Renewed Gridiron Rivalry: Scotties edge Trojans 36-35 in double overtime 

By T. Wampler, Jobe Sports

Barren County High School and Glasgow High School renewed their gridiron rivalry, the Crosstown Classic, last Friday night after an absence of six years. The Scotties hosted their crosstown rival the Trojans in front of a packed house with fans from both schools covering just about every square inch of real estate in Hank Royse Stadium.

This was the 35th time the two schools had played in a football match-up.

The fans were not disappointed in the game they watched but only saddened that one school had to go home with a loss. The Scotties edged the Trojans 36-35 in double overtime.

Wesley Travis missed an extra point kick on the Scotties’ first touchdown, but he drilled the game winner between the uprights to give the home team the victory.

The cliche often said by pundits who don’t have a horse in the race is that “it is a shame one team had to lose” such an exciting game. If ever the cliche fit, it was last Friday’s game between Barren and Glasgow.

In 1998, the Trojans beat the Scotties 23-22 in overtime. Jerry Eubank was the Glasgow coach and Billy Lindsey coached Barren County. That game was played at Glasgow too.

If this year’s thriller was any indication of what the renewed rivalry will give the fans, it will be a must-watch game in 2024. Next year’s game will take place on Barren County’s home turf.

Glasgow keeps their undefeated season intact at 5-0. Barren County falls to 2-3.

The Trojans let their fans know on their first drive that they had come to play this week after coming out flat against the Monroe County Falcons the previous week suffering their first loss of the season.

BCHS quarterback, Tate Spillman, connected with Jaxson Byrd for a 58-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. Spillman threw a beautiful spiral just over the outstretched hands of Byrd. Byrd tapped the football in the air and then made the great grab and raced into the end zone. Byrd and Spillman had career nights.

Hadley Adams’s PAT kick was good and BCHS led 7-0.

GHS went three and out, but the Scottie defense answered the call. Jerrick Martin intercepted a pass and raced into the end zone for the 37-yard score. Travis missed the kick, just his second miss of the season, and BCHS led 7-6 with 7:07 remaining in the first quarter.

Facing 4th and 7 on the 18-yard line, Spillman scrambled right and then left before hitting Byrd again for the touchdown. Adams’s kick was good and BCHS led 14-6 at the end of the 1st quarter.

GHS quarterback, Easton Jessie, could have had a good game passing too, but his receivers dropped several passes to hurt the Scotties’ air attack–2 drops back-to-back forcing a punt.

After a Trojan punt, Rico Crowder made a one-handed grab to get the Scotties’ air attack going and give Glasgow a 1st and 10 on the 19-yard line. Gavin Neal and Mason Arms rushed GHS to the 1-yard line. Arms punched it in for the score. Cameron Bulle scored the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14, the score at halftime.

Daylan Thomas gave the Scotties their first lead of the game, 21-14, on a 20-yard run with 6:50 on the clock in the 3rd quarter.

Spillman scampered into the end zone after a GHS facemask penalty that got the GHS sideline fired up. The Glasgow coaches thought the flag was a holding penalty on BCHS.

Sacks by BCHS’s Jonathan Wilson and Waylon Clemmons, and another great sack by GHS’s David Dale were three big plays for each team’s defense, but neither team could muster any offensive threat in the 4th quarter.

The score was 21-21 at the end of regulation.

Cash Moore won his second coin toss of the night giving the Trojans an advantage going into the first overtime. BCHS chose to go on defense first.

Neal scored on the first play for Glasgow and Jessie ran in the 2-point conversion, advantage Scotties, 29-21.

BCHS running back Austin Sewell scored on 3rd and goal. Spillman hit Byrd for the 2-point conversion to tie the score at 29-29.

The teams flip who goes first in the 2nd overtime period. Spillman scored on 4th and goal after both teams had offsetting personal fouls. Spillman was stopped on a quarterback sneak attempt on the 2-point conversion to give the Trojans a 35-29 lead.

Jessie’s QB sneak was successful to tie the score at 35-35 setting up Travis’s game-winning kick and the 36-35 Glasgow double overtime victory.

BCHS had 278 total yards of offense, 124 yards on the ground, and 158 in the air.

Sewell led the Trojans in rushing with 20 carries for 82 yards. Spillman was 10 of 16 passing. Byrd was BCHS’s leading receiver with 5 catches for 116 yards.

GHS had 221 yards total offense, 183 yards rushing, and 38 in the air.

Neal was the Scottie leading rusher with 10 carries for 60 yards. Jessie was 3 of 12 passing, but the Scotties dropped 5 catchable passes.

Dakodah Wade led BCHS with 10 tackles. Waylon Clemmons, Jonathan Wilson, and Braxton Carnes each had 5 tackles.

Mason Arms led the Scotties with 12 tackles. Jacob Brunson, David Dale, Ryan Morgan, and Kellon Stone each had 5 tackles.

One category the Scotties would have preferred not to lead was penalties. Glasgow had 10 flags for 96 yards. Barren had 5 penalties for 40 yards.

Barren County hosts Green County this Friday night at 7pm. Glasgow travels to Adair County in a district game also scheduled to start at 7pm.