PARSLEY TAKES REINS OF RAIDERS OFFENSE; GHEE BROTHERS MAKE IT HAPPEN
Warren East High School’s football team gathered around veteran coach Jeff Griffith on Wednesday evening, seemingly ready to play at any moment.
Of course, the Raiders won’t square off with longtime rival Franklin-Simpson High School until Friday night, when Griffith’s squad takes the short trip down Nashville Road to tangle with its KHSAA Class 4A, 2nd District opponent.
And Griffith was quick to remind the Raiders that Warren East has won just three district championships since the school opened in August 1969.
A victory over the tradition-rich Wildcats won’t guarantee that elusive district title, but it would ensure that Griffith’s squad will be playing at home in pursuit of that goal.
Warren East (5-3, 3-0 in district play) will tangle with Franklin-Simpson (3-5, 2-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday on the Wildcats’ home turf.
“We’ve just got to continue to grow as a team,” Griffith said.
There’s an excellent chance of that happening, as the Raiders have a senior class of just five players this season, and they’ve done their part in keeping Warren East pointed in the right direction.
By the same token, Warren East tight end/outside linebacker Simon Ghee believes his junior class is in the process of building a legacy of their own.
“It’s time for us to win (a district title),” Ghee said.
Simon Ghee has been one of the Raiders’ individual standouts this season, particularly on defense, but he’ll be sidelined with a knee injury in Friday night’s game against Franklin-Simpson. On the next day, however, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Ghee will take an official recruiting visit to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Ghee’s brother, Isaiah Ghee, casts a different shadow than his brother.
Isaiah Ghee goes about 6 feet tall and 150 pounds, considerably smaller than his fraternal twin, but he’s an impact player at cornerback and has also been the Raiders’ starting quarterback for several games.
“Honestly, I think if we keep playing hard, practicing hard, we’ll be in good shape going into Franklin-Simpson,” Isaiah Ghee said.
The Ghee brothers know Warren East hasn’t beaten Franklin-Simpson since the 2012 season, which marked the Raiders’ last district championship. They’ve done their part in helping freshman quarterback Dane Parsley establish himself as the Raiders’ starting quarterback over the last month.
Parsley has passed sparingly since taking over under center, replacing Isaiah Ghee, but he’s rushed for 519 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Junior running back Quinton Hollis leads the Raiders with 583 yards on the ground while scoring 10 touchdowns.
“Some of the guys in our (junior) class have had to step up as leaders this year,” Isaiah Ghee said.
Isaiah Ghee, Simon Ghee and Parsley all play basketball during the winter months, and the Ghee brothers toil in track and field, in the spring, when Parsley will be busy playing baseball.
Multi-sport athletes are the norm at Warren East, where the anticipation of Friday’s game against Franklin-Simpson seems to be building by the moment.
“I think we’ve improved a lot over the last couple years,” Raiders receiver Roger Duncan said. “Everyone’s really looking forward to this game.”
