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Wayne County pounds Casey County 42-14 and claims a home playoff game Shannon Hutchinson Sports Writer The Wayne County Cardinals hosted Casey County, last Friday night at Jewell Field, in the regular season finale for both teams. The Cards were coming off a 36-23 win at Garrard County and owned a 1-1 league mark with a 5-4 overall record. Casey County entered with a 2-7 record and was winless in district action. The game marked the 23rd meeting between the two rivals, with the Cards owning a 16-6 series advantage, including a 74-42 win last season at Casey County. Wayne County totaled a season high 453 yards of offense and built a 42-0 lead, en route to claiming an impressive 42-14 home win. The Cards scored the first four times they had the ball and held Casey County to just 2 first downs and 39 yards of offense in the first half. "What a big effort by our team. I was so proud of the way our guys came out with intensity and focus. I thought we played pretty well on both sides of the ball and I was so happy to send our seniors out on such a positive," said Cards head coach Shawn Thompson. Wayne County senior quarterback Ryan Steele rushed for a season high 181 yards, on just 7 attempts, plus completed 7 of 11 passes for 109 yards and totaled 5 touchdowns in the win. Steele scored on runs of 27 and 62 yards, plus passed for scores of 6, 19 and 6 yards, as the Cards rushed for a season high 344 yards. Sophomore runningback Brent Gregory added 105 rushing yards, on 13 attempts, as the hosts totaled 15 first downs with 0 turnovers. "We've been wanting to have a breakout game on the ground and I thought we came out and won the battle upfront. Our offensive line really opened some holes and once again we had 11 guys working together doing their jobs," said Thompson. Casey County, which dropped to 0-3 and 2-8 overall, totaled 215 yards of offense and 9 first downs. Rick Marrapodi, a 5-9 145 lbs. junior, led the offensive attack with 89 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Athletic junior quarterback Marcus Patterson finished with 41 rushing yards and 58 passing yards in the contest. Patterson passed for a 22 yard touchdown and rushed for a 16 yard score, both in the final quarter, after the outcome had been decided. "Defensively we played very aggressive and swarmed the football well. Our starters held them scoreless for three quarters and that certainly should give us momentum going into the playoffs. I thought Joe Coffey played his best game of the season and really set the tone on defense," said Thompson. Coffey led the Cardinal defensive effort with a team high 12 tackles. The senior standout also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and added a quarterback sack. Wayne County opened the game with the football and used 6 plays to march 58 yards and score. Ryan Steele scored on a 27 yard run and Joe Coffey added the extra-point to give the hosts a 7-0 lead with 9:09 left in the opening period. The Rebels struggled throughout the first half, as five offensive series produced four punts and a turnover. "We wanted to come out and earn our #2 seed and a home playoff game. We didn't want to back into the post season and I thought our seniors set the tone on both sides of the ball. Overall this was our best effort of the season," said Thompson. The Cards scored on their second offensive series, as the squad used 7-plays to march 83 yards and score on a Ryan Steele 6 yard pass to Tyler King. Steele setup the score with a 63 yard run. The extra-point pushed the score to 14-0, at the 5:04 mark of the first quarter. A Joe Coffey fumble recovery on defense, ignited the Cards third score of the period. Coffey recovered the football on the Casey County 19 yardline. Wayne County needed just one play to turn the miscue into points, as Ryan Steele connected on a 19 yard scoring strike to Tyler King. King, a 6-1 senior splitend, led the squad with 3 receptions for 62 yards. The Joe Coffey extra-point pushed the lead to 21-0 with still 4:46 left in the first frame. "We made the most of our opportunities and that's an area we've struggled with at times this season. The last couple of weeks our go-to guys have really stepped up," said Thompson. The Cards added to their lead on their next series, as Ryan Steele connected with Jordan Steele on a 6-yard scoring strike. The score capped-off an 8-play, 60 yard drive. The point-after pushed the Wayne County advantage to 28-0, with 8:13 left in the first half. Neither team threatened the rest of the half, as the Cards owned a 28-0 intermission lead. Casey County opened the second half with the ball and traveled 48 yards, but the drive stalled on the Wayne County 7-yardline. The Rebels lost yardage on two straight plays and followed that up with a miss on a 32-yard field goal attempt. Wayne County's offense didn't let-up in the second half and scored on their opening series of the half. The squad used 3-plays, to net 80 yards and score on a Ryan Steele 62 yard run. The extra-point pushed the score to 35-0, with 5:34 left in the third period. After a Casey County punt, the Cards added their final score of the night. The Cards stayed on the ground all 8-plays and marched 80 yards, to score on a Joe Coffey 4 yard run. Coffey stayed a perfect 6 of 6 on extra-points, as the Cards pushed to a 42-0 lead, on the final play of the third quarter. Wayne County substituted throughout the final period, as Casey County scored a couple of late touchdowns. The Rebels first score of the contest occurred at the 5:17 mark of the fourth stanza. Brad Baldock scored on a 22 yard pass reception, which capped off a 12-play 60 yard drive. The conversion failed, leaving the score at 42-6. "Everybody that was dressed on the sideline saw action and that's always a positive. We want to reward all of those guys and get them varsity game experience anytime we can," said Thompson. Casey County added the final score of the night, after receiving an on-side kick. Marcus Patterson followed-up his touchdown pass with a 16 yard scoring run. Patterson added a conversion pass to Shannon Wethington, to close the gap to 42-14, with 4:49 left in the game. Neither team would score again, as Wayne County clinched the district's #2 seed with a 42-14 win. The win also improved the Cards to 17-6 all-time against Casey County. "I think we're getting back to the type of football we played early in the season. We finished the regular season strong and now get to stay home for the opening round of the playoffs," said Thompson. A review of the defensive stats show Joe Coffey paced the attack with 12 stops. Jacob Upchurch added 8 total tackles, while Jordan Steele and Ryan Steele finished with 7 stops each. Freshman Michael Garner added an interruption late, as the unit forced two turnovers. Up next for the Cards is an opening round playoff match-up with Christian Academy of Louisville. CAL earned the #3 seed in their district and is coming off a 31-17 upset loss at Elizabethtown. "Christian Academy is a very disciplined team and they have a very good football team. They are the only team in that district to beat the #1 seed Western, so we have to have a great week of focused practice, said Thompson. Add a comment |
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