CORBIN —
By Chris Parsons / Staff Writer
The North Laurel Jaguars are in familiar territory this week against Madison Southern, but just how the Eagles’ running game compares to what they’ve seen so far remains to be seen.
The Eagles bring in one of the state’s top college recruits in Damien Harris. Harris has torched teams this season at a rate of 235 yards per game, while tallying 1,412 yards and 28 touchdowns on just 97 attempts. If you’re counting, that’s an average of 14.5 yards per carry.
Larkey admitted there probably is no easy way to stop Harris, so the only option is to try and keep him off the field as much as possible.
“This kid is an exceptional athlete and if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have scholarship offers from all over the country,” Larkey said. “He’s going to get his yards just like he’s done all season, so the best option is to try and keep the football as much as possible and keep him off the field.
“We had a similar situation against Russell County with Nick Britt,” he added. “You just have to try and limit the number of times you allow them to touch the football and try and slow them down when they do get it.”
North Laurel hasn’t exactly struggled when it comes to running the football. Between the Jaguars’ two leading rushers, Michael Nelson (899 yards) and Gabe Blair (798 yards), North Laurel has gained close to 1,700 yards on the ground. The two are averaging over 100 yards apiece on the ground.
Larkey said just like he has all season, he will look to those two this week against Madison Southern.
“You can’t just turn into a passing team over night, so we’ll try to run the football and score some points,” Larkey said. “We’ve looked to those guys all season and Michael and Gabe have done a great job for us.
“If we’re going to be in this game, we have to be able to run the football,” he added. “We’ll try to throw a few passes and stretch them out on occasion, but at this point of the season, we have to stay with what we’ve done all season and hope that it works.”
Defensively, Madison Southern is only allowing 160 yards per game on the ground and just 271 yards of total offense per game, while forcing 10 turnovers in seven games.
North Laurel is a shade better in the turnover column with 17, and in total yards allowed defensively with 251 per game. If the Jaguars have their way, that trend will continue, but Larkey knows it won’t be easy.
“They beat a pretty good Pulaski County team last week, so we know they are coming in on a high note,” he said. “We just have to get the kids to focus and execute.
“We’ve got a few kids that are dinged up with injuries, but like I’ve told them all year, you have to fight through the pain,” he added. “Hopefully we can do that Friday.”
Local Sports
Jaguars look to keep Eagles' top college recruit off the field
- Local Sports
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Jumpers stun North
Both North Laurel and Somerset struggled at the plate for six innings, but that didn’t mean the two teams weren’t going to provide some fireworks during the game’s final inning of play Thursday.
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On the move
Mother Nature played a big role during the opening day of the Boys and Girls State Tennis Tournaments. She caused just enough havoc to put a major dent into Thursday’s first and second round schedules.
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Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
The Whitley County Lady Colonels found themselves in a slugfest for most of the night against Clay County Thursday.
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Colonels win big
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the way Whitley County senior Alex Rose’s final start of the season went down Thursday.
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Carson comes big against Bears
Senior Night turned out to be a great day for North Laurel’s lone senior Marcus Carson.
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Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
The Corbin Lady Redhounds went into Thursday’s game against Middlesboro riding a five-game win streak and winners of seven of the past nine. The streak didn’t last though, as the Lady Yellow Jackets outplayed Corbin to a tune of 10-0 in five innings.
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SPORTS HEADLINES - MAY 17, 2013
Jumpers stun North
On the move
Local players advance in boys & girls state tennis action
Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
Colonels win big
Carson comes big against Bears
Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
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Corbin falls short
The Corbin Lady Redhounds’ quest for a state championship came to an end Wednesday at the University of Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Center after dropping a 3-0 decision to Sacred Heart in Final Four action.
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No slowing down
Those who know outgoing Corbin High School freshman Alex “Dub” Smith will tell you that, despite being born with a disability, he's your average run-of-the-mill American teenager.
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Fear 'Les' 13th Region Diamond Rankings
It’s been very difficult for me the past couple of weeks to decide on who is the top rated team in the 13th Region.
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