BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WINCHESTER — Martin County showed up and showed out Saturday at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester. The small 2A school dominated the tournament games for a solid 3-1 record, then clinched an impressive seventh-place finish out of 27 teams in a Big Man’s Challenge weightlifting competition.
In pool play, the Cardinals defeated two larger 5A schools—West Jessamine and Madison Southern— and a top 10 Class 3A school, Marion County. Their only loss came against 5A state semifinalist Pulaski Southwest.
“We accomplished everything we set out to achieve for the week,” Martin County Coach Josh Muncy stated. “The players had great attendance, and we were able to install some of our new offense, which I think they are very excited about.”
Each team in the tournament was guaranteed four games—three in pool play and one single elimination. Non-lineman teams engaged in 7-on-7 drills. The offense had four opportunities from the 25-yard line to score, with one player snapping the ball to the quarterback. The defense, comprising defensive backs and linebackers, tried to keep the offensive team from scoring.
Cardinals offensive starters included Jackson Miller at quarterback; Devan Maynard, Julian Stafford, Brock Messer and Brayden Estepp as wide receivers; and Madden Miller at running back. The defensive lineup consisted of Julian Stafford and Brayden Estepp at cornerback, Devan Maynard at safety, outside linebackers Brock Messer and Aiden Horn, and middle linebackers Madden Miller and Damien Cheek.
The Cardinals bested 5A school West Jessamine 25-16 in their first game. Their second game saw another victory over 5A Madison Southern, with a score of 20-11. In their third game, the Cardinals triumphed over Class 3A top 10 school Marion County with an identical score of 20-11. Their only defeat came in their fourth game against the 5A state semifinalist Pulaski Southwest, with a final score of 24-16.
Offensively, J. Miller completed 17 of 45 passes for nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Maynard scored seven touchdowns, while Messer added two. Stafford and Maynard nabbed two interceptions on the defensive front, and the Cardinal defense forced eight turnovers on downs.
On defense, Stafford and Maynard each scored two interceptions. The Cardinal defense forced eight turnovers on downs, bolstering the team’s performance.
The Cardinals also tested their mettle in the Big Man Challenge weightlifting events, showcasing their summer training efforts and landing an impressive seventh-place finish. Cardinals Bryson Wells, Noah Mollette, Tate Crum, Cory Parsley, Braxton Moore, Brandon Wells, Bryson Osborne, Kendall Mullins, Xan Lowe, Mason McCoy and Lucas Dillion showed out in events such as the maximum weight sled push, bench press and farmers carry.
“The tournament today was a great learning environment for our guys,” said Muncy. “We got to work on some things we installed during camp and saw great success. For a small 2A school to show up and show out against much larger schools in a brand-new offense just shows how hard our guys have worked. Also our lineman held their own against some of the best in the state, and some of them earned college offers from their efforts. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
