Grind House: Defense, 4 Hensley Touchdowns Lead LCA Past Pikeville 31-13 in eCampus.com Bowl Win

The perception after two weeks of football suggested the LCA defense couldn't get enough stops. This team had to outscore you. But after a split against two of the most high-octane offenses in the state in Bowling Green and Boyle County, the Eagles defense settled in Saturday night in the inaugural eCampus.com Bowl in Eagle Valley.

The Eagles held the Panthers to 234 yards of offense and limited Pikeville to just a mere single red zone score. After giving up a touchdown drive to open the game, the Eagles defense stiffened, shutting down the Panthers on seven consecutive possessions. LCA wouldn't allow another score until deep into the fourth quarter, carrying the Eagles to a 31-13 win.

The defense stopped Pikeville on seven consecutive possessions. (Becky Jones photo)

“The narrative was we didn’t have a defense,” LCA coach Doug Charles told the Herald-Leader. “We held Bowling Green to 31 rushing yards and Boyle to 86 yards in the first half. Our guys showed out and played up tonight. I was really pleased with that.”

Middle linebacker Major Brown led the way in tackles for the Eagles with seven solos and two assists, along with 1.5 sacks. Linebackers Hunter Adams (6.5 tackles) and Mac Darland (2.5 tackles, half sack, pass breakup) played equally physical in the run game all night. Defensive MVP Kenyatta Hardge (5.5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss) was a dominant force on the line of scrimmage, continuing his ascent as a name to watch this season.

Spurs Jayden Taylor (4.5 tackles) and BJ Evans (3.5 tackles) helped set the edge. Cornerback Braylon Moss came up with a big second half interception. Nate Barnhardt broke up a pass to go with 1.5 tackles. Up front, Cooper Gudalis, Chase Couch and Will Bivens fought relentlessly against Pikeville's vaunted run game. It was a complete effort by Coach Paul Rains' defense.

And the Eagles got all of this on a night where UK commit Cutter Boley didn't provide the usual fireworks. Instead, Boley took what the defensive gave him most of the night, managing the game especially well in the 2nd half. Boley finished 14-22 for 160 yards, with no interceptions, all while making big throws to move the chains.

"I definitely got a lot better throughout the game," Boley told KSR. "They came out and there was some different things going on with their defense that I didn't know about. We missed a few shots deep, but that's what we like to do; we like to take some shots. But it's always nice to have Brady Hensley in the backfield to help me out. He's a great player, great leader on our team, and he's a phenomenal running back. I couldn't ask for anybody else to be back there with me. I wasn't on my A-game tonight, but he stepped up, he showed up."

Brady Hensley rushed for 191 yards and four touchdowns. (Trever White photo)

Hensley showed up big, racking up 192 yards on 24 carries. His four touchdowns highlighted a night of punishing carries by the senior. Hensley scored on runs of 5, 3, 11 and 4 yards. LCA's offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, with 258 rushing yards on the night.

The Eagles offense delivered another complete performance with 418 yards of total offense. LCA churned up 23 first downs and found the end zone on five possessions against a solid Pikeville defense.

The O-line powered another big night for the LCA offense. (Becky Jones photo)

Helmet Stickers

Matt Montgomery and everyone affiliated with eCampus.com. Montgomery and crew provided all the support to enable LCA to put on an incredible high football showcase! It started in the morning when LCA's Junior High topped Pikeville 42-0. LCA youth games took place all day long, before Bowling Green and Bryan Station delivered an incredible contest, the Defenders winning in style, with Zachary Gentry's go-ahead 40-yard field goal for the 38-35 win. From the hospitality tent to MVP awards, the eCampus.com Bowl delivered!

Matt Montgomery (center) and team made the eCampus.com Bowl a success. (Trever White photo)

Brady Hensley - The senior running back was special, once again. He gained many of his 192 yards lowering the shoulder, punishing would-be tacklers and falling forward for important yardage. And when this young man gets close to the end zone, he finds paydirt!

Kenyatta Hardge - Kenyatta is an absolute force, and he proved it again by dominating double-teams and dictating what Pikeville could do on offense much of the night. He helped keep LCA's linebackers clean to get downfield and make plays.

Linebacker U - Brown, Adams and Darland are run stoppers. Adams and Darland fill well and take on blockers with physicality. Brown flies to the football and has a nose for the ball. If they continue this level of play, LCA's run defense will continue to excel.

Pikeville Panthers - This is, once again, a really good football team. The two-time defending 1A state champions will be the favorite this season. They play a physical brand of football, and their kids play to the whistle. This marks another solid win for the Eagles.

Score by Quarters	1	2	3	4	Total
Pikeville	6	0	0	7	13
LCA	7	6	6	12	31

Passing	C-A-I	Yards	TD
Cutter Boley	14-22-0	160	0
Cutter Boley	6	44	1
BJ Evans	3	16	0
Mc Darland	2	7	0
Totals	35	258	5

Passing	C-A-I	Yards	TD
Cutter Boley	14-22-0	160	0

Receiving	No.	Yards	TD
Parker Chaney	5	64	0
Brady Hensley	3	22	0
Nate Barnhardt	2	26	0
Saxton Howard	2	25	0
Will Rich	1	12	0
Tyler King	1	11	0
Totals	14	160	0

Defense	Solo	Assist	Total	Sacks-Yds	TFL-Yds
Major Brown	7	2	8	1.5-8	2.5-9
Hunter Adams	6	1	6.5	-	-
Kenyatta Hardge	5	1	5.5	1-9	2-11
Jayden Taylor	4	1	4.5	-	-
BJ Evans	3	1	3.5	-	2.5-7
Parker Chaney	3	1	3.5	-	-
Mac Darland	2	1	2.5	.5-6	1.5-7
Cooper Gudalis	2	1	2.5	-	-
Nate Barnhardt	1	1	1.5	-	-
Chase Couch	1	0	1	-	-
Sam Pearson	1	0	1	-	-
Anderson Mitchel	1	0	1	-	-
Braylon Moss	1	0	1	-	-
Will Bivens	0	1	1	-	.5-2
Totals	37	12	43	3-23	9-36

The Eagles are back in action next Friday when they go on the road to take on defending 3A State Champion Christian Academy of Louisville.