Central Hardin vs. Paducah Tilghman:
Paducah Tilghman will have a short week to bounce back from an emotional 21-7 victory over crosstown rival McCracken County last Saturday. The Blue Tornado host 6A foe Central Hardin at McRight field on Friday night. The Blue Tornado are looking to extend their nearly flawless performance in week one. "There are certainly a lot of things you want to improve upon as a team, and we certainly need to do that, but our effort was great last week," said Tilghman head coach Mike Rogers of his team's effort against McCracken County. "We took really good care of the football," Rogers added, "but we really need to work on our communication. We had a few breakdowns."
After rushing for a combined 217 yards in week one, the Blue Tornado expect to continue with more of the same against the Bruins this week: "Any time we can control time of possession and keep the ball out of the other team's hands, we feel like we're accomplishing what we're trying to do," Rogers said.
Central Hardin comes to town looking
for their first win of the year after falling to perennial powerhouse
Boyle County last week. Central Hardin's balanced attack may cause
Tilghman distress; quarterback Reece Iler was 9/15 passing with two
touchdowns and an interception in their first contest, while backs
Xavier Arnette and Barnour combined for 91 rushing yards on 18
attempts. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 on Friday night at McRight
field.
Warren Central vs. McCracken County:
First-year McCracken County head coach Shawn Jackson did not have to wait to be thrown into the middle of a burgeoning crosstown rivalry in week one, and he knows his team missed an opportunity to prove that the 2015 iteration of Mustang football may be the best yet. But Jackson wasn't shy about disclosing his team's biggest area for improvement. "Emotional stability," Jackson stated in an interview earlier this week, "guys have to big enough to not make silly mistakes. We had four false starts and two holding calls, some of which cost us serious scoring opportunities."
Early season mental errors are a struggle for every team, but Jackson knows that's no excuse. "We play a lot of sophomores, so it's definitely going to be a process." McCracken's schedule doesn't do them any favors either, as they are set to take on Bowling Green's Warren Central after a short week. "They're fast all over the field and they really run the ball well," the head coach said of the Dragons' approach, one that won't be unlike their week one matchup against Paducah Tilghman. After finishing 6-5 a season ago, Warren Central fell to Owensboro 29-7 to open their 2015 campaign. The matchup is set to begin at 7:00 on Friday night at Marquette Stadium
Graves County vs. Trigg County:
A lot was made of the Graves County Eagles' run to the class 5A state title game last year as the football program vaulted itself into the statewide spotlight. But, Lance Gregory, now in his seventh year at the helm for the Eagles, knows that there is a work to do if they want to get back to Bowling Green this year. "We've got a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball," Gregory remarked about the Eagles performance in a season-opening loss the Hopkinsville. "We did things well: Ryan Mathis made some big throws, Dakota Dixon looked good running the ball, and we had a couple of receivers make big plays, but we have to play on both sides of the ball." The Eagles' offense didn't sputter with the unseasoned Mathis calling the plays; amassing over 400 yards of total offense. It was the defense that most concerned Gregory: "We have to be better tacklers, and we have to get off the field on third downs. They [Hopkinsville] had some big plays the extend drives."
The Eagles' defense will try to right the ship as they travel to Trigg County this week. The Wildcats, who dropped their season opener to Russellville, present a similar challenge as Graves faced last week. "Their offensive scheme is similar to Hopkinsville's. They use a lot of different formations and they're athletic at their skill positions," Gregory said of Trigg, "If our defense is better and we can finish drives, we should have a good chance to win." Gregory's Eagles and Trigg County are set to kick off at 7:00 Friday in Cadiz.
Murray vs. Calloway County (at Roy Stewart Stadium):
For the second week in a row, football fans in Western Kentucky will get a chance to take in a must-see bragging rights contest. The battle for the best team in Calloway County will take place on Friday night as the Calloway County Lakers and Murray High Tigers will square off at Murray State's Roy Stewart Stadium.
