This week in Kentucky high school sports history

One of the treats of my job is reconnecting with the past, whether it’s hearing about or watching a former Kentucky high school star excelling in the college or pro ranks, or succeeding in an endeavor that has nothing to do with athletics. That’s why I’ve decided to start this weekly feature. I’ll pick three years at random and do a little research on what was happening in high school sports for a particular week.

Here’s the first installment, looking back at what went on the first week of November in 1968, ‘79 and ‘86. Some of the names might ring a bell. Murph Howard, for example, is currently the baseball coach at Pendleton County. Larry Kirksey, a former UK football player and long-time college and NFL assistant, is in his first season as wide receivers coach with the Houston Texans. Steve Parker, who played football at UK and later coached Bryan Station, is now Dr. Steve Parker, an associate professor in the UK College of Education. And Charles Atinay is athletic director at Henry Clay.

 

1968

Harlan rips Bell County 34-0 as QB Murph Howard throws 3 TD passes, including 2 to Larry Kirksey. Harlan goes undefeated (10-0-1) but doesn’t make the playoffs . . . Paris sophomore QB Steve Parker throws 2 TD passes in a win over Bath County . . . Henry Clay QB Robbie Ross passes for 2 TDs and runs for another in a victory over Harrison County . . .

1979

Montgomery County’s Roger Dale runs for 2 TDs, throws a 2-point conversion pass, recovers 2 fumbles and returns an interception for a TD in a win over Woodford County. The victory puts the Indians in the playoffs for the first time in school history . . . Richmond Madison receiver Eddie Simmons has 3 TD catches, and 280-pound tackle Keith Bosley returns a fumble 56 yards for a score in a rout of Harrodsburg . . . Gordon Lunceford runs for a pair of TDs to lead Franklin County over Bullitt Central for the region title.

1986

Goalkeeper Charles Atinay leads Henry Clay to the state soccer finals for the first time, but the Blue Devils lose in a shootout to Ballard at Lafayette’s Ishmael Stadium. . . Henry Clay’s Wendy Frazier wins the Class 3A state cross country title. Danville eighth-grader Katie Stamps wins the 2A title . . . Tates Creek football coach Roy Walton lights up a victory cigar after his Commodores earn a spot in the football playoffs with a 14-13 overtime win against Bryan Station. Tates Creek’s defense stops Defenders’ star William Dishman at the goal line on fourth down to preserve the victory . . . Paris’ Lanie Fomas runs for 156 yards and 3 TDs in a rout of Madison.

Football playoff pairings

There’s still one more Friday night left in the regular season, but if you want to peek ahead to the first round of the playoffs, here are the matchups.

The pairings are almost complete. Only a handful of districts must wait until after this week’s games to use tiebreakers to determine matchups.

No. 1 St. Xavier will have to get along without star RB Deuce Finch for a while. Finch, shown at left on the move against Lexington Catholic, injured his knee against Central last week and the injury will sideline him for at least three weeks.

CLASS A

• Fulton County at Fulton City
• Crittenden County at Mayfield
• Eminence at Frankfort
• Trimble County at Gallatin County
• Beth Haven at Lou. Holy Cross
• Ky. Country Day at Bethlehem
• Ludlow at Beechwood
• Bellevue at Dayton
• Nicholas County at Lexington Christian
• Fairview at Raceland
• Allen Central at Pikeville
• South Floyd at Paintsville
• Clinton County at Lynn Camp
• Campbellsville at Williamsburg
• Evarts at Hazard
• Jenkins at Cumberland

CLASS 2A

• Heath at Caldwell County
• Murray at Trigg County
• Monroe County at Green County
• Metcalfe County at Glasgow
• Todd Central at Fort Campbell
• Hancock County at Owensboro Catholic
• Fort Knox at Danville
• Washington County at Bardstown
• Owen County at DeSales
• Carroll County at Louisville Christian
• Morgan County at Prestonsburg
• Bath County at Shelby Valley
• Newport at Newport Central Catholic
• Lloyd at Cov. Holy Cross
• Knott Central at Corbin
• Leslie County at Middlesboro

