Franklin Simpson 28, Glasgow 17

The Wildcats continue their late season success with a road victory over the Glasgow Scotties. They have won five of their last six games to cap off the season and have been flexing some offensive muscles during the hot streak. Darius Wickware led the way for Franklin Simpson with 152 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Parker Cash had a fantastic night for Glasgow going 17 for 22 for 212 yards with 2 touchdowns (1 rushing) and 1 interception.

As the Wildcats scored touchdowns in the first half the Scotties countered with drives that ended in a Dustin Thompson 26 yard field goal, a 16 yard touchdown reception from Cash to Hunter Bowles, and a crucial interception in the end zone to conclude the first half. It was a 21-9 lead for the Wildcats at halftime when they put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 15 play, 94 yard drive that ended when Max Bennett hit Jerrell Wickware on a 23 yard touchdown pass, 28-9 Franklin Simpson. Glasgow answered with a drive that ended when Parker Cash scooted in the end zone from 8 yards out and the Scotties made the two point conversion to cut the lead to 28-17.

Glasgow's onside kick rolled out of bounds and the comeback effort by the Scotties was over as Franklin Simpson killed the clock. The regular season is now over, may the Kentucky high school football madness begin.

Franklin-Simpson @ Glasgow Preview

Halloween is upon us and so comes the end of another high school football regular season in the state of Kentucky. The most intriguing matchup of the final weekend in the south central will be the collision between Franklin-Simpson and Glasgow. The Scotties are riding the wave of winning a regular season district title and the Wildcats have jump started their offense for a successful run to close out the season. Will the Scotties get their ninth win on the season or will the Wildcats continue their late season success into the playoffs?

What To Watch For:
- Glasgow's stud running back Tavion Parrish has been sidelined with an ankle injury over the last few games, it will be interesting to see if he plays or continue to be held out until playoff time. Michael Bradley and quarterback Parker Cash have been stepping up their ground game as Parrish sets out.

- Speaking of running backs, the Wildcats will counter punch with Darius Wickware who has rushed for 1,297 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. Those are noteworthy stats!

- Quarterback play will be key, Franklin-Simpson's Max Bennett has passed for 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. He has a tendency to throw interceptions (Brett Favre syndrome), coming into the game with 10 on the year. Glasgow's Parker Cash has been very accurate on the season going 48-78 for 961 yards with 15 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Cash has some good wheels as well, with 436 rushing yards on the year, a dual threat quarterback is always a dangerous quarterback.

- Max Bennett's favorite target is Jarrell Wickware, who has accounted for 31 grabs for 585 yards and 4 touchdowns on the season. The Scotties playmaker at receiver is Lajuan Smith who has hauled in 25 passes for 539 yards and 8 touchdowns.

- We got a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball for both teams in this contest. I have a feeling the defenses will be chasing in this battle, however, it will be Halloween weekend and strange things may happen like a final score of 3-2.

- I'll take the Scotties in a close high scoring contest.

FINALLY! Hilltoppers 54, Ragin' Cajuns 21

- After an epic fourth quarter failure in last week's home loss to Louisiana Monroe, the Hilltoppers respond by bulldozing the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns by a score of 54-21.

- A 1-yard touchdown run by Louisiana Lafayette quarterback Brad McGuire cut the WKU lead to 27-14. The Hilltoppers responded with a 6 play, 70 yard drive that concluded with a Kawaun Jakes 1 yard touchdown run. That was the beginning of 27 unanswered points to put the game out of reach for the Ragin' Cajuns.

- Kawaun Jakes led the way with a career day going 18 for 22 passing for 262 yards and one touchdown through the air. He also added 28 yards on 4 rushes and two touchdowns on the ground.

- The defense recorded two touchdowns, a 70 yard fumble return by Jamarcus Allen and a 62 yard interception return by Derrius Brooks. They even recorded two sacks and held Louisiana Lafayette quarterback Chris Masson to pedestrian numbers, 16 for 33 for 223 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

- Freshman running back Antonio Andrews had a breakout game with 52 yards on the ground for two touchdowns. Andrews seems to be asserting himself as another backfield weapon the offense can rely on as opposing defenses key in on stopping Bobby Rainey.

- The Hilltoppers put together their best game all year by protecting the ball, being efficient on offense, creating turnovers on defense, and scoring off those turnovers. The game plan was so well executed that punter Hendrix Brakefield took the evening off!

