Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class A high school football preseason poll for 2022

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories ranking Kentucky’s high school football teams class by class, according to voting by the class’s coaches.

Pikeville enters 2022 as a favorite to win the Class A state title for the third time in four years, but Panthers Coach Chris McNamee doesn’t see it that way.

“I think Raceland’s No. 1,” McNamee said, throwing some pressure onto the rival Rams. “They only had two seniors on that team last year and I think we had 14, so we’ve lost a lot and they’ve got a lot coming back.”

Breaking it down, McNamee sees a wide-open race that will make it hard for the Panthers to repeat.

“You look at Raceland and, of course, Russellville. And KCD (Kentucky Country Day) is always right there in the hunt,” McNamee said. “And Hazard — we’ve always had a hard time with them throughout the district and the playoffs. That’s a long way away. We’ll see how it all shakes out.”

Pikeville got 20 of the 23 preseason No. 1 votes in the Herald-Leader @HLpreps preseason survey of Class A coaches. That probably owes to the fact the Panthers bring back Blake Birchfield, the state’s top rusher regardless of class in 2021, who will still be running behind a massive offensive line that includes brothers Mason and Peyton Sayers, nearly 600 pounds of leverage up the middle.

Raceland, a defending district and region champion which lost to the Panthers 36-7 in last year’s state semifinals, garnered the other three top nods.

Here are the preseason top 10 teams in Class A — the smallest football-playing classification established by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association — as voted on by coaches in the division.

1. Pikeville

Head coach: Chris McNamee (14th season).

Last year: 14-2. State champions with a 30-27 win over Russellville.

Quick look: Blake Birchfield rushed for 2,512 yards at an average of 179 yards per game with 25 TDs a year ago and has three of his five offensive linemen back. Pikeville also returns second-leading receiver Wade Hensley (562 yards, 12 TDs). But the Panthers must break in six new offensive starters, including a quarterback, and have only five starters back on defense. Linebacker Luke Ray had a team-high 142 tackles in 2021. One thing is certain, when the playoffs arrive, Pikeville will know what it’s made of. Its schedule borders on ridiculous with top-ranked opponents every week.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 19 at Corbin; Aug. 27 vs. Covington Catholic; Sept. 2 at Paintsville; Sept. 23 vs. Lexington Christian; Sept. 30 vs. Madison Central; Oct. 15 vs. Russellville; Oct. 21 vs. Hazard.

2. Raceland

Head coach: Michael Salmons (ninth season).

Last year: 12-2. Region champion. Lost 36-7 to Pikeville in the state semifinals.

Quick look: With 10 starters back on offense and nine on defense, the Rams look loaded for a deep postseason run. Junior quarterback Logan Lundy threw for 1,966 yards and 23 TDs to go with 422 yards and 10 TDs on the ground in the Rams’ balanced attack. Fellow junior Noah Wallace topped 1,000 yards rushing with 14 TDs and netted 84 tackles at defensive back, second-best on the team. “We consider ourselves a balanced team, with the ability to attack in multiple ways,” Salmons said. “Our defense is experienced, and we expect to play the sound, physical defense the fans have come to associate with our program.”

Marquee matchups: Sept. 29 at Highlands; Oct. 21 vs. Paintsville.

3. Newport Central Catholic

Head coach: Stephen Lickert (fifth season).

Last year: 9-4. District champion. Lost 21-0 to Russellville in region finals.

Quick look: Lickert believes if his Thoroughbreds stay healthy, “we’ve got a shot. … We are a year older after playing a lot of sophomores and juniors last year. We have athletes who can score all over the field and a really nice offensive line. Among eight offensive starters returning are juniors Kolton Smith at quarterback (2,196 yards, 26 TDs) and Demetrick Welch at running back (667 yards, 10 TDs). Smith checks in at 6-5 and 219 pounds and “has the potential to be a D-1 QB.” There are questions to answer at linebacker, but seniors Nick Schafer and CJ Gavin anchor a solid defensive line.

Marquee matchups: Sept. 8 vs. Walton-Verona; Oct. 28 vs. Beechwood.

4. Hazard

Head coach: Daniel Howard (third season).

Last year: 8-5. Lost 28-6 to Pikeville in district finals.

Quick look: Ball-hawking senior Max Johnson returns to terrorize opposing offenses, defenses and special teams. The defensive/running back was second in the class with eight interceptions last season, second on the team in tackles (83) and led the Bulldogs in rushing (760 yards) and scoring (14 total TDs), including two punt returns, two kickoff returns and a pick-six. Max Pelfrey had a solid debut as a freshman with 1,969 yards and 16 TDs while older brother Hank Pelfrey, now a senior, served as his primary target, racking up 632 yards receiving and five TDs to go with 204 yards and two TDs rushing.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 19 vs. Middlesboro; Sept. 2 at Breathitt County; Oct. 21 at Pikeville.

5. Kentucky Country Day

Head coach: Matthew Jones (11th season).

Last year: 10-3. District champion. Lost 49-10 to Bethlehem in the region finals.

