Kentucky Spotlight: Bowl Games

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Sykotyk | August 24, 2024

Kentucky has an interesting way of kicking off their football season. Bowl games are a common and plentiful option across the landscape of the Bluegrass State. Though most are in the first or second week of the season, and usually doubleheaders, there are options for a single game and also to have a bowl game later in the season.

Acting as a kickoff to the new years’ campaign, the bowls are hosted at one location, usually featuring the host school in one game, and a neutral site game before or after. Usually starting around 5 or 6pm. Ensuring the final game ends sometime around 10-11pm.

The Bowls started with the Montgomery County Rec Bowl. The Rec Bowl in Mount Sterling kicked off on November 11, 1948. Originally as a postseason contest, it was to pit the two best teams against one another in a contest geared toward funding recreation activities in the community, namely the swimming pool fund.

Before the days of state playoffs, it became the defacto championship game in the state. With the advent of KHSAA state sponsored playoffs, the Rec Bowl transitioned into a preseason kickoff featuring big name teams to kickoff the new season. Going from one game to a doubleheader, it set the standard for other bowl games that popped up around the state.

In Western Kentucky, outside Bowling Green, Warren East hosts the J Allen Builders Bowl. A local company is regularly the naming sponsor of the bowls. On the blue turf of Jim Ross Field, Warren East hosts a doubleheader the first Friday of season. This year hosting Christian County in the opener at 6pm while Franklin-Simpson and Daviess County contest the second game of the day.

Though now regular season games, and count just the same as all the rest, the kickoff is a big deal to those that participate. Making Bowl Games a ubiquitous part of the Kentucky High School Football landscape.

On Friday, Warren East took advantage of several miscues and jumped out to an eye-watering 28-0 lead just six minutes into the season. A few more touchdowns only blemished by a kickoff return for a TD gave the hosts a running clock in the second half. Going on to win a condensed second half game, 55-6.

In the nightcap, the Panthers from Daviess County in Owensboro fell to the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats. As the temporary hosts for the night converted three third and goals from the one into three one-yard touchdown runs. Salting the game away with a field goal to go up 24-6. A last play touchdown by Daviess County leaves the final score, 31-13 after the untimed PAT was converted.

For more, and larger, photos from this game, click HERE.

For photos from previous weeks and seasons visit http://www.flickr.com/sykotyk/sets/

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