Bardstown Football

Bardstown stunned by Fort Knox

Eagles snap 40-game losing streak with upset win over Tigers

By Peter W. Zubaty

Fort Knox’s extended losing streak spanning four seasons had to end at some point. Unfortunately for Bardstown, the Eagles stopped the skid at 40 games Friday night with a 27-17 win over the Tigers in the Class 2A District 4 finale.

Bardstown coach David Clark said that despite a sloppy McAdams Field, the normally turnover-prone Eagles were able to spring the upset by taking care of the football and keeping the explosive Tiger offense parked on the sideline.

“They did a good job offensively of keeping our offense off the field,” Clark said. “We only ran 20 plays on offense in the second half.”

Bardstown and Fort Knox had one turnover apiece.

Fort Knox sophomore running back Quensie Brown ran 24 times for 117 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“He took them on his shoulders and told them they weren’t going to lose,” Clark said. “Those were big yards — tough yards.”

Fort Knox’s last win came in the 2005 regular-season finale at Green County, ending that season 1-9. Fort Knox (1-8, 1-2 dist.) last beat Bardstown in 2003.

The Eagles also had a kickoff return for a score, and quarterback Scott Hubner tossed a pair of touchdowns.

Bardstown (4-5, 2-1 dist.) running back Ricky Harper ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Bobby Butler threw a touchdown pass to Terrence Hickman.

Clark said the Tigers have taken the loss hard.

“We self-evaluate and take a deep swallow and understand that we have to come out and be ready to play, no matter who the opponent is,” he said.

The loss does not affect the playoff standings in District 4. Bardstown is the district champ by way of its win at Danville, also 2-1. Washington County gets the No. 3 spot via its win over Fort Knox.

Clark said his team will try to have “short memories,” and hopefully get some momentum back in its home finale against Elizabethtown leading into the playoffs and a first-round matchup with Metcalfe County.

“Luckily, it wasn’t a playoff game. It doesn’t affect our standing in the district. We have more games to play,” he said. “We have to remember what it takes to be successful … and mentally be ready to prepare for next week.”

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 Bardstown sews up district’s top seed

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Codi Cramer blocked this third-quarter punt against Washington County. He also recovered a first-half fumble that led to a touchdown.

 By Peter W. Zubaty

For the second straight game, Bardstown got another key fourth-quarter field goal from Victor Kremser to ice the game Friday against Washington County, 24-14.

The Tigers improved to 4-4 overall and 2-0 in Class 2A District 4 play with the win, and claimed the regular-season district championship with the help of Danville’s 55-25 win at Fort Knox. Washington County dropped to 2-6 overall and 1-1 in the district.

Bardstown visits Fort Knox (0-8, 0-2 dist.) next week with a chance to stretch its current win streak to four games. Danville (2-6, 1-1 dist.) hosts Washington County next week with a home playoff game going to the winner.

The Tigers got a pair for second quarter touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead into halftime. Ricky Harper got a 1-yard score set up by a Codi Cramer fumble recovery near the Commander goal line. Cramer also blocked a punt in the third quarter.

Bobby Butler hit Quintez Cissell just before halftime with a 20-yard scoring pass to break a 7-7 tie.

Bardstown added to its lead a minute into the second half when Jack Whitfield scored on 45-yard run, making it 21-7.

Washington County’s Quan Turner cut it to 21-14 a few minutes later, and looked to have tied it just before the end of the third quarter when Turner broke off another long run, but it was called back. The Tiger defense came up big in the fourth quarter, however as Harper got one of his pair of interceptions in the frame, giving him three in the past two games.

Bardstown 24, Washington Co. 14

WC 0 7 7 0—14

B 0 14 7 3—24

Tigers sink Admirals

FG with 1:47 wins it

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Ricky Harper (6) delivers a stiff-arm to Danville’s Will Dunn at the tail-end of an interception return. Harper rushed for 124 yards, caught a touchdown pass of 60 yards, picked off one pass and nearly intercepted another, and had a big game returning kicks and punts to lead the Tigers to a 17-15 win.

