Wildcats Fight Back, But Fall To Barren County

Edmonson Voice Sports
The Edmonson County Wildcat football team will begin the Class AAA State Playoffs with a 6-4 record after falling to Barren County this past Friday night in Glasgow. After falling behind 14-0 early in the first quarter, the Wildcats forced a bad snap in the second quarter that gave them a safety to cut the lead to 14-2 before halftime. The third quarter wasn’t much better for the Wildcats as the Trojans tacked on another score. The Wildcats were behind 21-2 entering the fourth quarter. However the Wildcats lit up the scoreboard in just a few minutes span, scoring three touchdowns and taking the lead at 24-21.
 
The first touchdown came as the Wildcats were down 21-2 and facing a 4th and goal at the Trojans 7-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Tucker Cole scrambled around right end and ran it in for the touchdown. The Wildcats scored the two point conversion when Cole found sophomore running back Zack Farmer in the end zone.

The Wildcats then used an onside kick and senior Tyler Hayes recovered the ball near midfield. Cole found Farmer on a bubble screen for 31 yards and then two plays later Cole found sophomore Logan Lindsey on a slant for a 14-yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion attempt failed to keep the score at 21-16.

The Wildcat defense then came up with a big takeaway three plays later as junior linebacker Dylan Waldrop jumped on a Trojan fumble that gave the Wildcat offense the ball around midfield. Cole hit Lindsey on another slant for 17 yards, sophomore running back Brayden Carey broke a run to the 15 yard line to set up the Wildcats last touchdown, a 15-yard run by Cole to give the Wildcats a 22-21 lead. The Wildcats again went for two and were successful as Cole hit Farmer again on a bubble screen to give the Wildcats a 24-21 lead.

The Trojan offense then took its next series and drove the ball down the field before scoring a touchdown on a quarterback sneak. The extra point missed to keep the score at 27-24.

The Wildcat offense could not get moving on its next drive and was forced to punt. The Trojans then ran off all but four seconds left in the game. A long deep pass downfield by the Wildcats fell incomplete to seal the victory for the Trojans.
 
ECHS head football coach Kyle Pierce said he was glad his players kept fighting even though the game looked much in doubt. “When we end the third quarter, we are down 21-2, Daniel Caudill gets hurt on the last play of the third quarter, and they have all the momentum. But, our kids are resilient. They kept playing hard and they were rewarded for their efforts. Once we scored and got the onside kick, the momentum was with us and our guys fed off each other’s energy. It was about the best 5 minute stretch I’ve ever been a part of. In the end, their offensive line and running backs were a bit too much for us. They were able to move the ball at the end and kept us from getting the ball back with enough time to move the ball offensively. We had our chances early in the game. We got inside their 10-yard line twice but came up empty. Barren County has about 20 seniors and they have the edge there. But I thought our kids competed well and for the most part, kept our composure when things started getting out of hand. I was proud of our effort and the never say die attitude we showed.”
 
The Wildcats will now travel to highly ranked Paducah Tilghman in the first round of the Class AAA state playoffs. Pierce says the Blue Tornado will present the toughest challenge this year.

"Anytime you play a team like Tilghman, you are going to see speed," he said. "They have plenty of guys that can run. But, they also have a pretty good line to go with it. They are well coached and are disciplined. It’s a long bus ride there, so our kids will have to be ready to play. We will approach this week like any other week. It’s a football game and anytime you play football, it comes down to four things: Blocking, Tackling, Turnovers, and the Big Play. If we do those well, we win. If we don’t, we won’t. I know our kids are excited about competing against one of the top teams in the state and will do their best to upset them.”
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 CST at Paducah Tilghman High School. You can listen to the game live here on EdmonsonVoice.com on Wildcats Live with Scott and Bryan beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40pm. Follow our Sports Account on Twitter @WildcatsLive.