End of the line

The effort was there today, and the Jackets fought hard, but could not overcome Covington Catholic, falling to the Colonels 42-13.

The game was closer than the score indicates.

Woodford County shook themselves out of its offensive malaise, driving the ball up the field on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead. Steven Duckworth seemed to shake off the demons that have haunted him since the end of the Paul Blazer game and looked more confident in the pocket.

David Bland got things rolling, scampering 26 yards on a short screen play. Then facing a fourth and five, Duckworth connected with Chris Jones on a perfectly thrown fade pass to get down to the Cov Cath 6. Bland punched the ball in from there.

The Colonels built a 21-7 lead by halftime, but the Jackets put on a valiant comeback effort in the third quarter. The defense held Cov Cath on its first drive, stopping the Colonels on fourth down. It took just one play for the Jackets to score. Duckworth connected with a wide open Jones over the middle, and Jones squirted free and into the end zone. Woodford muffed the snap on the point after attempt and trailed 21-13.

The defense came up big again on the next Covington Catholic drive, stuffing a fourth and inches play to get the ball back with momentum.

But the Colonels turned the game around when they forced a Woodford fumble and recovered the ball on the Woodford 38. A long pass took the ball down to the six, and moments later the Colonels had a 28-13 lead.

They never looked back.

In the end, the Colonels were simply a better team. Their offensive line, averaging over 250 pounds, dominated the line of scrimmage and simply wore the Jackets down. Untimely mistakes also hurt Woodford.

I have to give the Yellow Jackets props for never quitting. They played hard until the final horn, despite cold rainy conditions. It would have been easy just to pack it up in the final quarter.

I was also impressed with the way Duckworth came back this week. He admitted he has suffered a confidence problem since throwing three interceptions in Ashland. But he came out this week and played with confidence, making some really nice throws. He also gutted his way through an injury. He took a helmet to the hip early in the second quarter, but never even considered coming out of the game.

Woodford faces Covington Catholic in first round of playoffs

The Woodford County High School Yellow Jackets (5-5) will face off against Covington Catholic (4-6) on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game was scheduled for Saturday because Covington Cath doesn't have lights on their field.

The Jackets will try to get off the offensive snide. The once prolific passing attack has not netted a single point in the past nine quarters. Despite finding its offense mired the past two game, Woodford averages 236.1 yards per game in the air and 323.9 yards of total offense. That still places them 10th in the state in passing offense.

It's really a matter of confidence at this point. Quarterback Steven Duckworth has struggled since throwing three interceptions at the end of the Ashland Paul Blazer game and Duck admitted to me his confidence is shaky.

I think if the Jackets can get a few good offensive plays off early in the game, they have a good shot of coming home with a win. The defense played a lot better last week and the squad seems rejuvenated under the direction of coach Paul Roher. But any early offensive meltdowns could make for a long afternoon. I don't think the fragile Jacket confidence will handle much adversity. On the flip side, early success will likely lead to an avalanche of points. It's not like the kids have forgotten how to move the football.

Covington Catholic will try to bounce back from a 56-0 whipping at the hands of number one ranked St. Xavier. Woodford fans can hope the Colonels had a little confidence bashing of their own.

But don't let Covington Catholics' record fool you. Along with the loss to St.X, the Colonels also dropped games to Highlands, and two Ohio powers, Cincinnati Elder and Cardinal Moody.

The Colonels have shown vulnerability to the run. If Woodford can get its running game going, it will bode well for its chances. Unfortunately for the Jackets, they will have to do it without top running back Jordan Carter. Carter injured his knee last week and won't return this season.

The weather will also have an impact. The forecast is for wind, rain and dropping temperatures.

I really can't call this one. I look for either a close game won by the Jackets or a Cov Cath blowout. It really depends on whether the Jackets can shake off its offensive demons.

Football notes

A nasty computer virus kept me from updating over the last few days.

