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Prep Preview 10.2

Let’s do this:

Grayson County at Bowling Green

On paper, should be a good one. Between the lines… not so much. The Purples of BG are not likely to be in a good mood come Friday after losing 9-0 to Trinity in a game the Purps feel like they should’ve won. While Grayson is undefeated, they’re running into the proverbial hornet’s nest at El Donaldson Stadium.

I think Bowling Green dominates in this district opener – no slight to GCHS – it’ll just be BG’s night.

Barren County at Warren Central

Central got a bit of a wake-up call last week in its loss to Fort Campbell. But I’d expect coach Mike Rogers turned the negative into a positive by showing his team what a standout program looks like.

The Dragons have rebounded from a loss already this season, winning four straight after the season-opener to Southwestern. I gotta think the Dub-C will be fired up and ready to go this Friday. There’s too much on the line not to be.

A win makes Central 1-0 in the district and puts a smile on everyone’s face heading into the off week. I think the Dragons come out and roll to get back on track.

Greenwood at Nelson County

The Gators are 1-0 in District play and broke a two-game slide week with a win over Meade County. Beating Nelson County on the road would be huge, and although I still hear a lot of folks doubt the GHS team, I haven’t given up hope quite yet.

Greenwood has too many seniors and too much experience to not give it their all on any given Friday night. They want that third-straight district title and are still a bit irritated they were picked fifth to finish in the league standings during the preseason.

I got a sense GHS plays its best game of the season on Friday and wins a close one at NCHS.

Allen County-Scoottsville at Warren East

Well, let’s not sugarcoat it – Warren East is in trouble. The Raiders have lost three straight, are 0-1 in district play and will start freshman Christian Flores at quarterback. ACS, on the other hand, is steamrolling toward its sixth-straight win and I don’t think East can stop them.

The Patriots just have too much offense and too much experience to have a let-down. Patriots win easily.

Prep Football Preview 9.26

Well kiddos, it’s about that time again – time for a Football Friday. Let’s breakdown all the action this week.

Bowling Green at Trinity

The Purples are the underdog – there’s no doubt about that. But if ever there were a time the BeeGee’s could jump up and bite one of the big boys, this could be it. Trinity doesn’t appear to be the Trinity of years past. You can’t read too much into the schedule – the Shamrocks are 1-3 – but you can’t ignore the way THS has played in the first four weeks. I think the most telling loss is the one to Lawrence North of Indiana – a squad which has started the season 2-3. Being taking behind the woodshed against Elder and St. X of Cincinnati is nothing to scoff at, but being handled by Lawrence North after a week off to start the season does raise eyebrows.

Plus, talking to the Purples this week, they’re not shaking their heads this year and wondering what in the world they’re gonna do against these Rocks. The game is, in a word, manageable.

To me, it comes down to intangibles. I think both sides will be evenly matched – maybe an edge to the Rocks in the kicking game. But it’ll come down to which team believes. If the Purps jump out to an early lead, maybe THS thinks, ‘Here we go again.’ If Trinity has a good start, maybe BGHS thinks, ‘We’re not that good afterall.’

If BG gets good QB play from its young dynamic duo of Chandler Sears and Scooter Hollis and they can keep control of the ball, the Purples can win. If not, 5-1 with a loss to one of the state’s premier programs isn’t too bad.

Fort Campbell at Warren Central

If you can’t make the trip to Louisville, stick around and check out Warren Central. The Dragons have won four in a row and face their toughest test of the year when they draw Fort Campbell on Friday. The Falcons have won back-to-back state titles in Class 2A, started this year 5-0, thrown two shutouts and outscored their opponents 257-46 this season.

It’s the been-there-done-that’s vs. the Johnny-come-lately’s.

It’ll be a good test for Warren Central to see where they are and to see where they still need to be. They’ll see a team that knows how to win, knows how to handle itself and knows how to handle adversity. A good example of where WCHS coach Rogers wants his program to be one day.

