Cougars to open season at Butler County
The Logan County Cougars will begin their 30th season of varsity football Friday when they travel to Morgantown to play the Butler County Bears.
This is the third season for the Cougars with Dain Gregory as head coach.
Last year’s Cougar season got off to a disappointing start with a 27-13 home loss to Coach Ryan Emmick’s Bears. Butler County won its first four games on the way to a 6-4 season before the Bears lost 51-14 to Caldwell County in the first round of the Class 2-A playoffs. Butler’s wins were over Logan, Breckinridge, McLean, Todd and Edmonson Counties along with Fort Knox.
The Bears have great hopes for this season, bolstered by the transfer of senior Jimmy Burns, who has quarterbacked Warren East to a total of 20 wins in the last two seasons, including a 13-1 record last year. The family reportedly moved to Morgantown when his dad changed jobs.
The Cougars, who reached the 5-A playoffs for the first time last year, will go with an inexperienced quarterback with the decision of three-year letterman Ian Woodall not to play football this year, but Offensive Coordinator Mark Wood said on WRUS’ Coaches Corner Tuesday that he likes three young quarterbacks who are vying for the starting job following the graduation of two-year starter Justin Rone. Gregory has announced that sophomore Joseph Olliges will get the start against the Bears.
One of the new starters will be J.R. Morrow, who started several varsity basketball games last year but is playing football for the first time in high school as a senior. He will be one of the safeties.
Game time is 7 p.m. Play-by-play will be recorded with Andy and Zach Woodall mike side. It will be aired at 2:05 p.m. Saturday on WRUS.
The starting lineup is expected to be as follows:
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Joseph Olliges (5-7, 135, fresh.)
Running Back: Brennan Rostampour (5-9, 200, sr.)
Receiver: Layton Morgan (6-3, 170), sr., Anthony Oberhausen (5-9.175, jr.), Mason Robertson (5-11, 160, sr.), Michael Sydnor (6-1, 170, sr.)
Center: Chase Williamson (5-7, 210, jr.)
Line: Patrick Cruz (5-11, 200, soph), Joe McGinnis (5-11. 230, sr.), Winn Perry (6-1, 245, jr.), Weston Plumlee (6-4, 255, jr.)
Placekicker: Landon Stratton (6-1, 265, sr.)
DEFENSE
End: Cruz (5-11, 200, soph) & McGinnis (5-11. 230, sr.)
Lineman: B.J. Carter 6-4, 275. Jr.) & Conner McColpin (5-11, 240, soph.)
Linebacker: Oberhausen (5-9.175, jr.) & Rostampour (5-9, 200, sr.)
Cornerback: Robertson (5-11, 160, sr. & Sydnor (6-1, 170, sr.)
Safety: J.R. Morrow (6-1, 150, sr.), Spencer Parsons (5-7, 160, sr.) & Luke Woodall (5-7, 210, jr.)