Please log in, or sign up for a new account and<\/span> purchase a subscription to continue reading. do not remove North Hardin High School head football coach Brent Thompson has seen rival Central Hardin enough over the last few years, either in person or on video, to know what makes the Bruins a dangerous opponent year in, year out.
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Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 74F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 41F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
<\/i> Updated: October 6, 2023 @ 9:08 am<\/small><\/p>\n
It\u2019s no different this season when the two Class 6-A, District 2 teams meet at 7:30 tonight in Cecilia in what will be the lone game this season featuring two Hardin County teams facing each other.
Actually when it comes to the Bruins\u2019 offense, Thompson said this may be the best \u201cset of running backs\u201d he has seen out of Central Hardin.
\u201cI think that their quarterback (senior Zak Spurrier) is a key part of their run game,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cHe is a great athlete and puts a lot of pressure on the defense. Their stable of running backs have allowed them to continue to run a different guy out there and get production from them. This set of running backs could be the best I have seen in a long time. Any of them can take a play to the house and they really look to enjoy blocking for each other.\u201d
Central Hardin head coach Tim Mattingly said the Bruins\u2019 running attack that averages 169.7 yards per game is built around a team approach to running the ball.
\u201cOur running game is dependent on our blocking and misdirection,\u201d Mattingly said. \u201cWe also try to distribute the ball around evenly to all our backs. We use the run typically to set up our passing game, which means we have to develop a strong ground game in order to make this work as we plan.
\u201cAll our backs, including our quarterback, have to understand the importance of play fakes to making our offense efficient,\u201d he added. \u201cWe can never take plays off when it comes to play fakes. We believe that a good play fake is equivalent to a good block.\u201d
Senior Mason Gardner has rushed for 546 yards and six TDs on 90 carries, while senior Walker Meredith has 61 carries for 435 yards and one score. He also has caught a team-high 15 passes for 194 yards and two TDs. Junior Jaxon Engstrand has 18 carries for 84 yards and four scores and Spurrier has 33 carries on the season.
Last year in a 38-7 win by the Bruins against North, Central Hardin rushed for 358 yards and accounted for all five touchdowns on the ground with Gardner scoring four times.
When they meet tonight, both teams are coming off district wins. The Bruins (3-4, 1-0) beat Warren Central on the road, 51-12, and North Hardin (2-4, 1-0) won at Barren County, 29-14.
Thompson calls the Bruins a \u201cbattle-tested team.\u201d
\u201cThey are a hard-nosed team,\u201d he said. \u201cThey play tremendous defense, run the ball and take advantage of your mistakes. Coach Mattingly and their staff continue to do a great job of getting their team ready each year to make a deep run in the playoffs. This year is no different.\u201d
While the North Hardin defense has to contend with an efficient Central Hardin running game, the Bruins\u2019 defense will go up against a North Hardin offense that has flourished in its passing game this season.
Of North Hardin\u2019s 2,389 yards of offense, 2,053 have come through the air as the Trojans spread the ball around with four receivers with at least 20 catches. Senior Shaun Boykins Jr., a University of Louisville commit, leads the way with 45 catches for 741 yards and 10 touchdowns in five games.
\u201cThey have really good receivers and can spread the field and really stretch the defense thin,\u201d Mattingly said. \u201cBoykins is one of the top receivers in the state and you better account for him on every play. Getting the ball in space to their playmakers is what they do best so you have to do a great job of tackling in the open field if you want to have a chance to contain them.\u201d
Sophomore Ronald Lunz has 29 catches for 475 yards and three scores, while junior Marian Jaudon has caught 22 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns and senior Will Ray has 20 receptions for 232 yards and a TD.
Sophomore quarterback Jakylin Kirkland, who has started the last two games, has passed for 756 yards with six TDs and nine interceptions. Sophomore DJ Loggins has thrown for 1,231 yards with 13 TDs and 12 interceptions.
\u201cNorth Hardin has played a difficult non-district schedule like us,\u201d Mattingly said. \u201cThey are a much better team than their record shows.\u201d
North Hardin has won five of the last seven meetings in the series.
Jeff D’Alessio can be reached at jdalessio@thenewsenterprise.com<\/a>
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