Jim Mashek

WILDCATS TAKE FOUR-GAME WINNING STREAK INTO THURSDAY NIGHT’S GAME

Dane Parsley, Simon Ghee and the rest of the Warren East High School football team have had a lot of time to think about its last game against nearby rival Franklin-Simpson High School.

A couple weeks short of an entire year, matter of fact.

Franklin-Simpson has become the Raiders’ nemesis over the last decade, winning big (49-12, in Justin Chaffin’s one season as the East coach, in 2015) most of the time, including the Wildcats’ first game against Warren East last year, a 41-14 decision in Franklin.

Two weeks later, in the first round of the KHSAA Class 4A playoffs, the Raiders got another shot at Franklin-Simpson.

And that one hurt, as seventh-year East coach Jeff Griffith and his unbeaten squad freely acknowledge.

Warren East fought back from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter, before the Wildcats made a dramatic stop on a two-point conversion play with 2:19 left, on their way to a hard-fought, 27-26 victory at James Mathews Stadium.

The rematch, between Warren East (8-0, 3-0 in KHSAA Class 4A, 2nd District play) and Franklin-Simpson (6-2, 3-0) unfolds Thursday night on the blue turf of East’s Jim Ross Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and emotions figure to be running high.

“It’s not just ‘another game,'” Franklin-Simpson guard/linebacker/placekicker Atakis Allen said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s our biggest game of the season. They’re a really good team. It’s a good matchup, too.”

Last year’s 27-26 defeat at Franklin-Simpson, however, still gnaws at the Warren East players. While they didn’t play particularly well in the regular-season matchup at Mathews Stadium, they returned two weeks later and made a strong comeback bid in the fourth quarter. Trailing 27-26 with just over two minutes remaining, East coach Jeff Griffith decided to go for the lead, opting for a two-point conversion try.

The Raiders seem to remember what happened like it was yesterday. Warren East quarterback Dane Parsley, then just a freshman, tried to score on a keeper, only to be stopped short of the goal line.

“They made the play,” Parsley said with a shrug.

East teammate Simon Ghee, who is a verbal commit to Eastern Kentucky University, perhaps has a more vivid recollection.

“That was on me,” Ghee said. “I missed a block … I try not to think about it, too much, but I’m very excited about playing them again.

“We all are.”

The defeat ended the Raiders’ season at 6-5.

One week later, Franklin-Simpson made the short trip to Scottsville, to take on another district rival, the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots. AC-S knocked off the Wildcats 35-28, ending Franklin-Simpson’s season at 5-7.

The KHSAA has altered its playoff format this season, so district rivals wouldn’t face one another until at least the quarterfinal round of the postseason. So chances are this may be Warren East’s only shot at the Wildcats for some time, and this time, the Raiders will be playing at home.

Looking to break their 10-game losing streak against F-S, while simultaneously running their winning streak to nine games.

It’s going to be a tall order, indeed.

“Franklin-Simpson has had some really good teams in that time,” East coach Jeff Griffith said. “Back-to-back state champions (in 2017 and ’18). Franklin is a district rival, not an in-town rival, but they are right down the road.

“We only had five seniors on last year’s team, so we returned a lot of starters. Both of us have kids who play offense and defense. But a lot of media people picked us third or something, in a five-team district, and this team has been fun to coach.

“They’ve gone about their business, and concentrated on the game at hand.”

Senior F-S offensive lineman Keith Garner believes the Wildcats have done the same.

“This is a very personal game for us,” Garner said. “Nothing easy comes around here.”

Franklin-Simpson coach Max Chaney likes to control the clock with his Wing-T offense, an old-school approach which relies on plenty of misdirection and sleight-of-hand. The Wildcats had to replace a three-year starter at quarterback, multi-sport standout Luke Richardson, for the 2022 season, and F-S junior Mathias Dickerson and freshman Brady Delk have proven to be up to the task.

Dickerson will be under center when the Wildcats make the short trip up U.S. 31W on Thursday night.

“It’s your typical Franklin-SImpson team,” Griffith said. “Very physical. Well coached. They’re quick. Their game usually goes by pretty quickly, too, but they’re throwing the ball a little more this year.

“The Dickerson kid runs their offense really well. He’s a good athlete. Plays to his strengths.”

Warren East sophomore QB Dane Parsley isn’t exactly chopped liver, either. And the Wildcats are quick to make that observation.

“Dane Parsley is really good,” F-S coach Max Chaney said. “They’re a very good team. Experienced.

“I think we’ve gotten a little better each week. Defensively, we’ve made some improvement, noticeable improvement, in the last two or three games.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Parsley is considerably stronger this year, after learning some things in his freshman campaign, and is a legitimate dual threat at quarterback.

Parsley has completed 82 of 133 passes (62 percent) for 1,425 yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s been intercepted just three times. On the ground, Parsley has been nothing short of dynamic. He’s averaging more than 11 yards per carry, while leading the Raiders with 846 yards rushing.

And 16 touchdowns. Yes, 16 touchdowns.

“Dane’s a natural leader,” East coach Jeff Griffith said. “He has all the intangibles of a very good quarterback. Athletic, fast. A strong arm. Smart.

“He knows where to go with the football … His name is getting out there (with college recruiters).”

Senior scatback Quinton Hollis rushed for 586 yards and 11 TDs, and he’s complemented by the Raiders’ dynamic duo at wide receiver, junior Tray Price (27 catches, 611 yards, nine touchdowns) and senior Ahmad Alexander (28 receptions, 502 yards, eight touchdowns).

Defensively, East teammates Simon Ghee (39 tackles, 6.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries) and Josh Collins (63 tackles, 4.5 sacks) have anchored a defense that’s allowing about 11 points per game. The Raiders slugged out a 40-26 victory over Allen County-Scottsville last week in Scottsville, and they’re likely facing their toughest opponent to date on Thursday night.

Something the WIldcats seem to understand for themselves.

“Dane is having a really good year,” Franklin-Simpson quarterback Mathias Dickerson said. “They’re a quick-score team … But their schedule is a little soft, at least so far.”

Parsley said the Raiders have heard that train of thought over the last few weeks.

“Everybody seems to want to talk about our schedule,” Parsley said in a matter-of-fact tone. “But nobody is talking about the scores.”

Blowouts have been commonplace, but in the last month or so, Wayne County and Allen County-Scottsville kept it relatively close, losing by two touchdowns.

By the same token, no one has to remind the Raiders’ Simon Ghee what last year’s 45-minute bus ride back to the Warren East campus was like, following the season-ending, one-point defeat at the hands of Franklin-Simpson.

“It was quiet, we were pretty angry,” Ghee said. “… (We) couldn’t wait to play them again.”

That wait is finally over. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Warren East.