CLASS 3A

• Webster County at Paducah Tilghman
• McLean County at Union County
• Western Hills at Henry County
• Spencer County at North Oldham
• 4th place (Butler Co., Hart Co, or Edmonson Co. at Russellville
• 3rd place (Butler Co., Hart Co. or Edmonson Co.) 2nd place (Butler Co., Hart Co., or Edmonson Co.)
• Shawnee at Central
• Elizabethtown at Moore
• Taylor County at Somerset
• Garrard County at Wayne County
• Magoffin County at Belfry
• Pike Central at Sheldon Clark
• Fleming County at Breathitt County
• Cawood at Estill County
• East Carter at Russell
• West Carter at Mason County

CLASS 4A

• Muhlenberg North at Lone Oak
• Hopkins Central at Calloway County
• LaRue County at Marion County
• North Bullitt at Bullitt East
• Logan County or Russell County at Warren East
• Logan County or Russell County at Franklin-Simpson
• Atherton or Western at Valley
• Atherton or Western at Fairdale
• Bourbon County at Franklin County
• Pendleton County at Harrison County
• Lawrence County at Boyd County
• Rowan County at Greenup County
• West Jessamine at Lexington Catholic
• East Jessamine at Boyle County
• McCreary Central at Bell County
• Rockcastle County at Knox Central

CLASS 5A

• Ohio County at Owensboro
• Christian County at Hopkinsville
• South Oldham at Anderson County
• Oldham County at Jeffersontown
• Grayson County at Bowling Green
• Barren County at Warren Central
• Iroquois at John Hardin
• Waggener at Doss
• Cov. Scott at Highlands
• Cov. Catholic at Dixie Heights
• Whitley County at Letcher Central
• Clay County at Perry Central
• Montgomery County at Woodford County
• Bryan Station at Johnson Central
• Mercer County at Lincoln County
• South Laurel at Pulaski County

CLASS 6A

• Henderson County at Marshall County
• Daviess County at Graves County
• Butler at St. Xavier
• PRP at Manual
• Nelson County at Greenwood
• North Hardin at Meade County
• Bullitt Central at Male
• Southern at Fern Creek
• Seneca at Trinity
• Ballard at Eastern
• Tates Creek at Henry Clay
• Paul Dunbar at Lafayette
• Campbell County at Boone County
• Simon Kenton at Ryle
• Shelby County at Scott County
• Clark County at Madison Central

Friday night highlights

The biggest news was Frankfort’s 20-19 victory at Danville even though Frankfort played without star quarterback/defensive back E.J. Fields. The UK recruit is nursing an ankle injury and Panthers Coach Craig Foley gave him the night off to make sure he’ll be 100 percent for the playoffs in two weeks.

Frankfort still had enough firepower to knock off Danville. Sophomore running back Quan Weaver ran for 211 yards and 2 TDs, and Jordan Morgan scored the winning TD midway through the fourth quarter. Junior Keri Metcalf filled in for Fields at QB.

“For us to go to Danville and beat them without our stud player, that’s a huge confidence boost for our kids,” Foley said.

Frankfort beat Danville in the regular season last year, but lost to the Admirals in the Class A playoffs. Danville is playing in 2A this season, while Frankfort is considered a state contender in 1A.

Also last night:

• Lone Oak blasted Fulton City 56-12 in a battle of unbeaten teams in far western Kentucky. Lone Oak, a Class 4A school, had little trouble with the Bulldogs, one of the smallest football-playing school in the state. Lone Oak QB Corey Robinson threw 7 TD passes, giving him 59 this season, only 3 shy of the state record set by Lexington Catholic’s Justin Burke two years ago.
• Unbeaten teams keeping their records perfect included: Anderson County 9-0 (beat Marion County 21-19); Bell County 9-0 (beat Leslie County 48-0); Breathitt County 9-0 (beat Lawrence County 52-7); Hazard 9-0 (beat Lynn Camp 17-13); Highlands 9-0 (beat Madison Central 41-0); John Hardin 9-0 (beat Nelson County 35-21); St. Xavier 9-0 (beat Central 35-7).
• Shelby County star QB Alex Matthews is out with a shoulder injury, but freshman Brandon Cresap proved to be a capable replacement last night. Cresap threw for 294 yards and 4 TDs as the Rockets beat South Oldham 33-14.
• Bowling Green hammered crosstown rival Warren East 35-7. Purples QB Trent Steelman threw for 253 yards and a TD. D.L. Moore had 5 catches for 158 yards and a score.

