06-11-2011, 10:55 PM
Martha Layne Collins High School, a brand new school built in the west side of Shelbyville had quite a successful year in athletics.
In football, the Titans were put in 4A District 4. They started out their season with a home game against Sheldon Clark on a hot August Saturday. The defense forced a quick three and out and the offense took over at about the 50 yard line. On their first play from the line of scrimmage, they ran a trick play which allowed senior WR Tavis Elzy to catch a wide open touchdown pass and score the first touchdown in school history on their very first play. That was the start to a magical season for the Titans. They went on to win that game 48-16. Their next game was a week later at Lexington Catholic in the Bluegrass Bowl. They played a very athletic 6A North Hardin squad. The Titans were able to hold of a North Hardin rally towards the end and won the high scoring game 49-42, setting a new school record of most points scored in a game. The next week they went down to Marion County where they blew lots of chances to score and could not stop the run. They lost their first game in school history 27-30. The next two weeks they cruised over Elizabethtown and LaRue County winning 50-21 and 27-7. The next week they hosted district opponent Bullitt East in the schools first homecoming. There were so many people that showed up for that game people were still pulling in at the end of the 1st quarter. In that game the Titans scored a whopping 35 points in the first 12 minutes and went on to take a 45-0 lead into the half. They ended up winning 52-7 in front of a huge home crowd. After a bye week the Titans traveled to North Bullitt and rolled 41-13. The next week they hosted cross-town rival Shelby County. Thousands and thousands of people showed up for the first game between two Shelby County high schools since 1975. The Titans took care of business winning by a score of 49-7. In their final two games of the season, in order to prepare for the playoffs, they played two very athletic 6A schools. In the final home game of the regular season the Titans defeated a Fern Creek team that had 3 UofL signees 34-14. In their final game of the season they defeated Madison Central 49-21. The Titans were able to host all of their playoff games up until the state championship, that is if they made it that far, which many Titan fans thought was very possible. In the first round of the playoffs the Titans took care of Breckinridge County 56-6 on a cold November night. The next week the Titans took on a very athletic Fairdale team. They were able to outscore them 42-32. In that game junior RB Michael Brooks scored 5 of 6 touchdowns for Collins. However during that Fairdale game, the Titans lost their top receiver, Ben Axline, who tore his ACL toward the end of the game. The next week the Titans hosted they lightning fast Western Warriors. Western jumped on top 7-0 after returning the opening kick-off for the Titans. In the 4th quarter Collins trailed 31-14. Many fans began to leave and listened to the game in their cars. The Titans however, were not ready to quit. After a touchdown and a missed extra point they only trailed 31-20. After 3 onside kick attempts which all resulted in penalties, the Titans were backed up to nearly their own 20 yard line. Coach Jerry Lucas made the gutsy call to try it again and it payed off. The Titans recovered and ended up scoring a few plays later making the score 31-26. The Titans kicked off to Western and stopped them in their tracks forcing a quick 3 and out. By this time people began to get out of their cars and started watching outside of the stadium. Everyone that was still in the stadium were on their feet cheering and screaming as loud as they could. Collins began at their own 10 yard line with about 2 minutes left. With no timeouts left, they had to get down the field quick. The Titans ended up converting on a couple of 4th down tries, including a 4th and 20 where WR Tavis Elzy leaped in the air and made a spectacular catch along the sideline. The Titans were now deep in Western territory near the 20 yard line with under a minute left. Everyone including the Western fans were standing on their feet, and everyone in the stadium had faith that the Titans would pull it out. On 1st down and 10, Collins just missed the game winning touchdown pass in the back of the inzone. On 2nd and 10 with 20 seconds left, an offensive line that was missing half of its players due to injurys let a Western defender get through the backfield and sack QB Branden Cresap causing him to fumble the ball just as he was about to make a pass to a wide open recieve in the inzone. Western won 31-26, but that is a game I am sure that the players and fans will never forget. I know I won't forget it. That was probably to most exciting football game I have been too. The Titans remarkable first season came to an end in the regional championship.
In Volleyball, the Titans cruised through the regular season, posting a 20-2 record, losing only to Whitefield Academy and Pleasure Ridge Park, both in 3 sets. The Titans captured the 30th District Championship with a 2-1 win over crosstown rival Shelby County, the first 30th District Championship in school history in any sport. The Titans then faced a very tough South Oldham team in the first round of the region and lost a very close match 13-25, 23-25. The Lady Titans ended their first season ever with a record of 22-3.