By Peter W. Zubaty

DANVILLE — As two of the state’s traditional small-school powers, when Bardstown and Danville meet the stakes are usually very high.

Before the 2007 realignment of Kentucky’s football districts, those matchups almost always came in the playoffs. Now, the two share Class 2A District 4, and since the realignment, their regular-season meeting has decided the district championship, with the Admirals prevailing in 2007 and 2008, but with the Tigers winning the 2007 playoff rematch.

On Saturday, the Tigers evened the score when Victor Kremser’s 27-yard field goal with 1:47 left to play proved the game-winner in a 17-15 Bardstown win over Danville.

The win gave the Tigers a leg up in the Class 2A District 4 race, improving to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in district games.

“Our goal is to be district champs, and this is step one of three,” Bardstown coach David Clark said.

Sole possession of first place in the district race will be on the line when Washington County visits Bardstown Friday.

“It was just a great game,” senior Ricky Harper said. “Big game defensively — we made great plays in the second half.”

Harper carried the ball 17 times for 124 punishing yards and his lone catch was a 60-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass from Keaton Hall to give the Tigers a 14-12 third quarter lead. His big yards in the fourth quarter — 79 on seven carries, especially on the game-winning drive — helped the Tigers burn up the clock and set up Kremser’s boot. Harper also played a big part on special teams, with several long returns that set his team up in scoring position.

“We challenged him to be a man and be the best football player on the field tonight,” Clark said. “And he was. He dominated, and that’s a tribute to this kid.”

Bardstown fell behind 12-0 in the first quarter on a pair of short touchdown runs by Will Dunn (18-163 rushing), but clamped down on defense after that, picking off a pair of Danville passes at key junctures in the second half to kill Admiral drives.

“We came out on our heels, and they took advantage of it,” Clark said of falling in the early hole. “To our kids’ credit, they’ve been in that situation before, and they believed they could get back in the football game.”

Wet field conditions led to four fumbles by the Tigers and two by the Admirals, but the fumbling team recovered each time. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, but Danville school officials postponed it.

“In the locker room (at halftime), we all just focused and got ready to play,” Harper said.

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Victor Kremser delivers the winning 27-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining out of the hold of Bobby Butler (18).

 Harper said it was difficult dealing with the sloppy field, but that a team’s got to do what it has to do to get the win.

Evidence of that spirit came when Tigers got their first score in the second quarter.

Bardstown got a short field on a Danville punt, starting the drive from the Admiral 27 with a little more than four minutes to play in the half. The Tigers had trouble moving the ball, bringing up a fourth-and-four when Hall hit Marcus Cosby near the left sideline for a 21-yard catch, but Cosby fumbled the ball near the goal line, and Tiger lineman Jacob Ferrell recovered it in the end zone.

“The key of the game is we didn’t have turnovers,” Clark said. “In a sloppy game like this, when kids play hard, good things are going to happen.”

Danville kicked a field goal midway through the fourth quarter to take a 15-14 lead. But on the very first play from scrimmage following the kick, Harper broke off a 39-yard run, plowing over and through Admiral tacklers to set up the winning Bardstown drive.

“We knew all along it was going to come down to one or two big plays and who was going to make them,” Clark said. “Fortunately we made them.”

Danville gained 325 yards to Bardstown’s 261. Danville dropped to an uncharacteristic 1-6 overall and 0-1 in district play. The Admirals visit Fort Knox Friday.

Bardstown 17, Danville 15 Dunn 2 run (run failed), 9:25; (D) — Dunn 1 run (pass failed), 3:57. Second Quarter — (B) Ferrell fumble recovery in end zone (Kremser kick), 2:14. Third Quarter — (B) Harper 60 pass from Hall (Kremser kick), 3:50. Fourth Quarter — (D) Meckes 28 FG, 5:29. (B) Kremser 27 FG, 1:47.

B 0 7 7 3—17

D 12 0 0 3—15

First Quarter — (D)

Bardstown’s Marcus Cosby coughed it up following a 21-yard reception, but teammate Jacob Farrell (65) was johnny-on-the-spot, recovering the fumble in the end zone for Bardstown’s first touchdown of the game.

