North Hardin coach Brent Thompson says Boyle County sophomore receiver Montavin Quisenberry is “great at making something out of nothing.” (Chris Zollner Photo)
When unbeaten Boyle County hosts North Hardin Friday, there’s going to be a lot of potential Division I talent on the field.
Start with Boyle County defensive lineman Tommy Ziesmer, a Kentucky commit. He has 22 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks, this season.
“(Boyle County) Coach Justin Haddix runs an awesome program and has a team ranked at the top of the state every year,” North Hardin coach Brent Thompson said. “Ziesmer is really good. He has a high motor.”
“You can see his explosiveness off the football is exceptional and that’s why the coaches at UK love him. He gets off the ball and causes a lot of havoc on the defensive side.”
Thompson has two juniors with Kentucky offers. One is 6-6, 330-pound offensive lineman Trev Alexander who could be matched up against Ziesmer. He’s played in 23 games over the last three seasons.
“He has worked hard. He is still developing a nasty attitude on the offensive line. His size garners a lot of attention but he works and is much better now getting to the second level (to block),” Thompson said.
North Hardin receiver Shaun Boykins got a UK offer July 15. The 5-11, 185-pound Boykins has 20 catches for 297 yards — 15 yards per catch — and five scores. He’s rushed 18 times for 154 yards — 8.5 yards per attempt — and two scores.
“He is our playmaker. Any time we get him the ball, he has a chance to take it to the house (end zone),” Thompson said. “He is very fast and has good instincts as well. He can make something out of nothing. He can make a special play out of a simple route.”
“In certain spots, we also play him at safety. Probably we will do that a lot against Boyle.”
That’s because Boyle is averaging 38 points and nearly 400 yards per game while allowing just 12 points per game. The Rebels have three dynamic playmakers and Thompson thinks the offense might be even better this year than last season when Boyle beat North Hardin 49-6.
Sophomore receiver Montavin Quisenberry has 28 rushes for 293 yards — 10.5 yards per try — and two scores along with 21 catches for 249 yards — 11.8 yards per reception — and seven scores. He’s even thrown a 66-yard scoring pass and returned a kickoff for a score. On defense he has three interceptions and three tackles for loss.
“You better have several people ready to tackle him. He’s very shifty and nobody really gets a good hit on him,” Thompson said. “He’s great at making something out of nothing and they get him the ball any way they can.”
“You better know where he is at all times. He also makes tremendous plays on defense in the secondary knocking balls down and making plays.
Junior quarterback Sage Dawson has completed 58 of 98 passes for 678 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions. He’s also ran for 291 yards and three scores on 51 carries.
“The quarterback adds a new dynamic to their team this year and he’s throwing the ball very well. Then he’s a great athlete who can just make plays when nothing is there,” Thompson said.
The North Hardin coach knows junior running back Avery Bodner does not get the attention of Quisenberry or Dawson but is just as dangerous in his own way. He has a team-high 388 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 70 carries and 15 catches for 147 yards and one score.
“You get to concentrating on those other guys and then Bodner hurts you. He’s just a very sound, very good football player,” Thompson said.
North Hardin (3-2) has lost 23-14, a team Boyle County beat 35-21 last week, and Manual and has wins over DeSales, Apollo and John Hardin.
North Hardin quarterback Jayden Thorpe could be the X factor in Friday’s game for the Trojans. He is 51-for-80 passing for 727 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. That’s a 61 percent completion rate and he’s averaging 14.3 yards per completion. Thorpe has also ran 28 times for 189 yards and two more scores. He played outside linebacker last year before moving to quarterback this season.
“He’s getting better and better the more he plays,” Thompson said.
Thorpe has thrown six touchdown passes the last two weeks.
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Kickoff for Friday night’s game will be at 7:30.
2 Responses
Some awesome athletes squaring off💪🏈💪
Cannot wait to see the game