Kroger's Kentucky High School Football Rundown - Week 8

On3 imageby:Daniel Hager10/15/22

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Check out KSR’s recap from Madison Central’s 27-14 victory over George Rogers Clark below, along with a statewide scoreboard thanks to our friends at Kroger. KSR also chatted with Kentucky OT commit Malachi Wood, who has been impressive during his senior season for Madison Central. He discusses his recruitment to UK and his connection with Wildcats’ offensive line coach Zach Yenser.


Madison Central Holds Off GRC to Improve to 7-1

The 5-2 George Rogers Clark Cardinals traveled to Richmond Friday night to face off against the 6-1 Madison Central Indians in 6A action. These two teams have met on 26 different occasions since 1998, with Madison Central coming out on top in 19 of those matchups. The Indians won eight straight from 2002-2008.

This season, GRC started out 4-0 before dropping two of their last three games, while the Indians started out 5-0 before being drummed 50-14 by Pikeville on September 30th. These teams got off to hot starts but had since cooled down.

Central’s Hensley Has Big Night

In his second game back from injury after missing weeks three through six, junior running back Brady Hensley put on a show. Hensley was all over the field for the Indians, making big play after big play. It didn’t matter whether or not he was breaking off long rushes or making crucial first-down catches on fourth down, the game plan was to get the ball in No. 42’s hands.

After Madison Central senior receiver Jayden West got the Indians on the board with a great touchdown catch in the back of the endzone, Hensley gave Central a two-possession lead on a five-yard touchdown run with 10:46 remaining in the second quarter.

On the first play of the drive after a GRC muffed punt, Hensley took the handoff 30 yards to the house for his second score of the game. When the Cardinals scored on their first drive of the second half, it was imperative that the Indians kept their momentum going. With this in mind, coach Mike Holcomb rolled the dice on 4th & 12.

“We had a new center and two new guards, and we didn’t know about that until about Wednesday,” Coach Holcomb said after the win. “We had people step up and make plays and we need to keep doing those things.”

Madison Central senior quarterback Hagan Harrison found Hensley across the middle to keep the drive alive. This led to an absolute dime thrown by Harrison to Hensley right through the defender’s fingertips to give Hensley his third touchdown of the day.

GRC’s Comeback Falls Short

After Hensley’s third touchdown of the day, Madison Central led 27-6 with 3:12 remaining in the third. If the Cardinals had any hope of making this a game, they had to score on their next possession. As the clock drained into the fourth quarter, GRC senior quarterback Tyleik Maxwell broke off a 50-yard rush before being tackled at the Central 20-yard line.

On third down from the 10-yard line, junior running back Bryce Chesnut would catch the short pass from Maxwell and make two elusive plays, a spin and a juke, to break the goal line and make this game a little tighter. A successful two-point conversion would cut the Central lead to 27-14 with 7:38 remaining.

GRC got the score they needed, now they needed to get the ball back as fast as possible. With 5:19 remaining in the game, Central’s quarterback Harrison tried to force a ball to senior receiver Travis Grant from their own 10-yard line. GRC junior linebacker Hayden Heath jumped the passing lane and returned it to the five-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.

The Cardinals had four tries from the five-yard line to get into the endzone to make it a one-score game but could not convert. On fourth and goal from the one, the Madison Central defense stuffed sophomore running back Kalen Washington to get the game-clinching goal line stand.

The Indians would run the clock out and hold on to win 27-14, but it was close to being 27-20 with more than three minutes remaining in the game.

Three-Star OT Malachi Wood talks Kentucky Commitment

Madison Central senior offensive tackle Malachi Wood is every bit of 6’8″, 289 pounds. He committed to Kentucky back in March over schools such as West Virginia, Miami (OH), and Marshall.

“It just felt like home,” Wood said when discussing why he chose the ‘Cats. “It felt like a real brotherhood that can teach me to be a good football player but also a better man as well.”

In a September sit-down interview with KSR, Wood discussed his relationship with Kentucky’s late, great offensive line coach John Schlarman.

“Before Coach Schlarman passed, I went to this Fan Day when I was 11 or 12 and we talked for like 20, 30 minutes. We just had a really good talk,” Wood said. “He said he’d be on the lookout for me even that early. I still remember that.”

After Schlarman’s predecessor Eric Wolford bolted for Alabama after just one season, head coach Mark Stoops hired former San Francisco 49ers assistant Zach Yenser to be the next leader of the Big Blue Wall. Yenser began his coaching career at the University of Troy as a graduate assistant, working under coach Schlarman.

“[Coach Yenser] is a great guy and a great coach,” Wood said with a big smile on his face. “I love being around him and being in the film room with him.”

It seems as if Kentucky got a good one in both Coach Yenser and Malachi Wood.

Madison Central improves to 7-1 and travels to 5-3 Bryan Station next Friday, which started out 0-3 but has since won five straight. George Rogers Clark falls to 5-3 but looks to get back on track next week as they host 0-8 Oldham County.


