It remains to be seen what kind of adjustments Bob Beatty will make with his Trinity High School football team entering Friday’s highly anticipated playoff game at Male.
But after Friday’s 34-7 victory over St. Xavier at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Beatty insisted at least one thing will be different: His team won’t let the hype affect it.
“I thought we got so caught up in the emotion of the game,” Beatty said of the Shamrocks’ 42-13 loss at Male on Sept. 11. “We were doing all of the ‘chesting’ and face-to-face with people, and we did not take care of business. The business is executing our game plans, which we did not do.”
MORE COVERAGE | Woosley’s 4 TD passes lift Trinity over St. X
MORE COVERAGE | St. Xavier-Trinity photo gallery
No. 2 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, Trinity (11-1) will play at No. 1 Male (12-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Class 6-A, Region Two final.
Trinity is 1-4 against Male over the past three seasons, but the only win was a big one – a 38-31 overtime victory last year in the second round of the playoffs that propelled the Shamrocks to the state title.
After Friday’s victory over St. X, Trinity coaches implored their players to stay off social media this week and “do our talking on the field.”
Senior quarterback Jacob Woosley said the Shamrocks were out of sorts against Male in September.
“It was definitely a crazy night for us,” said Woosley, who completed 15 of 29 passes against the Bulldogs. “I can’t point to one specific cause of it, but I know there was something wrong with us mentally. It probably wasn’t just social media. It was a cumulative thing that caused that.”
Woosley said the Shamrocks have “grown tremendously” since the loss to Male.
“Tempo, aggression, finishing blocks,” he said. “That was the biggest thing Male did better than us. They played through the whistle, and we quit on a lot of plays.”
HAYWOOD GETS 400TH WIN
Belfry coach Philip Haywood picked up the 400th victory of his career Friday when the Pirates beat Russell 42-12 in the second round of the Class 3-A playoffs.
Haywood, Kentucky’s all-time winningest coach, is in his 41st season of coaching and has a career record of 400-128. He was the head coach at Prestonsburg for nine seasons (1975-83) before taking over at Belfry in 1984. He’s led the Pirates to four state titles.
MORE COVERAGE | Male cruises past rival Manual
MORE COVERAGE | Male-Manual photo gallery
“I tell our team, ‘I’ve never made a tackle, never made a block, never scored a touchdown,’” Haywood told WKYT-TV. “They’re the ones that do all that. I’m just the guy who kind of encourages them and gets on the sidelines that cheers them on. Our coaches do all of the great work that they do, so I’m just the guy who gets to come down and do an interview with you and be the front guy for the team.”
According to the National Federation of High Schools record book, Haywood is the 15th coach in the nation to reach 400 victories.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
* His team trailing 27-26, Drew Zaubi hit Keanan John for a 37-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left to lift South Oldham to a 33-27 victory over Fairdale in a second-round Class 5-A game.
Dylan Garcia’s 77-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Smith had given Fairdale (7-5) a 27-26 lead with 1:15 remaining before South Oldham put together the winning drive.
Shane Wilson rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries to lead South Oldham. Garcia passed for 222 yards and three touchdowns.
MORE COVERAGE | Central knocks off Boyle County
South Oldham (10-2) advanced to a regional final for the first time since 1992 and will host Fern Creek (11-1) on Friday.
* Steven Livers’ 91-yard touchdown run with 7:48 remaining gave John Hardin a 20-15 lead and the Bulldogs tacked on a late field goal to beat Spencer County 23-15 in the second round of the Class 4-A playoffs.
Logan Holbrook rushed for 98 yards on 22 carries to lead Spencer County (10-2), which set a single-season school record for victories.
John Hardin (9-3) will host Shelby County (11-1) on Friday in the Class 4-A, Region Two final.
POWER FIVE
Each week Jason Frakes will provide his ranking of the top five teams in the state, regardless of class:
* No. 5 – St. Xavier (7-5). Managed just 131 yards of offense in a 34-7 loss to Trinity. Up next: Season over.
* No. 4 – Simon Kenton (12-0). Dillon Powell and Cam Racke both rushed for two touchdowns in a 41-23 victory over Ryle. Up next: at Cooper (10-2) on Friday in Class 6-A, Region Three final.
* No. 3 – Scott County (11-1). Noah Hughes rushed for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 42-30 win over Bryan Station. Up next: hosts Lafayette (10-2) on Friday in Class 6-A, Region Four final.
* No. 2 – Trinity (11-1). Jacob Woosley passed for 242 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-7 victory over St. Xavier. Up next: at Male (12-0) on Friday in Class 6-A, Region Two final.
* No. 1 – Male (12-0). Devin Gentry rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-0 victory over Manual. Up next: hosts Trinity (11-1) on Friday in Class 6-A, Region Two final.
GAME BALLS
Jamison White, Fern Creek
The senior running back carried 22 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers beat North Bullitt 28-7 in the second round of the Class 5-A playoffs.
Elijah Owens, Central
The senior safety had three of Central’s five interceptions and also returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a touchdown during a 27-14 victory over Boyle County in the second round of the Class 3-A playoffs.
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.