Lexington Kentucky
November 22, 2002
©2002 by Ron Harrison
Henry Clay (8-4) vs. Paul L. Dunbar (8-4) November 22, 2002
Coach Sam Simpson's Henry Clay Blue Devils have a diversified attack and can either beat you through the air or with a punishing ground attack. QB David Buchanan has completed 113 of 203 passes for 1641 yards and 18 touchdowns. His favorite receiver has been Aubrey White who has caught 54 passes for 829 yards and nine touchdowns. The Blue Devils also have another long-range receiving threat in Demetric Blackburn who has caught 18 passes for 396 yards (22.0 yards per catch) and four scores. Isaiah Stewart has carried the ball 152 times for 1019 yards and 12 TDs. Demetric Blackburn has rushed for 644 yards and six touchdowns on 74 rushing attempts. The Blue Devil defense has been led by linebackers Josh Wright and Adrian Morton.
Coach Mark Peach's Dunbar Bulldogs appear to have peaked at the right time. QB Josh Ellis has thrown for 2746 yards and 26 touchdowns. TE Clint Keller has 46 receptions for 779 yards and nine scores while WR Aaron Mason has 43 catches for 793 yards and eight touchdowns. Bobby Vyverberg has blossomed as a threat on the ground, rushing for 749 yards this season including 174 last week in a playoff win over Scott County. The Bulldog defense has been led by Rick Jones and Mark Wethington.
Paul Dunbar had heroes galore on both sides of the ball tonight as they defeated Henry Clay 49-28. The Bulldogs got great individual performances from Josh Ellis, Aaron Mason, Clint Keller and Bobby Vyverberg. The huge Dunbar offensive line played great again tonight and the opportunistic defense forced six Henry Clay turnovers. One of the costly turnovers occurred with the score Dunbar 21, Henry Clay 14. Henry Clay's Demetric Blackburn returned a kickoff 67 yards to the Dunbar 18 and it looked like Henry Clay was on their way to knotting the score. However, Henry Clay lost a fumble at the Dunbar 11 and the Blue Devils never could close the gap.
Dunbar was led tonight by Josh Ellis who completed 13 of 23 passes for 306 yards and four TD passes. Aaron Mason caught five passes for 164 yards and TD receptions of 56, 81, and eight yards. Mason also scored on a 66 yard interception return. Clint Keller had five receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Bobby Vyverberg had another big evening as he carried the ball 14 times for 122 yards and two scores. Dunbar held a 478-303 yard edge in total offense. Henry Clay was led by tonight QB David Buchanan who completed 14 passes out of 21 attempts for 149 yards and a TD pass. Chase Marcinek had four receptions for 74 yards while Aubrey White caught four passes for 32 yards. Demetric Blackburn had 97 yards on 10 rushing attempts.
Scoring Summary
| Paul L. Dunbar | 49 | Henry Clay | 28 |
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Henry Clay | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Paul L. Dunbar | 7 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
| PLD | - Aaron Mason 56 yard pass from Josh Ellis (Carson Kerr kick) |
| HC | - Josh McCarty 3 yard pass from David Buchanan (Peter Mashni kick) |
| HC | - Buchanan 12 yard run (Mashni kick) |
| PLD | - Mason 81 yard pass from Ellis (Kerr kick) |
| PLD | - Mason 66 yard interception return (Kerr kick) |
| PLD | - Mason 8 yard pass from Ellis (Kerr kick) |
| PLD | - Bobby Vyverberg 20 yard run (Kerr kick) |
| HC | - Mitch Tarnofsky 82 yard fumble return (Mashni kick) |
| PLD | - Vyverberg 32 yard run (Kerr kick) |
| HC | - Buchanan 2 yard run (Mashni kick) |
| PLD | - Clint Keller 24 yard pass from Ellis (Kerr kick) |
Selected Statistics
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long | Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long | |
| Demetric Blackburn | 10 | 97 | 9.7 | 51 | Bobby Vyverberg | 14 | 122 | 8.7 | 40 | |
| Isaiah Stewart | 15 | 39 | 2.6 | 13 | Thurman Clay | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 14 | |
| David Buchanan | 5 | 38 | 7.6 | 37 | Wayne Thurman | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 7 | |
| Rod Johnson | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | Aaron Mason | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 11 | |
| Josh McCarty | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | Markell Webb | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | 5 | |
| Clayton Heien | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | Josh Ellis | 3 | -16 | -5.3 | 2 | |
| Tyler Sexton | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | ||||||
| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long | Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long | |
| David Buchanan | 21-14-2 | 149 | 1 | 36 | Josh Ellis | 23-13-0 | 306 | 4 | 81 | |
| Justin Farmer | 1-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long | Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long | |
| Chase Marcinek | 4 | 74 | 0 | 36 | Aaron Mason | 5 | 164 | 3 | 81 | |
| Aubrey White | 4 | 32 | 0 | 20 | Clint Keller | 5 | 113 | 1 | 29 | |
| Demetric Blackburn | 3 | 16 | 0 | 8 | Thurman Clay | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | |
| Josh McCarty | 2 | 23 | 1 | 20 | Monte Mayberry | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | |
| Alan Waddell | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Ryan Combs | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to WL Stats for providing the comprehensive statistics for tonight's game.
Other Games of Interest
Class A Playoffs
| Mayfield | 41 | Crittenden County | 12 | |
| Danville | 24 | Louisville Christian | 8 | |
| Beechwood | 20 | Newport Central Catholic | 0 | |
| Middlesboro | 25 | Pikeville | 13 |
Class 2A Playoffs
| Webster County | 21 | Owensboro Catholic | 16 | |
| Corbin | 21 | LaRue County | 0 | |
| Russell | 11 | Mason County | 8 | |
| Breathitt County | 21 | Belfry | 0 |
Class 3A Playoffs
| Hopkinsville | 21 | Paducah Tilghman | 7 | |
| Boyle County | 45 | Bullitt East | 0 | |
| Rockcastle County | 31 | Bell County | 14 | |
| Ft. Thomas Highlands | 31 | Lexington Catholic | 24 |
Class 4A Playoffs
| Henderson County | 34 | Christian County | 26 | |
| Male | 51 | St. Xavier | 26 | |
| Louisville Trinity | 41 | Boone County | 3 | |
| Paul Dunbar | 49 | Henry Clay | 28 |
Eight Man State Championship
| Kentucky Country Day | 37 | Bethlehem | 21 |
