LONDON — John Hines’ South Laurel Cardinals turned in their best offensive effort of the season during their 41-14 win over Estill County on Friday.
The Cardinals (3-1) scored early and often against the outmanned Generals, scoring the game’s first 34 points before Estill County finally scored with six minutes remaining in the game.
South Laurel forced five turnovers leading to 21 points.
“We are very proud of the effort our team gave tonight,” Hines said. “Players played hard in all phases of the game. Had some great performances on the defensive side by Noah Smith, Tim Thompson, Braxten Caroll, Bridger Ray, Liam Newton, and as always, Waylon Hensley in the secondary.
“Offensively, Mason Griffin had another outstanding outing throwing the football,” he added. “Strong performances by Wes Dowell, and explosive performance by Zach Thomas. Zach also had a kick off return for a touchdown. It was a huge play in the game. Garrison Brown had a big game, and we’re proud of the progress that our offensive line is making. Good to have James Cox back in the lineup.
We had a lot of rust to throw off after being out for a week. But I’m proud of the way. The players came back and rebounded. It’s always good to win. Go Cards.”
A fumble recovery by the Cardinals with 9:50 remaining in the first quarter set up Mason Griffin’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Garrison Brown, giving South Laurel an early 7-0 lead.
Noah Smith added a rushing score at the 3:40 mark of the first quarter to push the Cardinals’ lead to 13-0.
Smith followed with another touchdown at the 8:30 mark of the second quarter, but this time he scored on defense. He intercepted a pass and ran it back for the score, giving South Laurel a 20-0 edge.
The Cardinals forced two more turnovers in the first half but failed to score.
Griffin threw his second touchdown pass of the game in the third quarter (4:50), connecting with freshman Zach Thomas, increasing South Laurel’s lead to 27-0.
An interception by Waylon Hensley set up Griffin’s touchdown pass to Wes Dowell, making the score 34-0.
Estill County scored two touchdowns to cut its deficit to 34-14, but Thomas put the finishing touches on the win with an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
