No. 25 Scott County exacts revenge with convincing 42-21 win over Great Crossing

Last year’s blowout loss to Great Crossing left a sour taste in Scott County’s mouth. The postgame antics that followed, with Great Crossing players celebrating on Scott County’s brand-new football field well after the game wrapped up, didn’t sit well with the members of Georgetown’s original high school. It was the kind of motivation that carried over for month after month — every single Cardinals player eager for another shot at the Warhawks.

That motivation showed itself as clear as day on the field Friday night at Birds Nest Stadium in the KSR Game of the Week. And by the time the clock hit all zeros, there was no denying who the best team in the city is.

No. 25 Scott County (2-0) had a point to make and proved it from start to finish in a dominating 42-21 victory over Great Crossing (0-2). This year’s rivalry win had some extra sweetness to it for the Cardinals, which now leads the all-time series 7-1.

“Most years, I would say that what happens one year doesn’t carry to the next,” Scott County’s longtime head coach, Jim McKee, said postgame. “I would say this is an exception.

“(Great Crossing) planted the flag, they tore up the locker room, they wouldn’t go home (last season). It’s kind of like we let them get to the adult table, and they just took all the food too. We should have won, we got beat. It was important that we did what we did tonight.”

Junior running back Nick Ranson racked up 133 yards on the ground and a touchdown for Scott County. He was aided by another 63 rushing yards from junior Skyler Way, 53 yards from junior Anderson Owens, and 47 more from junior Timmy Emongo. The Cardinals outgained Great Crossing 376-195 on the ground in a game that was all about handing the ball off.

Sophomore quarterback Charlie Ellison only completed three passes for the Cardinals, but two went for long touchdowns to Owens. Ellison also ran in a couple of scores on his own. Emongo made sure to get in on the fun as well with a seven-yard run into the end zone. Scott County went 9-13 on third downs compared to 1-8 for the Warhawks.

“We knew we had to take care of business for the senior class last year. It was very disrespectful,” Emongo said. “It was our first-ever home game at Scott County, they beat us pretty bad, and they stayed at our field for an hour and celebrated. But this year, we act like we’ve been here before. We never left, man. It’s Scott County football. It’s always going to be Scott County football in this town.”

Great Crossing kept it close in the first half and early into the third quarter, matching Scott County touchdown for touchdown. But the Cardinals took a 21-14 lead into halftime and went on to win the third quarter 14-0, all but sealing the victory from there. Junior quarterback Sam Penn ran in two touchdowns for the Warhawks while senior running back Luke Ballard finished with 182 rushing yards and a score, but Great Crossing just couldn’t muster up enough offense or enough stops after the intermission to make a comeback.

Scott County had to release the title of Georgetown’s top football team a season ago after several years of holding a tight grip. It led to an anxious 12 months of waiting for the next matchup. But the Cardinals responded by doing what they’ve been doing for decades: winning big-time football games.

“Our motto all week was restore the order in the county,” McKee, who mentioned he had to change barbers after last year’s loss to Great Crossing, said. “And order is restored.”