Jim Mashek

GRAVES COUNTY HAS WON SIX STRAIGHT GAMES

Bowling Green High School’s football team will be playing on its home turf for the fifth time in six weeks on Friday night.

Win that game against visiting Graves County High School, and the Purples will be back inside the familiar environs of El Donaldson Stadium for regional semifinal next week in the KHSAA’s Class 5A football playoffs.

“We’re playing for the seniors, mainly, this week,” BGHS junior offensive tackle Parker Fields said. “We’re not going to be looking ahead or anything … (Graves County) is very good.”

The Purples (8-3 overall) had little trouble eliminating Owensboro’s Apollo High School in first-round play of the KHSAA 5A playoffs, thrashing the Eagles, 48-6, for their seventh win in eight games. Now BGHS coach Mark Spader’s squad will tangle with Graves County Friday night at El Donaldson Stadium.

Graves County (also 8-3 overall) eliminated Greenwood High School, 22-7 last week in Mayfield. The Eagles have won six straight games, and their defense has given up seven points or less in all but one of their last five games.

Graves County quarterback Kaden Gregory has completed 129 of 207 passes (60 percent) for 1,640 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s been intercepted 10 times.

Kaden Gregory is the son of Graves County head coach, Lance Gregory, who is in his first season with the Eagles. Cole Katzman leads Graves County with 727 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, but GCHS teammate Dennis Marrs isn’t far behind, with 637 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.

Graves County also has a standout receiver in Lincoln Acree, who has a team-high 64 receptions for 921 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“They’ve got a lot of kids who play on both sides of the football,” sixth-year BGHS coach Mark Spader said. “They’ve got five or six kids who probably never leave the field … They’re really efficient on offense. They’re a very good team, with good skill-position players.

“We’ve had a great week of practice. I don’t want to jinx us, but I’ve been pleased with our preparation.”

Junior BGHS quarterback Deuce Bailey has been a terrific dual threat for the Purples, completing 72.5 percent of his passes for 2,802 yards and 25 touchdowns. Bailey has been intercepted just three times, while collecting four rushing touchdowns.

Junior inside linebacker Jayden Axson and BGHS teammate Grayson Newman, a junior defensive back, have both recorded a team-high 77 tackles this season. Axson’s twin brother, Purples defensive tackle Mekhi Axson, was sidelined with a leg injury in the final regular-season game, a 27-12 loss to Louisville’s St. Xavier High School.

“Defensively, we need to make sure we stop the run,” Jayden Axson said. “They like to run the ball. They like to play aggressive. We’ve got to match their intensity, play our game.”

The Purples last won a state championship in 2020, Mark Spader’s third year after succeeding Kevin Wallace at Bowling Green. Last year, the Purples reached the KHSAA Class 5A state title game, only to fall to Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, 28-7. Douglass now plays in the Class 6A ranks.

If Bowling Green can eliminate Graves County, the Purples likely would be matched up with Louisville’s Atherton High School in the regional semifinals. Atherton (10-1) squares off with Louisville’s Butler High School (4-7) on Friday night.

“I’m ready to play Graves County,” BGHS offensive lineman DeMarcus “Hollywood” Elliott said. “They beat us in the eighth-grade championship game a few years ago … We’re going to need everybody to step up for this game.”