Friday night highlights

A stunning passing performance by Shelby County quarterback Alex Matthews wasn’t enough as Manual rallied from an early 21-0 deficit and beat the visiting Rockets 57-54. Matthews completed 32 of 63 passes for 563 yards and 7 TDs. But Manual, behind the running of Rhayven Smith, overtook Shelby County in dramatic fashion. The Crimsons converted a fourth-and-five on their own 23 and drove 85 yards in the closing minutes. Smith’s 2-yard scoring run, his fourth TD of the night, came with 22 seconds left.

In other noteworthy games last night:

• Defending 3A state champ Covington Catholic, which got off to a rough start this season, handed Beechwood its first loss of the season, 14-7. CovCath brought in temporary lights this weekend so the Colonels’ football and soccer teams could play home night games for the first time in school history. Kyle Furnish ran for 99 yards and a TD for CovCath’s football team last night. Beechwood had the ball at the CovCath 1-yard line with 5 seconds left, but fumbled the snap as the game ended.
• Belfry flexed its muscle with an impressive 49-7 win over rival Pikeville. The Pirates piled up almost 500 yards rushing, led by Dustin May’s 199 yards (and four TDs) and Ivan Lee’s 116 yards.
• Ashland Blazer quarterback Matt Thomas ran 33 times for 364 yards and two TDs in the Tomcats’ 40-33 overtime win against Boyd County.
• Defense was the story as Lincoln County beat Rockcastle County 12-2. The teams had only 238 yards between them. Levi Rogers had a 6-yard scoring run, and Skylar Gilbert returned an interception 56 yards for a TD.
• Mayfield beat Paducah Tilghman 16-6 in a rivalry that began in 1911. Tilghman leads the series 47-37-10.
• Sheldon Clark’s Adam Dials, the leading rusher and scorer in the state, had three TDs in the Cardinals’ 18-7 victory over Rowan County. Sheldon Clark improved to 5-0.
• Paintsville suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Prestonsburg 28-0.
• Anderson County, which hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 1997, ran its record to 6-0 with a 21-7 win over Bullitt Central. The Bearcats defense held Bullitt Central to zero yards on the ground. Anderson County quarterback Jacob Russell threw for 199 yards, and ran for 45 yards and a TD.
• Henderson County dropped to 0-6 under first-year coach Clay Clevenger after a 37-14 loss to Christian County. Henderson County had six turnovers in the first half and trailed 37-0.

Corbin crushes Lexington Christian

Lexington Christian Academy, which averaged a state-leading 50 points while winning its first five games, isn’t used to watching somebody else light up the scoreboard.

But Corbin put on an offensive show at the Eagles’ expense last night. The Redhounds rolled up 610 yards and ripped host LCA 47-21.

Quarterback Clint Cashen orchestrated the onslaught behind a dominant offensive line.

Ryan Fritts also ran wild, and Rob Madon had a big night catching the ball as Corbin notched its fifth consecutive win after a season-opening loss to Belfry.

“I don’t think (Corbin) has gotten enough credit this year for how good they are,” LCA Coach Paul Rains said. “They’re by far the best team we’ve faced over the last three years. They want to take it all the way (to the state), and they may go.”

Fritts, a sophomore, rushed 27 times for 249 yards and four touchdowns after totaling 258 yards and three TDs in Corbin’s first five games. “I’m excited,” Fritts said. “The line did a great job blocking for me.”

Cashen threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He did most of his damage early. After the Hounds got the lead, they controlled the clock with a relentless ground attack. “When we’re doing everything right, this is the Corbin offense,” Cashen said. “We can run it, throw it, and just line up and give the defense fits.”

Madon had six catches for 129 yards and two TDs for the Hounds, who are rated 10th in Class 2A.

“Our game plan was to control the line, and that’s what we did,” Corbin Coach Steve Jewell said. “We were able to keep (LCA’s) high-powered offense off the field.”

Corbin had 367 yards and a 27-21 lead at halftime.

Cashen, in his fourth year as starting quarterback, completed five of six passes for 82 yards as Corbin drove for a score on the game’s first possession.

Once the Hounds put LCA on its heels with their passing, the visitors started grinding it out. Fritts ran for 120 yards in the second quarter alone, and had three TDs in the first half.

LCA, rated No. 2 in C lass A, got a pair of scoring runs from Domonique Hayden, and a 38-yard TD pass from Lucas Witt to Branden Burdette to stay within 27-21.

