Bardstown Football

Cardinal line dominates

Nelson scores on first four possessions to take control

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown quarterback Jordan Brewer (18) finds himself under heavy pressure from Nelson County defenders John Harrison (12) and Jake Lemieux (44) after being flushed out of the pocket by the Nelson line, led by Matt Hillard (57).

By Kenny Fogle

Nelson County scored on each of its first four possessions Friday and the Cardinal offensive and defensive line dominated younger Bardstown to win the third straight contest in the annual rivalry, 35-7.

“They’re a very, very good football team,” Tiger coach David Clark said. “You can tell they play 26 seniors.”

Nelson County’s offense provided the most heat scoring after only one minute and one second into the contest after a 50-yard kickoff return from Trey White gave the Cardinals choice field position. Three runs later, the Cards were on the scoreboard with the first of Blake Martin’s three touchdowns in the game.

Cardinal quarterback Daniel Mudd struck for a short scoring pass to John Harrison, who made an over-the-shoulder grab with 4:29 to go in the first, and Quentin Brooks’ electrifying 48-yard run saw the senior weaving in and out of traffic as the first quarter expired, making it 21-0.

Martin got his second touchdown of the game less than four minutes later, this time from 13 yards out, and Nelson County was able to go on cruise control from there, with Mudd’s booming kickoffs all resulting in touchbacks, taking a key special teams component out of the equation for Bardstown. Mudd only left the field for one play.

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Nelson County’s Quentin Brooks slips away from Bardstown’s Ben Lyvers for a gain.

“The kicking leg gets a bit weak at the end, but with all the excitement and adrenaline going through you, you don’t even have time to think about being tired,” he said.

Nelson County proved to be land lovers as the rare pass only produced 20 yards in the first half while grinding out more than 250 yards on the ground. Primary carries came from Brooks with 113 yards and Martin with 70.

The third quarter was Bardstown’s finest as they used 7 minutes of the clock on their first possession working their way down the field culminating in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Brewer to Blake Warren.

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Marcus Cosby makes a nifty diving catch in the first half Friday as Nelson County’s Blake Martin closes in on the play. Martin enjoyed a big offensive game, scoring three rushing touchdowns.

Brewer was Bardstown’s lone shining star, passing for more than 125 yards despite heavy pressure from the Cardinal front line. The Tigers were unable to muster much ground carrying the ball with most of their running progress also coming from Brewer, who ran for 50.

The Tigers also held together on defense during this quarter keeping the Cards from the end zone as well. The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Nelson County as Martin scored with a 20-yard run with 8:05 left in the game and after a Bardstown fumble on Nelson County’s 18 yard line with 6:34 left in the contest, Nelson County was able to run out the clock for the final score.

Brooks also played on both ends of the field, saying “our conditioning makes a difference, keeping us strong till the end.”

Cards’ coach Jamie Egli said his biggest satisfaction was for the seniors who have won each time in this rivalry game and challenged the underclassmen to follow their lead.

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Nelson County’s John Harrison beats Bardstown’s Coi Young to the end zone following his over-the-shoulder touchdown grab in the first quarter

Nelson County ups its record to 2-0 and will play host to Spencer County next week. Bardstown goes for its first win as the Tigers travel across town to Lally Field to take on Bethlehem.

Tigers-Cards game gets the blood pumping

Nelson Co. v. Bardstown 2010

By PETER W. ZUBATY

Friday’s annual meeting of Bardstown and Nelson County on the gridiron is always the best-attended game of the football season, with alumni and former players filling the stands and covering the sidelines.

And for good reason.

“It means a lot,” Bardstown junior Jack Whitfield said. “Obviously both teams want it really, really bad. We’ve gotten beat the past two years, and we want it more than ever.”

But it goes deeper than that. All week long, players are hearing the talk from a variety of sources, whether it’s their fathers, uncles, cousins or other relatives. Practices see visits from former players eager to fire up the current team.

