Jim Mashek

GREENWOOD PLAYS HOST TO BGHS; SPARTANS AWAIT CENTRAL HARDIN

Warren East High School’s football team has found solid footing under first-year head coach Jason Foley, but the Raiders are about to shoot for the stars.

Warren East (6-1 overall, 3-0 in the KHSAA’s Class 4A, 1st District) is on the road to tangle with mighty Paducah Tilghman (7-0, 3-0) in a high-profile matchup at Paducah’s McRight Stadium.

“We’ve gotta keep our head in the game, play hard, impose your will,” Warren East linebacker/center Sam Tunks said after Tuesday’s practice on the smurf turf on Louisville Road.

Warren East outlasted Franklin-Simpson High School, 31-28, on September 25 at Franklin’s Mathews Stadium, but most of the Raiders’ victories have been decided by wide margins. Likewise, for Paducah Tilghman, which dismantled a top-flight Logan County squad, 37-7, before Fall Break on October 2 in Russellville.

Foley came to Warren East after a solid seven-year run at Somerset’s Southwestern High School. The Raiders have relied on defense to put last year’s 2-8 finish in the rear-view mirror, but they’ll have a special incentive on Friday when they square off against the Blue Tornadoes and transfer quarterback Xavier Isable, who was at Warren East in 2025.

“We’re happy with where we’re at, but we haven’t reached our peak,” Foley said. “We have to eliminate our penalties. We had two touchdowns called back, one after we crossed the goal line, when we played Allen County … We felt like we left two or three scores on the field.

“The first year is always a challenge. You have to instill your culture. We’re still learning how to handle success.”

The Raiders will depart at lunchtime for the three-hour journey to Paducah, after which they’ll have one district game remaining, a home game against Logan County (5-2, 2-1 in the KHSAA’s Class 4A, 1st District) next week. The Cougars will play host to Franklin-Simpson (2-5, 0-3), which has lost three of its last four games, heading into Friday’s game in Russellville.

In other high-profile matchups in South Central Kentucky, there will be a battle of the unbeatens when Glasgow (7-0, 3-0 in the KHSAA’s Class 3A, 2nd District) plays host to district rival LaRue County (7-0, 3-0) at Hank Royse Stadium. Also, South Warren (5-2, 1-0 in the KHSAA’s Class 6A, 2nd District) is at home against (0-7, 0-2), while Greenwood (2-5, 1-2 in the KHSAA’s Class 5A, 2nd District) plays host to crosstown rival Bowling Green (3-4, 2-0).

Bowling Green is unbeaten in 37 games, all time, against the Gators, but the Purples needed a field goal as time expired to knock off Greenwood, 17-14, last year at BGHS. Tony Adams is in his first season as the Gators’ head coach, replacing veteran coach William Howard.

Jason Foley’s Warren East squad used a balanced attack and its typically sturdy defense to knock off Allen County-Scottsville, 28-7, on October 2 in Scottsville. The Raiders will tangle with Paducah Tilghman and junior quarterback Xavier Isable, formerly of Warren East, on Friday night, but Isable said he plans to concentrate on the task at hand.

“It’s another game on our schedule, and we have to go take care of business,” Isable said via text message on Friday. “Yeah, it’s my old team, but it’s not the same team … a lot of things have changed over there. They’re a team we can’t overlook. Excited for me and the guys to get after it tonight.”

Foley said the mental approach is critical against an opponent such as Paducah Tilghman. The unbeaten Blue Tornadoes are ranked 10th statewide — regardless of classification — by On3 and Kentucky Sports Radio, while South Warren checks in at No. 13.

“You’ve got to go over there with confidence,” Foley said. “We have a lot of respect for Paducah Tilghman; they’re one of the best teams in Kentucky … Our defense has been our staple; we fly to the football well. Our seniors understand they’re part of our transition. We want to finish like the team we’re capable of being.”