No. 21 Bowling Green hosts Central Hardin in homecoming game

The No. 21 Bowling Green Purples (2-2) are staying home this Friday when they’ll take on Central Hardin (2-2) for a good-ole-fashion homecoming game.

After playing away from their home field for their first three games of the season, the Purples returned to Purples Field last week and demolished Apollo 57-7. They sit with a 2-2 record through four games. Central Hardin is also 2-2 on the season and meets the Purples as a Class 6A school, having losses to No. 9 DuPont Manual (20-7) and Meade County (32-25).

We’re in Week 5, so we’re seeing teams who’ve established their offense and have worked out early-season defensive kinks. Still, football is about remaining patient and present, taking your tasks week-by-week to work collectively towards every team’s hope — a state championship. Let’s take a look at how these two teams match up and what we can expect on Friday night.

Bowling Green’s Offensive Dominance

It’s no secret that Bowling Green has one of the best quarterbacks in the state. Junior Deuce Bailey has been a key piece for the Purples’ offensive success this season. He’s thrown for 1,378 yards with a 72% completion rate and 14 touchdowns.

Surrounding Bailey are loads of talented receivers and rushers. Sophomore Trevy Barber is a bright young receiver, leading the Purples offense with 357 yards and five touchdown receptions. Senior Matthew Klein and junior Christopher Sweeney follow, combining for 520 yards and five touchdown receptions.

Sophomore Jaxen Smith is another kid who can get the Purples’ offense going. Reliable on foot and in the air, Smith has totaled 361 offensive yards and four touchdowns. They’ve got their defense on lock, too. Senior linebacker Max Buchanon totals 30 tackles and two interceptions for 21 yards over the first four games. Junior Grayson Newman plays on both sides of the ball but shines as a defensive back for the Purples with 31 tackles total.

How Does Central Hardin Match Up?

Central Hardin is led by senior quarterback Zackery Spurrier. He’s posted 288 total yards passing along with a pair of touchdowns for the season. Spurrier tallies a 55% completion rate, converting on 17 of only 31 attempts. The Bruins also opt for senior QB Caden Elmore, who has totaled 228 yards passing with three touchdown completions. With that said, it seems the Bruins rely heavily on their rushing strength to get their offense going.

Senior running back Mason Gardner is going to be the Bruins’ go-to guy. He tallies 335 yards rushing over 51 attempts so far this season, accompanied by three rushing TDs. Senior Walker Meredith follows that with 281 yards on over 35 attempts with a touchdown, averaging 70 yards per game.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Purples will do to stop the Bruins’ run-heavy offense. It’s homecoming week for the Purples, so you can guarantee the atmosphere will be lively and energetic. The game kicks off at 7 P.M. CT at Bowling Green High School.