The Boys of Fall 10/24/23

The Boys of Fall 10/24/23

James Collier

Ashland Beacon

 

BOYD COUNTY 22 LAWRENCE COUNTY 14

 

Boyd County worked behind its defense Friday night for a 22-14 win over Lawrence County in Louisa. 

The Lions tallied a first quarter safety that led to a 9-0 lead and closed the contest with a 66-yard pick-6 by Cole Hicks with 1:21 to play in the game to secure the win. 

Rhett Holbrook opened the scoring with a 9-yard run with 9:15 to play in the first and a 7-0 lead. Lawrence County pulled to within two at the half with a touchdown midway through the second quarter. Both team's failed to dent the scoreboard in the third stanza but it took only 11 seconds into the final quarter to see the Bulldogs take their first lead of the night. 

Down 14-9, Boyd answered with a 32-yard pass from Holbrook to Hicks and a 15-14 lead. With the game on the line and the Bulldogs driving, Hicks stepped in front of the pass from Talon Pollock and rumbled to the house to push the lead to eight at 22-14. 

Holbrook threw for 181 yards and was 10 of 15 on the night. He also ran for 53 yards. Garrett Crum hauled in six balls for 109 yards. Cam Collins had one catch for 47 yards. 

Boyd County welcomes Pikeville Friday night to close the regular season. 

RACELAND 49 NICHOLAS COUNTY 14

 

Raceland put the running clock in motion in the first half as the Rams secured their third consecutive district title with a 49-14 win over Nicholas County Friday night in Carlisle. 

Logan Lundy threw for 269 yards and five touchdowns—both season highs—with Parker Fannin turning in back-to-back 100+ yard receiving games with 137 yards on five catches including three touchdowns. 

Fannin opened the scoring with a 30-yard touchdown grab with 7:10 to play in the first and a 7-0 lead. Jonah Arnett added an 18-yard score and Jaxon Heighton broke free for a 42-yard scamper to paydirt and a 21-6 Rams lead after one. 

Fannin caught back-to-back touchdowns in the second, a four and 70-yard strike from Lundy and Bryson Rowsey’s 25-yard grab in the end zone started the clock in motion with 4:16 to play in the half. 

Landon Stiltner sprung a 30-yard touchdown run in the third to start the second half.

Raceland welcomes LCA to close out the regular season. 

GREENUP COUNTY 55 ROWAN COUNTY 19

 

Tyson Sammons combined for 424 total yards and six touchdowns to lead Greenup County to a 55-19 hammering of Rowan County at home Friday night. 

Sammons threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns while running for 140 yards and three more scores in the lopsided win. Aiden Gue hauled in four catches for 149 yards and a pair of scores. Ike Henderson ran for 88 yards on 11 totes and caught a touchdown in his return from injury. Drew Boggs added 80 yards on six grabs. 

Greenup County welcomes Fleming County Friday night to close the regular season. 

JOHNSON CENTRAL 36 ASHLAND 33

 

A renewal of an old district rivalry proved that some things never change.

As Johnson Central welcomed Ashland to Coach Jim Matney Field Friday night, the outcome proved to be decided on the final possession, with the Golden Eagles holding off one final Tomcats push to claim the district championship, 36-33. 

The contest featured a back-and-forth affair with the teams alternating scores from the word go. The only difference and the deciding factor in the outcome was on special teams. 

Braxton Jennings scampered 24 yards to paydirt with 5:10 to play in the first quarter to even the game at 7-7. Down 14-7 midway through the first half, Maverick Ashby dashed 14 yards to paydirt to trim the JC lead to 14-13. But the Tomcats PAT attempt failed leaving the Golden Eagles up one at the break. 

Jennings visited the endzone for the second time in the contest with 4:36 to play in the third but the two-point conversion attempt failed leaving the Tomcats down two after three. Johnson Central added to its lead with 8:46 to play in the contest but Ashland need only 43 seconds to answer with a 55-yard bomb from LaBryant Strader who followed with a successful conversion. The Golden Eagles answered with a dagger with 2:26 to play in the game with a rushing touchdown and another two-point conversion for a 9-point lead. Jennings hauled in a 24-yard pass from Strader 33 seconds later, but the conversion attempt failed and the Golden Eagles did not allow the Tomcats to regain possession on the ensuing kickoff. 

Strader finished with 212 yards through the air. Jennings finished with 47 rushing yards and two scores while adding 70 yards on three catches and a TD.  

Ashland returns home Friday night with a visit from Simon Kenton to close the regular season. 

