Allen County-Scottsville closed out their Class 4A, District 2 schedule with a dominant 37-7 win over the Russell County Lakers last Friday night on Homecoming night at Patriot Stadium. The AC-S win----coupled with Franklin-Simpson’s 41-14 upset of Warren East----created a three-way tie atop the District standings. More on that intriguing situation to come, first the win.
“We moved the ball well, but we had some turnovers,” noted AC-S coach Brad Hood. “Our defense stepped up. Coach Tyler Berry did a good job making adjustments to the Lakers’ double tight wishbone that we had not seen them run. Julyan McPeak and Will Moore played well, Zander Reynolds and Tucker Scott, and Morgan Mesker did good jobs and our linebackers played well.”
The emergence of junior quarterback Payton Cope as a premiere passer for the Patriots continued. Cope connected on 11/16 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriot signal caller distributed the ball to four Patriot receivers. Senior Jax Cooper grabbed three passes for 94 yards and a TD. Based on available records, Cooper has caught a school record 20 TD’s in his career. Overall, the wideout has received 98 passes for 1,809 yards---in what’s also believed to be a record based on available records.
Tanner Stinson caught five passes for 75 yards while senior Colton Costello snagged two passes for 24 yards and a score. Senior tight end Thorny Walker tallied one reception for nine yards.
Not only did the AC-S air ground look solid, but the Patriot ground game also tallied 202 yards. Jax Cooper led the way with 69 yards out of the backfield----giving the senior star a combined 163 offensive yards. Sophomore Levi Cooper added 68 yards on 10 carries with junior Jace Jackson racking up 49 yards on seven attempts.
Defensively, juniors Karson Gens and Zander Reynolds were both in on 11 tackles. Juniors Dillon Slain and Hunter Krulik were in on seven tackles while senior Julyan McPeak recorded three sacks.
The Patriots got on the board with 4:20 remaining in the opening half. After an earlier AC-S touchdown reception by Stinson was nullified on a holding penalty, Cope hooked up with Costello for a six yard score. Walker’s PAT capped the 45-yard drive.
The Lakers answered. Using an offensive set which AC-S had not seen on tape, the Lakers pieced together a 60-yard drive. When Russell County quarterback Andrew Shanks scored on a one-yard plunge and the Lakers converted the PAT, the game was deadlocked at seven at the 10:31 mark of the second.
AC-S bounced back to add a score before intermission---despite a pair of turnovers that ended possessions. Cooper grabbed a Cope pass in front of the Patriot sideline and tight-roped his way along the sidelines to score on the 40-yard play. The PAT lifted AC-S to a 14-7 lead with 4:42 left in the first half.
With cameras still capturing the winners of the halftime homecoming festivities behind the Patriot bench, Stinson fielded the Russell County kickoff near his 28-yard line. The speedster broke through the Laker kickoff coverage and raced to the endzone for the 72-yard score. Walker’s PAT gave the Patriots a 21-7 lead at the 11:45 mark of the third.
The hosts effectively capped the game on a pair of scores before the end of the third. On their next possession, Jackson took the handoff from Cope, cut left, and broke free for a 26-yard TD run. Walker’s kick gave AC-S a 28-7 lead at the 7:28 mark of the third. With 1:31 remaining in the third, Walker booted his second field goal of the season. His 27-yard field goal split the uprights giving AC-S a 31-7 lead.
The final score of the game followed on the next possession by the Patriots. Jax Cooper cut around the right side on a carry and broke loose for a 53-yard scoring run, his sixth rushing TD of the season in nine games. The PAT failed.
Overall, the Patriots compiled 404 yards of offense, 14 first downs, four turnovers, and four penalties for 53 yards. Russell County finished with 10 first downs, 103 rushing yards, 124 passing yards (227 total yards), recorded two turnovers, and had three penalties for 20 yards.
Laker quarterback Andrew Shanks completed six of nine passes. Running back Colton Feece finished with 54 yards on 18 carries. Gage Hicks added 36 yards on 10 carries. Hicks also caught two passes for 74 yards.
AC-S (5-4, 3-1) will host Barren County Friday in a non-district game that will carry major District seeding implications. Unlike seasons prior to 2020 when a points system was used to break three-way District ties, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) now relies on their RPI (Rating Percentage Index.” Since AC-S, Franklin-Simpson, and Warren East have identical district records, RPI will determine the seed order for the playoffs’ first round games and sites.
According to the KHSAA website, the system “is a way to measure a team’s strength relative to other teams, based largely on the strength of their schedules.” RPI is calculated from the team’s winning percentage (WP), the opponent’s winning Percentage (OWP) and the opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage (OOWP). The WP and OWP account for 70% of the total while the OOWP is 30% of the total RPI number.
As a result, the final RPI number for AC-S, Franklin-Simpson, and Warren East csan not be determined until after the conclusion of Friday’s football slate. The KHSAA will review the information and post official playoff matchups late Friday or early Saturday.
Currently, Franklin-Simpson has an RPI of .50913, Warren East stands at .50368, and AC-S is at .49439. While the Patriots play Barren County (RPI of .43825), Franklin-Simpson faces Glasgow---which has a RPI of .69114 (the highest in the state for 3A schools). Warren East travels to Daviess County (.59819).
Hence, a win for the Patriots over the Trojans would lift AC-S to a .600 winning percentage and increase the team’s chances of hosting a first round game. Losses by Franklin-Simpson and Warren East as well as teams on their schedules will also help AC-S. AC-S faithful should also root for win this week by Monroe County, Greenwood, Warren Central, and Russell County,
The District’s top seed will host four-seed Russell County (2-7, 1-3) while the second seed entertains the third seed. First round playoff games will be on Friday, November 5.
Friday, Russell County closes the regular season with a home contest against LaRue County (3-6). AC-S and Barren County (3-6) kick off at 7 at Patriot Stadium.
“We have our work cut out for us against Barren County,” Hood added. “They are big and physical. They beat Warren East. We have to be ready to go.”
AC-S seniors will be recognized pregame.