Winless in the rivalry since 2008, Laker head coach Mickey Garrison knows that his guys need to focus on one thing if they want to stop the Tigers' winning streak: "Consistency," Garrison said in a Wednesday interview. "We had great individual performances in places, but consistency is the biggest thing we've talked about this week." The Lakers fell to 6A opponent Ohio County 25-20 on Friday night. "We had a lot of young guys learn some things the hard way," Garrison said of his youthful squad, "we got burnt on the same routes consistently, and it really comes down to not only guys doing their jobs, but trusting others to do theirs as well." The first-year head coach noted that despite how much the coaches try to treat this week like any other, it's impossible to not expect the Lakers to play like there are bragging rights on the line: "We know Murray High has a good team, but so do we. Every year is different."
Keith Hodge's Murray team comes into the spirited matchup carrying with them a lot of expectations. 49-3 winners in week one, the sixth-ranked Tigers are planning on pushing their winning streak against their county rivals to seven games. That task will fall primarily on the arm of senior quarterback Peyton Glynn and the legs of senior running back Desjahvonni Miles, who combined for six touchdowns in their season opening rout of West Greene, TN. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 Friday night at Roy Stewart Stadium on the campus of Murray State University.
Mayfield vs. Marshall County:
It was business as usual in last week's opener for the three-time defending state champion Mayfield Cardinals, as they thwarted Fort Campbell 42-0 on the road last week. "It was a good win for us and I was proud of the way our kids fought," Mayfield head coach Joe Morris said in an interview on Wednesday. Despite being undersized on the offensive line, the Cardinals still had their way with Fort Campbell's defensive front. Junior tailback Trajon Bright amassed 104 yards on only 13 carries and quarterback Landon Arnett was on his feet for most of the contest, completing 13 of 16 pass attempts. Coach Morris admitted that the battle in the trenches won't be as easy for his boys this week, "Marshall County is a very big football team. They will try to use that to their advantage, but, in the end, we're going to prepare for this game just like any other."
Marshall County's second-year head coach Evan Merrick called an audible with his team's schedule this season and decided to use their bye week to start the year. "We liked the idea of having two scrimmages," Merrick said on Tuesday, "we think it will really benefit our development, especially when it comes to our guys making decisions in game situations." The Marshals will need the extra prep as they look to upset the perpetually dominant Cardinals at home on Friday night. "They are one of, if not the, best team we play all year. But, we aren't shying away from any competition," Merrick added, "we are going to really try to compartmentalize the game. Take it quarter by quarter and even series by series. Our goal is to have a chance late in the game." For that to come true, Marshall County will need contributions from lots of familiar faces, not the least of which is sophomore quarterback Skyler Smith. Smith started five games last year as a freshman, and, luckily, he won't be without a couple of weapons to bolster the Marshals' attack. Wideout Collin Gunn and Tight End Bryson Jessup are two targets that Merrick expects to haul in a considerable amount of catches for the Marshals in 2015. The Marshals are aiming to snap a seven-game losing streak to Mayfield as action kicks off at 7:00 Friday in Benton.
Fulton City vs. Ballard Memorial:
Both teams come into week two looking to get things back on track after losses in week one. The much improved Fulton City Bulldogs fell to Greenfield, TN 20-35 after holding an early lead. The Bulldogs, along with Fulton County, are looking forward to making a splash in a class 1A first district that longer clusters them with the Mayfield Cardinals.
The Bulldogs travel to Ballard Memorial on Friday night to take on a Bomber squad in need of win after a heartbreaker against Hart County last week. The Bombers trailed 6-0 late in the third quarter, but a touchdown drive by the Raiders and a pick-six on the very first play of the next drive for the Bombers left them in too deep of a hole. "We just didn't have enough offense," head coach John Elliott claimed, "we only had eight first downs and didn't really threaten the end zone." Elliott admitted that the Bombers have a lot to improve upon this week if they want to return to the winning ways the program has become accustomed to over the last three seasons. "We only averaged two yards per rush [in week one], so we are putting a lot of emphasis on the offensive line. If we're able to run the ball, we'll definitely be more successful," Elliott added. The veteran head coach also didn't hide his excitement at getting to scout the Bulldogs in person last weekend: "That doesn't happen very often. Everyone usually plays on Friday and we trade film, but I was really impressed with what I saw out of Fulton City. This is the fifth season that we've played them since I've been at Ballard and this is easily their best team." The crucial matchup of the night may boil down to Ballard's defense being able to contain Fulton City's quarterback-wideout tandem of Chan Malray and Areon Ferrell. Kickoff is at 7:00 in Barlow.