Harrison County cancels game with Bardstown

School has been hit hard by flu absences

By Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown football will get a second, unexpected bye week Friday — and a win — in the wake of Wednesday’s cancellation of school and all other activities in the Harrison County School System.

Harrison County’s student population has been hit particularly hard by the flu in recent days, with 450 out of 3,144 students absent Wednesday — nearly double the 270 from Monday, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Bardstown football coach David Clark, who doubles as the school’s athletic director confirmed the cancellation, but said other details were hazy Wednesday evening, and he was still waiting on a follow-up phone call from Harrison athletic director Lee Kendall.

“There won’t be a game, and it won’t be made up,” Clark said.

In other cases where a team elected to cancel a game because of illness at the school, they were forced to forfeit, which means Bardstown would be credited for a 2-0 win over Harrison County.

Bardstown had a bye week Sept. 18, and dropped a 22-20 decision Sept. 25 at Hopkins County Central. The cancellation gives the Tigers two weeks to prepare for its visit to Danville. The Admirals have won the regular-season matchup of Class 2A District 4 rivals the past two seasons, but fell to the Tigers at home in the playoffs two years ago.

Danville is 1-5 so far this season, having dropped four straight. The Admirals are also coming off a bye week.

Clark said he would address his team Thursday morning at school.

“This all just came on my plate at 5 p.m. today.”

Crawley gets in Tigers’ craw

HCC QB does all the scoring in 22-20 Bardstown defeat

By Nick Brockman

MORTONS GAP — Hopkins County Central quarterback Lucas Crawley accounted for all of his team’s points, scoring three rushing touchdowns and a pair of conversion runs to lead his team to a 22-20 win over Bardstown

The Tigers (1-4) had the ball late with a chance to win it and hit on their first pass attempt for 11 yards, but two straight incompletions ran out the clock for a Hopkins Central win.

Crawley gave the Storm its lead with 10:04 remaining with a 5-yard scoring run to make it 22-20.

A series of turnovers then hit both teams.

Bardstown ran the kickoff into the redzone. Lucas Duncan quickly picked off a pass on second down. Four plays later, Central gave the ball back on a lost fumble.

The Tigers failed to get anywhere despite the favorable field position. On fourth-and-8 from the 11, Ricky Harper took the carry on a reverse, but lost the ball after a small gain. A Bardstown lineman picked up the ball and took it to the 4-yard line, but not far enough for the first down.

That’s when Tino Nance took the ball and did his best to run out the clock, rushing seven times on the Storm’s final drive and finishing with a 100-yard rushing night.

Offense escaped the Storm for much of the season, but not during the first half. Crawley led Central to two scores and a total of 198 yards offense during the first two quarters.

The Storm shed their offensive woes on the opening possession on a 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive during which Crawley passed for 34 yards and rushed for 27 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown carry.

Bardstown returned the ensuing kickoff to Central’s 25-yard line, and two plays later scored on a Deangelo Poynter run from 21 yards out. Bardstown failed on its two-point conversion.

Central netted just 16 yards on its next three possessions. In between those drives, Bardstown produced another quick scoring strike when J.P. Willett caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from Keaton Hall, and Harper made it 14-8 with a conversion run.

The Storm’s next drive began in favorable territory after Rashad Wilkes recovered a fumble at the Tiger 35-yard line. On second down, Crawley completed a pass down to the 1-yard line, and ran it in two plays. His conversion run made it 16-14.

As the first half wound down, Central appeared poised to plunge in from one more score. Bardstown reclaimed the lead late in the third quarter on a 12-play, 47-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown rush by Poynter.

The Tigers managed just 168 yards of total offense. Poynter had 43 yards rushing to go with his two scores. Crawley passed for 127 yards and rushed for 63.

Nick Brockman is a sports reporter for the Madisonville Messenger.

