Bluegrassrivals

Warren Central got punched in the mouth Friday night, but all it did was light a fire.
The Dragons (7-0) scored 27 unanswered points after falling behind early against Ballard, surging to a 34-17 win at WCHS.
The Dragons, ranked third in Class 5A, fell behind 17-7 in the first quarter but didn’t allow the Bruins (3-3) to score again.

“They tested our character early, and we showed it,” senior quarterback Michael Bush said. “We worked hard, came back with good intensity when they hit us, and I liked it.”

Ballard, ranked 10th in Class 6A, scored first with a 37-yard field goal at the 8:06 mark of the first quarter.

Warren Central answered with a 20-yard TD strike from Bush to junior receiver Chris Porter-Bunton, but Ballard scored two straight touchdowns to open its largest lead of the night.

Ballard junior running back Bennie Berry found the end zone on an 11-yard run with 2:47 to play in the first quarter, and senior defensive back Joe Hurrigan scooped up a blocked Warren Central punt on the next drive, taking it 30 yards for a score and a 17-7 lead with 38 seconds left in the first frame.

That’s when the switch flipped for the Dragons.

“We were there, but not mentally,” Porter-Bunton said. “We had to pick it up, and on offense, we’ve got so many guys that can come in and make a play.”

The Dragons showed that explosiveness just before the half with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Bush to senior running back Trevent Green that cut their deficit to 17-14 at halftime.

“(Coach Mike) Rogers got us going,” Bush said. “He got fired up and got us going. Defensively, we had a great game plan and matched up well against them.”

The defense rose to the occasion after the break, as Warren Central limited Ballard to 26 second-half rushing yards and intercepted quarterback Tyler Owen three times, including a 55-yard return TD by junior defensive back Rondell Green that made it 20-17 at the 5:51 mark of the third quarter.

“We mixed up coverage on them,” Rogers said. “They were no-huddling, and we tried to no-huddle the defense to counter it. We took a chance there, broke on it and took advantage.”

Ballard muffed the ensuing kickoff and the Dragons recovered at the Bruins’ 18-yard line. Four plays later, senior running back Kenin Reed punched his way into the end zone from 3 yards out.

Reed rushed for a game-high 119 yards on 14 carries.

The intensity was markedly higher for the Dragons in the second half, Rogers said, despite a rash of penalties that slowed their momentum.

“They had two weeks to prepare for us,” Rogers said. “(Ballard coach) Mike (Jackson) is an old wing-T guy, and he gave us some things and kept us off-balance. A game like this – there was management on the field, I’ll say, that let the game get out of control.

“Way too many penalties that I frankly didn’t agree with. I can say this – I know what the NFL guys went through in the preseason.”

Two of the penalties that drew Rogers’ ire came on Ballard’s next possession.

With the Bruins facing fourth-and-9 at their own 36, Warren Central was called for a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a punt, and Rogers was flagged for a personal foul after jawing at the refs. The two penalties moved Ballard 29 yards upfield into WCHS territory.

The Dragons started trying to rile the crowd, and three plays later, Porter-Bunton picked off Owen to end the threat.

They capped their scoring with 10:05 to play with a 46-yard TD run by Rondell Green, who finished the game with 91 rushing yards – 88 of them in the second half.

“We underestimated them,” Rondell Green said. “Coach gave us that halftime talk, and we came out and played.”

Ballard had one more chance midway through the fourth quarter. The Bruins faked a field goal on fourth down and Owen heaved a pass to one of three wide-open receivers in the end zone, but the ball was dropped.

The Dragons outgained Ballard 280-236. Bush finished 6 of 17 passing for 94 yards and two touchdowns, and Porter-Bunton caught three passes for 33 yards.

Trevent Green rushed for 70 yards and caught two passes for 46 more.

Owen was 13 of 20 passing for Ballard for 136 yards with three interceptions. BHS senior receiver Cam Lewis had six catches for 73 yards.

Warren Central is off next week for fall break before the much-anticipated showdown with top-ranked district foe Bowling Green at 7 p.m. Oct. 12. Both teams will enter at 7-0, and the Purples were the only team to defeat WCHS last season.

It can be easy to look ahead, Rogers said, but the Dragons will proceed as if it’s business as usual.

“We don’t want to get them too excited,” he said. “There will be plenty of that the next week.”

BHS 17 0 0 0 – 17

WCHS 7 7 13 7 – 34

First quarter

BHS – Fantini 37 field goal, 8:06

WC – Porter-Bunton 20 pass from Bush (Bowen kick), 4:37

BHS – Berry 11 run (Fantini kick), 2:47

BHS – Hurrigan 30 punt return (Fantini kick), 0:38

Second quarter

WC – T. Green 29 pass from Bush (Bowen kick), 1:06

Third quarter

WC – R. Green 55 interception return (kick failed), 5:51

WC – Reed 3 run (Bowen kick), 5:12

Fourth quarter

WC – R. Green 46 run (Bowen kick), 10:05


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