Anderson County wins battle of unbeatens

An endangered species in football for 10 years, the Anderson County Bearcats are alive and kicking and on the prowl for an undefeated regular season.

“It’s unbelievable,” Coach Mark Peach said after Anderson County upset previously unbeaten Marion County 21-19 last night.

“It’s amazing,” said senior lineman Steve Heilman. “The mindset is completely different now. We come out and expect to win.”

When Peach took over as coach three seasons ago, the Bearcats’ program was going nowhere.

Last season it had its first winning record in seven years.

Now Anderson County is 9-0 and on the brink of its first unbeaten regular season since 1986, when Peach was a sophomore lineman.

The Bearcats can go 10-0 with a win over Western Hills next week.

“That really would be special,” Peach said. “For our kids and our community, it’s not often you can say you played on a team that was perfect in the regular season.”

Anderson County’s schedule hasn’t been all that challenging, but it’s had to beat good competition the last couple weeks.

Last Friday it held off Oldham County to win its first district title in 35 years.

And last night the Bearcats were decided underdogs to a strong, talented Marion County team that featured a punishing ground game.

But the home team treated its fans to another memorable night of football.

Led by sophomore quarterback Jacob Russell, Anderson County overcame an early 6-0 deficit to take a 21-6 lead. The Bearcats then held on for dear life, with their defense clinching the victory.

“This one right here shows we’re legit,” Heilman said. “We’re all heart and never give up.”

The Bearcats also know how to perform in the clutch. They converted on three crucial fourth downs.

Russell hit Kendrick Harvey (shown above following the block of B.J. Robinson in photo by Charles Bertram) with a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-six to tie the game late in the first quarter, and led 7-6 after Netanel Gonzalez’s extra point.

Anderson County twice converted on fourth down on a 62-yard, 13-play drive that culminated in Harvey’s 3-yard TD run and put the Bearcats ahead 14-6.

They stretched their lead to 21-6 in the third quarter, capitalizing on a Marion County fumble with Ben Walker’s short scoring run.

Marion County made it an exciting finish, though.

The Knights’ Mitchell Lancaster caught a 26-yard TD pass from Eric Miles to close the gap to 21-12. Midway through the fourth quarter Marion County blocked an Anderson County field goal attempt, and Cody Peterson returned it to the Bearcats’ 20. Four plays later, the Knights scored on Jake Thompson’s second TD of the night. That made it 21-19.

The visitors got the ball one more time, with just under two minutes left. But Anderson County’s defense shut them down.

Russell threw for 143 yards and a TD. Russell, B.J. Robinson and Ben Walker provided a good-enough ground game.

Marion County was led by Elliot Hazelwood’s 109 yards rushing, and Thompson’s 80.
But the Knights couldn’t spoil what has been a dream season for Anderson County.

“Our seniors are the guys who set the tone for this turnaround with their positive attitude and work ethic,” Peach said. “Now it shows in the heart and fight of our team.”

Anderson County will play host to South Oldham in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs on Nov. 9.

Marion County, which finishes the regular season against unbeaten Green County next week, will face LaRue County in the opening round of the 3A playoffs.

Fields’ Friday football top 30

Two weeks are left in the regular season, but there’s no drama left in the regular season. Everybody is finished with district play, and almost all the playoff matchups are set. (A few districts must wait to use tiebreakers to determine who makes the post-season.) Kind of a buzz-kill, isn’t it? Sure, there are some interesting game to be played, but none will impact the playoff picture. The new scheduling grid gives everybody a couple weeks to tune up for the playoffs, but it also takes some steam out of the last two weeks of the regular season.

Tonight’s headline games: Anderson County, led by QB Jacob Russell (at left with Coach Mark Peach in photo by John Herndon), hosts Marion County in a battle of unbeatens, and Fulton City visits Lone Oak in another showdown of undefeated teams.

