Male Stuns Ballard in Thrilling Fashion to Make Class 6A Finals

On3 imageby:Daniel Hager•11/26/22•

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The final Kroger KSR Game of the Week was a doozy.

After stopping Male quarterback Lucas Cobler short of the endzone on 4th & goal, the Ballard Bruins went full Bills-Vikings from a few weeks ago and fumbled on the kneel-down attempt, allowing Male senior Korrey Mattingly to scoop and score to advance the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive 6A state championship appearance.

Ballard fans were stunned Friday night in Louisville as the Bruins were just mere seconds from their first state championship appearance in 38 years (1984). The thrill of victory quickly turned to the agony of defeat as the Bruins came up just short of that elusive state championship appearance.

Male Grabs Early Lead

Male and Ballard played all the way back in Week 2 of the High School football season. Ballard got the better of the Bulldogs for the first time in 13 seasons and won a 12-7 defensive slugfest. This was certainly bulletin board material for the Dawgs.

Male would go three & out on their first possession but would regain the ball on the Ballard five-yard line after a muffed punt. Senior Antonio Harris took the handoff from Cobler and outran the Bruin defense to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 early. A short field goal by Navy commit Lance Gossett put Male ahead 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Things Start to Get Wonky…

The first quarter of this game was fairly normal. That wouldn’t last.

After Male went up 10 to start the second quarter, Ballard immediately drove down the field and answered with a 15-yard touchdown run from junior running back Journey Wyche, his 10th of the season.

What transpired on the next three possessions of this game was madness.

On the first play of Male’s ensuing drive, quarterback Lucas Cobler was intercepted. It seemed as if Ballard had firmly grabbed the momentum in this matchup, but that was not the case. Ballard senior quarterback Tristen Hawkins immediately threw an interception of his own, giving the ball right back to the Bulldogs. Male was given another chance, and Cobler responded with yet another interception.

Three possessions, three interceptions.

Ballard would capitalize on the third pick as Wyche would take it right up the gut for his second score of the game. Ballard led 13-10 at the break.

Back and Forth Third Quarter

Coming out of halftime, Ballard had a chance to add to their lead but was forced to punt. Daniel Swinney, the hero of Male’s victory over St. Xavier earlier in the playoffs, dominated the opening drive, breaking off some tough runs to get the Bulldogs into the redzone.

Swinney could not be stopped, as he broke through for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season to put Male back on top. Ballard immediately responded once again, however, as Hawkins soared a perfect pass to sophomore receiver Maurice Stephens who made a great catch to put Ballard ahead once again.

Insane Finish in Louisville

The fourth quarter all led to the final drive by Male.

These defenses stepped up in the final quarter, forcing multiple punts and turnovers on downs. After Ballard failed to convert on third down with five minutes remaining, they punted back to the Bulldogs. Designed Cobler quarterback runs and Daniel Swinney hand-offs efficiently drove Male right down the field.

After a Swinney run set up Male with a 1st & Goal from the Ballard five-yard line, the Ballard defense stepped up and stuffed the Bulldogs on their first three attempts.

As Male lined up for their 4th & Goal attempt from the one-yard line, a Ballard defender jumped offsides, causing the referee to throw a flag. According to the KHSAA rules, however, an offsides call on the one-yard line cannot give the offense a first down, much to the chagrin of Male fans.

Instead of handing the ball to Swinney, Lucas Cobler ran to his left and dove for the endzone. Ballard senior Deshaun Cooper lunged forward and punched the ball out of the quarterback’s hands just before it could cross into the endzone, ensuring a Ballard victory. Right?

Right…?

A simple kneel-down would have put this one on ice as the Bulldogs were out of timeouts, but as Hawkins and the Bruins lined up for the knee, the snap was fumbled and lost out of sight for players on both teams.

Well, except for Male senior Korrey Mattingly.

Mattingly saw the ball laying on the turf, picked it up, and ran it in to send the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive 6A state championship appearance.

“We were on the goal line, so we were blitzing,” Mattingly said after the game. “The ball just kicks through the middle of the line, so I just had to scoop it and score it.”

Male now advances to the 6A State Championship game for the seventh time under head coach Chris Wolfe (2-4). The Bulldogs will take on Bullitt East in the 6A state championship game after East’s 55-41 victory over Bryan Station.

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. 

Past Kroger KSR Games of the Week

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2024-04-25