HAZARD — Whitley County continues to show improvement week after week, and it wasn’t any different on Friday.
The Colonels traveled to Hazard and faced off against a Perry Central squad that earned a No. 8 ranking in the mountains.
Whitley County left with a 56-32 victory that improved the Colonels to 5-2 overall, and 1-0 in district play.
Matt Rhymer’s squad scored early, and often in the win, and will attempt to put an end to a 23-game losing skid to Corbin Friday when the two teams will meet at Campbell Field for a key district showdown.
“Great road win for our team,” Rhymer said. “We made a lot of big plays early and never looked back. We were able to run the ball well and that helped set up some pass plays that helped us separate.
“Our defense made some big plays when we needed it,” he added. “This win means a lot to our seniors, they have bought in from day one to turn this program in the right direction and I could not be more proud of them. We are a work in progress, this is a fun team to coach.”
The Colonels came out strong in the first quarter and surprised Perry Central on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Whitley County struck first as Tye Hamblin found Tyler Rose open for a five-yard touchdown pass to make the score 7-0 at the 7:51 mark of the first quarter.
The Colonels answered on the defensive side of the ball on the Commodores’ next possession as Hamblin intercepted a pass and raced 46 yards to push his team’s lead to 14-0 with 5:45 remaining in the first quarter.
Perry Central was able to move the football down the field on its ensuing possession, and found paydirt with 3:29 led in the first quarter to cut its deficit to 14-7.
Hamblin continued his impressive night in the second quarter, moving by the Colonels downfield while scoring on a two-yard run. Whitley County added the two-point conversion to give the Colonels a 22-7 edge with 9:11 remaining in the second quarter.
Whitley County took advantage of a turnover, and scored again in less than 20 seconds as EJ Allen scored on a one-yard run to push his team’s lead to 29-7.
The Colonels continued to dominate, and scored another touchdown before half.
Dee Parker broke free, and raced 63-yards for a score with 1:40 remaining in the second quarter while Whitley County’s lead grew to 36-7.
The Commodores managed to get something positive going on offense before halftime, scoring on a one-yard run to cut their deficit to 36-13.
Both teams’ defenses stepped up early in the third quarter, but the Colonels managed to find the end zone against as Hamblin’s nine-yard touchdown run increased Whitley County’s lead to 42-13.
Whitley County added two more touchdowns to seal the win as Cody Bryant picked up a fumble and raced into the end zone for a score while Ethan Allen found Hamblin open for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