Hopkins Cent. 22, Bardstown 20 Crawley 14 run (Crawley run), 7:29; (B) Poynter 21 run (run failed), 6:33. Second Quarter — (B) Willett 52 pass from Hall (Harper run), 11:52; (HCC) Crawley 1 run (Crawley run), 6:22. Third Quarter — (B) Poynter 1 run (conversion failed), 2:59. Fourth Quarter — (HCC) Crawley 5 run (conversion failed), 10:04

B 6 8 6 0–20

HCC 8 8 0 6–22

First Quarter — (HCC)

Knights KO Tigers early

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown had few highlights in a loss to Marion County, but one of them was a 51-yard scoring run by Ricky Harper (6).

By Peter W. Zubaty

Marion County scored early and often, building a 36-0 first-half lead over Bardstown on the way to a 57-20 win Friday.

“They’re a junior/senior-dominated team,” Bardstown coach David Clark said. “They were physically strong. They were able to dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage; it was very hard for us to get into a rhythm.”

Marion County (1-2) constructed a 15-play, 80-yard drive on its opening possession, finishing it on a 4-yard touchdown run by Jordan Bell. The Tigers’ first possession didn’t go quite as smoothly.

Deangelo Poynter sprained his ankle on the first play from scrimmage for Bardstown, and soon after that Marion County’s Valis Mudd returned a Keaton Hall interception 28 yards to make it 14-0.

“We made a couple of mistakes early,” Clark said. “Against a good team, it’s hard to dig yourself out of a hole. Before we ever really get on the field (on offense) it’s 14-0.”

Things didn’t get much better from there for the Tigers (1-3).

Ryan Peterson connected for scores to Mudd and Bryson Bell, then Chuck Elder got in on a 1-yard run to make it 36-0 before the Bardstown offense could make any noise. Ricky Harper busted loose a 51-yard scoring run just before halftime — his ninth touchdown of the year — but Marion answered right back with a long touchdown pass off a halfback option with 16.5 left in the first half, making it 43-7.

Bardstown got a pair of long touchdown passes from Hall to J.P. Willett (80 and 66 yards), but the Tigers couldn’t make up for the tough first half.

Bardstown gets what Clark calls a much-needed week off before getting back to action Sept. 25 at Hopkins County Central (1-2). In addition to Poynter, Taylor Mayberry and C.J. Jackson were out against Marion County.

“It comes at a real good time for us,” Clark said. “This off week is going to give us a chance to heal a little bit and get ready for the next half of the season.”

Marion Co. 57, Bardstown 20

MC 22 21 7 7—57

B 0 7 7 7—20

First Quarter — (MC) J. Bell 4 run (Corbett kick); (MC) Mudd 28 interception return (Corbett kick); (MC) B. Bell 50 pass from R. Peterson (D. Peterson run). Second Quarter — (MC) Mudd 7 pass from R. Peterson (Corbett kick); (MC) Elder 1 run (Corbett kick); (B) Harper 51 run (Kremser kick); (MC) Taul 52 pass from R. Peterson (Corbett kick). Third Quarter — (MC) D. Peterson 41 run (Corbett kick); (B) Willett 80 pass from Hall (Kremser kick). Fourth Quarter — (MC) B. Bell 12 run (Corbett kick); (B) Willett 66 pass from Hall (kick failed).

Cards get final say in shootout

Nelson County 56, Bardstown 41

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Nelson County’s Alex Downs (22) drags Bardstown defenders Ben Lyvers (25) and Marcus Cosby (9) into the end zone for one of his three first-half touchdowns. Look for more photos from Friday’s game at www.kystandard.com, and PLG-TV 13 will show highlights from the Bardstown-Nelson County game tonight at 7 and 8 p.m.

By Peter W. Zubaty

Alex Downs scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to put Nelson County up 14-0 early, giving his team just enough cushion to keep Bardstown at arm’s length in what ended up a 56-41 shootout win by the Cardinals.

“I’m just so happy — this is one we were looking for,” Downs said. “This is a huge rivalry. We’re just glad we won and we’re moving on to the next one.”

