Tomcats not horsin' around: Ashland races past Cots for victory

Aug. 27—ASHLAND — The Colts were in town on Saturday night, but Ashland showed it had too much horsepower for the visitors.

The Tomcats have shown their big-play ability in the early portion of the schedule. It was on display against West Jessamine and combined with a sound defense, Ashland raced past the Colts for a 56-13 victory.

The two teams combined for 132 points in their 2022 meeting. The Tomcats produced big numbers again but coach Chad Tackett wanted his team to grasp that defensive mentality.

"We were stressing tackling and working on our technique," Tackett said. "We made sure to wrap up. It's just the little things. The fundamentals of tackling is something we didn't do well a year ago. We want to hang our hat on it this year. I thought our guys did a great job against the run. Our defensive line did a great job stuffing the run early. Linebackers had another solid week like they did last Friday."

The secondary did their part too, including freshman Maverick Ashby. The safety started his second varsity game against the Colts and said he could tell a difference in his mindset and his comfort level with each snap of the football.

"Last week I was nervous," Ashby said. "This week, I had zero nerves. I just wanted to come out and have fun. I did what I do."

"It's a whole different ball game than middle school," he said. "I have worked hard during the offseason and it's paying off. I am getting more confident and used to the speed of the game. I feel that I am going to get better each week and be more confident."

Ashby stepped in front of a West Jessamine pass as Ashland started to widen its lead in the second quarter and promptly took it back 32 yards to the house.

The freshman proved he could do it on both sides of the ball. On the Tomcats' next possession, the offensive line gave him a running lane and he sprinted 39 yards for a touchdown.

Tackett has plenty of skill in his underclassmen. Sophomore Reiday Rucker caused plenty of havoc on the Colts' offense with his pass rush off the end.

The young personnel complement the established, experienced veterans.

"We are still playing a lot of young guys at our skill positions," Tackett said, "which has kind of hurt our JV crew with us playing freshmen and a few sophomores. But we are getting a lot of guys on the field and they will grow as the season goes along. Rucker and Ashby came out (and played big) tonight."

"Sam Lyons had a big pick," he continued. "I thought Mason Wolfe came in and did a good job in the secondary. Cam Davis carries the ball well in the backfield. I like where we are headed."

West Jessamine (1-1) didn't secure a first down until their fifth possession of the contest. By then, the Tomcats had already built a 21-0 lead.

The Colts fumbled inside their own 10-yard line midway through the first frame. It only took one play for the Tomcats to find the payoff for the miscue. LaBryant Strader capitalized on the very short field with an 8-yard TD run.

Braxton Jennings muscled his way into the end zone on the next Ashland drive for a short scoring run. The Tomcats made quick work of the following possession. Strader decided correctly on the play action and hit a wide-open Brandon Houston in stride for a 55-yard TD catch.

"It's not tough to game plan for them because they are what they are," West Jessamine coach Scott Marsh said. "What's tough from our perspective is matching up with their physicality. We knew they were going to run a quick game. They are going to run hitch-and-go and they are going to run power. They are going to do it well. We have to find out what kind of team we have. Tonight, it wasn't very good."

The Colts cashed in their deepest drive of the game with a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Gabriel Smith to open the second stanza. He added another before halftime but they bookended two quick scoring plays from the Tomcats.

Houston found separation in one-on-one coverage and he corralled a pass from Strader for his second TD reception on the night. The drive looked to be stopped in its tracks earlier after a West Jessamine interception but a personal foul was accessed to the Colts on the play giving Ashland new life.

"They were significantly better than us in every facet," Marsh said. "We can't give up big plays like we did with that early fumble. It gives them a short field. When you get a big play, you can't have it negated by penalties. If you are going to struggle to begin with, those are things that will stretch it out real quick. ... It ended up being a two-touchdown difference."

Ashby's pick-six and subsequent touchdown run gave Ashland a 42-13 halftime lead. The freshman said they were not concerned with their opponents' passing game so they tightened their coverage and kept applying the pressure.

The first TDs in just his second game in a varsity uniform will be something that he will never forget.

"The defensive touchdown is my first varsity touchdown," Ashby said, "and it was my first pick-six ever. It's my first year playing safety so I'm just trying to get the hang of it. It means a lot to me."

Ashland shut down the Colts offense after halftime. The Tomcats marched down the field to open the third quarter. Jennings peeled away from West Jessamine's tackle attempts for a 5-yard TD run to start a running clock.

Davis exploded through the line later in the quarter and sprinted away from his pursuers for an 84-yard dash to the end zone.

"With our offense, we have so many guys that can do stuff with the football," Tackett said, "and we try to stretch the ball horizontally and vertically. We want to make teams defend the whole field. We have a dynamic running game as well. It makes us hard to defend. We came out and tried to establish the passing game. We hit a few shots early and it opened up the running game."

Davis tallied 121 rushing yards for Ashland (2-0). Strader had 124 yards through the air. Houston had three grabs for 112 yards.

Chase Satterwhite posted 43 rushing yards for the Colts.

W. JESSAMINE 0 13 0 0 — 13

ASHLAND 21 21 14 0 — 56

FIRST QUARTER

A—LaBryant Strader 8 run (Jake Sexton kick), 8:37

A—Braxton Jennings 6 run (Sexton kick), 3:57

A—Brandon Houston 55 pass from Strader (Sexton kick), 2:14

SECOND QUARTER

WJ—Gabriel Smith 10 run (kick failed), 9:05

A—Houston 22 pass from Strader (Sexton kick), 7:33

A—Maverick Ashby 32 interception return (Luke Stahler kick), 6:22

WJ—Smith 3 run (Isaac Maynard kick), 2:47

A—Ashby 39 run (Stahler kick), 2:25

THIRD QUARTER

A—Jennings 5 run (Stahler kick), 9:50

A—Cam Davis 84 run (Joseph Kenner kick), 2:48

WJ A

First Downs 11 15

Rushes-Yards 26-92 22-244

Comp-Att-Int 12-19-2 4-9-0

Passing Yards 139 124

Fumbles-Lost 4-1 1-0

Punts-Avg. 4-34.5. 2-26.5

Return Yards 0 32

Penalties-Yards 3-25 1-3

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

West Jessamine rushing: Welch 8-13, Smith 5-11, Blanton 1-7, Horne 8-15, Satterwhite 3-43, C. Swaim 1-3.

Ashland rushing: Strader 1-8, Duckwyler 1-2, Jennings 8-61, Newman 1-17, Ashby 2-48, Davis 6-121, Adkins 1-5.

West Jessamine passing: Smith 10 of 14 for 116 yards, C. Swaim 2 of 5 for 23 yards.

Ashland passing: Strader 4 of 9 for 124 yards.

West Jessamine receiving: Satterwhite 2-16, Nickell 3-39, Wiley 1-6, Welch 1-0, Mason 1-9, Maynard 1-41, Horne 2-23, Sharp 1-5.

Ashland receiving: Houston 3-112, Freize 1-12.

(606) 326-2671 — msparks@dailyindependent.com