With the District 3A-4 championship on the line Friday, Oct. 20, in Lancaster at Dyehouse Stadium, It was the Titans of Mercer County (8-1, 3-0 district) that came out blazing and got the better of Garrard County (3-6, 2-1) by a final of 48-20.

To add insult to injury, the game fell on Garrard’s senior night where the JROTC, dance team, cheerleaders, band and eight football players were recognized prior to kickoff.

Mercer scored on each of its first three possessions in the first half to take a 20-0 lead into the locker room at the break.

The Titans were up 28-0 in the third when Garrard finally got a big break — a 92-yard kickoff return by junior Malachi Simmons.

A high snap foiled the extra-point attempt to keep the score at 28-6.

Garrard scored once again in the fourth quarter on a pass from Justin Parsons to senior Hayden Elleman from nine yards out to bring the tally to 35-13 in favor of the Titans.

The Lions’ final score was a seven yard rush by Simmons with under a minute remaining to close out the game.

Still, by finishing second in its division, Garrard will be hosting a playoff game — for the first time since 2014 — in what might possibly be the final high school contest played at Dyehouse Stadium with a new stadium being built on the GCHS property.

The opponent will be the Panthers of Elizabethtown (2-7) on Friday, Nov. 3.