VICTORY COULD GIVE WARREN CENTRAL ANOTHER SHOT AT UNBEATEN WARREN EAST
Warren Central High School’s football team has undergone an amazing transformation under second-year coach Mark Nelson.
The Dragons put a miserable 61-game losing streak behind them. On Opening Night. They claimed two victories in KHSAA Class 4A, 2nd District play, first on the road against Allen County-Scottsville — a 30-22 triumph on September 16 in Scottsville — and then, the following week, at Warren Central’s Joe Hood Field, when the Dragons whipped Russell County 26-9.
The verdict left Nelson’s squad with a 3-2 overall record, and the possibilities seemed almost endless.
FOR THE DRAGONS ON OPENING NIGHT.
Warren Central then ran into crosstown rival Warren East, which rolled to 56-20 victory on the Raiders’ home turf, followed by hard-fought losses to Green County (44-40) and Franklin-Simpson (35-20).
Then the Dragons caught fire again.
Warren Central made the 2.5-hour bus ride to Marshall County two weeks ago, and the Dragons’ K.J. Jean Aime turned in a defensive performance for the ages, finishing with 19 tackles — including nine for losses — along with two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in a gritty 36-21 victory over the Class 6A Marshals.
Warren Central returned home for Senior Night and an overwhelming 40-0 victory over Bardstown’s Thomas Nelson High School, leaving the Dragons with a 5-5 record heading into Friday night’s KHSAA Class 4A first-round playoff game against Madisonville-North Hopkins (6-4).
Kickoff in Madisonville is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
IS A DUAL THREAT AT QUARTERBACK.
A victory over the Maroons could potentially give Warren Central another shot at unbeaten Warren East. The Raiders (10-0), the Class 4A, 2nd District champions, play host to Hopkins County Central (4-6) at Jim Ross Field.
Heady stuff for a program that had trouble getting out of its own way for years.
IS JOINED BY SENIORS K.J. JEAN AINE,
OMARI GLOVER AND A.J. JEAN AIME.
“It’s been a great experience, really, it has,” senior WCHS quarterback A.J. Jean Aime said. “From last year, to this year, we’ve grown a lot. We’ve learned how to practice better. Be more efficient.
“If we can come together, as a team, and play aggressively — offense and defense — I think we’ll be all right.”
Those words are music to the ears of the well traveled Mark Nelson, who understood the magnitude of this rebuilding project when he succeeded Cary Fowler as the Dragons’ head coach 19 months ago.
Nelson, the former head coach at Greenwood and South Warren, put a comprehensive plan together, and he’s seen it pay significant dividends in his second season with the team.
“The buy-in, from these young men, has been tremendous,” Nelson said. “All of the victories have been significant. Game One stopped the streak, the second win got us a district win, and the third win got us in the playoffs.
“Our offense really came together, at Marshall County, and winning on Senior Night was very special. None of these things have been done around here, for years.
“Winning a playoff game, yes, would be amazing.”
The Dragons actually lost to Madisonville-North Hopkins in their last playoff appearance, falling 64-20 in Madisonville to complete an 0-11 season under former coach Joel Taylor in 2018. Warren Central hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2013 season, when the Dragons whipped Hopkinsville High School 48-10.
Nelson’s squad has overcome injuries, limited depth and other obstacles this season. The Dragons understand they’re the underdog, again, for Friday night’s showdown against Madisonville-North Hopkins.
“Madisonville is very athletic,” Nelson said. “They’re about 50/50, run and pass, maybe passing a little more. They’re very aggressive and play a 4-3 defense. They play a lot of man-to-man coverage. Logan County is a very good football team and Madisonville played them pretty good.”
Logan County won that game 35-18, on October 7 in Russellville. The Maroons have a dual threat quarterback in Anias Mitchell, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior, and two capable running backs in Markezz Hightower (856 yards rushing, six touchdowns) and LaJuan McAdoo (547 yards, eight TDs).
Mitchell has completed 79 of 155 passes for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns, and he’s added 454 yards on the ground while scoring five TDs.
Senior receiver/defensive back K.J. Jean Aime said the Dragons’ defense will try to make Mitchell beat them with his arm, as opposed to his legs.
“We really have to come out and stop their running game,” Jean Aime said. “We’ve got to finish through, defensively. Everybody’s got to do their job.”
A.J. Jean Aime has completed 80 of 162 passes for 1,326 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 554 yards and nine scores on the ground. WCHS football/basketball star Omari Glover has been his most effective receiver. He has 30 catches in 10 games for 479 yards and five touchdowns.
Glover also is one of the Dragons’ more versatile defenders. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior has recorded 52 tackles this season, including eight for losses, along with two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
“One step at a time,” Glover said. “We’ve got to be aggressive, right off the bat. Communicate with each other on defense. Get a lead, find a way to set the tone.”
Glover and the Jean Aime twins are three of Nelson’s 10 seniors, the heart and soul of a team that has changed the narrative at Warren Central.
“We are very proud of these seniors,” Nelson said, “and what they’ve accomplished. So very proud of what they’ve done.”
WITH CROSSTOWN RIVAL WARREN EAST.