CARLISLE, Ky. | The Paris-Nicholas County game on Friday night at Nicholas County’s Ben Humphrey Field featured a matchup between Greyhound junior running back/linebacker RaZamadi Bell and Blue Jacket senior running back/linebacker Wyatt Simons.
Bell and his Greyhounds came out on top, 46-12, sending Nicholas County (7-1) to its first defeat of the season.
Bell finished with 88 yards rushing, one forced fumble, one rumble recovery, 14 tackles and one sack. Simons ran for 192 yards and two scores, and had one tackle for a loss.
Both coaches raved about their star.
“Madi’s a really good player. He does a lot of good things. He’s a good running back. He’s a good linebacker. He’d be a whole lot better if we were able to get him out of the game a little bit more, but he’s so good on both sides of the ball, we can’t,” said Paris’ Dane Damon. “But he runs the football very hard for his size, and he’s our defensive trigger. He does his job.”
“When (Simons) gets a head of steam, he’s really hard to take down running (the) ball. When our lines block and open up holes, he can he can go just about anywhere running,” Nicholas County’s Simon Clouse said. “He doesn’t look as nifty as he is, but he made good cuts tonight and got a bunch of yards.”
Damron knew that slowing Simons was going to be key to winning the game.
“I thought we answered the call physically. (Simons) is a man. He’s a really good football player. We knew that he was a load,” he said. “So, I thought our kids stepped up and answered the call, and we capitalized on our opportunities.”
The game opened ominously for the hosts. There were three straight penalties to begin the opening drive, although both teams contributed to the cause. However, once the dust settled and the yardage was marked off, Paris (4-3) forced a turnover deep in Blue Jacket territory and needed two plays to score less than a minute into the contest and grab a lead it did not relinquish.
On the first actual play, junior Zarion Snowden stripped the ball from the running back and recovered it at the Nicholas County 12-yard line. Two plays later, junior quarterback Guy Turner ran through the middle of the line and spun his way into the end zone with a 6-yard score at 11:09. Junior Bruce Hayden’s extra point attempt sailed wide to the right.
The Blue Jackets’ second drive did not go much better. A pair of short runs, then a quarterback hurry by junior Brajon Santiago that resulted in an incomplete pass, forced a three-and-out. On the punt attempt, the snap was fumbled and the eventual attempt resulted in a 3-yard loss.
Like its first drive, Paris scored on its second play, with Turner’s pass connecting with junior Brandon Santiago. Turner rolled to his left and found Santiago, who caught the pass coming across the middle, then shook off a pair of tackles on the sideline and was able to slip into the end zone. Initially, the Greyhounds scored on the 2-point conversion with Brandon Santiago running a reverse, but a penalty brought the play back and Turner was tackled at the 10 on the second attempt with 8:23 remaining in the quarter.
Things continued to look bleak for the hosts as the ensuing kickoff was fumbled out of bounds after a 3-yard loss. But then Simons had his first breakout run, darting for 19 yards and a first down. Later in the drive, he added another first-down run with a 9-yard effort off right tackle.
Nicholas County moved into Paris’ territory after a 39-yard scamper by junior Jayden Watkins. Simons carried the ball for six of the next seven plays, crossing the goal line with a 1-yard run with 3:12 remaining in the opening quarter. However, his attempt at running in the 2-point conversion was stopped for a loss by Bell and junior Chase Williams.
After a 20-yard kickoff return by senior Xavion Wallace, Bell and Turner shared the workload on the next drive. The biggest gain came after Bell ran to the right, bounced off several tacklers and picked up 22 yards and a first down. Paris let the final few seconds run off the first-period clock before sophomore Braylon Francis’ fourth-and-four pass attempt from the 10-yard line fell incomplete.
Twenty yards of a 24-yard run by Simons was called back due to a holding penalty, but Simons was able to gain the first down anyway two plays later with a 12-yard run. He and Watkins alternated carries over an 11-play stretch that included Simons having four first-down runs of between 10-12 yards. However, on that final play, sophomore Braylon Francis drug him down for a 4-yard loss, and on the next snap, Bell had a 7-yard tackle for loss coupled with a strip and fumble recovery, giving the Greyhounds the ball at the Nicholas County 37.