In his first career win as a head coach, Jamie Egli went to Downs early and often as the senior picked up 97 of his 101 yards and all three of his touchdowns in the first half — the final one coming less than a minute before halftime.

“It’s always nice — my first win as a head coach is great,” Egli said. “But more importantly, we beat Bardstown.”

Sometimes overlooked in the Cardinal offense by opposing teams because of his backfield mate Quentin Brooks, who ran for 1,200 yards as a sophomore, Downs said he’s able to fly under the radar.

“A lot of teams seem to pay attention to Quentin, and that’s fine with me,” Downs said. “I just try to work hard and do my best.”

“We just gave it to him and said, ‘Go,’” Egli said.

After Downs’ opening scores — on runs of 29 and 6 yards — the game turned into a track meet with 42 combined points scored in a wild second quarter. Bardstown’s Keaton Hall tossed touchdown passes to Ricky Harper (20 yards) and J.P. Willett (81 yards), as well as an electrifying 98-yard kickoff return by Harper that came on the heels of a 5-yard scoring run by Brooks. Nelson County’s Tyler Martinez delivered the first of three touchdown passes in the frame, a 24-yarder to Lequan Chenault. Downs’ 5-yard touchdown run to close the half sent the Cardinals into the locker room nursing a 35-21 lead.

“They’re a good, explosive offense, and they were able to be successful early,” Bardstown coach David Clark said. “We settled down, and settled down a lot quicker than we did last week” when the Tigers fell behind 28-0 in the first half at North Hardin.

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s J.P. Willett breaks off a long catch-and-run in the second half, while Nelson County’s Alex Downs (22) gives chase. Willett caught six passes for 167 yards and scores of 81 and 58 yards.

More big plays followed in the third quarter. With less than a minute gone in the frame, Harper — who accounted for 278 all-purpose yards — dropped a lateral pass by Hall, then picked it up and rambled 58 yards to draw the Tigers within 35-28.

“All year long he’s going to make plays,” Egli said of Harper. “He’s a good football player.”

Both teams’ offenses stalled temporarily for the next eight minutes, however, until Martinez connected with Brooks for a 77-yard touchdown and hit Josh Pride (six catches for 109 yards) for a 23-yard catch and run just two minutes later, giving the Cardinals a seemingly-insurmountable 49-28 lead to start the fourth quarter.

“We knew what we were in for,” Clark said. “We were going to take the chance to stop the run and make them throw over the top of us. And to their credit, that’s what they were able to do.”

But like they had done the previous week against North Hardin, the Tigers didn’t fold their tents. Hall again found Willett (six catches for 167 yards) for a long touchdown, this time from 58 yards, less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

Egli said it’s important to “just play the next play — it doesn’t matter what happened before” when locked up in a shootout. “If you do that, you’re focused on what you need to do.”

Both defenses held for the next eight minutes until Harper struck again, taking a handoff from Willett on a punt return and going 65 yards before finally being caught. He took it in from 3 yards out on the next play for his fourth touchdown of the game (the extra point try was blocked), cutting it to 49-41 with 3:07 to play.

But for t

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown’s Ricky Harper backed up last week’s three-touchdown, 225-yard rushing performance by accounting for 278 yards rushing, receiving and returning, and scoring four touchdowns against Nelson County.

he second straight week, Bardstown couldn’t recover an onside kick try late, and Nelson sophomore Trey White recovered. Four plays later Brooks — who rushed for 112 yards and caught four passes for 128 more — got his third touchdown of the game from five yards out to ice it.

Martinez had a strong first start at quarterback, going 14-of-24 for 276 yards and three scores, while Hall was 12-of-23 for 224 yards. Bardstown’s Deangelo Poynter ran for 53 yards and got a key fumble recovery on defense in the first half, setting up the Tigers’ first score.

Nelson County piled up 527 yards of total offense, while Bardstown had 357.

“Week two doesn’t make a season,” Clark said. “We think we’ve learned a lot these past two games, and we’re going to be able to have some success down the road.”

Bardstown hosts Bethlehem Friday, while Nelson County heads to Marion County.

