Jim Mashek

FRANKLIN-SIMPSON PLAYS HOST TO CALLOWAY COUNTY; WARREN EAST TO SCRAP WITH ALLEN-COUNTY SCOTTSVILLE

It’s a transitional week, for most Kentucky high school football squads, in part because of Fall Break and in part because most teams have moved into district play.

Not only that, but five teams in South Central Kentucky — Bowling Green, Warren Central, South Warren, Greenwood and Barren County — have pushed their games to Thursday night, which gives the players a chance to make plans for a Fall Break trip before returning to the practice field next week.

“We’ve still got the work in,” BGHS coach Mark Spader said. “They’ll have a few days off before we get back together later next week.”

In recent years, South Warren has usually played during the Fall Break weekend, in part because veteran Spartans coach Brandon Smith — much like Spader at Bowling Green — often had trouble scheduling non-district opponents. South Warren (6-0 overall) is ranked third statewide, by MaxPreps, and the Spartans will play host to a winless Meade County squad in their KHSAA Class 6A, 2nd District opener on Thursday night.

Kickoff at South Warren’s new artificial surface playing field is set for 7 p.m.

Bowling Green, meanwhile, will play host to traditional rival Warren Central. The Dragons put together a three-game winning streak under second-year coach Jeremy Harness, before stumbling in last week’s 30-6 loss to Greenwood at Warren Central’s Joe Hood Field. That also will be a district opener, for both teams, and Bowling Green is intent on bouncing back from last week’s 27-24 loss to Louisville’s Christian Academy in the Derby City.

LCA is ranked second, statewide, by MaxPreps. The Centurions (6-0 overall) are the defending KHSAA Class 3A state champions.

Greenwood, meanwhile, takes the short road trip to tangle with new district opponent Barren County in Glasgow. Bowling Green rolled the Trojans, 42-7, two weeks ago, but Barren County bounced back last week with a resounding 43-0 victory over Grayson County. BCHS coach John Myers’ squad checks in with a 3-3 overall record, including a 1-1 mark in KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District play.

“They’re a formidable opponent,” Greenwood coach William Howard said. “We’ve just got to keep moving forward.”

Meanwhile, Warren East (1-5, 0-2 in KHSAA Class 4A, 1st District) will play host to traditional rival Allen County-Scottsville (0-6, 0-2). Warren County Public Schools athletics director Greg Howard has been named the interim coach at Warren East, following last week’s resignation from third-year head coach Tanner Hall. Glasgow High School (6-0, 2-0 in KHSAA Class 3A, 2nd District) puts its unbeaten record on the line against homestanding Butler County (3-3, 0-2). And Hart County (4-2, 1-1) plays host to Adair County (1-5, 0-2).

There are several marquee games on the docket on Friday night, headlined by unbeaten Logan County’s three-hour road trip to square off with defending KHSAA Class 4A state champion Paducah Tilghman. The Blue Tornado dropped a 25-22 decision to Madisonville-North Hopkins on September 11 in Madisonville, but Tilghman bounced back with decisive district victories over Franklin-Simpson and Allen County-Scottsville.

Logan County improved to 6-0 overall, and 2-0 in district play, in last week’s impressive 51-13 victory over visiting Calloway County. The triumph may have been considered an upset in most circles, and on the heels of last year’s 4-7 finish, Logan County coach Todd Adler is the first guy to tell you he understands that thought process. By the same token, however, the Cougars have beaten some top-flight teams this year, including Hart County — a 19-15 win on Opening Night — along with victories over the likes of McCracken County, Greenwood and finally Calloway County.

“Honestly, I thought we might have been a year away,” Adler said after the Cougars’ practice on Tuesday afternoon. “I knew this team had potential, but we have a lot of young players. We’ve got nine kids in our senior class. About 80 percent of our roster is freshmen and sophomores.”

That’s a blueprint for sustained success, and in the 2022 and ’23 seasons, Logan County went a combined 19-6, with an appearance in the KHSAA Class 4A quarterfinals in 2022.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise at Logan County has been the steady play of sophomore quarterback Luke Rogers. Rogers moved into the starting role after the incumbent, Ridge Holman, transferred to a private school in Nashville. Rogers, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, has completed 100 of 147 passes — that’s an impressive 68 percent — for 1,087 yards and 12 touchdowns.

On the ground, the Cougars can count on junior running back Christian Helle, who leads the team with 581 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, Logan County is led by junior defensive back Carson Carlock, who has recorded 10.5 tackles for losses and 5.5 quarterback sacks in five games. Up front, Logan coach Todd Adler has been pleased with the play of two-way lineman Jackson Kemplin, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior.

“This year, we’re playing more as a team,” Helle said. “Last year, we’d get into a tough situation and didn’t respond the way we should have … We’re more motivated, this year. Our offensive line has been a key to our success.”

Kemplin believes the Cougars’ attention to detail and overall focus has improved from last season.

“We’ve got some business to take care of Friday night,” Kemplin said. “We’ve got to bring the same kind of energy every week. We know Tilghman has good speed, a lot of playmakers. We’ve got to match their physicality.”

Adler, like a lot of his coaching contemporaries across South Central Kentucky, has to count on multi-sport athletes to field a competitive team. Not only that, but Helle and Kemplin often do farm work, on a part-time basis, during the school year.

“We’ve worked hard on team building, teaching, leadership and accountability,” Adler said. “We struggled last year, bad. Almost all of our kids are at school at 6 in the morning, to lift weights before school. It’s a good group.”

In Thursday night games, Bowling Green (1-5, 1-0 in KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District play) will look for a bounce-back effort against Warren Central (3-3, 0-1). The Purples lost all-state wideout Trevy Barber on Opening Night, in a tough loss to Owensboro Catholic, and the versatile Barber — he also shines in special-teams play — isn’t expected to return until after Fall Break.

BGHS coach Mark Spader made the move to freshman quarterback Anthony Davis in the second week of the season, in a 27-10 loss to St. Xavier, and the Purples now start two other freshmen, safety Jett Reynolds and outside linebacker Zyrek Burton. Davis, a 6-foot-4 left-hander, has passed for 796 yards and eight touchdowns in five games. He has been intercepted twice.

“Our kids were disappointed with the way the game in Louisville turned out,” Spader said. “But we wanted to measure ourselves, and I believe in the team we have. The kids are starting to believe in the team we have, and we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”