Bowling Green @ Marshall County 11-02-07

As Scott Thompson and Roy Beard set up their broadcast equipment in the press box at Carroll Traylor Stadium last night, a flock of geese flew in a lopsided triangle low above the oak trees on the far side of the football field. It looked as if a coach from long ago sent ghostly players down from some pigskin heaven to wing one last flying wedge before one of the best matchups in the state. The reedy honks of the geese disappeared over the dark trees, and the noise of the growing crowd and public address system recaptured the night from the feathery formation that graced a cold Jackson Purchase night.

It was a night designed for high school football: cold, crisp, and no wind to chill the fans and players. Smoke from the Marshal’s football booster club hung over the field like battle smoke, as if omen of what was about to take place on the field. The orange jerseys of Marshall County flashed and the gold helmets of the Bowling Green Purples glistened during warm ups. Both teams held lofty rankings in their respective classes: The Marshals were ranked sixth in 6A and the Purples were ranked second in 5A.

I must confess that I invited myself to the game, and Scott Thompson, my neighbor, allowed me to mooch a ride to Draffenville with him. The game was too good of a match up to be polite about horning in on a free ride the home of the Kentucky State Welding Champion (I forget the guy’s name, but a big sign at the edge of town proclaims his feat in the traditional white on green road sign).

I probably over-estimated Marshall County (a little) and underestimated Bowling Green. I even heard someone from Marshall County confess that they had probably one kid that matched up with the Bowling Green players. They were right, and it became evident very early in the game because the Purples pounced on the Marshals like a gang of gun slinging outlaws did in the days of the Old West.

Instead of slinging guns and lead, the Purples slung pigskin and punished Marshall County with dizzying switchbacks and jukes and jives on the ground. By the time Trent Steelman scrambled his way into the endzone on 27 yard run, the purply goblins were up by two touchdowns, and the Marshals were trying to figure out when the Illinois Central Railroad built a double-tracked main line between the hash marks in Traylor Stadium. The gun slinging outlaws from Bowling Green had turned into a 14 wheeled steam engine chuffing through the middle of Draffenville.
Yep, the radio guys were right. Marshall County had Stephen Barga, who had thrown a whopping 13 touchdowns in the first nine games without a single interception. He had completed 109 of 165 passes, but Bowling Green pressured Barga throughout the entire game. They forced him to throw an interception – to a defensive lineman, which is both insult and injury to a quarterback. But, Bowling Green had several weapons with Steelman, Tevin Barksdale, and D.L. Moore.

Although Bowling Green opened with a flourish, Marshall County was not out of the game heading into the late minutes of the first half. However, Bowling Green scored a field goal during the closing seconds of the half and scored a touchdown to open the third quarter. It was time for the Marshals to turn in their badges because they were finished. In minutes the game went from a manageable 21-7 score to 31-7, and the November chill probably got a lot colder for the faithful Marshall County fans.

Bowling Green won the contest 52-14.

The score does not indicate how good Marshall County is. They are a good football team and should be a formidable opponent in the 6A Playoffs. They face Henderson County in the first round, though, but at least they have them in Traylor Stadium there in Draffenville. No offense to the Marshalls and their fans, but they will be easy prey for any one of the powerhouses in Louisville or northern Kentucky.

Bowling Green is possibly one of the best teams in the state. They hung with Trinity early in the season, and they have improved from there. Two things that could prove to be an Achilles heel for the Purples: 1) they get too many stupid penalties. Some of it is because they are coached to play through the whistle, which often results in personal fouls called against them, but they push and shove after the play. It doesn’t hurt in a 52-14 game, but it could really hurt in a tight playoff game. They’re going to have a couple of those, too. 2) Trent Steelman needs to learn to keep his cool. Marshall County got after him a couple of times, and he threw a really boneheaded interception. He seemed shaky and not confident after that play. He regrouped. When Bowling Green plays someone like Highlands, there isn’t going to be a chance to regroup.

I do think Bowling Green will play in Louisville in December. I just hope they win it.

OBSERVATIONS

Hayden Fry Reincarnate
I noticed that Marshall County doesn’t use down linemen. They take the line scrimmage looking like linebackers, and I remembered that Hayden Fry played his offensive lines at Iowa like that. They were flummoxed by Bowling Green’s defensive line playing about a yard and half off of the ball. When the two teams lined up, I could’ve driven a golf cart down the line of scrimmage and not touched a single player.

The Old West Bowl
When I looked at Marshall County’s roster, immediately I noticed two kids with the first name Dakota: #79 Dakota Johnson and #99 Dakota Stevenson. I wondered if they carried the nicknames of “North” and “South.” Then, I saw that they also had #50, a sophomore, named Dakota Gibbs. I decided that his nickname might be “Fargo North.”
As I scanned the rosters for both teams, I also noticed that Marshall County had a kid named Denver – Denver Seay -- and Bowling Green had two kids named Austin: Yates and Beard. I can’t remember, but I think there was also a player named Cody. I started to feel like I was looking at an itinerary for Wild West tour.

The Name Game
Future Journalist? C.J. Reed. I hope the kid is more substantive and has better circulation than the C.J. “Don’t Read” out of Louisville.

Save Ferris: Bowling Green Defensive End/Lineback John Hughes shares names with the Hollywood writer/director/producer that gave the world Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Hey, Bowling Green has already produced John Carpenter.

Best Name of the Game: At first, I wanted to give this award to Deuce DeWalt for the Bowling Green Purples, but then I saw #52 for the Marshals, Jake Shakes. If I owned an ice cream parlor in Marshall County, I would start offering Jake Shakes. I’m trying to think how one could make a milk shake with blue and orange ice cream and make it tasty or appetizing.