Topic: Football
Southwestern vs. Mercer County
Whitaker Bank Game
Alvis Johnson Field
Harrodsburg, KY
September 17, 2021
© 2021 by Ron Harrison
Southwestern’s Caleb Moore missed a 26 yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining on the clock and Mercer County held on for a 22-21 victory. The score was tied 7-7 late in the second quarter and Mercer County moved the ball down the field but was stopped in the final seconds of the half on a 4th and goal from the one yard line by the Southwestern defense. Mercer County took a 22-13 early in the final quarter but Southwestern pulled to within one point; 22-21 on a touchdown and two point conversion run with 5;16 left in the game. Southwestern got the ball back but failed on the field goal attempt in the closing seconds of the game. Mercer County recorded 15 first downs and 279 yards of total offense. The Titans were penalized seven times for 55 yards. Southwestern recorded 15 first downs and 336 yards of total offense. Southwestern was penalized five times for 55 yards.
Brayden Dunn led Mercer County’s ground game with 139 yards on 19 carries. Jackson Peavler carried the ball eight times for 44 yards and a touchdown. Wyatt Sanford added 10 yards and a touchdown on three carries. Trosper Buchanon completed seven of 12 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Ronnie Russell caught one pass for 37 yards. Jackson Peavler added a 34 yard touchdown reception. Brayden Dunn returned a kickoff for 53 yards.
Christian Walden led Southwestern’s ground game with 130 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Giddeon Brainard carried the ball 13 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. Tanner Wright recorded 73 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Ryan Anderson completed five of 10 passes for 45 yards. Dev Patel caught two passes for 23 yards. Giddeon Brainard added a 15 yard reception. Jonas Gallagher and Christian Walden each returned a kickoff for 25 and 19 yards respectively.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Southwestern | 0 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 |
| Mercer County | 0 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 |
| MERCERCO | - | Jackson Peavler 24 yard run (Jonah Lewis kick) |
| SOUTHWESTERN | - | Tanner Wright 1 yard run (Caleb Moore kick) |
| MERCERCO | - | Wyatt Sanford 1 yard run (Brayden Dunn run) |
| SOUTHWESTERN | - | Giddeon Brainard 24 yard run (Tanner Wright run fails) |
| MERCERCO | - | Jackson Peavler 34 yard pass from Trosper Buchanon (Jonah Lewis kick) |
| SOUTHWESTERN | - | Christian Walden 3 yard run (Tanner Wright run) |
Selected Statistics
| Southwestern | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Christian Walden | 9 | 130 | 14.4 | **** |
| Giddeon Brainard | 13 | 88 | 6.8 | **** |
| Tanner Wright | 15 | 73 | 4.9 | **** |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Ryan Anderson | 10-5-0 | 45 | 0 | **** |
| Collin Burton | 1-0-0 | 0 | 0 | **** |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Dev Patel | 2 | 23 | 0 | **** |
| Giddeon Brainard | 1 | 15 | 0 | **** |
| Jonas Gallagher | 1 | 5 | 0 | **** |
| Kaden Hewitt | 1 | 2 | 0 | **** |
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| Mercer County | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Brayden Dunn | 19 | 139 | 7.3 | **** |
| Jackson Peavler | 8 | 44 | 5.5 | **** |
| Wyatt Sanford | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | **** |
| Riley Peavler | 1 | -9 | -9.0 | **** |
| Trosper Buchanon | 2 | -13 | -6.5 | **** |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Trosper Buchanon | 12-7-0 | 108 | 1 | **** |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Ronnie Russell | 1 | 37 | 0 | **** |
| Jackson Peavler | 1 | 34 | 1 | **** |
| Thaddeus Mays | 2 | 19 | 0 | **** |
| Austin Beasley | 1 | 13 | 0 | **** |
| Jalen Lukitsch | 2 | 5 | 0 | **** |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the Southwestern Stats Crew 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.