A couple of thoughts on the Woodford County loss to Meade County last Friday.

The Jackets looked better on defense. It took them one drive to settle down, but afterward, Woodford played a respectable game on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Roher took over as defensive coordinator last week after Coach Chris Tracy fired himself. The defensive team seemed to play with more confidence and emotion against Meade. After the initial Green Wave drive, the D only gave up one other score. (One Meade touchdown came off an interception.)The last Meade TD came late in the game, after the defensive team had spent a lot of time on the field.

The D will need to build on its performance and get a little help from the offense if the Jackets hope to advance in the playoffs.

While the D made progress, the offense continued to struggle. The Jackets have now played nine quarters of football without scoring a single point. At this juncture, it seems to be a matter of confidence and execution. The Jackets clearly haven't forgotten how to move the football. Quarterback Steven Duckworth admitted to me he's suffering from a confidence problem. His receivers dropping passes didn't help. The Woodford offense is predicated on flow and rhythm. If they can put together a good drive early in their playoff game against Covington Catholic, I think they will experience a point explosion. But their psyche is fragile and a couple of early miscues will likely mean an early exit from post-season play.

Meade Co. 21 Woodford Co. 0

The Woodford County Yellow Jacket football team fell 21-0 to Meade Co. tonight. That makes nine straight quarters of scoreless ball for the Jackets. The one bright spot - the defense played better.

More tomorrow.

A tough end to a great season

The Woodford County High School Lady Jacket soccer team's season came to an end last night when they fell to Highlands High School in the state semi-final 1-0.

The game started two and a half hours late due to accident on I-75, which delayed the Highlands' bus. The wait seemed to sap some of the intensity from the Jackets, as they started the game flat. But you have to give credit to the Bluebirds; they sat on a bus for four hours.

Highlands scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute. It was what coach Dave McIver called a classic Highland goal. They got the ball down into the box and Woodford failed to clear it. The bouncing ball went off a Bluebird player's back and landed at the feet of Anna Ayers, who rocketed the ball just past a diving Lindsay Vance's outstretched fingers.

Woodford didn't get its first shot on goal until Brandi Levi drove a low shot on net with 1:20 left in the first half.

The Jackets played better in the second half, generating several good scoring opportunities, but they could not find the back of the net. With the one goal lead, Highlands clamped down defensively, bottling up Woodford County in the midfield. The Jackets struggled to get the ball into space where they could take advantage of their speed.

It was hard watching the girls after the game. Seniors Levi and Stephanie Patterson were particularly emotional after the loss. But despite losing the game, the Jackets should stand proud for what they've accomplished this season.

The girls exemplified what it means to be a team. It was a blast watching them play soccer, but I think I enjoyed watching them off the field more. The team possesses an infectious joyful personality. They stick together as a team, both on and off the field.

They definitely make you love them.

Halloween nightmare at Community Stadium

This is one the Yellow Jackets need to forget.

The Whitley County Colonels thrashed Woodford 47-0 in a horror show of epic proportions for Jacket fans. Woodford County failed to produce in every aspect of the game. Quaterback Steven Duckworth looked uncharacteristically shakey. The O-line couldn't contain the Whitley pass rush. The normally fleet Yellow Jacket receivers looked like they were mired in mud and couldn't get out of coverage. The defense couldn't stop the Colonel option attack, frequently loosing contain, and when they were in position, they missed tackles.

The defensive struggles were no surprise. This has been a season long story line, but I was shocked that the offense failed to produce a single point.

I told Duck last night that sometimes there are just games like this. You have to put them out of your head and move along. The Jackets have at least two more games. They will have to show their mental toughness and right the ship fast.

Johnson Central thumped Ashland Blazer 41-6 creating a three way tie for second in the district.

Friday's game

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets will face Whitley County tonight at Community Stadium.

The team will also honor its 17 seniors this evening.

