Murray (4-2) vs. Mayfield (5-1)
While very familiar with each other, Murray and Mayfield have not competed as district opponents since 2006. Week seven's biggest matchup pits a Mayfield team that continues to play their fundamentally-sound brand of football against a Murray team that seems to be hitting its stride at the right time.
Mayfield head coach Joe Morris was not reluctant to point out that his players know who they have to stop.
"We have to stop their two defensive ends, [Tre] Hornbuckle and [Corey] Dickerson. They're as good as anybody around," Morris said Wednesday. "They play hard, they're quick, and they're strong"
Despite the prowess on the edge for the Tigers, Coach Morris didn't predict much of a change in approach for the Cardinals offense.
"We've still got to figure out a way to run the ball, and we've got to protect our quarterback."
Hornbuckle, a Duke commit, and Dickerson lead a Tiger defense that has allowed just over 16 points per game this season. They are coming off of a stellar performance against previously undefeated Russellville in which they only allowed one score late in the fourth quarter. Head coach Keith Hodge credits his defense for playing particularly well in one area of the field,
"[Last week] we buckled down and played really well in the red zone against a high-scoring team." He continued, "We answered that on the other end of the field by putting points on the board when we had opportunities."
Injuries have somewhat been the story for both teams so far this year, but Hodge thinks this may be the healthiest his team has been all season,
"We are close to 100%, and that's a good place to be heading into district play."
As for the Cardinals, their biggest playmaker, Trajon Bright, will remained sidelined for at least a few more weeks.
"He's getting better every day, but we don't know when we're going to get him back. He's working hard, rehabbing his arm sometimes two or three times a day. He wants to get back out there, but we've got to wait until he's completely ready to go."
Sophomore Shauntrez Tyler has filled in well for Bright, averaging 108 yards on the ground over the last two contests.
Class 2A district play gets underway for both teams Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7:00 at War Memorial Stadium in Mayfield.
Trigg County (2-4) vs. Paducah Tilghman (3-3)
Paducah Tilghman faced their biggest district contest last week against Caldwell County and came out on the wrong end of the contest, dropping their district opener 46-27 to the Tigers. To make matters worse, the Blue Tornado lost their quarterback and senior leader Jessie Dunigan in the second quarter to a sprained shoulder. Tilghman head coach Mike Rogers alluded to the fact that they may be without Dunigan again this week.
"We're going to work with him each day and see how he reacts," Rogers said Wednesday.
Dunigan's replacement, junior Dalton Ferrell, played well and kept the Blue Tornado in it until late in the fourth quarter against Caldwell.
Despite Tilghman's potent offense, the outcome of this week's contest against Trigg County will hinge on the battle in the trenches, as they do not want to allow Trigg County's Tyreke "Taco" Wilson to get comfortable in the pocket.
"Their offensive line is really big," Rogers said of the Wildcats front, "they have an athletic quarterback that has played really well when he has time."
Wilson is undoubtedly the catalyst of the Wildcats offense, but his aggressive play may give Tilghman a chance to capitalize on turnovers.
Paducah Tilghman returns home to try to even their district record at 1-1. Kickoff has been pushed back to 7:30 at McRight Field.
Ohio County (4-2) vs. McCracken County (5-1)
The McCracken County Mustangs will likely be without quarterback Cash Jones on Friday night as they take on Ohio County at Marquette Stadium. The junior play caller suffered an injury to his ankle in last week's game against Daviess County. Jones has tallied 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air this year for the Mustangs, leaving big shoes for freshman Max Howard to fill. Howard filled in well for McCracken last week; completing five of his nine attempts for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Focus may be the biggest enemy for the Mustangs in this one as Ohio County may be their weakest district opponent. With only 32 players listed on their official roster, the Eagles have put together a nice 4-2 record, but their four wins have come against teams with a combined six wins. McCracken head coach Shawn Jackson hinted that the Mustangs will try to use their uptempo offense to keep Ohio County on their heels all night.
McCracken County will attempt to extend its unbeaten streak in district play to eight games Friday night. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 in Paducah.
