PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) – In case you haven’t noticed, football is back in the Star City.
The Prestonsburg Blackcats revived the spirit of a proud football town this season, winning their first nine games under first-year head coach and former Blackcat standout Wes Hager.
After winning their first two playoff games, the Blackcats found themselves two steps away from a state championship appearance for the first time in a decade.
Standing in their way in the regional finals though was a familiar postseason foe, the Somerset Briar Jumpers.
The game was a rematch, exactly 11-years to the day, when Somerset held off the Blackcats to reach the state semifinals at Josh Francis Field.
It was a cold, blustery night which played a major factory, yet Somerset never trailed, ending the Blackcats season with a 23-6 victory.
Prestonsburg had their chances.
Trailing 16-6 to start the third quarter, the Blackcats took the first possession of the quarter down inside the Someset 9-yard line. On fourth-and-seven, senior Dalton Elliott, who battled a groin injury throughout the game, was inserted at quarterback and looked to pass to junior Kain Patton who was in motion going to his left with a head full of steam. However, Somerset senior linebacker Zach Koger picked off the pass stopping the Blackcats with 6:35 left in the third.
The Blackcats were able to hold Somerset deep in their own territory, forcing a punt from their own endzone with Prestonsburg taking over at the Briar Jumpers’ 30-yard line.
Prestonsburg’s offense would stall again inside the redzone for a second consecutive time as Bryce Holbrook’s pass fell incomplete inside the 5-yard line, giving the ball back on downs to Somerset with 2:20 left in the third.
All told, Prestonsburg had the ball in the redzone on three different occasions in the game and came up empty each time.
Somerset would nickel and dime the Blackcat defense, letting the clock roll while picking up small yardage gains on the legs of junior running back Kris Hughes, capped off by a 6-yard run by Hughes for what proved to be the game's final score, chewing up nearly 9 minutes off the clock and extended their lead 23-6.
The Briar Jumpers flexed their defensive muscles early, picking up a safety with 4:06 to play in the first quarter as Holbrook drifted back into his own endzone under pressure and was sacked on a 3rd-and-12 passing play.
Somerset would take the short Prestonsburg kick to pay dirt for their first touchdown of the night with 2:07 left in the first quarter. Hughes ran in the score from eight yards away to make the score 9-0 Briar Jumpers.
Prestonsburg would get what would turn out to be their only score on a 20-yard run by Patton with 2:16 to play in the second quarter, tightening the score to 9-6 after a failed 2-point conversion.
Somerset would march straight down field on the next drive as senior quarterback Josh Bruner connected with Isaiah Lewis on a 38-yard touchdown pass, giving the Briar Jumpers 16-6 halftime lead.
Patton stepped up in place of Elliott rushing for 151 yards on 24 attempts and scored the only touchdown for Prestonsburg. Overall, Prestonsburg was held to 184 total yards of offense and only 77-yards in the first half.
Somerset turned the ball over three times, yet still was able to win time of possession and make timely stops of the Blackcats inside the redzone to help seal the victory.
The Briar Jumpers ran 50 plays for 284 total yards. Bruner was 7-for-12 passing for 115 yards and 1 touchdown along with 1 interception. Hughes led the ground attack 138 yards on 29 carries and a pair of touchdowns.
The Briar Jumpers earn a rematch with undefeated Owensboro Catholic, after falling to the Aces 44-13 last season in the state semifinals.
Prestonsburg's season comes to a close at (11-2) after falling to the Briar Jumpers for the eighth consecutive time in as many matchups.
