Stats make Cougars a favorite in regional finals tonight
With an 11-1 record, the second rating among teams in the western half of Class 4A, four players ranked in the top five in the state in their specialties, and top 10 state rankings in team scoring, defense and scoring margins, the Logan County Cougars go into tonight’s home game as a touchdown favorite over Louisville Central to win their second straight regional championship and to advance to the Final Four again.
Coach Todd Adler’s Cougars have put together an enviable combination of rushing and passing efficiency along with a strong defense that is ferocious against the run and has a habit of forcing opponents into back-breaking turnovers.
Central runs the ball well but is not especially strong in its passing or scoring.
The Cougars have played what may be the toughest schedule in school history. They are 2-1 against Class 5A teams, 8-0 against fellow 4A squads, and 1-0 against their lone opponent in the three smallest school classifications in the state, that being Class 1A Russellville. Every team they played but one (Calloway County) made the playoffs, and four of them (Greenwood, South Warren, Hopkinsville and Madisonville-North Hopkins) won a playoff game.
The Cougars with the highest state rankings:
Senior back Ryan Rayno leads Class 4A in rushing with169 yards per game. His total rushing yardage (2,031) is also tops, 286 more yards than anyone else who has played 12 games. He has scored 23 touchdowns running the ball, which ranks third. He has been named National Player of the Week by one rating service for his 250-plus-yards performance against Hopkinsville last week and is Class 4A District 1 Player of the Year.
Senior lineman Peyton Taylor is third in the state in sacks with 12 following a sensational game against Hoptown Friday. (Teammate Ryland Nichols is 11th with 7 sacks .)
Sophomore Hunter Holloway is tied for third in the state with six interceptions. He’s returned them for 103 yards. (Teammate Jack Delaney is 31st with 3 interceptions.)
Another sophomore, Kyla Bilyeu—who is believed to be the first girl ever named All-SKY—ranks fifth in the state in kicking extra points. She has connected on 51 of 56 attempts for 91.1 percent, averaging 4.1 successful kicks per game.
Other statistics of note:
Quarterback Davin Yates ranks eighth in the state in passing at 148 yards per game. His 1,776 yards on his 139 completions is fifth and he has thrown 21 touchdown passes.
Senior receiver Zane Batten is 17th with 39 catches for 553 yards, which computes to 14 yards per catch. Seven of those catches have gone for touchdowns. Sophomore JunVontre Dillard stands 39th with 36 catches for 401 yards and 5 scores.
Rayno ranks 8th with 138 points and Dillard is 49th with 77 points
Junior Elijah Hawkins is 9th in total tackles with 113, including 72 solos, ranking 5th in that category. Senior Isaac Poe has 86 tackles, 61 of them solos, That’s 7.2 tackles per game. Nichols and Poe have been involved in three fumble recoveries while Yates has recovered two.
The Central Yellowjackets have an outstanding player in Cortez Stone, who is third in rushing at 160 yards per game. He is also involved in the passing game, but Central is much more run-oriented than a passing team. Logan is much more balanced on offense.
Central has a good defense, especially against the pass. The Louisville team is giving up only 152 yards per game, while the Cougars are allowing 203 yards. The Cougars have been more effective at stopping running games than passing offenses.
Game time is 7 p.m. and the action will be called lived on all WRUS platforms, beginning at 6:30, with Zack Woodall and Austin Pogue commenting.