Instead of hearing the cry “Run for the hills,” what fans at Rhea Stadium and on a televised broadcast tonight will see is “Run on the Hill.”
We can count on a multitude of running plays tonight when Coach John Myers’ Panthers entertain the Campbellsville Eagles in the second round of the state Class 1A football playoffs, beginning at 7 p.m.
Both the Panthers and Eagles rely on their ground game with a little passing thrown in just ever so often. Both teams run very well.
The Panthers have piled up an astounding 3,296 yards on the ground while running up (literally) a 9-2 record. That’s just four yards short of 300 yards per game.
Coach Dale Estes’ Eagles have total 2,743 yards from their rushing attack, an average of 249 yards an outing on the way to an 8-3 record.
The Panthers have gained 432 passing yards and the Eagles 494. That translates to each team’s total offense being about 88 percent based on a ground attack.
M.J. Jones joined Josh Bigbee has thousand-yard rushers last week. Bigbee didn’t play in the Panthers’ lopsided win over Fort Knox, and Jones responded with five touchdowns in that 67-0 romp. Johnny Drumgole, Bryson Thomas, Drew West and quarterback Jaylin McMurry also are capable of piling up big numbers behind a line that includes all-stars Caleb Hardison, Chris and Trey Matthews, and Mason Aguirre.
In a win over Glasgow in the Scottie Bowl to start the season, Campbellsville senior Kendon Young ran for 156 yards on 23 carries for three touchdowns, but he’s no longer playing. Top rushers now are Deston Ford, Austyn Thornton and quarterback Devonte Cubit.
Leading the Eagles’ defense is Austin Hash, who had 19 tackles against Glasgow. Other leaders are Justin Stewart, Clayton Russell and Stone Williams.
Russellville is second in the state in Class 1A scoring with 515 points, only three behind leader Pikeville. The Panthers are 12th in scoring defense, allowing 21 points a game, primarily because in their two losses both Murray and Franklin-Simpson scored over 30 points.
Campbellsville is averaging 31 points a game. The Eagles are fourth in scoring defense at 11 points at outing. That average would be much lower had they not played Class 2A Danville, which is 10-1. The other two losses for the Eagles are to two Class 1A powers, Bethlehem by 14-13 and Kentucky Country Day by 19-14. The winner of tonight’s game will face either Bethlehem or Crittenden County, who will play tonight at Marion.
Earlier this season, Russellville honored the 1970 Panthers, who reached the state semifinals under Coach Jim Gladden by beating Campbellsville for the regional title. Captain of that Eagles team was current Russellville Superintendent Leon Smith. His predecessor as superintendent, Roger Cook, was also a key player on that team. See Cook’s memories of that game on The LoJo at http://www.theloganjournal.com/Stories.aspx?Article=guests265
The Campbellsville athletic director is Tim Davis, a former basketball coaching great who is married to Lewisburg native Joni Smock Davis. The Campbellsville superintendent is Mike Deaton, another former basketball coaching standout who played quarterback for the University of Kentucky. He started his coaching career in football, track and basketball at Logan County High School.
Tonight’s game will be carried live on WRUS (610 AM) or worldwide at www.network1sports.com/station/wrus. John Brett Reynolds and Alex Watkins will call the game with the kickoff show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
RHS Athletic Director Calvin Head says, “Let's fill the stadium tonight in support of our RHS Panther Football team!!! Tonight has been deemed a "blackout"! We will be live-streaming tonight's game. So if you can't make it out please tune in and watch! The link can be accessed through our district web page.”