UK Target Kaden Moorman Leads Franklin County to 43-14 Win over Scott County
With attendance limited due to COVID last season, many Flyer fans were not able to watch the best season in Franklin County history. The Flyers made their first-ever state championship appearance in 2020, where they lost to Boyle County in overtime by a fingertip.
Fans showed out in full force Friday night to watch the Flyers, who may be even better this season. Junior running back Kaden Moorman, who has offers from Wisconsin and Kentucky, scored three touchdowns and was named Player of the Game as Franklin County defeated Scott County 43-14 in the first Kroger KSR Game of the Week of the season.
GAME RECAP
After forcing a Scott County 3-and-out, Moorman gave the Flyers a 7-0 lead on their first offensive snap.
New QB Jayden Mattison added a 42-yard touchdown run on their third snap of the game and the Flyers were off and running before the Cardinals knew what hit them.
Scott County, who looked good on special teams, returned the following kickoff to the Flyers’ nine-yard line but was not able to punch it in for a score. Mattison then engineered a 96-yard touchdown drive that included an impressive catch and run by Peyton Ledford. Moorman capped off the drive with his second TD run of the night.
Even defensive lineman Keaton Lee got in on the scoring, returning a fumble for a touchdown, rumbling 48 yards to put Franklin County up 28-0 in the 2nd quarter. Scott County got on the board with a Jeremy Hamilton kickoff return to cut it to 28-7. Moorman punched in his third TD run a few minutes before halftime to bring the Flyers within striking distance of a running clock.
Kickoff coverage seems to be the only thing the Flyers need to improve on – Hamilton added a punt return TD in the 4th quarter. Moorman is clearly one of the state’s top backs and everyone knew the defense would be solid. The only major question surrounding Franklin County’s offseason was who was going to replace the dynamic duo of Nick Broyles (QB) and Fred Farrier (WR), who both graduated. Mattison certainly appears to be a capable replacement at quarterback and Zack Claudio is an elite wide receiver and defensive back. Mattison threw for 141 yards and ran for 65 more in the first half alone. He finished 13-of-17 for 213 yards.
Franklin County caused a running clock after Mattison’s 67-yard TD pass to Zack Claudio set up this Moorman 2-point conversion to officially start the countdown. That made the margin 43-7 Franklin County less than two minutes into the third quarter.
Tonight’s game was the first of the Battle of Elkhorn Creek Doubleheader presented by Bluegrass Orthopedics. The second game featured Western Hills and Great Crossing. Both games took place at Great Crossing. The Warhawks feature University of Tennessee commit Kalib Perry.
Scott County will look to bounce back next week when they travel to Lafayette. The Cardinals appeared to suffer a few key injuries in the game and were starting a freshman quarterback for the first time in school history. The only other times I can remember a team putting a running clock on the Cardinals was when Trinity did so in 2011 and Douglass in 2019. It certainly doesn’t happen often. Hamilton is an electric player that they can build around.
Franklin County will host county rival Western Hills in front of what will likely be an overflow crowd.
“They motivate us, they make us go harder. When they are cheering like that and celebrating it makes us go harder,” Mattison said about playing in front of the fans.
Fans around the area will want to catch a glimpse of the Flyers as they have a legitimate shot at their first state championship.
A Message from Kroger:
We’re excited to tell you about something new from our friends at Kroger. Did you know Kroger is America’s largest grocery chain that started over 135 years ago? They are doing something they’ve never done before: bringing fresh groceries right to you with a new service called Hometown Pickup. That’s right, for those of you in Cynthiana, Midway, Eminence, Bedford, McKee, Dry Ridge, Carlisle, Eubank, Georgetown, Mt. Vernon, Jackson, Frenchburg, Irvine, Mt. Olivet, and Paris, Kentucky you can now order all your groceries online and pick them up at a central location in your hometown. No more long drives into the city to get fresh food for you and your family. Now THAT is truly Fresh for Everyone. Thanks, Kroger. Learn more and place your first order at Kroger.com/hometown.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard