MIDWEEK MIDLINE: 'Cats, Red Devils aim to dig out

Sep. 7—Solely based on record, the start for two of northeastern Kentucky's most prominent programs is short of the lofty standards their predecessors have set.

After all, Ashland and Russell's combined 1-5 record through three weeks is tied for their worst since 1953, when the Tomcats and Red Devils each dropped their first three outings.

But, though neither Ashland nor Russell is particularly interested in moral victories, the record might not tell the whole story.

And narrow setbacks to top-flight out-of-state competition on Friday have their coaches hopeful they'll be rounding into form by district play a month from now.

The Tomcats traveled to Charleston on Friday and found themselves two scores behind George Washington before six minutes had elapsed. Ashland climbed within a touchdown on Braxton Jennings's 4-yard run with 2:42 to play in the first frame, but the Patriots got that one back merely 18 seconds later.

All of them were courtesy of long touchdown passes by George Washington's Abe Fenwick, who connected on his first seven passes for 238 yards.

Were the Patriots — then ranked fourth in Class AAA in the Mountain State's MetroNews media poll — poised to pour it on the Tomcats?

Meanwhile, in Russell, a Red Devils club coming off a resounding rivalry loss to Raceland a week earlier hung within one score of Wheelersburg through three quarters. But the Pirates' Ethan Glover ran for his second touchdown 28 seconds into the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to two possessions.

Was Wheelersburg, which ranked among Buckeye State Division V teams "also receiving votes" in the first Associated Press poll of the season released Monday, finally pulling away?

No, in both cases.

Pushed deep again, Ashland stood tall at its own 5-yard line to force a missed George Washington field goal and keep the margin at two scores.

It didn't stay there long: Terell Jordan took a jet sweep 80 yards to the house on the very next play to lift the Tomcats within a TD.

Asher Adkins caught 15 passes — believed to be a school record, Ashland coach Chad Tackett said. He also pointed to an interception by Kahlil Vaughn and the ensuing extended drive as another key moment.

It didn't result in points, and neither team scored again after Jordan's scoring run in a 21-14 Patriots victory.

But the Tomcats had averted a seemingly imminent blowout, and then some. For a team Tackett has described as inexperienced, which was further shorthanded by missing two starting offensive linemen, that was growth.

"(The lesson was) just that you gotta punch it out for 48 minutes; you gotta stand in there and keep swinging until that last minute goes off, and I thought our guys did that," Tackett said. "They played their tails off basically from the second quarter on and gave themselves a chance to win. I think that in itself is a lesson, that it's not over until it's over."

Russell did better than that. The Red Devils, down two scores early in the fourth quarter, got one of them back just eight seconds after surrendering it. Carson Patrick got loose to bring in Ethan Pack's 50-yard scoring pass.

Wheelersburg marched to Russell's 15-yard line on its next drive, but Ethan Oborne grabbed a loose ball and took it 52 yards to set up Andre Richardson-Crews's 2-yard scoring plunge. Nathan Totten's point-after tied the game with 5:32 to play.

That was plenty of time for the Pirates, who won the game, 28-21, on Glover's 12-yard scoring run with 55 seconds remaining.

But TJ Maynard had seen what he hoped for out of the Red Devils.

"When you put in new guys into new roles ... going into those first couple games, you try to find out about your team," Russell's coach said, "and after the first two, one of those things we needed to find out was just how much fight we had. So after Friday night and the effort and the will that our kids played with, that bodes well for us as we move forward."

The Red Devils were inspired by the hard running of Oborne, Richardson-Crews and Colby Rock, Maynard said.

He added that only three of Russell's defensive starters in its season opener against Boone County had played significant minutes before that, including none of their four linebackers, and that the Red Devils were still tinkering with rotations on Friday.

"Obviously, you want to try to win each and every night you go out and play," Maynard said, "but our big picture is, Oct. 7."

That's the night Russell hosts Greenup County and Ashland entertains East Carter to begin district play.

The Musketeers, winless on the field last season, are 3-0. The Raiders have scarcely skipped a beat from their best campaign ever last fall and also sit 3-0.

But even without the shiny records and rankings that often accompany them, Russell and Ashland also expect to be there at the end, as Class 3A, District 7 figures to be the most wide-open it has been during the current alignment, dating to 2019.

And even sans victories to show for it on Friday, the Tomcats and Red Devils both believe they took significant steps in that direction.

Three-and-Out

—Raceland-Russell isn't exactly will-they-or-won't-they Bennifer, or on-again, off-again George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin.

After all, except for a hiatus from 1975 to 2006, the neighbors separated by 3.4 miles have played each much more often than not ever since first meeting in 1926.