The Eagles got the ball to start the second half, but Corbin forced them into missing a 39-yard field goal try. “We haven’t faced a power offense all year until tonight,” Rains said. “We knew Corbin was a big, physical team. After they wore us down a little, their power game got a little more powerful.”

Hayden finished with 90 yards rushing. Witt connected on 12 of 16 passes for 160 yards.

Rains said his Eagles will learn a lot from the loss.

“We know where our weaknesses are now,” he said. “That’s not necessarily been the case in past years with the non-district schedule we played. We went into the playoffs not knowing where we stood. But we know exactly what we need to work on now.”

Fields’ Friday football top 30

Snag a big victory and get a bump in the ratings. That’s why Woodford County moved up to No. 18 after its impressive 43-22 win at Johnson Central last Friday. Going into that Class 5A district showdown, I had Johnson Central 13th in the state and the Yellowjackets 24th. Two of the catalysts behind Woodford County’s 5-0 start this season are QB Steven Duckworth, left, and WR Shawne Lewis, right. The Jackets better be wary when they visit Franklin County tonight.

Just as there was no way to keep Woodford County from leap-frogging over Johnson Central in the ratings, if St. Xavier beats Trinity in the clash of the titans at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium tonight, the Tigers will supplant Trinity in the No. 1 spot next week. Another game to keep an eye on: unbeaten Owensboro visits Boone County for a Saturday showdown.

1. Trinity (3-1): St. Xavier
2. St. Xavier (5-0): Trinity
3. Highlands (5-0): Hopkinsville
4. Bowling Green (4-1): at F-Simpson
5. Manual (4-1): Shelby Co.
6. Henry Clay (4-1): at Clark Co.
7. Male (4-1): Ballard
8. Owensboro (5-0): at Boone Co.
9. Bell County (4-0): Volunteer, Tn.
10. John Hardin (5-0): North Hardin
11. Lex. Catholic (4-1): at Harrison Co.
12. Beechwood (5-0): at CovCath
13. Ballard (3-2): at Male
14. Lafayette (4-1): Bryan Station
15. Scott County (3-1): Oldham Co.
16. Boone County (3-1): Owensboro
17. Madison Central (5-0): open date
18. Woodford County (5-0): at Franklin Co.
19. Shelby County (3-1): at Manual
    
20. Belfry (4-0): Pikeville
21. Newport Catholic (4-1): open date
22. Central (2-2): at Western
23. Johnson Central (4-1): open date
24. Russell (5-0): at Lawrence Co.
25. Danville (4-1): at Campbellsville
26. Warren East (5-0): Logan Co.
27. Trigg County (5-0): open date
28. North Bullitt (3-2): Jeffersontown
29. PRP (2-3): at Seneca
30. Mayfield (4-0): at Pad. Tilghman

Flesch-ing out former UK star’s hot streak

Two weekends ago Covington Catholic hosted the Steve Flesch Invitational, a high school golf tournament named in honor of the Colonels’ most famous alum.

Last weekend Flesch turned the PGA Tour’s Turning Stone Resort Championship into his own invitational, going 19-under through three rounds to run away from the field in New York. He shot a 73 on Sunday and cruised to a 2-shot win and pocketed $1.08 million. It was Flesch’s second win on tour in six weeks. He won the Reno-Tahoe Open in early August.

How to explain the former UK star’s hot streak? What about the Fed Ex Cup? Tiger Woods? Next year’s Ryder Cup in Louisville? We caught up with Flesch a few days ago, after he returned home to Union, Ky., and got a few answers:

On why he’s played so well lately:

Flesch said it “boils down simply to equipment,” most notably the ball he plays. He walked away from a “nice chunk of change” contract with Titleist because it kept taking spin off its ball, which adversely affected Flesch’s iron play. “I got gunshy because I didn’t know how far I was going to hit the ball,” he said. After trying just about every ball on the market, he finally settled on Srixon. He also got a new set of Cleveland irons that he’s more comfortable with.

Was he happy to know his two wins this year earned him an exemption into the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines just outside San Diego?

Not really. “It’s kind of funny. Of all places, Torrey Pines. I skip the tournament (Buick Invitational) there every year because I can’t stand the course. I wasn’t even planning on trying to qualify (for the U.S. Open) next year because it’s there. I’ll play in it now that I’m in. But of all the majors next year, that’s the one I didn’t care to play.

Would it be nice to play in the Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Louisville next September?

