COUNTY
COUNTY
GARRARD
GREEN COUNTY
CASEY COUNTY
LINCOLN
GAME ONE FOOTBALL
2K24
VS GREEN COUNTY casey county
In game one, Green County defeated Garrard County by a score of 34-20. The Dragons’ rushing attack accounted for four of the team’s five touchdowns, with their defense accounting for the fifth. They were led by running back Gage Bale who rushed twenty-one times for 176 yards and a touchdown. Jullian Seymour added 107 yards and a score, while Kelson McKinney had 54 yards and two rushing touchdowns, plus returned an interception for a score. Green County was effective through the air, too. Quarterback Houston Hodges connected on eleven of nineteen attempts for 104 yards.
Garrard County was led by quarterback Justin Parsons who connected on fourteen of twenty-six passing attempts for 219 yards and a touchdown. His top receiver was Hayden Elleman who hauled in seven catches for 127 yards. Garrard County’s scores came on a run by Justin Parsons, a pass reception by Jaghyr Wood, and two field goals by Zak Dailey.
The same four teams will be involved in the 2024 bowl games, with the matchups renewing a border war rivalry between two of the teams.
Game one will showcase Casey County versus Green County, two teams that have not met since 2015.
Casey County has a new coach, Will Hatter, who is a 2012 graduate of Casey County High School where he played football and basketball. He was an assistant coach under both Steve Stonebreaker and Levi Rogers. Hatter will have the tall task of replacing the top offensive producers from last season, Andrew Price and Evan Stephens. Price passed for over 900 yards and rushed for over 700 yards, while Stephens had 1,107 yards rushing and was the leading scorer on the team.
For Green County, coach Colt Phelps returns quarterback Houston Hodges who passed for over 2,000 yards last season, but he will have to replace two 1,000+ yard rushers lost to graduation, Kelson McKinney and Jullian Seymour. These two teams have played five times since 1998, with Green County winning all of them by large margins.
Game two was a low scoring affair, with Casey County beating Lincoln County 10-6. Casey County was on the score board first with a 35-yard field goal by Arnulfo Mejia-Mendez with 1:27 to play in the first quarter. Casey County increased the lead to 10-0 on an eight-yard run by Evan Stephens and PAT kick by Mejia-Mendez.
Lincoln County rallied to score on a two-yard run by Sawyer Horton with 7:25 to play in the third quarter, but a problem with the placement of the ball resulted in a failed PAT kick. The rest of the game was a defensive battle giving Casey County the four point win.
In the off season, Casey County’s head coach, Levi Rogers, and defensive coordinator, Chase Marcum, who both played football at Lincoln County and had previously been assistant coaches at Lincoln County, were hired in those same roles at LCHS.
Game two is the renewal of a rivalry that goes back to the early 1900s, when the high schools at Stanford and Lancaster played football. The current schools, Lincoln County and Garrard County, have played 34 times, with Lincoln County holding the edge in wins 21-13. The last meeting was in 2018, when Lincoln County won 35-20.
Lincoln County’s coach that year, Spencer Crutchfield, is now Garrard County’s coach. When the game starts, he will see a familiar face across the sideline in Lincoln County head coach Levi Rogers. The two men are first cousins and are close like brothers. As high school students, they both played quarterback for the teams they are now coaching, and they have coached together. Levi was an assistant coach under Spencer the four years that Spencer was the head coach at Lincoln County.
Despite losing its offensive leaders from 2023, including career passing leader Sawyer Horton and his favorite target, twin brother Seth Horton, Lincoln returns a talented group of young skill players. Garrard County returns quarterback Justin Parsons who threw for over 1,300 yards last season. This game should be a real chess match between two heady young coaches with a lot to prove.
Facts
Location: Stanford
Head Coach: Levi Rogers (1st Season)
Class: 4A, District 7
2023 Record: 4-7 (lost in 1st Round of 4A playoffs to Perry County Central)
Death Valley Bowl Appearances 26 Wins 8 Losses 18
GAMESCHEDULE
8/23 Garrard Co DVB
8/30 Bullitt Central
9/6 Danville
9/13 Bourbon Co
9/20 Russell Co
9/27 Somerset
10/4 Wayne Co
10/11 OPEN
10/18 Boyle Co
10/25 Taylor Co
11/1 Mercer Co
Facts
Location: Lancaster
Head Coach: Spencer Crutchfield (3rd Season)
Class: 3A, District 4
2023 Record: 3-8 (Class 3A
1st Round loss to Elizabethtown)
Death Valley Bowl Appearances 8 Wins 2 Losses 6
GAMESCHEDULE
8/23 Lincoln Co DVB
8/30 Middlesboro
9/6 Bullitt Central
9/13 Somerset
9/20 East Jessamine
9/27 West Jessamine
10/4 Casey Co
10/11 OPEN
10/18 Marion Co
10/25 Mercer Co
11/1 Harrison County
GARRARD COUNTY CHEER
LEADERS
1ST ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT) Emmalin Hubbard, Courtney Hopkins, Emma Preston, Layla Scott, Emma Graham, Baileigh Smith, Mackenzie Holleran, Mattie Doolin
2ND ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT) Emily Bowen, Kassidy Grasham, Brooklynn Smith, Amya Denny, Karoline Tudor, Ava Maxwell, Olivia Lowery, Leigha Robertson
Coach - Ashlee Bolin
Assistant Coach - Cheyenne Grasham
Facts Location:
Liberty
Head Coach: Will Hatter (1st Season)
Class: 3A, District 4
2023 Record: 5-6 (lost in 1st Round of 3A playoffs to Louisville Central)
Death Valley Bowl Appearances 5
Wins 2 Losses 3
GAMESCHEDULE
Green Co (DVB)
8/30 Campbellsville
9/6 Wayne Co
9/13 Russell Co
9/20 McCreary Cent
9/27 Metcalf Co
10/4 Garrard Co
10/11 OPEN
10/18 Mercer Co
10/25 Marion Co
11/1 Rockcastle Co.
Facts Location: Greensburg
Head Coach: Colt Phelps (4th Season)
Class: 2A, District 3
2023 Record: 10-3 (lost in 3rd Round of 2A playoffs to Owensboro Catholic)
Death Valley Bowl Appearances 1 Wins 1 Losses 0
GAMESCHEDULE
8/23 Green Co. DVB
8/30 John Hardin
9/6 Hart Co
9/13 West Jessamine
H 9/19 Larue Co
9/27 Barren Co
10/3 Clinton Co
10/11 OPEN
10/18 Monroe Co
10/25 Metcalf Co
11/1 Taylor Co
Lincoln County High School
Cheer Leaders
Front row: Chloe Miller, Baylea Snow, Alexis Pittman, Keely Phillips, Baylor Adams
Second row: Brooklynn Sexton, Talyn Taylor, Ashlynn Wooten, Kaitlyn Yocum, Kamryn Downs, Taylor Elmore
Back row: Maddie Wesley, Eiryn Estes, Kyndall Cole, Carlie Sneed, Layla Kessinger, Lexi Short, Claire Hatter, Chasity Clark, Holli Nash
