Male High School senior Nathan Hobbs is one of the most versatile players in Louisville, and on Friday he was at his best on one of the city’s biggest stages.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Hobbs scored a pair of touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat visiting Manual 27-14 in the renewal of the Old Rivalry.
Hobbs’ 25-yard touchdown reception from T.J. Thomas with 23.4 seconds left in the first half gave Male a 7-0 lead and was a showcase of Hobbs’ quickness.
MORE COVERAGE | Male wins fourth straight in Old Rivalry
“I knew the ball was coming to me, so I had to get rid of my gloves because my gloves are slippery,” Hobbs said. “It was a slot screen, and I got some good blocking from my tight end Rasean McCauley and B.K. Smith. I saw I had one guy I had to make miss, and I made him miss.”
Hobbs, also a cornerback on defense, capped the game with a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“I got scored on the drive before and was like, ‘I’m not going out like that,’” he said. “When the ball was in the air I knew I was going to get it. I had to take it to the house.”
Hobbs now has eight touchdowns this season and has scored in various ways – three receiving, two punt returns, one kickoff return, one fumble return and one interception return.
Hobbs also has received interest from several colleges, with scholarship offers from Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee Tech and Tennessee-Martin. Charlotte, Illinois and Western Kentucky also are showing interest.
ROCKS LOOK FORWARD TO OFF WEEK
For the second consecutive year, Trinity will be off the final week of the regular season. That’s a move by design, coach Bob Beatty said.
Two years ago, the Shamrocks played Cincinnati Moeller in the final week of the regular season. They ended that game losing three starters to injury, he said. Afterward, Beatty and athletic director Rob Saxton discussed scheduling for future years.
Having the bye week before venturing into the playoffs gives the Rocks a chance to heal up and get stronger, Beatty told reporters Friday after Trinity’s 55-0 victory over Ballard, which clinched the Class 6-A, District Four title.
“That’s one thing that we’ll do next week is we’ll hit the weight room and condition real well,” he said.
MORE COVERAGE | Trinity clinches district title
Quarterback Spencer Blackburn is just one of the Rocks glad to get a week off from playing right before the playoffs begin.
“I can tell you myself I’m pretty banged up, so to get a bye week going into the playoffs is just a good feeling to have,” the senior said.
While Trinity enters every season with state-title aspirations, Beatty said his players understand that they need to focus on the next step instead of the ultimate destination. A misstep now and the season can end at any time, he said.
That next step is the first round of the playoffs, when Ohio County comes to St. Matthews in two weeks. As long as Trinity keeps winning, it’ll keep hosting playoff games through the 6-A semifinals in on Nov. 25.
“It’s the mountain climbing theory,” he said. “You don’t look up. You don’t look back. You just keep crawling straight ahead.”
BLACKBURN PROGRESSING
While he has been in the Shamrocks’ system all four years, this year has been Blackburn’s only year as the starter. And as the season has progressed, so has he.
In the past seven weeks, Blackburn has completed almost 75 percent of his passes (92 of 123) for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns while throwing only one interception.
Senior Noah Ellison, who caught two touchdown passes from Blackburn in the Ballard victory, said Blackburn’s development has been a huge boost for the offense.
“The first couple games, we were kind of just a running team, but overall we’ve turned into a passing-oriented team,” said Ellison, who leads the team in catches (35), yards (429) and touchdown receptions (eight).
Beatty said the team looks up to Blackburn and that the quarterback demands a lot of from his teammates in practice.
“He’s a tough kid, as you saw tonight,” he said. “He’s come a long way.”
NEWS AND NOTES
* The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has officially ruled the Sept. 16 game between Bullitt East and Shelby County as a 1-0 forfeit victory for the Rockets.
The Chargers originally won the game 56-31, but a day later Bullitt East officials determined female kicker Christian Foster should not have been eligible because she had not completed the required number of practices before playing in a game.
Foster, a star on the Bullitt East girls soccer team, converted 8 of 8 extra-point kicks and recovered a fumble after an onside kick in her first-ever football game against Shelby County.
Bullitt East athletic director Troy Barr said the school self-reported the violation to the KHSAA. Barr said Foster had completed five of the required six practices before the Shelby County game.
With the KHSAA ruling, Shelby County is now 8-1 and Bullitt East dropped to 3-7.
* Larry French became the eighth coach in Kentucky history to reach 300 victories when his Southwestern squad beat visiting Pulaski County 21-6 on Friday.
French has a 25-9 record in his third season at Southwestern and a career record of 300-155. He previously coached at Mercer County (70-51 record from 1978-88), Meade County (105-67 record from 1989-2003), Lincoln County (29-17 record from 2004-07) and Boyle County (71-11 record from 2008-13). He won back-to-back Class 4-A state titles at Boyle County in 2009 and 2010.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
* Freshman Keaton Martin rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries to lead South Oldham (9-0) to a 35-34 victory over North Bullitt (7-3) and clinch the Class 5-A, District Three title.
Christian Floyd’s 2-yard touchdown run pulled the Eagles within 35-34 with 1:17 remaining, but their two-point conversion try failed. It was the second straight week North Bullitt lost on a failed two-point conversion try after falling 44-43 to Bullitt East last week.
MORE COVERAGE | Taylor’s big game lifts St. X over Butler
* Senior Tahj Gelin rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns to lead Moore (7-3) to a 39-28 victory over Waggener (5-4). Moore has seven victories for the first time since finishing 7-5 in 2001 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
* Quarterback Jarren McDonald rushed for three touchdowns and running back Mario Convenuto carried 14 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns to lead Holy Cross (6-3) to a 42-12 victory at Eminence (4-5).
* Franklin County (4-5) scored 34 straight points in the second half to post a 54-35 victory at North Oldham (0-10). Dalton Landrum passed for 370 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Flyers. Bryce Webb completed 12 of 28 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns for the Mustangs.
* Dominique Williams passed for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead John Hardin (6-3) to a 49-8 rout of Western (4-5), clinching the Class 4-A, District Three title. Tyon Pearson had a 9-yard touchdown run for the Warriors.
* Tanner Morgan, a Western Michigan commit, passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns to lead Ryle (9-0) to a 32-25 victory over Simon Kenton (8-1). Ryle and Trinity (10-0) are the only unbeaten teams remaining in Class 6-A.
POWER FIVE
Each week Jason Frakes will provide his ranking of the top five teams in the state, regardless of class:
* No. 5 – Scott County (7-2). Cardinals posted 422 rushing yards in a 73-18 victory over Paul Dunbar. Up next: At Covington Catholic (7-2) on Friday.
* No. 4 – Male (7-2). T.J. Thomas passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat Manual 27-14. Up next: At Western (4-5) on Friday.
* No. 3 – St. Xavier (7-2). Sam Taylor rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 35-6 victory at Butler. Up next: At Cincinnati St. Xavier (4-4) on Friday.
* No. 2 – Bowling Green (9-0). Deangelo Wilson had seven receptions for 203 yards and two touchdowns as the Purples blasted Greenwood 50-0. Up next: At McCracken County (7-2) on Friday.
* No. 1 – Trinity (10-0). Spencer Blackburn passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two more to lead the Shamrocks to a 55-0 victory over Ballard. Up next: Off next week.
GAME BALLS
Tahj Gelin, Moore
The senior rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a 39-28 victory over Waggener.
B.K. Smith, Male
The senior had eight receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs beat Manual 27-14.
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.