PATRICK BLAIR PREVIEW  –  The Bishop Brossart Mustangs head south down US-27 to Falmouth this Friday night to close out the 2026 regular season in the annual “Battle of 27” rivalry against the Pendleton County Wildcats.

Brossart enters the finale riding high after an emphatic 47–8 running-clock victory over Trimble County on Homecoming night in Alexandria. The win pushed the Mustangs to 5–4, locked up the No. 2 seed in Class 1A, District 4, and guaranteed a first-round home playoff date at the MAC against the Dayton Greendevils next Friday.

Pendleton County (3–6) enters on Senior Night aiming to play spoiler and snap a four-game skid following a 59–13 setback against an 8–1 Bourbon County squad. With the Wildcats fighting to end their season on a high note and Brossart wanting to stay sharp and healthy for the playoffs, Friday presents an intriguing regular-season finale.

Last Week: Homecoming Fireworks in Alexandria

The Mustangs dominated in all three phases against Trimble County, racking up 367 total yards and enforcing a running clock early in the fourth quarter:

Surgical Through the Air: Landon Spaulding was efficient from the pocket, completing 13-of-19 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, while adding 26 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Backup freshman QB Hudson Ruth made his snaps count as well, going 2-for-2 passing and capping a late 58-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown scamper to the pylon for his first career varsity score.

Pounding the Rock: Brossart rolled up 204 rushing yards on just 24 carries—an explosive 8.5 yards per carry. Tommy Busby paced the unit with 75 yards and a 25-yard touchdown gallop on 6 carries (12.5 YPC), while Bentley McKinzie provided massive chunk gains, ripping off 72 yards on only 5 touches (14.4 YPC).

Senior & Jumbo Package Moments: Brady Boruske sparked the second half by executing a textbook onside kick, drilling a line drive off a front-line defender and securing the rebound out of midair. That set up a fan-favorite moment as senior lineman Beckett Meersman checked in at fullback in the Jumbo Package and punched in a 2-yard touchdown dive. Senior newcomer Kasey Moeller later took a pitch 7 yards to paydirt to trigger the running clock.

Suffocating Defense: The Mustang defense spent the night in Trimble County’s backfield, registering 10 tackles for loss and two sacks. Quinten Tischner led the defense with 11 tackles, 2 TFLs, and an interception, while Busby added 9 stops, 2 TFLs, and a sack. Landon Ketron also came away with an interception to shut down a Raider drive.

Scouting the Wildcats

Offensive Struggles: After putting up 67 points in their opener, Pendleton County’s scoring has cooled considerably, managing just 53 combined points over their last five contests. Sustaining drives against disciplined front sevens has been a challenge.

Stopping the Chunk Play: The Wildcats have surrendered big plays during their recent four-game skid, highlighted by Bourbon County’s 59-point output a week ago. Containing Brossart’s perimeter speed and misdirection will be Pendleton’s top priority.

The Rivalry Factor: Regardless of records, the Battle of 27 often brings extra juice. In their home finale, expect Pendleton County to pull out all the stops early with aggressive fourth-down tries and trick formations to grab early momentum.

Keys to the Game

Establish the Line of Scrimmage: Brossart’s offensive front controlled the trenches last week. Establishing Busby and McKinzie between the tackles early will tire out Pendleton’s two-way starters and open up play-action shots down the field.

Win First and Second Down: Forcing Pendleton County into 3rd-and-long situations will allow Brossart’s defensive line to get upfield and create opportunities for the secondary to jump passing routes.

Clean Execution: With a postseason matchup against Dayton on deck, the primary goal on the road is clean football: protect the ball, avoid costly pre-snap penalties, and build positive momentum into November.

SCHABS NOTES:  This game is Pendleton County’s Super Bowl.    It is also their final game of the season.  Being in Class 3A, the Cats choose not to knock heads with the likes of Highlands and CovCath in district play, and therefore play an Independent schedule  that has no playoff implications.  While I am going to say that we tend to bring out the best of them, I will also note that we are 12-3 over the years, and that the “Battle of 27” trophy has resided here on the Avenue of Champions since 2017.  In the past two years we have defeated PCo 49-0, and last year 45-14.  While I think that PCo is capable of competing with us early, they will not be able to go the distance and the traveling trophy will be motoring north with us back up US 27 following the game on Friday night.