OLD KEV’S FOOTBALL PICKS – WEEK 7

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

JEFFERSONVILLE – When you think of the Jeffersonville-New Albany football rivalry, the No. 1 word that comes to mind is intensity.

But there is another word that best describes the gridiron version of the longtime Ohio River rivalry that might come as a shock to you – strange.

Yes, the all-time series record does appear normal – New Albany leads 50-38-5 – for a rivalry that began in 1904 and has had 93 meetings.

However, when you analyze the series, you discover how volatile of a roller-coaster ride the Jeff-New Albany series has been throughout its history.

From 1904-1971, the Bulldogs dominated the rivalry.

New Albany posted a 34-0-5 record over the Red Devils during that stretch. The Bulldogs held Jeff scoreless in 20 of those 39 matchups with two games ending in scoreless ties. New Albany recorded huge shutouts over the Devils in 1912 (91-0), 1924 (64-0) and 1929 (72-0).

Jeff only scored in double figures four times in the first 39 meetings with the first coming in 1963, 59 years after the series started.

But the Red Devils turned the tables in the rivalry in 1972 when they finally defeated New Albany 34-0. Bill Griffith, the Jeff head coach at the time, was carried off Buerk Field by his players in celebration of the historic victory.

From 1972-2001, the Devils were 30-5 against the Bulldogs during that stretch that sliced Jeff’s deficit in the all-time series to 39-30-5. The Red Devils won 12 in a row over New Albany in two different segments – 1972-83 and 1990-99 – during that 29-year stretch.

The Bulldogs reclaimed control of the series from 2002-10. During that sequence, New Albany took nine of 11 contests with the Dogs increasing their series advantage to 48-32-5.

But since 2011, Jeff has owned the Bulldogs by winning six of the last eight meetings. New Albany prevailed at Jeff last season 42-14.

Who knows how many weird twists and turns this rivalry will take in the future? But I can guarantee the ebb-and-flow nature of the series will continue to keep people talking about the Jeff-New Albany rivalry for years to come.

Onto this week’s picks:

FRIDAY’S GAMES                                                                                                           

Jeff (2-4, 2-2 Hoosier Hills Conference) at New Albany (3-3, 2-2), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The youthful Red Devils have some players who can make big plays and I expect them to be fired up to play their rivals. That should keep the game close for at least the first half.

But as this year’s version of the Jeff-New Albany rivalry goes on, the more experienced Bulldogs will take over with their powerful running game and wear down the Red Devils, who have given up more 200 rushing yards per game this season.

I’m taking the Bulldogs by two touchdowns.

Old Kev’s pick: New Albany 42, Jeff 28.

Mitchell (5-1) at Providence (3-3), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Bluejackets have taken their share of punishment from the Pioneers over the years. But that changed a couple of years ago when Mitchell won at Providence 16-12. The Pioneers avenged the 2015 loss last season by winning at Mitchell 35-8.

The Bluejackets have shown the last two seasons that they have had enough of being the perennial whipping boys in Southern Indiana. But to me, the jury is still out whether Mitchell can defeat a really solid program. In other words, it will not be playing Crawford County or Rock Creek – the pair of opponents the Bluejackets have downed the last two weeks – on Friday night.

Providence extends its winning streak to four games by winning a close one.

Old Kev’s pick: Providence 24, Mitchell 21.

Class 4A No. 9 Silver Creek (6-0, 5-0 Mid-Southern Conference) at Class 3A No. 9 North Harrison (6-0, 6-0), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Dragons want this game bad, especially after suffering a 14-13 overtime setback at home to the Cougars last year. In addition, first place in the Mid-Southern is on the line and both teams are ranked.

But sometimes a team can get too fired up and lose focus on what it needs to do to win. That is what I am concerned with Silver Creek. Plus, this is the first real test for the Dragons this season. On Friday, they will see how good of a team they really are and how they can handle playing a formidable squad on the road.

I expect a real physical contest with North Harrison coming out on top.

Old Kev’s pick: North Harrison 23, Silver Creek 19.

Class 5A No. 10 Bedford North Lawrence (5-1, 3-1 HHC) at Floyd Central (4-2, 3-1), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Highlanders hit a huge pothole last week in losing at Hoosier Hills juggernaut Columbus East 55-7. But it is rare for a Brian Glesing-coached squad in Floyd to have two bad games in a row even though the Stars are having an awesome year.

Old Kev’s pick: Floyd Central 27, BNL 23.

Charlestown (2-4, 2-3 MSC) at Corydon Central (0-6, 0-5), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Pirates win their second game in a row and build some more confidence against the lowly Panthers.

Old Kev’s pick: Charlestown 38, Corydon Central 14.

Class 3A No. 10 Brownstown Central (5-1, 4-1 MSC) at Clarksville (0-6, 0-5), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Generals’ long losing streak lengthens against one of the Mid-Southern’s elite teams.

Old Kev’s pick: Brownstown Central 51, Clarksville 13.

Traders Point Christian (3-3) at Rock Creek (2-4), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Lions earn second home victory of the season.

Old Kev’s pick: Rock Creek 24, Traders Point Christian 21.

OTHER SOUTHERN INDIANA PICKS

Columbus East 48, Madison 12

Seymour 37, Jennings County 26

Salem 33, Eastern 16

Scottsburg 29, Mt. Vernon (Posey) 27

Paoli 41, Crawford County 10

Springs Valley 28, Tecumseh 23

West Washington 31, Perry Central 17

South Decatur 27, Switzerland County 17

Milan 39, Oldenburg Academy 16

OLD KEV’S RECORD LAST WEEK: 15-2.

OLD KEV’S SEASON RECORD: 65-17.

VOLLEYBALL: Cathey leads Bulldogs past Jeff on Senior Night

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

NEW ALBANY – New Albany middle blocker Allyson Cathey celebrated her Senior Night on Sept. 12 at The Doghouse in style.

The Western Kentucky recruit smacked a match-high 17 kills to lead the Bulldogs to a 25-17, 25-10, 25-8 over archrival Jeffersonville.

The 6-foot-1 Cathey also recorded match highs in digs (14) and blocks (nine). New Albany freshman Tess Owsley had nine kills and five blocks. Also for the Bulldogs (11-5, 2-2 Hoosier Hills Conference), junior setter Kyla Weber distributed 29 assists and senior outside hitter Shea Collett had seven digs and six blocks.

Red Devil sophomore Jenna Lake spiked six kills. Jeff defensive specialist Adley McMahel made 10 digs and teammates Alayna Lacy and Lauren Jacobs each had eight assists.

“I think as a team we slowly gave up throughout the match,” Red Devil head coach Sam Calabro said. “The first game started off competitive and we really fought to stay in the game. The second two games I feel like as a whole we gave up on ourselves and stopped fighting and giving our best efforts.”

The Red Devils dropped to 6-8 overall and 0-3 in the HHC.

NEW ALBANY 3, JEFFERSONVILLE 0

Jeff                     17 10   8

New Albany       25 25 25

JEFF STATS

Adley McMahel: 10 digs, 1 kill.

Alayna Lacy: 8 assists, 5 digs, 3 kills.

