Garrard County, Madison Southern Renew Familiar Rivalry in Death Valley Bowl

Garrard County will open its 63rd season of high school football tonight by renewing a familiar rivalry, as the Golden Lions face Madison Southern in the annual Death Valley Bowl at Lincoln County High School.

The matchup brings together two programs with a history that stretches back more than three decades. Garrard County holds a commanding 15-2 advantage in the all-time series, but Friday's meeting will be the first between the Golden Lions and Eagles since 2018.

For Garrard, the game also continues what has become a regular August trip to Stanford. The Golden Lions will make their 11th appearance in the Death Valley Bowl and their sixth consecutive appearance in the event. Garrard owns a 3-7 record in its previous 10 bowl games.

The Lions' first Death Valley Bowl victory came in the inaugural event in 1998, when they defeated Newport Central Catholic. They added another victory over Rowan County in 2009 before breaking through again last season with a 29-19 win over North Bullitt.

Justin Parsons accounted for all four Garrard touchdowns in last year's victory, throwing for two scores and running for two more as the Golden Lions earned their third win in the event.

Madison Southern will bring its own Death Valley Bowl history into Friday's matchup. The Eagles are making their fourth appearance in the event, with their lone victory coming against host Lincoln County in 2016.

While the current players have little firsthand experience with the Garrard-Madison Southern rivalry, the matchup should be considerably more familiar to longtime followers of the two programs.

Madison Southern opened in 1988, and the creation of the school had a direct connection to Garrard County football. Several players from the Cartersville area of Garrard County began attending the new school in Berea because of its proximity to their homes.

It took two years before the schools met on the football field.

The first Garrard-Madison Southern game came in the 1990 regular-season finale, and the Golden Lions made the introduction emphatic with a 38-18 victory.

Lamont Hocker provided one of the most memorable special-teams performances in Garrard history that night. Hocker returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown, then duplicated the feat by returning the opening kickoff of the second half for another score.

Tony Palmer led the Garrard rushing attack with 62 yards and a touchdown, while Carlton Jeffrey supplied another piece of school history by kicking a 40-yard field goal just before halftime. Jeffrey's kick established a Garrard record at the time and remained the school standard until John Craddock connected from 42 yards against Newport Central Catholic in the inaugural Death Valley Bowl eight years later.

That 1990 victory began a lengthy period of Garrard dominance in the series. The Golden Lions won the first 14 meetings between the schools as the teams played regularly throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s.

Some of those victories were comfortable. Others were anything but.

One of the closest came in the 1994 season opener. Garrard entered that game ranked third in the state but needed a Willie Hill touchdown with only 1:16 remaining to escape with a 26-19 victory.

Five years later, the Golden Lions produced the most lopsided result in series history.

Garrard overwhelmed Madison Southern 64-0 in 1999, establishing what was then the largest margin of victory in Golden Lion football history. Garrard's rushing attack was led by a trio that nearly produced three 100-yard performances. Chris Steffen ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns, Kevin Crutchfield added 103 yards and a score, and Ricky Boyd finished with 93 yards and two touchdowns.

The Lions accumulated 393 rushing yards and added another 113 through the air in the rout.

Remarkably, Garrard's new margin-of-victory record lasted only two weeks. The Golden Lions later scored 73 points against Owen County and won by 65, establishing a school record that still stands.

Another offensive showcase came at Madison Southern in 2003, when Spencer Crutchfield hurt the Eagles with both his arm and his legs. Crutchfield passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 124 yards as Garrard earned a 47-32 victory.

The series also produced a notable game in 2012, when the Golden Lions faced a Madison Southern backfield featuring future Alabama standout and NFL running back Damien Harris.

Garrard's defense limited Harris to 44 rushing yards, while Noah Williams carried the Lions' offense with 151 yards on the ground. Garrard held on for a 14-13 victory.

Madison Southern eventually ended Garrard's long run of success in the series with a victory on the Golden Lions' home field in 2016.

The most recent meeting came two years later, and Garrard regained the upper hand in another close contest. David Pennington rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Lions pulled out a 30-28 victory in 2018.

Eight years later, the schools will meet again, this time on a neutral field and with another connection between the programs standing on the Madison Southern sideline.

The Eagles are coached by Tim Kirk, now in his second season as Madison Southern's head coach. Kirk previously spent years as an assistant to former Garrard County coach Mark Scenters, giving Friday's matchup an additional layer of familiarity.

For Garrard County, the game represents both the beginning of another season and a return to a series that once occupied a regular place on the schedule. For Madison Southern, it provides an opportunity to cut into a series the Golden Lions have controlled historically.

The game will be the first half of tonight’s Death Valley Bowl doubleheader at Lincoln County High School. Host Lincoln County will meet North Bullitt in the late game.

That matchup has considerably less history behind it. Lincoln County and North Bullitt have played only once previously, with the Patriots earning a 21-19 victory to open the 1985 season.

Tonight’s doubleheader will therefore combine one matchup being renewed after decades of shared history with another that has been dormant for more than 40 years.

For Garrard County and Madison Southern, however, there will be plenty of history waiting when the two teams take the field. From kickoff-return touchdowns and record-setting victories to one-point finishes and future NFL talent, the series has produced its share of memorable moments.

Tonight in Death Valley, the Golden Lions and Eagles will finally add another chapter.

(Historical Information provided by Daniel Hopkins.)