Wildcats Drop First Game of Season to Grayson 48-0

Senior fullback Jacoia Orvis runs the ball against Grayson County.

Darren Doyle, story: Macy Miller, photos:
​Grayson County defeated Edmonson County 48-0 on Friday night, tallying up all of their points by late in the third quarter and holding the Wildcats scoreless.

The Cougars got started in the first quarter. With 5:47 remaining, Eli Johnston caught a 15-yard touchdown pass and the extra point was good, giving Grayson County a 7-0 lead. That score stood at the end of the first quarter.

Jamysen Buster broke a 75-yard touchdown run with 8:16 left in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt was blocked, making it 13-0. A 24-yard pass reception and run, followed by a successful two-point conversion with 2:44 remaining in the half, pushed the lead to 21-0. Johnston added another score just before the break, hauling in a 34-yard touchdown pass with 49.5 seconds left. The extra point made it 28-0 at halftime.

Buster struck again to open the third quarter, returning a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown with 11:48 left. The extra point made it 35-0. Lucas Reynolds scored on a 4-yard run with 2:22 remaining in the period, and the extra point extended the lead to 42-0. Carson Long then broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run with 5:53 left in the third. The extra point was good, setting the final score at 48-0.

Grayson County finished with seven touchdowns; Edmonson County was held without a point.

The Wildcats share a team prayer just before opening kick off.

Coach Justin Vessels addresses the team during a timeout.

Quarterback Sawyer Simmons calls the play before the snap.

Senior fullback Jacoia Orvis runs the ball against Grayson County.

Junior quarterback Sawyer Simmons throws a pass against Grayson County.

The contest was obviously not what Wildcat Head Coach Justin Vessels had hoped for but he saw some bright spots with his young team.

​"So, you know, we are a young team right now," he said. "And I use the comparison of the 2024 team. We came down here and they got after us pretty good. But it doesn’t define the whole season. That team went back. We had great senior leadership. We got back to work. We fixed some mistakes and we went on to have a good regular season and had the winning record, and it was a good deal. And it could be very similar."

​"I know the score got away from us there at the end. But we had some drives. We moved the ball. We had some good runs, had some good passes. We missed several passes. Defensively, we had some stops, but then we had a lot of missed tackles. We got to get a little better at gang tackling, hemming them in, not letting them loose in space."

"But everything is fixable as long as we go back and we’re willing to work on it to try to get better. And the seniors that we’ve got are going to be very important. And they’ve already started talking to other kids: “Hey, keep your head up. We’re going to get back to work.” Next thing we got to worry about is Clinton County. We’re on to the next one."

"I think their leadership is going to be crucial for us this season — helping hold everything together, keeping the younger players’ confidence up and making sure they don’t get their heads down."

"I know next week with the new stadium and it being alumni night, there’s going to be a huge crowd there. And the boys are excited about playing in front of a huge crowd. From 1971 all the way up to now, you think about all the alumni, there’s going to be a lot of people that come and see that game next week. And they want to put on a good show for them. We’ll have a great week of work and film study, lifting, running, practicing, all the things."

Edmonson County is set to host Clinton County next week at the all-new field at Wildcat Stadium.