“I think they’re just as excited as us,” Whitfield said. “Even though we lost Saturday, we showed a lot.”

All the pep talk “excites me a lot,” Nelson County senior Ryan Wimsett said. “I love playing against Bardstown — it’s the best game of the year.”

Wimsett said several of his teammates from last season who have now graduated are getting into his ear.

“They tell me to kick their butt and everything,” he said. “They’re excited about it too. I want to win it for them (and) I want to win it for us.”

And the motivation works, as players are champing at the bit to get out on the field.

“We’re going to go out there and play our hardest,” Nelson senior John Harrison said. “We’re going to hit; we’re going to block; we’re going to finish tackles.”

Jordan Brewer, the Tigers’ junior quarterback, is getting his first taste of life inside the swirl of the Nelson-Bardstown game after playing last season at LaRue County. However, his father, James, the Tigers’ basketball coach, participated in this game while a Bardstown star in the 1980s.

“Actually, we haven’t really talked about it,” Brewer said, figuring his dad must be saving the pep talk for closer to game time. “This game is going to mean a lot to me. I haven’t been here that long, but with two schools (in the same town), it’s always going to be a big rivalry.”

The Cardinals roll into the game off a 54-27 win, having plowed through the Shelby County defense for nearly 400 rushing yards.

“Nelson County is going to have the advantage, being a veteran team,” Clark said. “Field position is going to be a key.”

Whitfield said the Tigers will have to play a mistake-free game against the Cardinals.

“It’s all about discipline,” he said. “If we take care of penalties, we have that game” against Bullitt East.

Clark said the seven penalties for 64 yards against Bullitt East doesn’t look like much on paper, “but every one of them negated a big gain.”

Nelson coach Jamie Egli said the Tigers are young, but their speed could pose problems.

“They’re very good in the open field,” he said. “We’ve stressed flying to the football.”

Clark said the Tigers, a team with just two seniors on offense and five on defense, has a lot of room to grow after showing flashes in a 27-14 loss to Bullitt East in Saturday’s Joe Jaggers Classic at North Hardin.

“We looked like a team that has quite a bit of potential,” he said. “We showed a lot of improvement” as the game wore on, especially a strong defensive effort that held Bullitt East to fewer than 300 yards of total offense.

Emotions can run high and adrenaline can be difficult to control in rivalry games, but Egli said he’s not too worried about his players being focused on the game following a blowout win last week, and Harrison confirmed it.

“After that win Friday night, you didn’t have to say anything to us but ‘Bardstown,’” he said.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

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Football

Season opens tonight

Footballs fly through the air again starting tonight, and local gridiron fans have a few options available this weekend.

Bethlehem is the only area team at home this weekend, as Fort Knox visits Lally Field tonight at 7:30 p.m. Bethlehem won at Fort Knox last year, 50-0.

Nelson County hits the road for its opener tonight, heading to Shelby County for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The Rockets won 20-16 last season.

Bardstown fans will have to wait a day to see their squad in action as the Tigers are again part of the Joe Jaggers Classic at North Hardin. Paul Dunbar meets the host Trojans at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by Bardstown v. Bullitt East in the nightcap at about 8 p.m. The Tigers fell 41-33 to North Hardin in last year’s bowl.

Tigers looking to defend district title

Bardstown Tigers football preview

By PETER W. ZUBATY

With a number of new faces to go with a returning group of relative unknowns, this year’s Bardstown Tigers has an element of mystery to it.

“We like that,” but Bardstown coach David Clark said he’s not sure how much difference that will make in the win/loss column. “Everybody’s a mystery in week one. We just have to focus on doing the things to get better.”

One thing fans will notice different about the Tigers is a return to a running game initiated by junior quarterback Jordan Brewer, who started last year at LaRue County.

“The quarterback is going to be more of a running threat again,” Clark said. “We’re going to run a lot more veer than we have in a few years.”

Brewer has a mix of size and athleticism that leads Clark to believe the son of former Tiger star James Brewer could be sitting on a breakout year.