Quick look: The Bearcats have dominated the 3rd District for three years straight, but they must replace many of the skill position players who have been key to their offense. A veteran offensive line will protect new QB Ethan “ET” Harris, a junior with “tremendous arm talent and speed,” Jones said. Fellow juniors Harrison Callahan and Troy Humphreys will lead the new backfield. Humphreys had 333 yards and three TDs in a support role last year. Defensively KCD returns 10 starters, so fewer worries there. Senior linebacker/safety Rex Rumpke led the team with 45 tackles.

Marquee matchups: Oct. 14 vs. Frankfort; Oct. 21 at Eminence.

6. Paintsville

Head coach: Trevor Hoskins (second season).

Last year: 6-6. Lost 28-14 to Raceland in the district finals.

Quick look: With six starters back on both offense and defense, Hoskins looks to improve on his inaugural campaign with the Tigers. “We will have more depth at the skill positions. Our biggest question marks will be at linebacker and offensive line,” he said. Senior running back/defensive back Harris Phelps rushed for 1,506 yards and 19 TDs in 2021 while making 63 tackles on the other side of the ball. Quarterback Frederick “AJ” James threw for 1,398 yards and 15 TDs while keeping defenses honest with 214 yards and two rushing TDs.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 26 at Beechwood; Sept. 2 vs. Pikeville; Oct. 21 at Raceland.

7. Bethlehem

Head coach: Bryan Walker (fifth season).

Last year: 11-3. District and region champions. Lost 34-21 to Russellville in the state semis.

Quick look: The Eagles have a balanced attack with a run/pass pairing their coach believes is “possibly the best” in Class A. Senior QB Cooper Stone “can make all the throws” and did so to the tune of 2,219 yards and 23 TDs. Senior running back Zane Wickliffe is a four-year starter coming off a season with 1,293 yards and 18 TDs. Defensively, Bethlehem has eight starters back, led by linebacker Will Ray’s 69 tackles and a sack.

Marquee matchups: Sept. 30 vs. Crittenden County; Oct. 7 at Louisville Holy Cross; Oct. 28 vs. Sayre.

8. Williamsburg

Head coach: Jerry Herron (17th season).

Last year: 8-4. District champion. Lost 50-21 in region finals to Pikeville.

Quick look: Herron has eight starters back on offense and defense and believes his senior dual-threat quarterback, Sydney Bowen, is among the best players in the state. Bowen threw for 2,251 yards and 25 TDs while also rushing for 914 yards and 11 more scores. Martin Shannon (860 receiving yards, 14 TDs) returns as Bowen’s primary target. Linebackers Hunter Thomas and Griffin Bates each topped 80 tackles in 2021.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 26 vs. Middlesboro; Sept. 30 at Sayre; Oct. 15 at Pineville.

9. Russellville

Head coach: Mikie Benton (fifth season).

Last year: 12-2. District and region champions. State runner-up in 30-27 loss to Pikeville.

Quick look: The Panthers lost nearly half their roster to graduation, including every defensive starter. But four return on offense, including senior offensive linemen Camden Phillips (6-6, 260 pounds) and Henry Graves (6-1, 275). Sophomore Octavius “Tutu” McKeage takes over at quarterback and will roam the defense at free safety. Benton touts McKeage as an “extremely gifted athlete” with “great touch on the ball.” Benton also expects sophomore AJ Woodard to make an impact all over the field.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 26 at Glasgow; Sept. 2 at Logan County; Sept. 16 vs. Franklin-Simpson; Oct. 15 vs. Pikeville; Oct. 21 vs. Crittenden County.

10. Louisville Holy Cross

Head coach: Erick Dick (third season).

Last year: 9-4. Lost 44-0 to Bethlehem in district finals.

Quick look: Senior quarterback Chris Perry will have a veteran offensive line in front of him, but the Cougars will be a work in progress offensively until standouts emerge at the other skill positions. Perry threw for 1,382 yards and 22 TDs and also led the team in rushing with 630 yards and seven TDs. Junior wideout Joey Foushee (355 yards, six TDs) is the team’s leading returning receiver. Dick expects his defense to be a strength early with seven starters back, including Tyler Ballard, who led the team in tackles with 122 and racked up 13 sacks, second-best in the class.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 20 vs. Taylor County at Campbellsville; Oct. 7 vs. Bethlehem; Oct. 21 at Campbellsville.

Others receiving votes

In order of votes received: Crittenden County, Bishop Brossart, Sayre, Campbellsville, Ludlow, Frankfort, Nicholas County, Betsy Layne, Fulton County and Eminence.

Survey method: These rankings reflect the participation of coaches from 23 of the 31 Class A teams (74.1%). Every coach in the division was given the opportunity to participate in the @HLpreps annual survey emailed to their address listed on KHSAA.org. Multiple attempts were made to contact each coach.

This story was originally published August 7, 2022 at 7:00 AM.

Jared Peck

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-488-2883

Jared Peck, the Herald-Leader’s Digital Sports Writer, covers high school athletics and has been with the company as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Support my work with a digital subscription