Although Central plays in the ranks of 5A, there was only about 40 kids practicing with the varsity on Tuesday as WCHS as Dub-C meticulously went over FC’s spread option offense. The Dragons will not have a numbers advantage.

Can Central really send a message to the rest of the area by ending Fort Campbell’s 10-game winning streak? They’ll need a monumental effort.

Meade County at Greenwood

After a dream start, Greenwood’s season has turned into a nightmare. The Gators have lost two straight by a combined 10 points and are in desperate need for a victory. Enter – Meade County.

The Green Wave come in 0-4 and are just what the doctor ordered for a GHS team that knows it’s better than the last weeks’ performances. It’s also the Class 6A District 2 opener for both teams which gives both sides a good excuse to forget what’s happened unto this point.

I have a sneaky suspicion Greenwood returns to form this week with something to prove and wins easily.

Logan County at Warren East

The last two weeks for Warren East have been two to forget. Outscored 114-7, the Raiders have come derailed after a 1-2 start where they lost two games by a total of 17 points.

Playing Bowling Green and Warren Central in consecutive weeks can do that to you, but I’m sure WEHS would have liked to have had a better showing against each.

This week East entertains Logan County (2-3) in the Class 4A District 2 opener for both teams. The Cougars of LCHS are a bit of a surprise having won two of its last three and with Allen County-Scottsville and Franklin-Simpson looking to be the top two teams in the league (we’ll pencil in Russell County at 3) – this game could determine who goes to the playoffs and who stays home.

It could be a offensive shutout, folks, so bring your pom-pom to this one.

Prep preview 9.18

Football fans, let’s talk it out.

Where else would we start than with Owensboro at Bowling Green? The Red Devils invade BG on Friday in a game with plenty on the line – in terms of emotion anyway. The game means nothing in terms of district titles or playoff positioning. But it’s not without big-time storylines.

The Purples say they’re not looking for revenge. OHS says it hasn’t even mentioned last year’s game. But c’mon people! Are we really to believe neither of those points have been brought into the locker room. Sure, the coaches may pretend ignorance of the fact, but what BG senior hasn’t thought about losing to Owensboro in the playoffs last year? What OHS senior hasn’t grinned and thought about ruining another perfect Friday evening at El Donadlson again?

Yes, I know it’s two different teams at two entirely different points in the season. But I think BG needs this win more than the Devils do. Think about it,  a BG loss and everything momentarily comes crashing down. The No. 2 ranking, the hopes of an undefeated season, a sense that they are indeed unstoppable. If the O loses, eh, it was a tough road game against a good football team.

So who will walk away with the ‘W’? Beats me. But I can tell you the Purples are fighting a tough flu bug which will thin out the two-deep. I can also tell you linebacker Khiry Maddox and quarterback Kal Prince are of great concern to BG. Add all that to some wet weather hovering around the area and the Purps will have their hand full.

I expect a defensive battle with the team that has the ball last… losing.

Greenwood at ACS

Allen County-Scottsville hosts Greenwood on Friday and it’s time for one team to put it up or shut it up.

Greenwood lost a bit of its swagger last week against Franklin-Simpson in a 21-14 loss… at home. What was worse for the Gators is that it wasn’t the speedy and disciplined run of F-S that beat them, it was the passing attack of the Wildcats. That, that and five turnovers will do the trick every time.

As for the Patriots, beating GHS would only further their case as one of the top teams in Class 4A. ACS has been rolling along and at 3-0 it appears no one on the schedule can stop them – except themselves. That brings us to quarterback Cory Cooper. Cooper was in street clothes during Tuesday’s practice and his left foot was in a protective boot. A bad sprain has limited the versatile athlete, but he told me they’d have to chain him up in the locker room to keep him from playing Friday night.

This one could be full of offense with the Pats’ rushing attack firing against Greenwood’s passing assault. The team who has the ball last… wins.

Central at East

Sitting in Ben Bruni’s office this week, I was treated to examine a laundry list of reasons some of his players have missed practice this week or may be missing Friday night’s home opener against Warren Central.