EAST CARTER 28 RUSSELL 21

 

The second and third quarters provided the majority of the scoring Friday night when Russell welcomed East Carter for the district championship at Henry R. Evans Stadium. 

After a scoreless first quarter, both teams scored in alternating fashion over the next two frames to a 21-21 stalemate to start the final stanza. That’s when East Carter when to work with a 19-play, 91-yard drive that provided the biggest points of the night on a 1-yard plunge by Landon Yoak with 21 seconds to play to claim the Raiders first ever win at Russell while taking the district title back to Grayson. 

Ethan Pack gave the Devils a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run three seconds into the second quarter. East Carter answered two minutes later to even the game at 7-7. Pack’s second 1-yard score of the night sent Russell to the locker room with a 14-7 lead. 

Yoak and Pack traded scores in the third quarter as Russell pushed ahead 21-14. 18 seconds later, East Carter’s Ryland Pfau dashed around the edge and 75 yards to paydirt to even the contest at 21-21 through three. 

Pack rushed for 115 yards on 15 carries. He threw for 166 yards. Caden Pennington caught three passes for 116 yards. 

Russell exercises its bye week and will host a first-round playoff game on Nov. 3. 

PARIS 31 FAIRVIEW 0

Fairview fell to Paris, 31-0. The Eagles could only amass 71 total yards. Jace Manning passed for 49 yards and Xavien Kouns could only manage 10 yards on the ground to lead Fairview. 

Fairview exercises its bye week and will visit Sayre in the opening round of the playoffs on Nov. 3. 

Ashland Reaches Elite Eight at State

Ashland Reaches Elite Eight at State

James Collier

Ashland Beacon

Ashland stood toe-to-toe with Lexington Layfette in the first 20 minutes of the Boys Soccer State Quarterfinals match at Frank Sloan-E.B. Lowman Field Saturday night. 

Both teams had fired shots on goal but neither had been able to connect. Layfette’s Nadeer Duek changed that in the 20th minute of action to put the visiting Generals in front 1-0. Layfette would add four more goals for a 5-0 win over Ashland. 

Layfette found the net in the 26th minute and took a 3-0 edge to the half on a free kick from long distance. The Generals punched in two more in the second half with the final goal coming in the 70th minute. 


Ashland opened the season losing five of their first seven but finished strong winning 12 of the last 15 including a tie and closed its season with a 16th Region Championship and a record of 14-7-1. 

ASHLAND 4 LAWRENCE COUNTY 0

Fresh off a 16th Region Championship win over Russell, Ashland turned its attention to another familiar opponent in Lawrence County Tuesday night in the opening round of the Boys Soccer State Tournament. 

After defeating the Bulldogs 2-1 on Senior Night, the Tomcats used what they learned in the elimination game for a 4-0 shutout. 

Ashland got the scoring going early with a Nick Parker goal in the seventh minute off a Casey Steele corner kick. Luke Stahler added to the scoring with a goal off a crosser from Gavin Maynard and a 2-0 lead in the 31stminute.

Lawrence County tried to counter off a pair of darts toward backup goalie Brian Church who was forced into action after Sawyer Frazier could not participate for two games after receiving a red card in the final eight seconds of the regional championship. Church, however, thwarted both shots away to maintain a 2-0 lead for the Tomcats. 

Ashland netted two goals in the second half. Troy Barnett connected on a header in the 46th minute after Landon Griffith’s crosser. Maynard slammed the door shut in the 74th minute of the contest. 

A Season to Remember Russell Finishes with 19 Wins and Elite Eight at State

A Season to Remember

Russell Finishes with 19 Wins and Elite Eight at State


James Collier

Ashland Beacon

 

Boyle County had Russell on its heels for much of the first half but the Devils still managed to keep the Rebels off the board through the first 40 minutes of the Girls Soccer State Tournament Quarterfinals Thursday night.

However, a defensive miscue by the Rebels opened up a Devils run started by Ava Quinn and her pass finished at the feet of Eva Blanke with a one-on-one opportunity with the Rebels goalie. Blanke dribbled right and fired back left to give Russell a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute. 

The lead would be short lived as Boyle County countered with an equalizer 13 seconds later to even the affair at 1-1. Seven minutes later, the Rebels won a 50/50 ball off a big bounce inside the 18 that lobbed the ball over Russell goalie Gabby Williams that proved to be the game-winner in a 2-1 defeat of the Devils. 

Quinn had a trio of shots at the goal in the opening half and had a shot sail over the crossbar inside of five minutes to play in regulation. 

The loss was only the second on the season for Russell who opened with 14 straight wins and finished at 19-2 including a 16th Region Championship.  