South Central High School Football Roundup 10/22

Warren Central 17, Bowling Green 14
You would think with the Purples having a 14 point lead fourth quarter lead you would chalk up a victory for BGHS right? Wrong! A ferocious comeback by the Dragons started late in the third quarter with an 73 yard touchdown drive. A botched snap and a fumble recovery by the Dragons set up an Eric Brown 15 yard touchdown run. The Dragons drive 64 yards on 11 plays to allow freshman kicker Adel Muskic to nail a 33 yard field goal as time expired for the win.

Russellville 22, Butler County 19
The Panthers solidified their dominance of District 2, Class 3A with a late 36 yard touchdown pass. Momentum shifted swiftly in this one with Russellville scoring 15 unanswered points to open the game, then the Bears caught fire and scored 19 in a row before the Panthers put in the dagger. Devonta Bryant lead the way for the Panthers with 113 yards rushing.

Franklin-Simpson 64, Logan County 12
The Wildcats continue to put together wins late in the season and have found some offensive firepower in their last five games. They finish 3-1 in District 2, Class 4A and will cap off the 2010 season with a trip to Glasgow.

Glasgow 50, Metcalfe County 6
The Scotties continue to roll with an easy victory and finish 3-0 in Distict 2, Class 2A. Franklin-Simpson comes to town next week, that should be a good game.

Allen County-Scottsville 50, Russell County 33
The Patriots win the District 2, Class 4A title and will finish their season with a trip to Monroe County, who has lost three straight after starting 6-0. I have a feeling the Patriots will cap off a perfect regular season.

5A, District 2 Champ...Who Wants It More?

The Friday night showdown of the night in the south central is clearly the Bowling Green and Warren Central match up for the District 2 title in class 5A. The Purples are looking for revenge after the Dragons scored an 18-10 upset in the rivalry last season. Braggin' rights are on the line, this is where the playa's play!

- Whoever wins obviously gets a district crown, but should get positioned nicely with some home field games in the playoffs. The loser will probably have to deal with those pesky Colonels of Christian County in the second round.

- I saw Central's Cortez Barber limp off the field last week against Grayson County. Will Barber be active for this game to add some flavor to the Dragons backfield punch? If Barber is not active, look for Eric Brown to step in and step up.

- Central and Bowling Green have similar offenses that focus on I formation running, trying to misdirect the defense, and throw in an occasional pass. The Dragons held down the Grayson County offense allowing just 162 total yards in last weeks 24-6 win. The Purples defense allowed 395 total yards to the Cougars earlier in the year in a 41-27 win. An interesting defensive comparison to make!

- Can the Dragons hold down Hunter Neveras, Scooter Hollis, and Bowling Green offense? Can the Purples stop the dynamic duo of Cortez Barber, Demonte Smith, and the Warren Central running attack?

- I am sensing a grind it out game where a critical mistake will make the difference: Bowling Green 20, Warren Central 14.

Hilltoppers Epic Collapse In The Fourth

As the old saying goes, "winners know how to win." In the case of the Hilltoppers, losers know how to lose, especially when they have a lead. The losing streak now stands at 26 in a row after allowing Louisiana Monroe to score 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose 35-30.

RECAP

- The first quarter saw the Hilltoppers come out swinging with an Antonio Andrews reverse pass that connected with Marcus Vasquez for 37 yards. That led to a 25 yard field goal by Casey Tinius for 3-0 WKU lead.

- The defense was playing solid in first half and the Tops were winning the field position battle. With 14:56 to go in the second quarter, Kawaun Jakes hooked up with Marcus Vasquez for a 13 yard touchdown reception to extend the lead to 10-0.

- A botched punt by Louisiana Monroe lead to an incomplete pass on fourth down as the punter tried to save face. WKU took over on the Warhawks 25 yard line which lead to a Bobby Rainey 4 yard touchdown run. The Hilltoppers take a 17-0 lead with 6:35 remaining in the second.

- The Warhawks finally put together a solid drive that ended with a Jyruss Edwards 33 yard touchdown run on a fourth and one conversion. It is a 17-7 Hilltopper lead going into halftime.

