BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PAINTSVILLE — Martin County was looking for redemption and found it Friday night 27-3 over the Paintsville Tigers at the Walter J. Brugh Football Complex in Paintsville.

The previous encounters between the Cardinals and the Tigers occurred in 2015 and 2016 when Martin County was known as Sheldon Clark High. The Tigers emerged victorious both times 46-12 and 43-0.

Martin County won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.

Both teams struggled to find their offense early in the game. Paintsville started at their own 29-yard line, but a bad snap led to a loss of 7 yards, forcing the Tigers to punt on fourth and 10.

The Cardinals took over on their 14-yard line, picking up one first down before being forced to punt on the initial possession. With 4:26 showing on the clock, the Martin County defense made a pivotal stand, holding Paintsville on fourth and one. Paintsville’s center committed a bad snap that resulted in a broken punt attempt. Paintsville quarterback Alex Johnson recovered the ball and threw it down the field to a wide-open Anderson Lauffer, who sprinted to the Martin County 30-yard line.

Martin County was called on a pass interference penalty with 2:52 left in the first quarter. On the next play, Johnson ran for 12 yards, setting up second and goal from the 1-yard line. Madden Miller showed up for a crucial tackle in the backfield for a loss to thwart Paintsville’s progress. Paintsville drew a whistle for a penalty that pushed the Tigers back to the 6-yard line.

Johnson attempted another quarterback keeper but came up short on the 1-yard line. Another bad snap sent the ball back to the 25-yard line, where the Tigers found themselves in a challenging situation. Johnson connected with Lauffer for a 17-yard gain. The QB’s attempt to run the ball on the next play fell short and the Cardinals took over at the 5-yard line.

Paintsville was penalized for a 15-yard horse-collar tackle, granting the Cardinals a 19-yard gain. With 4:14 remaining in the second quarter, Aiden Horn took the handoff and ran for a 7-yard touchdown to put the Cardinals in front. The Cardinals drove 95 yards in 14 plays for the touchdown. Caleb Horn converted the extra point kick, giving Martin County a 7-0 lead.

Opting for an onside kick, the Cardinals allowed Paintsville to recover on the 47-yard line. With 4.3 seconds remaining in the half, Paintsville attempted a 25-yard field goal on fourth and 7, which Holbrook successfully converted to make the score Martin County 7, Paintsville 3 at halftime.

Martin County received the kickoff to start the third quarter and took over on Paintsville’s 48-yard line. A. Horn scored his second touchdown on a quarterback handoff to extend the Martin County lead to 14-3.

Julian Stafford intercepted Johnson’s pass on Paintsville’s first play. The Cardinals attempted their first pass of the game on fourth and 8, but it was incomplete. Paintsville took over at their own 21-yard line. Martin County was whistled for a targeting penalty for a late hit, resulting in a 10-yard loss. Paintsville moved the ball to the 2-yard line on fourth down, but the Martin County defense held strong and stopped Paintsville from scoring.

Martin County drove 93 yards over 14 plays, and Aiden Horn crossed the goal line for the third time to push the lead to 20-3.

Paintsville turned the ball over, and Martin County took over at the Tigers’ 40-yard line. Devan Maynard took over quarterback duties for Martin County and ran 40 yards for a touchdown on his first play. Caleb Horn kicked the extra point to put the Cards up 27-3.

Paintsville attempted to mount a comeback, but with 5:43 remaining, D. Maynard intercepted a pass from Alex Johnson with 5:43 left on the clock. The Cardinals took over at the 27-yard line and ran out the clock to secure the victory.

The Cardinals racked up 344 rushing yards on 54 carries. Brock Messer led the way with 147 yards on 22 carries. Aiden Horn followed with 57 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns; Devan Maynard had 50 yards on two carries, including one touchdown; Madden Miller had 49 yards on nine carries; Jackson Miller managed 45 yards on eight.

Martin County recorded 31 solo tackles, eight for a loss, and five assisted tackles. The Cards forced one fumble and secured two interceptions. M. Miller and Stafford had seven tackles apiece.

C. Horn was 3 for 4 on field goals and added a return for 18 yards.

Martin County moved to 2-2 on the season.

The Cardinals get their next challenge Friday at Magoffin County.