Raiders drop to 0-8 with loss to Walton-Verona Bearcats 48-16

     The Trimble County High School Football Raiders traveled north last Friday night to take on the Walton Verona Bearcats. The 0-7 Raiders were looking for their first win of the season and the Bearcats were hoping to improve on their season record of 6-2. The Bearcats suffered a 23-19 loss to Gallatin County the previous week, while the Raiders fell to Owen County 19-6.

     The Raiders offense took the field first with T.J. Payton and Tevin Taylor sharing quarterback responsibilities. Just after last week’s loss to Owen County Coach Franklin said there was not much confidence in the passing game because of injuries. In a dramatic turn around, his game plan for the Bearcats would be to put the ball in the air. The offensive line stood their ground to protect their quarterbacks. Unfortunately, they were only able to complete 23% of their pass attempts, collectively.  One notable catch came late in the first quarter when Payton tossed the ball to Taylor who threw the ball deep to Chaylen Sedam. Sedam took the ball to the eight-yard line, making it a 72-yard completion and run.  Regrettably, the Raiders were unable to finish that drive and turned the ball over on downs to the Bearcats.

     The Bearcats scored 48 points before the Raiders could respond. Near the middle of the third quarter, the Raiders put together a seven-minute drive that would culminate in a touchdown. On third and seven, Taylor completed a pass to Payton for the 20-yard touchdown and later the same pair connected to score the extra points after the touchdown. With 38 seconds left in the third quarter, the Raiders were down 48-8, but showed no signs of retreat.

   On the next Bearcats drive, it was clear that the Raiders offense had inspired their defense to start tackling better, which allowed the offense to get back on the field for one last score. Trimble County’s Bo Hawkes scored the final touchdown and extra points for the Raiders. Despite their valiant second half effort, the Raiders closed out the game losing 48-16.

     The Raiders (0-8) will be playing in Carroll County this week against the Panthers (3-5).  Carroll County is coming into the game following a 48-7 victory over Owen County last Friday. The game between the Raiders and Panthers is set to begin at 7:30PM in Carrollton at the Carroll County High School Football stadium. It looks to be a cold night for football so bring your stadium blankets and extra clothes to come out and support the Raiders as they look for their first win of the season.

   

TCMS Football Finishes with a 4-4 Record

     The Trimble County Middle School Football Raiders were 4-2 when the Owen County Rebels came into Bedford Thursday, September 26. The Rebels delivered what would be the knockout punch to the Raiders when they returned the opening kick for a touchdown. Although, the Raiders showed signs of the fortitude that earned them a team record of 4-2, they played like a bunch of whipped pups as they went on to lose 38-0.

     Just five days later, Tuesday, October 1, the Warriors from Eminence came into town on a mission to beat the Raiders. The Raiders kicked off to the Warriors to open the game, but the Raiders were certain not to start the game like the last one and shut down the return after a minimal gain. On the Warriors first offensive play from scrimmage, their Quarterback dropped back, to launch a perfect pass to the Wide Receiver that he was able to run for a 60-yard touchdown. The Raiders were deflated only 17 seconds into the game but their pride would not allow them to give up another shut out at home. Late in the second quarter and being down 14-0, the Raiders marched all the way to the Warriors ten-yard line before the Warriors intercepted a pass and returned it for a 90-yard touchdown. The end of the first half score was 20-0 in favor of the Warriors.

     At halftime, the Trimble County Youth Tackle Football League players and coaches were introduced to the community. President of the league, Daniel Cull said the enthusiasm for football among parents and players in the county continues to grow every year. Cull is in his fourth year presiding over the league and has seen a steady increase in players every year since he became president of the league.

     Back to the game, The Warriors piled on another 16 unanswered points by the beginning of the fourth quarter. Down 36-0, the Raiders offense had one more shot to get on the scoreboard before the end of the season. Raiders head coach Mike Isley put together one last group of plays for the team to have a chance to score. The offensive line dug in their heels to protect Quarterback Cole Wright long enough for him to hurl the pigskin to Nick McCutchen who ran for a 40-yard Raider touchdown. Stevie Swanger scored the 2-point conversion, but the Raiders ran out of time to make a comeback and went on to lose 36-8.

    Now the offseason begins. Raiders Coach Mike Isley along with assistants Joe Perkinson and Harold Crawford can rest on the reality that their team finished at .500 and something to build on next season.

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Trimble County Board of Education Meets September 18, 2013

     The Trimble County Board of Education met for its regularly scheduled meeting last Wednesday in the school’s administration building. Robert Arvin, an accountant with the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative Financial Services, introduced the final budget to board members to approve for the 2013-’14 school year. He explained the changes from the projected budget back in the spring were due to a decrease in the average daily attendance, which total around a 1.4 million dollar shortfall.  Arvin continued that there was an increase in funds in the general account totally almost a million dollars and that would be helpful. The annual budget for Trimble County Schools is around 12.6 million dollars.

     After board members voted unanimously to approve the budget, the conversation about student attendance took place. High School Principal Rachael Adams instructed board members that attendance at her school continues to be a problem. She added that she and many members of her staff and students have been trying to come up with solutions to help her students avoid multiple absences. Adams said there are many different reasons why high school students are missing school.

 “Some students,” Adams said, “are missing school because they are needed at home to care for a sick parent or grandparent. “

      Board members exchanged ideas about ways to reward students for not missing school and agreed that this would be a priority for them to tackle.

