Kroger's Kentucky High School Football Rundown - Week 10
With just one more week of high school football left in Kentucky before the playoffs get rolling, we were treated to District Championships and Senior Nights all over the state on Friday night. This was also the first week of the season that saw us hold not one, but two Kroger KSR Game(s) of the Week.
In a top 25 matchup, KSR’s Daniel Hager saw No. 3 Male exact sweet revenge on No. 25 Bullitt East, which beat the Bulldogs twice last season, most notably in the 6A state championship. Male had little issue dealing with Bullitt East this time around, putting it on the Chargers from start to finish. Male came away with the easy 42-6 victory.
Not too far away in Taylor County, KSR’s Piper McCoun was treated to a much closer final score as Campbellsville took down Kentucky Country Day 21-13 in a battle of Class A unbeatens. Campbellsville improved to 9-0 with the win and is one of just two Class A teams that has yet to drop a game this season (Sayre; 9-0).
Those were the two Game(s) of the Week, but they weren’t the only matchups KSR covered on Friday night. Troy Howell was in Lexington to watch Sayre win their district while Phoenix Stevens traveled west to McLean County for the Cougars’ Senior Night. Before you dive into those recaps below — and the entire scoreboard rundown — let’s shout out our good friends at Kroger.
We are proud to support local schools through Kroger Community Rewards. This includes up to 3.5 million in quarterly gifts to the non-profit of your choice. Sign up using your Kroger loyalty card at Kroger.com/communityrewards.
Sayre Rallies Past Eminence to Win First-Ever District Championship
BY: Troy Howell
The Sayre Spartans, ranked No. 4 by KSR in Class A, picked up a 12-8 home district win over the Eminence Warriors on a chilly, rainy night in Lexington. Sayre (9-0) won their first district championship in school history by limiting the usual high-flying passing attack of Eminence (5-4).
The Spartans came in ranked second in the state in defensive points per game allowed (6.0) and third in scoring margin (34.9) against a mediocre schedule. They held a good Eminence team to eight points.
Still perfect
Sayre junior quarterback Luke Pennington has now thrown for 32 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His father, Sayre head coach Chad Pennington, played at Marshall University and the NFL. Half of Luke’s touchdowns have gone to junior Brock Coffman who has interest from several Power 5 schools, including Kentucky and Maryland.
Passing attack grounded
The Spartan defense played lights out Friday night, holding the Warriors to zero passing touchdowns. Eminence junior Blaze Berry is tops in the state in passing yards per game (344) while Dalton Gambrel ranks second in receiving yards per game (120).
Looking ahead
The Spartans earned home-field advantage throughout at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. They will likely host Paris in a second-round showdown of top five Class A teams in three weeks.
First Half
The Spartans got the ball first with Luke Pennington hitting Charlie Slabaugh over the top with a 43-yard completion. The duo hooked up for a nine-yard touchdown pass a few plays later to give Sayre a 6-0 lead, but Eminence blocked the extra point.
Eminence mishandled the ensuing kickoff and had to start at their own four-yard line. After a couple of first downs, the Warriors piled up some penalties and were forced to punt.
A 46-yard pass from Pennington to Grant Barnsten got Sayre back in the red zone.
Junior Brock Coffman, who leads the state in touchdown receptions, seemingly scored a touchdown on the next Spartan possession, but it was called back due to holding. The Warriors capitalized on the next play, with Landon Smither forcing a Coffman fumble that was recovered by Eminence’s Kenien Foree.
The Warriors put together a long drive but Sayre’s Caden Jones came up with an interception in the end zone to prevent a touchdown.
Sayre then drove 68 yards before stalling on 4th-and-1 from the 12-yard line thanks to delay of game and unsportsmanlike penalties. Austin Bright broke up the 4th down pass in the end zone on fourth-and-long to give the Warriors back the ball.
The Warriors put together an impressive drive, relying on the run game with Landon Smither rushing for 11 yards on 4th and 4 before he punched it in from the two-yard line for a touchdown. Instead of opting for an extra point in a tie ball game, Berry completed a pass to Bright for a successful two-point conversion to put the Warriors up 8-6.
The Spartans got the ball back with one minute left in the half and quickly marched down the field but ran out of time, with Eminence tackling Coffman in bounds before the Spartans could run a final play.
Second Half
Sayre forced a Warrior punt on the opening drive. The Spartans piled up several passing first downs before a screen from Pennington to Kemonte Braxton gave the Spartans first and goal from the four-yard line. The Warriors’ defense got tough and forced a short Spartan field goal attempt, which they blocked.
The Warriors drove to the Spartan 35-yard line, where Sayre forced an incompletion on 4th-and-14.
On the next possession, Charlie Slabaugh rushed for a 23-yard touchdown for his second of the night making it 12-8 Sayre. The two-point conversion failed.
