Bryan Station Defenders live up to their name, shut out Lafayette 39-0 in playoff opener

Under the distant roars of Rupp Arena, the first round of the KHSAA high school football playoffs kicked off as the Lafayette Generals (5-6) hosted the Bryan Station Defenders (6-5). The Defenders stayed true to their name, shutting out the Generals 39-0, while tacking on 14 tackles-for-loss and forcing four turnovers.

Bryan Station first-year head coach J.T. Haskins Sr. is coaching his alma mater, with his son, Jordan Haskins, under center as a late-season spark plug. The four-star junior cornerback (Rivals) got his first start at QB last week, and Friday night put up 117 yards and 2 TDs on the ground with 49 yards and a TD through the air.

“Everyone thinks nepotism…but that is not the case,” Haskins Sr. said of playing his son at QB. “We weren’t getting the job done as we needed on offense, so we just made the move with our offensive coordinator and we’re just gonna roll with it.”

The game started out with sloppy offenses on a sloppy field. After four punts, a lost fumble, and a turnover on downs, Bryan Station’s Avery Johnson broke the game open on a 72-yard touchdown run. Explosive rushing touchdowns are a theme for the Defenders’ offense, as four of them went for 48 yards or more.

On their next drive early in the second quarter, Haskins got in on the fun by splitting the defense and scrambling for a 48-yard touchdown. Bryan Station held a 12-0 lead into halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, Lafayette was looking to make it a one-score game, as receiver Colton Coleman high-pointed a pass good for 17 yards, the Generals’ longest completion of the game. After gaining much-needed momentum, the Generals fumbled the ball over to the Defenders just two plays later.

Late in the third quarter, Haskins kept the ball on a read option and rushed for a 63-yard score, extending Bryan Station’s lead to 18-0.

In the final quarter, the Defenders rubbed salt in Lafayette’s wound, scoring more points here (21) than the first three quarters combined (18). On their first drive, Raymond Young punched in a 14-yard rushing touchdown.

On the next one, running back Kerwin Montgomery pushed the Defenders into the red zone with two tough rushes of 20 yards and 12 yards. Haskins capped off the drive with his third touchdown of the game, this time through the air on a 15-yard pass to Brayden Payne.

On Bryan Station’s final drive, Avery Johnson finished the game just as he started, tacking on another long touchdown run, this time from 52 yards out. This activated the running clock as the Defenders’ lead ballooned to 39-0 with just over 5 minutes left. Johnson finished with 144 rushing yards and 2 TDs in the game.

Next Up:

• Bryan Station will play No. 14 Frederick Douglass, who beat them 27-10 in the regular season, in the second round next week.
• Lafayette finishes their season with a 5-6 record.