Graves County (3-3) vs. Marshall County (1-4)
More than just bragging rights are on the line this season as rivals Graves County and Marshall County square off this Friday in Draffenville. Competing in the same class for the first time since 2010, both teams are preparing for a physical game Friday night.
"This will be a dog fight for four quarters," Graves County head coach Lance Gregory admitted. Graves County, one of the favorites in 5A's first district, are coming off an impressive win over Apollo last week.
"We played really well in all three phases of the game. We got better fundamentally and made fewer mistakes," Gregory added.
The Eagles have been hot-and-cold in the first half of the season, but a win over the Marshals on Friday would give them back-to-back wins to start their district schedule. The momentum will be much needed going into a showdown with a talented Christian County squad next week.
The first half of the 2015 season has not been as kind to the Marshall County Marshals. They dropped their district opener to Christian County a week ago and come into this week having only notched one victory on the year.
"Christian County exposed us with their speed last week," Marshal head coach Evan Merrick stated. "Our guys fought, but we need to spread the ball around more on offense and our special teams had to be a point of emphasis this week."
Christian County's Keyron Catlett torched the Marshals special teams with a punt return touchdown and a kick return touchdown.
"He [Catlett] is one of the most explosive special teams players in the area. When special teams contributes to three scores early in the game, it's hard to stick with your game plan," Merrick said.
The Marshals will hope to contain Graves County in the return game and play the game on the ground. Marshall County's size up front gives them a chance in this one, as Graves will have to win the battle in the trenches if they hope to get star tailback Dakota Dixon going.
The Eagles and Marshals will square off in Draffenville Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M.
Webster County (1-4) vs. Ballard Memorial (3-2)
Ballard Memorial has kept a low profile so far in 2015, but the Bombers are shaping up to be a serious contender in class 2A. Coming off a 61-22 blowout win over Vienna, IL last week, Mean Green hosts Webster County this week to kickstart its district schedule. Taking on their first in-state opponent in a month, head coach John Elliott knows that the game won't be won on paper.
"Webster is coming off their first win of the season last week. They are going to try to run the ball, but they've had trouble stopping the run as well," Elliott said on Wednesday.
Ballard's running game, spearheaded by Devyn Bledsoe, looks to be the determining factor in Friday's game. He, along with a handful of others, give the Bombers a serious chance to move to 4-2,
"Devyn, Butch Williams, Erick Marinelli, and Tyrell Byas all had big games for us last week," Elliot continued, "Well need another big night from those guys because this is a very important home game for us. We would love to be 1-0 after Friday."
The Bombers will look to tally their second win in a row on Friday at home. Kickoff is at 7:30.
Hopkins County Central (2-4) vs. Calloway County (2-3)
A shift in momentum has the Calloway County Lakers in position to win their third straight game as Hopkins County Central comes to town on Friday.
"After the Marshall County game, we were close to bottoming out," Laker head coach Mickey Garrison said, "But these kids couldn't accept that that's all they were capable of."
Garrison's squad rallied to win an overtime thriller over Trigg County two weeks ago and parlayed that into a victory over visiting Madisonville last week.
"We can be undersized and win by being in better shape and being more aggressive," the first-year head coach said of his team, "we just have to make sure we maintain that edge and stay hungry."
The Lakers will face another dual-threat quarterback this week in Hopkins Central's Hagan Oakley, but Garrison also acknowledged hard-running tailback Austin Bruce.
"He runs hard and they're big up front, but we may stack the box to contain him."
Offensively, Calloway County will try to continue its vaunted aerial attack, leaning on quarterback Cole Stetson's arm to deliver. Stetson has completed 76 of his 167 pass attempts for 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kickoff between the Storm and Lakers will be at 7:00 in Murray.
You can hear Marshall every Monday from 5:00-7:00 as he hosts Marshall Toy Sports and every Friday from 5:00-6:00 as he anchors The Tailgate Show with Marshall Toy. Both programs can be heard exclusively on 99.5 the Fan.