Nelson Co. 56, Bardstown 41 Downs 29 run (Mudd kick), 9:53; (NC) Downs 6 run (Mudd kick), 2:48. Second Quarter — (B) Harper 20 pass from Hall (Kremser kick), 10:36; (NC) Brooks 5 run (Mudd kick), 6:21; (B) Harper 98 kickoff return (Kremser kick), 6:04; (NC) Chenault 24 pass from Martinez (Mudd kick), 3:08; (B) Willett 81 pass from Hall (Kremser kick), 2:04; (NC) Downs 5 run (Mudd kick), :45. Third Quarter — (B) Harper 58 run (Kremser kick), 11:01; (NC) Brooks 77 pass from Martinez (Mudd kick), 2:53; (NC) Pride 23 pass from Martinez (Mudd kick), :27. Fourth Quarter — (B) Willett 58 pass from Hall (Kremser kick), 11:21; (B) Harper 3 run (kick blocked), 3:07; (NC) Brooks 5 run (Mudd kick), 2:02.

B 0 21 7 13—41

NC 14 21 14 7—56

First Quarter — (NC)

Stopping run game key for Nelson, Bardstown

By Peter W. Zubaty

It’s a big week for rivalry games in all the fall sports, with important matches between local schools taking place in volleyball and boys and girls soccer. Of course, it all leads up to the biggie: the Bardstown-Nelson County football game.

It’s a big deal for fans, players and coaches, but away from the emotions surrounding what goes on tonight at Nelson County, there’s some nuts and bolts football going on.

The key figures to be how well each team runs the ball, and, by contrast, how well each team’s defense can stop the run.

“They’re not the biggest team we’re going to play,” Nelson quarterback Tyler Martinez said. “But you can’t underestimate them because of their size.”

If you do, you run the risk of Ricky Harper going nuts, like he did at North Hardin last week, rushing for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

“He was just all over the place,” Martinez said.

And Harper’s going to have to be, coach David Clark said.

“In order for us to be competitive, he’s going to have to have good ballgames,” he said. Other Tigers feed emotionally off what Harper’s doing, and figure to benefit from the extra attention he receives from opposing defenses, Clark said.

The Cardinals have a pretty good running game of their own, returning 1,200-yard rusher Quentin Brooks to the backfield. But Brooks isn’t the only weapon, Bardstown coach Clark said. Running back Alex Downs and Martinez both figure to get opportunities to make plays.

“They have a really nice offensive system,” Clark said. “Whether or not we can stop them (we don’t know). We hope to slow them down a bit.”

Keeping the Nelson County skill players in check is important for the Tiger defense, Harper said, and they have to be wary of the run and the pass, especially after allowing the North Hardin aerial attack to put up 319 yards and two touchdowns, and what should have been a third.

“Our main focus is trying to stop (running back) Quentin (Brooks) and (wideout) Josh Pride,” he said. “And keep pounding the ball on offense.”

The Tiger run defense played well early on against the Trojans, but allowed a handful of big plays that hurt.

Against Scott County, a top-10 team in Class 6A, Nelson County had a good scrimmage, winning 27-12. Scott County got a late touchdown against the Nelson JV.

“The defense stepped up and the offensive line was there,” Martinez said. “It seemed every hole was there almost every time.”

Both teams are mostly healthy. Bardstown lineman Taylor Newberry missed last week with a knee injury, but practiced this week and may be ready to go tonight.

Peter W. Zubaty can be reached at 348-9003 Ext. 115 or by e-mail at pzubaty@kystandard.com.

It’s BIG

River Rat …

By Peter W. Zubaty

They’re not in the same district. They’re not even in the same class. The game doesn’t make a whole lot of difference in either team’s playoff outlook.

But it means all the world to those who play in it. If nothing else, I can tell by the sheer mass of people who will be in the stands and pressed up against the ropes lining the field Friday night.

“These kids are so excited to play — you can see it on their faces,” Bardstown coach David Clark said.

I know I get excited about it, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like for the kids playing in the Bardstown-Nelson County football game Friday.

