Wildcat Rout

It was a record setting night for Joe Roskopf. The junior running back rushed the football 40 times for 446 yards while scoring five touchdowns. He had runs of 54, 16, 8, 8, and 34 yards according to Lynn Camp stats for the game.
Four of the touchdowns came after Pineville had taken a 14-6 lead in the game. But, it was all Lynn Camp after that as the Wildcats posted a 52-14 win.
“Joe did a good job running the football and we did a heck of a job blocking too,” said Lynn Camp coach David Mitchell. Roskopf’s numbers will enter the KHSAA record books. His 446 ranks fourth all-time behind Fulton County’s Thomas Walker, who had 472 in 1973. “I think the offensive line played the best they have all year and our backs stepped up and did a good job blocking,” said Mitchell. “Joe did the easy part.”
Actually Mitchell complimented Pineville on a hard played game. “It was a little harder win than I thought,” he said. “We came out a little flat and they scored the first two times they had the football.”
Mitchell said a key part of the game was when the Wildcats stopped a Pineville drive that could have given the Lions the lead at the half. “With a minute and forty some seconds to go in the half we stopped them at the five yard line with an 18-14 lead in the half,” said Mitchell. “We were fortunate enough to drive it 95 yards in a little over a minute and put it in the end zone to end the half.”
“It wasn’t as easy as everybody expected,” Mitchell said. “It was 24-14 at the half. They had gotten after us pretty good in that first half.”
Roskopf scored three of his touchdowns and had 264 yards at the half. Sophomore Sidney Wagner, who had 100 yards rushing in the game, scored the other Wildcat touchdown. “I see a lot of improvement in Wagner,” said Mitchell. “And, I am seeing a lot of improvement in our football team.”
Lynn Camp put the game away in the third quarter when Roskopf and Wagner scored touchdowns from eight yards out to give the Wildcats a 40-14 lead heading into the final period.
“Hopefully, we are getting better as the season goes along,” said Mitchell. “That is a tradition among our team. Right now I like the direction our team is headed.”
Mitchell felt his line played well on both sides of the ball. “One guy that is really playing hard and may be one of the best in Eastern Kentucky is Brian Slusher,” said Mitchell. “But, all of our offensive line played solid. James Niece and Josh Baker have really come on since Bret Barrett’s been hurt.”
“Justin Gorsuch has played well and our two sophomores David Cox and Steven Davis have played well,” said Mitchell. “The defensive front has gotten better and as far as a coach I can’t say enough about Cameron Simpson’s (sr, 5-11, 205) play as far as blocking and playing defense, he has really played well. It seems his intensity level has really picked up.”
Next up for the Wildcats will be the Harlan Green Dragons. Harlan comes into Mitchell Field with a 4-1 record led by Jon Lundy, who has scored 10 touchdowns for the Dragons.
“It’s no secret that they are going to have to stop Joe,” said Mitchell. “He has gotten better with each game and hopefully as the season goes, he will get a lot stronger. He is playing at about 90 percent right now.”
No one has been able to stop the 5-10, 175-pound tailback. His lowest yardage of the season was against Leslie County when the Eagles held Roskopf to 115 yards.
“Our offensive line will have to protect him and play its best ballgame if we are going to win,” said Mitchell. Harlan is giving up only 9.2 points per game and is among the state’s best defensive teams.
They beat Cawood 19-7, then hammered Hazard 34-0. The Dragons beat Evarts 43-6 and held off Cumberland 21-14 before losing to Breathitt County last week. While the Dragons have played several smaller class A teams, the Wildcats’ schedule may be an advantage this game.
Lynn Camp is 2-3 with losses to Leslie County (27-20), Middlesboro (48-14) and 4A Whitley County (49-20). The Wildcats own wins over Perry Central (42-27) and Pineville (52-14).
“This is a different type Harlan team that we are used to playing,” said Mitchell. “We use to refer to our district as a black and blue division, now we’re the gun and spread division, everybody besides us.”
“All of my assistant coaches keep telling me I am a dinosaur,” he joked. “As long as I get 588 yards rushing I’m not going to be throwing the football.”
“According to our scouting reports, they are about 95 percent in shotgun or some type of a spread,” said Mitchell. “Most of the time they are playing a quarterback and two backs in the backfield and sometimes with three backs.”
The Dragons big gun is Jon Lundy, who has 74 carries for 575 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. The quarterback, Chase Jones, has thrown for 646 yards on 42 of 80 completions. His main targets are Lundy, Derek Sheffield and Will Pope.
“They want to spread you and run you, that’s their philosophy,” Mitchell said. “That has really been our Achilles tendon. We have not given up a lot of passing yardage but we have given up a lot of yardage to teams that have been spreading us and running us.”
The Dragons come in 11th in the Associated Press poll and 15th in the Lexington Herald-Leader while the Wildcats are 20th in the Herald-Leader.
The Dragons are averaging 24.8 points per game and Mitchell feels they have a nice offensive unit. “They have a good quarterback in Jones and a couple of good running backs in Lunday and Joyce.”
Mitchell said the key of the game “will be whether we can move the football against their defense or not.”
“They have a solid defense, it is much like the Middesboro defense,” said Mitchell.
Game time for the district matchup is set for 8 p.m.

Lynn Camp 52, Pineville 14
Lynn Camp 6 18 16 12- 52
Pineville 14 0 0 0- 14
First quarter
P- Adams, 25 run (Adams kick)
LC – Joe Roskopf, 54 run (kick failed)
P- Churchwell, 6 run (Adams kick)
Second Quarter
LC – Roskopf, 16 run (run failed)
LC – Sidney Wagner, 6 run (run failed)
LC – Roskopf, 8 run, (pass failed)
Third Quarter
LC – Roskopf, 8 run (Wagner run)
LC – Wagner, 8 run (Roskopf run)
Fourth Quarter
LC – Scott Bray, 1 run, (run failed)
LC – Roskopf, 34 run (kick failed)