Jim Mashek

PARSLEY, WARREN EAST LOOKING FOR 3-0 START

Well, we’ve arrived at Week Three of the KHSAA high school football season, and we’ve got some interesting matchups tonight across South Central Kentucky.

South Warren, the defending Class 5A state champion, and Warren Central, which broke its 61-game losing streak on Opening Night at Bullitt Central, have open dates. Warren Central (1-1) visits crosstown rival Greenwood on September 9, next Friday, while South Warren goes beyond the state line for the second time in three weeks that night when the Spartans (1-1) square off with Gibson Southern in Fort Branch, Indiana.

The marquee matchup figures to be the Bowling Green High School Purples (2-0) playing host to Pleasure Ridge Park, in a 7 p.m. matchup at El Donaldson Stadium. The Purples have shown their typical defensive prowess in the first two weeks of the season, and they may need it tonight against PRP, which has won its first two games, against Louisville foes Valley and Doss, by a combined 114-0.

Bowling Green is ranked sixth, among KHSAA Class 5A schools, and 19th overall, by MaxPreps. Sophomore quarterback Deuce Bailey threw for three touchdowns last week as the Purples handled McCracken County 42-7.

Russellville (0-2) takes the short trip across town to tangle with archrival Logan County (2-0), while Greenwood (1-1) is on the road to square off with Allen County-Scottsville (1-1). Greenwood coach William Howard played his high school football at AC-S before moving on to Western Kentucky University.

Greenwood had to bounce back from a tough loss on Opening Night, a 20-15 setback at the hands of Bardstown on August 20 at The Swamp. Bardstown scored the winning points on the game’s final play. Bardstown’s Brayden Clark fired a 41-yard touchdown pass to teammate Tyleeq Williams as time expired, but the Gators came back in Week Two to drub Franklin-Simpson 36-13.

Allen County-Scottsville dropped a 26-16 decision to Logan County on Opening Night, in the J. Allen Builders Bowl at Warren East High School. But AC-S coach Brad Hood’s Patriots came back with a vengeance last week against Monroe County, amassing 282 yards rushing in a 47-13 victory over the Falcons.

Glasgow, which is off to a strong 2-0 start, is on the road tonight against Monroe County (0-2), while Barren County (1-1) is playing host to Russell County (1-1). Franklin-Simpson (1-1) ventures south of the state line for tonight’s game with White House (Tennessee) Heritage (0-2).

Another KHSAA Class 4A school, the Warren East Raiders, look for a 3-0 start when they play host to Edmondson County (0-2). Dane Parsley, Warren East’s sophomore quarterback, is a dual threat. In two games, Parsley has passed for 392 yards and seven touchdowns, with just one interception, while rushing for a team-high 125 yards and two TDs.

I’ll be covering the Bowling Green game against Pleasure Ridge Park for jimmashek.com. The Purples defeated PRP 7-0 last year, and they hold a 4-2 edge in the series, lifetime.

The PRP Panthers are likely to challenged the BGHS secondary. In two games, PRP quarterback Kayden Anderson has passed for 612 yards and 11 touchdowns. Anderson has two talented receivers in Jakob Gibson (six catches, 239 yards, three touchdowns) and Santana Clayton (eight catches, 195 yards, EIGHT touchdowns).

From looking at the KHSAA’s stats, the Panthers see no need to run the ball. They’ve collected 42 yards rushing in their runaway victories over Valley and Doss.

I have a feeling Greenwood and Allen County-Scottsville could be exciting. In two games, first-year starter Ryan Huff has given the Gators a lift, passing for 303 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, WKU commit Lofton Howard — the Gators’ outside linebacker and son of the Greenwood coach — leads the team with 21 tackles, three of them for losses. Lofton Howard also has four receptions for a team-high 111 yards and four TDs.

Butler County is also looking for a 3-0 start with a road trip to play Breckenridge County. The Bears have knocked off Russellville (35-13) and Edmondson County (35-6) in their first two games. Junior halfback Colton Dunnells has been tough between the tackles, with a team-high 261 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Enjoy the games, y’all, and thanks for reading jimmashek.com