It’s been that kind of year so far for Warren East. Just when it appears things might change in a positive direction… not so fast. Just before the season opener, WE loses its starting quarterback and basically has to reinvent an entire offense. Just when it appears things are back on track, Bowling Green puts 64 on the board in a shutout last week.

And now the Raiders must turn their attention to Warren Central, a team headed in the opposite direction after three straight wins and a big victory over Nelson County last week. The Dragons come in with a ton of confidence yet a cool enough head to not be too overconfident for this one.

Talking to WC running back L.A. Rigsby this week, he didn’t seem to care much that Warren East was on the schedule. Rival or not, he said they’re treating everyone the same.

Central will likely continue to roll, but expect a closer result than you might think.

ACS’s Cooper curious about Wofford

Talked to Allen County-Scottsville quarterback Cory Cooper this week at practice out at ACS.

The senior continues to get letters from around the South, but said nothing serious. He did say one of the latest letters came from FCS program and Southern Conference member Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C.

Cooper could fit well into the Terriers’ option attack and said Wofford “would be a good opportunity”.

Cooper will be a game-time decision Friday night in the Patriots’ big game with Greenwood.

Showdown week

It’s showdown week here in Bowling Green… oh I’ll feed you baby birds.

Volleyball

Greenwood can clinch a District 12 title Tuesday night with a win over rival Bowling Green. The Lady Gators (14-2) have lost just twice this season – both to Henry Clay – and beat BG 3-0 on Aug. 18. They’ve won four straight and haven’t lost a game since beating Lafayette 2-1 at the Bluegrass Invitational on Aug.22.

The Purples have lost 2 of 3 since winning four straight to end August and start September. BG fell to Logan County on Monday in an easy 2-0 win for the Lady Cougars and – to make matters worse – hitter Natilee Smith is hurt and won’t be available for BG on Tuesday.

The bottom line – Bowling Green will have to play the match of their lives to upset GHS and get a little help from the Gators at the same time. If not, GHS will be walking away as the top team in the district once again.

Soccer

It’s a make or break week for area soccer teams as well.

Starting with the Bowling Green boys, BG travels to Warren Central on Tuesday and Greenwood on Thursday. At 3-0-1, the Purples need to stay undefeated this week in hope of drawing even or overtaking first place Greenwood in the District 8 standings.

The Purples probably feel like ‘the little team that can’ at this point, playing without much seniority or size but riding youth and energy.

For Warren Central, the Dragons (2-2 District have just one game to focus on this week: Tuesday’s match with BG. Central has lost its last two district matches 1-0 and 1-0 and are craving that marquee win which would put them back in the league race with Glasgow and Hart County still left on the schedule.

Central always come to the pitch with a lot of energy and Tuesday should be no different.

At Greenwood, the Gators are 4-0 in District 8 and haven’t allowed an opponent to score in district play. This week GHS draws bottom-dwellers Monroe County (Tuesday) and then rival Bowling Green (Thursday) in the midst of a five-game home span.

The Gators can win the district title this week with a sweep. At this point, it looks as if the only team that can beat GHS is GHS.

Warren East has the week off.

Football

We’ll delve into Friday’s games a little more later this week. But it’s worth mentioning now because all Warren County teams have to put up or shut up.

Starting with Bowling Green, the Purples host Owensboro in a matchup of Top 3 schools. BG has basically steamrolled everyone until now and OHS will be their toughest test since Week One. It’ll be interesting to see if the Purps have gotten complacent over the past few weeks.

Down the road, Greenwood is likely still a bit shocked they let one get away against Franklin-Simpson last week. The Gators were beat soundly and maybe a bit exposed in their pass defense – which is bad news considering they travel to Allen County-Scottsville this week. The high-flying Patriots are as good as advertised, so it looks like GHS will have to play spoiler this week.

On the East side, Warren East finally gets to play at home when it welcomes rival Warren Central. The Dragons are flying high after beating Nelson County and improving to 3-1. The Raiders, well, it all camee crashing down last week at BG in a shutout loss.