A personal foul penalty following a possible no-call pass interference forced the Warriors to punt with five minutes remaining. Sayre was able to run out the clock to preserve the victory and their unbeaten streak.
Two weeks after suffering a surprising loss to Frankfort, the Warriors gave Sayre all they wanted on a night most people expected Sayre to roll. They provided the Spartans with their toughest test all year thanks to a tough defense and solid rushing attack.
McLean County Surges Past Trigg County 44-14 on Senior Night
BY: Phoenix Stevens
When Freddie Maggard ventured to McLean County for the Kroger KSR Game of the Week on October 5th, he was amazed by the environment in Calhoun, KY. So, KSR had to make the trip back to cover McLean County’s senior night against Trigg County, and it did not disappoint.
Head Coach Zach Wagner brought all of the seniors to the weight room where they would be honored for their contributions to the program in front of their friends and family.
Now, in the post above, you may see that the players are wearing black jerseys, but that was actually a setup for a big surprise. Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator Justin Cook brought out the real jerseys that the Cougars would be wearing. Instead of going all black, McLean County debuted their pink breast cancer awareness jerseys.
The game itself was a beat down from the get-go. Freshman QB King Williams was put under immense pressure with Trigg County’s leading passer being removed from the team. Williams would throw four interceptions in the loss. The McLean County Cougars absolutely rocked the Wildcats on the ground, with the highlight of the night being a 68-yard gain. RB Elijah Baldwin carried a defender for the better part of 20 yards on the run.
Trigg County did get things going on the ground, but star RB Davaree Gude would exit the game early after a lower-body injury in the second half. McLean County would hit big play after big play, and that would lead to a 44-14 route on senior night. McLean County (7-2) finishes the regular season undefeated at home. They’ll face Marshall County next week in the final game before the postseason.
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 fourth consecutive season. Check out all of the scores from throughout the weekend below.
Thursday, Oct. 19
| Butler | 35 | vs. Iroquois | 8 |
| No. 14 Highlands | 57 | at Scott | 6 |
| Newport Central Catholic | 49 | at Bellevue | 14 |
| Shelby Valley | 58 | at East Ridge | 30 |
| Spencer County | 25 | at North Oldham | 14 |
| Western | 34 | at Waggener | 16 |
Friday, Oct. 20
| Southwestern | 28 | at Pulaski County | 16 | Don Franklin Bowl |
| Woodford County | 40 | at Anderson County | 0 | Freedom Air Homecoming |
| Adair County | 49 | at McCreary Central | 20 | |
| Allen County-Scottsville | 20 | at Hopkinsville | 19 | (overtime) |
| Apollo | 30 | at Marshall County | 13 | |
| Atherton | 24 | vs. Fairdale | 6 | |
| Ballard | 48 | at Eastern | 6 | |
| No. 16 Beechwood | 41 | vs. Bracken County | 0 | |
| Belfry | 54 | vs. Powell County | 15 | |
| Bell County | 41 | at Clay County | 20 | |
| Betsy Layne | 32 | vs. Pike County Central | 21 | |
| Bishop Brossart | 57 | at Trimble County | 28 | |
| No. 19 Bowling Green | 48 | vs. Greenwood | 13 | |
| Boyd County | 22 | at Lawrence County | 14 | |
| No. 1 Boyle County | 49 | vs. Wayne County | 14 | |
| Breathitt County | 50 | at Danville | 13 | |
| No. 17 Bryan Station | 49 | at Madison Central | 3 | |
| Campbell County | 28 | vs. Great Crossing | 22 | |
| Campbellsville | 21 | vs. Kentucky Country Day | 13 | |
| Carroll County | 21 | vs. Gallatin County | 9 | |
| Casey County | 41 | vs. Marion County | 32 | |
| Caverna | 52 | vs. Ballard Memorial | 6 | |
| Central | 50 | vs. LaRue County | 7 | |
| Central Hardin | 43 | at Barren County | 0 | |
| No. 10 Christian Academy-Louisville | 55 | vs. Elizabethtown | 7 | |
| Collins | 21 | at South Oldham | 20 | |