- Late in the third quarter Louisiana Monroe gets desperate and attempts a fake punt pass on fourth down that falls incomplete. Once again, the Hilltoppers have great field position taking over on the Warhawks 31 yard line. Throw in an unsportsmanlike penalty and a pass interference penalty on Louisiana Monroe and the Tops are setting pretty on the 2 yard line. Bobby Rainey scores from 2 yards out and with 1:21 to go in the third WKU leads 24-7.

THE 4TH QUARTER MELTDOWN

- Unfortunately for the WKU defense they forgot that there are four quarters in football because their defense got soft and allowed Louisiana Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning to channel his inner Joe Montana. When Browning wasn't hitting receivers in the middle of the field, he was taking off and picking up first downs with his legs.

- Kolton Browning connects with Luther Ambrose on a 22 yard touchdown reception with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter. WKU 24, ULM 14.

- After a stalled drive by the Hilltoppers, the Warhawks convert two fourth down plays that lead to a Frank Gooden 2 yard touchdown run. WKU 24, ULM 21.

- Three and out by the WKU offense and ULM takes the ball and drives right down the field and score on a Jyruss Edwards six yard touchdown run. ULM 28, WKU 24 with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.

- The Hilltopper offense responded with no sense of urgency as they huddled after every play on the drive allowing precious seconds to tick away. In the end the clock did not matter as Kawaun Jakes dropped back and threw a pick to ULM's Robert Nelson who took it to the house for a 65 yard touchdown return.

- As Nelson crossed the goal line the boo birds rained down on L.T. Smith Stadium as fans were frustrated with the offensive effort. ULM 35, WKU 24.

- WKU finally puts together a drive as Jakes hooked up with Willie McNeal for a 13 yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion fails and it’s a 35-30 Louisiana Monroe lead.

- The Warhawks recover the onside kick and this epic collapse is over!

NOTES

- I have feeling that the coaching staff will practice on hurry up offensive drills throughout the next week. With 3:35 left in the game and needing a touchdown to win, the offense huddled up after every play that allowed 15-20 seconds to tick off the clock.

- Will we see Matt Pelesasa under center next weekend? Kawaun Jakes finished 13-21 for 131 yards with two touchdowns. That crucial interception late in the game will not help boost the coaching staff's confidence in his play during pressure situations.

- Bobby Rainey continues to be the bright spot for this offense, rushing for 174 yards on 32 carries and scoring two touchdowns.

- The defensive unit put in a great effort, for three quarters. It seems like they installed the prevent defense for the entire fourth quarter and allowed a red shirt freshman quarterback to pick them apart.

- The security staff lined up by the stands late in the third quarter anticipating the Hilltopper fans storming the field after breaking the streak. If you are looking for excuses as to why we lost you could point to the security staff for early crowd control alignment, they obviously failed to scout this game and realize who was playing.

Warren Central 24, Grayson Co. 6 Highlights

The Dragons defense was in shut down mode on Friday night holding a Grayson County offense that was averaging 400 yards a game to just 188 yards on the night. Warren Central keyed in defensively on Cougars quarterback Hunter Gary, holding him to just 20 yards on the ground, 91 yards passing, and forcing him to throw three interceptions. Definitely a night to forget for the Cougar senior.

RECAP

- After the Cougars took a 6-3 halftime lead, they took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove the ball 68 yards to the Warren Central 27. Grayson County went for it on fourth down and failed after Hunter Gary was sacked. The momentum shifted from this point on and it was bad news for the Cougars.

- Warren Central took the ball and twelve plays later Eric Brown scored on a sweep from 10 yards out to give the Dragons a 10-6 lead.

- The Cougars went three and out on their next possession as the Dragons took over on their own 48 yard line. Cortez Barber broke a 43 yard run that set Warren Central up at the 2 yard line. Which lead to Demonte Smith crashing into the end zone. Dragons 17, Cougars 6.

- On Grayson County's next possession a Hunter Gary swing pass became a botched lateral and the Dragons' Marvin Miles recovered on the Cougars 22 yard line.

- Seven plays later Demonte Smith powered his way up the middle for a 4 yard touchdown run. Dragons 24, Cougars 6.

- With the win, the Dragons are guaranteed a home playoff game and will be playing for a district title as they collide with the Purples next Friday.

- Demonte Smith finished the game with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The credit to this win has to go to the defense of the Dragons for holding the Cougar offense to just 6 points. If the Warren Central defense plays like this next week, Bowling Green better watch out.