Highlights: Paducah Tilghman snaps 17-game losing streak to archrival; Tates Creek rolls

Highlights from Friday’s Kentucky high school football games:

Paducah Tilghman 35, Mayfield 28: Demarkus Wilson converted a fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line into the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and teammate Darion Ragsdale’s goal-line interception in the closing minutes helped the Blue Tornado snap the longest losing streak in Kentucky’s second-oldest high school football rivalry.

In the 110-year history of Tilghman-Mayfield neither team had lost as many as the Blue Tornado’s 17 in a row dating to 2005.

“We haven’t been chasing this win. We chase every win. But the buildup is with the community. They needed that,” Tilghman coach Sean Thompson told WPSD after the game. “At the end of the day everyone in blue did their job. We faced adversity and they stood up.”

Tilghman quarterback Jack James had a 20-yard rushing TD and threw scoring passes of 60 and 55 yards to Martels Carter and 24 yards to Amari Williams in a game that was tied 14-14 at half and was led 28-14 by the Blue Tornado in the third quarter before the Cardinals rallied to tie it again.

Mayfield’s Zane Cartwright dove for a short TD run and threw a TD pass to Mak Hoover, while teammates Jutarious Starks and Mehki Dumas also ran for touchdowns.

Tilghman (3-0) ranked No. 5 in Class 4A in the Herald-Leader’s preseason poll. Mayfield (2-1) ranked No. 2 in Class 2A and finished runner-up to Beechwood last season after topping Lexington Christian in the state semifinals.

Only the 130-year-old “Old Rivalry” between Louisville’s Male and Manual runs longer than western Kentucky’s Tilghman-Mayfield game. The Cardinals lead the overall series 53-47-10.

Tates Creek 42, North Oldham 0: Senior quarterback Andrew Witherington threw for 148 yards and two TD passes while leading the Commodores (3-0) in rushing with 114 yards and three TDs.

Witherington’s 262-yard night outgained North Oldham’s full roster, which posted 117 total yards.

“We’re seeing Andrew Witherington really grow up and take control of that offense,” Tates Creek coach Jonathan Hawks said. “He’s really started making plays with his legs. And defensively, I have to take my hat off to Julian Logan, who really leads the defense. Those guys didn’t allow a score last week or this week.”

The Commodores have opened their season 3-0 for the first time in 10 years.

“Every kid on the team is really starting to hold each other accountable and really starting to buy into the mentality we’re trying to create,” Hawkins said.

Corbin 30, Lexington Catholic 10: The Redhounds rebounded from a Week 2 weather cancellation to defeat the Knights in Lexington.

The reigning Class 4A state runner-up got out to a quick start with a first-quarter TD run from halfback Guy Bailey. Quarterback Kade Elam, who ran for two TDs and threw for another and one interception, ran for a second-quarter score to put Corbin up 14-0.

Soon after, Knights senior Sam Clements disrupted the Redhounds offense by picking off Elam for LexCath’s lone touchdown of the night.

“You just gotta keep your mind in the right spot and think about winning the game,” Elam said. “It doesn’t matter what happened, adversity is going to happen. You just gotta keep fighting, and we came out victorious.”

Elam then threw a TD pass to wide receiver Carter Stewart, returning the lead to 14 points.

“Kade’s our offensive leader,” Corbin coach Tom Greer said. “He’s a coach on the field. … Kade, he’s a gamer. And as long as we’ve got Kade, we’ve always got a chance.”

LexCath kicker Finnigan Wedding closed out the second quarter with a field goal, but the Knights couldn’t find momentum in the second half. The Redhounds’ lead was bolstered in the third quarter by a safety and a successful QB keeper from Elam.

Sayre 14, Ludlow 0: The Spartans (3-0) earned their first shutout of the season as the defense made a first quarter 10-yard TD catch by Chase Parker and a third quarter 60-yard touchdown scamper by Charlie Slabaugh stand up on the Panthers’ (1-1) bright-red artificial turf. Slaubaugh finished with 112 yards rushing and had six tackles on defense. Travis Smith added 97 rushing yards.

Boyle County 56, Danville 0: The Rebels (3-0) racked up a 48-0 lead and 292 offensive yards in the first half in Boyle’s fourth straight win in the Title Town rivalry with Danville (0-3). Avery Bodner had three TD runs. Sage Dawson had a rushing score and threw for 142 yards and a TD to Montavin Quisenberry. Backup QB Baylor Murphy connected with Geo Brown for a 9-yard TD pass.

Franklin County 13, North Laurel 6: Christian Moore scored two TDs for the Flyers (3-0) as the host Jaguars (2-1) were unable to capitalize on a pair of Franklin County turnovers. North Laurel scored on Hunter Morgan’s 32-yard TD pass to Jack Chappell.

West Jessamine 58, Harrison County 42: The Colts’ Gabriel Smith outdueled the Thorobreds’ Kaydon Custard in a Cynthiana shootout. Smith accounted for five rushing touchdowns, including an 80-yarder, and threw TD passes to Eli Nickell and Chase Satterwhite for West Jessamine (2-1). Custard connected on an 82-yard TD pass to Taylor Conway and a 47-yard score to Tanner Tumey in addition to three TD runs for Harrison (2-1).