“That would be fantastic,” Flesch said. “I couldn’t think of a better place to play in my first Ryder Cup than at Valhalla, although it’d be tremendous pressure. When I played the PGA there in 2000 (and missed the cut), I felt like I had the weight of the state on my shoulders.”

What about the debut season of the Fed Ex Cup? You just missed qualifying for the next-to-last tournament in Chicago?

“It was a bummer to miss out on Chicago because I always like playing Cog Hill. But basically it was due to my poor play most of the year. I didn’t do myself any favors.

As for the overall impression of the Fed Ex Cup, Flesch said, “We’ve already got four majors and the Players Championship, and some players think we’re oversaturated. How many big events can you have?”

Tiger Woods had another incredible year. Is the best golfer ever?

“I think he’s the best because he has all the facets of all the best players in history wrapped up in his game. He has the charisma of (Arnold) Palmer. The mind of (Jack) Nicklaus. The ball-striking of (Ben) Hogan. The putting of Bobby Locke, one of the best putters of all time. Plus, Tiger has laid out the blueprint for junior golfers, who have aspirations of playing on tour. Credit Tiger and his father. They never made a bad decision along the way.”

Flesch has had friend and former University of Louisville golfer Billy Lewis as his caddy for the last year. It must be comfortable having a buddy on the bag.

“Last year I was playing cruddy, so I asked Billy if he’d come out and caddy for a couple weeks. He’s been with me since. It’s been nice, although the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry keeps it interesting. He’s been down in the dumps the way (U of L’s) football team has been playing.”

After his recent wins, Flesch has three more years of exempt play on the PGA Tour. He also hopes to work some for The Golf Channel, maybe preparing for more time as a TV golf analyst/commentator.

“I’d like to play and do a little TV. I really enjoy it. I have a good rapport with the people (on TGC). I think that’s something in my future.”

And what’s it like to know CovCath has a Steve Flesch Invitational?

“I turned 40 (in May). You know you’re getting old when they name a tournament after you.”

Bryan Station’s Wilhite commits to Minnesota

Bryan Station running back D.L. Wilhite made an official visit to Minnesota over the weekend and came home knowing where he wanted to play college football. So he commited to the Golden Gophers, saying “It’s like one big family up there. They were honest with me and I know they’ll treat me right when I get there.”

Wilhite, a 6-foot-3, 240 pound senior transfer from Paris, also considered Purdue and West Virginia. But his commitment to Minnesota is firm. “I’m a man of my word,” he said. “If they stick with me, I’m a Gopher all the way.”

Bryan Station Coach Oliver Lucas, who’s known Minnesota Coach Tim Brewster for 25 years, said Wilhite “has it all. He’s an outstanding student, person and a team guy. Minnesota needed somebody to move the pile for them, and D.L. can do that.”

In four games this year Wilhite has rushed 81 times for 418 yards and a TD.

Bryan Station receiver Terrell Combs also made an official trip to Minnesota with Wilhite. But Combs said he’s a long way from choosing a college. He listed Purdue, Michigan State, Louisville and Auburn as the schools he’s most interested in.

Henry Clay’s ‘D’ dooms Lafayette

Three weeks ago Henry Clay’s football team survived a 47-43 shootout at Boyle County, and two weeks ago the Blue Devils absorbed a 55-26 beat-down from Cincinnati LaSalle on their home turf.

People were beginning to wonder if Henry Clay was allergic to playing defense.

Wonder no more.

The Devils, rated seventh in the state, were dominant on defense as they forced five turnovers in a 35-10 victory over Lafayette last night. “Our defense finally made a statement against a good football team,” Henry Clay Coach Sam Simpson said.

And the Devils finally got some revenge on 19th-rated Lafayette.

When these teams met in the regular-season finale the last two years, the Generals won in upsets, twice keeping the Devils from a 10-0 record.

“We owed our fans for those two losses,” Henry Clay senior Eddie Nzolameso-Bangudi said.

“That’s right,” added Devils’ junior Tyler Hooker. “We hadn’t beaten Lafayette in a few years, and we took an embarrassing loss (to LaSalle). “We owed the fans a show.”

The Devils were sloppy early, and trailed 7-0 most of the first half after Lafayette’s Eric Shaw ripped off a 68-yard touchdown run.

But then Nzolameso-Bangudi picked off a short pass by Generals’ quarterback Logan Bunch, and turned it into a spinning, darting, 33-yard TD. “I guess our team’s morale picked up after that,” Nzolmeso-Bangudi said.

Simpson wasn’t surprised that “Eddie N” made the big play. “He’s the underneath spirit of this team. He lifts us up in practice and in games.”