Bell listed it as one of his favorite things about the game.
“I like getting in the backfield, making them tackles, making them big hits, getting the ball back,” he said. “Getting the ball back for our offense, going down the field and scoring again.”
With 6:09 left in the half, Paris went back to the air as Turner found Brandon Santiago for a 30-yard gain. However, a pair of penalties caused the visitors to lose 23 yards on the play. Gradually, Paris made up the deficit and Turner again connected with senior Traden Murrell on the left side for a 67-yard gain before he was dragged down at the 2-yard line. After a penalty set Paris back, Turner eventually got the ball over the goal line with a 2-yard run with 1:37 to play. However, as the case had been all night, the 2-point conversion was unsuccessful as senior Case Reid’s pressure forced Turner to throw an incomplete pass.
Simons and Watkins again rotated duties running the ball on Nicholas County’s ensuing drive, with both gaining one first down (a Simons 9-yard run and a Watkins 11-yard run) but the halftime clock ended with the ball near midfield.
Turner went to work to start the second half, connecting with Snowden for a 35-yard gain down the right sideline from third-and-nine at midfield. It took five plays from there to get into the end zone with Bell running up the middle for the 4-yard score. For a change, Paris decided to kick the extra point, and even with a 5-yard false-start penalty moving the ball back, Hayden sent the ball through the uprights with 8:19 left in the third quarter.
It was that balance between passing and running that keyed Paris’ offensive success.
“(Our) quarterback made good passes. Running the ball, (we) just ran all over them. … We came out there and did what we were supposed to do,” Bell said. “Over pursuing everything, just make a lot of cuts, everything. The pass game was really working, so it helps to run it. (When) the passing is working, we’re gonna run the ball good. If they get stuck on the pass, we run it.”
Nicholas County was unable to gain much traction on its next drive, punting after three downs and a penalty. Brandon Santiago returned the kick for 18 yards and the drive started at the hosts’ 37-yard line.
Six plays later, the Greyhounds were back on the board, despite a 1-yard tackle-for-a-loss by Watkins, junior Chandler Kenney and junior Cash Linville at the 1-yard line. Turner’s 1-yard quarterback sneak, coupled with Hayden’s extra point, pushed the visitors’ lead to 32-6 with 3:53 remaining in the third period.
Senior Luke Davis had his best kickoff return of the night picking up 25 yards. Simons had a pair of 4-yard gains, but Bell pushed the Blue Jackets back two yards after a tackle-for-a-loss on a run up the middle. On fourth-and-four from its own 36-yard line, Nicholas County turned the ball over after its rushing attempt could only pick up one yard.
“Defensively, we just wanted to … run free, just make the tackle. We just tried to get in the backfield. We just did what we were supposed to do, like pick up blocks,” Bell said. “I had to have someone pick up blocks. They take … on their blocks … and we just make them good tackles.”
Paris needed just four plays to extend its lead, but not without pushback from Case and Linville, who combined to make a 1-yard tackle-for-a-loss, and a quarterback hurry from Davis, which forced an incomplete pass. However, Turner made up for the negative plays by finding Brandon Santiago in the end zone for a 30-yard score on fourth-and-three. Hayden again tacked on the extra point and stretched the visitors’ lead to 39-6 just as the third-quarter clock expired.
Again, Simons and Watkins shouldered the load for the Blue Jackets on their next drive, which moved 75 yards on nine plays in three minutes and 39 seconds.
Watkins had a big gainer with a 16-yard run on third-and-two. He also picked up the next two first downs with a pair of five yard runs. The hosts got down to the six after Simons ran up the middle and cut to the right for a 19-yard gain. He then finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown with 8:21 to play. Yet, Hayden stripped the ball away on the 2-point conversion preventing the Blue and White from adding to its score.
