There is definitely a possibility he wants to stay in Louisville, though. I think he has a kid in high school that doesn't want to leave the area.
There might be more of a battle over which high school the kid attends than which school his dad coaches (although he might be a senior, I don't know)...
Saturday, November 25, 2006
<!-- ARTICLE HEADLINE --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript> var s_pageName="Kentucky HS Headline: Petrino supreme in semi (20061125)";</SCRIPT><!-- ARTICLE HEADLINE -->Petrino supreme in semi
Guides Rocks' win over Henry Clay
By Jody Demling
[email protected] (
[email protected])
The Courier-Journal
<!-- STORY TEXT --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A quick start and a huge dose of Nick Petrino propelled the Trinity High School football team into the Class 4-A state final.
The Shamrocks zipped to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and then outslugged host Henry Clay the rest of the way in a 56-35 victory before about 7,000 fans last night.
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</TD><TD width=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"We wanted to come out and hit them hard, early," Petrino said.
And it was Petrino doing most of the slugging.
The son of University of Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino did his own version of Light up Lexington. The senior Mr. Football candidate accounted for 421 yards of total offense and six touchdowns.
"There were holes there, and I can run the ball a little bit, so we figured why not," Petrino said. "We took advantage of it, and it helped us win the game. This feels great. To put 56 points up on this team is a heck of a job."
Petrino completed 17 of 24 passes for 257 yards and three TDs and ran 18 times for 164 yards and three more scores. He has now thrown for 2,765 yards and 35 TDs this season and 6,296 yards and 81 TDs for his career.
"He's pretty good," Trinity coach Bob Beatty said. "I think I will keep him for another week. He's a tough kid, and he's a winner."
And so are the Shamrocks (13-1). Trinity has now reeled off 12 straight victories and will meet Ryle, which beat Henderson County 59-28 in the other semifinal last night, in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. final at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
"We knew they were explosive and had a lot of speed," Beatty said. "We knew they were going to make a charge, and we answered the bell. I am very happy with our kids and pleased to be going to Papa John's."
Trinity is tied with Fort Thomas Highlands for a state-best 16 state titles. The Shamrocks have won four of the past five state titles and 25 of their past 26 playoff games and are 29-2 in the playoffs in seven years under Beatty.
"(Highlands coach) Dale Mueller is a really good friend of mine, but I don't like sharing that No. 16 with him," Beatty said with a smile.
Tim Williams carried 18 times for 117 yards and a TD for the Shamrocks. Alex Dutton had eight catches for 99 yards and a score and his twin, Nathan, added three catches for 84 yards and two TDs.
But Beatty warned his team the game was far from perfect. While the offense amassed 549 yards and was 10 for 12 on third-down conversions, the Shamrocks gave up more return yards -- 298 -- than offensive yards -- 274 -- to the explosive Blue Devils (12-2).
Chase Minniefield had an 81-yard punt return for a score and Clark Jeter had a 94-yard kickoff return for a score for Henry Clay, which cut the deficit to 14 points on three occasions but could never get closer.
"I feel like I just had my teeth kicked in," Henry Clay coach Sam Simpson said. "But our kids never quit. When it's all said and done, to score 35 points on that team you are doing something. The kids never gave up."