BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County rolled over Floyd Central 55-16 to claim the 2A District 7 championship Friday at The Rock in Inez.
Head coach Josh Muncy noted his satisfaction with the team’s success.
“We have worked hard all season, and it feels good to watch them reap the rewards,” Muncy said. “A district championship was one of many goals that we set this season, so it looks like we are heading in the right direction going into the playoffs.”
The game served as Martin County’s Homecoming and the Cardinals wasted no time showing out in front of the home crowd at Cardinal Stadium.
At 8:55, Bryston Wells sacked the Floyd Central quarterback, forcing the Jaguars to punt. After two fumbles with Floyd Central recovering, the Cardinals took control. Sophomore quarterback Jackson Miller handed the ball off to senior running back Madden Miller for a 10-yard touchdown run that put the Cardinals on the board 6-0 with 9 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Kicker Caleb Horn’s successful extra point made it 7-0.
Adding a touch of pride, Martin County recognized Bassmaster fishing stars Matt Messer and Lafe Messer of Warfield before the second quarter got underway.
The Cardinals dominated the second frame, starting with senior Brock Messer scoring a 60-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 13-0. Wells contributed by sacking the Jaguars quarterback and blocking a punt attempt, giving the Cardinals prime field position. Messer went 7 yards to find the end zone again, while Caleb Horn’s extra point stretched the lead to 20-0.
The highlight of the second quarter came at the 5:15 mark on the clock. Wide receiver Devan Maynard intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, setting a school record and tying the KHSAA state record for the longest interception returned for a TD. The score was 27-0 after Caleb Horn’s extra point.
Homecoming festivities filled the halftime entertainment. Keelynn Stepp and Luke Hale were crowned the 2023 MCHS Homecoming Queen and King.
The Cardinals extended their lead in the third quarter when Jackson Miller connected with Madden Miller for a 7-yard touchdown. Caleb Horn’s extra point made it 34-0.
The Jaguars finally got on the board when Jace Martin connected with Marvin McDonald for a 21-yard touchdown pass. They succeeded with a 2-point conversion to set the score at 34-8.
The Cardinals were not finished yet. With 4:50 left in the third quarter, Jackson Miller threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Devan Maynard. The score was 41-8 after another successful Caleb Horn extra point.
Floyd Center got another touchdown from Martin to narrow the gap to 41-14. The 2-point conversion made it 41-16.
Martin County responded with a 62-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Brayden Estep to widen the gap to 48-16 after yet another perfect extra point by Caleb Horn.
The Martin County defense continued to shine in the third quarter, with Julian Stafford intercepting a pass and nearly returning it for a touchdown. Despite a penalty, the Cardinals maintained their dominance.
The third Miller-Miller touchdown connection, followed by Caleb Horn’s extra point, set the final score at 55-16.
The rest of the game saw a running clock and opportunities for both teams to rotate players in and out.
Another brother moment was when senior Bryston Wells and his brother, freshman Brandon Wells, took the field together for the first time.
The Cardinals picked up 364 rushing yards on 33 carries. Martin County is ranked third in rushing in KHSAA Class 2A.
Jackson Miller completed one pass on two attempts for 35 passing yards with one passing touchdown.
Messer led the ground attack for the Cardinals with 135 yards on nine carries, scoring two touchdowns. He is currently ranked ninth in the state in rushing with 878 yards on the season and an average of 98 yards per game.
Aiden Horn amassed 110 yards on 12 carries. He is ranked 29th in the state for rushing yards, averaging 64 yards per game.
Madden Miller picked up 104 rushing yards on eight carries and scored three touchdowns. He is ranked 34th in the state in rushing yards, averaging 54 rushing yards per game.
Devan Maynard tallied 19 rushing yards on two carries. He picked up 35 receiving yards on one reception and scored a touchdown. Maynard is ranked 31st in the state in scoring.
On the defensive side of the ball the Cardinals had 95 tackles, four sacks, 13 tackles for loss, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown. The Cardinals are ranked second in defense and second in interceptions.
Madden Miller had 11 tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Miller is ranked fifth in the state with 123 tackles on the season and a 13.7 average per game.
Rafe Price had 11 tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. Price is ranked 20th in the state for defensive sacks with four.
Damien Cheek finished with 11 tackles. He is ranked 24th in the state for tackles with 84 and a 9.3 average per game.
Wells had nine tackles, including two sacks and 4-1/2 tackles for loss. He is ranked 13th in the state for defensive sacks with five.
Corey Parsley picked up eight tackles, including one for loss.
Devan Maynard had six tackles, including one sack and one tackle for loss. He also had one interception and one defensive touchdown.
Julian Stafford had six tackles and two interceptions. Stafford is ranked first in the state for picks with eight.
Brayden Estep had seven tackles, while Noah Mollette had six tackles, including 1-1/2 for loss. Caleb Robinson had five tackles, Mason McCoy and Jason Newsome each had three tackles, Braxton Moore, Ryan Smith and Messer each had two tackles, and Aiden Horn, Tyler Gant and Joey Robinson each had one apiece.
Caleb Horn tied a school record with a perfect 7/7 on extra points.
Estep had a 62-yard kick return touchdown.
The Cardinals, 5-4 on the season, have one regular season game remaining on the road Oct. 27 at East Carter.
Martin County will host Pike Central in the first round of the KHSAA Class AA playoffs Nov. 3.
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