Great Crossing 41, Henry Clay 0: Isaiah Johnson rushed for 209 yards and three TDs in the Warhawks’ (1-2) lopsided victory over the Blue Devils (0-3).

The Warhawks also got TDs from Javontae Dean (7-yard catch), quarterback Jeremiah Clark (15-yard run) and Trey Campbell (9-yard run).

Great Crossing is the second team in two weeks to score at least 40 against Henry Clay while holding the Blue Devils to 2 or fewer points. The Warhawks also dominated the ground game in total yards by outrushing the Blue Devils 315-27.

Conner 34, Lafayette 7: The Cougars (2-1) rode a balanced offense to a road victory against the Generals (0-3).

Wyatt Hatfield put Conner on the scoreboard first with a first-quarter, 15-yard run, but a failed two-point conversion allowed Lafayette the lead with a second-quarter touchdown and successful extra point.

The Cougars opened things up with an 80-yard receiving TD from Elliot Bucher just 14 seconds after Lafayette took the lead, stringing together scores from Ben Fay (11- and 16-yard catches) and Wyatt Levi (11-yard rushing).

Madison Southern 18, Madison Central 6: The Eagles (1-2) scored all of their points, including touchdowns on consecutive possessions, in the second quarter to earn their first win of the season.

Running back Lukas Mullins scored first on a 2-yard run to give Southern a 6-0 lead. Following a defensive stop, Ethan Moore rushed for a 1-yard TD on the next possession. Stephen Whitehead scored the successful two-point conversion. Soon after, Avery Donaldson kicked a field goal to secure an 18-0 lead.

Bryant Mathis rushed for a 3-yard TD in the fourth quarter, allowing the Indians to avoid the shutout.

Scott County 52, Lincoln County 20: Andrew Hickey threw for 99 yards and two TDs, both to Issac York, as the Cardinals (3-0) took control from the outset. Scott County got 122 yards and a TD rushing from Jacob Fryman and 70 yards and two TDs rushing from Kanye Garrett. Buddy Collins also scored. Lincoln QB Sawyer Horton threw TD passes to Bryce Floyd and Gavin Douglas.

George Rogers Clark 30, Pulaski County 7: Sam Clements threw for 178 yards and one TD while completing 17 of 20 pass attempts while also running for a pair of TDs to lift the Cardinals (2-1) over the Maroons (1-2).

Senior Bryce Chestnut scored first for GRC with a 13-yard run in the first quarter before Pulaski County’s Ethan Idlewine caught a 27-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Zak Anderson to tie things up.

The GRC defense was then able to shut out the Maroons in the second half, and Clements built on that momentum with two rushing TDs (8 yards, 2 yards) in the second and third quarters. An 11-yard receiving TD from Yeremiah Israel in the fourth secured the Cardinals’ victory.

Belfry 48, Johnson Central 20: The Pirates (2-1) led 28-0 at the half and prevented a Golden Eagles (1-2) comeback attempt in the second to come out on top in the ARH Bowl.

Caden Woolum had a 7-yard rushing TD to get things rolling in the first quarter, but Belfry hit the gas in the second. TD runs from Dre Young (1 yard) and Ace Caudill (30 yards, 7 yards) gave the Pirates a four-score lead by halftime.

Caudill led the team in touchdowns, catching a 46-yarder early in the third quarter from quarterback Chase Varney. Caudill finished with 169 total yards of offense and three scores.

Gabe Conley (45-yard catch) and Christian Barnes (4- and 11-yard runs) put the Golden Eagles on the board, but a 1-yard rushing TD from Belfry’s JJ Austin in the third and a 50-yard run TD from Woolum iced the win.

Collins 48, Paul Laurence Dunbar 13: The Titans (2-1) rode a monster 34-point third quarter to victory over the Bulldogs (0-3).

Collins freshman quarterback Kade Goodin threw for 276 yards and five TDs. Goodin also rushed for 48 yards and a 3-yard TD in the second quarter. The Titans also picked up first-half scores from Michael Schramm (8- and 42-yard catches), Antwon Delaney (4-yard run) and Quinton Wooten (23-yard catch). Goodin threw a pair of TD passes (35 and 29 yards) to Joshua Lainhart in the third quarter.

Woodford County 42, W.E.B. DuBois 6: Garrick Lucas had a pair of TD runs for the Yellow Jackets, who dominated the state’s newest high school football team out of Louisville. Andrew Nason and Leland Taylor also scored in the first half.

St. Xavier 20, Male 10: Quarterback Trevor Havill threw for 253 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 19 of 27 passes in the Tigers’ win.

Male got out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a Seth Henson field goal, but St. X’s Logan Zoeller nailed his first attempt of the night to tie things up in the first quarter.

The Tigers tacked on a pair of touchdown passes from Cameron Hollaway (42 yards) and Kyle Krupp (60 yards), as well as an additional field goal from Zoeller, to maintain their perfect record. Kolter Smith connected with Max Gainey for a 19-yard receiving TD to cut the deficit to 10.

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