Patriots Fall to 0-3 After Losses to Monroe County and Warren Central

By Don Meador,
Sports Writer

The start to the 2025 football season for the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots has not been good. A 24-14 loss to Monroe County on August 29 was followed with a 34-13 setback against Warren Central last Friday in Bowling Green.

Struggles on both sides of the ball have been a factor in back-to-back weeks. Against Monroe County, the Patriots finished with 68 total passing yards and 15 total rushing yards–after yardage from stops behind the line of scrimmage was factored in. Defensively, AC-S allowed the Falcons to run for 196 yards and throw for 88.

The highlight of the Monroe County game was an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by freshman Ay’Den Grainger. Following a wall created by teammates, Grainger ran past the Falcon coverage for the score. A second highlight was a 72-yard pass play from quarterback Josh Williams to senior receiver Greyson Walker. The play led to a five-yard scoring run by senior Brayden Holland–a score that trimmed Monroe County’s lead to 10, 24-14, with 7:40 remaining in the game. The score was too little, too late for the Patriots. Defensively, senior Ely McCoy was in on 9.5 tackles while senior D.J. Frields had 5.5 stops.

Confidence was high last week as AC-S faced winless Warren Central on the turf in Bowling Green. However, a 30-minute lighting delay during pregame and a second 30-minute delay at kickoff may have been contributing factors to the overall play by both teams in the first half. Neither team could establish control or get into a rhythm in the first 24 minutes.

On the Patriots second possession, Williams could not control a high snap. The result was a rolling pigskin into the AC-S end zone and a recovery by the Dragon defense. The try for two failed but Central held an early 6-0 lead at the 6:46 mark of the first quarter.

The score remained 6-0 in Central’s favor until AC-S took the lead on a highlight-reel play. With 3:14 left before halftime, sophomore Cannon Hood–in the game in relief of Williams–scrambled away from Central’s pursuing defense, rolled to his right, bought time, and fired a strike to senior De’Antre Grainger. The speedster did the rest, racing to end zone. The fourth down play and point after by senior Tyler Shaw lifted AC-S to a 7-6 lead.

The advantage was short-lived. Less than a minute later, the Dragons answered with the go-ahead touchdown. The score left the hosts with a 12-7 lead at the halftime break.

Warren Central took charge in a long third quarter. The Dragons started the scoring with a 54-yard touchdown pass play on their first play. On the next series, Hood’s pass was intercepted. The Dragons quickly added their fourth touchdown of the game on a 61-yard pass play. A successful two-point conversion left AC-S down 26-7 with just under 10 minutes left in the third–a score that stunned the team and fans.

However, AC-S still had hope. On the following kickoff, Ay’Den Grainger took the kickoff approximately 80 yards for his second return touchdown in two weeks. The point after was blocked.

The Patriot hopes of a comeback ended less than four minutes later. The Dragons added another touchdown to extend their lead. Defense prevailed the rest of the way giving Central the 21-point win.

The Patriot ground attack was essentially non-existent. The Patriots finished with 21 carries for a negative 13 yards–a total which includes yards lost behind the line of scrimmage. The longest run of the night for AC-S was a 27-yard gain by senior Edy Chavez–coming on a fake punt in the third quarter. In the air, Hood was seven of 19 for 104 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Williams was two for four for eight yards and an interception.

On defense, the Patriots allowed the Dragons (1-2) to pass for 231 yards and rush for 88. Senior Eli McCoy led the defensive in tackles. Senior teammates Max Drummond and Ace Moore also recorded multiple tackles.

AC-S (0-3) will look to enter the win column Friday night at Patriot Stadium. However, the task will not be easy. Glasgow (3-0) comes to town to renew a rivalry dating back to 1973. The Scotties lead the series 37-9. The Scotties have wins over Clay County (TN), Barren County, and Monroe County. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday night.