Highlights: Defense key to Tates Creek, Sayre wins; Trinity takes revenge on Bryan Station

Highlights from Friday’s Kentucky high school football games:

Tates Creek 21, Eastern 14: Commodores Coach Jonathan Hawks praised his defense in the season-opening win against the Eagles.

“From the beginning until the end of the game they held the team together,” Hawks said. “… Offensively, we just couldn’t get in the rhythm that we wanted to be in tonight, but we will get better offensively. But defensively, we know that we can hold it down for our team.”

The Commodores scored the game’s first 14 points in the first half, starting with a 95-yard interception return for a TD by Broedy Dunham late in the first quarter. Marquavion Smith scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown with 3:03 remaining in the first half.

Eastern answered with 4:48 to play in the third quarter when Cameron Russ caught an 11-yard pass from junior quarterback Zane Wagner to cut the Commodores’ lead in half.

Hawks said when the Eagles got on the scoreboard, he knew his defensive captains would hold strong and continue to set the tone.

“They fought hard,” Hawks said. “They never gave up. They understood that it was going to be a tough game.”

Tates Creek extended its lead in the fourth quarter when Luke Cooper caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Witherington. Though Eastern would tack on another Russ touchdown, this time a 4-yard run, with 2:47 to play in the game, the Tates Creek defense put together yet another successful series (this time resulting in three incomplete passes and a sack for a loss of 1 yard) before running out the clock on offense.

The Tates Creek defense finished with 49 tackles, including nine tackles for a loss, and grabbed three interceptions. Senior captain Logan Julian had a game-high 10 tackles.

Sayre 41, Covington Holy Cross 3: Brock Coffman had 114 yards and two TDs receiving and snatched three interceptions in his role as defensive back as the Spartans’ defense harassed the Indians by forcing seven turnovers on the night.

Luke Pennington threw the TD tosses among his 171 yards passing. Travis Smith rushed for two TDs and Caden Jones ran for another score. And Kemonte Braxton returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.

Smith led the defense with 10 tackles and had two fumble recoveries.

Trinity 36, Bryan Station 3: Clinton Sansbury rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns in the Shamrocks’ dominant revenge win over the Defenders.

While Bryan Station claimed a region championship last season by knocking Trinity out of the playoffs, the rematch went the Rocks’ way from the outset.

The Rocks also got a 28-yard fumble recovery for a score by Jayden Lockhart, and a Jackson Hepner-to-Lucas Sasser 32-yard TD pass.

Bryan Station avoided the shutout with 28-yard field goal by Zachary Gentry with 27 seconds left in the game.

Oldham County 35, Lafayette 14: Following a tie after two quarters, the Colonels broke open the game and scored an unanswered 21 points in the second half.

Kayden Osbourn and Caden Sheppard lifted Oldham County to 14 prior to halftime with a pair of rushing touchdowns. But after DJ Walker caught a 21-yard receiving touchdown from Isaac Barrow to even the score for the Generals, Osbourn and Sheppard put up another rushing TD apiece to put Oldham County back ahead. Derek Dees then poured it on in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard rushing touchdown.

Fleming County 20, Henry Clay 18: The Blue Devils couldn’t hang on to an early lead in a home loss to the Panthers.

Rohan Taylor connected twice with Walden Cole for scores that covered more than 50 yards, securing a double-digit lead for Henry Clay in the third quarter. But a Fleming County touchdown scored on a 65-yard interception return by Chris Collett and a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Austin Trent were the difference in the Panthers’ tight victory.

Conner 45, Paul Laurence Dunbar 21: Cordion Abernathy rushed for three touchdowns and Wyatt Hatfield rushed for two TDs and threw for one in the Cougars’ victory over the Bulldogs.

Abernathy rushed for 146 yards, while Hatfield rushed for 117 yards. Hatfield also connected with Ben Fay for a 20-yard receiving touchdown.

Dunbar’s Ethan Teal threw for 238 yards and one touchdown, as well as rushed for two TDs for the Bulldogs.

Franklin County 23, Great Crossing 21: The Flyers jumped out to a 23-0 lead and then held off a furious rally by the Warhawks to spoil Great Crossing’s half of the Battle of Elkhorn Creek.

Franklin County’s defense denied Great Crossing’s attempt to tie the game on a 2-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter and the Flyers held from there.

Franklin County quarterback DuRi Trahan scored the opening TD on a 12-yard run. A safety put Franklin County up 9-0 late in the first quarter.

Trahan had to be subbed out due to injury later in the game, but backup Gavin Hurst stepped up to lead the Flyers’ final two TD drives. The first was capped by a Christian Moore 4-yard TD run. Hurst hit Ty Taylor for a 27-yard TD pass early in the third quarter.

Great Crossing’s Jeremiah Clark scored all three TDs for the Warhawks with two short runs and a TD catch from Hunter Moody.

Scott County 51, Madison Southern 7: Eli Lilly and Thomas Feickert each contributed a pair of touchdowns in the Cardinals’ lopsided victory over the Eagles in the Battle of Elkhorn Creek.

Ali Hamdiyah, Jacob Fryman and Kaden Drumheller each rushed for additional TDs, and Cardinals kicker Tayseer Jabbour nailed a 30-yard field goal.