Brewer has some explosive options to throw to, when the opportunity arises.

Marcus Cosby started last year as a freshman at wideout and showed signs of future stardom on occasion, including the regular-season finale last year when he caught three touchdown passes against Elizabethtown. Anthony Myrks, a junior and Jordan Brewer’s half-brother and also a LaRue transfer, provides a big target as well. Blake Warren, a junior, will also be in the mix.

“They just fit in with us,” Mattingly said of Myrks and Brewer.

Juniors Jack Whitfield and C.J. Jackson figure to get the bulk of the carries at running back, and Keith Mattingly returns to the lineup at fullback after missing most of last year after tearing up his knee.

“We expect him to anchor the middle for us,” Clark said.

Mattingly certainly is champing at the bit to get back out on the field and hit somebody.

“I’m very excited and ready to get out there,” he said. “It was real tough (sitting out). All I could think about was how much I’m going to miss it.”

Taylor Mayberry also missed time last year to injury, but as the only returning senior lineman, he will be counted on to lead a young line, Clark said. The remainder of the Tiger line is filled out by juniors Jaylin Tonge, Luke Humkey, Jacob Farrell and Alex Lopez. Senior John Stone does the kicking.

A change from recent years has most Tigers playing one side of the ball or the other, a goal of Clark’s.

“We don’t have anybody playing both ways consistently — some players will see both sides, but nobody who is starting,” he said.

The Tigers have a lot of players with similar skills and size, Clark said, giving the team a lot of interchangeable parts.

“When you’re not playing many kids, you’ve got a lot of kids with a lot of potential not getting playing time,” he said. Plus, it allows players to get the most out of practice time by focusing on one job. “That’s helped us quite a bit.”

On the defensive line, juniors Levi Pierce and Jeffrey Blakley are joined up front by senior Luke Shrewsbury.

Junior Tanner Culver is a playmaker at inside linebacker, where sophomores Donshais Calbert and Marcus Grundy also start. Senior John Sither is at one outside linebacker, and classmate Kameron Lackey — who Clark describes as “big, strong and aggressive” — is poised for a big year after sliding into the position after Mattingly was injured last fall.

“It was pretty helpful,” Lackey said of the guidance an injured Mattingly was able to provide for his replacement.

Senior Ben Lyvers anchors the secondary.

“He’s the brains of the operation, so to speak,” Clark said, instructing younger teammates in the secondary such as juniors Deshon Conner and Coi Young and sophomore Dee Yocum where they need to be in coverage.

Lackey was one of a number of young players able to get playing time in the absence of injured starters last season.

It was tough to deal with the adversity with so many people getting hurt, Lackey said, but the coaches “kept telling everybody, ‘he’s hurt, but you’ve got to take his position,’” which served as a good motivator.

“A lot of kids who normally wouldn’t have experience got experience at a young age last year,” Clark said. “It also helps us in the weight room. Playing young, they saw how important getting strong is.”

The Tigers open their season Saturday in the second game of the Joe Jaggers Classic at North Hardin against Bullitt East. Kickoff is set for about 8 p.m.

Plenty to watch for this gridiron season

River Rat

  Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

The Kentucky Standard 2010 Football Preview

By PETER W. ZUBATY

Welcome to The Kentucky Standard’s 2010 Football Preview!

In this special section, you’ll find all you need to know about the upcoming high school football season in a section chock full of rosters, schedules, photos and interviews.

Playing off our cover theme — expertly designed by Laura Smith and Teresa Rice — we’re looking for a season where local teams use their veteran leadership on defense to build walls to keep opposing teams out of the end zone.

Our cover features several standout local players.

From Bardstown, we have linebacker Kameron Lackey (52) and fullback Keith Mattingly (10), a pair of seniors who provide the Tigers with a nasty edge.

From Bethlehem, we have seniors Joe Peake (61), the team’s emotional leader who wreaks havoc in opposing backfields, and Clay Owens, a hard-nosed player at quarterback and in the defensive secondary.

