Jim Mashek

PURPLES TURN IN COMPLETE PERFORMANCE TO ELIMINATE SPUTTERING SOUTH WARREN

They’re big, and they’re bad.

They’re the Bowling Green High School offensive line, and they’re not taking many prisoners these days.

They’re simply mauling people.

Bowling Green’s offensive line set the table, cooked the Thanksgiving feast and tore through the South Warren High School defense like nobody’s business, cruising to a resounding 34-0 victory over its archrival on Nashville Road on Friday night.

They left the leftovers for somebody else.

“They’ve been beating the drum all year,” BGHS coach Mark Spader said.

They beat the drum after senior BGHS center Isaiah Martin said that was exactly what the Purples had in mind for the rematch for South Martin. The Spartans took Bowling Green to the limit in their first meeting — also at the new-look El Donaldson Stadium, in the final weekend of September — before the Purples drove the length of the field in the last five minutes to win 28-24.

Five lead changes.

This one felt a little more personal, that the Purples were intent on making some sort of statement.

Yes, and yes.

““If our offensive line plays well, we’ll have a good night,” Martin said on Tuesday morning, when the Purples practiced at their home stadium while school was closed for Election Day. “I don’t think their defensive backs can cover our receivers. We’ve got to give Deuce (Bailey, the talented BGHS sophomore quarterback) time to throw the ball.”

Bailey had all kinds of time to throw the ball. Junior BGHS tailback Javen Huddleston was pounding the rock between the tackles. Easton Barlow and the Purples’ receivers were finding seams in the secondary.

The Spartans, last year’s KHSAA Class 5A state champions, couldn’t keep up.

“South’s a very good team,” Huddleston said, “but it feels good to get your payback.”

Bowling Green improved to 10-2 overall and will play host to South Oldham High School next week in the regional championship round. The Purples completed a two-game sweep of South, which finished 6-6 overall — the same record BGHS was saddled with, after the 2021 season — after dropping three of its final four games.

“It seems like we were treading water all year,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said when it was over. “… One of those nights. We thought we had to have an aggressive game plan, to give ourselves a chance to win. Man, they’re locked in. Their offense was on point.

“We had a lot of adversity this season. Three (torn) ACLs … I can’t ever remember something like that, in one season. We kind of dug ourselves a hole, early on, and could never dig our way out of it.”

After going three-and-out on its first series of the game, Bowling Green scored touchdowns in each of its three subsequent possessions. It was 21-0 and South Warren was going nowhere, fast.

Bowling Green had the wind at its back in the first quarter, and that’s when Deuce Bailey and Company went to work.

“It was the best week of practice we’ve had all year, bar none,” a beaming BGHS coach Mark Spader said afterward. “I know we talk mostly about winning state championships around here, but we get to host a game, next week, for a regional championship.

“That’s a big deal.”

Huddleston, a backup linebacker last season, opened the scoring with a 2-yard run with 5:05 left in the first quarter. He put the Spartans’ defense on skates in the early going of the second half, bolting through the South Warren line and scoring on a dazzling 69-yard run. It was 27-0 and the Spartans still had only a handful of first downs for the game.

“We were flying around, all week, in practice,” BGHS senior linebacker Davis Fant said. “We had a better idea of what they were gonna do, after the first time. Our D-line kept the squeeze on and we just had to make the tackles that counted.”

Someone pointed out that the Purples have outscored their two postseason opponents combined 83-0 to date, and Jake Napier, Fant’s partner in crime — metaphorically speaking, of course — quickly jumped in on the conversation.

“A shutout … against a good team,” Napier said. “We had a great game plan. I’d say that was the best ‘team game’ we’ve had all year.”

Deuce Bailey was barely touched in the pocket while passing for 261 yards and two touchdowns, both to flashy BGHS junior Easton Barlow, who also excels as a return man. Barlow took in Bailey’s first touchdown pass of the night, a quick slant at the goal line, from 21 yards out in the first quarter.

And then, early in the second quarter, Barlow got behind the South Warren secondary and hauled in Bailey’s deep throw to the middle of the field before scoring on a 60-yard reception.

Through it all, the Bowling Green offensive line stayed on the attack. The Purples almost never huddle on the field, when the ball is in play, and they started wearing down the South defense with quick snaps after the ball was put in play.

Bang the drum, slowly.

Bang it quickly.

Just bang it, baby.

“They’ve been playing like that all year, actually,” junior BGHS tailback Javen Huddleston said, after rushing for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns in another brilliant performance against the Spartans.

Left to right, the Purples’ seasoned offensive line reads left tackle Jack Ledogar, left guard Austin Anderson, center Isaiah Martin, right guard DeMarcus Elliott and right tackle Parker Fields.

These guys were moving people all over the place. The Purples finished with more than 500 yards total offense.

BGHS cornerback Augie Nyembo had a spectacular interception in the second quarter, when South tight end Ethan Reynolds appeared to have a chance to get open deep on the left sideline. The Spartans’ Bryce Button fired the ball in Reynolds’ direction, but Nyembo recovered to making a leaping interception.

Moments later, Easton Barlow was burning the Spartans deep, himself.

“Three and outs are great,” Nyembo said, “but an interception, man, those can change a game. We did have a good week of practice, and I was able to read (Button) on that play. I had an idea where he was going with the ball.

“We’re happy, but we’re not satisfied.”

Stay tuned. The Purples went to work on South Oldham with a film session on Saturday morning.