TCHS Varsity Raiders Fall to the Owen County Rebels

     While most Trimble County students were enjoying the beautiful weather during Fall Break last week, the High School football team was preparing for Friday night. On Friday, the 0-6 Raiders journeyed to Owenton, KY to take on the 1-6 Owen County Rebels.

     The Rebels kicked off to the Raiders to start the game. Junior classman, T.J. Payton started as quarterback for the Raiders. After going three and out for their first offensive possession of the game, the Raiders punted the ball to the Rebels. On second down for the Rebels, the handoff was sloppy and the runner fumbled the ball. Raider defenders quickly piled up to recover the fumble, which allowed their offense to go back on the field just 36 yards away from the end zone. It was a long 36 yards for the Raiders as they methodically ran the ball down the field.  The smash mouth style of offense paid dividends for the Raiders as senior classman, Tevin Taylor crossed the goal line for what would be their only score of the game. The attempt for extra points after the touchdown failed, and the Raiders were leading 6-0 with 2:39 left in the first quarter.

     Following the score, the Raiders kicked what appeared to be an onside kick. The Owen County return team quickly surrounded the ball, which set up their offense near midfield to begin their second drive of the game. On second down, Rebels quarterback Tanner Smith put the ball in the air to connect with Logan Webster who went on to score a 52 yard touchdown. The attempt for extra points failed and the teams were knotted up at six points each with 1:51 left in the first quarter. The score remained tied at the end of the first quarter.

     Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter.  However, the Rebels caught a break on special teams and returned a Raider punt for a touchdown.  The point after was good, giving the Rebels the lead of 13-6 going in to the second half.

     The Rebels set up deep to receive the Raider kick-off to begin the third quarter but were surprised to see another onside kick.  The onside kick failed again giving the Rebels great field position to start the second half but could not capitalize on it. The third quarter went by with both teams being ineffective on offense. The final score of the game came with 5:22 left on the clock when Rebels’ Logan Lowe recovered his teammate’s fumble in the end zone. The attempt for points after the touchdown failed leaving the score at 19-6 in favor of Owen County.

     After the game, Raider Head Coach Franklin was asked about his decision to do onside kicks. He said, “They were not planned.” He went on to add, “We repped squib all week and squibbed to perfection all week long in practice.” He continued, “We come out here and accidently kick onsides, twice.” When Franklin was asked about the play calling with 5:22 left in the game he replied, “We’re trying to simplify the game; we don’t have a lot of confidence in our passing game right now (due to injured players).” He insisted that going forward, “We’re gonna work on finishing, we need to expand and put the ball in the air a little bit in addition to the wishbone.”

     This season the Raiders have a record of 0-7 and travel to Walton-Verona Friday to take on the 6-2 Bearcats at 7:30pm.  The Walton-Verona Football stadium is located about a mile off Interstate 71 North exit 72 on the left. 

TCHS Junior Varsity Football Team pummeled by Owen County 48-6

     Following the loss in Owen County Friday night, the Raiders sent their junior varsity squad to Owenton to take on the Rebels junior varsity Monday evening. The Raiders received the opening kick-off and started sophomore classman Tracer Fox behind center as quarterback. After going three and out for their opening drive, the Raiders dropped back to punt. Although the punter was able to make the kick a Rebel defender ran into the kicker, causing a 15-yard penalty that gave the Raiders a first down and another shot on their opening drive.  Raiders quarterback Tracer Fox connected with freshman tight end Easton Stombaugh for nearly a 50-yard gain. The drive was capped off with a touchdown by freshman running back Tyler Turocy, but the attempt for extra points failed. The Raiders were able to keep the lead of 6-0 to end the first quarter of play.

     The Raiders defense would hold strong through most of the first half of the game. With 1:29 left in the second quarter, the Rebels completed a pass to the wide receiver that would run 42 yards for the tying score. The Owen County attempt for points after the touchdown was unsuccessful and the score was 6-6. The Raiders were set up deep to receive the Rebel kick-off following the score but mishandled the return and gave the ball back to the Rebels at the 33-yard line.  The Rebels wasted no time to put the ball in the air again to score another touchdown just 26 seconds after their first score. The try for points after the touchdown failed leaving the score at 12-6 with 1:03 left in the first half. The Raiders could not get anything going on their next possession and dropped back to punt. The center for the Raiders made a bad snap, putting the ball over the head of the punter. An Owen County defender scooped the ball up and ran into the end zone for a third Rebel touchdown in just a little over a minute of the game clock. With :08 left the in the second quarter the Raiders were down 18-6.

     The Raiders kicked the ball deep to the Rebels to begin the second half of the game. The Rebels found holes in the Raider 44 defensive scheme and marched down the field with ease. The Rebel quarterback scored the fourth touchdown for Owen County on a 33-yard run that was set up as a pass play. The attempt for points after the touchdown was good, and the Rebels had the lead of 26-6 with 8:05 left in the third quarter. The Raiders offense took the field and was not wasting time putting the ball in the air and running all over the Rebels but turned the ball over when a Raider running back fumbled the ball. 

     The junior varsity squad of the Raiders went on to lose 48-6, but showed some great strengths for the future of Trimble County Football. Sophomore quarterback Tracer Fox connected with freshman tight end Easton Stombaugh four times for over a hundred yards. Junior Brandon Yowler made extraordinary returns on kick-offs, freshman running back Trenton Hall showed great bursts of speed to make gains on the ground, as well as many other sophomores and freshman showing promise of better days ahead.