| Conner | 38 | at Boone County | 13 | |
| Cooper | 21 | vs. Dixie Heights | 14 | |
| No. 2 Corbin | 55 | vs. Perry County Central | 0 | |
| No. 5 Covington Catholic | 50 | at Mason County | 14 | |
| Crittenden County | 27 | vs. Caldwell County | 7 | |
| Daviess County | 14 | at McCracken County | 6 | |
| DeSales | 49 | vs. Doss | 14 | |
| No. 11 DuPont Manual | 48 | at Meade County | 21 | |
| East Carter | 28 | at Russell | 21 | |
| Fern Creek | 42 | at Southern | 0 | |
| Fleming County | 41 | vs. Bath County | 0 | |
| Frankfort | 43 | at Berea | 0 | |
| No. 15 Franklin County | 49 | vs. Western Hills | 0 | |
| No. 4 Frederick Douglass | 50 | vs. George Rogers Clark | 6 | |
| Glasgow | 47 | at Butler County | 0 | |
| Graves County | 55 | vs. Muhlenberg County | 21 | |
| Grayson County | 53 | at Breckinridge County | 0 | |
| Green County | 38 | at Metcalfe County | 21 | |
| Greenup County | 55 | vs. Rowan County | 19 | |
| Hancock County | 30 | at Hopkins County Central | 20 | |
| Harrison County | 45 | vs. Holmes | 0 | |
| Hart County | 21 | at Franklin-Simpson | 18 | |
| Henderson County | 64 | vs. Christian County | 32 | |
| Henry County | 34 | vs. Shelby County | 28 | |
| Holy Cross (Louisville) | 42 | at Bethlehem | 27 | |
| Jeffersontown | 42 | at Valley | 8 | |
| Jellico, TN | 31 | vs. Jackson County | 7 | |
| Johnson Central | 36 | vs. No. 8 Ashland Blazer | 33 | |
| Letcher County Central | 35 | at Whitley County | 31 | |
| No. 24 Lexington Catholic | 72 | vs. Pendleton County | 0 | |
| No. 7 Lexington Christian | 55 | at Washington County | 12 | |
| Lloyd Memorial | 47 | vs. Bourbon County | 6 | |
| Logan County | 49 | vs. Warren East | 21 | |
| Ludlow | 38 | vs. Holy Cross (Covington) | 13 | |
| Madison Southern | 39 | vs. West Jessamine | 7 | |
| Madisonville-North Hopkins | 45 | vs. Owensboro | 38 | |
| Magoffin County | 38 | at Estill County | 19 | |
| No. 3 Male | 42 | vs. No. 25 Bullitt East | 6 | |
| Martin County | 55 | vs. Floyd Central | 16 | |
| No. 20 Mayfield | 49 | vs. Murray | 14 | |
| McLean County | 44 | vs. Trigg County | 14 | |
| Mercer County | 48 | at Garrard County | 20 | |
| Monroe County | 42 | vs. Clinton County | 22 | |
| Montgomery County | 14 | vs. East Jessamine | 13 | |
| Morgan County | 48 | at Phelps | 8 | |
| Nelson County | 32 | at John Hardin | 28 | |
| Newport | 38 | at Dayton | 7 | |
| North Bullitt | 21 | vs. Moore | 20 | |
| North Hardin | 49 | vs. Warren Central | 16 | |
| North Laurel | 28 | at Harlan County | 12 | |
| No. 13 Owensboro Catholic | 56 | vs. Fort Campbell | 7 | |
| No. 18 Paducah Tilghman | 70 | at Calloway County | 7 | |
| Paris | 31 | vs. Fairview | 0 | |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar | 16 | at Lafayette | 14 | |
| No. 23 Pikeville | 43 | at Hazard | 7 | |
| Pineville | 29 | at Lynn Camp | 23 | |
| Prestonsburg | 52 | vs. Knott County Central | 20 | |
| No. 21 Raceland | 49 | at Nicholas County | 14 | |
| Rockcastle County | 52 | at Knox Central | 14 | |
| Russellville | 42 | vs. Fulton County | 6 | |
| Ryle | 24 | vs. Simon Kenton | 21 | |
| Sayre | 12 | vs. Eminence | 8 | |
| Seneca | 47 | at Bullitt Central | 7 | |
| Somerset | 36 | at Leslie County | 13 | |
| No. 22 South Warren | 41 | at Ohio County | 0 | |
| No. 12 St. Xavier | 55 | at Pleasure Ridge Park | 0 | |
| Tates Creek | 35 | vs. Henry Clay | 6 | |
| Taylor County | 37 | at Lincoln County | 21 | |
| Thomas Nelson | 18 | at Grant County | 12 | |
| Todd County Central | 26 | at Edmonson County | 14 | |
| No. 6 Trinity (Louisville) | 38 | vs. Oldham County | 0 | |
| Union County | 36 | vs. Webster County | 7 | |
| Virginia (Bristol), VA | 61 | at Jenkins | 14 | |
| WEB DuBois | 23 | at Shawnee | 6 | |
| Walton-Verona | 24 | vs. Owen County | 0 | |
| West Carter | 41 | at Lewis County | 6 | |
| Williamsburg | 28 | at Harlan | 14 |
Saturday, Oct. 21
| Riverview East Academy (Cincinnati), OH | – | at Paintsville | – | 2:00 PM |
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