Jim Mashek

SOUTH WARREN RECOGNIZING SENIORS IN HOME GAME AGAINST OHIO COUNTY; DRAGONS PLAY HOST TO NORTH HARDIN

KHSAA football squads been angling for the pole position the last month or so in the KHSAA’s challenging Class 5A, 2nd District.

South Warren moved into that spot last week, bolting back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to derail Bowling Green High School, 28-24. Senior tight end/linebacker Colton Veltkamp had two touchdown receptions, an interception and one big play after another — on both sides of the ball — in the Spartans’ dramatic victory over their archrival on Rockingham Avenue.

The Spartans (7-1 overall, 2-0 in district play) will close their 2nd District schedule at home on Friday night against the winless Ohio County Eagles (0-8, 0-2). It will be Senior Night at South Warren, when the traditional KHSAA power bids farewell to players such as Veltkamp, senior quarterback Bryce Button, senior lineman Cameron Bell and senior defensive end/tight end Ayden Page.

With its victory over Bowling Green last week, South Warren gained the inside track to the KHSAA Class 5A quarterfinals, and the Spartans have assured themselves of at least two additional home dates if they continue winning. Bowling Green (6-2, 1-1) and Greenwood (5-3, 1-1) will be looking for the 2nd District’s second seed on Friday night, with the winner being guaranteed only of one home playoff game when the postseason begins in two weeks.

The backdrop to this game is Bowling Green’s astounding lifetime record against Greenwood.

The Purples have gone 35-0, lifetime, against the Gators, with only a handful of competitive games. In 2021, for instance, Bowling Green defeated Greenwood, 24-10, in the KHSAA Class 5A playoffs. South Warren QB Caden Veltkamp, now the starting quarterback at Western Kentucky University, and the Spartans eliminated BGHS the next week, claiming a 28-3 victory in the Spartans’ last KHSAA state championship season.

Bowling Green would finish a pedestrian 6-6 that season, with freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey taking the snaps from center, before quickly returning to form.

The Purples reached the KHSAA Class 5A championship game in 2022, before losing to Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, 28-7. They returned to the title game last season, before stopping Cooper High School, 28-14, to claim the eighth KHSAA state title in Bowling Green history.

It hasn’t been an easy week of practice for the Purples after the devastating loss to South Warren, but they’re certainly equipped to make another run and could get another shot at the Spartans before it is all over.

Meanwhile, at Greenwood, veteran coach William Howard is getting h3-is team prepared for a Bowling Green squad with an explosive offense and sturdy defense. The Gators have won four of their last five games, including last week’s 31-30 triumph over Franklin-Simpson. Greenwood needed to stop a late two-point conversion try to put that one away.

In Class 4A, Warren East (5-3, 2-2 in the KHSAA’s cut-throat 1st District) will play host to Logan County (3-5, 1-3). Logan County has had a dip in fortunes after going a combined 19-6 in the previous two seasons. It figures to be a significant test for Warren East’s Dane Parsley, who is in his fourth season as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. Parsley also plays in the secondary and has been pressed into duty as the team’s punter and placekicker.

Warren Central (2-6 overall, 0-2 in the KHSAA’s Class 6A, 2nd District) will be out to snap a five-game losing streak when the Dragons play host to district leader North Hardin (6-2, 2-0) at Joe Hood Field. Warren Central QB Zarionte Howard leads the Dragons in rushing (574 yards, four TDs), passing (626 yards, two TDs, two interceptions).

North Hardin has won five consecutive games, including last week’s 42-14 victory over Central Hardin. Warren Central will be returning to the KHSAA’s Class 4A ranks in 2025.

Franklin-Simpson (5-3, 2-1 in the KHSAA’s Class 4A, 1st District) will play host to Hart County, which made school history last year by reaching the KHSAA Class 2A semifinals before falling to Bell County, 30-28. Hart County is unbeaten in eight games this season, including last week’s hard-fought, 15-7 victory over nearby rival Glasgow High School.

Hart County relies on a steady running game to move the football, with Kameron Asbury (857 yards, seven TDs) and Brenan Griffin (829 yards, eight TDs) leading the way.

In the KHSAA Class 2A ranks, Metcalfe County (3-5 overall, 1-1 in the KHSAA’s Class 2A, 3rd District) is on the road against Green County (2-6 overall, 0-2). Metcalfe County has an individual star in senior running back Byron Kirkland-Lundy, who has rushed for 1,368 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight games. Kirkland-Lundy is also a fine defensive player with 44 total tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.