BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
LOUISA — Martin County crossed the county line Friday night hoping to flip the script on last year’s season opener. Lawrence County had other plans as the Class 3A Bulldogs handed the Class 2A Cardinals a 37-7 loss in Louisa.
It marked the second straight season Lawrence County got the better of the Cardinals on opening night. The Bulldogs won 35-7 in Inez a year ago before Martin County regrouped and rattled off seven consecutive victories on its way to a 9-3 season.
Martin County entered Friday replacing the bulk of the rushing production from that squad, and the new-look offense had trouble gaining traction against the Bulldogs.
The Cardinals finished with 132 yards of total offense, including 80 through the air and 52 on the ground.
Jeremy Begley provided Martin County’s lone trip to pay dirt. The Cardinals carried the rock 16 times for a team-high 57 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry.
Senior Jerrod Haney took over behind center and completed 10 of 18 passes for 57 yards.
Freshman Braxten Pack also saw action at quarterback. He completed one of three passes for 23 yards and carried once for 3 yards.
Parker Maynard emerged as Martin County’s leading target in the opener, hauling in four passes for 38 yards at 9.5 yards per reception.
Liam Fields caught three passes for 20 yards, Brayden Fannin pulled down three for 16 yards and Rex Ward added one reception for 6 yards.
Martin County completed 11 of 21 passes for 80 yards as a team and carried the football 25 times for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Noah Bowens knocked through his only extra-point attempt.
The Cardinal defense created a pair of turnovers despite the final margin.
Bowens picked off a Lawrence County pass and returned it for 17 yards. He also recorded an assisted tackle and broke up a pass.
Braxton Carter forced a fumble and Easton Slone came away with the recovery. Carter finished with two tackles, one solo and one assisted. Slone recorded two tackles with one solo and one assist.
Maynard led Martin County defensively with six tackles, including five solo stops and one assist. He added a tackle for loss and a pass deflection.
Dillion Daniel recorded three tackles with one solo and two assists.
Haney finished with two tackles, one solo and one assisted, and broke up two passes.
Fannin recorded two tackles, including one solo and one assist, and had a tackle for loss. Bradley Hatfield also finished with two tackles, one solo and one assisted.
Liam May recorded a solo tackle and a tackle for loss. Jeremy Begley and Landon Estep each made one solo stop, while Fields added an assisted tackle.
Martin County finished with 24 tackles, three tackles for loss and four pass deflections. The Cards forced one fumble, recovered one and intercepted one pass.
The opening-night loss puts Martin County in familiar territory.
The Cards walked off their home field following a 28-point loss to Lawrence County to begin last season, then responded with seven consecutive victories and ultimately produced the best record of the Coach Josh Muncy era.
This year’s team will look for a similar response.
Martin County returns to action Aug. 28 against Pike County Central in the Pike County Bowl at Belfry. The Cardinals defeated the Hawks 44-20 in last year’s meeting.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.