James Collier
The Ashland Beacon
WHEELERSBURG 49 ASHLAND 7
Ashland stood toe-to-toe with Wheelersburg through one quarter of play Friday night and only trailed 14-7 at the half. But the Pirates dropped 28 in the third to cruise to a 49-7 win over Ashland at Putnam Stadium.
Ashland needed only 20 seconds in the contest to take a 7-0 lead after LaBryant Strader hooked up with Asher Adkins for a 66 yard touchdown. The next 49 points in the game all came from the visiting Pirates including an 89-yard kick return for a touchdown on the ensuing drive to tie the contest at 7-7.
Strader was 9 of 20 for 147 yards with the lone TD and a pair of interceptions. Atayveon Thomas rushed for 57 yards on six carries. Adkins hauled in three balls for 83 yards.
Ashland visits West Jessamine Friday night.
BOYD CO 29 GREENUP CO 21
Boyd County decided to borrow Greenup County’s patented motto Friday night in Lloyd when the Musketeers looked poised to complete a come from behind win.
Find a way.
Leading 29-14 entering the final stanza, Boyd County had to withstand two Greenup County rallies late in the frame for a 29-21 win.
Boyd County opened the scoring with a Rhett Holbrook 7-yard run with 8:21 to play in the first and a 7-0 lead. Greenup County answered with a 7-yard TD run of its own as Tyson Sammons scampered into the end zone to even the affair at 7-7 with 10:58 to play in the half. The Lions promptly answered the Musketeers score three minutes later after Trey Holbrook hauled in a 14-yard TD from Holbrook but Ike Henderson’s 11-yard run evened the contest at 14-14 with 5:52 to play in the half.
Holbrook snapped the tie for the final time with 3:15 to play in the half with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Wheeler and a 22-14 lead heading into the locker room. Wheeler added another TD on a 4-yard plunge in the third.
Greenup County made things interesting late in the game after Sammons hit Brady Howard for a 93-yard touchdown that trimmed the deficit to 29-21 with 5:39 to play. The Musketeers held the Lions to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession and a blocked punt handed the ball to the men in green at the Lions 10-yard line.
Facing fourth-and-5, Sammons zipped a ball into the end zone but the pass missed the mark and the Lions withstood the final surge for the victory.
The win gives Boyd County back-to-back victories over Greenup County for the first time since winning three straight from 2011-13.
Holbrook led the Lions with 233 yards through the air while throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Wheeler paced the Lions rushing attack with 85 yards on 15 totes. Dakota Thompson added 50 yards on nine carries. Josh Thornton hauled in seven balls for 90 yards. Trey Holbrook added five catches for 84.
Sammons was 7 of 14 in the passing game while throwing for 167 yards—93 coming on his lone TD throw of the night. He was picked off once as well. Sammons led the Musketeers with 109 yards on 14 carries. Henderson added 40 on 11 totes.
Boyd County welcomes Mason County Friday night. Greenup County visits Rowan County.
HIGHLANDS 24 RACELAND 14
Raceland was looking for a measuring stick game when the Rams traveled north to battle Class 5A Ft. Thomas Highlands Friday night.
Raceland wasted little time of letting Highlands know the Rams intended on pulling off an upset after forcing a three-and-out on the Bluebirds first drive of the night followed by 9-play, 80 drive capped off by a Logan Lundy 2-yard dive and a 7-0 lead midway through the first.
Highland’s offense stalled once again on the ensuing drive but connected on a 43-yard field goal to spark the first of 24 unanswered points which proved to be enough for a 24-14 win over the Rams.
Highlands snatched the lead for good to close the first quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass on third-and-long for a 10-7 lead. Highlands struck again with a 42-yard TD midway through the second to push the lead to 10 and added seven more to their tally on a 46-yard punt return for a TD two minutes before the half.
Raceland’s defense dug in after the half and forced a turnover on downs on their own four to thwart away Highlands bid to add to the 24-7 lead after halftime. Lundy marched his troops 96 yards on 10 plays with Conner Hughes finishing off the final three yards of the drive with a TD on a double reverse. But the Rams offense could not find an answer to the 10-point deficit after their final three drives resulted in a punt, turnover on downs and the end of the game.
Lundy went 12 of 30 through the air for 181 yards with an interception. Landyn Newman and Mason Lykins each caught four passes for 75 and 56 yards, respectively. Noah Wallace led the Rams on the ground with 76 yards on 11 totes, including a 54-yard scamper in the second quarter. Jaxon Heighton added 52 yards highlighted by a 50-yard run to set up the Rams final score of the game.
Raceland returns home Friday for Homecoming and a visit from West Carter.
LAWRENCE CO 50 RUSSELL 10
Lawrence County trailed Russell 7-0 after one quarter Friday night when the Bulldogs visited Henry R. Evans Stadium.
The second and third quarters, however, would be a different story. Lawrence County’s rushing attack gashed Russell’s defense for 397 yards on 38 carries for a 50-10, running clock win.
Colby Rock gave the Devils an early 7-0 lead after a 2-yard touchdown in the first frame but the slow starting Bulldogs found their grip in the second. A pair of Kaden Gillispie touchdown runs of 27 and 15 yards and Talon Pollock tacked on a 16-yard scamper for a 22-10 halftime lead.
Nathan Totten booted a 40-yard field goal on an untimed down before the break that proved to be the final Russell points of the night.
Gillispie added his third rushing TD of the night to open the second half and followed with a 63-yard Pick-6 one minute later.
Ethan Pack was 8 of 20 for 87 yards and a pair of picks in the losing effort. Andre Richardson-Crews led Russell in rushing with 47 yards on eight carries. Carson Patrick hauled in four passes for 34 yards.
Russell travels to Montgomery County Friday night searching for their first win of season after staring 0-4 for the first time since 1990.
FAIRVIEW 36 MORGAN CO 8
It had been nearly two years since Fairview had recorded a win.
728 days to be exact as the last Fairview victory came on Sept. 11, 2020 in a 20-6 win over Morgan. Friday night, Fairview welcomed Morgan County to Westwood and snapped the long losing streak with a 36-8 thumping of the Cougars.
Austin Miller gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead in the first on a 10-yard touchdown run. Caden Thomas added his first score of the night from five yards in the second stanza for a 16-0 lead. Morgan County dented the scoreboard before the break to trim the deficit to 16-6 at the half but a 20 point third quarter scoring frenzy put the Eagles in control of the game that snapped a 16-game losing streak while earning rookie head coach Brent Wilcoxon his first win.
Thomas gashed the Cougars defense for 217 yards and three scores. He ran for 161 yards on 20 totes while catching a pair of passes for 56 yards and a TD. Miller went 9 of 13 for 119 yards through the air with a pair of TDs.
Jeremy Harper added an interception return of 45 yards to set up Thomas’ first score.
Fairview welcomes Green, OH Friday night.