“Biggest rivalry we have,” Cardinal lineman Dominic Green said.

“Yeah, it’s big,” said Trey Franklin, Green’s fellow lineman.

“It’s just BIG,” Green said.

Bardstown senior Ricky Harper said he gets a charge out of all the hoopla surrounding the game, and the big crowd that always turns out provides plenty of adrenaline for him.

“It’s going to be a great game — that’s all I can say,” he said.

When we taped this week’s episode of the Zubaty-Bahm Sports Week program Tuesday, I asked Bardstown lineman Dominique McMakin — who is never at a shortage of words — what Bardstown-Nelson County Week means to him, he just smiled with that gigantic grin of his, and simply said, “It’s big.”

For linemen such as McMakin, Franklin and Green, there’s someone to bump and grind with on every single play. For them, a rivalry game can be even more of a social gathering than for the skill players, who can avoid contact on some plays. As a result, the blood gets flowing right away, and tempers can sometimes flare up.

“It’s always personal down in the trenches,” McMakin said.

Coaches caution their players all week on the need to keep those feelings under wraps as best as possible.

“We play with emotion, but we don’t let it control us,” said Nelson County’s Jamie Egli, who will get his first experience in the rivalry as head coach tonight. Keeping your head screwed on straight and doing your job is the key for the players, he said, as well as avoiding the mistakes and penalties that usually come with a game that evokes such emotions on all sides.

The game is the season opener for Nelson County, but Bardstown got its season underway Saturday in a 41-33 loss at North Hardin. The Tigers struggled early and spotted the Trojans a 28-0 lead before mounting a furious comeback with 27 fourth-quarter points.

“Hopefully we can build upon a good quarter and not take a couple steps back,” Clark said. “Especially in a rivalry game, because all that nervous energy (from the season opener) will be back.”

Checking in at practices this week found players doing a lot of chattering about their opponent. It’s understandable — these kids have been butting heads against each other in various sports their whole life.

“We talk to the same people — we’re buddies with all of them,” Nelson senior Tyler Martinez said. “It’s not bad having bragging rights all year long.”

Zubaty-Bahm Sports Week

Thanks to the folks who came out to Buffalo Wings and Rings for the tapings of our first two episodes of the program. We had great crowds both nights, and we hope to have a big turnout on Tuesdays in September at Bearno’s, who is our host location for the month.

Episode 2, which previews the Bardstown-Nelson County football game, is airing on PLG-TV 13 at 3:30, 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. today, and is also available online at www.plgtv.com, in case you miss it. And, of course, thanks to our host Buffalo Wings and Rings, and all our sponsors. Things went a lot smoother the second time through, and will get even better as I get more comfortable with being on TV (which is no easy task for me).

We’ve gone over the program a few times and hopefully fine-tuned some things to help it be a more enjoyable feature for local sports fans, and we hope to have some other glitches cleaned up as we go along.

Pete’s Pick’em Contest

I forgot to mention it on the show, but I’ll do so here: Check Sunday’s issue for the return of the popular Pete’s Pick’em Contest.

You can try your luck against James Bahm and myself, and the other panelists in Wednesday’s issue, and compete for several great prizes during the season.

Peter W. Zubaty can be reached at 348-9003 Ext. 115 or by e-mail at pzubaty@kystandard.com.

Harper runs wild, but Tiger youth shows

Joe Jaggers Classic

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

 Ricky Harper (6) rushed for 225 yards and three touchdowns against North Hardin, but Bardstown struggled to stop the Trojan offense, which rolled up 501 total yards.

 By Peter W. Zubaty

RADCLIFF — Bardstown’s offense demonstrated an explosiveness that should serve it well this season, scoring 33 second-half points Saturday at North Hardin.

Problem was, the Tigers couldn’t find the end zone until the Trojans had already opened a 28-0 lead.

“Coach Clark just gave a good speech telling us not to put our heads down,” senior Ricky Harper said. “That inspired us … and made us play harder.”

