Rafferty's Bowl: LCA escapes Bowling Green 56-52

<p>After Boyle County's commanding 36-6 route of Gibson Southern, the annual Rafferty's Bowl continued at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium as Bowling Green (0-1) and Lexington Christian Academy (1-0) opened up their season in a back-and-forth battle on Saturday evening. The Eagles came out on top in the end, kickstarting their season with a close 56-52 victory over the Purples.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   <p>Bowling Green made their presence known in the first few seconds of the first quarter, returning the opening kickoff all the way to the house to go up 7-0 on Lexington Christian Academy. The Eagles quickly struck back to tie the game up and extended their lead to 21-7 with great offensive production as well as a Purples' turnover. Bowling Green made necessary adjustments and cut Lexington Christian's lead with a field goal to make it 21-10 later on in the second quarter. Before both teams entered the locker room for halftime, the Eagles extended their lead once again as the Purples trailed 28-10. The second half of play was much more intense as the Purples came roaring back thanks to a pick-six and a scoop-and-score to take a 38-35 advantage over the Eagles. The season-opening contest was back-and-forth for the remainder of the second half as both Bowling Green and Lexington Christian Academy exchanged notable scoring drives. After an impressive touchdown run from the Eagles to give them a 56-52 lead with under 30 seconds remaining, the Purples were unable to answer as time expired and Bowling Green's offense was shut down by the Eagles' defense in final seconds.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers</h2>   <p>Claiming the first place spot on my list of standouts is senior [player_tooltip player_id='331733' first='Cutter' last='Boley'], a 6-foot-5, 208-pound quarterback that proved he was a dangerous weapon at the helm of the Eagles' offense.</p>    <p>Boley caught my attention in the Rafferty's Bowl with his outstanding size, speed and passing performance, throwing 22 completions out of 35 attempts for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Boley was an efficient playmaker at the helm of the Eagles' offense, showcasing excellent footwork, composure under heavy defensive pressure and strong execution off the snap.</p>    <p>In very close second place on my list of top performers is [player_tooltip player_id='340071' first='Deuce' last='Bailey'], a 6-foot-1, 165-pound quarterback that made a huge difference at the helm of the Purples' offense in the week one matchup against the Eagles, throwing for 472 yards and four touchdowns. In addition to excellent overall athleticism and execution off the snap, what stood out about Bailey was his ability to adapt and hit his receivers in stride anywhere on the field. Bailey additionally impressed me with his footwork and quickness on the ground.</p>    <p>Another high-level player that made his presence known for the Eagles in week one of the season was [player_tooltip player_id='381931' first='Brady' last='Hensley'], a 6-foot-0, 202-pound running back that blasted the Purples' defensive line all night as he was nearly unstoppable on the ground. Hensley was a crucial weapon for the Eagles, picking up 489 total yards of offense as well as seven touchdowns. In addition to excellent size and physicality, Hensley caught my attention with his footwork, breakaway speed and durable edge as he was a difficult offensive weapon to contain.</p>    <p>One of the more noticable playmakers in the week one matchup was sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='212337' first='Trevy' last='Barber'], a 5-foot-9, 165-pound wide receiver that made it very evident from the opening kick that he will be stepping into a much bigger role on Bowling Green's offense this season. In four quarters, Barber hauled in eight receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns. What makes Barber so efficient is his overall explosiveness in the backfield, his physicality under heavy defensive pressure down the stretch and his ability to break tackles on his way to the house.</p>    <p>Coming in at number five on my list of top playmakers is [player_tooltip player_id='423622' first='Chase' last='Couch'], a 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive lineman that proved he was a next-level defensive playmaker for Lexington Christian Academy in their week one matchup against Bowling Green High School. What made Couch so efficient was his overall defensive aggression and disruptiveness, applying pressure on the Purples' offense all night long. Couch's physicality and ability to make stops was also very impressive as he proved to be a gamechanger with his strength and ability to matchup with the offensive line.</p>

After Boyle County's commanding 36-6 route of Gibson Southern, the annual Rafferty's Bowl continued at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium as Bowling Green (0-1) and Lexington Christian Academy (1-0) opened up their season in a back-and-forth battle on Saturday evening. The Eagles came out on top in the end, kickstarting their season with a close 56-52 victory over the Purples.