From Nelson County, we have seniors Daniel Mudd and Quentin Brooks, who make up an explosive backfield on offense and are sticky defenders in the Cardinal secondary.

There are new faces to be aware of, such as new Bethlehem coach Ron Koontz, the former Bardstown defensive coordinator, and Bardstown’s Jordan Brewer and Anthony Myrks, a pair of LaRue County transfers who will be focal points of the Tiger offense.

Thanks for picking up a copy of our football preview, and I hope it will be an information resource for you as you navigate the 2010 gridiron season.

Games to watch

Each year, several games on the high school schedule just jump out at you and demand to be seen. Here are the games I’m most excited about this year:

Nelson Co. at Bardstown, Aug. 27

The Cardinals have gotten the best of the Tigers the past two times, something that almost assuredly doesn’t sit well with Bardstown fans. If the Tigers want to put an end to their losing streak in the series, they’re going to have to take down a veteran group of Cardinal seniors led by explosive running back Quentin Brooks.

Bardstown at Bethlehem, Sept. 3

The Eagles are hunting for their first win over Bardstown since 2007 and first Mayor’s Cup win since 2003. If Bethlehem is going to snag bragging rights in the series, it will have to find a way to contain a Bardstown team that has speed all over the field.

Glasgow at Bardstown, Sept. 17

A visit from what figures to be an improved Scotties team also gives Bardstown a look at a possible playoff opponent from Class 2A District 3, something that could prove handy down the road.

Danville at Bardstown, Oct. 8

It’s always a big deal when two of the most storied programs in Kentucky history get together, especially since the past three meetings of the schools has decided the champion of Class 2A District 4. This one figures to be pretty important as well.

Fort Knox at Bardstown, Oct. 22

All losing streaks eventually end. Unfortunately for Bardstown, Fort Knox ended a four-year, 40-game losing streak by shocking the Tigers last year. The 2010 Tigers want to win big and put last year’s embarrassment behind them for good.

Disastrous second quarter sinks Tigers’ playoff hopes

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Tanner Culver (11) and Ben Lyvers wrapped up Monroe County’s Tanner Kendall on this play, but the Falcons were able to run roughshod over the Tiger defense during Friday’s 49-14 rout.

By Peter W. Zubaty
Monroe County erupted for 35 second-quarter points Friday to turn a close game into a rout, advancing to the Class 2A Region 2 championship with a 49-14 win at Bardstown.

The Falcons (9-3) eliminated the Tigers (5-7) for the second consecutive season. Bardstown fell 45-14 in a second-round meeting last year in Tompkinsville. Monroe County advances to face District 3 mate Green County (9-3) for the Region 2 crown. The Dragons whipped Danville 61-22 Friday in second-round play.

The game had the makings of a shootout early on.

After Bardstown went three-and-out on its initial drive, Monroe pieced together a long drive capped by a 2-yard scoring run by fullback Dillon Vickery midway through the first quarter.

The Tigers responded, however, putting together a long drive of their own as quarterback Keaton Hall — seeing his first action under center in a month because of a shoulder injury — was able to find some soft spots in the Falcon pass defense. Bardstown capped the drive with a 1-yard run up the middle by Ricky Harper to tie it up just before the end of the first quarter.

Monroe County retook the lead with a quick drive less than four minutes into the second quarter, when Vickery struck again, this time from 10 yards out, for his second score of the game. Bardstown quickly answered, however, when Harper broke off a 68-yard touchdown run, shaking off would-be tacklers near the line of scrimmage before sprinting away from the Falcon defense to tie it at 14-14.

Things went horribly wrong for the Tigers after that, however, when the Falcons showed some big-play ability as Neil Wilson ran around right end and sprinted up the sidelines for a 50-yard scoring run. Disaster struck on the ensuing kickoff when Harper fielded the ball deep in Tiger territory but coughed it up while looking for room to run, and Monroe’s Chad Wilson recovered it at the 13. Two plays later, Tanner Kendall ran it in from 11 yards out to put the Falcons up 28-14.

