By Perry Swack – Sporting Times Reporter
When the lights come on Friday night across the state of Kentucky, four schools from the Greater Bowling Green Area will look to continue their seasons for one more week. With two rounds of playoffs behind them, these programs now turn their attention to important state quarterfinal games across the Commonwealth. Metcalfe County is still alive in Class 2A after upsetting regular season district champion, Edmonson County. In Class 3A, Glasgow knocked off Taylor County to win the district title and advance to the next round. Allen County-Scottsville held serve at home against Warren East to keep their state title hopes alive in Class 4A. Bowling Green blew by South Warren in the second half to reach the state quarterfinals in Class 5A.
Class 5A
Bowling Green Purples (7-2) vs. North Bullitt Eagles (8-2)
December 4, 2020 – El Donaldson Stadium – 7:00pm
The state playoffs are now reseeded after the district titles based on RPI ratings. Of the eight remaining teams in Class 5A, Bowling Green’s RPI slated it as the fourth-highest team. North Bullitt was the fifth. Therefore, the Eagles will travel to Bowling Green with a chance to reach the state semifinals. In what has been promoted as the final game at El Donaldson Stadium, coach Mark Spader and the Purples will look to end the stadium’s 51st season with a win over North Bullitt.
The Eagles crushed Atherton in the first round of the playoffs, 54-9, before defeating South Oldham, 19-7. Senior running back Cole Durbin is the engine that makes the offense run. The Class 5A, District 4 player of the year is second in the class in rushing at 161 yards per game and has scored 23 touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Drew Hadley is also having a solid season, throwing for over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Eagles – coached by Class 5A, District 4 coach of the year, Adam Billings – have the third-highest scoring offense in 5A at 46.6 points per game. Senior defensive end Clay Coomes is tied for first in all of 5A with 7.5 sacks.
The Purples are coming off a season-defining win over archrival South Warren. After dropping the regular season meeting 10-7 at the El, the Purples returned the favor at South in the playoffs behind a 20-point third quarter en route to a 41-24 victory. BG found themselves down 16-14 midway through the third frame. With the Spartans punting from their own end zone, the Purples’ Tucker Strode blocked a punt and recovered it to give Bowling Green a 21-16 lead. The team went on to score two more times in the next 2.5 minutes to go up 34-16 and effectively put the game away. Quarterback Conner Cooper was picked off three times by the Spartans and only completed 6-of-17 passes; however, the experienced play-caller was huge when his club needed him most. The senior threw two touchdowns – both to Eli Burwash – and finished the night with nearly 200 yards through the air and 75 yards (plus a TD) on the ground. Javy Bunton continued his outstanding season with 22 strong rushes for 123 yards and two scores.
Prediction: Bowling Green 31, North Bullitt 23
Class 4A
Allen County-Scottsville Patriots (5-3) at Franklin County Flyers (7-1)
December 4, 2020 – Benny Watkins Field – 7:30 EST
Allen County-Scottsville returns to the third round of the playoffs (now the state quarterfinals, formerly the region title game) for the first time since 2010. In 2010, the Patriots went on to reach the state championship game. Its first two playoff games of 2020 were won by scores of 50-28 and 28-13 over district foes Franklin-Simpson and Warren East respectively. The balanced offensive attack led the Patriots to victory again against Warren East in the district championship game. Trace McIntyre completed 10-of-15 passes for 130 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Brandon Baxter and Jax Cooper each caught four passes as Baxter led the team with 61yards and Cooper tallied 45 yards and a score. The Patriots wore down the Raider defense for 248 rushing yards, led by Dillon Rookstool’s 93 yards on 14 carries. McIntyre rushed five times for 79 yards, and Landon Witcher ran 18 times for 71 yards.
The Flyers of Franklin County reversed an early-season loss to Central with a dominating 42-6 win over the Yellow Jackets in the district championship game. In 2019, the Flyers defeated Central in the regular season before Central knocked out Franklin County in the playoffs. Quarterback Nick Broyles was nearly perfect on the day, completing 15-of-16 passes for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Class 4A, District 4 player of the year Fred Farrier caught two of those TDs, snagging seven catches for 112 yards to lead Franklin County. Junior linebacker Brenton Sears led the way on defense with 14 tackles, while sophomore Peyton Ledford finished the game with 13. The Flyer defense forced three turnovers – two fumble recoveries and one interception.
