Jason Chappell’s North Laurel Jaguars found themselves in another battle for the third consecutive week, and for the third time in a row, they came out on the winning end.
Led by another impressive defensive effort, and a two-touchdown performance by running back Ethan Gregory, the Jaguars improved to 3-1 while defeating Barren County, 29-7, on Friday.
Both teams went toe-to-toe during the first half before seeing North Laurel’s defense rise to the occasion and make a goal line stand late in the first half.
The Jaguars failed to move the ball on their ensuing possession, and eventually attempted to punt but it was blocked by a Trojan player as Tanner Harper recovered in the end zone to give his team a 7-0 lead with 2:06 remaining in the first half.
North Laurel came out looking like a different team in the second half as Ethan Gregory’s five-yard touchdown run with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter combined with Tucker Warren’s two-point conversion gave the Jaguars their first lead of the game at 8-7.
After North Laurel’s defense made another stop, the Jaguars went back to work on offense again, as Gregory notched his second rushing touchdown, a one-yarder, while Warren added the two-point conversion, increasing their team’s lead to 16-7 with 4:01 left in the third quarter.
Keaton Bowling added a 17-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter for the Jaguars while Warren connected with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Miller to wrap-up the scoring for the Jaguars.
North Laurel will be back in action Thursday on the road against winless South Laurel (0-5) at 7:30 p.m. The Jaguars are winners of three straight against the Cardinals while winning 11 of their last 12 games against their crosstown counterparts.
