MIKE MARSEE

Contributing writer

The Boyle County Rebels are ready to move on.

Following a victory over Danville in one of the most-anticipated games of the season, the Rebels weren’t looking back early this week as they began working toward their next game Friday against Henderson County.

“We just moved on,” Boyle Coach Justin Haddix said. “We didn’t really look at (the Danville game) a whole lot.”

Boyle’s Sunday film session was largely devoted to looking at the next team coming to Rebel Stadium. Henderson (2-0) is the second Class 6A opponent in three weeks for Boyle (3-0) and is probably as experienced a team as the Rebels will play all season.

The Colonels, ranked No. 9 in 6A by Bluegrasspreps.com, return nine starters on defense and seven on offense and have 20 seniors.

“A lot of people (in this part of the state) don’t know about them … but it’s going to be a battle for us Friday night,” Haddix said.

Henderson’s headliner is Saadiq Clements, a 6-3, 275-pound defensive lineman who committed to Purdue in June.

“You can see why all those schools offered him. He’s an impressive-looking kid, explosive,” Haddix said. “They’ll move him around similar to what we do with Tommy (Ziesmer).”

Another massive senior, 6-1, 315-pound two-way lineman Bryce Tapp, has committed to Eastern Kentucky.

Henderson’s offensive line opens the way for a run-first team with 748 rushing yards and only 113 passing yards in its first two games. Seniors Jordan Wright and Jaheim Williams have combined for 452 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

“If they don’t have to pass it, they won’t,” Haddix said.

Henderson, which lost to Boyle 48-14 last season, thumped Calloway County and Christian County by a combined score of 104-20 in its first two games.

Boyle, the top-ranked team in Class 4A, scored on the first play from scrimmage in its 41-7 win over Danville. But Haddix said the Rebels’ play early in the game showed they are still a work in progress.

“In our first 10 plays on offense we had seven mistakes, and usually the first 10 or 12 plays are the ones you’ve run the most in practice,” he said.

“We’ve got some things we’ve got to clean up. … We’re getting in a rhythm. We’re very close, but we’re not there yet.”