BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County took a 35-7 loss to Lawrence County in a tough season-opener matchup Friday night in Inez. The Class 3A Bulldogs claimed the hardware for the Kentucky Farm Bureau Bowl.
The Bulldogs struck early and built a commanding lead that the Cardinals could not overcome.
Martin County’s lone score came in the second half when quarterback Devan Maynard broke loose down the right sideline for a 22-yard touchdown run.
Maynard finished with 70 rushing yards on eight attempts and completed three passes for 26 yards. Sebastian Genovese tacked on the extra point.
Rex Ward hauled in two receptions for 23 yards while Jeremy Begley added an eight-yard run. Dillon Daniel contributed 4 yards on the ground.
Coach Josh Muncy said the loss reflects “growing pains” for a team starting several freshmen in key roles.
“Games like this, we take it and learn from it,” Muncy said. “We break down film and implement what we can fix. Keep the good stuff, toss the bad stuff and move on,” he said.
Looking ahead to Friday’s matchup against Pike Central, Muncy said, “We like to play tough out-of-district teams like Lawrence County. They have championship talent. It’s good to challenge ourselves early in the season. I don’t think it’s going to change our guys’ mindset going into this week. I think we will reset, reload, recalibrate and get after it.”
The Cardinals (0-1) will visit Pike Central in the Pike County Bowl at Belfry on Friday with kickoff scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
