Barren County scored early and never looked back Friday night, shutting out Grayson County 43–0 in a Class 5A, District 2 matchup at Trojan Stadium.
The Cougars slipped to 2–4 overall and 0–2 in district play, while the Trojans improved to 3–3 and 1–1.
Grayson County’s first setback came late in the opening quarter when quarterback Jake Bratcher was intercepted by Daylan Thomas at the Cougar 38-yard line. The turnover set up Barren County’s first touchdown, a 27-yard pass from Briggs Harris to Jaxson Byrd with 44 seconds left in the quarter.
The Trojans added to their lead just before halftime when Byrd capped a drive with a six-yard touchdown run. He also caught one of Harris’ three touchdown passes on the night. Harris later rushed for a 20-yard score before connecting with Weston Shelton and Steele Whitaker for touchdowns of 21 and 16 yards, respectively. Jaxon Pierce closed out the scoring with a one-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.
Grayson’s offense never found rhythm, managing just 98 passing yards and finishing with negative rushing yardage on 17 attempts. Bratcher went 10-of-18 through the air with 98 yards but was intercepted twice. Backup quarterback Trigg Payne completed three of four passes for 25 yards in relief. Kayden Tyner led the receiving corps with two catches for 45 yards, while Jamycen Buster added five receptions for 43 yards.
On the other side, Barren County controlled the ground game behind Thomas, who carried 14 times for 141 yards. Harris was efficient in the air, finishing 7-of-9 for 107 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a score.
The Cougars will now step out of district play with a Thursday night road trip to Ohio County. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Hartford, the first meeting between the schools since 2022.