Dishaylyn Thomas: 2 kills.

Erynn Dickson: 1 dig.

Jaleigh Brown: 1 kill.

Jenna Lake: 6 kills, 3 digs, 2 aces.

Kaylee Falkenstein: 2 kills.

Lauren Jacobs: 8 assists, 2 digs.

Marriya Henry: 3 digs, 2 kills, 1 ace, 1 block.

Megan Gallagher: 2 digs.

Natalie Williams: 2 digs.

NEW ALBANY STATS

Sydney Byerly: 2 blocks, 1 kill.

Danielle Grant: 5 blocks, 2 kills.

Tess Owsley: 9 kills, 5 blocks, 2 digs.

Allyson Cathey: 17 kills, 14 digs, 9 blocks, 1 assist.

Riley Winslow: 4 digs, 2 kills, 2 aces, 1 block.

Shea Collett: 7 digs, 6 blocks, 4 kills.

Kyla Weber: 29 assists, 5 digs, 1 kill.

Bree Martin: 9 digs, 1 ace, 1 assist.

Mary Claire Meyer: 4 digs, 2 aces.

Joanie Stock: 1 block.

Saylor Knoy: 2 digs.

Savannah Meyer: 1 dig.

VOLLEYBALL SHOWCASE: Class 4A foes have made Providence better

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

CLARKSVILLE – Prior to the 2017 season, Providence head coach Terri Purichia and her coaching staff wanted to put as many Class 4A teams as possible on their schedule to prepare the Pioneers for this year’s Class 4A state tournament. Providence got moved up from Class 3A to 4A this season because of the IHSAA’s success-factor rule.

According to Purichia, the emphasis on playing 4A opponents has made her team even better. She mentioned that after the Pioneers won both of its matches in the Pioneer Varsity Three-Team Invitational on Sept. 9 at Providence’s Koetter Auxiliary Gym.

The Pioneers defeated two Class 4A teams in the round-robin tournament. They swept Castle in their first match 25-6, 25-8, 25-20, followed by a 25-16, 25-15, 25-13 win over Carmel. Providence added Carmel to its schedule this season, while the Pioneers played Castle last year.

“We went and found any 4A team that had an opening and tried to fill ourselves in that hole,” Purichia said. “When we sat down at the beginning of the season and kind of looked at it, we were almost a little worried that we might have made it too hard. But it’s been great for (the Pioneers) because it just keeps them so focused, knowing that every single match you go into play, somebody on the other side can beat you.

“It keeps them motivated to do well in practice, and it keeps them motivated to come to the game ready to play. I think the competition that we face is the reason that they are getting so much better.”

Purichia has liked the way her young Pioneers (15-1) have progressed in 2017. She gives a lot of credit for that progression to her lone senior, All-State standout and Purdue recruit Marissa Hornung.

“I just think that Marissa is such a good leader. She’s molded this team to be exactly what she wants and they kind of fall in line. She’s the mama goose with all the little ducks behind her,” Purichia said. “(The Pioneers) are so far ahead of where we expected them to be at this point. We’ve done practices a little differently and we’re just seeing that pay so many dividends in how (the Pioneers) are playing. Their chemistry is fantastic. They really like each other. They work really hard.”

In the victory over Castle, sophomore Courtney Glotzbach led the Providence hitters with 11 kills, while Hornung had 10. Pioneer freshman Ali Hornung, Marissa’s younger sister, spiked eight kills and made a team-high 14 digs.

Providence setter Lilly Bivens distributed 34 assists and had seven digs, while teammate Madison Kruer made nine digs.

“The first two sets of the Castle match, (the Pioneers) played as well as they’ve played all season long. Their serving has just really been picking up. That forced Castle to be out of its system a little bit,” Purichia said. “(The Knights) have a tremendous outside (hitter) in No. 5 (Jessica Nunge). She’s an excellent player. But she wasn’t able to be effective because they couldn’t get her the ball. In the second and third sets, I felt like our passing to start it off broke down a little bit. We made a couple of mistakes that we haven’t really made. We got ourselves into a situation where we had to try to pull it out and they did, so that was good.”

Ali Hornung had a huge match in the Carmel triumph. She registered team-highs in digs (21) and kills (18).

Marissa Hornung wound up with 12 kills and 10 digs. Teammate Hanna Mitchell delivered nine kills and three blocks, and Bivens dished out 38 assists and made three blocks.

“I thought Ali had a tremendous game. She had 21 digs in a three-set match – that’s crazy,” Purichia said. “Marissa played well. Both of my middles are very, very effective, so we have a lot of people that can hit the ball. Lilly is doing an excellent job of mixing things up, so that kind of keeps the defense on the other side wandering who’s about to get it.”

PIONEER VARSITY THREE WAY INVITATIONAL

At Providence’s Koetter Auxiliary Gym

PROVIDENCE 3, CASTLE 0

Castle                 6    8 20

Providence      25  25 25

PROVIDENCE STATS

Courtney Glotzbach: 11 kills.

Marissa Hornung: 10 kills.

Ali Hornung: 14 digs, 8 kills.

Anna Purichia: 5 kills, 2 blocks.

Lilly Bivens: 34 assists, 7 digs, 1 ace, 1 block.

Maggie Purichia: 1 assist, 1 block.

Madison Kruer: 9 digs, 1 ace.

Ceci Rush: 1 ace.

PROVIDENCE 3, CARMEL 0

Carmel              16 15 13

Providence        25 25 25

PROVIDENCE STATS

M. Hornung: 12 kills, 10 digs, 1 ace.

A. Hornung: 21 digs, 18 kills, 1 ace, 1 block.

Bivens: 38 assists, 4 digs, 3 blocks, 1 ace.

Rush: 1 ace.

M. Purichia: 1 ace.

Glotzbach: 4 kills, 2 blocks.

Hanna Mitchell: 9 kills, 3 blocks.

Kruer: 5 digs, 1 assist.

FOOTBALL: New Albany shuts out Madison 37-0

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

NEW ALBANY – New Albany bounced back from a 77-34 drubbing by Class 5A No. 4 Columbus East in Week 5 with a 37-0 victory over visiting Madison on Friday night at Buerk Field.

It was the first time the Bulldogs (3-3, 2-2 Hoosier Hills Conference) have shut out an opponent since they defeated Bedford North Lawrence 48-0 on Sept. 13, 2013. New Albany limited the Cubs (1-5, 0-4) to 166 total yards.

Bulldog senior running back Darquan Richardson rushed for a team-high 163 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Teammate Austin Oppel ran the ball 11 times for 97 yards and a TD run. New Albany junior DeTre Payton had 65 rushing yards and one score on four carries.

Bulldog junior quarterback Dylan Clark completed 7-of-10 passes for 87 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

New Albany reached the end zone for the first time 44 seconds into the second quarter. Junior wide receiver Devon Gummer caught a 15-yard TD pass from Clark to give the Dogs a 7-0 lead.

Payton extended the New Albany advantage to 14-0 at the 5:55 mark of the second with a 36-yard TD scamper.

