{"id":820,"date":"2021-11-19T14:12:01","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T14:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=820"},"modified":"2021-11-19T14:12:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-19T14:12:01","slug":"south-warren-squares-off-with-dragons-tonight-in-khsaa-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=820","title":{"rendered":"South Warren squares off with Dragons tonight in KHSAA playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171504440_HDR-1024x463.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"841\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171504440_HDR-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=841#main\" class=\"wp-image-841\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>South Warren High School quarterback Caden Veltkamp takes a snap during Monday evening&#8217;s practice. The No. 1-ranked Spartans (11-1) play host to South Oldham (9-3) in KHSAA Class 5A regional-round play on Friday night. Kickoff is at 7.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SPARTANS LOOK FOR FAST START AGAINST DELIBERATE SOUTH OLDHAM SQUAD<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Warren High School&#8217;s football team knows what it&#8217;s up against Friday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simply put, the methodical South Oldham Dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The No. 1-ranked Spartans (11-1) play host to South Oldham (9-3) in a KHSAA Class 5A regional playoff game, with the winner only one victory away from championship weekend at the University of Kentucky&#8217;s Kroger Field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"791\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1-1024x791.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"839\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=839#main\" class=\"wp-image-839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1-1024x791.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1-1536x1187.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211112_213624572_HDR-1-2048x1583.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>South Warren running back Kobe Martin rushed for 155 yards and two second-half touchdowns in the Spartans&#8217; 28-3 victory over Bowling Green High School last week. The Spartans (11-1) tangle with South Oldham (9-3) in KHSAA Class 5A regional play on Friday night.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Warren coach Brandon Smith is emphasizing taking advantage of each and every offensive possession, because if the Dragons have their way, they&#8217;ll hold the ball for l-o-n-g, time-consuming drives, thus shortening the game and giving the Spartans precious little time to establish control on what figures to be a cold, bone-chilling night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They&#8217;ll milk as much time as they can,&#8221; South Warren defensive tackle Jake Jackson said. &#8220;This is our last home (playoff) game, for sure. We definitely want to start fast. Every game, from now on, is our last guaranteed game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We have to play like that.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"856\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-1024x856.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"843\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=843#main\" class=\"wp-image-843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-1024x856.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-300x251.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-768x642.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-1536x1283.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172856390_HDR-2048x1711.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>South Warren seniors Jake Jackson, left, and Kobe Martin figure to be playing in their final home game on Friday night against the South Oldham Dragons. South Warren has won 10 consecutive games and needs two more victories to reach the KHSAA championship weekend at the University of Kentucky&#8217;s Kroger Field.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Warren scaled one of its primary obstacles last week, completing a two-game sweep of Bowling Green High School with a 28-3 victory in chilly, extraordinarily windy conditions. Senior running back Kobe Martin rushed for 155 yards and two second-half touchdowns as the Spartans knocked off BGHS, which had eliminated South Warren from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brandon Smith said the Spartans could still &#8220;technically&#8221; play another home game in semifinal play, if South can take care of business tonight, but &#8220;it&#8217;s highly unlikely.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"957\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172751572_HDR-1-957x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"842\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172751572_HDR-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=842#main\" class=\"wp-image-842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172751572_HDR-1-957x1024.jpg 957w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172751572_HDR-1-280x300.jpg 280w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172751572_HDR-1-768x822.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_172751572_HDR-1.jpg 976w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 957px) 100vw, 957px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>South Warren coach Brandon Smith discusses the game plan with senior quarterback Caden Veltkamp (3) and his backup, freshman Bryce Button. The Spartans (11-1) square off with South Oldham (9-3) in the KHSAA Class 5A regional round on Friday night.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That gives the Spartans a lot more incentive heading into the South Oldham game. South Warren has several three-year starters, all of them seniors, but outside linebacker Evan Lee was lost for the season with a broken collarbone in the first half against Bowling Green. Drew Givens, a junior, moves into Lee&#8217;s spot in the South Warren defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Their defensive line is outstanding,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;That&#8217;s the strength of their team, overall. They do a great job of ball control on offense.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Warren quarterback Caden Veltkamp and his senior teammate, veteran wide receiver Avril Bell, are expected to sign with their hometown school, Western Kentucky University, in December. Bell had two touchdown receptions in the Spartans&#8217; dismantling of Bowling Green last week, while the 6-foot-5 Veltkamp has been a picture of consistency in his final season on the South Warren campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 12 games, Veltkamp has completed 137 of 204 passes for 2,054 yards and 24 touchdowns. He&#8217;s been intercepted only five times while rushing for 71 yards and seven scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Oldham hasn&#8217;t yielded more than six points in each of its previous six games, and the Dragons have outscored their 12 opponents by the impressive total of 410-156. Quarterback Devlin McGee has completed 91 of 170 passes for 1,318 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Kyle Smythe and Jack McCubbin give the Dragons an impressive 1-2 punch in the running game. Smythe has rushed for 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns, while McCubbin has added 626 yards and 10 scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defensive lineman Elijah Lalli leads South Oldham with 105 tackles, including 32 tackles for losses and seven sacks. Malachi Kleber leads the Dragons with 8.5 sacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"948\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-948x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"844\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=844#main\" class=\"wp-image-844\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-948x1024.jpg 948w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-278x300.jpg 278w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-768x829.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-1423x1536.jpg 1423w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_173727149_HDR-1897x2048.jpg 1897w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>South Warren teammates Avril Bell, left, and Caden Veltkamp are both verbally committed to play next season at Western Kentucky University. Veltkamp passed for 168 yards and two touchdowns, both to Bell, in the Spartans&#8217; 28-3 victory over Bowling Green last week.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve really tried to be disciplined in practice,&#8221; Bell said. &#8220;We just have to apply it for the game. It&#8217;s going to be tough &#8230; We know we&#8217;re playing bigger, better teams to get to state.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith said the Spartans had a disjointed practice on Monday, perhaps because it was in the immediate aftermath of the Bowling Green game. The veteran South Warren coach added that the concentration level improved over the course of the week in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Bowling Green game is a different kind of game,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a different kind of emotion, that&#8217;s only experienced in that game &#8230; I think we&#8217;re going to be hitting the (South Oldham) game at the right time.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-1024x519.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"840\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?attachment_id=840#main\" class=\"wp-image-840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-1024x519.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-768x389.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-1536x778.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_20211115_171020072-2048x1037.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>South Warren quarterback Caden Veltkamp looks to throw in Monday&#8217;s practice. The Spartans (11-1) play host to South Oldham (9-3) in the KHSAA Class 5A playoffs on Friday night.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kobe Martin is closing in on a 1,000-yard rushing season, with 145 carries for 922 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Martin also has 13 receptions for 170 yards and two TDs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;If we don&#8217;t score, early on, it&#8217;s really going to make it harder on us,&#8221; Martin said. &#8220;They&#8217;re solid, everywhere, on defense. This is the kind of game where you just put your head down and just go.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kickoff is set for 7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SPARTANS LOOK FOR FAST START AGAINST DELIBERATE SOUTH OLDHAM SQUAD South Warren High School&#8217;s football team knows what it&#8217;s up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hsfootball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=820"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":847,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820\/revisions\/847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}