LONDON — South Laurel entered Friday riding a five-game winning streak, but Class 5A’s top-ranked team quickly showed why it holds the No. 1 spot.
Pulaski County jumped out to a 28-0 lead and went on to defeat the Cardinals 66-31, continuing its long-running success in the series.
“Bad night for the Cardinals,” South Laurel coach John Hines said. “We made a lot of mistakes that are usually cleared up in week two or three. We regressed. That is frustrating.”
Even on a difficult night, Hines saw encouraging performances from some of his younger players. Freshman Bracenn Middleton made an impact on both sides of the ball, while quarterback Maddox Warren continued his development directing the offense.
“Good to see some young guys step it up,” Hines said. “Bracenn Middleton made many big plays on both sides of the ball. Only a freshman. Maddox (Warren) handled the offense strongly. He gets better every game.”
South Laurel also got a big kickoff return from Kenyon Ellis while Brady Robinson hauled in a long touchdown pass. Noah Ison provided another bright spot with his work in the running game.
“Kenyon Ellis with a big kickoff return. We had some good plays. Brady Robinson caught a long touchdown pass,” Hines said. “Noah Ison ran the ball well. Our offensive line had solid pass protection most of the night.”
Hines said the Cardinals continued to battle defensively but were hurt by costly mistakes against an offense capable of turning them into big plays.
“Defense played with heart,” Hines said. “We made some giant mistakes. When you make a mistake in the secondary, it’s a big play you give up.”
The victory continued Pulaski County’s dominance in the series.
Since 1998, the Maroons are 23-1 against South Laurel and have now won 16 consecutive meetings. The Cardinals’ last victory over Pulaski County came in 2012.
Despite seeing the winning streak come to an end, Hines said his team will respond.
“But we will bounce back,” Hines said. “There’s no quit in the Cardinals. We will learn from our mistakes and improve.”
