Topic: Football
Belfry vs. Central
Class 3A Championship Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl
Houchens/LT Smith WKU
Bowling Green, KY
December 3, 2016
© 2016 by Ron Harrison
Belfry utilized their relentless ground game (407 yards and five touchdowns on 46 carries) to defeat a very athletic, determined Central squad by a score of 52-31. Coach Philip Haywood’s Belfry squad finishes their season at 14-1 while Central coached by Ty Scroggins finishes their season at 9-6. Belfry recorded 17 first downs and 407 yards of total offense. The Pirates were penalized six times for 60 yards. Central recorded 17 first downs and 394 yards of total offense. The Yellow Jackets were penalized 11 times for 93 yards and had three passes intercepted.
Derek Wellman led Belfry’s ground game with 195 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Cameron Catron carried the ball six times for 106 yards and one touchdown. Taveon Hunter added 92 yards and two touchdowns on five carries. Belfry did not attempt a pass in this game but averaged 8.8 yards per rushing attempt. Chase Dove led the defense with five solo and three assisted tackles with 2.5 of his tackles resulting in losses totaling 14 yards. Devin Varney added six solo tackles and intercepted two passes with 10 return yards on the two picks including a 10 yard return for a touchdown. Cameron Catron also returned a kickoff 46 yards for a touchdown. Austin Woolums added five solo and one assisted tackles with one interception. Derek Wellman also recorded five solo and one assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling four yards. Rayquan Horton added three solo and one assisted tackles with 2.5 of his tackles resulting in losses totaling nine yards.
Corey Johnson led Central’s ground game with 41 yards on 10 carries. James Simpson completed 19 of 38 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions. Rico White caught eight passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Ukruri Baker added seven receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown. Davon Hall caught two passes for 14 yards and a touchdown. Ukruri Baker returned five kickoffs for 109 yards with a long return of 34 yards. Micqeal Branch punted twice for a 51.0 average with a long punt of 61 yards with one punt inside the 20 yard line. Jonathan Dooley led the defense with seven solo and two assisted tackles with one of his tackles resulting in a three yard loss. Ronald Jackson added five solo and four assisted tackles. Luke Bowman recorded four solo and three assisted tackles.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Belfry | 14 | 3 | 14 | 21 | 52 |
| Central | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 31 |
| BELFRY | - | Cameron Catron 58 yard run (Austin Woolums kick) |
| CENTRAL | - | Rico White 24 yard pass from James Simpson (S. Francisco kick) |
| BELFRY | - | Derek Wellman 64 yard run (Austin Woolums kick) |
| BELFRY | - | Austin Woolums kicks a 29 yard field goal |
| BELFRY | - | Devin Varney 10 yard interception return (Austin Woolums kick) |
| BELFRY | - | Derek Wellman 1 yard run (Austin Woolums kick) |
| BELFRY | - | Taveon Hunter 47 yard run (Austin Woolums kick) |
| CENTRAL | - | Ukruri Baker 57 yard pass from James Simpson (Rico White pass from James Simpson) |
| CENTRAL | - | Davon Hall 18 yard pass from James Simpson (Quincey Baines pass from James Simpson) |
| BELFRY | - | Taveon Hunter 38 yard run (Austin Woolums kick) |
| CENTRAL | - | Rico White 4 yard pass from James Simpson (James Simpson run) |
| BELFRY | - | Cameron Catron 46 yard kickoff return (Austin Woolums kick) |
Selected Statistics
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Derek Wellman | 26 | 195 | 7.5 | 64 |
| Cameron Catron | 6 | 106 | 17.7 | 58 |
| Taveon Hunter | 5 | 92 | 18.4 | 47 |
| Andrew Fletcher | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Noah Corbett | 6 | 5 | 0.8 | 3 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
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| Central | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Corey Johnson | 10 | 41 | 4.1 | 24 |
| James Simpson | 13 | 25 | 1.9 | 12 |
| C. Jones | 7 | 18 | 2.6 | 5 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| James Simpson | 38-19-3 | 310 | 4 | 57 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Rico White | 8 | 95 | 2 | 40 |
| Ukruri Baker | 7 | 187 | 1 | 57 |
| Davon Hall | 2 | 14 | 1 | 18 |
| Corey Johnson | 2 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to WL Stats and the KHSAA for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.