Richardson reached paydirt for the lone time with 7:35 left in the third on an 18-yard touchdown run, putting the Bulldogs up 21-0. The lead grew to 29-0 when Oppel made a 3-yard TD scamper and Payton ran into the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt.

New Albany’s lone score in the fourth came at the 11:55 mark as senior Luke Kaiser connected with Clark on a 25-yard TD reception to make the score 35-0. Payton then grabbed a Clark toss for the two-point conversion.

The Bulldogs will host archrival Jeffersonville (2-4, 2-2) at 7 p.m. next Friday. New Albany won last year’s meeting with the Red Devils at Jeff’s Blair Field 42-14. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 50-38-5.

Current New Albany head coach Steve Cooley was the Red Devil boss for 10 seasons from 2000-09, compiling a 53-55 record.

NEW ALBANY 37, MADISON 0

Madison              0    0    0  0-  0

New Albany        0  14  15  8-37

Second quarter

NA – Devon Gummer 15 pass from Dylan Clark (Noah Litzelswope kick), 11:16.

NA – DeTre Payton 36 run (Litzelswope kick), 5:55.

Third quarter

NA – Darquan Richardson 18 run (Litzelswope kick), 7:35.

NA – Austin Oppel 3 run (Payton run), 3:29.

Fourth quarter

NA – Luke Kaiser 25 pass from Clark (Payton pass from Clark), 11:55.

FOOTBALL: Cathedral cruises past Red Devils 48-7

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Jeffersonville mustered only 93 total yards Friday night at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl on the Butler University campus, losing to Class 5A No. 6 Indianapolis Cathedral 48-7.

Red Devil quarterback Shaun Wimberly Jr. was 6-of-12 passing for 43 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wimberly’s scoring toss came in the third quarter, as he connected with Jeff sophomore Jeremiah Thornton from 10 yards to cut the Red Devils’ deficit to 34-7.

Senior Kam Fuller led Jeff (2-4) in rushing with 32 yards on 16 carries.

The Fighting Irish (2-4) compiled 281 total yards, including 231 on the ground. Their defense also made three safeties.

The Red Devils (2-2 Hoosier Hills Conference) will travel to archrival New Albany (3-3, 2-2 HHC) at 7 p.m. next Friday. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 50-38-5. New Albany defeated the Red Devils in last season’s matchup at Blair Field 42-14.

INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 48, JEFFERSONVILLE 7

Jeff                         0  0  7    0-  7

Cathedral            25  9  0  14-48

First quarter

C – Sam Mencer 10 run (Tyler Sylvia kick)

C – Dorion Collins safety

C – Chon’Dre Cissell 4 run (Sylvia kick)

C – Richie Hagarty safety

C – Bo Sanders 69 kickoff return (Sylvia kick)

Second quarter

C – Markese Stepp 2 run (Sylvia kick)

C – Danny Rodgers safety

Third quarter

J – Jeremiah Thornton 10 pass from Shaun Wimberly Jr. (Seth Scott kick)

Fourth quarter

C – Alec Hobson 1 run (Sylvia kick)

C – Josh Plunkitt 18 run (Christian Alerding kick)

FOOTBALL: Schafer’s kick lifts Pioneers over Holy Cross 17-14

By GREG BURTON

Special to Southern Indiana Preps

CLARKSVILLE—Brandon Schafer got an opportunity for a do-over, a mulligan, if you wish.

He made the most of it, kicking a game-winning field goal with 14.9 seconds to play. The 28-yard boot powered Providence to an exciting 17-14 win over Louisville Holy Cross on Friday night at Murphy Stadium.

The Pioneers began the season with three straight losses, but have now strung together three consecutive wins to even their record at 3-3.

“A lot of people were panicking when we were 0-3,” Providence head coach Larry Denison told Big X Sports Radio WXVW-1450 AM following the contest. “Like I said at the beginning of the year, we’re going to be a better football team this year, but our record may not show it because (we have) a tough schedule.

“If we keep improving each week and taking our game up one notch more, by the playoffs we should be a pretty good team.”

It appeared that Providence was not going to take advantage of opportunities to win in the second half. The Pioneers had good field position throughout the latter half, but could not capitalize until the very end.

Holy Cross (3-3) got on the board first. A pitch to running back Mario Convenuto turned into a 52-yard touchdown when Convenuto threw a long pass to Zach Meiman for the score.

The Pioneers answered early in the second quarter when they started with the ball on the Holy Cross 23-yard line. Providence junior Kaden Williams then powered the running game at that point, finally running it in from 3 yards out to tie the game at seven.

Williams put Providence ahead 14-7 late in the second with his second score, this time from 1 yard with 5:16 left in the first half.

A frustrating third period saw neither team able to generate much yardage. However, after a shanked punt, Providence got the ball on the Holy Cross 19.

The Pioneers were only able to move the ball 5 yards on three plays, setting up Schafer’s first field-goal attempt. The junior kick pulled the ball left.

Holy Cross put together a drive later in the third that started on its own 20. Then Cougar quarterback Jaren McDonald connected with Gavin Foushee for a 7-yard TD reception to tie the game at 14 with 11:44 remaining in the fourth.

The remainder of the last period appeared to be one of frustration for each team, as neither could generate much.

However, Williams intercepted a pass and the Pioneers took over from 46 yards out. Eight plays later, Schafer got a chance to win the game, which he did with his 28-yard field goal with 14.9 seconds left.

Holy Cross got a final opportunity, but was unable to do anything in the short time remaining.

“It was a total team effort at the end,” Denison said. “Our defense came up with a big turnover with less than 2 minutes to go on their side of the 50. Our offense drove the ball to get us into field-goal range. Brandon Schafer did a great job kicking for us.”

Providence will play its final regular-season home game at 7 p.m. next Friday against 5-1 Mitchell, a potential Class 2A Sectional 39 opponent. The Bluejackets defeated Rock Creek 80-0 Friday night.

PROVIDENCE 17, HOLY CROSS 14

Holy Cross         7    0  0  7-14

Providence         0  14  0  3-17

First quarter

HC — Zach Meiman 52 pass from Mario Convenuto (Meiman kick), 7:31.

Second quarter

P — Kaden Williams 3 run (Brandon Schafer kick), 11:09.

P — Williams 1 run (Schafer kick), 5:16.

Fourth quarter

HC — Gavin Foushee 8 pass from Jaren McDonald (Meiman kick), 11:44.

P — Schafer 28 field goal, :14.9.

OLD KEV’S FOOTBALL PICKS – WEEK 6

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

JEFFERSONVILLE – There is an old saying that goes, “You can’t believe everything that you read.”

Well, you can’t believe everything that you hear, too.

Last Friday, I listened to radio broadcasts of a few of the area football games in the region. When a list of scores were announced over the air, I was baffled by some of the reactions uttered by the local radio announcers.

When I heard that Seymour defeated Hoosier Hills Conference rival Bedford North Lawrence 21-17, one of the announcers mentioned that it was a big upset.

Boy, how things have changed since all the preseason talk about a month ago?

In the preseason, it was the veteran Owls that were considered arguably the second-best squad in the HHC behind Class 5A No. 4 Columbus East. Meanwhile, the Stars were not even considered a squad that could finish as the HHC runner-up.

