A few thoughts as season ends for local football teams

Friday night brought a promising year in local high school football to a screeching halt as Corbin and Williamsburg both lost.

From the time the season kicked off, Coach Tom Greer’s Redhounds appeared to be a team on a mission to make it to Lexington, despite Class 4A being loaded with talent.

Greer did everything possible to prepare the Redhounds for a playoff run. 

The schedule was pretty solid, beginning with Christ School out of North Carolina and continuing with the likes of Franklin County, Pulaski County, and Class 6A Simon Kenton.

I still believe the annual game against Whitley County should be removed until Coach Zeke Eier has a couple of years to put his stamp on the program. The fact is, Whitley County doesn’t have the numbers to play with Corbin and another game like this year’s 45-0 running clock blowout does not help either team.

Greer has said that he will play anyone, and that tough competition is vital to having the Redhounds ready for the inevitable playoff matchup with Johnson Central.

Until the KHSAA does another football realignment, the Golden Eagles are going to stand between the Redhounds and Lexington.

Greer said the 2022 schedule will be pretty much the same as agreements call for the schools to play home-and-home.

The one exception is the season opening Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic. While it is an opportunity for Corbin to bring in an opponent from across the state line, if the goal is to eventually get past Johnson Central, the ideal opponent is across the Cumberland River.

Right now, it could be argued that Corbin and Southwestern are the two best teams in the area. 

Both will be returning a young core group of starters who have a bad taste in their mouths over the way their seasons ended.

Southwestern can throw the ball, but, given the opportunity, the Warriors make no secret of their desire to line up and run the ball.

Yes, with few exceptions, that is the standard gameplan in high school football. But facing it, and then facing it at the level of a team like Johnson Central are two entirely different things.

No matter the final score, adding Southwestern to the 2022 schedule would benefit both programs. The Warriors found themselves in a similar situation to Corbin in Class 5A Friday night, losing at Fredrick Douglas, 37-6.

If Southwestern is to play in Lexington next year, the Warriors know that they will have to go through Frederick Douglas.

Playing Corbin benefits the Warriors as they try to get over the hurdle that is the Broncos.

Back in Class 4A, no one will be surprised if Johnson Central and Boyle County are playing for the state title in two weeks. But who wouldn’t love to see Logan County and Franklin County play spoilers?

Williamsburg has had moments this season where it appeared to have all of the answers. Then there were times where you had to shake your head and groan as the Jackets struggled.

Coach Jerry Herron, Jr. said multiple times that the team was young, especially on the offensive line, and struggles were to be expected.

The good news is that those young linemen have a year of experience under them going into 2022, and will have quarterback Sydney Bowen and receiver Martin Shannon returning for their senior seasons.

As Herron noted after Friday’s loss, the Jackets will be losing just three or four starters from the team that finished 8-4, giving him a lot of experience to build upon.

Class A football has always been that unique animal where one or two players can have a big impact on a team’s fortunes.

Herron has to find a running back as Jayden Rainwater and Marty Gilley are both graduating.

While Bowen has proven that he can run from the quarterback position, Williamsburg must have another running option to keep defenses honest.

The Jackets will need it as they will host Middlesboro and travel to Somerset, Sayre and Pineville as part of the schedule.

On a couple of related notes, good luck to Larry French’s Middlesboro team Friday night at Lexington Christian in the Class 2A playoffs. The Yellow Jackets are the area’s last hope for a state football title in 2021.

They have an epic task as Lexington Christian is, by far, the top 2A team, having defeated the likes of Boyle County, Madison Central and Pikeville. But, that’s why they play the game.

Finally, with football wrapping up, high school sports fans will soon turn their attention to the hardwood.

Look for the annual basketball preview in next week’s News Journal.

On the boys’ side, Whitley County will get things going locally Monday night at Leslie County, while Lynn Camp will host Somerset Christian School.

On the girls’ side, Corbin will open the season at Pulaski County and Lynn Camp will host Model on Monday night.