Henry Clay carried the momentum into the second half, starting with Brendan Kelly’s 70-yard kickoff return that set up the go-ahead score — a TD toss from Ryan Phillippi to Hooker.

The Devils then delivered the knockout punch. Hooker forced a Lafayette fumble, and when the loose ball tumbled into the end zone, John Walton fell on it for a TD to make it 21-7.

Less than a minute later, a hard tackle by Aaron Boyd forced another Lafayette fumble. Boyd then switched to offense and caught a TD pass from Phillippi.

Henry Clay was in command 28-7.

“The defense set off a landslide, an avalanche there, and it was all downhill from there,” Hooker said.
Hooker tacked on another score in the closing minutes for Henry Clay, which now trails the 60-year-old city rivalry 31-29-2.

Hooker, Boyd and Dontey Gay were among the two-way standouts for the Devils.

Gay rushed for 173 yards and had 39 receiving. Phillippi threw for 140 yards and ran for 85.

Mike Federspiel led the defense with six solo tackles and he had an interception.

“Our seniors are feeling really good right now,” Nzolameso-Bangudi said.

Lafayette isn’t feeling so great after having its 16-game regular-season winning streak snapped.

“Henry Clay was well prepared, and they really got after us in the second half,” Generals Coach Mike Harmon said.

“We made substitution erros, we missed blocking assignments and we turned the ball over. You do all those things and a team like Henry Clay is going to embarrass you.”

Friday night highlights

• Scott County outgunned Shelby County 40-34 as the two teams combined for more than 900 yards of offense. Scott County’s Logan Travis rushed for 154 yards, but the Cardinals also got a big lift from its defense. Sam Payne and Anthony Sandoval both returned interceptions for TDs. Shelby County did all of its damage through the air. QB Alex Matthews completed 27 of 45 passes for 400 yards and 5 TDs. The Rockets got 0 net yards on the ground.
• Madison Central stayed unbeaten with a 45-26 victory over winless Clark County. The Indians were led by Ricky Rhodes, who rushed for 120 yards and 3 TDs.
• Montgomery County QB Kaleb Curtis ran 31 times for 156 yards and threw for 99.yards in a 30-28 overtime victory against Ashland Blazer. Curtis scored on a 10-yard run in OT, and added the two-point conversion to give the Indians the win.
  
• St. Xavier slipped by Manual 21-14, and Trinity rolled past Eastern 48-12 as the two super-powers tuned up for their showdown at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium next Friday night.
• Frankfort, bouncing back from last week’s loss to crosstown rival Franklin County, walloped Bracken County 84-0 as Jordan Morgan scored four TDs.
• Hazard junior QB Tyler Olinger threw for 404 yards and 4 TDs, and rushed for 131 yards and 5 scores in a 65-26 rout of cross-town rival Perry Central. James Oden had a 100-yard interception return for the winners.

Fields’ Friday football top 30

There are no real surprises in the upper tier of these rankings. The powers that were supposed to be are the powers that be. However, there are some teams that have been more successful than expected. Madison Central probably leads that group. Coach Kenny Turner’s Indians, led by speedy Ricky Rhodes (shown at right), knocked off Danville in their season opener and are off to a 4-0 start. They figure to get tested by Clark County tonight.

1. Trinity (2-1): Eastern
2. St. Xavier (4-0): at Manual
3. Highlands (4-0): at CovCath
4. Manual (4-0): St. X
5. Bowling Green (3-1): Warren Central
6. Owensboro (4-0): Ohio Co.
7. Lafayette (4-0): at Henry Clay
8. Henry Clay (3-1): Lafayette
9. Lex. Catholic (3-1): at Boyle Co.
10. Male (3-1): Bullitt Central
11. John Hardin (4-0): Waggener
12. Bell County (4-0): open date
13. Johnson Central (4-0): Woodford Co.
14. Scott County (2-1): at Shelby Co.
15. Ballard (2-2): at Seneca
16. Beechwood (4-0): Ludlow
17. Madison Central (4-0): Clark Co.
18. Boone County (3-1): open date
19. Shelby County (3-0): Scott Co.
20. Belfry (4-0): open date
21. Russell (4-0): at East Carter
22. Danville (3-1): at Ft. Knox
23. Newport Catholic (4-0): Cov. Holy Cross
24. Woodford Co. (4-0): at Johnson Central
25. Trigg County (4-0): at Reidland
26. Warren East (4-0): at F-Simpson
27. Mayfield (3-0): at Crittenden Co.
28. Central (1-2): Elizabethtown
29. Rockcastle County (3-1): at Knox Central
30. North Bullitt (2-2): at LaRue Co.

