Lafayette (1-0) vs. East Jessamine (1-0) August 30, 2002

Mike Harmon enters his second season as head coach of the Lafayette Generals.  Lafayette finished 4-6 last season and it appears Coach Harmon has them headed in the right direction.  The Generals appear to be loaded at the running back positions with returning starters Elrazor Sharp and Cecil Jones.  Michael Murray (transfer from Tates Creek), Myron Russell, and Tony Rawlings will also challenge for playing time.  Spencer Fain is a long distance threat from WB, WR, and returning kicks.  Justin Albrecht and Brian Dinger are expected to split time at QB.  The Generals also have experience returning on the defensive side of the ball and with better depth and more talent this season could challenge for a playoff berth. 

Lafayette opened up with a 48-14 victory over Logan County.  They pounded out 345 yards on the ground and an opportunistic defense intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles.  Elrazor Sharp gained 130 yards on 15 carries and scored twice.  Michael Murray toted the pigskin seven times for 68 yards and a touchdown.  He added another TD on a 43 yard reception from Brian Dinger. 

The East Jessamine Jaguars finished 4-7 last year and first year coach David Hensley will bring a more wide-open offense to town.  Hensley has some tools to work with starting with RB Josh Burton who ran for 1500 yards last season.  Newcomer Sonny Hensley, nephew of Coach Hensley, had 1000 yards at Cawood last season.  6-4 215 pound Jr. QB Patrick Hunt has the size and athletic ability to make things happen.  6-0 251 pound OL/DL John McCann and 6-1 208 pound TE/LB Tom Morton are two additional players to watch.  Jr. WR Brandon Mason is expected to be a prime target for Hunt's passes. 

East Jessamine opened their season with a 13-6 victory over Bell County in the City/Country Bowl in Middlesboro.  Josh Burton exploded offensively for 304 yards rushing and two touchdowns.  Burton, a 5-10 190 pound Sr., displayed his speed on an 88-yard TD run in the second quarter. 

Lafayette scored three touchdowns in a two minute eighteen second period late in the game to finally subdue East Jessamine by a score of 33-19.  The score was tied 7-7 at halftime and Lafayette took a 14-13 lead at the end of three quarters before the fireworks erupted.  Lafayette's DePaul Peyton recovered a fumble and raced 77 yards for a TD to make the score 20-13 with 3:31 remaining in the game.  East Jessamine refused to give up and pulled within one, 20-19, on a Wes Coleman 52 yard reverse with 2:12 remaining on the clock.  Lafayette then put the game away as Elrazor Sharp scored on a 47 yard run (1:22) and Spencer Fain tallied on a 39 yard fumble recovery to make the score 33-19 with 1:13 ticks remaining on the clock. 

Lafayette's offense was led by Elrazor Sharp with 165 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.  Michael Murray carried the ball 17 times for 94 yards and a score.  Lafayette held a narrow 304-299 yards edge in total offense and recovered three fumbles while losing two fumbles of their own.  East Jessamine was led by Josh Burton who carried the ball 21 times for 147 yards and two scores.  Brandon Mason caught four passes for 67 yards.  Sonny Hensley had an excellent game on defense for the Jaguars, recording eight solo and seven assisted tackles.  The game was marred by penalties as Lafayette was flagged seven times for 79 yards and East Jessamine was penalized eight times for 63 yards. 

Scoring Summary

Lafayette

33

East Jessamine

19

School	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Lafayette	7	0	7	19	33
East Jessamine	7	0	6	6	19

EJ Josh Burton 51 yard run (Gabe Smith kick)
L   Michael Murray 3 yard run (Kevin Minke kick)
L   Spencer Fain 14 yard pass from Brian Dinger (Minke kick)
EJ Burton 6 yard run (kick fails)
L   DePaul Peyton 77 yard fumble recovery (pass fails)
EJ Wes Coleman 52 yard run (kick fails)
L   Elrazor Sharp 47 yard run (kick blocked)
L   Fain 39 yard run fumble recovery (Minke kick)

Selected Statistics
 

Lafayette						East Jessamine
Rushing	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long		Rushing	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
Elrazor Sharp	19	165	8.7	47		Josh Burton	21	147	7.0	51
Michael Murray	17	94	5.5	33		Wes Coleman	2	48	24.0	52
Cecil Jones	8	13	1.6	4		Patrick Hunt	11	28	2.5	12
Spencer Fain	1	8	8.0	8		Jason Fox	1	3	3.0	3
Myron Russell	1	4	4.0	4		Sonny Hensley	2	1	0.5	1
Brian Dinger	4	1	0.2	4
Justin Albrecht	1	-4	-4.0	0
Passing	A-C-I	Yds.	TD	Long		Passing	A-C-I	Yds.	TD	Long
Brian Dinger	3-2-0	23	1	14		Patrick Hunt	13-5-0	72	0	23
Justin Albrecht	1-0-0	0	0	0
Receiving	No.	Yds.	TD	Long		Receiving	No.	Yds.	TD	Long
Spencer Fain	1	14	1	14		Brandon Mason	4	67	0	23
Chris Jones	1	9	0	9		Josh Burton	1	5	0	5

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the East Jessamine athletic director John Lyons for the hospitality extended me during my stay and a special thanks to the WL Stats crew for the comprehensive statistics provided for the game game.

Other Area Games of Interest

Boyle County

35

Henry Clay

0

Boyle County ran their winning streak to 47 consecutive games by limiting Henry Clay to 72 yards total offense.
 

Tates Creek

20

Clark County

14

Tates Creek recovered a fumble on their 25 yard line with two minutes remaining in the game to ensure victory.  Tates Creek was led tonight by Tray Hughes who carried the ball 18 times for 138 yards and a score.
 

Paul Dunbar

26

Nelson County

14

QB Josh Ellis passed for 244 yards and a TD to lead the Bulldogs to victory.
 

Somerset

24

Pulaski County

14

Jr. QB Neal Tucker passed for 270 yards and two TDs before leaving at the end of the first half with an injury.  This could be a major blow to Somerset's title hopes if Tucker is out for an extended period of time. 
 

Breathitt County

28

North Hardin

12

QB Justin Haddix threw for 365 yards and three scoring strikes to lead the Bobcats to victory.
 

Woodford County	38	Franklin County	7
West Jessamine	30	Garrard County	8
Lexington Christian Academy	43	Powell County	28
Mason County	54	Montgomery County	22
Bell County	49	Middlesboro	14
Hazard	24	Paris	6
Harrodsburg	10	Lincoln County	9
Rockcastle County	48	South Laurel	0
Perry County Central	54	Magoffin County	21
Cumberland	61	Thomas Walker (VA)	0
Conner	27	Southwestern	26	(OT)
Bourbon County	36	Johnson Central	14
Louisville Manual	21	Louisville Eastern	14
Pleasure Ridge Park	27	Louisville Doss	3
St. Xavier	46	Butler	16
Mercer County	27	Anderson County	13
Mayfield	56	Marshall County	7
Lloyd Memorial	33	Scott	20