Published: October 29, 2009 09:33 am      

Finishing strong

By John Stepp / For the Times-Tribune

After a whopping 63-16 win against district rival Perry Central last Friday, the Whitley County Colonels will look to finish their season this week against the Rockcastle County Rockets. With the win over the Commodores, the Colonels have positioned themselves to possibly finish as the district runner-up, but Friday night’s game will play a big role in that.

“We need to win Friday to have the best chance to finish as second seed in the district,” said Colonel coach Jim Black. “There are so many scenarios right now, but if we go take care of business, it will help us.”

Though the Colonels have secured a trip to the playoffs, all of their focus will be on Rockcastle County this week. The Rockets are the last out-of-district opponent the Colonels will face, adding to the list of top-notch teams on Whitley County’s schedule.

“We wanted to play a tough schedule to get us ready for the playoffs,” said Black. “Every game you play in the playoffs is a tough game, and we want to play in tough games. Hopefully, it has worked out well for us, and will pay off in two weeks.”

The Rockets will bring a physical style of play to Friday night’s game, along with a solid ground game led by running back Clark Rowe. On the season, Rowe has over 1,700 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns.

“They are a very physical team. Any time you play Rockcastle, you know what you are going to get,” said Black. “We have to play well this week. We have to make sure we are where we are supposed to be on defense, and be disciplined.”

The Colonels will be led this week by a stable of runners in quarterback Jamie Lebanion and running backs Jordan Chute, Josh Wynn, and Cody Bramlett, all of whom have found the end zone over four times this season. The Colonels hope to continue to have success on the ground this week, but will face a stingy Rockcastle run defense.

“We want to be able to move the ball on the ground this week,” said Black. “We will do what we always do, but Rockcastle plays good against the run. We need a good game out of our offensive line and our backs.”

No matter the outcome of Friday’s game, the Colonels will at least finish third in the district, but they are tied with Letcher County Central and Harlan County. Letcher Central will finish first in the district, but it is still unknown where Harlan County and Whitley County will finish. Harlan County plays Bell County on Friday.

Whitley County will travel to Rockcastle County to take on the Rockets at 7:30 p.m.