This is a big game for the Jackets. An Ashland loss would create a three way tie for the second spot in the district. Non-district wins figure into the tie-breaker and the Jackets want to win out to increase their chances at a higher seed.

Woodford also needs to prove it can stop the run. Whitley runs an offense similar to West Jessamine. The Jackets struggled to stop the Colts early, but knuckled down and played a strong second half. Whitley has the leading rusher in state 5A, so the Yellow Jackets are in for another challenge.

Woodford County is coming off the bye week - and it couldn't have come at a better time. The team seemed mentally out of sorts in their last game against West Jessamine and were also fighting through a number of injuries. The time off should have them healed up and mentally sharp.

The Jackets need to take advantage of their freshness and the emotional energy generated from senior night and jump on Whitley early. Woodford should be able to move the ball on the Colonels and put points on the board. The D just needs to make some good stops and contain the run. If they can do that, I look for a Jacket win.

Woodford 42 Whitley 28

Georgetown bound

The Woodford County Lady Jacket soccer team beat Boyle County 3-0 tonight to win Section Four and advance to the state semi-finals.

After a hard fought scoreless first half, Brandi Levi scored the Jackets first two goals, both beautiful hard angled shots from about 1-foot off the goal line, near the right sideline. Taylor Kelley scored the third Woodford goal.

The Yellow Jackets won on heart, battling through emotional and physical fatigue after their upset victory over third ranked West Jessamine last Monday.

Lindsay Vance played a phenomenal game in net for the Jackets, making several big saves. With Woodford up 1-0, Vance stuffed a penalty kick after a Jacket player was called for a handball (a horrible call…clearly unintentional) in the box.

Woodford County not only had to battle a tough Rebel team and their own exhaustion, but they also had to overcome horrible officiating. The ref lost control of the game early in the second half due to inconsistent and blatantly bad calls. The Jackets did a great job of keeping their heads and fighting through things they could not control.

The Yellow Jackets shut out a Boyle County team that had scored 104 goals this season.

Woodford County will face Highlands next Wednesday at Toyota Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Woodford lost to Highlands (17-3-4) twice this season. The Yellow Jackets fell 1-0 back in August and then lost a heartbreaker on Sept. 30 3-2 on a last minute penalty kick.

Lady Jackets advance in state tourney

The Woodford County Lady Jacket soccer team advanced to the elite eight in the girls' state soccer tournament, upsetting third ranked West Jessamine 2-1 tonight.

They will face Boyle County (21-1-1) for the opportunity to advance to the state finals on Wednesday night at Community Stadium in Versailles.

Brandi Levi scored the first goal for the Jackets and Stephanie Patterson put in the game winner.

West Jessamine jumped out to the early 1-0 lead on a goal by Arin Gilliland. Levi scored late in the first half and the teams went into the locker room knotted at one.

Woodford dominated the second half, allowing only one Colt shot on goal. Patterson put the game away with a great individual effort with about 10 minutes remaining. She drove into the West Jessamine box, pulled the ball back and drove toward the goal when the Colt defender bit on the move. Patterson drove a perfect shot into the left corner of the net.

Yellow Jacket football notes

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets had the week off. The bye came at a good time for the Jackets. After an emotional loss to Ashland, Woodford didn't play very well against West Jessamine and were just glad to get out of Nicholasville with the W. The break will also allow some players with nagging injuries get back to 100%.

Before Friday's games, Woodford's was tied at fifth in the state in passing offense with Prestonsburg High School. The Jackets have amassed 1,872 yards through the air this season, for a 267 yard average.

Brian Station is going to be a team to watch as playoff time rolls around. The 4-4 Defenders beat Ashland Paul Blazer last night 28-14 in Lexington.

A win's a win

A lethargic Woodford County team struggled early, spotting West Jessamine a 21-14 half-time lead, but rallied in the second half to come out with a 37-28 win.