Mackey, Miller, Hopson rated 1-2-3

Rick Bolus’ High Potential Recruiting Service has published its ratings of Kentucky high school basketball players, and the top three are no surprise, although some may quibble with the order of 1) Bud Mackey of Scott County; 2) Darius Miller of Mason County; 3) Scotty Hopson of University Heights.

Bolus has only good things to say about Mackey, who has commited to Indiana, and Miller, who has commited to UK. But he calls Hopson “overrated on the national scene as this swingman led his team to a 14-16 record last season against subpar competition. Granted he has the athleticism and skills, but what good are those if he doesn’t utilize those gifts to his advantage on both ends.”

Hopson has heard those criticisms before, and he addressed them in Jerry Tipton’s basketball notebook in Sunday’s Herald-Leader. Hopson told Tipton he promised to play with more intensity for UHA this season. “I’ll be more focused, putting out 110 percent,” he said.

Bolus’ ratings indicate another fun year in the 11th Region, which is home to five of the top 12 players. Besides Mackey, he includes Victor Moses of Henry Clay, Shelvin Mack of Bryan Station, Aaron Morris of Madison Central and Taylor Stewart of Lexington Catholic.

Here’s how Bolus rates the state’s top 12 seniors:

1. Bud Mackey, Scott County
2. Darius Miller, Mason County
3. Scotty Hopson, University Heights
4. Victor Moses, Henry Clay
5. Clark Stepp, June Buchanan
6. Shelvin Mack, Bryan Station
7. Aaron Morris, Madison Central
8. Tyler Brown, Apollo
9. Antonio Sullivan, Iroquois
10. Taylor Stewart, Lex. Catholic
11. Darnell Moore, Madisonville
12. Adam Decker, PRP
    Top sleeper: Nick Gagel, Jeffersontown

Bolus second 12: Nathan Novosel of LexCath; Arrez Henderson of Holmes; Matthew Thomas of Ashland Blazer; Landon Slone of Paintsville; Jordan Lee of Scott County; Dante Stewart of Lafayette; Cam Hundley of Scott County; Aaron Morris of Muhlenberg North; Michael Sparks of Tates Creek; Rayco Bryant of Franklin-Simpson; Aaron Boyd of Henry Clay, and Adam Delph of PRP.

Bolus rates Rose Hill sophomore (and UK recruit) Dakotah Euton as the top underclassman, followed by Manual freshman Tony Kimbro (son of 1985 Mr. Basketball Tony Kimbro).

Kentucky-Indiana all-star hoops get facelift

Trying to revitalize the moribund Kentucky-Indiana all-star basketball series has been a challenge to game organizers for years as the summer rivalry lost its status as a sports event that commanded much attention, especially in the Bluegrass State.

Maybe a change in format will put some pep back into the 67-year-old series.

Dave Satterly of the sponsoring Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation has announced that the rivalry will have a new look next summer. Instead of spreading practices and games over two weeks, they’ll be compressed into one week. The first girls’ and boys’ games will be played on Friday, June 13, in Louisville. The rematches will follow two days later, Sunday, June 15, in Indianapolis.

The games in Louisville will be played at either Freedom Hall, Louisville Gardens or the Kentucky International Convention Center. The games in Indy will be at either Conseco Fieldhouse or Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Former Fairdale coach Stan Hardin will serve as boys’ game chairman, and former WKU women’s coach Steve Small will be girls’ game chairman. Kentucky will also mimic Indiana and stage scrimmages between its senior all-stars and a group of junior all-stars.

Will any of this help pump life back into the rivalry? Nobody knows, but something had to be done. This event has been on life-support for years on this side of the Ohio River. Since 1993, five cities (Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Owensboro and Bowling Green) have hosted the Kentucky games. Owensboro seemed to generate the most enthusiasm and decent crowds. Bowling Green rolled out a red carpet, but the fans didn’t follow. Now the games are going back to Louisville.

Satterly hopes the newly formed Mr. Basketball Fraternity will help promote the games. A Miss Basketball organization (a sorority?) may be in the works, too.

All the window dressing won’t help, however, unless Kentucky starts being competitive against the Hoosiers. Indiana’s boys have won 14 of the last 18 games, including seven in a row by an average of almost 20 points. Indiana’s girls have won 26 of the last 32.