Kroger’s Scores From Around The State

Kroger is a staple in your hometown community just like high school football. There’s nothing quite like Friday nights in the Bluegrass. We are honored to share this journey with Kroger and you for the third consecutive season. 

(KSR High School Rankings listed)

Thursday, October 13

No. 21 Bardstown45at Thomas Nelson7
Berea43vs. Eminence12
No. 25 Bryan Station49at Oldham County6
Bullitt East48at Southern0
North Laurel35vs. Whitley County19

Friday, October 14

Apollo48vs. Marshall County14
Ashland Blazer20vs. Russell14
No. 4 Ballard34vs. Eastern0
No. 20 Beechwood34vs. Lloyd Memorial7
Bishop Brossart38vs. Paris13
No. 12 Bowling Green35vs. Greenwood7
Boyd County34at Scott13
No. 9 Boyle County36vs. Anderson County0
Breathitt County49at Morgan County0
Bullitt Central6vs. Western3
Butler County27at Todd County Central21
Caldwell County23vs. Murray20
Campbellsville21at Bethlehem14
Carroll County53vs. Owen County13
Casey County34vs. Hart County22
Central52vs. North Oldham0
Central Hardin37vs. Meade County10
Clay County30vs. Perry County Central27
Cooper54at Boone County0
No. 6 Corbin63vs. Lincoln County0
Crittenden County47vs. Fulton County14
Danville53at Washington County7
No. 3 DuPont Manual28vs. Pleasure Ridge Park19
Elizabethtown54vs. Russell County7
Estill County15at Garrard County7
Fairdale49at Iroquois0
Fleming County59vs. Pendleton County12
Fort Campbell36at Caverna34
Franklin County55at Waggener0
Franklin-Simpson35at Warren Central20
No. 2 Frederick Douglass54at Great Crossing0
Gallatin County40vs. Trimble County32
Grayson County33at Ohio County14
Green County38vs. Edmonson County16
Greenup County21at East Carter20
Harlan54vs. Lynn Camp8
Hazard25vs. Sayre21
No. 18 Henderson County73vs. Daviess County35
Henry County41at Mercer County38
Highlands32at No. 7 Covington Catholic21
Holmes48at Harrison County15
Holy Cross (Louisville)50vs. Fort Knox7
Hopkinsville49at Calloway County6
John Hardin38vs. Marion County14
No. 24 Johnson Central43at Harlan County0
Kentucky Country Day55vs. Frankfort12
Lawrence County35vs. Belfry21
Leslie County43at Knott County Central7
No. 8 Lexington Catholic49vs. Bourbon County0
Lexington Christian43at Somerset0
Ludlow1at Bellevue0
Madison Central27vs. George Rogers Clark14
Madison Southern43vs. West Jessamine15
Madisonville-North Hopkins41vs. Hopkins County Central20
No. 11 Male50vs. Fern Creek0
Martin County48vs. West Carter0
Mason County48vs. Lewis County6
No. 16 Mayfield50at Ballard Memorial0
Metcalfe County23vs. Adair County0
Monroe County37at Clinton County20
Muhlenberg County45vs. Breckinridge County21
Nelson County37vs. LaRue County34
Newport Central Catholic55at Dayton0
North Bullitt48at Jeffersontown22
North Hardin35vs. Barren County7
Owensboro56vs. Graves County7
Paintsville42at Betsy Layne20
Paul Laurence Dunbar22vs. Henry Clay19
Pike County Central13vs. Magoffin County12
Prestonsburg51vs. Bath County8
No. 16 Pulaski County35at Bell County29
Raceland68at Fairview6
Rockcastle County48at McCreary Central14
Ryle48vs. Dixie Heights21
No. 23 Scott County56at Montgomery County0
Shelby Valley62at East Ridge20
South Oldham42vs. Seneca0
No. 17 South Warren52vs. Christian County14
No. 19 Southwestern49vs. South Laurel0
No. 1 St. Xavier38at Butler6
Tates Creek43at Lafayette0
Taylor County43vs. Glasgow14
Thomas Walker (Ewing), VA45vs. Phelps14
Trigg County27vs. Webster County20
No. 13 Trinity (Louisville)34vs. St. Mary’s (St. Louis), MO13
No. 22 Union County20vs. Paducah Tilghman16
Valley44at Moore26
Walton-Verona28vs. Shawnee0
Warren East40at Allen County-Scottsville26
Wayne County67at Knox Central38
Western Hills26vs. DeSales18
Williamsburg42at Pineville0
No. 10 Woodford County41Collins28

Saturday, October 15

Holy Cross (Covington)vs. Newport (at Bishop Brossart)2:00 PM
Russellvillevs. No. 14 Pikeville (at Somerset)2:00 PM

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2024-03-28