Jim Mashek

BOWLING GREEN HAS WON FIVE OF ITS LAST SIX GAMES; RAVENS SHINE ON DEFENSE

Wasted motion was missing in action at Bowling Green High School’s sprawling football stadium on Wednesday night.

The Purples (6-6 overall), winners of five of their last six games, have set their sights on another trip to the KHSAA’s Championship Weekend, which unfolds in early December at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field in Lexington.

Bowling Green has won back-to-back KHSAA Class 5A state championships, but the Purples had to say good-bye to star quarterback Deuce Bailey, who is already getting significant playing time in his freshman season at Missouri State University.

It was a tall order, indeed.

The Purples opened the postseason with resounding victories over Graves County and Owensboro’s Apollo High School, but now the road gets a little more tricky.

Now, veteran BGHS coach Mark Spader’s squad has to hit the road for Louisville.

Bowling Green, which has made KHSAA Class 5A state championship appearances in four of the last five football season, has taken dead aim another trip to Kroger Field. Next on the docket, of course, is an impressive Atherton High School squad. The Ravens (11-1 overall) may not knock you over with glimmering statistics, they certainly have the Purples’ attention.

“They’re a handful,” Spader said.

Bowling Green played host to Atherton in its run to the ninth KHSAA state championship in school history. Deuce Bailey and the Purples soared past the Ravens, 44-20, at the BGHS stadium in the quarterfinal round.

The rematch is Friday night at Louisville’s Waggener High School.

“Our players seem focused on each week’s game,” Spader said. “Our season, it’s made us embrace each practice, and each day, with the hopes of improving to reach our highest potential.”

Atherton has been a dominant squad on the defensive side of the ball.

The Ravens defense has recorded EIGHT SHUTOUTS in 12 games, which has produced a banner season at the school.

Atherton didn’t give up a SINGLE POINT in the KHSAA’s Class 5A, 3rd District, and while no one will compare the Ravens’ non-district schedule to what you’ll see at St. Xavier, Bowling Green or South Warren, the fact remains that Atherton coach Anthony White’s squad is on a roll.

The Purples will try to slow that roll on Friday night.

“This Atherton team is one of the faster, and more athletic teams that we’ve had on our schedule,” said BGHS senior wideout Trevy Barber, an all-state selection who missed the bulk of the season with an arm injury. “It’s gonna take a fast start, for us, as an offense, and playing at a high level for an entire game …

“We know how good we can be, when we show up and play our best. It’s showed a few times this season. I think we’re good to go, I really do.”

Bowling Green also has broken in a freshman quarterback in left-hander Anthony Davis, who supplanted BGHS teammate Jaxon Strautman in the second week of regular-season play. Strautman, a transfer from Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, was a starter for most of his high school career. He’s a BGHS special-teams standout and is often seen conferring with Davis behind the Purples’ bench.

There have been plenty of moving parts on Rockingham Avenue, and BGHS coach Mark Spader had to do a juggling act in the formative stages of the season.

Davis, a fleet-footed, 6-foot-4 quarterback, has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,845 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has been intercepted just twice.

Bowling Green’s Tray Graham, a senior running back, has turned in another solid performance this season. He’s rushed for 597 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games this season. He’s also had three TD receptions, and he’s a veteran performer who excels in the red zone.

Defensively, the Purples have stars such as senior linebacker Montez Trussell, junior safety Embree Dotson and senior linebacker Malik Coburn. Trussell has racked up a team-leading 113 tackles, including 11 tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks. BGHS senior cornerback Dru Jones leads the team with four interceptions, and Jones also has been productive in a role as a kick returner.

Junior linebacker Zai Vion Meads leads the Ravens in several critical defensive statistics, including total tackles (67), tackles for losses (11) and sacks (8). In the secondary, Atherton junior Garyon Hobbs leads the team with four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

On offense, Atherton coach Anthony White often leans on senior running back Du Zaye Grundy, who has rushed for a team-high 1,078 yards and 17 touchdowns. Sophomore Lamar Sistrunk and junior Dearius Smith have shared the quarterback responsibilities, and the Ravens have outscored their 12 opponents to the tune of 467-59.

That’s quite a disparity.

The game will take place at Louisville’s Waggener High School, which has an artificial playing surface. Most of Kentucky has had periodic rain over the last couple days, and more rain is in the forecast for the Derby City on Friday night.

The Purples have hit the road for several non-district games this season, including KHSAA Class 5A contender Scott County, in Georgetown, along with Louisville’s Christian Academy, the defending KHSAA Class 3A state champion, and Franklin County, which is taking a 12-0 overall record into Friday night’s home game against North Oldham in the Class 4A ranks.

“We’ve taken so many long trips this season, to play top-level teams,” BGHS coach Mark Spader said. “With that in mind, I don’t feel like that will be a factor in this playoff trip …

“The team we’ve seen, on the field, and in practice, is what I had envisioned all season. If we can keep it together, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., Central Standard Time. The winner’s opponent in the semifinal round will be determined by the KHSAA’s RPI formula.