Jim Mashek

PURPLES HIT THE ROAD FOR GRAYSON COUNTY; WARREN EAST PLAYS HOST TO LOGAN COUNTY

RUSSELLVILLE — Mikie Benton is in his eighth season as Russellville High School’s head football coach, and he’s never been one to back down from a challenge, whether playing for the Panthers as he did in his teens, or mixing it up against SEC opponents as a starting cornerback for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Benton wants his Panthers squads to be tested.

Russellville might be a KHSAA Class 1A school, and they’re few and far between in most of the Commonwealth’s larger cities, and the Lone Ranger in South Central Kentucky. Benton is a native son of Russellville, and he understands the value of top-flight competition in preparation for the KHSAA playoffs come November.

So while the Panthers take a rather modest 3-5 overall record into Friday night’s showdown with district rival Fulton County, understand that Benton schedules only non-district opponents from higher classifications.

That’s teams like crosstown rival Logan County, a rugged KHSAA Class 4A squad, or even Class 6A schools, such as Opening Night opponent Daviess County, which trampled the Panthers, 45-6, in the matinee game of the Lewisberg Bank Bowl at Logan County.

“My eyes are always looking at the big picture,” Benton said as Thursday’s light workout at the school’s football practice field came to a close.

Benton, his coaches and staff usually meet with their squad on campus, a few hours before game time, before traveling to historic Rhea Stadium, located a mile or so up the hill on Ninth Avenue in Russellville.

Rhea Stadium is an enclosed, intimate field of competition, with the stadium being completed in 1939 under FDR’s “New Deal” and the Works Progress Administration, implemented during the Great Depression.

It’s a tough place to play, and Fulton County will have to make a three-hour journey on Friday to compete against the Panthers, who improved to 2-0 in KHSAA Class 1A, 1st District play in last week’s 55-42 victory over Caverna. Senior quarterback Jerius Coleman really shined in that game — also played under the lights, at Rhea — by completing 11 of 17 passes for 296 yards and SIX TOUCHDOWNS.

That’s a night’s work, to say the least.

Benton likes what his senior class of 13 players has meant to his school, his community and his program. It’s basically been tough sledding for the Panthers since their near-miss against Pikeville in the 2021 KHSAA Class 1A state championship game at UK’s Kroger Field. Pikeville, a perennial 1A football power, outlasted Benton’s rugged squad, 30-27, in the opening game of the two-day football extravaganza in Lexington.

“It’s tough. We just made too many mistakes in the first half,” Benton said on the UK playing surface that cold December day. “I’m proud of my guys, for the fight they showed, in the second half … We kind of just ran out of time.”

Benton would like nothing more than to complete a sweep of the Panthers’ final district opponent before closing regular-season play next week at Butler County.

“Fulton’s a good team. They’re capable of scoring a lot of points,” Benton said after Thursday’s practice. “For us, as a team, we had a slow start …

“To come out 0-5, it’s going to be tough. But these are some tough kids, too. They get a chance to win the district and extend our win streak going into Butler County.”

Benton’s aggressive scheduling approach is similar to what Mark Spader does at Bowling Green High School, or Brandon Smith at South Warren. Smith’s Spartans moved into KHSAA’s largest classification, Class 6A, and they’ve been one of the state’s highest ranked teams throughout the second half of the season. Bowling Green, meanwhile, has clinched the No. 1 spot in the KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District, after last week’s thrilling 17-14 victory over crosstown rival Greenwood High School.

South Warren (8-0 overall, 2-0 in the KHSAA’s Class 6A, 2nd District play) will hold Senior Night for Friday night’s home game against district opponent Daviess County (4-4, 1-1). Bowling Green (3-5 overall, 3-0 in the KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District) is on the road to face district opponent Grayson County (4-4, 1-2) in Leitchfield, Kentucky. The Purples are the two-time defending KHSAA Class 5A state champions, and they’ll have the district’s No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs in November.

In other marquee football games involving South Central Kentucky teams, Greenwood (5-3, 3-1 in KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District) will look to rebound south of the state line, with the Gators on the road to tangle with East Robertson High School in Cross Plains, Tennessee. East Robertson is 8-0 overall, and headed for postseason play, while Greenwood looks to bounce back from last week’s tough 17-14 loss to the crosstown Purples.

Meanwhile, Logan County (7-1 overall, 3-1 in the KHSAA’s Class 4A, 1st District) takes the short trip to scrap with longtime rival Warren East (2-6, 1-3), while the Glasgow Scotties, under first-year coach Jackson Arnett, will put their 8-0 record on the line against Edmonson County (2-6, 1-3). Warren Central (3-5 overall, 0-3 in KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District) will play host to Barren County (3-5, 1-2). And :Franklin-Simpson (5-3, 2-2 in the cut-throat KHSAA Class 4A, 1st District) will square off with traditional rival Allen County-Scottsville (0-8, 0-4).

Outside Russellville High School, however, eighth-year Panthers head coach Mikie Benton stresses the importance of good work habits, academic progress and work in the community, and the Panthers’ players seem to be responding.

“With teenagers, winning is going to build their confidence,” Benton said. “This group, since their freshman year, they’ve had it pretty rough. Their freshman year, we won just one game. The next year, we won just two … Now we’re playing a Fulton team that hasn’t won a district title since 1995.

“You know they’re going to come in here with high energy.”

Russellville quarterback Jerius Coleman is a seasoned player, both on offense and in the secondary. Most of Benton’s Russellville players toil on both offense and defense, adding that Coleman comes off the field “once in a blue moon.”

Senior running back LaBryan Nourse leads the Panthers with 449 yards on the ground with three touchdowns, while teammate Jamarion Gardner isn’t far behind with 344 yards and five touchdowns. Junior wideout JaCoveon Temple-Dickerson paces Russellville receivers with a team-high 33 receptions for 703 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Russellville lineman Landon Bibb, who like Coleman and Nourse is hoping to play college football, believes consistency is the key to the Panthers’ chances of winning another district championship.

“It’s going to take all of us, to stay on track,” he said. “On the field, keep your grades up, stay out of trouble … believe in your teammates.”

Russellville will close regular-season play next week at Butler County.

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