In Boys Soccer, the Titans were ranked in the Top 25 throughout the year. The Titans, who play in the very tough 16th District, were knocked out in the district semifinals by one of the top teams in the state, South Oldham, 2-1 in overtime. They ended their first season ever with a record of 14-6-1.
In Girls Soccer, the very young Lady Titans had a solid first season going 9-8-2 against a very tough schedule.
In Boys Basketball, the Titans returned only one player that saw significant minutes in the season before at Shelby County. The Titans were very young with only 2 seniors, but they had quite a bit of talent. The Titans hosted and won their very own tournament winning a double overtime thriller over Valley 81-79. They played very well in the Max Performance Invitational and ended up taking home 3rd Place. Towards the end of the season, the Titans found themselves down 17 in the 4th quarter at Nelson County. The Titans, however, did not quit and ended up winning the game 64-61 in overtime. Not only were they down by 17 in the 4th quarter but they were down by 10 with 46 seconds left. In the 30th District tournament the Titans fought off a much improved Shelby County team 45-40 to advance to the district championship game. They played a great game against a very good Spencer County team but lost 55-49. In the 8th Region Tournament, the Titans were upset by host Henry County 52-49 in the first round. It was a disappointing end to a great first season for the Titans who went 18-12.
In Girls Basketball, the Lady Titans were VERY young with no seniors on their roster and 5 middle school players. The Lady Titans battled injuries all year long loosing two players to ACL injuries and had at least 3 starters who sprained their ankles. The Lady Titans relied on tough defense and nearly upset Anderson County and Bullitt East on the road thanks to their defense. The Lady Titans defeated Spencer County 52-29 in the district semifinals and lost a hard fought game 57-48 to Anderson County in the district championship. They went on to the regional tournament where they nearly upset South Oldham who was ranked 15th in the state by The Courier-Journal. The Lady Titans finished their first season with a record of 15-15.
In baseball, the Titans had a very successful first season under coach Roy Bailey. They started out the season with 3 wins, including a 2-1 win at Tates Creek, one of the top teams in the state. The Titans battled the weather all year long having many, many rain outs. They blasted 4 home runs in a 12-1 win at South Oldham and had a perfect game in a 10-0 5 inning win over Campbellsville. The Titans slipped up in the district championship falling 10-7 to Anderson County. In the first round of the region the Titans faced a tough Oldham County team and lost a hard fought game 6-5. They ended the season with a 18-7 record.
In softball, the Lady Titans had a great first season. The Lady Titans won their first game ever 2-0 at Sacred Heart. Later in the season, the Lady Titans won a pitchers duel 1-0 in 8 innings at Spencer County. On April 19th, the Lady Titans nearly upset Mercy but ended up losing 1-0. They gave up only 4 hits to one of the top teams in the state and Mercy's only run was scored on an error. At the end of April, Collins hosted the Breast Cancer Awareness Classic, a round robin tournament. They went 3-0 in the tournament, hitting many home runs and raising lots of money for Susan G. Komen for the cure. Pitcher Jeneca Thomas struck out 13 in a 7-2 win over North Bullitt. In May, the Lady Titans went to Boyle County where they beat many good teams but fell short in the championship game losing 5-4 against 14th ranked Franklin County after giving up 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th. In the Crusade For Children Tournament at Assumption, the Lady Titans defeated 7th Region runner-up Eastern 3-2. In the district tournament Collins defeated a tough Anderson County team 4-0, which was the only time Anderson County was shutout the whole season. In the championship game the Titans were able to score 4 runs off of a very talented pitcher and held off a Spencer County rally to win the 30th District Championship 4-2. In the regional tournament the Lady Titans rallied to beat South Oldham 2-1 on a very hot Memorial Day. In the regional semifinals the Lady Titans rallied from being down 4-0 to beat a very talented Grant County team 6-4. In that game freshman Sydney Cloyd hit a 3 run home run to tie the game in the 6th inning. Collins was able to get 10 hits off of 8th Region Player of the Year Katelyn Roy. In the regional championship the Lady Titans were rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game a 3 but they had too many errors and left too many runners in scoring position and fell to Walton-Verona 4-3. They ended their first season with a record of 23-15.