Bardstown couldn’t get much done on its next possession and had to punt from deep in its own territory. A few plays later, Monroe scored on a 23-yard pass from Jackson Arnett to Neil Wilson, making it 35-14. Offensive woes continued for the Tigers on their next possession, and the Falcons blocked Hall’s punt deep in Bardstown territory, with Chad Wilson scooping it up and returning it 22 yards to make it 42-14 and cap off an outburst of 28 points in less than three-and-a-half minutes.

The Tigers fumbled it away deep in their own territory on the next possession, but Marcus Cosby intercepted Arnett in the end zone to keep things from getting worse just before halftime.

Monroe put together a long drive to open the second half, setting the final margin at 49-14 when Vickery got his third touchdown of the game, this time from 2 yards out.

Bardstown graduates eight seniors.

Class 2A Region 2 playoffs

Monroe Co. 49, Bardstown 14

MC    7    35    7    0—49

B    7    7    0    0—14

First Quarter — (MC) Vickery 2 run (Harrison kick), 6:31; (B) Harper 1 run (Kremser kick), 42.6. Second Quarter — (MC) Vickery 10 run (Harrison kick), 8:29; (B) Harper 68 run (Kremser kick), 6:21; (MC) N. Wilson 50 run (Harrison kick), 5:58; (MC) Kendall 11 run (Harrison kick), 5:04; (MC) N. Wilson 23 pass from Arnett (Harrison kick), 2:58; (MC) C. Wilson 22 punt block return (Harrison kick), 1:35. Third Quarter — (MC) Vickery 2 run (Harrison kick), 6:58.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Nelson, Bardstown knocked out in second round

By Peter W. Zubaty

Second-round playoff games were unkind to local teams Friday, as Bardstown and Nelson County each saw their seasons end.

Bardstown finished up its season at 5-7 after suffering a 49-14 defeat at the hands of visiting Monroe County (9-3). The Falcons eliminated the Tigers in last year’s second round as well, 45-14, in Tompkinsville.

Nelson County (6-6) was on the road looking to avenge an earlier defeat at the hands of Greenwood (9-3). The Cardinals enjoyed a 14-0 first half lead and got a Daniel Mudd field goal just before halftime to go up 17-14, but the Gators held the Cardinals scoreless after the half to win 28-17.

CLASS 2A PLAYOFFS: Tiger defense stands tall in shutout

Force 5 Metcalfe turnovers

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Ricky Harper (6) shakes off Metcalfe County defenders for a gain Friday. Harper scored all three Tiger touchdowns during a 138-yard rushing night.

By Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s defense has been suspect during the regular season, allowing 30 points a game.

But the Tigers clamped down at just the right time Friday — the first round of the Class 2A Region 4 playoffs — in dealing visiting Metcalfe County a 19-0 defeat, the second straight season the Tigers have shut out the Hornets in a first-round game.

“It’s kind of a joke, but maybe we shouldn’t practice defense very much during the week, because we were limited (with) six starters out,” Tiger coach David Clark said. “One day, we didn’t even get to play defense.”

The Tigers (5-6) have been battered by injuries all season long. Compounding matters, the team has been hit hard by the flu bug in recent weeks, making depth an issue.

Despite that, the Tigers forced five Metcalfe turnovers and limited the Hornets to 145 total yards.

“They were just really focused on what they did (on defense),” Clark said, “and we were able to stop their strengths. We played really aggressive tonight, so I was really pleased with that.”

Bardstown didn’t manage much on offense either, mind you. But the Tigers played mistake-free football with zero turnovers and only 10 penalty yards against them.

The Tigers found themselves locked in a defensive struggle in the first half, with the lone score being an 81-yard scamper by Ricky Harper for a 7-0 halftime lead.

