CRUDE AWAKENING: Taylor scores three TDs; Cats run past Lions for Barrel win
· Yahoo Sports
ASHLAND Ashland played for a barrel and kept its foot on the gas.
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After close, hard-fought games in consecutive weeks, the Tomcats steered clear of Boyd County in the latest Battle for the Barrel meeting. Tre Taylor set the tone for the home team, scoring three times against the rival Lions in a 42-7 victory at Putnam Stadium Friday.
“It’s something that we have been looking for,” Ashland coach Chad Tackett said. “We haven’t played a solid 48 minutes of football all year. It’s been a challenge and a monkey on our backs, so to speak. We have been preaching to our guys that we have to put it together. I was happy that we were able to do it (on Friday), especially as we approach the end of the season. I am proud of them. We played a complete game tonight.”
Ashland’s dynamic duo started strong and ended with a flourish. All three of the Tomcats’ first-half possessions ended with Taylor touchdown runs. Daylen Farrow closed the game with an 84-yard kickoff return to the house.
Ashland has a deep backfield, but distribution can be limited when a group can each deliver explosive plays with the ball in their hands. The Tomcats’ final yardage total was 278 on just 33 offensive snaps, with only six in the second half.
“It’s tough, and those guys want the ball,” Tackett said. “They get aggravated when they don’t get it. We don’t go into a game and say this guy or that guy is going to get this many touches. It just goes with the flow of the game, the formation, or what substitutions we have.
“We had a situation tonight where we only had six plays in the second half,” he added. “It’s difficult sometimes, but those guys are competitive. They’ve done a great job of making plays when they get their opportunities.”
Ashland featured eight running plays on its opening drive, culminating in Taylor’s 2-yard plunge into the end zone. On the other side, Boyd County managed just seven plays in its first two possessions, but the Lions surged close to halftime. They drove it inside the 5 with no timeouts. However, Avian Lee pressured quarterback Jace Manning into a rushed throw on fourth down to close out the second quarter.
Boyd County produced a 17-play drive in the third frame that extended into the final quarter, but again came away with no points.
“I thought we showed some grit on a lot of things, especially the way we ran the ball,” Boyd County coach Evan Ferguson said. “I thought we did a good job, trying to stay ahead of the chains. We just didn’t convert in the red zone when we needed it.”
“I’m not making excuses, but we’ve had a lot of injuries,” he added. “We’ve had a lot of different guys step in. It seems like it’s new people every week in a key role. Once they get adjusted to game speed, it seems to fix it. Overall, I was happy to see Blake Sexton back with two hands again (after injury). I am proud that our guys fight until the end.”
The Lions seemed to swing the early momentum in their favor midway through the second quarter. Boyd County (4-3) stepped in front of a pass for an interception, but a questionable roughing-the-passer call let the Tomcats keep possession.
Taylor cashed in, finding a huge hole at the line, then bounced off a defender into the end zone. The game’s Most Valuable Player opened the frame with a 6-yard TD run after Kody Millette’s long catch set up Ashland (8-0) in the red zone.
“We had to find a way to get some stops,” Ferguson said. “We thought we found one there, but, obviously, it didn’t go our way. They were able to score on that drive. Looking back, it was 14-0, and then we spent some timeouts there because of the emotional swing; then we didn’t score before halftime. … Four negative plays in a row really got us behind the eight ball.”
The Tomcats tightened their grip on the game as the third quarter opened. The Lions found space during a run, but Taylor upended the ball carrier, forcing a fumble that Brody Simpkins scooped up and returned to the Boyd County 15.
Tackett watched his defense fly to the football for four quarters.
“They executed the game plan perfectly,” Tackett said. “They were outstanding tonight. The guys did a good job making plays. Our defensive line did a good job against their size. We did a great job up front, and I thought our secondary made some outstanding plays and did a good job in coverage.”
Ashland called Simpkins’s number again, and he responded with a physical 4-yard TD run three plays later. The Tomcats needed only three more snaps to put six more on the board. Tanner Stutler connected with Farrow over the middle for a 58-yard touchdown reception.
Boyd County avoided the shutout when CJ Smith caught a 22-yard TD from Manning with 2:37 remaining.
Manning was named Boyd County's offensive player of the game. Sexton received defensive honors.
Farrow earned Ashland’s top offensive recognition. Simpkins earned the defensive award.
BOYD CO. 0 0 0 7 — 7
ASHLAND 7 14 7 14 — 42
FIRST QUARTER
A—Tre Taylor 2 run (Max McAlister kick), 6:29
SECOND QUARTER
A—Taylor 6 run (McAlister kick), 11:55
A—Taylor 14 run (McAlister kick), 6:10
THIRD QUARTER
A—Brody Simpkins 4 run (McAlister kick), 9:03
FOURTH QUARTER
A—Daylen Farrow 58 pass from Tanner Stutler (McAlister kick), 9:22
F—CJ Smith 22 pass from Jace Manning (Conner Davis kick), 2:37
A—Farrow 84 kickoff return (McAlister kick), :56
BC A
First Downs 13 14
Rushes-Yards 30-104 25-153
Comp-Att-Int 8-16-0 6-8-0
Passing Yards 100 120
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Punts-Avg. 1-27.0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 4-40 4-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Boyd County rushing: Sexton 16-33, May 3-17, Turner 1-4, Manning 10-50.
Ashland rushing: Farrow 4-54, Simpkins 5-25, Strader 2-21, Hughes 1-3, Taylor 10-56, Stutler 2-(minus-6), Team 1-(minus-5).
Boyd County passing: Manning 8 of 16 for 100 yards.
Ashland passing: Stutler 6 for 8 for 120 yards.
Boyd County receiving: May 4-29, Smith 2-46, Davis 1-17, Sexton 1-8.
Ashland receiving: Millette 1-35, Hughes 1-(minus-1), Strader 1-12, Simpkins 2-16, Farrow 1-58.