Jim Mashek

(Editor’s note: This series is a quick look at high school football teams in South Central Kentucky. It will resume next week.)

RUSSELLVILLE HAS DUAL-THREAT QB IN JUNIOR OCTAVIOUS McKEAGE

RUSSELLVILLE — It wasn’t that long ago, not really, when Russellville High School’s personable football coach, Mikie Benton, stood at midfield of Lexington’s Kroger Field while watching the final seconds tick away in the KHSAA Class 1A state championship game.

Benton had been there a decade or so earlier, as a standout defensive back for the University of Kentucky. He had his team in position to knock off a bigger, stronger Pikeville High School squad with a state title on the line. Alas, Pikeville stopped the Russellville offense on a critical fourth-down play in the final three minutes, holding on for a tense 30-27 victory.

The narrative for Russellville’s 2022 season was considerably different, to say the least.

The Panthers, after losing 14 seniors from the ’21 state runner-up squad, struggled on both sides of the ball. They made the long trip to Fulton County, a KHSAA Class 1A 1st District rival, and pulled off a 38-32 victory in overtime.

That would be Russellville’s lone victory of the season, and the Panthers closed a difficult 1-10 season with a 42-14 loss to Louisville’s Holy Cross Academy.

Benton was also struggling with his mother’s health, which he admits tended to hang over the 2022 season, and Bettye Jean Benton, 76, died on March 18, 2023.

“I tried to put my focus on football last year, but it was tough,” Benton said in an interview Thursday evening at the RHS football practice field. “There were many times I had to leave practice early, or even leave school early.

“My coaches, the players, they understood. But it was hard … I don’t know how many times I apologized to the team.”

A few months ago, however, Benton and the Panthers went back to work, ready to blaze a new path for his sixth season as the Russellville head coach. Benton is hopeful that last year’s experience will pay dividends this fall, giving the Panthers the mental toughness they need to negotiate a challenging schedule.

With an enrollment of about 330 students, a decline of almost 40 percent from 2017, a thin class can make it difficult for the Panthers. Benton, a Russellville graduate himself, also serves as the Panthers’ head track and field coach, and most of the school’s athletes, boys and girls, compete in multiple sports.

Place-kicker Madden Bloodworth made headlines last year, when she became the first female RHS player to score in a game, but her opportunities were limited. Russellville scored eight points or less in eight of its 11 games last season, and the Panthers’ defense struggled against the likes of Warren East, Franklin-Simpson and crosstown rival Logan County.

Those three squads went a combined 30-7 themselves, against challenging opposition, too.

“My JV team basically became my varsity team last year,” Benton admitted. “We’ve got 35, 40 kids in the program, so that’s encouraging. It’s going to take some time to click, but I think they can do it.

“We did well in a couple 7-on-7 tournaments, and the kids are putting in the work.”

The Panthers return their starting quarterback, Octavious McKeage, and his center, fellow junior Miller Bloodworth, Madden’s elder brother. Russellville also has experienced linemen returning in senior Kevaughn Edmonds and sophomore Landon Bibb.

Sophomore running back Labryan Nourse is back, after missing much of the season with an injury, and Benton is enthused about a quartet of incoming freshmen wide receivers — JaCoveyon Temple-Dickerson, Amarus Morrow, Takyon Darden and Jamarion Gardner.

“This freshman group is special,” Benton said.

Morrow and his classmates also will get opportunities in the secondary, as the Panthers tend to use players on both sides of the ball. One possible exception is massive defensive tackle D.J. Elliot, a 6-foot-1, 350-pound senior. Elliot has been a mainstay on the Panthers’ defense for two years.

“You can’t miss D.J. out there. He can disrupt things,” Benton said.

McKeage gained valuable experience last year, after succeeding Lennon Ries as the Panthers’ starting quarterback. McKeage passed for 614 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a team-high 368 yards and four TDs on the ground. The 6-foot-2 McKeage also shines in basketball, and Benton will be counting on his leadership over the next few months.

“Octavious got thrown into the fire last year, definitely,” Benton said.

The Panthers have other defenders to watch in junior defensive end Sam Edge, junior defensive end David Owens and sophomore Chrisaun Woods. Junior Noah Stovall gives Russellville an experienced hand in the secondary.

Russellville has a typically challenging schedule, opening with Butler County on August 18 in the first game of Logan County Bowl at crosstown rival Logan County High School. Butler County went 8-3 last year, moving up a classification to Class 3A for the 2023 season.

The Panthers seem poised to put the 2022 season behind them.

“We know what we’ve got to do this year,” senior lineman D.J. Elliot said. “We’ve got a good freshman class coming in, and we’ve been putting in the work.”

Mikie Benton is quick to agree.

“They’ve seen the highs, they’ve seen the lows,” Benton said. “They know what it’s going to take.”