Topic: Football
2023FBPLDMC
Paul Laurence Dunbar vs. Mercer County
Alvis Johnson Field
Harrodsburg High School
Harrodsburg, KY
August 26, 2023
© 2023 by Ron Harrison
Mercer County outscored Paul Laurence Dunbar 28-7 after the intermission to pull away for a 42-17 victory. Mercer County recorded 17 first downs and 351 yards of total offense. The Titans were penalized 10 times for 70 yards. Paul Laurence Dunbar recorded 14 first downs and 274 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were penalized 11 times for 76 yards, lost a fumble, and had a pass intercepted.
Denim Griffieth led Mercer County’s ground game with 128 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Thaddeus Mays carried the ball 15 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Ashton Drakeford added 40 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. Malachi Davis chipped in with 27 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Thaddeus Mays completed seven of 17 passes for 68 yards. Ashton Drakeford caught four passes for 37 yards. Jackson Perry added two receptions for 28 yards. Ashton Drakeford returned one punt for six yards and one kickoff for 35 yards. Aiden McKinney led the defense with five solo tackles with four of his tackles resulting in losses totaling 28 yards. Ashton Drakeford added three solo and two assisted tackles. Cohen Sanford recorded three solo and one assisted tackles with one of his tackles resulting in a three yard loss. Kingston Mays recorded two solo tackles which resulted in losses totaling nine yards. Jayden Sailor recovered a fumble which he returned 10 yards and Denim Griffieth intercepted a pass he returned for 57 yards.
Anthony Boykin led Dunbar;s ground game with eight yards on two carries. Ethan Teall completed 24 of 43 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Trae Berry caught 10 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Conner Norsworthy caught seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Barrett added five receptions for 21 yards. Amontae Flynn returned two kickoffs for 28 yards with a long return of 17 yards. Ryan Barrett and AJ Hockaday each returned one kickoff for 14 and 12 yard respectively. Colton Turlington led the defense with seven solo and four assisted tackles. Anthony Flynn added five solo and two assisted tackles. Logan Pittmon recorded four solo and one assisted tackles.
Scoring Summary
School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
Paul Laurence Dunbar | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Mercer County | 0 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
DUNBAR | - | Ryan O’Hara kicks a 42 yard field goal |
MERCER | - | Thaddeus Mays 4 yard run (Brady Semrau kick) |
MERCER | - | Thaddeus Mays 1 yard run (Brady Semrau kick) |
DUNBAR | - | Trae Berry 64 yard pass from Ethan Teall (Ryan O’Hara kick) |
MERCER | - | Ashton Drakeford 11 yard run (Brady Semrau kick) |
MERCER | - | Denim Griffieth 5 yard run (Brady Semrau kick) |
DUNBAR | - | Conner Norsworthy 15 yard pass from Ethan Teall (Ryan O’Hara kick) |
MERCER | - | Ashton Drakeford 4 yard run (Brady Semrau kick) |
MERCER | - | Malachi Davis 5 yard run (Brady Semrau kick) |
Selected Statistics
Paul Laurence Dunbar | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Anthony Boykin | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 8 |
Pacifique Nduwa | 5 | 2 | 0.4 | 7 |
Ethan Teall | 9 | -18 | -2.0 | 10 |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Ethan Teall | 43-24-1 | 283 | 2 | 64 |
Steven Estepp | 4-3-0 | -1 | 0 | 6 |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Trae Berry | 10 | 126 | 1 | 64 |
Conner Norsworthy | 7 | 74 | 1 | 33 |
Ryan Barrett | 5 | 21 | 0 | 12 |
Kotaro Nagano | 2 | 18 | 0 | 13 |
Kyan Hall | 1 | 33 | 0 | 33 |
Brandon Richards | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Noe Kayembe | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| ||||
Mercer County | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Denim Griffieth | 14 | 128 | 9.1 | 28 |
Thaddeus Mays | 15 | 88 | 5.9 | 16 |
Ashton Drakeford | 6 | 40 | 6.7 | 17 |
Malachi Davis | 7 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 |
Team | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Thaddeus Mays | 17-7-0 | 68 | 0 | 19 |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Ashton Drakeford | 4 | 37 | 0 | 19 |
Jackson Perry | 2 | 28 | 0 | 15 |
Cameron Bottom | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to WL Stats 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.