Jim Mashek

UNBEATEN GLASGOW PLAYS HOST TO FRANKLIN-SIMPSON; SOUTH WARREN VENTURES TO INDIANA

Greenwood High School football coach William Howard didn’t call his shot, beforehand, but he was not the least bit surprised when the Warren Central Dragons put seven years of misery behind them in August.

Second-year Warren Central coach Mark Nelson had his team in the right frame three weeks ago on Opening Night, and the Dragons delivered, obliterating the lingering 61-game losing streak that hovered over the program for six or seven years.

Warren Central quarterback Kayumba Jean Aime turned in a gritty performance, completing 12 of 21 passes for 179 yards, adding 84 yards and two scores on the ground, as the Dragons stunned Bullitt Central 13-0 on August 20 in Shepardsville.

One week later, Warren Central went back on the road and had Trigg County on the ropes in Cadiz. Trailing 21-14 early in the third quarter, the Dragons were in the red zone, poised for a potential tying score, before fumbling at the Wildcats’ 1-yard line.

Trigg County quarterback Jacob Wease then took his team the length of the field, and the touchdown fueled a 49-26 victory that left Warren Central at 1-1 on the season.

The Dragons had their open date the next week, so they’re pretty much chomping at the bit for Friday night’s showdown with the crosstown rival Gators (2-1). Kickoff for tonight’s game at Greenwood is 7 p.m.

“Coach Nelson was definitely the right man for the job at Warren Central,” Howard said. “He has done a fantastic job, getting those kids to believe and playing hard.”

That’s what Nelson anticipates, as Warren Central looks for its first victory over Greenwood since the 2014 season. That was long before both coaches moved on to their current gigs, but it illustrates what Nelson has gone up against since succeeding Cory Fowler last year at Warren Central.

The Dragons got tired, even exhausted, from the occasional moral victory. They needed some positive reinforcement, some momentum, and they got it with the shutout of Bullitt Central three weeks ago.

“Greenwood is a very good football team,” Nelson said. “Physical, and well coached. I am very impressed with their defense. Defensively, they fly to the football.

“Yes, it seems like we haven’t played, since last year … Off weeks are good, but not so early.”

That’s the backdrop for tonight’s non-district tilt at The Swamp. Nelson and the Dragons are looking for some momentum heading into next week’s KHSAA Class 4A 2nd District opener against Allen County-Scottsville, while Greenwood aims for its third straight victory since the Opening Night shocker against Bardstown.

The Gators seemed to have that game in hand, but Bardstown’s Brayden Clark unloaded a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tyleeq Williams as time expired, and the Tigers slipped out of town with a 20-15 upset.

Since then, the Gators have shown significant improvement on defense, and they’ve posted double-digit victories over Franklin-Simpson and Allen County-Scottsville. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Huff has settled into his role with the team, and Lofton Howard has given Greenwood a lift on both sides of the line of scrimmmage.

Howard, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound senior, and elder son of the Gators’ head coach, leads the team with 35 tackles, including five for losses, and three sacks. Lofton Howard also leads Greenwood with seven receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, the WKU commit has found a way to carry the lumber for a Greenwood squad looking to improve on last year’s 7-4 finish.

The Gators are gunning for more.

“We’ve been able to limit some mistakes, offensively, since the Bardstown game,” William Howard said. “That’s allowed us to play pretty well the last two games.”

Greenwood doesn’t begin KHSAA Class 5A, 2nd District play until the final weekend in September, when the Gators are on the road to face Christian County in Hopkinsville. So they’ve got some time to shape their identity before the district games actually unfold.

One of Greenwood’s longtime rivals, Bowling Green High School, puts its 3-0 record on the line on the road tonight against Hopkinsville (1-2). And South Warren, the defending KHSAA Class 5A state champion, returns to the field after its open date. The Spartans (1-1) will travel to Fort Branch, Indiana to square off with Gibson Southern (3-0).

South Warren has had an extra week to put its 28-22 loss to Hendersonville (Tennessee) in the rear-view mirror, and veteran South coach Brandon Smith will be looking for an improved defensive performance to get back in the win column.

Meanwhile, in Class 4A, Franklin-Simpson (2-1) is on the road against Logan County (3-0), and Allen County-Scottsville (1-2) has a tall task waiting with Glasgow. The Class 3A Scotties are unbeaten in three games, and Glasgow has three lopsided victories over John Hardin, Russellville and Monroe County.

Warren East coach Jeff Griffith takes the unbeaten Raiders (3-0) on the road to play the tradition-rich Russellville Panthers at historic Rhea Stadium. Russellville (0-3) had a lot of turnover after last year’s KHSAA Class 1A runner-up finish, and sixth-year coach Mikie Benton is looking for more offensive punch after last week’s 54-0 loss at the hands of crosstown rival Logan County.

Barren County, the lone KHSAA Class 6A school in South Central Kentucky, aims for its third consecutive victory on Friday night against Monroe County (0-3). The Trojans (2-1) have gotten plenty of production from their 1-2 punch on the ground, Donovan Bradshaw (239 yards rushing) and Cody Rito (164 yards rushing, five touchdowns).

And, finally, unbeaten Butler County (3-0) plays host to Grayson County (1-2) in Morgantown. The Bears like to run the football, too. Colton Dunnells has rushed for 288 yards and six touchdowns, and teammate Brody Hunt has been an effective change of pace. Hunt is averaging more than 10 yards per carry, and he’s scored three touchdowns.

I’ll be covering the Greenwood-Warren Central game for jimmashek.com. Thanks for reading.