Crestwood, KY – For 43 minutes, the mighty Ballard Bruin offense, one of the most potent and explosive in the state, was stymied by the South Oldham Dragon defense. Midway through the final period, the Dragons trailed just 7-0. But a series of big plays sparked a 20-0 Ballard run, and the Bruins escaped Crestwood with a deceiving 27 point win.

Ballard came into the contest averaging 34 points per contest, largely behind the passing of top-rated passer Andy Ahrens and the receiving of senior Maurice Marchman, also top-ranked at his position. The Dragons countered with one of the best defenses in the district, and sought to control the contest through their running game behind senior Chris Moran, who entered the contest with over 800 yards rushing.

After the two teams traded punts on their opening possessions, Ballard took over at their own 43 late in the first period. Working exclusively from the shotgun formation, Ahrens drove the Bruins to a first-and-goal at the South four yard line. Three plays later, the Bruins faced a fourth and goal at the two, and Ballard coach Mark Catlett opted to go for the touchdown. What had been a heroic goal-line stand dissolved on the next play as the Dragon coverage broke down, and Ahrens found sophomore wide receiver Chris Hall all alone in the left corner of the end zone for the first points of the game. Freshman kicker Austin Becker converted on the point after to give Ballard the lead, 7-0 with 2:25 remaining in the first.

The Dragons went three-and-out on their next possession, and then had to dodge a bullet. On fourth down, Derek Bowman’s punt was blocked by Ballard, and the Bruins took over at the South 24 yard line to start the second quarter. But the Dragon defense stiffened, and Ballard failed to register a first down, turning the ball back over to the Dragons on downs.

The remainder of the half was a defensive struggle as the two teams jockeyed for field position and the defenses made first downs rare. With 2:15 to go in the first half, and Ballard still clinging to a 7-0 lead, the Bruins took over deep in their own territory at the 15. Ahrens drove his team to the South Oldham 25 and spiked the ball to stop the clock with :14 to go. Becker’s 42 yard field goal attempt was long enough, but just to the left of the uprights, and the teams headed to the locker room with the score 7-0.

South took the opening kickoff to start the second half and held the ball for nearly 4 minutes, but failed to threaten. Bowman’s punt pinned Ballard at their own 17 to start their first possession of the second half. A few plays later, the Dragons were dealt a severe blow when star defensive end Adam Ballard went down with a dislocated elbow and left the game. Ballard – who came into the game with 10 sacks, tied for the school season record – had not recorded any sacks on the evening, but had tied up a number of Bruin blockers as they sought to keep him off Ahrens’ back.

When play resumed, the Bruins moved the ball into Dragon territory as South Oldham seemed distracted. But the Dragons regrouped, and on fourth-and-three, South dropped the Ballard runner for a two yard loss and the Dragons took over on downs at their own 40 yard line.

The defenses continued to rule the game, and with 8:50 remaining in the contest, Ballard took over after a Bowman punt. A little less than two minutes later, with 7:06 to go, Ahrens took the ball on a keeper around left end for nine yards and a touchdown. Becker’s point after was blocked, but Ballard’s lead was 13-0.

Now the Dragons were pretty much forced to modify their offensive game plan. Throughout the first half, the Dragons had kept the ball on the ground almost exclusively. In fact, starting quarterback Matt Kusnir had thrown just two passes – both incompletions – in the first half. Now, down by two scores with seven minutes left, the Dragons had to go to open things up a bit more.

Sophomore Josh Moll entered the game at quarterback for the Dragons and promptly drove the team from the South 35 to the Ballard 20, aided by some key Ballard penalties. (for the night, the Dragons would gain five first downs thanks to Bruin penalties) On first and ten from the twenty, Moll hit Ryan Donohue in the end zone for an apparent touchdown as flags flew. Ballard was hit with a pass interference penalty, and one official signaled touchdown. But a second official ruled that the ball had been bobbled and dropped, and the Dragons wound up facing a first-and-goal at the Ballard ten. Four incomplete passes later, the Bruins took over on downs and the Dragons’ best opportunity to score died.

The Dragons stuffed the first two Ballard running plays at the line of scrimmage, but South’s last remaining hopes of rallying died on the next play. Ahrens hit Ryan Pederson on a short slant route that the senior turned into a 90 yard sprint to the end zone, putting the game safely out of reach, 20-0, with 3:10 to go in the contest.

Ballard added insult to injury when LaMichael Rhodes intercepted a Moll pass on the Dragons next possession and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown, putting the finishing touches on the 27-0 win.

Chris Moran starred in defeat for the Dragons, finishing with 111 yards on 23 carries. The Dragon passing game, however, never clicked. Kusnir and Moll finished a combined three of twenty-one with one interception.

South falls to 3-6 on the season and 2-4 in the District; Ballard improves to 5-4 and 4-2 in the district. South, which has never made it to the playoffs since moving up to 4A football in 1999, will have to defeat Oldham County in Buckner next week if they are to avoid missing the playoffs for a third year in a row. In addition, the Dragons will need help from other teams in the final week’s games.

Other District Action:

Oldham County 58, Jeffersontown 6

Trinity 52, Fern Creek 0

Shelby County 31, Eastern 18

Trinity 6-0

Oldham Co. 4-2

Ballard 4-2

Shelby Co. 3-3

Fern Creek 2-4

South Oldham 2-4

Eastern 2-4

Jeffersontown 0-6

South Oldham (3-6) at Oldham County (6-3) Dragons must win to have a shot at the playoffs, but they will also need help from other teams. Oldham cements second place and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a win. Coverage on WYKY 105.7 FM begins at 7 pm, with kickoff at 7:30 pm.

Eastern vs Trinity Eastern’s loss to Shelby County makes this a meaningless game, in terms of playoff positioning. The only question here is whether Trinity can wrap up an undefeated district record.

Shelby County vs. Fern Creek Both teams battling for their playoff lives. Shelby guarantees themselves the fourth and final playoff position with the win; Fern Creek can gain fourth with a win, coupled with losses by Eastern and South Oldham.

Jeffersontown vs. Ballard J-Town has no playoff future; Bruins still hoping for second place with a Ballard win and an Oldham loss.