1. St. Xavier (8-0): at Central
2. Trinity (6-2): Dunbar
3. Highlands (8-0): at Madison Central
4. Henry Clay (7-1): Boone County
5. Manual (7-1): Bullitt East
6. Bowling Green (7-1): Warren East
7. Male (8-1): open date
8. John Hardin (8-0): at Nelson County
9. Bell County (8-0): at Leslie County
10. Lexington Catholic (7-2): Apollo
11. Scott County (7-1): Lincoln County
12. Boone County (6-2): at Henry Clay
13. Lafayette (7-1): Western Hills
14. Danville (8-1): Frankfort
15. Ryle (6-3): at Dixie Heights
16. Belfry (8-0): at East Carter
17. Franklin County (7-1): East Jessamine
18. Newport Catholic (7-1): Campbell County
19. Woodford County (7-1): open date
20. Johnson Central (6-1): at Montgomery Co.
21. Owensboro (7-1): Henderson County
22. Corbin (8-1): Leslie County
    
23. Beechwood (7-1): at Somerset
24. Marshall County (6-2): Mayfield
25. Lincoln County (8-1): at Scott County
26. Christian County (5-4): at Ohio County
27. Breathitt County (8-0): Lawrence County
28. Meade County (5-3): Conner
29. Russell (8-1): at Raceland
30. Frankfort (7-1): at Danville

‘Winningest’ football list is ever-changing

Philip Haywood of Belfry (shown at right celebrating his team’s second consecutive state title in 2004) became the second football coach in two weeks to join the 300 Club. Haywood’s Pirates beat Sheldon Clark last Friday for his 300th career victory in 33 years of coaching. The week before, Bell County’s Dudley Hilton, also in his 33rd season, got No. 300 against Sheldon Clark, too.

Hilton and Haywood rank 2-3 on the state’s all-time list behind Bob Schneider, who has accumulated 319 wins in 42 years at Newport Central Catholic.

Bob Redman of Male has a shot at reaching the 300 plateau this year, too. Redman has 296 wins. That means Male will have to make a strong run in the playoffs to get him 4 more victories. The Bulldogs’ last regular-season game is against Manual on Nov. 2. Male should win its first two playoff games — against Bullitt Central and (probably) Fern Creek — but its third-round opponent would probably be No. 1 St. Xavier.

Next season Sam Harp of Danville figures to make a run at 300. He currently has 285, and his Admirals could ring up 5 or 6 more wins this year.

Even with the recent stampede to 300, it seems like only yesterday that everybody was awestruck when Bardstown’s Garnis Martin got his 250th to become the state’s all-time leader. Actually, that was 21 years ago. Martin held the top spot for 7 years until he was overtaken by Paintsville’s Walter Brugh in 1993. (Martin died 5 years later).

North Hardin’s Joe Jaggers eclipsed Brugh in 1997, only to be passed by Schneider in 2005.

Kentucky’s all-time winningest football coaches

1. Bob Schneider* (NewCath) — 319-174

2. Dudley Hilton* (Bell Co.) — 301-96

3. Philip Haywood* (Belfry) — 300-110

4. Bob Redman* (Male) — 296-105

5. Joe Jaggers (N.Hardin) — 292-105-3

6. Sam Harp* (Danville) — 285-81

6. Mojo Hollowell (O’boro Cath.) — 285-158-6

8. Walter Brugh (Paintsville) — 280-136-5

9. Mike Glaser* (St. Xavier) — 278-61

10. Ivan McGlone* (Russell) — 273-119

11. Garnis Martin (Bardstown) — 271-114-7

12. Owen Hauck (Boone Co.) — 258-109-1

13. Jack Morris (Mayfield) — 254-50-2

14. Dan Haley (Bowling Green) — 253-79-3

15. Preston “Ty” Holland (Murray) — 249-159-28

* active coach

(wins at out-of-state schools don’t count on Kentucky list)

Friday night highlights

There were 13 unbeaten teams going into play last night, and 12 of them stayed perfect. The only casualty was Pulaski County, which had its undefeated season spoiled by Lincoln County, 28-0. Pulaski County had been averaging 42 points, but it was blanked by the Patriots’ defense.

