SOUTH WARREN FOCUSING ON THE TASK AT HAND, WITH POTENTIAL BGHS REMATCH ON THE HORIZON
It’s been a season to remember at South Warren High School, and truth be told, the Spartans are just getting started.
The KHSAA Class 5A playoffs are here.
South Warren (9-1) plays host to district rival Christian County (1-9) in first-round play of the 5A playoffs on Thursday night, with the winner to tangle with either defending Class 5A state champion Bowling Green High School (5-5) or Greenwood (7-3). The Spartans are playing on Thursday night because of a shortage of officiating crews in South Central Kentucky.
South Warren became the Commonwealth’s No. 1-ranked Class 5A team on Monday, as chosen by The Associated Press, after Lexington squad Frederick Douglass High School (9-1) lost its first game of the season to Class 4A power Boyle County last week.
The news, according to South Warren senior quarterback Caden Veltkamp, was answered with one collective yawn. The Spartans went 7-1 in the COVID-19 compacted 2020 season, with the lone loss a 41-24 defeat at the hands of crosstown rival Bowling Green. That game has motivated the senior-laden Spartans for the last 12 months.
“We heard (about the new rankings). Most of us didn’t pay any attention to it,” Veltkamp said. “Woodford County hasn’t lost a game, and Frederick Douglass lost to a very good Boyle County team. I really think we’ve had the best week of practice we’ve had (at South Warren) in a long time.
“You could see it on Monday. Everybody really picked it up.”
Veltkamp, who will continue his college career at his hometown school, Western Kentucky University, said the Spartans have done everything they can to minimize distractions during their eight-game winning streak. A poor fourth quarter on the defensive side of the ball cost the Spartans in the second week of the season, as Hendersonville (Tennessee) slipped out of town with a 27-20 victory on South Warren’s home turf.
Since then, the Spartans haven’t been challenged, including their 36-7 victory over Bowling Green on October 1.
The following week, veteran South Warren coach Brandon Smith took his team to Hopkinsville, where the Spartans clobbered Christian County 51-20.
The Colonels have lost nine consecutive games, usually by lopsided margins.
“Our kids are excited to start the playoffs,” Smith said. “There is always some extra intensity when something is on the line.”
Smith guided the Spartans to KHSAA Class 5A state titles in 2015 and ’18, with a runner-up finish in 2017. His players have acknowledged they’ve been laying in wait for Bowling Green, which used last year’s victory over South Warren as a springboard to that school’s seventh state championship.
Senior defensive tackle Jake Jackson admits “it’s been difficult” playing in so many one-sided games, because it means he may not get on the field for most of the second half. Brandon Smith is intent on building depth for the Spartans in the long term, and Jackson is one of several three-year starters looking to end his high school career with a bang.
Translated, at Kroger Field in Lexington, the host site of the KHSAA championship games.
“I usually think our practices tell us how we’re going to play in a game, that particular week,” Jackson said. “The big thing is maintaining our focus for the entire game. Losing to Bowling Green, I mean, it’s different … They’ll let you know about it.”
Veltkamp has passed sparingly at times, but been quite efficient as the Spartans put together their eight-game winning streak. He’s completed 114 of 167 passes for 1,682 yards and 24 touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 senior has been intercepted five times while rushing for six touchdowns. Senior tailback Kobe Martin leads the Spartans with 714 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, while senior receiver Avrin Bell, another WKU commit, is pacing South Warren with 27 receptions for 412 yards and six TDs.
Senior receiver Mason Willingham, who also serves as Veltkamp’s backup quarterback, is next with 23 catches for 376 yards and six touchdowns. Jake Jackson, the Spartans’ disruptive force in the middle, leads the team with 19 tackles for losses, including seven sacks.
Brandon Smith believes the Spartans’ experience will help them when they do encounter a close game, even if that has seldom been the case this season.
“I think our schedule this year has prepared us for close games,” Smith said. “We played two excellent out-of-state teams (Hendersonville and Gibson Southern of Fort Branch, Indiana) and some quality in-state competition. It won’t be the first time, when it does happen.”
Kickoff for tonight’s game is at 7.