But that’s where upsets and rivals live. Just when it looks like one team has no chance and the other has all the momentum – bam! This one may be closer than many think.

Prep Football Preview 9.11

Before we get started, just an update on health issues concerning area schools. It seems Greenwood has been hit hardest by the flu this week. Coach Mark Nelson told me a handful of kids have been affected by illness and some have even been cautioned to avoid contact with others. Bowling Green has also been affected, but on a smaller scale. Coach Mike Rogers at Warren Central said they’ve been incredibly lucky not to have been hit hard by either the flu or injuries – so far.

Okay, onto the games:

Let’s start with Franklin-Simpson traveling to Greenwood. The Wildcats are still licking their wounds from a 51-9 beating at the hands of Bowling Green. But good teams take the non-district loss and turns it into a positive. Teams on the down-turn tuck their tails and run. I don’t expect the Wildcats to be the latter.

Greenwood is coming off a tough 20-7 emotional win at Hopkinsville. Granted, by all accounts, Hop-town is a bit down from years past, but it the win was the Gators’ toughest test of the year. It also started a tough stretch for GHS. The Gators have to travel to Allen County-Scottsville next week.

But first they’ll have the Cats’ tough rushing attack to deal with. Can Greenwood’s aerial assault outscore Franklin’s ground game? I think it’ll be closer than expected.

Warren Central hosts a very good Nelson County team in its home opener. Coach Rogers has coaching roots at NCHS and his father still keeps up with the team. He said his kids are eager prove how far they’ve come under the new WCHS coach. On the field, it’ll be a matchup of whether or not the Dragons can stop Nelson’s offense and if Central’s offense can score enough points. Rogers said NCHS will be the toughest team his boys have faced yet.

Finally, Warren East heads to Bowling Green. On paper, not many will give East a shot. The Purples have yet to show a chink in the armor while the Riders are just beginning to get their feet under them. But I do think East has a chance IF they can run the ball and control the clock and IF Bowling Green starts to beat itself.

That’s two big ‘IFs’ for WEHS. Bowling Green pulls away late to go 4-0.

BG’s 2 QB system

It’s an age-old question in football: Can you win with a two-quarterback system?

In fact, the other day listening to ever-important sports talk radio, someone mentioned, “if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one.”

I personally have never been a fan, but with the right combination, it can be affective. Especially if the two styles of play mix and match in coherence so as to make defensive coordinators lose sleep.

Case in point: Bowling Green’s Scooter Hollis and Chandler Sears.

Hollis, the starter and a sophomore, is more of your hybrid-type QB. A lengthy, athletic specimen that can Houdini pressure yet still stand in the pocket and deliver. Sears, a junior, comes off the bench and is a more dangerous threat through the air. Against Franklin-Simpson, Sears threw for three scores to three different receivers and totaled 171 yards in the win, while Hollis threw for 72 yards and a TD.

On the season, Hollis has rushed for 40 yards, passed for 196 and totaled four touchdowns. Sears’ numbers: 10 of 15 for 207 and three scores.

It’s not a situation where the Purples are still hoping to for one of the two to step forward and lead the way. Instead, both are too talented not to use. If you prepare for Hollis, your defense must play contain and spy on the shifty soph in case he breaks down for a big scramble. Once they’ve bought in to stopping Hollis, hear come Sears to beat you with the deep ball.

Their personalities seem to be in order as well. Both business-like, both low-key, neither one clairvoyant nor looking for the limelight. It sounds too good to be true for BGHS.

If both stay healthy, and both continue to have their confidence grow, the rest of Class 5A could have their hands full come playoff time. This two-headed purple monster looks to be growing more fierce by the week and could be a menace for the next few years to come.

Prep preview 9.4

Well kids, it’s Week 3 in da BG and there’s plenty of intriguing match-ups this weekend on the prep fields.