Plus, it was hard for me to consider this an upset when BNL was a handful of plays away from being 2-3 right now. The Stars pulled out close wins over Terre Haute South (44-41) and New Albany (42-41 in double overtime). The Bulldogs had BNL down 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Later, I heard the score of one of the biggest games in the Mid-Southern Conference this season – North Harrison 17, Brownstown Central 14.

Then I heard the comment from one announcer who seemed absolutely shocked that the Cougars won this game and are 5-0 this season.

Even though this person is a man who I like and I have a lot of respect for what he’s done for Southern Indiana high school athletics, I wanted to securely strap this guy to a chair in front of a computer and make him stare at John Harrell’s Indiana high school football website until he goes blind to show what North Harrison has done the last few seasons.

Since the start of the 2015 season, the Cougars have compiled a 22-4 overall record. They have gone 17-2 in the Mid-Southern, which included an outright conference championship in 2015 when they went 7-0 in league play.

Even though I picked Brownstown to beat the Cougars last week, it did not surprise me that North Harrison won that game because I know it had a lot of talented players back. It would not shock me if the Cougars collect their first sectional championship this season.

Here are my picks for this week:

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Madison (1-4, 0-3 HHC) at New Albany (2-3, 1-2), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: It is pretty safe to say that the Bulldogs are one of the best three-loss teams in Indiana. They had both Class 5A No. 10 Castle and BNL on the ropes, but they could not deliver the knockout punch in each game. If New Albany found a way to win each of those shootouts, it is 4-1.

The Bulldogs should have no problem with the Cubs, whose lone win came against 1-4 Crawford County in Week 1. But New Albany needs to play sharp to prepare itself for next week’s rivalry game with Jeffersonville.

Old Kev’s pick: New Albany 41, Madison 17.

Jeffersonville (2-3) at Class 5A No. 6 Indianapolis Cathedral (1-4), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: It will be another session of the school of hard knocks for the young Red Devils on Friday night in facing one of the perennial powers in the Hoosier State. The Fighting Irish have claimed 12 state championships, which ranks second in IHSAA history behind archrival Indianapolis Chatard’s 13 titles.

This game will be one where Jeff finds out what it needs to work on down the road if it is going to compete with another Indy metropolitan power in Center Grove for the Class 6A Sectional 8 championship.

By the way, I would not pay too much attention to Cathedral’s record. The Irish’s losses were to some real formidable teams in Louisville St. Xavier, Detroit King, Pickerington Central from Ohio and Cincinnati St. X.

Old Kev’s pick: Cathedral 45, Jeff 21.

Louisville Holy Cross (3-2) at Providence (2-3), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: For the last few seasons, this is a game that I cannot figure out.

I know Holy Cross has a solid program and the Cougars have defeated the Pioneers three years in a row. But every season when I must select the winner, I think this is the game where Providence is finally going to break out and show it is for real.

I am facing the same dilemma this season. The Pioneers have won two in a row, but they were against a pair of struggling teams in Clarksville and Charlestown.

Holy Cross is kind of a mystery, maybe because the Louisville TV stations do not talk about the small Class A school as much as fellow Louisville area prep teams like St. X, Trinity, Male, Pleasure Ridge Park and DeSales.

Is Providence ready to show its potential versus the Cougars? For this particular game, I will say yes.

Old Kev’s pick: Providence 20, Holy Cross 18.

Class 5A No. 9 Floyd Central (4-1, 3-0 HHC) at Class 5A No. 4 Columbus East (4-1, 3-0), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: The Highlanders have lots of experience. They have a great rapport with each other and they should be well-prepared in their showdown with the Olympians.

Still, I do not think that is going to be good enough. East’s HHC winning streak improves to 74.

Old Kev’s pick: Columbus East 33, Floyd Central 16.

Clarksville (0-5, 0-4 MSC) at Class 3A No. 9 Silver Creek (5-0, 4-0), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: I rarely pick shutouts. However, with the way the Dragons’ defense has played all season, picking a blanking is suitable for this game.

Old Kev’s pick: Silver Creek 35, Clarksville 0.

Scottsburg (2-3, 2-3 MSC) at Charlestown (1-4, 1-3), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: This game will be the beginning for the youthful Pirates getting their season pointed in the right direction.

Old Kev’s pick: Charlestown 44, Scottsburg 20.

Rock Creek (2-3) at Mitchell (4-1), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: Here is a statement you do not read very often – Mitchell is good. It is going to be a massive challenge for the Lions to get their third win in program history.

Old Kev’s pick: Mitchell 49, Rock Creek 17.

OTHER SOUTHERN INDIANA PICKS

Bedford North Lawrence 42, Jennings County 25

Seymour 30, Brownstown Central 26

Salem 38, Corydon Central 12

North Harrison 37, Eastern 7

Springs Valley 23, Crawford County 14

Greenwood 34, Paoli 17

West Washington 19, Tecumseh 16

Eastern Greene 40, Perry Central 23

Oldenburg Academy 17, Trinity Lutheran 16

Trimble County (Ky.) 24, Switzerland County 14

OLD KEV’S RECORD LAST WEEK: 10-4.

OLD KEV’S SEASON RECORD: 50-15.

VOLLEYBALL: Cathey has 15 kills in New Albany’s loss to Floyd

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

NEW ALBANY – On Sept. 7 at The Doghouse, host New Albany suffered a 25-23, 25-15, 25-19 loss to archrival Floyd Central.

Bulldog senior Allyson Cathey wound up with a team-high 15 kills along with making eight digs. Freshman Tess Owsley was the only other New Albany player with a double-digit kill night with 10.

Bulldog setter Kyla Weber distributed 30 assists and made seven digs. Also for New Albany (7-5, 1-2 Hoosier Hills Conference), freshman Bree Martin had seven digs and sophomore Riley Winslow made three blocks.

Senior Mia Swearingen led the Highlanders (9-6, 4-0) with 15 kills. Teammate Cassie Thomerson smacked 11 kills and Floyd senior Molly Ottersbach chipped in nine.

Highlander junior Kamryn Plaiss recorded 11 digs, nine kills and four service aces. Floyd Central junior Sara Sans made 43 assists and eight digs.

FLOYD CENTRAL 3, NEW ALBANY 0

Floyd Central                     25 25 25

New Albany                        23 15 19

FLOYD CENTRAL STATS

Kamryn Plaiss: 11 digs, 9 kills, 4 aces, 1 assist.

Riley Woodruff: 2 kills, 1 dig.

Kristen Engle: 5 digs, 1 kill, 1 assist.

Mia Swearingen: 15 kills, 2 blocks.

Cassie Thomerson: 11 kills, 3 digs, 1 block.

Molly Ottersbach: 9 kills, 6 digs, 1 ace.

Sara Sans: 43 assists, 8 digs, 1 ace.

Kassidy Hoback: 7 digs, 3 aces.

Addie Bullock: 7 digs, 1 assist.

NEW ALBANY STATS

Allyson Cathey: 15 kills, 8 digs, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 ace.

