they were shutdown in 2020). Bethlehem will welcome Holy Cross (Louisville) this Friday night in a rematch of last year’s classic overtime thriller.
Meanwhile there were a few surprises as last year’s Class 3-A Championship representative Elizabethtown was upset by LaRue County in the first round of the playoffs. Despite losing to these same Panthers several weeks back (47-27), the Hawks were undaunted and built a quick 28-14 halftime lead over the Panthers thanks to Conlee Crossno’s scoring run, Brandon Hollis’s 11-yard run, Kellen Bowen’s 93-yard scoring run after taking a short pass from Cutter Boley and Hollis’ second scoring run to offset Elizabethtown’s two scores. Despite several scoring binges by the Panthers, the Hawks were able to offset those and come out on top, 42-28. The win was the first for LaRue County over Elizabethtown since their Region playoff win back in 2018.
The Hawks will face Bardstown, who ran their record to 11-0 with a 37-0 win over Thomas Nelson in the first round of the playoffs. Brady Clark threw for 232-yards and two touchdowns, the Tigers ran for 232-yards and Kadence Walls was 4-for-4 on PAT and made her only field goal attempt.
Central Hardin got a little revenge over Barren County for two previous losses during the regular season with a 36-0 win in the playoffs thanks to 222-yards rushing by the Bruins. The Central Hardin defense held the Trojans to minus rushing yards. The win set up a rematch between the Bruins and North Hardin this Friday.
North Hardin found the winning touch with a 54-14 win over Meade County. The Trojans have won three of their four wins off District opponents built a 33-0 lead thanks to a 59-yard scoring pass from Manie Wimberly to Shaun Boykins, Kye Boyd’s scoring run, a 78-yard interception return by Elijah Palmer, a 54-yard scoring pass from Wimberly to Queshaun Davis and finally Boykins second scoring catch this time from 39-yards out. North went on to add two more touchdowns before the Green Wave prevented a shutout with a fumble recovery for a score and a late touchdown to make the score final.
John Hardin advances with a 27-12 win over Louisville Moore. After trailing 6-0 after one quarter, the Bulldogs scored the next 21-points thanks to Andrew Carson’s two touchdown runs and a touchdown rushing and passing by Devon Rogers. Keyandre Strand helped fuel a 297-yards on the ground (Strand finished with 161-yards). The Bulldogs will travel to Spencer County for the second round of the playoffs.
