Football leftovers ... playoffs, week 2

Among high school football fans, the question I was asked most often this weekend — will Calloway County beat Allen County, which thumped Lone Oak 33-14 on Friday night in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs?

My answer is "Yes, if Calloway plays well." Then again, I felt the same way about Lone Oak's chances, and the Purple Flash's performance was certainly less than stellar.

One other reason to like the Lakers to advance to the state semifinals is their power running game, something Lone Oak didn't have. Tyrrell Willis has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of Calloway's first two playoff wins, and the Lakers certainly have the passing game to complement him.

Allen County is a solid team with a good offensive line and strong running backs, as evidenced by the way guys like Brandon Boards and Hunter York were shedding tacklers and driving for extra yards. But they lack the explosiveness that Calloway has, and that favors the Lakers.

Of course, I was wrong last week, too.

• As Calloway moves up the playoff ladder, so do some of their players up the school record book. Tyrrell Willis' two playoff efforts are among the top five single-game rushing yardage totals, and he is just 59 yards shy of the school single-season mark.

Quarterback Casey Brockman long ago broke the school's passing records, and receivers George Garner and Chris Dobbins are flip-flopping as the school leader in career receiving yardage. Dobbins has the lead at the moment.

• Some are interpreting Lone Oak's loss at Allen County as another indictment of the Flash's soft non-district schedule, and the naysayers may have a point. Lone Oak simply underperformed on the road, some of which could be traced to not having a tough road game all season.

The Lone Oak schedule gets a little tougher next year. Marshall County and Graves County are on the docket, as are non-district games with Caldwell County and Ballard Memorial and the usual games with McCracken County rivals Heath and Reidland. Lone Oak coach Jack Haskins said he is still looking for one more game — the school has been contacted by Henderson County, Martin (Tenn.) Westview, Monroe County and Glasgow because they share an open date.

• One of the popular topics of conversation in Mayfield football circles is the absence of some former Mayfield Middle School players who have gone on to success at bigger schools. One of them is Marshall County star Josh Madding, who transferred to Orangeland as a freshman. Madding was a quarterback at Mayfield but as Marshall's opponents well know, he has the versatility to excel at several positions.

Also missed are two starters for the Franklin team that is in the Tennessee Class 5A semifinals. Alex Ford is the Rebels' starting running back and has 1,401 yards and 20 touchdowns this season — he ran for 130 yards and scored both touchdowns as Franklin beat Brentwood 14-7 in the quarterfinals on Friday night. Hunter Nall starts at cornerback for the Rebels, who are 12-1 under former Hopkinsville coach Craig Clayton.

Both moved away four years ago, after their seventh-grade year. Nall was a quarterback and defensive back in the Mayfield system, while Ford was a running back and linebacker. They moved away the same year as Madding, which resulted in the loss of quite a chunk of talent, especially at a Class A school.

And there is former lineman John Stevens, who had a spinal cord stroke during preseason practice as a freshman and can now be seen on Friday nights in a wheelchair, cheering on his former teammates from the sidelines.

Some in Mayfield wonder just how good the Cardinals would be if those guys were wearing black and red. Chances are we would be talking up Mayfield as a legitimate state contender.

• Massac County and Crittenden County will co-host a bowl game during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Crittenden will host it next year with Massac taking the honors in 2010. The other two participating teams are Glasgow and Herrin, one of Massac's River-to-River Conference rivals.

Mayfield and Graves County are still looking to fill the Alliance Bowl. Trigg County is on board for next year, and Mayfield coach Joe Morris said that the fourth entry is likely to be either Meade County or Obion Central, Tenn.