Whitley Co. at Pulaski Co.

Where: Pulaski County High School

Date: Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, 7:30 p.m.

Team Records: Whitley Co. 7-4, Pulaski Co. 8-3

The inside scoop: The Whitley County Colonels face off against the Pulaski County Maroons this week in what should be one of the best games in the mountains during the second round of the playoffs. The Maroons came out of nowhere to place first in their district, while the Colonels have been on a rampage during the past several weeks of the season.

If common opponents meant anything on Friday night’s game the Colonels would be in good shape. Pulaski County was defeated by the North Laurel Jaguars at the beginning of the season and squeaked by Perry County Central last week. Both the Jaguars and Commodores were handled rather easily by the Colonels.

“We have to come into this game focused. We can’t worry about games in the past because anything can happen on Friday nights,” said Whitley County Coach Jim Black. “Our boys will have to be ready to play and take care of business.”

The biggest challenge for the Colonels this week will be the opposing quarterback in Zach Eastham. Eastham is a dual-threat quarterback who has accumulated over 1,500 yards passing and close to 700 yards rushing, with 27 total touchdowns. If the Colonels want to win the game, they must first contain Eastham.

“They have a good quarterback. He can hurt you with his arm or his feet, and we have to make sure we keep him bottled up at all times,” said Black. “We have to make sure we limit the big plays this week. We have done a better job at that lately, but we have to hold them on offense. If not, it could be a long night for us.”

The Colonels feature one of the best rushing attacks in the mountains, and maybe even the state, with their option-style offense. The Colonels’ strong ground game has compiled close to a whopping 4,000 yards this season, with five players scoring more than five touchdowns each. Black said his team will stick to the game plan on offense, comparing the Colonels’ offense to a “fine wine — it gets better with time.”

“We want to do what we always do on offense. We need a big game from our offensive line to do that, and also our backs,” said Black.

Fear ‘Les’ Forecast: Pulaski County’s season will come to an abrupt end Friday when Whitley County pays a visit today. The game will be close early, but the Colonels have a better defense and offense. Whitley County advances to its second straight region title by winning, 42-21.

K. Central at Lawrence Co.

Where: Lawrence County High School

Date: Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, 7:30 p.m.

Team Records: Knox Central 7-4, Lawrence Co. 11-0

The inside scoop: After a decisive win over Boyd County last week, the Knox Central Panthers are just one win away from reaching the regional finals, a goal they set at the beginning of the season. If the Panthers win this Friday, it will be the second time they have reached the finals in as many years.

“We made that a goal at the beginning of the season,” said Knox Central coach Wayne Mills. “We made it there last year and lost to Bell County, and it would be big for this class if we could make it back there again. We always try to set goals and reach them, and that would be a big one for us.”

Standing in the way of their goal are the Lawrence County Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have been perfect so far this season, and are looking to continue their dominance against Knox Central. The Panthers will have to face an outstanding ground game from Lawrence County featuring running back Shane Pack, who has rushed for just under 1,500 yards this season and a remarkable 26 touchdowns. But, Knox Central is no stranger to a difficult matchup.

“We have faced some good offensive teams this season, and I think that has helped us prepare for the playoffs,” said Mills. “Lawrence County has a good team, and a very good, physical offense, and that will be a challenge for us. We have to play physical. Our defensive line has been playing well, and we need them to continue to do that this week.”

The Panthers feature a nice offense of their own, led by quarterback Jonathon Barger, running back Chad Merida, and freshman wide receiver Jeffrey Canady. The trio will try their hand at a Lawrence County defense that is only allowing close to 13 points per game this season.

“Not only do they have a good offensive team, but they play good defense, too,” said Mills. “They are just an all-around good ball team and we have to play well this week. We want to be able to mix it up on them a little. We’ve been able to do that some this year, and that is what we will try to do. We’ve been running the ball well lately, and we’ve not been too bad in the passing game either.”

A win this Friday would do a lot for the Knox Central Panthers’ football program. This is Coach Mills fifth year as head coach of the Panthers, turning the program around from a previous stale state. Mills’ 2008 squad finished better than any team in school history, and with a win on Friday, the Panthers of 2009 will join them.

“It would be a big win for our program just to be able to make it back to where we were last season,” said Mills. “We have not talked about a game next week, and are focused on this week’s game, but we would like to achieve the same success.”

Fear ‘Les’ Forecast: I’m going out on a limb here. I really believe Knox Central is the better team despite Lawrence County coming into the game with an 11-0 record. Panthers win, 14-7.