2026 Countdown to Kickoff: Allen County-Scottsville Patriots

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (WBKO) - WBKO’s annual Countdown to Kickoff begins as the Allen County-Scottsville high school football program is ready to erase the memory of a historic anomaly.

After a bruising 0-10 season last fall, which marked the first time since 2007 that the Patriots missed out on the postseason, the focus this summer has been entirely on rebuilding the team’s identity from the ground up.

Head Coach Brad Hood, now in his 21st year with the program, took a hard look in the mirror during the winter to diagnose what went wrong.

“It started this year with me and trying to go back and realize what made us successful in the past and what I felt that I was good at,” Hood said. “We’re trying to emphasize some of the things that I brought here 21 years ago... the pride of being out here every day and being a part of this team and this brotherhood.”

A main point of emphasis offensively is reviving a dormant run game. After struggling to find the end zone and sustain drives last season, the Patriots have dedicated their summer workouts to establishing line dominance.

“We didn’t really have much of a run game, but hopefully this year. That’s what we’ve been focusing on a lot during the summer,” said senior running back/safety Jeffrey Garcia, who feels the urgency to spark the offense. “You can’t have a football team without a run game. So yeah, especially, it’s a lot of pressure on me. Trying to get some touchdowns this year finally on the run game.”

Defensively, the Patriots are stripping down complex schemes to focus on fundamental, hard-nosed physical play. It’s an approach players have fully embraced as they look to revive the iconic “Patriot toughness.”

“Coach has been wanting a new start, and that’s pretty much what we’ve done,” senior wide receiver Andrew Middleton said. “We’ve changed a lot of things from last year that brought us down. I feel like this year, everything that we’ve changed can make us a better football team.”

For a team that has experienced both high-stakes success and rebuilding years, the pride of wearing the “A-C-S” lettering across their chests remains a powerful motivator.

“Ever since I was in the Little League, I looked up to the ACS Patriots,” senior lineman Henry Drummond said, noting his family’s deep ties to the program. “Hearing about all the awesome things and all the challenges they overcame, it just makes me really want to get to it and overcome a lot of challenges myself.”

The road back to the postseason begins in exactly two weeks. For these Patriots, last year is officially in the past.

2026 Allen County-Scottsville Football Schedule:

Week 1- August 21st vs Westmoreland (TN)

Week 2- August 28th @ Monroe County

Week 3- September 4th vs Warren Central

Week 4- September 11th @ Glasgow

Week 5- September 18th @ Logan County*

Week 6- September 25th vs Paducah Tilghman*

Week 7- October 2nd vs Warren East*

Week 8- BYE

Week 9- October 16th @ Calloway County*

Week 10- October 23rd vs Franklin-Simpson*

Week 11- October 30th @ Barren County