The defense played an abysmal first half. The Colts ran up and down the field on the Jackets and were it not for two recovered fumbles by Woodford, the score could have been worse. But the Jacket D rose to the challenge in the second half. They played with more discipline and intensity, and held the West Jessamine option offense in check.

While the Jackets struggled to stop the Colt running game (an all too familiar theme), they were able to force 6 turnovers. They recovered four fumbles, including one in the end zone after a bad West Jessamine punt snap that resulted in a safety, and two second half interceptions.

The offense did enough to get by. They played well in spurts, but quarterback Steven Duckworth never really got into a rhythm. His highlights included a beautiful sideline pass to Chris Jones on the Jackets’ first drive of the second half and a nifty scramble on a broken play for the first score of the game.

The Yellow Jackets clearly suffered an emotional hangover after last week’s loss to Ashland Paul Blazer. Woodford never showed much emotion apart from the early part of the third quarter when they put the game out of reach. The offense looked particularly flat in the fourth quarter.

UK v. Arkansas

I have to admit, I'm flummoxed on this one. UK has shown nothing offensively and there isn't any reason to think they are suddenly going to figure it out this week. Arkansas is coming off a big win versus Auburn, and although they were pretty sorry early in the season, Petrino seems to have the Razorback offense progressing each week. I was surprised at the amount of yardage they ran up against a pretty darn good Auburn offense. The Wildcat defense is good enough to shut down the Razorbacks, but if they spend the whole game on the field like they did last week, fatigue could become a factor. UK has had its share of struggles with Petrinos system, which is similar to what he ran at Louisville. Granted, Arkansas doesn't have the athletes that those Cardinal teams featured. My brain says to give a slight edge to the Hogs simply because they seem to be moving forward and UK is not, but my gut says UK will eek it out at home.

I'm going to call it a toss up...give UK the home field advantage and a three point win 17-14.

District Champs!

The LadyJacket soccer team won the 25th District championship tonight, beating Anderson County 2-1 in the fourth overtime period.

The win also means the 13th Regional tourney will be played at Woodford.

The first half of the game was a physical defensive contest. Neither team generated more than a couple of scoring chances, and the first 40 minutes ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Jackets struck just 1:15 into the second when Brandi Levi put a low header past the Bearcat keeper off a Stephanie Patterson corner kick.

The goal opened the game up a bit, with the Yellow Jackets pressing the attack in the Anderson zone. Katrina Ott nearly put Woodford up by two when she drove one on net from about 20 yards out and hit the post.

Anderson tied it with 6:42 remaining in regulation off a corner kick that the Jackets couldn't clear.

Levi nearly gave Woodford the win with about 40 seconds left. She spun free of a Bearcat defender and drove into the box, but put her shot just wide.

The exhausted Yellow Jackets finally closed out the win with 1:23 remaining in the final OT period. Patterson got a free kick just outside the Anderson box. She arched the ball perfectly across the goal mouth where Levi shook free and nudged the ball in off her hip.

Levi earned tourney MVP honors with her effort. Patterson, Ott and Kayla Washington made the all district team.

Woodford vs. West Jessamine

The Yellow Jackets (4-3) travel to Nicholasville Friday night for a match-up against the West Jessamine Colts.

Woodford will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to district rival Ashland Blazer.

The Colts have a record of 1-5 and are coming off a 55-6 thrashing at the hands of Boyle County.

This game may be just what the doctor ordered for Woodford quarterback Steven Duckworth. Despite a strong performance against Blazer, (26 of 35 for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns) Duckworth needs a confidence boost after throwing three late game interceptions. Duckworth seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders, and I don’t think the bad decisions last week will stay in his mellon, but facing a less stout defense this week certainly won’t hurt. The Colts D is no match for the high-flying Yellow Jacket passing attack. West Jessamine gives up an average of 29 points per game and should provide Duck a good opportunity to steady his confidence.

