Jim Mashek

PURPLES’ HUDSON NOTTMEIER, KYLE SLEDGE SHINE IN ROUT OF VISITING DRAGONS

There was an extra kick in the step of Bowling Green High School’s football team on Thursday night.

And everyone seemed to notice.

Bowling Green, looking for some momentum heading into next week’s Fall Break, took the field against traditional rival Warren Central High School. They took the field on a mission.

Score. Take control quickly. Make the KHSAA-mandated running clock happen as soon as possible …

Win.

Check, check, and check please.

The Purples steamrolled Warren Central, 47-0, on a pleasant evening at the BGHS Stadium. Bowling Green got to the magic number, 35 or more points, midway through the second quarter. Eighth-year BGHS head coach Mark Spader emptied his bench after the half.

Bowling Green made it happen on offense, defense and in the kicking game. Warren Central fumbled on the opening kickoff, and Purples senior Malik Coburn made the recovery inches from the sideline. BGHS freshman quarterback Anthony Davis went to work, and the Purples’ offense needed just four plays to get into the end zone for the first of seven touchdowns.

BGHS senior wideout Hudson Nottmeier made a decisive cut on a quick slant and caught Davis’ pass, in stride, for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 10:27 left in the first quarter. The Purples’ Bode Knee, one of Spader’s freshmen who have moved into significant roles with the squad, added the extra point.

The Dragons pretty much get left in the dust.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Spader said. “(Warren Central) is vastly improved. I’m proud of their coaching staff, what they’ve done with them over there.

“I told the kids, ‘Let’s just go in here and take care of business, and I think that’s what we did.”

Bowling Green, contending with one of the toughest schedules in the history of Western Civilization, improved to 2-5 overall and 2-0 in the KHSAA’s Class 5A, 2nd District play. The Purples will resume district play with a home game against another crosstown rival, Greenwood High School, on October 17. Warren Central dropped to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in district play.

The Purples are the two-time defending KHSAA Class 5A state champions, and they had that look about them on Thursday night. Third-year Warren Central coach Jeremy Harness was quick to give the opponent all the credit.

“We knew, going in, that (Bowling Green) had a really good football team,” Harness said. “That team will compete for another state championship.”

Spader has won three of them since succeeding Kevin Wallace, in his farewell season at Louisville’s St. Xavier High School, in 2018. The Purples have played in the KHSAA Class 5A state championship game three times in the last four years. Star quarterback Deuce Bailey has moved on to Missouri State University, but the Purples have an abundance of talent, and they understand the meaning of the big picture.

Hudson Nottmeier, the younger brother of former BGHS baseball standout Turner Nottmeier, is in his final season with the Purples. He had a sensational touchdown reception wiped out by a penalty. But he set the tone for the game and came up with several critical catches that kept Bowling Green on the express lane to victory.

“We’ve faced lots of adversity, for sure,” Hudson Nottmeier said. “I think we’ve come together, as a group. We know we’re going to face a lot of good teams on our schedule. We’ve got to play with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder.”

The Bowling Green defense kept Warren Central out of the end zone, and after a little offensive lull, the Purples poured it on in the final five minutes of the first half.

“We had a good week of practice, with a short work week, and the kids were ready to go,” BGHS coach Mark Spader said.

Bowling Green’s Nick Graham scored on a 23-yard sweep to the right side with 4:52 left in the first half, extending the Purples’ lead to 14-0. Bowling Green’s defense forced a three-and-out on the Dragons’ next possession. Warren Central punted six times, in the first half alone, and BGHS sophomore Kyle Sledge made a spectacular special-teams play to put the wheels in motion for a rout.

Sledge caught a short punt on a dead run and quickly hit the right sideline. He picked up a couple key blocks and bolted into the open field, scoring on a 69-yard punt return with 2:36 showing on the scoreboard clock. The PAT attempt failed.

“This will really help our confidence, going into Fall Break,” Sledge said. “I have faith in my guys and they gave me a little crease on the sideline … We’re going to be working out, on our own, during the break. Some of us are going to Florida, and some of us will stay in town. We’re always looking for an edge on special teams.”

Bowling Green’s Tray Graham got in on the fun in opening minute of the second quarter, scoring on a 10-yard run. The Purples’ Hudson Nottmeier had a 28-yard touchdown pass from teammate Anthony Davis nullfied by a holding penalty in the final seconds of the first quarter, but three plays later, Davis found BGHS teammate Ethan Kirkwood on a deep pattern for a 52-yard scoring pass at the 9:52 mark of the second quarter.

The two-point conversion try failed, and the Purples’ lead remained 33-0.

Bowling Green’s Malik Coburn and Keaton Vinegar combined for a second-quarter sack of Warren Central’s Tavy Dunn midway through the second quarter, and on the next play, the Purples’ Reid Gathright broke through the protection and smothered the punt at the goal line. Gathright pounced on the loose football, too, for an opportunistic touchdown with 6:07 left in the first half, and it was 40-0.

Running clock time.

Dunn was injured in the final four minutes of the first half, but WCHS coach Jeremy Harness believes he’ll be fine for the final three games of the regular season. In the second half, BGHS freshman QB Nehemiah Shultz — he wears No. 47, so look for him just about anywhere — and the Purples’ younger players completed the task at hand.

Warren Central’s Derwin Carver came up with a nifty third-quarter interception, but the BGHS defense forced a turnover on downs, and in the game’s final moments, Shultz and fellow Purples freshman Bode Knee came up with a moment they’ll remember forever.

Shultz lofted a deep pass for the right corner of the end zone in the final minute, and Knee came up with the catch for a 25-yard touchdown pass to account for the final margin.

“That’s a really good football team,” WCHS coach Jeremy Harness said. “We’ll go into Fall Break and see what we can do from there.”

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