Tess Owsley: 10 kills.

Riley Winslow: 4 kills, 3 blocks, 1 dig.

Savannah Meyer: 3 kills, 1 dig.

Kyla Weber: 30 assists, 7 digs, 2 aces, 1 kill.

Danielle Grant: 1 kill.

Shea Collett: 5 digs, 2 aces, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 kill.

Bree Martin: 7 digs, 2 aces, 1 assist.

Mary Claire Meyer: 2 digs.

VOLLEYBALL: Balanced Pioneers sweep New Albany

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

NEW ALBANY – Defending Class 3A state runner-up Providence swept host New Albany on Aug. 29 at The Doghouse 25-16, 25-13, 25-17.

Four Pioneers (7-1) recorded at least eight kills apiece. Freshman Ali Hornung smacked a team-high 10 kills, followed by junior Hanna Mitchell with nine. Senior Marissa Hornung and sophomore Courtney Glotzbach each delivered eight kills. Providence junior setter Lilly Bivens distributed 22 assists.

On defense for Providence, Marissa Hornung made a team-high 14 digs, followed by defensive specialist Madison Kruer with 12. Ali Hornung chipped in eight digs. Also for the Pioneers, sophomore Maggie Purichia had three blocks and three kills.

“The Pioneers were led by another strong performance from Ali Hornung,” Providence head coach Terri Purichia said. “The middle-hitting domination of Hanna Mitchell and Courtney Glotzbach was too much for the Bulldog defense. Marissa Hornung was as impressive as always. Maggie Purichia blocked well against the Bulldogs and the Pioneers had some outstanding serving from Grace Hublar and Megan Flanagan.”

Senior middle hitter Allyson Cathey paced the New Albany offense with 16 kills. Bulldog junior setter Kyla Weber dished out 22 assists.

Sophomore Riley Winslow paced the New Albany defense with 11 digs, followed by Weber with nine. Cathey had eight and freshman Bree Martin made seven. The Bulldogs’ record dropped to 7-2.

PROVIDENCE 3, NEW ALBANY 0

Providence              25 25 25

New Albany            16 13 17

PROVIDENCE STATS

Ali Hornung: 10 kills, 8 digs.

Hanna Mitchell: 9 kills.

Courtney Glotzbach: 8 kills.

Marissa Hornung: 14 digs, 8 kills.

Maggie Purichia: 3 blocks, 3 kills.

Madison Kruer: 12 digs.

Lilly Bivens: 22 assists.

NEW ALBANY STATS

Allyson Cathey: 16 kills, 8 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace.

Riley Winslow: 11 digs, 3 kills, 2 aces, 1 assist.

Shea Collett: 3 digs, 2 kills, 1 block.

Danielle Grant: 2 kills.

Tess Owsley: 2 kills, 1 assist.

Kyla Weber: 22 assists, 9 digs, 1 ace.

Bree Martin: 7 digs, 1 ace.

Mary Claire Meyer: 2 digs.

Saylor Knoy: 1 dig.

FOOTBALL: Bulldogs get thumped at East 77-34

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

COLUMBUS – Despite another stellar performance from senior running back Darquan Richardson, New Albany lost at Class 5A No. 4 Columbus East last Friday at Stafford Field 77-34. It was the first time the Bulldogs have allowed 70 points or more since they lost at Center Grove 70-14 in the Class 6A Sectional 8 semifinals in 2013.

Richardson rushed for 268 yards and two touchdowns. His first TD was a 17-yard run with 5:20 remaining in the second quarter. Richardson’s second score came at the 6:57 mark of the third with an 85-yard TD run.

New Albany junior quarterback Dylan Clark completed 9-of-19 passes for 115 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Bulldog senior wide receiver Savion Southers grabbed two of Clark’s three TD tosses.

Senior running back Jamon Hogan ran for 198 yards and five TDs to lead the Olympians (4-1, 3-0 Hoosier Hills Conference). Teammate Jaedin Miller had 108 rushing yards with three TDs.

East senior quarterback Josh Major was 10-of-11 passing for 178 yards. He rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bulldogs (2-3, 1-2) will host Madison (1-4, 0-3 HHC) at 7 p.m. next Friday.

COLUMBUS EAST 77, NEW ALBANY 34

New Albany            0 20 14   0-34

Columbus East     20 22 21 14-77

First quarter

CE – Jamon Hogan 5 run (Sam Thomasson kick), 8:47.

CE – Hogan 6 run (Thomasson kick), 3:21.

CE – Hogan 10 run (pass failed), 1:05.

Second quarter

NA – Savion Southers 14 pass from Dylan Clark (Noah Litzelswope kick), 10:48.

CE – Jaedin Miller 3 run (Hogan run), 9:44.

CE – Hogan 38 run (Thomason kick), 6:43.

NA – Darquan Richardson 17 run (Litzelswope kick), 5:20.

NA – Austin Oppel 58 pass from Clark (kick failed), 1:49.

CE – Major 9 run (Thomasson kick), :20.

Third quarter

CE – Miller 2 run (Thomasson kick), 9:56.

CE – Hogan 36 run (Thomasson kick), 7:19.

NA – Richardson 85 run (Litzelswope kick), 6:57.

CE – Miller 1 run (Thomasson kick), 4:39.

NA – Southers 14 pass from Clark (Litzelswope kick), 1:15.

Fourth quarter

CE – Major 2 run (Thomasson kick), 11:33.

CE – Lance Greiwe 41 run (Thomasson kick), 5:29.

FOOTBALL: Pioneers win second in a row with 17-12 victory over Pirates

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

CHARLESTOWN – Providence earned its second victory in a row Friday night at Dutch Reis Field, defeating host Charlestown 17-12.

The Pioneers scored all their points in the second quarter. Trailing 6-0, running back Kevin Smith gave Providence a one-point lead thanks to him making a sequence of key plays.

Smith recovered a fumble by Pirate senior Mitch Wurtsmith on a punt return, giving the Pioneers (2-3) the ball at the Charlestown 20-yard line.

Smith supplied Providence with a first down on a 17-yard run. He then followed that with a 3-yard touchdown scamper with 11:09 left in the first half.

At the 7:37 mark, place-kicker Brandon Schafer extended the Pioneer lead to 10-6 by converting a 26-yard field goal.

In the closing minutes of the opening half, Providence recovered another Pirate fumble near midfield. On their next drive, the Pioneers got the ball inside the Charlestown 5 thanks to a Pirate roughing-the-passer penalty. Senior Kaden Williams ran into the end zone from 2 yards out to increase the Providence advantage to 11 points with 43 seconds left in the second.

Sixteen seconds later, Charlestown (1-4) cut its deficit to 17-12 when Wurtsmith grabbed a 61-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Braiden Murphy. It was Wurtsmith’s second TD catch of the game as he snagged a 62-yard toss from Pirate wide receiver Brian Wolter on a trick play 19 seconds into the contest.

Smith ran the ball 26 times for 137 yards. Pioneer quarterback Joe Denis ended up 10-of-19 passing for 82 yards and an interception.

