FRANKLIN-SIMPSON GETS ANOTHER SHOT AT ALLEN COUNTY-SCOTTSVILLE TONIGHT
They’re larger than life characters in their respective hometowns, good guys who bust a hump until it’s time to chill out and give thanks that they get to make a living as coaches in the game they truly love.
Meet Allen County-Scottsville coach Brad Hood and his counterpart from Franklin-Simpson, Max Chaney, two old friends who will lead their respective teams into the KHSAA Class 4A playoffs on Friday night in Scottsville.
Against one another.
Again.
It’s Franklin-Simpson week over in Scottsville, and AC-S week down Nashville Road in Franklin, as the longtime rivals get ready to square off one more time.
Franklin-Simpson hasn’t won in the series since eliminating the Patriots from the KHSAA Class 4A playoffs in 2019, when the Wildcats steamrolled Allen County-Scottsville 56-20 in the second round of postseason play.
Hood’s Patriots are 7-4, including a 33-21 victory over Franklin-Simpson on September 24 in Scottsville. Allen County-Scottsville again will be at home for tonight’s rematch, after the Patriots mauled Russell County 41-0 in first-round KHSAA Class 4A play last week.
Allen County-Scottsville has won five of its last six games.
Meanwhile, at Franklin-Simpson, Chaney’s Wildcats have recovered from a 1-5 start behind senior quarterback Luke Richardson and the F-S offense. Last week, Franklin-Simpson turned back a two-point conversion attempt from Warren East in the final few minutes, slipping past the Raiders 27-26 in its postseason opener.
Franklin-Simpson (5-6) is no stranger to playoffs success, and the Wildcats have one of South Central Kentucky’s top running backs in senior Omar Harrison, who has rushed for 1,424 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Patriots’ emotional leader is senior linebacker Will Moore, who had 11 tackles, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in last week’s bludgeoning of Russell County.
Hood and Chaney are quick to credit one another’s teams, but it’s not just because coaching decorum says that’s the right way to go.
Chaney and Hood were teammates, and roomates, while playing football for Campbellsville College back in the day.
“Brad stayed a year longer than me,” Chaney said with a laugh. “Obviously, I’m a lot smarter.”
Hood played his high school football at MacLean County before enrolling at Campbellsville.
“Brad came in as a quarterback, and a linebacker,” Chaney said. “At the end, he was our kicker.”
Chaney and Hood both have less than 10 seniors on their respective squads, which means they’ve built their teams for the long haul. They’ll both use players on offense and defense, if the situation dictates, particularly with their backs. They both embrace a physical style of play, and Hood wanted to get his players’ attention after last week’s drubbing of Russell County.
It seems the Patriots were having a little too much fun at the end, at least in Hood’s estimation, and he would tell one of his linemen, “No, I’m not going to let you play receiver.”
Perhaps that’s because Hood anticipates a physical game likely to be won at the line of scrimmage tonight.
“Defensively, they’ve improved a lot,” Hood said. “They were a lot more aggressive than when we saw them about midway through the season.”
Chaney said the Patriots played with more of a sense of purpose in their 33-21 victory over Franklin-Simpson on September 24 in Scottsville.
“I thought Allen County wanted that game more,” Chaney said. “That’s what I’ve told our kids. We’ve gotten better, defensively, throughout the year, and since the (first AC-S game) we’ve played pretty decent ball.”
Allen County-Scottsville swept Franklin-Simpson in two games last year, with the Patriots eliminating F-S from the KHSAA Class 4A playoffs with a resounding 50-28 victory last November in Scottsville.
The winning team’s next opponent will be determined by the KHSAA’s RPI formula.