9-15-10 —     The Wayne County Cardinals hosted McCreary Central last Friday night at Jewell Field in a matchup of teams looking to get on the winning track.

    The Cards entered with a 0-2 mark coming off a disappointing 33-7 loss at Rockcastle County, while the Raiders were 0-2 coming off a 42-7 loss at Edmonson County

    The contest marked the 14th meeting between the two school, with the Cards owning a 12-1 series advantage, but Central claimed their only win in the rivalry in 2009 with a 30-14 home win.

    Wayne County rolled to a season high 345 total yards of offense and 11 first downs, without a turnover, as the Cards built a 33-0 halftime lead en route to an impressive 47-0 win.

    Senior running back Devin Sloan rushed 14 times for 134 yards with scoring runs of 31 and 1 yards, plus Shawn  Dishman added 3 total touchdowns, as the Cards improved to 1-2 on the season.

    Dishman, a junior quarterback, carried the ball 9 times for 87 yards with touchdown runs of 16 and 53 yards, plus connected on 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards, which included an 18 yard scoring strike to Kyle Gehring.

    "I thought our kids put four good, focused quarters together. We played extremely hard on both sides of the ball. Offensively we controlled the line of scrimmage, our backs ran hard and hit the holes, so it was a very good effort. Devin and Shawn both had big nights, so that should give them both some much needed confidence. Our defense also stepped up and forced some turnovers. We played with more of an aggressive attitude and swarmed the ball really well. Just a total team effort," said Cards head coach Shawn Thompson.

    Wayne County's defensive effort was just as good, if not better than the offense, as McCreary Central was held without a first down in the opening half. The Raiders didn't fair much better in the second half and totaled just 9 yards of offense on 34 plays.

    "Our tackling was better, our focus was improved and I really thought the crowd was great. Our student section and fans in general may have been the best I've seen since I've been the coach. I know the kids enjoyed it and that type of support really helps our program," said Thompson.

    The Cards opened the game with the football and used 9 plays to match 60 yards and score on a Dagan Shelton 4 yard run. Devin Sloan helped set up the touchdown with runs of 12, 11, 11, 3 and 3 yards as the kick failed leaving the score 6-0 with 7:52 left in the opening frame.

    After the teams traded punts, Wayne County pushed the lead to 12-0 on a Shawn Dishman 16 yard touchdown run. The score capped off a five play, 37 yard drive with 1:34 left in the first quarter.

    McCreary Central totaled 9 plays for minus 12 yards and punted the ball 3 times in the quarter.

    Dishman added to the lead on the Cards next possession on a 53 yard keeper, which ended a 4 play 65 yard scoring drive. The Shawn Dishman conversion pass to Dagan Shelton pushed the edge to 20-0 with 10:00 left in the first half.

    The defense added their first points of the season, less than a minute later, as Dagan Shelton intercepted a Central pass and returned it 38 yards for a score.

    The point after pushed the lead to 27-0 at the 9:07 mark of the second period.

    Wayne County added another score late in the half as Devin Sloan scored on a 31 yard touchdown run. The play capped off a 9 play 60 yard march and gave the hosts a 33-0 halftime advantage.

    "Certainly our best half of football against a young, but very big, McCreary Central team. I was proud of the way we ended the half and came right back after the break and kept the intensity," said Thompson.

    The Cards had the football twice in the third quarter and both drives ended in touchdowns. Shawn Dishman connected with Kyle Gehring for an 18 yard touchdown pass and the point after pushed the lead to 40-0 with 4:55 left in the quarter.

    Wayne County made the most of Central's second turnover of the quarter as Gehring's interception set up the first score and a Daniel Marcum fumble recovery keyed the second score.

    The Cards traveled 35 yards in 5 plays and scored on a Devin Sloan 1 yard touchdown plunge. The Filip Hillhammer extra point pushed the lead to 47-0 with just :35 second left in the third period and also forced a mercy-clock the rest of the night.

    "Offensively we moved the ball well and did not have a turnover, which is a big key and defensively we scored on an interception, plus two other turnovers led to scores, which is huge," said Thompson.

    Neither team would threaten again, as reserves dominated the action the rest of the way, as Wayne County cruised to a 47-0 win.

    A review of the defensive stats show several guys had big nights.

    Chris Wright totaled 10 tackles and James Barnes added 9 stops, while a trio of Cards finished with 4 total tackles each. Kyle Gehring and Dagan Shelton each grabbed interceptions, while Daniel Marcum netted a fumble recovery.

    "We need to build on this effort and have a great week of practice, as Russell County has a very talented football team. They've played some very good teams, so their record is no indication of the type of team they have. Hopefully, we'll get another big crowd and our students will show up as vocal as our opener," said Thompson.

    For a preview of the match up see a story inside this edition of The Outlook