Wurtsmith made six receptions for 128 yards. Murphy completed 7-of-20 passes for 89 yards and two picks. Sophomore Addison Logsdon was the Pirates’ leading rusher with 60 yards on seven carries.

Both teams will return to action at 7 p.m. next Friday. Providence will host Louisville Holy Cross, while Charlestown (1-3 Mid-Southern Conference) will entertain MSC foe Scottsburg (2-3, 2-3 MSC). Warriors’ head coach Kyle Mullins is a former Pirate player. Also, one of Scottsburg’s assistant coaches is former Charlestown head coach John Mastin.

PROVIDENCE 17, CHARLESTOWN 12

Providence       0 17 0 0-17

Charlestown    6   6 0 0-12

First quarter

C – Mitch Wurtsmith 62 pass from Brian Wolter (kick blocked), 11:41.

Second quarter

P – Kevin Smith 3 run (Brandon Schafer kick), 11:09.

P – Schafer 26 field goal, 7:37.

P – Kaden Williams 2 run (Schafer kick), :43.

C – Wurtsmith 61 pass from Braiden Murphy (run failed), :27.

VOLLEYBALL: Ultra Ankle Challenge scores

The following is the scores from Saturday’s Ultra Ankle Challenge at New Albany High School:

POOL A

New Albany d. Jeffersonville 25-7, 25-15

New Albany d. Jasper 22-25, 26-24, 15-10

New Albany d. Columbus North 25-15, 27-25

Jasper d. Jeff 25-21 25-11

Jasper d. Columbus North 25-23, 25-19

Columbus North d. Jeff 25-12, 25-18

POOL B

Floyd Central d. Silver Creek 25-22, 25-19

Floyd Central d. Castle 25-15, 25-23

Floyd Central d. Brownstown Central 25-27, 25-22, 15-11

Silver Creek d. Castle 25-18, 14-25, 15-12

Silver Creek d. Brownstown Central 26-24, 26-28, 15-8

Castle d. Brownstown Central 25-23, 26-28, 16-14

SEVENTH-PLACE MATCH

Brownstown Central d. Jeff 25-4, 25-6

FIFTH-PLACE MATCH

Castle d. Columbus North 26-24, 23-25, 15-11

THIRD-PLACE MATCH

Silver Creek d. Jasper 25-19, 25-23

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Floyd Central d. New Albany 25-21, 27-25

NEXT MATCHES

New Albany at Christian Academy of Indiana, 7 p.m., Monday

Jeff hosts North Harrison, 7:30 p.m., Monday

Floyd Central hosts Louisville Mercy Academy, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday

Silver Creek at Seymour, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday

FOOTBALL: Miscues, big plays doom Jeff against Floyd 34-14

By GREG BURTON

Special to Southern Indiana Preps

JEFFERSONVILLE – Big plays highlighted the Jeffersonville-Floyd Central gridiron matchup Friday night at Blair Field.

One huge play near the end of the third quarter seemed to turn the tide for the Highlanders. Floyd Central pulled away from Jeffersonville in the final quarter, emerging with a 34-14 Hoosier Hills Conference victory.

“We made the plays when we needed to,” said Floyd Central coach Brian Glesing.

Jeffersonville coach Alfonzo Browning echoed his counterpart.

“They made more plays tonight than we did,” the third-year Red Devil boss said. “We were pretty even teams. We just made more mistakes than they did.”

The first big play for Floyd Central (4-1, 3-0 HHC) occurred on the fourth play from scrimmage on its first possession. Junior Tyler Edwards found a hole and romped 46 yards for a touchdown.

Big play No. 2 arrived 3 minutes later when Highlander quarterback Matt Weimer hooked up with Jon Gunn on a 64-yard pass to put Floyd Central up 14-0. At this moment, a rout appeared possible at Blair Field.

However, Jeffersonville (2-3, 2-2) came up with a big play of its own, putting the Red Devils back in contention. Senior running back Kam Fuller broke open and raced 85 yards for the touchdown. Fuller had a big night on the ground, carrying the ball 20 times for 153 yards.

“We gave up that big play in the first quarter,” said Glesing. “We shouldn’t have given that up.”

The first quarter ended with the score 14-7.

The Highlanders opened the second period with a score on a 1-yard run by Weimer.

The Red Devils attempted to counter on their next possession, but the drive stalled at the Floyd Central 3-yard line and they gave the ball up on downs. Floyd Central led 21-7 at the half.

Jeffersonville opened the second half with a 5 1/2-minute drive that resulted in a 4-yard score by Fuller. The Red Devils trailed just 21-14, and they were in the hunt.

The momentum appeared to be going in Jeffersonville’s favor when Floyd Central’s Jason Cundiff fumbled on the next possession. The Red Devils’ Javlen Bells recovered the loose ball.

However, Jeffersonville could not take advantage and had to punt.

The final Floyd Central possession of the third quarter turned out to be the biggest of the big plays for the night. After a bad snap drove the Highlanders back to their own 1-yard line, they were then penalized, setting the ball just inches away from their own goal line.

Facing fourth-and-very long, they were forced to punt. However, the kick was dropped by Fuller and recovered by the Highlanders, giving them new life and breathing room.

“We got backed up field-wise and had to punt and got a big break on their fumbled punt,” said Glesing.

“If you’re going to beat a good team, you can’t make mistakes,” agreed Browning.

Floyd Central responded and effectively put the game away. The Highlanders turned the turnover into a score, with Weimer running it in from 2 yards on a play identical to his first score to put them up 28-14 with 10:41 left in regulation.

After the Red Devils were forced to punt on their next possession, Floyd Central tacked on another touchdown on a 2-yard run from Cundiff for the final score of the night.

“We didn’t really play our best game. Give credit to Floyd Central and their defense, putting us in bad situation,” said Browning.

Shaun Wimberly Jr., the Jeffersonville sophomore quarterback, turned in a good performance. He was 12-of-24 passing for 168 yards. In the final quarter, he was pursued relentlessly by the Floyd Central defense, forcing him to scramble a lot.

Glesing was very impressed with Wimberly.

“That guy’s pretty good right there,” Glesing pointed as Wimberly walked past after the game. “We can’t tackle him, and he’s only a sophomore.”

Wimberly’s favorite target was Red Devil wide receiver D’Andre Rutherford. The pair hooked up five times for 110 yards.

Jeffersonville will travel to Class 5A No. 5 Indianapolis Cathedral (1-4) at 7 p.m. next Friday. Floyd Central will play at 5A No. 4 Columbus East (4-1, 3-0 HHC) at 7 p.m. next Friday.

FLOYD CENTRAL 34, JEFFERSONVILLE 14
Floyd Central    14  7  0  13–34
Jeff                       7   0  7    0–14
First quarter
FC – Tyler Edwards 46 run (Cole Hussung kick), 10:05.
FC – Joe Gunn 64 pass from Matt Weimer (Hussung kick), 7:09.
J – Kam Fuller 85 run (Seth Scott kick), :02.
Second quarter
FC – Weimer 1 run (Hussung kick), 10:03.
Third quarter
J – Fuller 4 run  (Scott kick), 6:32.
Fourth quarter
FC – Weimer 2 run (Hussung kick), 10:41.
FC – Jason Cundiff 2 run (kick failed), 5:18.

