Fern Creek Travels to Bullitt East in Telling 6A Matchup

The Fern Creek Tigers (5-1) started their year with a loss to North Oldham — a deflating loss for a squad that lost in the first round of the Class 6A tournament last season. Fern Creek has not defeated Bullitt East since 2020, with the Chargers dominating the previous two matchups by a combined score of 88-30.

However, Joshua Abell’s Tigers are rolling this year, showing a season-opening loss isn’t doesn’t define who you are.

Fern Creek is riding a five-game winning streak, including wins over Oldham County and Louisville Eastern. However, it is time to test how much Fern Creek has grown, as last year’s 6A champions are now on their way. #25 Bullitt East (5-1) has faced a similar story this year, and now the two 4th District programs will meet again.

4A runs through Bullitt East

Entering with high expectations, the Chargers backed these up with an opening win over Woodford County. In week two, the championship hangover finally hit, as the Chargers dropped to Pleasure Ridge Park on the road 27-20. After this loss, Bullitt East mowed through four straight opponents, including a 48-30 road victory over North Hardin.

More impressive than their 48-point performance is how the Chargers’ defense has performed at home. Bullitt East’s defense has allowed ZERO points in two home games this year. In fact, over the past four games, the Bullitt East defense has allowed just an average of 11 points per game. On the other hand, Fern Creek’s offense has averaged 41.25 points in their previous four games.

Just like the 2003 Jack Nicholson rom-com, “Something’s Gotta Give.”

pic.twitter.com/qpVtfhNgBy

— Fern Creek Football (@FernCreekFB) October 2, 2023

Bullitt East’s offense is led by senior quarterback Jack Zwernemann, who has electrified this season. He has thrown for 1,272 yards in the air and 16 passing touchdowns. He has added 539 yards with his legs along with seven rushing touchdowns, a genuine dynamic threat when outside of the pocket. For Fern Creek, they will employ junior Kaleb Passmore under center. He has 838 yards throwing and 11 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He has not been a threat with his legs thus far, with -2 yards total on the year.

Fern Creek has senior Mykel Malone at running back, who has produced 804 yards on the ground with 12 touchdowns. Bullitt East’s primary playmaker has been Senior Tyler Spalding, who has 345 yards receiving along with five touchdowns. He is flanked by Cayden Cowan and Caden Bostock, who have each caught for at least 290 yards and three touchdowns this season.

We should have a great matchup on Friday night; follow @BByrdwellKSR for updates, or follow along on KSBoard.