West Jessamine runs an option offense and that could pose problems for the Woodford defense. In all fairness, most offenses have caused problems for the Jacket D. During the Blazer and Johnson Central games, Woodford County got caught up chasing the ball instead of staying in their defensive lanes. That lack of discipline will kill them against the option. The Jackets need to stay in position, maintain their lanes and make solid tackles. The Yellow Jackets should be able to utilize their speed against the Colts, and that gives them something of an advantage.

Woodford has shown the ability to bounce back all season, and I expect the same this week. Coach Chris Tracy said he was a bit concerned that the Jackets may come out a little sluggish after the emotional game last week, but I look for them to get rolling in the second half and take home a win.

Woodford 49 West Jessamine 14

Woodford boys' soccer team ends regular season with 2 wins

The Yellow Jackets wrapped up the regular season with two more wins, beating Scott County 8-0 last Thursday and taking down Rowan County yesterday 2-nil.

Woodford ends the season with a record of 14-1-2 and a perfect 5-0 district mark. They hold the ninth spot in the most recent (Sept. 30) state rankings.

The Jackets will begin what they hope will be a long post-season run on Tuesday. They will open up district tournament play against the winner of the Franklin County-Frankfort game. The game will take place at Sower Field in Frankfort and is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

Tough loss

Woodford County fell to Ashland Paul Blazer 54-44 tonight. It was a back and forth game featuring plenty of offensive fireworks.

The game kind of went how I expected, although a lot more points were put up than I anticipated.

Once again, the Yellow Jackets struggled to stop the run. Surprisingly,the Tomcats, who rarely threw the ball in previous games (averaging just 35 yards in the air), also found a passing game with their freshman QB. I'm not sure what the final stats were, but the Blazer QB was 6 for nine with about 70 yards in the first half and threw two TDs in the second.

Midway through the 4th, it looked like the Jackets would prevail. Holding a 7 point lead, the defense got the big play it was looking for when Austin Grubbs recovered a fumble and Woodford converted the good field position into a field goal to take a 10 point lead.

But Ashland drove down the field on their next possession and cut the lead to 4 (missed extra point).

On the Yellow Jacket's ensuing drive, Woodford quarterback Steven Duckworth ran the ball twice, and then on third and five, threw an interception. His receivers were well covered and he was trying to get the ball to his check-down receiver (the "safe" play), and the Ashland DB read his eyes jumped the route. He took the ball into the end zone, but an Ashland block in the back penalty temporarily spared the Jackets. A Tomcat TD pass moments later gave them the lead.

With Ashland up three, Duckworth had the Jackets driving, but threw another interception, which was run all the way back for another Tomcat score.

Duckworth ended the game with interception number three.

It would be easy to blame the Woodford quarterback, but he really played an exceptional game up to the last few minutes. As the Coach Chris Tracy said, you win as a team and you lose as a team. Duck was pretty upset after the game and put most of the blame on his own shoulders. If nothing else, he is a stand up kid.

Other than the last 3 minutes, Duck had a great game. At one point, he'd completed something like 17 straight passes. He orchestrated an outstanding drive at the end of the first half when he led the Jackets down the field for a TD in 39 seconds.

Ashland was running a delayed blitz late in the game and Woodford wasn't picking it up, forcing Duck to make hurried decisions. The defense made a lot of mistakes as well, chasing the ball instead of staying in their lanes and failing to finish tackles.

Injuries also plagued the Yellow Jackets. Jordan Carter was still dealing with an ankle sprain from last week. Bobby Neal went down with a leg injury in the third quarter and was in and out the rest of the game. Colin Smith also tweaked an ankle.

Next week the Jackets will try to bounce back when the travel to West Jessamine.

UK vs. South Carolina

Well...I am going to have to pick the Cats this week...as much as I hate to.

I get a certain satisfaction in tweaking UK fans. It's really great fun. You should try it sometime.

But the Wildcat defense showed me enough last week to believe they are for real. I don't see South Carolina moving the ball against UK.