Let’s start with Bowling Green traveling to Franklin-Simpson. In all honesty, I see the Mighty Purples having no problems in this one… BUT only if they play to their abilities. It sounds cliche, but Franklin-Simpson is a business-like team that will make you pay for your mistakes. The Cats aren’t flashy, but are well-coached and disciplined. It’s a scenario where the longer the “underdog” hangs around, the more fingernails get bitten off of the BG faithful. Look for the Purps to pull away late and go 3-0.

How about Warren Central traveling to Apollo? It’s really a pick ‘em game here because we’re not quite sure what to make of the Dragons. Their loss to Southwestern doesn’t look that bad after Week 2 and the way they handled Russellville was impressive. But will they be a team that see-saws all season or a team that continues to get better? Was Apollo’s near win against a wounded Warren East team an anomaly or is “at AHS” a winnable game? I think Central has a chance to get to 2-1 since 2006.

Greenwood travels to Trigg County to face Hopkinsville. A bit of a trap game for the Gators going up against a program who’s been there and done that. Greenwood is still the relatively new kid on the block and just because they’re 2-0 and surrounded by their own hype, the Tigers won’t hand them anything. Plus, talking to coach Mark Nelson this week, I’ll say he was a bit more “concerned” about this week than week’s past. Or it could have been about the faculty meeting he was headed to. What do I know. Look for a close game tonight in Trigg County.

Finally, we come to Warren East’s trip to Russellville. Many might have written off both teams coming into this one, but someone’s got to win – and that win could turn that respective team’s season around.

East has played two stellar ball games despite being 0-2 while RHS snowballed – in a bad way – last week in a loss to Warren Central. Coach John Myers has had all week to get his team to do some soul searching, but they’ll get no mercy from East. The Raiders need a win just as bad and I’m guessing they feel they’re a heck of a lot closer to the win column than the Panthers. Expect this one to be close as well, maybe even coming down to the wire. If it’s a blowout either way, the loser’s in deep trouble.

Lost Quotes 2

“It feels great, man. We worked real hard in practice all week. We came out and did what we had to do. It feels unbelievable. We’ve come together as a team. We need to continue to get better, work hard and just play – have fun and play. – Warren Central fullback/defensive lineman Demonte Smith after the Dragons’ 35-6 win over Russellville.

“If we can develop some depth – that’s the other thing that scares me – we have to develop some depth there so we can turn (quarterback Troy Halcomb) loose more. We did a good job (on defense) for most of the night. We hit ‘em and kinda wore ‘em down a little bit. Coach (John) Myers does a great job with the numbers they have over there. They fought hard all night.” – Warren Central football coach Mike Rogers after the Dragons’ 35-6 win over Russellville.

“We knew we had to finish. Last week we had a good first half but we came out in the second half kinda flat. This week we came out in the second half and finished the game. – Warren Central quarterback Troy Halcomb after the Dragons’ 35-6 win over Russellville.

“It was a need – it being my senior year I wanted to beat them. Even if it’s just regular season. Doing our best and winning all that we can is what’s important. All teams need to improve on areas – no team’s perfect. We just have to work together and do our best.” – Greenwood midfielder Angelia Jones after the Lady Gators’ 3-2 win at Warren Central.

“(Conditioning) is something we really try and pride ourselves on. One of things is we always try and be the stronger team – it doesn’t always happen, but it’s certainly a goal and it’s certainly something they guys take a lot of pride in.” – Greenwood boys soccer coach Scott Gural after a 1-0 win at Warren Central.”

“I know there’s a lot good private school players, but she’s up there for sure. I would say (Henry Clay) controlled her better than anyone had, but she still had a ton of kills. She wasn’t racking up 20 kills, but still had a pretty good number. They had big enough girls to affect her. She sees the block better than anyone I’ve ever coached. – Greenwood coach Allen Whittinghill on sophomore Courtney Smith.

“It took awhile for everyone to get used to at first (new coach Mike Rogers). Overall, I like coach Rogers, he’s a good guy. There’s a lot of rules that are different, as far as practice and games go. We have a possibility to have a winning record. The way things are going – if we keep working hard we should have a winning record. We should go deep into the playoffs – those are just my predictions.” – Warren Central running back Cortez Barber.