EASTERN, Ky. (WMDJ) – Betsy Layne crashed Floyd Central’s first-ever Alumni Night festivities scoring a pair of touchdowns in the first four minutes of the contest on their way to an overwhelming 56-32 win Friday night.
The Bobcats were very efficient offensively scoring on eight of their 10 possessions and piling up 393 total yards of offense.
The scoring started quickly with senior running back Andrew McCutcheon taking a hand-off from junior quarterback Carter Parsons 47-yards for the games first score :47 seconds into the game. 6-0 Bobcats.
After forcing Floyd Central into a three-and-out, the Jaguars poorly punted the ball 16-net yards, giving Betsy Layne the football at the Jaguars 42-yard line at the 8:55 mark. In less than a minute, senior fullback Westin Harris rushed for a 16-yard touchdown, followed by running a successful two-point conversion to give Betsy Layne at 14-0 lead.
The Jaguars responded by orchestrating a 6-minute scoring drive capped by senior quarterback Colt Shelton’s 5-yard run. A failed two-point conversion attempt with 2:03 left in the first quarter made the score 14-6.
Betsy Layne would cash in on two more possessions in the second quarter, both touchdown passes from Parsons. The first was a 14-yard pass to McCutcheon at the 11:53 mark, the next 44-yard strike to junior wideout Isaiah Allen. The Bobcats extended their lead 30-6 with 3:04 left before the half.
Floyd Central quickly put together a 4-play, 54-yard drive as the Jaguars exposed Betsy Layne’s inability to cover the pass. Shelton hit freshman wide receiver Wesley Buck on a beautiful 24-yard touchdown throw to bring the Jaguars closer at 30-12.
Betsy Layne’s poor clock management left points on the field on the final possession of the half. The Bobcats lined up at the 2-yard line with :12 seconds left with Parsons taking a quarterback keeper to the right and stopped just short of the goal line and rather than take a timeout, the clock expired with Betsy Layne leading 30-12.
The Jaguars attempted to make a game of it by opening the third quarter on a 9-play, nearly 5-minute drive resulting in a Shelton’s second rushing touchdown of the night. Floyd Central pulled within 10-points, 30-20 with 7:04 left in the quarter.
Betsy Layne decided to give Floyd Central a dose of its own medicine in terms of ball control, keeping the ball for 5:45 seconds and running 11-plays for 44-yards and scoring again on a 12-yard run by McCutcheon. The conversion attempt failed, yet Betsy Layne increased their lead 36-20 with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.
Floyd Central finally answered with another long scoring drive as sophomore fullback Ethan Curry capped an 11-play, 44-yard drive pulling the Jaguars back to a 10-point deficit, 36-26 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Betsy Layne would prove to be too much as Parsons ran for a 23-yard score in just three plays. The Bobcats would cause the only turnover of the night when senior linebacker Tye Isom intercepted Shelton’s pass with 4:48 left in the game, returning the ball for a 45-yard score, making the final 56-32.
Although the offense was steady, the Bobcats will need to clean up self-inflicted penalites. Betsy Layne committed 22-penalties for 159 yards including nine offside penalties.
Floyd Central falls to (0-5) on the season. The Jaguars have endured winless streaks of five or more games in three of the last four seasons: 7-straight in 2021, 9-straight losses in 2022 and now five straight losses to start the 2024 season.
The win sets up a showdown between undefeated rivals as Betsy Layne (5-0) will meet Prestonsburg (5-0) at Blackcat Stadium/Josh Francis Field this Friday. It’ll be the first time ever that both teams enter the game with (5-0) marks.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. and you can watch/listen to the game on WMDJ.