Nicholas County tried an onside kick, but Turner recovered it at the Paris 49. He then found Brandon Santiago on the right flat for an 11-yard gain. Junior Morgan Tanner joined with Linville to drop Paris back a yard on a run play up the middle. Simons, Watkins and Reid combined to make another tackle-for-a-loss, this one for four yards, forcing the Greyhounds into fourth-and-14.
A trick-play punt, where Hayden got the ball after lining up as a wide receiver nearly worked to perfection as Paris downed the ball at the goal line.
“We won the battle for the field position. Our kickoff return team did a good job of fielding their little squib kicks. And we took advantage,” Damon said. “I think they just stopped us one time in the first half with three possessions, and … we had four possessions, scored on three of them. And then I think in the second half, they just stopped us one time. So I thought our kids really pulled it off.”
Save for a Simons’ 41-yard run on fourth-and-seven from its 23-yard line, Nicholas County did not have much success on its next series, starting the drive with a 1-yard tackle-for-a-loss by sophomore Braylon Frazier. But the big gain went for naught, as Turner ripped the ball out of the hands of freshman Jack Jeter after he had a 12-yard run, and Turner went down the left sideline for a 71-yard score. Hayden’s extra point made it 41-12 with 2:53 to play.
Bell was back in the backfield for a 2-yard tackle-for-a-loss on the first play of the Blue Jackets’ final possession. Watkins and Jack gained some positive yardage running the ball and Kenney’s pass attempt on second-and-one from the 42 drew an interference penalty, putting the ball at the Paris 27. However, the hosts could only get off one play before the clock read all zeros.
“I thought they answered the bell. We knew coming in Nicholas County’s a good football team as well, physical, physical, physical,” Damron said. “We knew coming into the game that we thought we had some advantage in speed and on the perimeter, but we knew they were going to turn around and run right at us. And I thought for the most part our kids answered the bell and answered the physicality. This is a good win, I’m really proud of our kids.”
“Paris is a good team. I thought we fought hard. I thought we really early in the game shot ourselves in the foot, kind of put ourselves behind the eight ball. We kind of scratched and clawed a little bit in the first half, we just weren’t able to do it in the second half,” Clause said. “(Defensively,) I thought early on we did a really good job containing the outside as far as the run plays. Our pass defense gave up some big balls and some key moments that kind of changed the tide of the game for us.”
Both teams have a date with state powerhouse Raceland up next. The Greyhounds will travel for their game this upcoming Friday, before the Blue Jackets return from a week off to host the Rams on October 24.
Paris 12 6 21 14 | 46
Nicholas County 6 0 0 6 | 12
First Quarter
P – Guy Turner 6-yard run (kick failed), 11:09 0-6
P – Brandon Santiago 22-yard pass from Turner (run failed), 8:23 0-12
NC – Wyatt Simons 1-yard run (run failed), 3:12 6-12
Second Quarter
P – Turner 2-yard run (pass failed), 1:37 6-18
Third Quarter
P – RaZamadi Bell 4-yard run (Bruce Hayden kick), 8:19 6-25
P – Turner 1-yard run (Hayden kick), 3:53 6-32
P – Santiago 30-yard pass from Turner (Hayden kick), :00.0 6-39
Fourth Quarter
N – Simons 6-yard run (run failed), 8:21 12-39
P – Turner 71-yard fumble return (Hayden kick), 2:53 12-46
Rushing: P (28-132), RaZamadi Bell (15-88), Guy Turner (10-45), Brandon Santiago (2-0), Dexter Leverett [1- (-1)]. NC (52-315) Wyatt Simons (26-192), Jayden Watkins (22-97), Jack Jeter (3-24), Chandler Kenney (1-2).
Passing: P Guy Turner (6-11-0-173), Braylon Francis (0-1-0-0). NC Chandler Kenney (0-3-0-0).
Receiving: P (6-173), Traden Murrell (1-67), Brandon Santiago (3-63), Zarion Snowden (2-43). NC (0-0).
