Sep. 3—Hancock County has a big running game that has put up big numbers in the first two weeks.
It’s led to Hancock County being 2-0, which was good enough to get the attention of voters for the AP Kentucky Class 2-A high school football poll.
The Hornets checked into the first poll of the season at No. 8 — one spot above District 2 nemesis Owensboro Catholic.
The Aces are 0-2, but they have the name, respect and knowledge that they started the season with a pair of Class 6-A teams.
Hancock County dropped Muhlenberg County, a 5-A school, 28-8 last week behind 187 yards and two touchdowns from Logan Willis.
Jack Duncan shined on defense in that game with 18 tackles. Aiden Weatherholt also reached double figures in tackles with 12.
Hancock County shut out rival Breckinridge County 44-0 in the season opener. Breck County is also a 5-A school.
Hancock County will face a third straight 5-A opponent when it goes to Ohio County on Friday. Those first three opponents make up half of the 5-A district that state power Owensboro High School is in.
The Hornets have been rolling with a stout defense and an offensive line that got better in the offseason.
“Defensively we’re playing really well,” Hancock County coach Bobby Eubanks said. “They kept us in the game Friday night when it took us awhile to get going on offense. Jack Duncan kind of leads that whole group, him and Aiden Weatherholt, they’re holding everything together right now.”
Hancock County had more holes defensively before the season started, but players have stepped up who weren’t on the field a whole lot in 2020.
Willis has been a force at fullback, and the line play up front has been a bonus.
“We knew Logan had that potential, one of biggest things was how our offensive line has handled that,” Eubanks said. “Duncan has been playing some tight end and H back, and that adds another level of physical play for us. He’s leading on plays, blocking on the edges, he helps set the tone, and he is also a big target we can throw to.
“We knew our offensive linemen were tough kids, but they improved so much in how they attacked the offseason. All the lifting, the sprinting they’ve done, all the work with Ethan Hughes, our strength coach, they’ve blossomed in the last six months.”
Hancock County knows its early, and it isn’t a program that spends a lot of time looking at rankings.
“They all know about all the rankings that are out there,” Eubanks said. “We don’t talk about it just because, we’re week to week. With COVID being an issue, the season can be day to day.”
The Hornets’ schedule has been favorable early, and they have been able to face some regional opponents that they can compete with.
“We’re playing some bigger schools, but we like the teams we’re playing,” Eubanks said. “For a good while we were traveling all over the place with our schedule.”
By the time their schedule rolls back to Class 2-A, District 2, Hancock County could be 5-0.
The foundation for this start, and potentially the entire season, is with this group of juniors and seniors.
“At the end of last season, we had guys in the weight room as soon as we could get them going,” Eubanks said. “They’ve all played so long together, they want to do well for each other.
“The junior class and senior class kids have played together quite awhile now, and that’s starting to show up on the field.”