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Mayfield Faces DeSales for Shot at Four-Peat

Mayfield Faces DeSales for Shot at Four-Peat
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By Marshall Toy
Nov. 25, 2015 | MAYFIELD, KY
By Marshall Toy Nov. 25, 2015 | 04:20 PM | MAYFIELD, KY
Despite the likely rise in his blood pressure, Mayfield head football coach Joe Morris was glad to play a game last week in which his team had to work to find a way to win.

“We’re always happy with a win, but we beat a really good team last week,” Morris said on Tuesday. “We are playing our best football of the year right now.”

Indeed, the Cardinals have found their groove and head into Friday night’s state semifinal matchup against Louisville's DeSales High School on a nine-game winning streak after defeating Owensboro Catholic 24-13 in last week’s class 2A quarterfinals.

“That was a tough game, but a good one for us," Morris said. "We had to fight. It was tied 7-7 for a while, and then it was just a one-score game until we were able to push it out to 17-7.”

After facing class 2A’s leading passer last week in Owensboro Catholic’s Ray Zuberer, the Cardinals will have to shift focus to stopping the run this week against DeSales. The Colts, as a team, average 232 yards per game on the ground and have three different backs that have run for over 500 yards on the season. A lot of that success, Morris says, is due to excellent play from the Colts’ big offensive line.

“If you take out their center, their offensive line averages about 280 pounds,” the veteran head coach added, “but, we’ve faced that before. We’re going to have to use our quickness. We know we’ve got our hands full.”

Offensively for Mayfield, last week was business as usual. Quarterback Landon Arnett did throw a couple of interceptions, but made up for it with a pair of touchdown throws. Tailback Trajon Bright continued his excellent play since returning from injury, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown on 28 attempts. 

If Arnett and the Cardinals offense struggle to get anything going on Friday, Morris isn’t afraid to turn to standout placekicker Sidney Herndon, who booted a school-record 49-yard field goal last week. “We’re comfortable with him from fifty yards and in,” Morris said of Herndon. “He really is an asset. He punts the ball really well, too. Last week, against one of the best punt returners we have seen in a long time, Sid punted away from him really well and our guys were able to cover it.”

With a win on Friday night, the Cardinals will advance to an unprecedented seventh consecutive state championship game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. at Mayfield's War Memorial Stadium.

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