In other highlights last night:

• Belfry Coach Philip Haywood became the third coach to win 300 games in Kentucky as his Pirates beat Sheldon Clark 34-7. It was the second week in a row Sheldon Clark had been part of that milestone. Bell County Coach Dudley Hilton won his 300th at Sheldon Clark last week.
• Fulton City (7-0) had a surprisingly easy time dumping host Mayfield 36-19.
• Anderson County beat Oldham County 35-31 to improve to 8-0 for the first time in 21 years. Bearcats Coach Mark Peach was a sophomore lineman on the 1986 team that went 10-0 under Coach Sam Harp.
• Terry Metcalf rushed for 162 yards and 2 TDs, and caught 5 passes for 47 yards and a score to lead Franklin County to a 38-6 win over Harrison County in a 4A district showdown.
• Corbin QB Clint Cashen threw for 274 yards and three TDs in a 47-0 rout of Leslie County. Rob Madon and Caleb Watkins each had more than 100 yards receiving.
• South Laurel QB Ricky Bowling threw for 459 yards and 5 TDs as the Cardinals won a 52-48 shootout with Mercer County.
• Deuce Finch ran for 194 yards to lead No. 1 St. Xavier to an easy 34-7 win over Pleasure Ridge Park.
• Madison Central beat Shelby County 28-10 behind Ricky Rhodes and Keshawn Simpson. Shelby County QB Alex Matthews, one of the state’s leading passers, was sidelined with a separated shoulder in the first quarter.
• In a 6A thriller, Boone County beat Ryle 30-24 in overtime. Boone County visits Henry Clay next week.

Lafayette survives at Dunbar, 16-14

On a night when it made more than enough mistakes to lose a football game, Lafayette made just enough good plays to pull out an improbable 16-14 victory at Paul Dunbar last night.

Jake Stephens’ 32-yard field goal as time expired was the difference as the Generals won despite making five turnovers and enough mental miscues to drive Coach Mike Harmon batty.

“Dunbar played great, and we didn’t play very well, so I’d have to say we got lucky to come out on the positive end,” Harmon said.

Tommy Gifford, Lafayette’s play-making senior receiver, agreed. “We snuck away with one,” said Gifford (shown above in Charles Bertram’s photo).

The win earned the Generals second place in the district, which means they will host a first-round playoff game on Nov. 9 against Dunbar.

Harmon was happy about that, but he seemed even more pleased that Lafayette finally beat the Bulldogs on their home field.
“We talked about it all week, about how we could become the first (Lafayette) team to beat Dunbar at Dunbar,” he said. “We’re always looking for new accomplishments, and I’m proud that this team left its mark by doing it.”

Lafayette rolled up 402 yards on offense while its defense held Dunbar to 162 yards.

But Dunbar still almost upset the 22nd-ranked Generals.

The Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Marquis Clay to Jerrell Greene.

Lafayette tied it 7-7, after a 59-yard pass from Logan Bunch to Gifford set up Darnell Burnside’s short TD run.

A mistake by Gifford early in the second half allowed Dunbar to regain the lead. Gifford made a fair catch on a punt on his own 1-yard line.

Two plays later, Dunbar’s Nick Edelstein intercepted a deflected pass to set up Clay’s 1-yard TD. Jason Nicholson added the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead.

Gifford atoned for his gaffe a few minutes later by taking a screen pass and turning it into a 77-yard TD. But the extra point was blocked, and Dunbar still led 14-13.

Lafayette put together several decent drives, but Dunbar’s defense, led by Robert Koteff and Steve Matthews, kept forcing turnovers.

Given one more chance, Lafayette took over on its own 20 with three minutes left and drove into field goal range.

Gifford kept the Generals alive with a 23-yard run on fourth-and-2.

When Lafayette lined up for a 32-yard field goal with three-tenths of a second left, everybody assumed it was a chip shot for Stephens.

But Harmon knew there was reason for concern. Stephens had hurt his back while playing goal-keeper for Lafayette’s soccer team in regional play Wednesday night.

But Stephens ripped the kick through the uprights.

“Knowing how Jake was hurting, that put an exclamation point on what kind of kid he is, to battle through that pain,” Harmon said.

Fields’ Friday football top 30

The ratings took several hits last week, with 10 teams in the top 30 getting beat. A few of them — Eastern, Madison Central, Mayfield and Pleasure Ridge Park and Warren East — dropped out of my rankings.

