The Lakers were impressive in their opening night 22-0 rout of Ohio County. Not only did Calloway County produce its first shutout since 2013, the Lakers D produced seven sacks and an interception against Ohio County.
Calloway County’s junior quarterback Jacob Bellah led the way last Friday night as he produced in a variety of ways for the Lakers. The dual-threat quarterback was 10-for-12 passing for 124 yards and two passing touchdowns and ran for 82 yards on 12 carries with a rushing touchdown. Senior wide receiver Jeramaiah Malone also had a solid opening night as he had 8 receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns for the Lakers.
Murray was able to squeak out a 17-12 win over West Greene, TN last weekend, but it came at a major price. Senior running back Andrew Pajor went down with a significant knee injury, and while the timetable for his return is in question, it is certain that he is unavailable Friday night and the next couple of weeks.
Freshman quarterback Hunter Utley was 8-for-15 passing for 86 yards for Murray, but junior running back Michael Parks carried much of the load against West Greene with 25 carries and 118 yards. Parks will be depended on heavily against the Lakers and beyond.
Can the Tigers maintain momentum in this rivalry even without Andrew Pajor? Can the Lakers capitalize on their momentum against Ohio County and end a 7-year drought against their crosstown rivals? Are the Lakers for real? We’ll have an idea of all of those questions Friday night.
My gut says take the Tigers in this one, but it will be a closer matchup than the previous few seasons.
PREDICTION: Murray-24, Calloway County-14
McCracken County at Warren Central – The Mustangs played about as well as a team could play in their rare Sunday afternoon matchup against Paducah Tilghman, beating the Blue Tornado in a rout, 41-6.
The 9th ranked Mustangs scored at will on Paducah Tilghman in the first half, going into the halftime locker room with a running-clock situation up 41-0. McCracken County also outgained Paducah Tilghman in the first half with 348 yards to just 24 for Tilghman.
Senior quarterback Cash Jones played just one half for the Mustangs, but he was almost flawless against the Tilghman defense. Jones was 17-for-21 passing for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
While the offense played really well, the defense is what has really stood out to McCracken County head coach Shawn Jackson. “Our D just put it to them,” Coach Jackson said Wednesday night on his weekly radio show. “They had a great game and they’ve had an awesome week of practice which I hope carries over into Friday night.”
Warren Central’s opening week game was a bit tougher, as the Dragons fell to the Red Devils of Owensboro, 43-6. Warren Central has many new faces on both sides of the ball. With a roster of 35 players, the Dragons dress 22 underclassmen. Warren Central is still recovering from redistricting of Warren County Schools several years ago in which many from Warren Central were moved over to newly formed South Warren High School.
The Dragons feature a run-heavy offense. Of their 45 plays from scrimmage against Owensboro, 41 were rushing attempts. That will be a tough task against the McCracken County front line.
McCracken County should win with ease Friday night.
PREDICTION: McCracken County-56, Warren Central-6
Paducah Tilghman at Central Hardin – The Blue Tornado are looking to rebound on the road Friday night, but it won’t be easy as Paducah Tilghman squares off against 10th ranked Central Hardin.
Paducah Tilghman senior quarterback Dalton Ferrell wasn’t allowed much time in the pocket last week versus McCracken County, so the Tornado didn’t have much of a passing attack.
Central Hardin opened the season with a 21-7 win over Mercer County. The Bruins have their usual strong running game again this season, as Central Hardin rushed for 218 yards against Mercer County. Both Central Hardin and Paducah Tilghman squared off last season at Tilghman’s McRight Field as Central Hardin marched away with a 48-25 win over Tilghman. In that game, Central Hardin rushed for 493 yards. Four hundred and ninety three yards. Paducah Tilghman can’t allow anywhere near that total if they hope to pull off the road upset.
Can the Tornado correct many of the mistakes they made in week 1? Can they find a way to stop the massive running attack of Central Hardin? It’s going to be an extremely tough challenge. Look for improvements from Paducah Tilghman, but not enough to beat the Bruins.
PREDICTION: Central Hardin- 42, Paducah Tilghman-7
Marshall County at Mayfield- The opening night matchup for the Marshall County Marshals is not an easy one as they face the 4-time back-to-back state champion Mayfield Cardinals.
Mayfield had a near flawless opening night win against Fort Campbell last Friday night as the Cardinals won 56-0. Senior running back Trajon Bright led the way for the Cardinals with 18 carries for 134 yards and four touchdowns while Landon Arnett led the passing attack going 10-for-18 passing for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
Coming off back-to-back two-win seasons, the Marshall County Marshals have pieces in place to get some decent wins under their belts this season under 3rd year head coach Evan Merrick. The Marshals bring back 14 seniors and 12 juniors, including junior quarterback Skyler Smith. Smith passed for 850 yards and six touchdowns in his sophomore campaign in 2015. The Marshals also bring back their top two rushers from last season, junior Mason Green and senior Jacob Mason.
It will be a tough task for the Marshals defense to contain the many weapons of the Cardinals.
PREDICTION: Mayfield-49, Marshall County-14
Trigg County at Graves County- Neither the Graves County Eagles or the Trigg County Wildcats had memorable week 1 games, but both have a chance to rebound and get back on track as the two square off at Eagles Stadium Friday night.
Turnovers were the story for Graves County Saturday afternoon against Hopkinsville at the Stadium of Champions in the “Toyota of Hopkinsville Jerry Claiborne Bowl”. A combined seven turnovers between the two teams, including three from Graves County, never really allowed the Eagles to get into an offensive rhythm.
Sophomore quarterback Ryan Mathis was 16-for-37 passing for 241 with three touchdowns and three interceptions for Graves County. Junior wide receiver Trevor Grant had a big game with seven receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The big issue for the Eagles was their ground game, as Graves County was only able to muster six net rushing yards on 21 carries.
The Wildcats were shutout their opening night against Russellville 41-0. It will be tough to grab a win on the road against Graves County in Eagles Stadium.
Look for the Graves County Eagles to figure a few things out on offense this week.
PREDICTION: Graves County-34, Trigg County-7
Week 2 Games:
Fulton City at Ballard Memorial
Franklin-Simpson at Caldwell County
Paducah Tilghman at Central Hardin
Lake County, TN at Fulton County
Trigg County at Graves County
Crittenden County at Hopkins County Central
Marshall County at Mayfield
Murray vs. Calloway County
McCracken County at Warren Central
Christian County at Bowling Green
Owensboro Catholic at Daviess County