RUSSELL 8 PRESTONSBURG 2

Russell was in unfamiliar territory in its opening round match of the Girls Soccer State Tournament Tuesday night in Flatwoods. 

Trailing. 

Prestonsburg netted a goal in only the third minute for a 1-0 lead but once Russell found its mark, all the Blackcats could do is watch and hope to make a stop. 

Ava Quinn evened the game at 1-1 in the 18th minute and Emma Stamper would finish with a hat trick as Russell upended Prestonsburg, 8-2. Leading 4-1 at the half, Russell blew the top off the game in the 46thminute with a trio of goals in just under 90 seconds and a 7-1 lead. Stamper bookended a Quinn goal in the fury by the Devils. Maya Harris netted her first goal of the season in the 53rd minute. 

Newman, Tomcats Defeat Boyd to Win Kiwanis Bowl

Newman, Tomcats Defeat Boyd to Win Kiwanis Bowl

Kay Smith

Ashland Beacon

Keshawn Newman scored three touchdowns and the Tomcats’ defense held Boyd County to two scores in Ashland’s 18-12 win in the 71st annual Kiwanis Bowl Thursday night at Putnam Stadium. 

Newmans’ two-yard run put Ashland up 6-0 late in the first half. Boyd County tried to tie the score before intermission but time expired after Ian Branham’s 25-yard pass to Thomas Crawford ended on the Tomcats’ 33-yard line.

Branham would put the Lions on the scoreboard on a 47-yard touchdown pass to Crawford with 1:21 left in the third quarter. A bad snap on the extra point kept the score knotted at six.

Ashland would then capitalize on J D Crace’s kickoff return to the Boyd County’s 40-yard line. Caleb Conway connected on a 19-yard pass to Mason Wolfe to end the third quarter and Keshawn Newman opened the final stanza with a 11-yard touchdown run. 

Two plays later, Bryden Hughes took the ball away from the Boyd County receiver and Newman would race 27-yards to paydirt for his third touchdown of the game and an Ashland 18-6 lead.

On a third and 18 from the Tomcats’ 49-yard line, Branham found Crawford for a touchdown to pull the Lions within 18-12 with 1:20 left on the clock. Ashland recovered the ensuing onside kick and held on to win their third straight over Boyd County in the Kiwanis Bowl.

Cade Thovson was named defensive player of the game for Boyd County and Thomas Crawford hauled in eight catches and found paydirt twice for offensive player of the game.

Keshawn Newman had 127 yards on the ground including 100 after intermission to go along with three touchdowns and was named offensive player of the game for Ashland. Cameron Burnside was awarded defensive player of the game for the Tomcats.

Frazier Saves the Day for the in 16th Region Championship -  Pierzalla and Barnett Net Goals for Ashland

Frazier Saves the Day for the

Tomcats in 16th Region Championship

 Pierzalla and Barnett Net Goals for Ashland

 James Collier

Ashland Beacon

 

 

   Ashland defeated Russell in the 16th Region Championship, 2-1, to pick up the Tomcats first region crown since 2020. 

   Ashland took the lead over Russell in the 50th minute of the championship on a Troy Barnett goal off a corner kick. Goalie Sawyer Frazier’s’ diving save with 15 minutes left in regulation kept the Tomcats lead at one. Silas Pierzala added a goal in the 78th minute. Frazier later received a red card with 8 seconds remaining in the game that allowed Russell’s Joe Kaczmarcyk to connect on a penalty kick as the game ended 2-1 favoring the Tomcats. The Senior Frazier will not be allowed to participate in the opening round game of the State Tournament when Ashland will host 15th Region Champion Lawrence County Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

The Tomcats won a pair of 4-0 contests over West Carter and Rowan County in the opening rounds of the 16thRegion tournament. 

Zach Mccomis, Silas Pierzala, Ryan Runyon and Nick Parker netted goals in the win over West Carter. Nic Johnson assisted on a goal. 

Gavin Maynard, Dean Young, Pierzala and Parker scored goals in the win over Rowan. Luke Stahler had two assists. Landon Griffith and Mccomis added one. 

RUSSELL 15-6-1

Russell defeated Fleming County and East Carter in the 16th Region Tournament before falling to Ashland, 2-1 in the championship. 

Jeison Benitez Ramires scored a pair of goals in the 6-1 win over Fleming County. Brylee Mullins, Alan Benitez Ramires, Noah Miller and Elijah Neel netted goals. Caden Hampton had four saves. 

Jeison scored the lone goal in the 1-0 win over East Carter off an assist from Ben Totten. Hampton had one save in the shutout. 

Russell closes its season at 15-6-1 while still in search of a 16th Region title.