CORBIN — By Les Dixon / Sports Editor
Tradition vs. team on the rise.
That’s the billing for Friday’s clash between the tradition-rich Corbin Redhounds and the up-and-coming North Laurel Jaguars.
The Redhounds (1-1) are coming off a 42-10 loss to defending Class 4A state champion Boyle County, while the Jaguars (2-1) are winners of two straight and in search of a signature win under second-year coach Chris Larkey, who has brought success to the once struggling football program.
“Corbin is Corbin,” Larkey said. “They are always fundamentally sound and they have great tradition and they are well-coached. They might be young, but they are still Corbin. They have a solid program every year and they always win. Every team in the mountains wishes they could be like Corbin and Corbin has been that way since the 1950s.
“We want to get that signature win and we’re hoping it’s this week against Corbin,” he added. “It would boost our program in a big way. We’ve had big wins, but nothing like beating a team like Corbin. Boyle County got its big win by beating Corbin and that was a big win for its program because they’ve won state titles in the past, but they just don’t have the tradition Corbin has.”
So how important is this game for upstart North Laurel?
“The district games are huge, of course, but a win against a tradition-rich team like Corbin would show our kids that we can compete against teams in the upper level,” Larkey said. “That’s how big it would be. It would allow us to get to the next level and that’s where we want to be.”
But to get to the next level North Laurel must find out a way to stop the Redhounds on offense.
Corbin is led by a two-headed monster in the backfield, as Brady Foley leads the way with 131 rushing yards on 17 carries, while Matthew Taylor has 102 yards on the ground on 11 carries.
“They are a quick team,” Larkey said. “We have to tackle them well because if we don’t we’re going to have a long night.”
The Redhounds also have a two-headed monster at the quarterback position, too.
Roman Mitchell (completing eight-of-17 pass attempts for 97 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) has started both games for Corbin, but Ty Cobb (completed 10-of-16 pass attempts for 142 yards and one touchdown) came in during the Boyle County game and shined.
Corbin coach Steve Jewell wouldn’t say who would be starting from behind center on Friday.
“It’s still in progress,” he said. “It’s under constant evaluation.”
Jewell said one of his main concerns coming into the game is to find a way to slow down North Laurel’s running attack along with quarterback Johnny Ray Fugate.
The Jaguars are averaging 274 yards on the ground, while Fugate is deadly on the ground and through the air.
“The Fugate kid is a big weapon for them,” Jewell said. “He is a very good player and we’ve got to find a way to slow him down. Their running backs are very good, too. We’ve got our hands full.
“They are a good sized, physical ball club that is scrappy,” he added. “They also have some weapons at the receiver position, but the Fugate kid is their main weapon.”
Despite his team’s 5-0 perfect record against North Laurel, Jewell admitted his team will have its hands full against the Jaguars.
“They like to grind the clock, so we’ve got to keep the ball away from them,” he said. “They’ve looked very good since the Madison Central loss, too.
“I know they’re going to be ready to play,” Jewell added. “We’re going to have to take the positives we had against Boyle County and bring them into this game because this will be one of their biggest crowds of the year and I’m sure ‘The Jungle’, as they call it, will be rocking.”
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