Jim Mashek

BOWLING GREEN WINNING STREAK SNAPPED AT SIX GAMES; SPARTANS CLAIM DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP

South Warren High School’s football team was in no hurry to leave.

The Spartans erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter before holding on down the stretch to knock off crosstown rival Bowling Green High School, 28-24, in a long-anticipated matchup between KHSAA Class 5A contenders before an overflow crowd Friday night at the BGHS stadium.

There were four lead changes before South Warren struck for two decisive touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter in a game sponsored by the U.S. Army’s “Rivalry Series,” a program designed to bring national exposure to some of the country’s finest rivalries in high school football.

South Warren senior Colton Veltkamp was an easy choice for the game’s MVP honors, doing it all for the Spartans, on offense, defense and even the kicking game. The Spartans improved to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the KHSAA’s Class 5A, 2nd District while Bowling Green, the defending KHSAA 5A state champion, dropped to 6-2 and 1-1, respectively.

Veltkamp, the Spartans’ 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior, scored the game’s decisive touchdown, hauling in South teammate Bryce Button’s 31-yard scoring pass with four minutes, six seconds left in the game. The Purples somehow managed two more scoring opportunities before the end of the game, but Veltkamp and the South Warren defense were equal to the task.

“Our defense was outstanding,” seventh-year South Warren coach Brandon Smith said when it was over. “It’s a big victory, in our district, but it’s not the goal for either one of us. We’re playing for a lot more down the road.”

It was South Warren’s first victory over its archrival since Caden Veltkamp, Colton’s elder brother, guided the Spartans to their third KHSAA state championship in school history in 2021. Veltkamp’s parents, Jason and Kristen Veltkamp, and Caden were on hand for Colton’s banner night, which included two touchdowns, a critical interception and one big defensive play after another against Deuce Bailey and the Purples’ explosive offense.

Caden Veltkamp, WKU’s starting quarterback, had guided the Hilltoppers to an impressive 31-14 victory over Sam Houston State, a Conference USA newcomer, on Wednesday night in Huntsville, Texas. Jason Veltkamp, the WKU football strength and conditioning coach, was one of the South Warren parents who celebrated the victory with the Spartans just 20 or 30 yards from the scoreboard still showing the final score long after the game’s conclusion.

“Colton was on a mission tonight,” Jason Veltkamp said.

Colton Veltkamp, South QB Bryce Button and Spartans offensive lineman Ethan Patterson did interviews with a U.S. Army representative on the field, and the Spartans have gained the inside track to reach at least the KHSAA Class 5A state quarterfinals with the memorable victory. There’s a good chance they’ll see Bowling Green again in the postseason, as they did every season from 2019 until 2022.

South Warren will compete in the KHSAA Class 6A ranks next season, but the Spartans and BGHS will continue the fierce rivalry with non-district games earlier in the season. Bowling Green still leads the all-time series, 7-6.

“Colton made every play that could have been made,” Button said. “He bailed me out. Our whole defense bailed me out. It’s exciting, but we’ve got to be ready to go back to work on Monday.”

Button turned in an amazing performance himself, completing 21 of 31 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. The Eastern Michigan University commit also opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run on a third-down play with 2:42 left in the first quarter. South’s Alen Alic added the first of four extra points and the Spartans extended their lead to 7-0.

It wouldn’t last long.

BGHS quarterback Deuce Bailey, who made an official visit to his college choice, Missouri State, on Saturday morning, found teammate Trevy Barber on the left sideline for a 24-yard touchdown pass just 80 seconds later. The Purples’ Logan Johnson created that opportunity with a leaping interception of a Button pass on that same sideline, after the BGHS offense went three-and-out against the gang-tackling Spartans defense.

Neither offense did that much for the rest of the first half, but Bowling Green’s Braden Widener delivered a 37-yard field goal to put the Purples in front, 10-7, with 8:22 left in the third quarter.

The Spartans offense was even more proficient in their next series.

South QB Bryce Button found sophomore receiver Justin Capps for a 30-yard completion, and four plays later, Veltkamp beat the Purples’ defense on a quick slant before powering his way into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown catch that put the Spartans back in front, 14-10.

“Colton was an absolute warrior, on both sides of the ball,” South coach Brandon Smith said.

The drama started to build as Bailey got his team back in the end zone on a pretty 54-yard touchdown pass to BGHS teammate Christopher Sweeney, and the Purples rolled with that momentum when senior linebacker Brandon Gurley intercepted Button’s pass on the left sideline. Again, Bailey went for the quick strike, and he found Trevy Barber, the Purples’ leading receiver, for a 52-yard touchdown pass that extended Bowling Green’s lead to 24-14.

Button pulled the Spartans within three points on a nifty rollout pass midway through the fourth quarter, stopping before throwing across the field to junior wideout Jake Carter for a 19-yard TD pass in the left corner of the end zone. Carter seldom left the field, like Veltkamp, playing in the South Warren secondary.

Veltkamp’s second touchdown reception of the night, a 31-yard scoring strike with 4:06 showing on the scoreboard clock, put the Spartans ahead for good. Both Veltkamp and Bowling Green’s Grayson Newman would both come up with interceptions in the game’s final four minutes, and Veltkamp batted down a Bailey pass before it was over, helping send the Spartans to the gritty victory.

“We were never in control of this game,” BGHS coach Mark Spader told Micheal Compton of the Bowling Green Daily News. “It was two good teams, getting after each other. (Veltkamp) played a whale of a game for them. He made big play after big play.

“We knew they were a good team, coming into it. I expected this kind of game. I really would have liked to have finished that last drive, but that’s just how it goes.”

Both teams had trouble establishing their running game, but South’s Kayden York had an abundance of carries, helping the Spartans and Button get opportunities to move the ball with the passing game. Colton Veltkamp, who announced his commitment to Georgia Southern University on Saturday morning, finished the game with seven receptions for 139 yards.

Bowling Green will make the short trip up Scottsville Road to tangle with Greenwood High School (5-3, 1-1 in KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District play) on Friday night, while the Spartans will play host to a winless Ohio County squad on Senior Night at South Warren. South’s Colton Veltkamp, for one, said he anticipates a postseason matchup with the Purples in November, but neither team will take that for granted.

Owensboro High School struck for a 55-23 upset of the Spartans in second-round play last season, and the Red Devils were beaten at Bowling Green, 38-6, two weeks later in the state semifinals.

“It was a wild one, that’s for sure,” Veltkamp said. “We had so many guys step up tonight … we’ll be ready to get back to work in a couple days.”