Franklin County has only given up 80 points all season (10 points per game), with its season-high of 22 coming in mid-September against Woodford County. Phillip Peiffer leads the team with 75 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for losses, and 10.5 sacks, which is tops in the state across all six classes. The Flyers reached this round of the playoffs in 2018 but were knocked out in overtime by Knox Central. Franklin County has not reached the state semifinals since 1979.
Prediction: Franklin County 41, Allen County-Scottsville 28
DT Prediction: Allen County 35, Franklin County 28
Class 3A
Glasgow Scotties (7-2) vs. Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions (6-2)
December 4, 2020 – Hank Royse Stadium – 7:00pm
Glasgow returns to the third round of the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Christian Academy of Louisville (CAL) returns to this round for the fifth time in six seasons after winning the state championship in both 2016 and 2018. After starting the season 3-2, Glasgow has won four straight games by an average of 25.3 points per game. In the district championship game, the Scotties traveled to Taylor County where it shut out the Cardinals, 14-0. Coach Jeff Garmon’s club rushed 51 times for 208 yards in the win, led by junior Keiran Stockton’s 120 yards on 23 rushes. After losing to Taylor County 35-15 in the regular season, the Scotties dominated the Cardinals in the playoff round by holding Taylor County to 182 yards of total offense.
CAL rides a five-game winning streak entering its state quarterfinal showdown with Glasgow. The Centurions field one of the best passers in the state this season in quarterback Connor Masters. The senior has passed for nearly 1,600 yards, 22 touchdowns, and has a plethora of options at his disposal. Class 3A, District 4 player of the year Gage Geren is a talented wideout but will miss the rest of the season after breaking his foot on October 30. Easton Messer has led the receiving corps in his absence, leading the team in catches (36), receiving yards (541), and touchdowns (8). The junior helped propel the Centurions to victory in last week’s 23-7 victory over Mercer County with three catches for 107 yards and a score. Senior linebacker Braeden Babin is one of Class 3A’s leading tacklers with 97 on the season, including an astounding 28 tackles for losses and 10 sacks. His ten sacks are good enough for second across all six classes in Kentucky.
Prediction: Glasgow 27, Christian Academy-Louisville 23
Class 2A
Metcalfe County (6-2) vs. Lexington Christian (8-1)
December 4, 2020 – Joseph K. Ford Stadium @ Lexington Catholic High School – 7:00 EST
Metcalfe County enters the state quarterfinal round riding a five-game winning streak after defeating district rival Edmonson County in Brownsville last week. The victory gave the Hornets their first district title since 2007 – the last time Metcalfe County reached this stage of the postseason. The 2007 Hornets defeated Glasgow, Green County, and Trigg County to reach the state semifinals where they bowed out to Fort Campbell. Lexington Christian (LCA) is also new to this territory, playing in its first state quarterfinals since 2010.
The Eagles from Lexington are led by Class 2A’s leader in passing yards, Drew Nieves. The junior has thrown for 2,138 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, while completing over 61% of his passes. Nieves had an outstanding day in LCA’s district title win over Somerset last week, completing 12-of-18 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns. He also led the team with 54 rushing yards and scored on the ground. The Eagles needed all five of those touchdowns to overcome the Briar Jumpers, 42-35. Doug Charles’ club is one of the most balanced in the state when it comes to passing attempts vs. rushing attempts. The Eagles have attempted 242 passes and 245 rushes. Nieves and Xavier Brown have each rushed 61 times, Nieves leads with 279 yards, while Brown has scored four rushing TD. Brown – also a junior – is the team’s leading receiver with 760 yards and 9 touchdowns. Mason Moore is the team’s second-leading receiver, just behind Brown with 721 yards and nine scores. Senior linebacker Mattie Lebryk leads the Eagles with 106 tackles.
Metcalfe County is led by Gabe Zurmehly, who has rushed 125 times for 857 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. The senior running back ranks within the top ten in Class 2A in attempts, yards, touchdowns, and yards per game. Quarterback Peyton Dial engineers the Hornet offense at quarterback, having thrown for nearly 1,000 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions on the season. He only threw for 67 yards in last week’s victory, but his three passing touchdowns helped the squad eclipse Edmonson County by a score. Wyatt Blythe – the team’s leading receiver – has caught 37 passes for 486 yards and 8 touchdowns. Blythe, also a defensive back, leads the team with five interceptions – including one against Edmonson County. Sophomore safety Michael Bennett is the team’s leading tackler with 62 on the year, while Luke Meadows has recorded 16 tackles for losses. The Hornets will look to control the clock with their explosive run game as they look to reach the state semifinals for the first time in 13 years.
Prediction: Lexington Catholic 33, Metcalfe County 17
