Christian Helle, Luke Rogers, Caiden Kirby, TySean Thomeczek and Carson Carlock put up big numbers in Logan County’s impressive 33-16 win over visiting McCracken County Friday, but the single digit of 1 played a huge role in Logan running its record to 2-0 going into this Friday’s Clash of the Cats at Rhea Stadium.
On the big side, check these numbers out:
*Helle, a junior, carried the ball on the ground 26 times for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had a fourth TD called back on a teammate’s penalty. He also caught 4 passes for 16 yards to keep drives alive.
*Rogers, a sophomore, completed 20 of 25 for 210 yards without an interception. He was also the second leading rusher with 20 yards on 4 carries.
*Another sophomore, Thomeczek, was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 103 yards.
*Carlock, a junior, was the leading tackler with 9, including a tackle for a loss. He and senior Damani Goodloe tied for the most solo tackles with 7 each.
*Kirby, a senior, not only kicked all four of the extra points he attempted but also drove a 27-yard field goal through the goal posts, helping the Cougars some separation on the scoreboard.
Kirby most likely could have added three more points to his total, but Coach Todd Adler had another, bolder idea. It came after Helle’s fourth touchdown was called back on a hold. With the ball on the 17 on fourth down, the Cougars could have tried a field goal. Instead, Adler decided to go for it.
Senior Isaac Christian, who plays a number of positions for the team on both offense and defense, had already intercepted a Mustang pass in the game. This time, he used the skills showed when he was the team’s starting quarterback during their middle school years, by throwing a touchdown pass to senior Cooper Parker to clinch the win.
This play was part of an impressive game for Parker, who was just behind Thomeczek with 6 catches for 78 yards and the TD. He also had 4 solo tackles, joining Carlock with team leadership in tackles for losses with 2 and in sacks with 1.
Other Cougars with notable stats:
Jeremiah Washington, 3 catches for 21 yards
Michael Hammonds, 7 total tackles with 5 of them solo, 1 for a loss
Maliq Ford and Elijah Sells each had 6 total tackles
Freshman Joseph Mctire, 5 solo tackles with a sack
Dayton Hurt made his only tackle count with a sack.
The Cougars will go into tomorrow’s game as a heavy favorite over the Panthers. Logan has won seven of the last eight Clashes of the Cats. The year that Coach Mikie Benton’s Panthers won in 2021, they were state runner-up in Class 1A and the Cougars made the Final Four in Class 4A.