Kroger's Kentucky High School Football Rundown - Playoffs Round 2
Round two action of the 2023 Kentucky high school football playoffs is officially in the books. Half the field was eliminated from state title contention on Friday night, including four of KSR’s Top 25 teams. Next up: the quarterfinals. Only three more wins separate six schools from being crowned champions at Kroger Field.
There were plenty of high-profile round-two matchups across the state throughout Friday. A handful of Top 25 showdowns stole headlines, but KSR traveled out to Hart County in order to watch the No. 22-ranked Raiders take down Glasgow with a 28-21 win in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week.
KSR was also in Georgetown to witness Cooper upset No. 18 Scott County by a shocking score of 49-21. You can check out everything that happened in that one below, along with a full scoreboard rundown of all the games from Friday night.
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Cooper Rolls No. 18 Scott County in Eye-Opening 2nd Round Victory
BY: Daniel Hager
The Cooper Jaguars are headed to the state quarterfinals of the Class 5A KHSAA Football Playoffs for the first time since 2015 following their 49-21 victory over No. 18 Scott County Friday night.
The Jaguars led from start to finish. They took a 7-0 lead just a minute in following a Scott County fumble on the first play from scrimmage and never looked back.
In the opening round of last season’s Class 5A KHSAA Football Playoffs, Scott County steamrolled Cooper 56-20. That led to a little extra motivation for the Jaguars over the past week. Cooper sophomore QB Cam O’ Hara, who threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, spoke on that following their victory. O’Hara currently holds offers from Kentucky, Miami (OH), Western Kentucky, and Austin Peay.
“It’s been an amazing week,” the young star said. “Last year, we got beat by them in the first round. It feels good to get revenge. We put in the work and the effort and this is what we deserve.”
All three of O’Hara’s touchdown passes were to junior TE/LB Austin Alexander. The six-foot-three, 240-pound nephew of Shaun Alexander finished with five receptions for 148 yards and three scores. Alexander, rated a four-star prospect by On3, currently holds offers from Power Five programs such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, and Louisville. Alexander spoke with KSR following Cooper’s big victory.
“It feels really good,” Alexander responded when asked about the win. “We knew we had a lot of players returning this year. We always take things one game at a time but inevitably we knew we’d come back to the Birds Nest and pick off Scott County. We’ve been working hard all year. We’ve had some highs and some lows but props to the boys for getting better and better each week.”
Along with O’Hara and Alexander, sophomore RB Keagan Maher was a nightmare for the Scott County defense. Maher finished with 27 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns. The Cardinals entered Friday night’s matchup allowing just 130 rushing yards per game to opponents.
With the 49-21 victory, Cooper head coach Randy Borchers notched his 13th playoff victory in his 15th year as head coach. Borchers has coached at Randall K. Cooper High since the school was established in 2008. He was on Cloud Nine following his team’s big victory in the Birds Nest.
“We played a complete game,” Borchers said. “I’m so proud of our guys. Earlier in the year we gave up 500 yards to a Highlands team and since that point, our kids have bought into what we want to do. We’ve been able to make some changes and that was a really good football team we played. We did a good job shutting them down and maintaining the running game. They hit some runs on us but our defense played a fantastic game tonight.”
Scott County touted the best-rushing offense in the state of Kentucky this season, averaging 301 rushing yards per game. Borchers’ defense held the Cardinals to just 164 rushing yards Friday night.
To be frank, Friday night was a disaster for Jim McKee’s Cardinals. Touted by many as 5A State Championship favorites, Scott County melted down when it mattered most. After falling behind 49-21 with 5:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, multiple Scott County defensive players were ejected prior to Cooper’s extra-point attempt for jawing with referees. This led to a nearly eight-minute pause in action, where parents and coaches were asked to leave the premises as well.
This all culminated in an ugly brawl in the handshake line. It was a terrible, no good, very bad night for the Cardinals but a great night for the Cooper Jaguars, who are now lined up for a matchup with Southwestern next Friday night with a shot at the semifinals up for grabs.
Kroger’s Scores From Around The State
Kroger is a staple in your hometown community just like high school football. There’s nothing quite like Friday nights in the Bluegrass. We are honored to share this journey with Kroger and you for the fourth consecutive season. Check out all of the scores from throughout the weekend below.
Friday, Nov. 10
| Campbellsville | 49 | vs. Holy Cross (Louisville) | 20 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Kentucky Country Day | 42 | vs. Bethlehem | 20 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Ludlow | 28 | vs. Newport | 6 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Middlesboro | 40 | vs. Paintsville | 14 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Newport Central Catholic | 43 | vs. Dayton (at Dixie Heights) | 19 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 25 Pikeville | 42 | vs. Williamsburg | 0 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 24 Raceland | 61 | vs. Frankfort | 19 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Sayre | 38 | vs. Paris | 12 | Class 1A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 14 Beechwood | 42 | vs. Breathitt County | 12 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Green County | 36 | vs. Metcalfe County | 28 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 6 Lexington Christian | 57 | vs. Monroe County | 14 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Martin County | 35 | vs. Betsy Layne | 6 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 19 Mayfield | 42 | vs. Murray | 20 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 11 Owensboro Catholic | 49 | vs. Crittenden County (at Steele Stadium, KWC) | 7 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Shelby Valley | 51 | vs. Floyd Central | 6 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Somerset | 57 | vs. Leslie County | 0 | Class 2A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Bell County | 24 | at Belfry | 22 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Central | 37 | at Mercer County | 0 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 7 Christian Academy-Louisville | 50 | vs. Elizabethtown | 8 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| East Carter | 20 | vs. Lloyd Memorial | 7 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 22 Hart County | 28 | vs. Glasgow | 21 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 17 Lexington Catholic | 48 | vs. Russell | 0 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Rockcastle County | 31 | vs. Lawrence County | 28 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Union County | 23 | vs. Franklin-Simpson | 22 | Class 3A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Bardstown | 51 | vs. Logan County | 48 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 1 Boyle County | 49 | vs. Perry County Central | 0 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 2 Corbin | 49 | vs. Taylor County | 14 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 4 Covington Catholic | 35 | vs. No. 23 Ashland Blazer | 28 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 13 Franklin County | 58 | vs. North Oldham | 0 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Johnson Central | 28 | vs. Boyd County | 14 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 15 Paducah Tilghman | 56 | vs. Warren East | 7 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Spencer County | 42 | at DeSales | 37 | Class 4A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Atherton | 21 | vs. Butler | 0 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 20 Bowling Green | 51 | vs. Graves County | 3 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Cooper | 49 | at No. 18 Scott County | 21 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Fairdale | 41 | at Grayson County | 22 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 12 Highlands | 40 | vs. Dixie Heights | 7 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| North Laurel | 42 | at Madison Southern | 6 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Owensboro | 53 | vs. No. 21 South Warren | 22 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Southwestern | 41 | vs. Pulaski County | 13 | Class 5A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Ballard | 48 | at No. 9 DuPont Manual | 42 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals (double overtime) |
| No. 16 Bryan Station | 43 | vs. Tates Creek (at Lafayette) | 10 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Central Hardin | 36 | vs. Daviess County | 6 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 8 Frederick Douglass | 50 | vs. Madison Central | 7 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 3 Male | 34 | vs. Fern Creek | 14 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| McCracken County | 38 | at Henderson County | 23 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| Ryle | 43 | vs. Bullitt East | 20 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 5 Trinity (Louisville) | 38 | vs. No. 10 St. Xavier | 14 | Class 6A 2023 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
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