After the break, the injury bug hit again. Sophomore quarterback Bobby Butler — who has been filling in during the absence of senior Keaton Hall, who’s been limited to punting duties because of a shoulder injury — came up with an ankle sprain while playing special teams on the opening kickoff of the second half. He’s expected to be out a few weeks.

“We’ll have to see what we’re going to do at the quarterback position,” Clark said. If Hall or Butler can’t go, Clark said the Tigers will opt for freshman Marcus Cosby, who has been coming into his own in recent weeks as a wide receiver.

Friday, however, Clark improvised, putting Harper in the shotgun and running the Wildcat formation the entire second half. Bardstown didn’t attempt a pass in the second half, and only six all game while rolling up 180 yards on the ground.

The Wildcat formation, featuring Harper, has snuck into the Tiger game plan a few times in recent weeks, but they’ve never used it this extensively.

“We’ve been practicing it for six or seven weeks, but it was a necessity tonight,” Clark said. “The longer we did it, the more comfortable he got with it. He did a great job.”

The strategy seemed to catch the Hornets (4-7) off-guard, as Clark said the Tigers only ran three different plays the entire second half.

Harper ended up leading the way with 138 rushing yards on just 11 carries. He scored on a 15-yard run late in the third quarter set up by a Terrence Hickman interception, and Harper added a 12-yard score midway through the fourth quarter following a Ben Lyvers pick.

Bardstown hosts Monroe County (8-3) — 42-7 winners over Washington County in the first round — in the second round Friday. The Falcons knocked the Tigers out of the playoffs last season with a 45-14 win at Tompkinsville.

E’town too much for wounded Tigers

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Marcus Cosby elevates for one of the freshman’s three touchdown catches against Elizabethtown Friday.

By Peter W. Zubaty

Elizabethtown 48, Bardstown 29

With several starters sidelined with injuries or illness, Bardstown didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with Elizabethtown as the Panthers got off to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter and didn’t let up until staking a 48-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

“We had a lot of young kids playing last night,” Tiger coach David Clark said. “To their credit, they never quit.”

The Tigers (4-6) committed four turnovers in the game, including a costly first-quarter interception that spotted the Panthers (4-6) a 14-0 lead before Bardstown could get its offense on track.

“You can’t make mistakes against a team like E’town, and they were able to capitalize on the mistakes.”

Bardstown only lost one fumble, but had trouble with the quarterback-center exchange all game, which Clark said was surprising, as that had not been much of a problem all year, despite sophomore Bobby Butler taking over at quarterback three weeks ago for an injured Keaton Hall.

“Those were drive-killers,” Clark said.

For the Panthers, Kyle Todd threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the attack, and Titus Sublett rushed for 159 yards on six carries, including scores of 56 and 68 yards, and he also caught a Todd touchdown pass.

There were a few bright spots for the Tigers. Freshman Marcus Cosby caught five passes for 86 yards, three of them touchdowns. Ricky Harper rushed for 63 yards and a score.

Clark said today’s growing pains will pay dividends in the future — hopefully as soon as Friday, when the Tigers welcome Metcalfe County (4-6) to town for the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. The Hornets were the No. 4 seed in District 3, while the Tigers were the top seed in District 4.

“We’re gaining more and more experience as the season wears on,” Clark said.

FB playoff picture all clear, fortunately

Fall sports pictures available at www.kystandard.com

In Class 2A’s Region 4, Bardstown can take solace from its bruising loss Friday at Fort Knox in the knowledge that the Tigers get to host as many as two games in the upcoming playoffs. That’s how important that road win over Danville — as well as the Homecoming Night fourth-quarter stand by the defense against Washington County — proved to be.

So while the Tigers’ ego is nicked up, they can use those hurt feelings as a motivator against the same two teams Bardstown faced in last year’s playoffs: Metcalfe County and Monroe County (a tough road loss that still stands as one of the coldest nights I’ve ever spent on a football field). There’s still time left for the Tigers to do big things in the playoffs, and home is a great place from which to start.