OLD KEV’S FOOTBALL PICKS – WEEK 5

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

JEFFERSONVILLE – Here are my football picks for Week 5. I must take another break from the commentary this week because of a hectic work schedule:

Floyd Central 24, Jeffersonville 19

Columbus East 37, New Albany 17

Charlestown 17, Providence 15

Silver Creek 27, Scottsburg 6

Salem 31, Clarksville 12

Rock Creek 24, Dugger Union 10

Bedford North Lawrence 34, Seymour 31

Jennings County 26, Madison 20

Eastern 16, Corydon Central 13

Brownstown Central 37, North Harrison 35

Mitchell 38, Crawford County 14

Tecumseh 33, Perry Central 27

Springs Valley 37, Trinity Lutheran 10

Paoli 29, West Washington 26

OLD KEV’S RECORD LAST WEEK: 12-2.

OLD KEV’S SEASON RECORD: 40-11.

VOLLEYBALL: Red Devils fall to CAI in three

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

JEFFERSONVILLE – On Aug. 28 at Johnson Arena, host Jeffersonville suffered a 25-7, 25-17, 25-14 loss to defending Class A state runner-up Christian Academy of Indiana.

Sophomore Jenna Lake led the Red Devil defense with 14 digs. Teammate Alayna Lacy had five kills and three blocks, while Jeff junior Marriya Henry made five blocks.

“Overall, I am not disappointed in the match against CAI. We struggled with serve-receive, but fought hard and made some really great plays,” said Red Devil head coach Sam Calabro, whose team dropped to 3-6. “Our energy level and excitement were dull, which was our biggest downfall. It affected how we played as a team. We played good defense against them even with the strong hitters that they have. I saw improvement in my team, which is all that matters at this point in the season.”

Senior standout Alli Stumler led the Warriors with 20 kills and 14 digs. Teammate Halle Rankin had 28 assists and seven service aces. Also for CAI, sophomore Kendall Kerberg smacked 10 kills, senior Nicole Collins had 19 digs and junior Julia Lostutter made 14 digs.

The Warriors have moved up to Class 2A this season because of the IHSAA’s success-factor rule.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF INDIANA 3, JEFFERSONVILLE 0

CAI                       25 25 25

Jeff                          7 17 14

JEFF STATS

Marriya Henry: 5 blocks, 2 kills, 1 ace, 1 dig.

Samantha Shelley: 2 kills, 2 digs, 1 block.

Alayna Lacy: 6 assists, 6 digs, 5 kills, 3 blocks, 1 ace.

Jenna Lake: 14 digs, 3 kills, 1 block.

Kaylee Falkenstein: 2 blocks, 1 kill.

Dishaylyn Thomas: 2 blocks.

Lauren Jacobs: 6 assists, 1 dig.

Megan Gallagher: 6 digs.

Erynn Dickson: 3 digs.

Adley McMahel: 5 digs.

FOOTBALL: Wimberly leads Jeff past Madison 28-13

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

MADISON – Quarterback Shaun Wimberly Jr. passed for 263 yards and two long touchdown passes to lead visiting Jeffersonville to a 28-13 victory over Madison Friday night at Cub Field.

Wimberly competed 10-of-14 passes with one interception. The sophomore’s main target was Red Devil junior wide receiver D’Andre Rutherford, who had four receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown.

With the score tied at seven, Wimberly put Jeff (2-2, 2-1 Hoosier Hills Conference) up seven points by hitting senior running back Kam Fuller with a 47-yard touchdown toss with 11:41 left in the third quarter. It was Fuller’s second touchdown of the contest as he made a 6-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

The Cubs (1-3, 0-2) got within one at 14-13 with 8:50 left in the third, as Madison quarterback Jace Humes made a 39-yard TD run. But Cubs place-kicker Tristan Storie missed the extra-point kick, keeping the Red Devil lead at one.

One minute and 32 seconds later, Rutherford caught a 73-yard TD reception from Wimberly to increase Jeff’s lead to 21-13. Red Devil back Dylan Jolley-Little capped off the scoring with a 6-yard TD run with 43 seconds left in regulation.

Fuller ran the ball 15 times for 72 yards. Humes made 17 carries for 121 yards and was 5-of-8 passing for 36 yards and one interception.

Jeff will host Floyd Central (3-1, 2-0) at 7 p.m. next Friday. Madison will visit Jennings County (1-3, 0-2) at 7 p.m. next Friday.

JEFFERSONVILLE 28, MADISON 13

Jeff               0 7 14 7-28

Madison       0 7   6 0-13

Second quarter

J – Kam Fuller 6 run (Seth Scott kick), 8:11.

M – Jace Humes 1 run (Tristan Storie kick), :12.

Third quarter

J – Fuller 47 pass from Shaun Wimberly Jr. (Scott kick), 11:41.

M – Humes 39 run (kick failed), 8:50.

J – D’Andre Rutherford 73 pass from Wimberly (Scott kick), 7:18.

Fourth quarter

J – Dylan Jolley-Little 6 run (Scott kick), :43.

FOOTBALL: Bulldogs lose another shootout, this time at BNL in double OT

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

BEDFORD – Friday night at Stars Field, New Albany lost a shootout on the road for the second time this season.

Class 5A No. 9 Bedford North Lawrence rallied from a 28-14 deficit in the third quarter to edge the Bulldogs in double overtime 42-41. In Week 2, New Albany (2-2, 1-1 Hoosier Hills Conference) suffered a 56-49 setback at Class 5A No. 6 Castle.

The Bulldogs grabbed the 14-point, third-quarter lead at the 10:37 mark on an 8-yard touchdown run by senior running back Darquan Richardson.

But the Stars (4-0, 2-0) scored two touchdowns in the fourth to tie the game at 28. The first TD was a 30-yard run by junior quarterback McCall Ray with 8:16 remaining. BNL deadlocked the game with 37.4 seconds left when Ray connected with junior wide receiver Drew Shoufler on a 19-yard touchdown pass.

The Stars grabbed a 35-28 advantage in the first overtime when junior back Wyatt Martin made a 7-yard TD scamper. New Albany answered later in the extra period with a 1-yard TD reception by Austin Oppel from quarterback Dylan Clark to tie the score at 35.

In the second OT, Richardson snagged a 2-yard TD catch from Clark to put the Bulldogs up 41-35. But the lead stayed at six points when New Albany place-kicker Noah Litzelswope missed the extra-point kick.

Martin deadlocked the game at 41 later in the second overtime with a 1-yard TD run. That was followed by Stars kicker Esteban Flores converting his extra-point attempt for the game-winner.

Richardson rushed the ball 45 times for a game-high 210 yards. He scored five touchdowns, four coming on the ground. Clark was 7-of-11 passing for 75 yards and one interception. Oppel had four receptions for 69 yards.

Ray completed 12-of-19 passes for 117 yards and one interception. He also ran the ball times 22 times for 76 yards.

The Bulldogs will travel to HHC foe and Class 5A No. 4 Columbus East (3-1, 2-0) at 7 p.m. next Friday.

