SOMERSET — North Laurel dug themselves an early hole, and couldn’t recover, falling to Southwestern, 31-14, in second round action of the Class 5A playoffs.
The Jaguars finished the season with a 5-7 record which included wins over Bell County, Whitley County, Harlan County, Wayne County, and Montgomery County.
“I’m proud of this team and group of seniors,” North Laurel coach Steven Nelson said. “They battled through a lot of adversity this season and done a wonderful job sticking together. This is a tough place to play, and they played a great football game. This group of kids made my first season at North Laurel worth it and they will go on to be great young men.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Steven Nelson’s squad fell behind 3-0 after the Warriors connected with a field at the 8:06 mark of the second quarter.
After forcing the Jaguars to turn the ball over on downs, Braxton Walters scored on a one-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 10-0 edge with 2:38 left in the first half.
North Laurel answered with a touchdown at the 7:30 mark of the third quarter as Cooper Robinson’s touchdown run cut the Jaguars’ deficit to 10-7.
The Warriors followed with two touchdowns, taking a 24-7 advantage with 6:01 left.
Jude McWhorter’s touchdown pass to Colton Gilbert cut North Laurel’s deficit to 24-14 with 5:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, but another touchdown run by Walters secured the win for Southwestern.
