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.

Last week's column

A reprint of my Nov. 6 column in the Woodford Sun. I'd be interested in any comments on the subject of sports reporting objectivity.

Looking back, I think I started to lose it during the senior day festivities.

It really started slipping away during the overtime district championship win over Anderson County.

It evaporated completely during the gritty 1-0 regional championship victory over Henry Clay.

What is it? – My objective reporter attitude toward the Woodford County Lady Jacket soccer team.

“My name is Mike and I am a Jacket fan.”

And I have the haircut to prove it.

Somewhere along the line, I went from a reporter covering a high school soccer team to a fan with a Mohawk.

Yes, the girls talked me into keeping a Mohawk that was supposed to be part of a Halloween costume. I don’t even remember whose idea it was originally. I was just chatting with some of the players during the Whitley County football game, and the next thing I knew, my head had suddenly become a symbol of support. I even tried to wiggle out of it by appealing to the horror my wife would experience when I told her the Mohawk was staying for a week. But everybody who’s watched these girls on the field knows the level of persistence that they posses. They wrote my wife a note, and here I am sitting at my desk looking like middle-aged dude in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

In all seriousness, I really have struggled with where I need to draw the line as a reporter. For two years I sat through class after class having the concept of objectivity and neutrality pounded into my brain. (Yes, they really do still teach that in journalism school, despite what you see in the mainstream media.)

I’ve clearly crossed that line.

But as I’ve thought about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a bigger principle at play here. It’s about community. It’s about unity. It’s about standing up and supporting a group of young women who are striving toward greatness.

That’s one of the wonderful things about sports. They have the power to bring people with diverse backgrounds together. Fans of different races, political views, socio-economic status and religious traditions can all come together under one banner.

Here in Woodford County, that banner bears a Yellow Jacket logo and I am proud to stand with this community in support of its teams.

Don’t get me wrong, I will still cover Woodford sports with an objective eye, and when the time comes to level criticism, I will not hesitate. That’s my job and I take pride in what I do. But I have come to the conclusion that as the sports editor of a small-town weekly that only covers one high school, it’s okay to cheer a little.

Besides, how can anyone that’s human not pull for these girls? Their heart and courage amazes me. Their grit and determination inspire me. Their good nature and fun loving spirit make me laugh.

It’s enough to make a guy wear a Mohawk.

Quick Shots

Every team has a clunker. Even the best teams have that one game where nothing goes right. The Yellow Jacket football team had theirs on Halloween night against Whitley County. By this point, I expected the defense to struggle a bit. They are vulnerable against the run and that’s no secret. But the offensive meltdown was surprising. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. You could see it in their body language. They were beat long before the final horn blew.

The good news is that this was an anomaly. The Woodford offense you saw the other night was clearly some mutated, Halloween horror show that does not represent the Jacket true game. I think part of it had to do with senior night emotions. It clearly affected Steven Duckworth. And beyond that, I think it was just that game – The one that is best forgotten. Burn the film. Bury the memories and press on. The season is far from over.

The University of Kentucky Wildcat football team showed a lot of character bouncing back to win at Mississippi State. After the thrashing at the hands of the Gators, I wasn’t sure how the Cats would react. It would have been easy to fold up the tent and look to next year. But UK battled through and salvaged its season with a win. Georgia will be tough to beat, but Vandy and Tennessee are winnable games. If they can pull off those wins, the Cats will end up with a more than respectable 8-4 record during what is arguably a rebuilding year.

Quote of the Week

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s just a high school football game.”
-Yellow Jacket coach Chris Tracy after the debacle against Whitley County

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of the referee in the Woodford County - Boyle County girls’ soccer game. It’s one thing to make bad calls, but this ref clearly wanted to be the center of attention. I’ve seen officials like him in every sport. For whatever reason, they want to be noticed and they think they need to insert themselves into the game. Whenever questioned, they react with self-righteous indignation, as if their view of things is unassailable. This ref fell clearly into that category. He made horrible calls, acted like a jerk when questioned by players or coaches and completely lost control of the game in the second half.

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.