In football, the Titans were put in 4A District 4. They started out their season with a home game against Sheldon Clark on a hot August Saturday. The defense forced a quick three and out and the offense took over at about the 50 yard line. On their first play from the line of scrimmage, they ran a trick play which allowed senior WR Tavis Elzy to catch a wide open touchdown pass and score the first touchdown in school history on their very first play. That was the start to a magical season for the Titans. They went on to win that game 48-16. Their next game was a week later at Lexington Catholic in the Bluegrass Bowl. They played a very athletic 6A North Hardin squad. The Titans were able to hold of a North Hardin rally towards the end and won the high scoring game 49-42, setting a new school record of most points scored in a game. The next week they went down to Marion County where they blew lots of chances to score and could not stop the run. They lost their first game in school history 27-30. The next two weeks they cruised over Elizabethtown and LaRue County winning 50-21 and 27-7. The next week they hosted district opponent Bullitt East in the schools first homecoming. There were so many people that showed up for that game people were still pulling in at the end of the 1st quarter. In that game the Titans scored a whopping 35 points in the first 12 minutes and went on to take a 45-0 lead into the half. They ended up winning 52-7 in front of a huge home crowd. After a bye week the Titans traveled to North Bullitt and rolled 41-13. The next week they hosted cross-town rival Shelby County. Thousands and thousands of people showed up for the first game between two Shelby County high schools since 1975. The Titans took care of business winning by a score of 49-7. In their final two games of the season, in order to prepare for the playoffs, they played two very athletic 6A schools. In the final home game of the regular season the Titans defeated a Fern Creek team that had 3 UofL signees 34-14. In their final game of the season they defeated Madison Central 49-21. The Titans were able to host all of their playoff games up until the state championship, that is if they made it that far, which many Titan fans thought was very possible. In the first round of the playoffs the Titans took care of Breckinridge County 56-6 on a cold November night. The next week the Titans took on a very athletic Fairdale team. They were able to outscore them 42-32. In that game junior RB Michael Brooks scored 5 of 6 touchdowns for Collins. However during that Fairdale game, the Titans lost their top receiver, Ben Axline, who tore his ACL toward the end of the game. The next week the Titans hosted they lightning fast Western Warriors. Western jumped on top 7-0 after returning the opening kick-off for the Titans. In the 4th quarter Collins trailed 31-14. Many fans began to leave and listened to the game in their cars. The Titans however, were not ready to quit. After a touchdown and a missed extra point they only trailed 31-20. After 3 onside kick attempts which all resulted in penalties, the Titans were backed up to nearly their own 20 yard line. Coach Jerry Lucas made the gutsy call to try it again and it payed off. The Titans recovered and ended up scoring a few plays later making the score 31-26. The Titans kicked off to Western and stopped them in their tracks forcing a quick 3 and out. By this time people began to get out of their cars and started watching outside of the stadium. Everyone that was still in the stadium were on their feet cheering and screaming as loud as they could. Collins began at their own 10 yard line with about 2 minutes left. With no timeouts left, they had to get down the field quick. The Titans ended up converting on a couple of 4th down tries, including a 4th and 20 where WR Tavis Elzy leaped in the air and made a spectacular catch along the sideline. The Titans were now deep in Western territory near the 20 yard line with under a minute left. Everyone including the Western fans were standing on their feet, and everyone in the stadium had faith that the Titans would pull it out. On 1st down and 10, Collins just missed the game winning touchdown pass in the back of the inzone. On 2nd and 10 with 20 seconds left, an offensive line that was missing half of its players due to injurys let a Western defender get through the backfield and sack QB Branden Cresap causing him to fumble the ball just as he was about to make a pass to a wide open recieve in the inzone. Western won 31-26, but that is a game I am sure that the players and fans will never forget. I know I won't forget it. That was probably to most exciting football game I have been too. The Titans remarkable first season came to an end in the regional championship.
In Volleyball, the Titans cruised through the regular season, posting a 20-2 record, losing only to Whitefield Academy and Pleasure Ridge Park, both in 3 sets. The Titans captured the 30th District Championship with a 2-1 win over crosstown rival Shelby County, the first 30th District Championship in school history in any sport. The Titans then faced a very tough South Oldham team in the first round of the region and lost a very close match 13-25, 23-25. The Lady Titans ended their first season ever with a record of 22-3.