One constant force this season has been No. 9 Bell County, one of 13 unbeaten teams left in the state. The Bobcats went on the road and dominated a pretty good Sheldon Clark team 31-6 last week. The game was a milestone for Bell County Coach Dudley Hilton (shown at right), who notched his 300th career win. Making the night even more memorable was that Hilton’s son John Dudley, a freshman tight end, had the first TD catch of his career. Hilton’s overall record is 300-97, with 210 of those wins coming at Bell County, highlighted by a 3A state title in 1991. He also coached at Breathitt County and Bourbon County. He led the Colonels to a 2A title in 1997.

Unbeaten Belfry could give Coach Philip Haywood his 300th win tonight when it hosts Sheldon Clark. That’s right. The Cards could be part of history for the second week in a row.

1. St. Xavier (7-0): PRP
2. Trinity (5-2): Seneca
3. Highlands (8-0): open date
4. Henry Clay (6-1): Tates Creek
5. Bowling Green (6-1): at Barren Co.
6. Manual (6-1): at Butler
7. Male (7-1): Fern Creek
8. John Hardin (7-0): Doss
9. Bell County (7-0): at McCreary Central
10. Lexington Catholic (6-2): at West Jessamine
11. Scott County (6-1): Clark County
12. Boone County (5-2): at Ryle
13. Lafayette (6-1): at Dunbar
14. Danville (7-1): Washington County
15. Ryle (6-2): Boone County
16. Belfry (7-0)): Sheldon Clark
17. Owensboro (6-1): Hopkinsville
18. Newport Catholic (6-1): at Lloyd
19. Woodford County (7-1): open date
20. Johnson Central (6-1): at Montgomery Co.
21. Corbin (7-1): Leslie County
    
22. Beechwood (7-1): at Bellevue
23. Christian County (4-4): at Ohio County
24. Marshall County (5-2): at Henderson Co.
25. Harrison County (6-2): at Franklin Co.
26. Lincoln County (6-1): Pulaski County
27. Owensboro Catholic (5-2): Ft. Campbell
28. Breathitt County (7-0): at Powell County
29. Franklin County (6-2): Harrison County
30. Russell (7-1): at Mason County

Scott County prepares for hoops without Mackey

The day after Scott County basketball star Bud Mackey appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to felony drug charges, Coach Billy Hicks ran his team through pre-season drills this morning.

Before practice began at Scott County Middle School’s gym, Hicks (shown at right) said Mackey’s troubles “should be a flag for all coaches. You better watch who your kids are running around with. I know Bud Mackey as well as anybody. He’s a great kid. But he fell in with the wrong group. I tried to tell him he shouldn’t run with those guys, but he didn’t listen.”

Hicks said contrary to news reports, that while Mackey is suspended from school, he has not withdrawn from school. “He called me yesterday and was tore to pieces. He told me he wasn’t withdrawing. We’re servicing him through our home-bound, home-school program.”

While Mackey awaits his next court hearing on Nov. 6, Scott County’s reigning state basketball champs are readying for the season.

The mood among the Cardinals this morning was mixed. They regret Mackey’s situation — “It was a shock, none of us saw it coming,” said Cam Hundley (left) — but they are also optimistic that even without their Mr. Basketball candidate, they can defend their state title.

If Scott County was going to be a solid pre-season No. 1 with Mackey, where will the Cards rank without him?

“We still expect to be a top five team easy,” Hicks said. “I’m not crying on anybody’s shoulder. We’ve got as much talent and firepower as we’ve ever had.”

Hundley, Jordan Lee, Richie Phares and Tyler Portwood all started at some point last season. Jordan Adams and Markus Burchfield also got quality playing time.

“I’d say we should still be No. 1,” Hundley said. “Don’t count us out now that Bud’s gone. We’re still a heckuva team and we’ve got a lot to prove this year.”

Lee (right) agreed. “I think we’re still No. 1. We’ve got a lot of talent . . . point guards galore, big men, everything we need. But we’re really not worried about rankings and all that. We’re just worried about getting better right now.”

“One person doesn’t make a team,” Portwood added.