Warriors, Maroons face stiff week three opponents

Sep. 1—The Southwestern Warriors had a bye in week two of the high school football season and have used that to prepare for quite a tough task heading into week three. The South Warren Spartans, a perfect 2-0 on the season, will come into the Warriors' home opener looking to play spoiler and send Southwestern to an 0-2 start for the first time since the 2013 season. This will also mark the first meeting between the two schools.

The Warriors performed well against a tough Ballard team in week one, with the two-headed rushing attack of Christian Walden and Braxton Walters combining for four touchdowns and 160 rushing yards. However, the Warriors may need to focus more on their attack featuring senior quarterback Collin Burton, as the Spartans have allowed just 24, you read that right 24, rushing yards this season, including just two total rushing yards in their first game.

The Spartans already have three players with one interception each and have a junior linebacker in Colton Veltkamp that already has three quarterback sacks. For a Southwestern team that focuses heavy on the ground game, this will be a true test of their ability to air out the football.

South Warren also features a stud at the quarterback spot in junior Bryce Button, who already has an offer from Eastern Kentucky University on his resume. Button has thrown for eight touchdowns so far this season against just one interception and is already at 800 yards through the air. The Warriors' defensive backs must have a huge game to stop Button and force the Spartans into a more ground-based offensive approach.

If the Warriors have it their way, this game will be over in a hurry due to a ton of rushing attempts by both teams. Both games that South Warren has been in have been high-scoring affairs so in order for the Warriors to feel confident about their chances, the scoreboard may have to be lighter on points in this one.

The Warriors will kickoff their home schedule live from the Reservation on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The Maroons of Pulaski County faired much better in week two of the season in a dominant 47-6 showing over Danville. The offense of Pulaski was humming in perfect harmony for a majority of the game but the Maroons get less rest than normal as they go from a Saturday game right to another Friday game.

Pulaski will be on the road once again as they travel to Winchester to take on the Class 6A George Rogers Clark Cardinals. It's another first time match up between these two teams, with the Cardinals coming into the contest sporting a 1-1 record, same as Pulaski.

In a 53-27 blowout victory over Belfry, the Cardinals allowed just 74 passing yards but allowed a whopping 283 yards on the ground. After a breakout performance from freshman running back Kasen Brock against Danville, the Maroons would be wise to use him often in this contest. Also look for sophomore quarterback Zak Anderson to keep the ball some to try to open up the defensive backfield.

The Cardinals start junior Sam Clements at quarterback, with Clements having four touchdowns to one interception. The danger sign for Pulaski, however, is once again the rushing attack of their opponents. Although the Maroons prevented the Danville rushing attack from harming them much, thoughts of the Pikeville game will still be in their heads undoubtably.

GRC's rushing attack is led also by Clements, who has 158 yards on the ground with one touchdown. The dual-threat quarterback may prove to be trouble for a Pulaski defense that has shown in the past that it is susceptible to the run. Also leading the charge for the Cardinals is senior Bryce Chestnut, who has 141 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.

The Maroons' defense will be tested once again and it will be up to them to stop the rushing attack of the Cardinals. This contest has all the makings of an offensive slugfest between the two teams and it very well may come down to who has the ball last.

Pulaski will make the trek up to Winchester on Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Somerset is the other local team in action at home on Friday, as the Briar Jumpers will welcome in the Class 3A Knox Central Panthers. Both teams are 1-1 heading into the week three matchup. The Briar Jumpers are 3-0 all-time against the Panthers, with their last game coming way back in 2009, a 24-22 Somerset victory.

After a game-winning touchdown reception by Isaiah Lewis saved the Jumpers last week from an 0-2 start, Somerset is hoping to continue that momentum into this week's clash. Somerset's defense so far has left much to be desired, although they may just have to focus on the rushing attack in this one.

Knox Central starts a sophomore quarterback in Mason Griffin who has been about average through two starts this season, going 17-39 with 180 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Griffin does have three rushing touchdowns however, showing off his dual-threat potential.

The rushing attack is where the Panthers shine the brightest, with sophomore Gavin Mircle (199 yards) and freshman Brayden Sizemore (164 yards) getting a bulk of the carries. However, a lot of the offensive starters for Knox Central are underclassmen, so if the Jumpers can put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, the chance for mistakes that Somerset can take advantage of is massive.

Somerset's offense is led as always by junior quarterback Josh Bruner, but Bruner has to be able to read the field efficiently and not have a ton of mental mistakes in this one should the Jumpers want to begin their home schedule 2-0. The Panthers already have five interceptions on the season, with senior defensive back Jacob Smith having three of those.

The Panthers have scored 26 points in both of their contests so far, so obviously Somerset should try to score more than that number should the trend continue. The key to the game for the Jumpers is consistency though, which has also been their main issue throughout their two games so far. When the Briar Jumper offense is on they are 'ON.' Expect big games from Kam and Kris Hughes if Somerset comes out with the victory.

The second home game of the season for Somerset kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Jacob Pratt is the Sports Editor of the Commonwealth Journal and can be reached at jpratt@somerset-kentucky.com. You can follow him on Twitter @PrattTheNation