Then again, the Big Blue probably won't move the ball a whole lot either. I'm thinking of calling them the Big Blue Blunder. But in their defense, UK did generate offense in spurts against Bama. South Carolina also runs an aggressive defensive system and UK's screen passes may negate that to some degree. If Dickey Lyons can make a few big plays, they should be able to outpace the Cocks. I also expect the defense to put some points on the board.

UK has never beat Spurrier. But this is not the Gators coming into Commonwealth Stadium, so I'm going to go with UK.

Cats 19 Gamecocks 7

Woodford County vs. Ashland Paul Blazer preview

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets will face Ashland Paul Blazer on Saturday at Putnam stadium in Ashland. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Woodford holds the number 11 spot in the 5A football poll. Paul Blazer sits at 13.

I see this as a key game for the Jackets. The winner will sit in the drivers’ seat, controlling its own destiny in terms of snagging the second seed in the district.

The big question is can Woodford stop the run.

The Yellow Jackets have not fared well against teams that run the football, and make no mistake about it, the Tomcats run the ball. I imagine they are chomping at the bit knowing Woodford County gave up over 650 yards on the ground to Johnson Central two weeks ago.

Paul Blazer averages 289 yards per game on the ground. They rarely put the ball in the air, putting up only 35 yards per game. So it’s pretty simple…stop the Tomcat ground attack and win the game. But as we say two weeks ago, knowing what a team is going to do doesn’t always mean it can be stopped.

Running back Rashard Carter holds the key to the Tomcat offense. He averages 130 yards per game. The two game Paul Blazer lost were the only two that Carter was held under 100 yards.

The Jackets are rolling on the offensive side of the ball. Nobody has really stopped them this season and they boast the sixth ranked passing offense in the state. But Ashland’s defense has played well against the pass. They sit at number 15 in the state in passing defense, allowing only 63 yards per game.

That number could be a little misleading though. The Tomcats have not faced a passing offense like Woodford’s.

I see this as a close game that could go either way. Ever the optimist, I’m going to give a slight edge to Woodford. I do think Blazer will move the ball against the Jackets, but they are not as physical as Johnson Central, and I don’t see them running over the Jackets like the Golden Eagles did. I look for the defense to make just enough stops to keep the offense in the game. The Yellow Jackets should continue to roll and I have a feeling the fact that Woodford can score quickly will pay off at the end of the game.

My pick:

Woodford 31 Paul Blazer 28

Duckworth ties state record

Woodford County quarterback Steven Duckworth tied a Kentucky state record with his 40 completions against Franklin Co. last Friday night. He's tied in the record book with Steven Sizemore of Hazard who completed 40 passes against Jenkins in 2000.

This is a pretty awesome accomplishment, but I'm sure Duckworth would be quick to spread the credit to his receivers and offensive line. The thing that impresses me about this kid more than his prowess on the football field is his maturity and sense of team.

A small sip of blue Kool-Aid

I have to admit, the UK defense is for real. The Cats did give up a lot of rushing yards; Glen Coffee rushed for 218 yards, but they kept Bama out of the end zone and that's what counts in the end. It's a shame UK doesn't have the offense to go with the defense. Rickey Lyons Jr. is fun to watch, but the rest of the receiving corps pretty much sucks. Hartline may well develop into a good quarterback. He showed some nice flashes in the game, but also shows some inexperience at times. He could probably develop really fast if he had more than one target to throw to.

I kept hearing commentators talking about how Alabama didn't play well. I have to think some of that was the UK D. Some of it may have been a little letdown after the Georgia game.

I have to say this, I got a little frustrated with the ESPN guy talking about how Alabama should drop in the polls. He gave Kentucky no respect and acted like Bama should have walked over Kentucky like Oklahoma did to Baylor.

We all know that I am no UK apologist, but I can recognize a good football team when I see one, and I do think UK has a good football team. Not great...but a solid mid-tier SEC team.