Madison Southern’s lone score came in the third quarter when Ethan Moore rushed for a 5-yard TD.

West Jessamine 34 Danville 27: The Colts overcame five turnovers as Gabriel Smith led an eight-play, 65-yard drive capped by his 4-yard scoring run to help West Jessamine retake the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter.

That was one of the West Jessamine quarterback’s three short TD runs to go with TD passes of 35 yards to Chase Satterwhite and 32 yards to Cooper Swaim.

The late Colts’ rally spoiled Braidin Baughman’s career-high 221 yards rushing and two TDs for the Admirals. Baughman’s touchdowns were breakaways of 83 and 85 yards with the latter giving Danville a 27-26 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Paris 50, Frankfort 0: Jakari Ransom ran for two short scores and caught a 40-yard TD pass from Julius Gregory in the Panthers’ rout. Jayden Holman added a 35-yard TD run. Gregory also had a rushing score. Paris tacked on a TD catch by Fred Carson and another short TD run by Brandon Santiago.

Western Hills 32, Bourbon County 0: Cole McDonald had 40-yard TD catch and a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first half as the Wolverines jumped on the Colonels early and opened their first season under Coach Simon Vanderpool with a victory.

Grayson County 14, Edmonson County 7: The Cougars earned their fifth straight Tobacco Stick Bowl victory.

Jeren VanMeter put the Grayson on the scoreboard first with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to cap off the opening drive. Though the Cougars missed the PAT, they righted the ship with a successful 2-point conversion on its second score, Kadin Hanshaw’s 11-yard TD run in the second quarter. Edmonson County avoided the shutout with a 53-yard rushing TD by Michael Mills in the third quarter.

Covington Catholic 37, Ryle 22: Owen Leen rushed 96 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Evan Pitzer threw for 285 yards and a score and ran in another TD in the Colonels’ home victory.

Jacob Savage led Ryle in rushing yards with 44 with two TDs. Raiders quarterback Logan Verax finished with 217 yards and a third-quarter touchdown pass to junior Landon Lorms.

Shelby County 33, Collins 24: Gianni Hunter scored four rushing touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter, to carry the Titans to a comeback win against the Rockets.

Collins led 24-19 at the half thanks to a touchdown from Joshua Lainhart and a pair of touchdowns from Kade Goodin. After a scoreless third quarter, Shelby County took a one-point lead when Hunter rushed for a 13-yard touchdown. Hunter sealed the victory minutes later when he forced a Rockets fumble before returning it for a 45-yard touchdown, pushing his game total to 215 rushing yards.

Central Hardin 42, George Rogers Clark 22: The Bruins’ Walker Meredith had a 4-yard TD run to open the scoring and returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score just before halftime that secured a two-touchdown cushion that the Cardinals could not bite into from there.

Central Hardin added TDs passes from Caden Elmore to Noah Payton for 38 yards and RJ Goodman for 72 yards and a 7-yard TD run by Jaxon Engstrand. Clark’s Sam Clements threw TD passes to Cecil Haddon and Hayden Heath. Heath also had a short TD run.

Johnson Central 28, Madison Central 21: Jacob Grimm rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lift the Golden Eagles after the Indians tied the game in the third.

Johnson Central got out to an early lead thanks to rushing TDs from Logan Morrow and Christian Barnes before Madison Central quarterback Eli Steele hit Cody Morrison for a pair of TD passes to tie things up just after the half.

Grimm’s fourth-quarter efforts were enough to take the victory. The Indians got a 34-yard TD pass from Parker Mullins to Jackson Prichard for the final margin.

Betsy Layne 37, Berea 0: Andrew McCutcheon rushed for three TDs, including a 9-yarder on the Wildcats’ opening drive. Dylon Williams found the end zone on a 1-yard run on their second possession and Mitchell Castle rushed for Betsy Layne’s final score in the third quarter.

Wayne County 35, East Jessamine 28: After the Jaguars tied the game with 3:43 left, the Cardinals’ Antajuan Dumphord returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for the game-winning score.

Ashland 28, Raceland 21: The Tomcats never trailed but also never led by more than one score in this cross-class rivalry between two of eastern Kentucky’s best teams.

Ashland’s Cameron Davis caught a 23-yard TD pass from LaBryant Strader to start the game. The Tomcats also got scores from Brandon Houston (55-yard catch) and Strader (1-yard run), as well as a 71-yard punt return for a score from Braxton Jennings.

Noah Wallace led the Rams with two rushing touchdowns and had a 17-yard TD run from quarterback Logan Lundy.

Pikeville 34, Pulaski 12: Quarterback Luke Duty led the Panthers to victory with two touchdown passes and a 3-yard rushing TD.

Duty’s first quarter quarterback keeper put Pikeville on the scoreboard first, and though the Maroons would answer with a 70-yard Harris Denmyer receiving TD, the Panthers maintained control. Pikeville got rushing touchdowns from Brenden Anthony (43 yards) and Tayvian Boykins (81 yards) and receiving TDs from Brayden Hall (21 yards) and Jeremiah Anderson (12 yards).

Denmyer scored another touchdown, a 21-yard catch from Zak Anderson, late in the fourth quarter for Pulaski County.

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