KSR Game of the Week: No. 20 South Oldham at Scott County

The KSR Game of the Week is headed to Georgetown for the first time his season.

The eighth KSR Game of the Week of the 2024 season will pit the host Scott County Cardinals (4-3) against the visiting No. 20 South Oldham Dragons (6-1) on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST. This will be an important matchup in the standings — both teams are 2-0 in Class 5A’s District 5.

South Oldham is on a six-game winning streak and just broke into KSR’s Top 25 rankings for the first time all season earlier this week. A 32-27 win over a good Woodford County squad last week pushed them into the statewide conversation. Meanwhile, Scott County is riding a three-game win streak after a tough start to the schedule. The Cardinals, now receiving votes in KSR’s Top 25 rankings, are coming off a 49-6 drumming of Anderson County.

Looking at On3’s Massey Ratings score predictions, Scott County has an 80 percent chance to win this game with the projected final score favoring the Cardinals, 40-20. Here’s what you need to know about both teams.

RV Scott County Cardinals (4-3)

Both of these teams will rely heavily on the run game. Scott County head coach Jim McKee has five 100-yard rushers already this season with a sixth at 97 rushing yards. Senior Kayne Garrett leads the way with 589 rushing yards and four touchdowns while senior Ali Hamdiyah (317 rushing yards, six touchdowns) and sophomore Timmy Emongo (306 rushing yards, four touchdowns) aren’t far behind. All three rank among Class 5A’s top 50 rushers. Scott County ranks third in Class 5A in overall rushing yards.

When the Cardinals do pass the ball, senior Andrew Hickey has shown enough to keep a defense honest. He’s thrown for 355 yards (25-47 passing) on the season with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Hickey will primarily look for senior Elijah Lilly (214 receiving yards, two touchdowns) or senior Isaac York (eight receptions, three touchdowns). Scott County is averaging 31.4 points per outing, ninth-best in Class 5A.

On defense, Scott County is giving up 25.6 points per game, which ranks 21st in Class 5A. The Cardinals are engineered by sophomore Asher Brewer, who is third on the team in tackles (33) and first in interceptions (six), the latter stat ranking first in Class 5A. Senior Jackson Damron is the team leader in tackles with 40 while senior Robert Thompson ranks second with 36. Senior Joshua Greene’s nine tackles for loss (29 total tackles) are the most of his teammates. Sophomore Anderson Owens and junior John Brody Bowlin each have three tackles for loss, as well.

No. 20 South Oldham Dragons (6-1)

Much like the Cardinals, South Oldham’s bread and butter comes on the ground. This is a group with Class 5A’s 12th-best offense. But the main difference? Head coach Cain Sams has a quarterback who can also beat a defense with his legs.

Senior Ethan Arnold has thrown for 579 yards (43-76 passing) with eight touchdowns and two interceptions while also running for 310 yards (second-most on the team) and five more scores. The rushing attack is led by senior Julian Miles though, who has 631 yards (11th in Class 5A) and five touchdowns of his own. Miles is also Arnold’s favorite target through the air. Arnold has more than double his next closest teammate in receiving yards at 362 to go along with seven touchdowns. Expect Arnold and Miles (who also has two punts returned for touchdowns) to do plenty of the heavy lifting on offense.

South Oldham’s running back room goes deeper than those two though. Junior Evan Hickerson, senior Luke Hatcher, and junior Kole Greenwell all have over 100 rushing yards with four combined touchdowns. Senior Max Madsen is an option in the passing game for Arnold, too. Madsen has eight receptions for 143 and two touchdowns this season.

On defense, the Dragons have talent all over the field. Senior Davis Larsen leads his team in tackles with 63 (plus seven tackles for loss and three sacks) while senior Parker Ellis is equally as impressive with 59 total tackles (plus 11 tackles for loss and five sacks). Junior Blake Dickamore is a threat too with 47 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and four sacks. South Oldham has 11 more defenders with double-digit tackles on the season. The Dragons have pulled down nine interceptions by seven different players.