By Les Dixon / Sports Editor
Week 12 of high school football is in the books and now it’s time to take a seat and look at what we learned this past week.
Player of the Week — It’s not always easy picking a Player of the Week. I mean, Whitley County had several players that could very well earn the honor, but then again, what about Knox Central’s Chad Merida? He rushed for more than 100 yards and reached paydirt, but in the end, I’m going with Corbin’s Matthew Taylor. He had touchdown runs of 14, 10 and 55 yards, while finishing with 197 yards on only nine carries during the Redhounds’ 40-6 win over Morgan County.
Biggest surprise — I figured Whitley County would cruise past South Laurel, but I didn’t expect the Cardinal defense to give up so many points, so quick. Let’s just say the Colonels are peaking right now.
Making a statement — It’s gotta be Whitley County. Since losing to Letcher Central at home, 34-27, on Oct. 9, the Colonels are 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 199-52 during the process. That’s right, Whitley County averaged 49.7 points a game during the past month.
Last game — It’s sad to see Williamsburg quarterback Ryan Moses’ career come to an end. Lynn Camp’s Tyrone Person and Wesley Steele also played their last game as a Wildcat.
Big playoff wins — Corbin, Knox Central and Whitley County outscored their opponents by a score of 134-20 during first round action of the KHSAA State Playoffs.
Big playoff losses — Turnovers have been a thorn in Lynn Camp’s side the entire season and an interception late in the game cost the Wildcats a chance at upsetting homestanding Raceland. Williamsburg had homefield advantage against Fairview, but just couldn’t take advantage of the situation.
Round two of the playoffs — Whitley County will pay a visit to No. 1 seed Pulaski County on Friday during the second round of the Class 5A playoffs, while Corbin will host Shelby Valley in Class 2A action. Knox Central will have its hands full on the road against unbeaten Lawrence County.
They said it — “The kids were really focused and took control early. We wanted to set the tone with our defense and we did that.” — Whitley County coach Jim Black
“We lost four starters and it just showed tonight,” he said. “They brought it to us tonight and we lost up front.” — Williamsburg coach Jerry Herron
“Matthew is overshadowed, but he’s a dandy of a player. He showed tonight he can step in and do the job when we need him to and I believe he showed us a preview of things to come for next year, too.” — Corbin coach Steve Jewell
“Their speed is deceptive. You have to pack it in on them, but their speed was a lot more than we were accustomed too. They are a quality football team.” — South Laurel coach Jim Black
