Topic: Football
Franklin County vs. Johnson Central
Class 4A UK Orthopaedics State Football Finals Semi-Final
Johnson Central High School
Paintsville, KY
November 26, 2021
© 2021 by Ron Harrison
Johnson Central scored the last 21 points of the game to give the Golden Eagles a 42-24 victory over Franklin County and avenge a loss to the Flyers in last seasons’ playoffs. It looked like the game would be decided early as Johnson County utilized their wishbone offense to lead 21-7 in the second quarter and go to the intermission with a 21-10 lead. However Franklin County was not through as they roared back with touchdowns runs by Gavin Hurst and Kaden Moorman to take a 24-21 lead in the third quarter. Momentum had definitely switched to Franklin County as they pinned Johnson County back on their own 9 yard line but the game momentum abruptly changed again as Johnson Central’s RB Zack McCoart took the ball outside and raced 91 yards to put the Golden Eagles ahead 28-24. Johnson Central then made a defensive stop deep in their own territory and went on a drive that culminated in another McCoart touchdown which put them back in the driver’s seat.
Johnson Central recorded 17 first downs and 460 yards of total offense. The Golden Eagles were penalized five times for 54 yards and lost a fumble. Franklin County recorded 22 first downs and 351 yards of total offense. The Flyers were penalized nine times for 70 yards, lost a fumble, and had a pass intercepted.
Zack McCoart carried the ball 13 times for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Chase Price added 105 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Grant Rice recorded 64 yards on 11 carries and Matt Crum chipped in with 49 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Grant Rice completed two of three passes for 37 yards. Jacob Cain and Zack McCoart each caught a pass for 31 and six yards respectively.
Kaden Moorman led Franklin County’s ground game with 118 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Gavin Hurst carried the ball 13 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. Gavin Hurst completed 20 of 29 passes for 156 yards with one interception. Zach Claudio caught eight passes for 59 yards. Braedyn Tracy added six receptions for 52 yards. Kaden Moorman recorded five receptions for 42 yards.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Franklin County | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Johnson Central | 8 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| JCENTRAL | - | Zack McCoart 68 yard run (Grant Rice run) |
| FRANKLIN | - | Kaden Moorman 3 yard run (Easton Powell kick) |
| JCENTRAL | - | Chase Price 25 yard run (Run fails) |
| JCENTRAL | - | Chase Price 20 yard run (Sawyer Crum kick) |
| FRANKLIN | - | Easton Powell kicks a 31 yard field goal |
| FRANKLIN | - | Gavin Hurst 12 yard run (Easton Powell kick) |
| FRANKLIN | - | Kaden Moorman 50 yard run (Easton Powell kick) |
| JCENTRAL | - | Zack McCoart 91 yard run (Sawyer Crum kick) |
| JCENTRAL | - | Zack McCoart 8 yard run (Sawyer Crum kick) |
| JCENTRAL | - | Matt Crum 32 yard run (Sawyer Crum kick) |
Selected Statistics
| Franklin County | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Kaden Moorman | 16 | 118 | 7.4 | **** |
| Gavin Hurst | 13 | 75 | 5.8 | **** |
| Peyton Ledford | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | **** |
| Team | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | **** |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Gavin Hurst | 29-20-1 | 156 | 0 | **** |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Zach Claudio | 8 | 59 | 0 | **** |
| Braedyn Tracy | 6 | 52 | 0 | **** |
| Kaden Moorman | 5 | 42 | 0 | **** |
| Blair Tate | 1 | 3 | 0 | **** |
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| Johnson Central | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Zack McCoart | 13 | 199 | 15.3 | **** |
| Chase Price | 12 | 105 | 8.8 | **** |
| Grant Rice | 11 | 64 | 5.8 | **** |
| Matt Crum | 7 | 49 | 7.0 | **** |
| Neal Copley | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | **** |
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| ||||
| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Grant Rice | 3-2-0 | 37 | 0 | **** |
|
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Jacob Cain | 1 | 31 | 0 | **** |
| Zack McCoart | 1 | 6 | 0 | **** |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Johnson Central for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.