In Boys Soccer, the Titans were ranked in the Top 25 throughout the year. The Titans, who play in the very tough 16th District, were knocked out in the district semifinals by one of the top teams in the state, South Oldham, 2-1 in overtime. They ended their first season ever with a record of 14-6-1.
In Girls Soccer, the very young Lady Titans had a solid first season going 9-8-2 against a very tough schedule.
In Boys Basketball, the Titans returned only one player that saw significant minutes in the season before at Shelby County. The Titans were very young with only 2 seniors, but they had quite a bit of talent. The Titans hosted and won their very own tournament winning a double overtime thriller over Valley 81-79. They played very well in the Max Performance Invitational and ended up taking home 3rd Place. Towards the end of the season, the Titans found themselves down 17 in the 4th quarter at Nelson County. The Titans, however, did not quit and ended up winning the game 64-61 in overtime. Not only were they down by 17 in the 4th quarter but they were down by 10 with 46 seconds left. In the 30th District tournament the Titans fought off a much improved Shelby County team 45-40 to advance to the district championship game. They played a great game against a very good Spencer County team but lost 55-49. In the 8th Region Tournament, the Titans were upset by host Henry County 52-49 in the first round. It was a disappointing end to a great first season for the Titans who went 18-12.
In Girls Basketball, the Lady Titans were VERY young with no seniors on their roster and 5 middle school players. The Lady Titans battled injuries all year long loosing two players to ACL injuries and had at least 3 starters who sprained their ankles. The Lady Titans relied on tough defense and nearly upset Anderson County and Bullitt East on the road thanks to their defense. The Lady Titans defeated Spencer County 52-29 in the district semifinals and lost a hard fought game 57-48 to Anderson County in the district championship. They went on to the regional tournament where they nearly upset South Oldham who was ranked 15th in the state by The Courier-Journal. The Lady Titans finished their first season with a record of 15-15.
In baseball, the Titans had a very successful first season under coach Roy Bailey. They started out the season with 3 wins, including a 2-1 win at Tates Creek, one of the top teams in the state. The Titans battled the weather all year long having many, many rain outs. They blasted 4 home runs in a 12-1 win at South Oldham and had a perfect game in a 10-0 5 inning win over Campbellsville. The Titans slipped up in the district championship falling 10-7 to Anderson County. In the first round of the region the Titans faced a tough Oldham County team and lost a hard fought game 6-5. They ended the season with a 18-7 record.
In softball, the Lady Titans had a great first season. The Lady Titans won their first game ever 2-0 at Sacred Heart. Later in the season, the Lady Titans won a pitchers duel 1-0 in 8 innings at Spencer County. On April 19th, the Lady Titans nearly upset Mercy but ended up losing 1-0. They gave up only 4 hits to one of the top teams in the state and Mercy's only run was scored on an error. At the end of April, Collins hosted the Breast Cancer Awareness Classic, a round robin tournament. They went 3-0 in the tournament, hitting many home runs and raising lots of money for Susan G. Komen for the cure. Pitcher Jeneca Thomas struck out 13 in a 7-2 win over North Bullitt. In May, the Lady Titans went to Boyle County where they beat many good teams but fell short in the championship game losing 5-4 against 14th ranked Franklin County after giving up 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th. In the Crusade For Children Tournament at Assumption, the Lady Titans defeated 7th Region runner-up Eastern 3-2. In the district tournament Collins defeated a tough Anderson County team 4-0, which was the only time Anderson County was shutout the whole season. In the championship game the Titans were able to score 4 runs off of a very talented pitcher and held off a Spencer County rally to win the 30th District Championship 4-2. In the regional tournament the Lady Titans rallied to beat South Oldham 2-1 on a very hot Memorial Day. In the regional semifinals the Lady Titans rallied from being down 4-0 to beat a very talented Grant County team 6-4. In that game freshman Sydney Cloyd hit a 3 run home run to tie the game in the 6th inning. Collins was able to get 10 hits off of 8th Region Player of the Year Katelyn Roy. In the regional championship the Lady Titans were rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game a 3 but they had too many errors and left too many runners in scoring position and fell to Walton-Verona 4-3. They ended their first season with a record of 23-15.