The pep talk worked, but not well enough, as a furious Bardstown comeback fell short in a 41-33 North Hardin win in the Joe Jaggers Classic.

Bardstown was down 41-18 with a little more than four minutes to play, but scored on a Keaton Hall run, then got an onside kick and cut it to 41-33 when Hall found J.P. Willett for a 22-yard touchdown pass at the 3:12 mark. The Tigers’ next attempt to recover an onside kick failed, however, and Trojan running back David Hickman was able to convert a pair of first-down runs to seal the game. Hickman had a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that helped the Trojans keep the Tigers at bay.

Harper provided the majority of the Tiger highlights, announcing his presence as one of the top runners in the area, and perhaps the state, with a 225-yard, three-touchdown night on just 14 carries. He had touchdown runs of 1, 43 and 80 yards.

“It felt pretty good,” Harper said of his big night.

Bardstown coach David Clark said it was nice to see Harper start to realize his

potential.

“We expect that — he’s a specimen,” he said. “He has a year under his belt now playing football, and he knows what to expect now, and he knows what he has. We’re really expecting him to have a big year.”

But Harper is one of the few returning skill players who saw significant playing time last year. Youth and inexperience led to the Tigers falling in an early hole, Clark said.

“We were feeling things out,” he said. “We had a lot of kids playing for the very first time. Their energy was great, but their nervousness obviously showed. Our first three possessions we had three turnovers.”

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Dominique McMakin (79) and the Bardstown linemen were able to get pressure up front on North Hardin quarterback Vincent Davis (6), but Davis’ arm and elusiveness caused problems all night for the Tiger defense.

Clark said it could very easily have been a lot worse than the 21-0 deficit the Tigers faced going into halftime. The Trojans made it 28-0 when David Hickman broke loose a 63-yard scoring run to open the second half.

After that, he said, Bardstown had nothing to lose and played more relaxed. And once that happened, moving the ball became much easier.

“They played with a lot of fun and passion in the second half,” Clark said.

Bardstown got on the board with its first score a little more than two minutes into the third quarter, and had more success moving the ball after that, even though the Tigers didn’t score again until the wild fourth quarter.

North Hardin quarterback Vincent Davis struck for a pair of long touchdown passes in the second quarter to Rolondo Emerson (74 yards) and Trevino Coney (69 yards), and should have had another in the first quarter when he hit Nigel Phelps on 4th-and-24. Phelps fumbled it in the end zone, but his teammate, Terrence Demery, recovered for the score.

Davis was 17-of-23 for 319 yards, and the Trojans ended up with 501 total yards of offense, with Hickman getting 148 of North’s 182 rushing yards. Coney and Emerson each caught passes for more than 100 yards, and their size caused the smaller Tiger defensive backs trouble.

Adjusting to the difference between game speed and practice speed was tricky for Clark’s bunch early on, especially against a team full of speed such as North Hardin.

“It just took us a little bit to get used to game speed, to get used to playing under the Friday night lights,” he said.

Both teams struggled with penalties, as 33 flags were thrown in the game. The Trojans and Tigers each saw 100 yards in penalties go against them.

After a pair of interceptions early on, Hall settled down to throw for 135 yards and a score.

Bardstown visits Nelson County Friday.

North Hardin 41, Bardstown 33

B 0 0 6 27—33

NH 7 14 7 13—41

First Quarter — (NH) Demery fumble recovery in end zone (Padilla kick), 7:04. Second Quarter — (NH) Rol. Emerson 74 pass from Davis (Padilla kick), 7:42; (NH) Coney 69 pass from Davis (Padilla kick), 4:28. Third Quarter — (NH) Hickman 63 run (Padilla kick), 11:40; (B) Harper 1 run (run failed), 9:52. Fourth Quarter — (B) Harper 43 run (run failed), 10:42; (NH) Hickman 1 run (Padilla kick), 9:12; (B) Harper 80 run (run failed), 8:56; (NH) Hickman 2 run (kick blocked), 6:43; (B) Hall 1 run (Kremser kick), 4:18; (B) Willett 22 pass from Hall (Whitfield run), 3:12.