But the Rams-Red Devils rivalry is headed for splits for the second time since it was renewed and rebranded as the Rail Cities Bowl in 2007, both teams' coaches confirmed.

Russell informed Raceland via text message on Wednesday that it does not intend to continue the series next year when a new two-year scheduling cycle begins, Rams coach Michael Salmons said.

"We were re-evaluating everything, and right now, the best thing for our program is that we move away and move forward," Red Devils coach TJ Maynard said Sunday. "As the schedule changes, we just gotta look at, internally, what's best for our program. At this time, that's what we feel.

"I don't expect everybody to be happy with it or agree with it, but that's where we are right now."

The Rail Cities Bowl hit pause in 2013 and 2014, at Russell's direction. It resumed the next year when then-Raceland coach Maynard returned to his alma mater, Russell, and got it going again.

This split, to a large degree, is reminiscent of that one.

"Obviously, we wanted to keep the game," Salmons said. "I've been on staff here 16 years, and we've played 14 of the 16 years, and by and large, it's been a competitive series.

"Both communities have a heartbeat around their schools and their athletic teams. and so any time you lose that, I think you lose a sense of the community. Our stance was, we wanted to keep the game."

The teams' final meeting of this stretch goes down as Raceland's 53-14 victory on Aug. 27. Russell leads the all-time series, 31-24-7. The Rams have won nine of 14 in the Rail Cities Bowl era and ended a three-game series skid this year.

—Derek Butcher's standout statistical performance was born from Jordan Everman chucking the ball around before recent Bath County practices.

So said first-year Wildcats coach Larry Bowling, whose shifting of Butcher and Everman around on Friday night against Powell County created opportunities to use that duo in unique ways.

Butcher took that and ran with it. and passed. and caught.

The Bath County senior threw, rushed and received for touchdowns on Friday night in Stanton. He becomes the third northeastern Kentucky player to do all three in the same game since at least 2011.

Butcher also executed a successful onside kick, Bowling said, and was credited with eight tackles in the Wildcats' 36-20 loss to the Pirates.

Butcher entered the season as Bath County's backup quarterback. When the Wildcats needed him to take over under center, that created a need for a new backup signal-caller.

Enter Everman, whom Bowling had spotted loosening up what he called a "cannon." But not during an organized offensive period.

"I'm glad Jordan comes to practice, and 10 minutes before practice, he's goofing off and I can see him throwing the ball," Bowling said, chuckling. "And I said, man, he can really throw a ball. Because that's how that came about, I'll be honest with you."

Due to the desire to stretch the Pirates' defense, Bath County went to Everman mid-game on Friday. So, after Butcher had previously thrown for a touchdown to Everman, they switched roles on the next scoring aerial.

The Wildcats couldn't come all the way back from a 28-0 deficit, but they discovered some things they can do on offense, Bowling said, and plan to workshop them during their bye week this week.

Bowling said he isn't sure whether Butcher or Everman will start at quarterback Sept. 16 against Lewis County, but both figure to play pivotal roles.

As for the other two area players to complete the Kordell Stewart-esque touchdown trifecta since 2011: Johnson Central's Geordon Blanton (2016 versus Lexington Catholic) and West Carter's Christian Rivers-Glover (2018 against Nicholas County).

—Johnson Central's 15-14 loss at North Laurel on Friday night wasn't just an eyebrow-raiser.

It was a bona fide statistical rarity.

The Golden Eagles sustained their first regular-season loss to a Kentucky team in four seasons and change (not counting a COVID-19 cancellation forfeit to Lexington Catholic last season).

The most recent such setback before that was a 35-19 loss at Belfry on Oct. 27, 2017.

Johnson Central played 30 in-state regular-season games in between losses in such games. The Golden Eagles went more than the length of a presidential term without losing to a team from the commonwealth in the regular year.

Against that backdrop, Jaguars coach Jason Chappell had nothing but good things to say about the vanquished king of the mountains.

"It's a big win, but it's a big win because of who you're playing," Chappell told WYMT, in reference to the Golden Eagles. "I have a really high level of respect for Johnson Central and their football program, how they play, how physical they are, how disciplined they are. They're a lot of things I want my program to be."

Trailing by a touchdown late, North Laurel stopped Johnson Central on fourth-and-1 from the Golden Eagles' own 11-yard line with 3:13 to play, according to the 13th Region Media Network.

The Jaguars scored on Tucker Warren's touchdown run with 1:41 to play and went for the lead right there. Warren tallied again on the two-pointer for the game-winning points.

Reach ZACK KLEMME at zklemme@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2658. Follow @zklemmeADI on Twitter.