Both local coaches saw facets of their teams’ performances that they liked in last Friday’s opening games, but they are looking for improvements in this week’s games. Since both the Logan County Cougars and the Russellville Panthers were on the wrong end of the score on Aug. 20, that’s the change the coaches would most like to see.
Russellville coach John Myers was especially pleased with his team’s execution in the first quarter against visiting Franklin-Simpson. The Panthers forced the Wildcats into a three-and-out on their opening possession and then marched most of the field, reaching inside the F-S 10 before fumbling away a long touchdown to the visitors. “We fumbled while running the veer. That’s a play that has been very good to us over the years and that we will keep on running,” he said.
Then the Panthers completed what appeared to be a long touchdown pass from D.J. Quarles to Victor Hampton, only to have it called back on an ineligible receiver call.
“We dominated the first quarter. We could have been up 14-0 instead of down 7-0,” Myers said, adding he didn’t think the offensive lineman who was about one yard in front of the line of scrimmage had anything to do with the touchdown pass. “That didn’t need to be called,” he said during the WRUS Coach’s Corner show Tuesday night.
Franklin dominated the final three quarters on the way to a 42-7 win.
“This is the best Franklin-Simpson team we’ve faced in the seven years I’ve been here,” Myers said at Roy’s Bar-B-Q. “The Wickwares are the best pair of backs we’ll see this year. We won’t play a more athletic team. We rushed for 232 yards. I couldn’t be more happy with our offensive line.”
Myers acknowledged that the Panthers missed a lot of tackles and didn’t wrap up Wildcat backs when they hit them. “Our tackling was poor,” he conceded.
Franklin will be involved in the Panthers’ game again this week, but the Wildcats are not the opponent. RHS will play Metcalfe County in the first game of the Pigskins Classic at Franklin’s Shadetree Matthews Field. F-S plays the second game.
“Metcalfe is well coached, but they don’t have the quality athletes they did when they were our district rival,” Myers said. The Hornets lost 35-0 to Barren County last week.
The RHS injuries that were witnessed by the large crowd at Rhea Stadium last week shouldn’t be a factor this week, Myers said. Most of them were heat related. If Quarles goes down again, Myers won’t hesitate to use freshman quarterback Barrett Croslin, who pleased the coach in his high school grid debut last week. Croslin was playing on turf that bears the name of his grandfather, Ken Barrett Field.
“He didn’t seem nervous at all, but I guess when you’ve played ball on ESPN you’re ready for anything,” Myers said, referring to Croslin having been the starting pitcher in the Logan County All-Stars’ first game in the Little League World Series a year ago.
Game time is 5 p.m. Saturday. The game will be carried live over WRUS with the pregame show beginning at 4:30.
Inconsistency was the biggest problem Logan County coach Lee Proctor cited about his team’s performance in a 31-14 loss at Central Hardin Friday. They did many things well, including forcing the Bruins into four turnovers. They also were tied 14-14 at the half.
“I was pleasantly surprised at how well we had played when we were tied 14-14 at the half,” Proctor said, also on the WRUS program. “But we weren’t able to continue at that level in the second half.”
The kicking of Central Hardin’s John Wallace kept the Cougars in a field position hole. He kicked off a half dozen times, and all six of them sailed into the end zone, including one that went through uprights. The Cougars had to start from their 20 yard line after all six of those kicks. Wallace, who will play for the University of Louisville next year, also kicked a 50-yard field goal that broke the tie and gave the Bruins a psychological advantage. “He’s the best high school kicker I’ve ever seen in person,” Proctor said.
Among the players Proctor mentioned as standing out where Logan Anderson, Steven Jones, Justin Rone, Cody Thurston, Bryce Moore, Charlie Porter and Twin Lancaster, but he said, “We need more playmakers.”
“We have lots of questions left to be answered,” Proctor said. “I’m not comfortable with where we are now.”
Many of those questions will get another answer Friday when the Cougars entertain Greenwood, which is a Class 6A team like Central Hardin. The Gators whipped Portland 37-7 Friday. It’s not clear what that means, since once-proud Portland didn’t win a game last year.
“We have to be focused and determined,” Proctor said, “but I’m convinced playing strong opponents early last year helped prepare us for the district. I’m hoping the same thing will happen this year.”
The Cougars, who reached the second round of the Class 4A playoffs last year, will entertain the Gators at 7 p.m. Air time on WRUS is 6:30.
Proctor announced that Mason Robertson will wear number 21 Friday. He gave up number three, which was the uniform of the late Thomas Washington, who had an outstanding career for the Cougars. Funeral services for the fleet-footed Washington will be held Saturday at Townsend Grove Baptist Church near Adairville.