What a terrific way to start the high school football season.
Rather than just watch one game Friday night, I went to three games — or at least part of three games. I watched the first half of Lincoln County’s win over visiting Casey County in the PBK Bank Death Valley Bowl in Stanford, scooted over to Lancaster to watch the first half of Garrard County’s 15-14 win over Clay County in the Farmers National Bank Hall of Fame Bowl and then went back to Stanford to see most of Danville’s 12-7 loss to Simon Kenton in the Death Valley Bowl nightcap.
The weather was perfect, the atmosphere terrific at both bowls, and there was so much to see and like.
In no particular order, here are some of the things that made the biggest impression on me during my six-team, three-game night:
n Casey senior running back Alex Bolin is the real deal. He led the area in rushing last year and got the area’s first touchdown of the season with a 77-yard gallop to open the scoring against Lincoln that showcased his speed and nifty vision. He later added another touchdown, and he’s going to be a load for most teams to stop again.
n One of the classier moments I’ve seen at a high school game occurred before the Garrard-Clay game when a moment of silence was observed to remember Ken Roark. He coached Clay in this game last year, but died in April at age 54. It was a classy gesture by Garrard officials to remember a coach of an opposing team the first time his players went back on the field for a game without him.
n Lincoln had a much tougher game than many expected before coming from behind to beat Casey thanks to a four-touchdown performance by Logan Martin that gave coach Mike Settles his first season-opening win at Lincoln and the Patriots a win in their season opener for the first time since 2005. The Patriots struggled through the first half of last season before rebounding to make the playoffs, and this win kept that momentum going.
n Danville has the potential to be a Class AA title contender, but must eliminate a big bugaboo from recent years — turnovers. The Admirals had three turnovers in scoring territory that cost them a win over what looked to me like a much better Simon Kenton than the team that played in Stanford last year. And I could be wrong, but it looks like the Admirals could have a needed playmaker in junior Jawan Grey.
n Kentucky commit Jacob Hyde of Clay certainly passes the look test, and he played well, too. He goes both ways for Clay, but his forte is defense and he had two tackles for loss, including one inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line to help prevent a touchdown, in the first half. He was not dominating, but he certainly made huge plays in spurts. He’s strong and athletic, stuck to his assignments and almost never left the field.
n Lincoln had a pregame ceremony to retire the jersey of Keith McElroy, who was killed in an automobile accident at the start of his sophomore season in 1987. His brother, Tevin, is a former Lincoln standout and was one of those there for the ceremony.
The tradition of Lincoln players touching the Death Valley tombstone started after Keith McElroy’s death when coach Larry Phillips was at Lincoln, and it was nice to see him again being remembered. My only suggestion would have been to hold the ceremony at halftime of the Lincoln-Casey game so perhaps more people would have seen this terrific gesture.
n It’s amazing how times have changed. Casey coach Sam Marple, who continues to do a magnificent job of getting his squad of 20-plus players to play hard, had his stats sent via iPad after the game — and they are great. It’s amazing what technology can do.
n I also enjoyed having the chance to be in the end zone when the Garrard players touched the Golden Lion statue before they took the field as they do before each game. It’s a simple tradition created by the Garrard football alumni 10 years ago, but one that is special.
n Finally, I hope area fans realize how lucky we are to have so many high school football games on the radio. I got to listen to bits and pieces of each game, along with Boyle County’s loss at Highlands, where the Rebels had the favored Bluebirds on the ropes at halftime. But the passion folks like Mike Carter, Kevin Bandura, Tim Estes, Charlie Perry, Benny Vest, Steve Bertram and others have for high school football is refreshing. I didn’t get to listen to WHIR-AM’s 60-minute pregame show that gives fans a chance to talk about the games, but I’m looking forward to that next week.
Rather than just watch one game Friday night, I went to three games — or at least part of three games. I watched the first half of Lincoln County’s win over visiting Casey County in the PBK Bank Death Valley Bowl in Stanford, scooted over to Lancaster to watch the first half of Garrard County’s 15-14 win over Clay County in the Farmers National Bank Hall of Fame Bowl and then went back to Stanford to see most of Danville’s 12-7 loss to Simon Kenton in the Death Valley Bowl nightcap.
The weather was perfect, the atmosphere terrific at both bowls, and there was so much to see and like.
In no particular order, here are some of the things that made the biggest impression on me during my six-team, three-game night:
n Casey senior running back Alex Bolin is the real deal. He led the area in rushing last year and got the area’s first touchdown of the season with a 77-yard gallop to open the scoring against Lincoln that showcased his speed and nifty vision. He later added another touchdown, and he’s going to be a load for most teams to stop again.
n One of the classier moments I’ve seen at a high school game occurred before the Garrard-Clay game when a moment of silence was observed to remember Ken Roark. He coached Clay in this game last year, but died in April at age 54. It was a classy gesture by Garrard officials to remember a coach of an opposing team the first time his players went back on the field for a game without him.
n Lincoln had a much tougher game than many expected before coming from behind to beat Casey thanks to a four-touchdown performance by Logan Martin that gave coach Mike Settles his first season-opening win at Lincoln and the Patriots a win in their season opener for the first time since 2005. The Patriots struggled through the first half of last season before rebounding to make the playoffs, and this win kept that momentum going.
n Danville has the potential to be a Class AA title contender, but must eliminate a big bugaboo from recent years — turnovers. The Admirals had three turnovers in scoring territory that cost them a win over what looked to me like a much better Simon Kenton than the team that played in Stanford last year. And I could be wrong, but it looks like the Admirals could have a needed playmaker in junior Jawan Grey.
n Kentucky commit Jacob Hyde of Clay certainly passes the look test, and he played well, too. He goes both ways for Clay, but his forte is defense and he had two tackles for loss, including one inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line to help prevent a touchdown, in the first half. He was not dominating, but he certainly made huge plays in spurts. He’s strong and athletic, stuck to his assignments and almost never left the field.
n Lincoln had a pregame ceremony to retire the jersey of Keith McElroy, who was killed in an automobile accident at the start of his sophomore season in 1987. His brother, Tevin, is a former Lincoln standout and was one of those there for the ceremony.
The tradition of Lincoln players touching the Death Valley tombstone started after Keith McElroy’s death when coach Larry Phillips was at Lincoln, and it was nice to see him again being remembered. My only suggestion would have been to hold the ceremony at halftime of the Lincoln-Casey game so perhaps more people would have seen this terrific gesture.
n It’s amazing how times have changed. Casey coach Sam Marple, who continues to do a magnificent job of getting his squad of 20-plus players to play hard, had his stats sent via iPad after the game — and they are great. It’s amazing what technology can do.
n I also enjoyed having the chance to be in the end zone when the Garrard players touched the Golden Lion statue before they took the field as they do before each game. It’s a simple tradition created by the Garrard football alumni 10 years ago, but one that is special.
n Finally, I hope area fans realize how lucky we are to have so many high school football games on the radio. I got to listen to bits and pieces of each game, along with Boyle County’s loss at Highlands, where the Rebels had the favored Bluebirds on the ropes at halftime. But the passion folks like Mike Carter, Kevin Bandura, Tim Estes, Charlie Perry, Benny Vest, Steve Bertram and others have for high school football is refreshing. I didn’t get to listen to WHIR-AM’s 60-minute pregame show that gives fans a chance to talk about the games, but I’m looking forward to that next week.
