It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Ludlow Panthers had no problem doing just that on Friday. They blew past Newport 62-6 at home. Ludlow might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won six games by 25 points or more this season.
When it comes to explaining why Newport lost, one person who can't be blamed is Rod Thompson. Despite the final result, he rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Ludlow pushed their record up to 7-4 with that win, which was their fifth straight at home. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-12 Pendleton County and 2-9 Bellevue (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 35.2% over those games). As for Newport, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-4.
Ludlow will head out on the road to face off against Kentucky Country Day at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Newport does not have any more games scheduled as of now.