Jim Mashek

SOUTH’s VERSATILE DEFENSIVE LINE EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE

They move with a purpose, in practice, between the lines, and especially when it’s time to throw the hammer DOWN.

South Warren High School’s football team is a physical presence, a squad that’s ranked in the Top Five in virtually every statewide poll. The Spartans are in their first season as a KHSAA Class 6A squad, and through six games, they have turned some heads while keeping their collective eye on the task at hand.

Veteran South Warren coach Brandon Smith knew this would be a transitional season, and he realized the Spartans had to replace some critical players from last year’s KHSAA Class 5A semifinalist. Among them, tight end/linebacker Colton Veltkamp, tight end/defensive back Brody Enslow, defensive end Ayden Page, offensive lineman Ethan Patterson and perhaps most of all, departed quarterback Bryce Button, now playing college football at Eastern Michigan University.

With that in mind, Smith adopted a comprehensive plan for the Spartans’ move to Class 6A, not surprising given his coaching approach. South Warren players meet individually with their position coaches after virtually every practice, even after Smith has addressed the team as a whole.

Accountability is a fundamental to Smith’s coaching style, perhaps dating back to his playing days at Boyle County High School and Western Kentucky University.

“It’s been different, these last few months,” Smith said in the South Warren indoor facility after Monday’s spirited practice. “When you get to district play, usually you know everybody. You know their coaches, you know some of the kids individually. We’re playing some teams for the first or maybe second time, like Meade County on Thursday night …

“I think it’s been an easier transition for us, in that we focus on ourselves. We don’t talk much about the opponents, until we get to the game week part of the season. Even then, we’re more concerned with what WE’RE doing, as opposed to somebody else.”

One of the Spartans’ position groups that tends to stand out, after practice, is the hulking group of defensive linemen. They’re the cornerstone of the South Warren defense, a big, strong unit that excels at controlling the line of scrimmage and rushing the passer alike. Physical, strapping teenagers such as massive junior JaQuise Smith, a 6-foot-1, 340-pound tackle who is considered a top-flight college prospect.

JaQuise Smith takes on multiple blockers on virtually every running play, and he’s adept at collapsing the pocket from the middle, too.

“That group has made a lot of growth,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said. “‘Quise’ is a big man. He’s a hard worker. The defensive linemen have taken the approach that they’re going to be a factor. They’re going to be accountable.”

JaQuise Smith, pardon the pun, is a long way from being the Lone Ranger on Nashville Road.

Chrishaun Woods, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound interior lineman, is also drawing attention from the college recruiters. Sometimes, Woods and JaQuise Smith will join forces with versatile lineman Malik Butler, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound senior who plays extensively on both sides of the ball.

Butler is also a college prospect, and he’s critical to the Spartans’ run game, too.

Other South Warren defensive linemen include junior defensive end Will Mayes (17 tackles, five for losses), junior defensive end Khysen Buford (four tackles for losses, one sack) and rangy sophomore Clay Helton, the twin brother of South tight end/outside linebacker Cole Helton, the sons of seventh-year WKU head coach Tyson Helton.

Clay Helton, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound edge player, has recorded 10 tackles, including two tackles for losses and a quarterback sack. Clay Helton also had a sensational 21-yard touchdown catch in the Spartans’ resounding 45-14 victory over crosstown rival Bowling Green High School on September 12.

Butler transferred to South Warren from Franklin-Simpson High School after his sophomore season, and he’s quickly become a mainstay on the Spartans’ offensive and defensive lines.

Butler has recorded 16 tackles in South’s first six games, including five tackles for losses and two quarterback sacks. JaQuise Smith has put up similar numbers, with 14 tackles, half of them for losses, and two quarterback sacks.

On offense, Butler helps protect 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior Camden Page, the Spartans’ first-year starting quarterback who played primarily on the flanks during Bryce Button’s three years under center. The Spartans like to spread the wealth with their ground game, with 5-foot-8, 175-pound senior Kayden York leading the way.

“Kayden’s one of a kind, really,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said. “He’s a coaches’ dream. Hard worker, doesn’t say much … he’s earned everything he’s gotten.”

York has rushed for a team-high 442 yards and 10 touchdowns, with sophomore running back Jamir Boards playing a strong second fiddle with 213 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Page, who is adept at breaking the pocket and finding seams to run against opposing defenses, has rushed for 139 yards and two TDs.

Page has shared the quarterbacking duties with 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore Chase Bell, who has been recruited since his arrival on the South Warren campus. Page has passed for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns, against four interceptions, while Bell has completed an efficient 17 of 21 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns.

Former South Warren star Bryce Button worked with Page and Bell before leaving for Eastern Michigan University, which has paid obvious dividends for the Spartans this season. They’ve won all six of their games by double digits, with relatively close calls against Louisville’s DuPont Manual High School — a 27-17 victory in Louisville in August — and Hopkinsville. Last week, the Spartans traveled to Somerset, and they plowed through Pulaski County, 35-0, before returning to Bowling Green.

“Through six games, Cam and Chase have exceeded my expectations,” South coach Brandon Smith said. “They’re coachable, they’re eager to learn, and there’s no substitute for experience. They’ve made good progress.”

Page, a multi-sport athlete who has shined in football, basketball and baseball in his first two years on the South campus — he’s likely to concentrate on football and baseball this season — believes the Spartans’ thorough approach has given his team an edge with the fall break on the horizon.

South Warren will have KHSAA Class 6A, 2nd District games against Central Hardin (away) and Daviess County (home) before closing regular-season play with a high-profile matchup against Class 4A contender Logan County (6-0). The Cougars, who travel to face defending Class 4A state champion Paducah Tilghman on Friday night, have traditionally finished their regular-season schedule against South Warren, which likely has helped both programs in the long run.

South Warren is looking for its first 7-0 start since the 2018 season, when it won the second of three KHSAA Class 5A state championships under Brandon Smith. Smith has compiled an impressive 126-23 record since succeeding the well-traveled Mark Nelson as the Spartans’ head coach in 2014.

“I think the best way to avoid overconfidence is to just focus on getting better as a team,” Page said. “If we do that, as players, we feel like we’ve got nothing to worry about. The results will take care of themselves.

“Every week, I think I’ve gotten more settled in my role as the starting quarterback. We’ve been working hard and our team goals are right in front of us.”