IRVINE — Returning to the win column, Magoffin County doubled up Estill County 38-19 in a Class 3A, District 8 game on Friday, Oct. 20.
Guiding the Hornets to the Class 3A, District 8 victory, Magoffin County head coach John DeRossett notched his 200th career win.
Magoffin County improved to 3-6 overall and finished 2-2 in Class 3A, District 8 after registering the win.
Following the loss, Estill County dropped to 4-5 overall and finished 1-3 in Class 3A, District 8.
“I am so happy for this team and their families,” said DeRossett. “This is the first time in several years that we have won two district games. All the credit goes to the players that spent days in the weightroom, summer workouts and practices, and when adversity came, they kept their focus on our plan of getting better every day. Life is tough and it will always be that way. It is great to see young people face it and step up with grit and determination. We have played hard in every game and our physical play continues to show up. All of our football programs in Magoffin County are on the rise. The future success of all levels will depend on who makes a commitment to the weightroom and being a great teammate.
“We have classy young people in our programs. They demonstrate sportsmanship, shake hands win or lose and are appreciative of all the nice things in our community and what parents do for them. We also need to thank our staffs from grades 3-12. We are aligned to be successful.”
Magoffin County thrived on the ground in the win over Estill County, rushing 33 times for 299 yards and three touchdowns.
Ian McCarty led Magoffin County on the ground, rushing 15 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
Finishing as Magoffin County’s second-leading rusher, Aden Barnett took 11 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown.
Pacing Magoffin County through the air, Barnett completed six of 10 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
Barnett completed at least one pass to five different receivers. Garrett Jenkins and Dason Burchett each hauled in one touchdown pass reception for the Hornets.
Chipping in offensively, McCarty, Brock Montgomery and Russell Cruz were Magoffin County’s additional receivers.
Curtis Jenkins recorded 13 tackles and one sack to lead Magoffin County’s defensive unit.
Following Jenkins, Brayden Standifer delivered 10 tackles and one sack for the Hornets.
Contributing to Magoffin County’s defensive effort, McCarty supplied nine tackles while Jackson Gilliland contributed eight tackles and one interception.
Quarterback Brody Mainous led Estill County, completing 17 of 24 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown.
Mainous threw one interception.
Ethan Henry paced Estill County’s receivers, hauling in four receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown.
Limited on the ground, Estill County rushed 26 times for 67 yards and one touchdown. Jax Niece and Rylan Brown each delivered one rushing touchdown for the Engineers.
Defensively for Estill County, Niece tallied a game-high 15 tackles while Hayden Fletcher added 11 tackles and provided one interception.
Magoffin County is scheduled to host non-district opponent Morgan County for a regular season finale on Friday, Oct. 27.
