With his grandson Zach Caldwell coaching the offense on the sideline, but you can be sure Bill Ellis would have been proud of the Harlan County Black Bears on Saturday in a 36-0 rout of visiting McCreary Central in eighth-grade football action in the Bill Ellis Memorial Bowl.

Ellis, a radio broadcaster who covered Harlan County sports for decades, died last year. The three-game bowl was named in his honor, and the Bears rolled past the visiting Raiders as Brayden Morris and Brady Smith each scored two touchdowns.
“Our eighth grade put together a complete game. I thought we might have a let down after the big Belfry win, but our coaches kept them focused.  Our defense continues to look strong and our offense exploded this evening.  We just need to keep improving and this team could be special,” said Harlan County coach Scott Caldwell.
Morris opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter followed by his two-point conversion.
Sam Carr rumbled 50 yards and Morris followed with the two-point conversion for a 16-0 lead.
Morris went 40 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter for a 22-0 halftime advantage.
Brady Smith raced 55 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, then returned an interception 70 yards for a score. Morris followed with a two-point conversion to close the scoring.
Harlan County fell 30-0 in the seventh-grade game and 26-8 in sixth-grade action.
Blake Johnson threw a 20-yard touchdown pas to Hudson Faulkner, then Caysen Farley added the two-point conversion for the Bears.
Harlan County returns to acton Saturday at home against Whitley County with three games starting at 10 a.m.