BEDFORD NL 42, NEW ALBANY 41, 2OT

New Albany           7 14 7   0 7 6-41

Bedford NL           7   7 0 14 7 7-42

First quarter

BNL – McCall Ray 6 run (Esteban Flores kick), 9:43.

NA – Darquan Richardson 5 run (Noah Litzelswope kick), 6:17.

Second quarter

NA – Richardson 1 run (Litzelswope kick), 11:12.

NA – Richardson 4 run (Litzelswope kick), 5:15.

BNL – Skyler Bates 7 pass from Ray (Flores kick), 1:24.

Third quarter

NA – Richardson 8 run (Litzelswope kick), 10:37.

Fourth quarter

BNL – Ray 30 run (Flores kick), 8:16.

BNL – Drew Shoufler 19 pass from Ray (Flores kick), :37.4.

First overtime

BNL – Wyatt Martin 7 run (Flores kick).

NA – Austin Oppel 1 pass from Dylan Clark (Litzelswope kick).

Second overtime

NA – Richardson 2 pass from Clark (kick failed).

BNL – Martin 1 run (Flores kick).

FOOTBALL: Pioneers recover from 0-3 start to thump Clarksville 56-0

By GREG BURTON

Special to Southern Indiana Preps

CLARKSVILLE—Providence was looking for a win Friday night at Murphy Stadium against visiting Clarksville. The Pioneers got it with an exclamation mark.
The Pioneers had a rugged first three games of the campaign, losing them all. A 56-0 blowout over Clarksville was a good recovery.
Providence set the tone early and often in the city championship game. The Pioneers scored on their first series and on six of their seven possessions in the first half. Their only non-scoring possession was at the end of the first half and time expired.
Kaden Williams got the Pioneers on the board on their first possession, capping an eight-play drive with a 5-yard run into the end zone with 6:33 left in the first quarter.
Providence’s Kaleb McCubbins added another score on the next Clarksville possession by returning a 65-yard interception to the end zone, putting the Pioneers up 14-0. McCubbins had two picks on the night.
Kevin Smith tacked on the Providence score on its next possession with a 59-yard sprint to paydirt at the 2:02 mark of the first. After the extra point, the score stood 21-0 in the first quarter.
Providence added three more touchdowns in the second period to build a 42-point lead at the half. Smith had a 6-yard run, followed by a quarterback sneak by Joe Denis and a 5-yard TD run by Williams for the three scores.
The second half was played with a running clock, but Williams drove the Generals into a bigger hole on the opening kickoff, rambling 77 yards to the end zone. The Pioneers’ Jeremy Gettelfinger topped off the night’s scoring with a 5-yard run in the fourth.
The city championship game was sponsored by the Clarksville Police Department, which provided MVP trophies for a player from each team.
Chasten O’Neal was the recipient of the MVP trophy for Clarksville. Smith, who rushed for 132 yards on 11 carries, received the award for Providence.
Both teams will play next Friday. Providence (1-3) will play at Charlestown, while Clarksville (0-4, 0-3 Mid-Southern Conference) will be at home against MSC foe Salem. Each game will begin at 7 p.m.

PROVIDENCE 56, CLARKSVILLE 0
Clarksville          0  0  0  0–   0
Providence       21 21  7  7–56
First quarter
P – Kaden Williams 5 run (Brandon Schafer kick), 6:33.
P – Kaleb McCubbins 65 interception return (Schafer kick), 6:09.
P – Kevin Smith 59 run (Schafer kick), 2:02.
Second quarter
P – Smith 6 run (Schafer kick), 10:47.
P – Joe Denise 1 run (Schafer kick), 8:59.
P – Williams 5 run (Schafer kick), 3:46.
Third quarter
P – Williams 77 kick return (Nathan Striby kick), 11:24.

Fourth quarter

P – Jeremy Gettelfinger 5 run (Striby kick), 3:49.

OLD KEV’S FOOTBALL PICKS – WEEK 4

By KEVIN HARRIS

kevinharris1972@gmail.com

JEFFERSONVILLE – Here are Old Kev’s football picks for Week 4. Remember these predictions are for recreational purposes:

FRIDAY’S GAMES

New Albany (2-1, 1-0 HHC) at Class 5A No. 9 Bedford North Lawrence (3-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: There should be plenty of points scored in this critical Hoosier Hills Conference matchup. The Stars are averaging 37.3 points per contest, while the Bulldogs are putting up 37 points per clip. BNL and New Albany rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in scoring in Class 5A.

This one is just going to come down to which squad’s defense is going to make the most key stops, especially on third down.

Also, in my experience covering the HHC, going to Bedford is like entering the Twilight Zone. If you are the visitors, you just don’t know what is going to happen.

This is a very difficult game to pick. I think it is going to be an extremely close and competitive game.

So, when in doubt, pick the home team.

Old Kev’s pick: BNL 40, New Albany 38.

Jeffersonville (1-2, 1-1 HHC) at Madison (1-2, 0-1), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: This is a must-win contest for the Red Devils this week for a couple of reasons.

One, Jeff had a disappointing effort in last Friday’s loss at BNL after posting an impressive victory over Seymour in Week 2. The Red Devils need to regroup and attempt to gain some confidence.

Two, the trip to Cub Field is the Devils’ best chance for them to get a victory in the next several weeks.

The Madison game comes before Jeff embarks on a brutal four-game stretch in its schedule. The stretch consists of a home contest versus Floyd Central, back-to-back road games at Class 5A No. 5 Indianapolis Cathedral and New Albany and finally a home game with Class 5A No. 4 Columbus East.

To be more specific about the challenging nature of this stretch, the Red Devils will play their two main rivalry games versus the Highlanders and the Bulldogs, a perennial state power in the Fighting Irish and a team that has an unbelievable 71-game HHC winning streak in the Olympians.

Old Kev’s pick: Jeff 37, Madison 23.

Clarksville (0-3) at Providence (0-3), 7 p.m.

Old Kev says: If you take a lot of stock in past performances to make your picks, then you must feel that the Pioneers’ anemic offense will get well against their town rivals. In its last six games against the Generals, Providence has scored at least 40 points five times. The Pioneers’ point total broke 60 in three of those six contests, including both of their victories over Clarksville last year.

But you can never underestimate a rival and I am sure the Generals would love nothing more than to end their 28-game losing streak against Providence.

I expect Clarksville to be fired up for this one, but the Pioneers finally get off the schneid and earn their first win of 2017.

Old Kev’s pick: Providence 36, Clarksville 19.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST

Floyd Central 28, Seymour 26

Silver Creek 24, Eastern 10

North Harrison 34, Charlestown 13

Crawford County 23, Rock Creek 21

Corydon Central 20, Scottsburg 17

Columbus East 48, Jennings County 20

Brownstown Central 38, Salem 13

Mitchell 34, Eastern Greene 33

Paoli 29, Perry Central 24

West Washington 35, Springs Valley 14

Knightstown 34, Trinity Lutheran 6

OLD KEV’S RECORD LAST WEEK: 11-2.

OLD KEV’S SEASON RECORD: 28-9.