Class A football state championship preview: Pikeville vs. Raceland

It’s championship weekend for the 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals. Here’s a look at Friday’s Class A state title game at Kroger Field.

Pikeville (11-2) vs. Raceland (13-1)

Kickoff: Noon Friday

RPI Ratings: No. 1 Pikeville (.75242); No. 2 Raceland (.72943).

Cantrall Ratings: No. 1 Pikeville (84.5); No. 2 Raceland (77.3).

Championship game history: Pikeville (6-4) — Six titles, defending champs; Raceland (0-1) — Runner-up to Beechwood in the 2017 Class A finals.

Quick hits

▪ Class A scoring ranks: 1. Pikeville (43.8 ppg); 2. Raceland (43.4 ppg).

▪ Class A defense ranks: 1. Raceland (10.6 ppg); 2. Pikeville (12.1 ppg).

▪ Pikeville’s Blake Birchfield has a chance to pad his résumé for one or both of the state’s Mr. Football honors to be awarded soon to a player considered by coaches and the media as the best senior player in Kentucky. Coming into Friday, Birchfield has 1,795 yards and 32 TDs rushing on the year. That gives him 5,054 yards and 66 TDs rushing over his career. He’s also caught a couple of TD passes over the last couple of weeks. Oh, and last season, he was the state championship game MVP.

▪ The Kentucky Football Coaches Association is expected to name the Class A player and coach of the year at Friday’s game. Pikeville’s Birchfield and Raceland’s Conner Hughes were their respective KFCA district players of the year.

▪ The last time Pikeville won back-to-back titles, the Panthers won three in a row back in 1987 to 1989. Pikeville head coach Chris McNamee was a standout player on the 1987 team.

▪ When told last August that coaches had rated his Panthers No. 1 in our Herald-Leader preseason poll, McNamee immediately offered a contrary view. “I think Raceland’s No. 1,” McNamee said of the Rams, who were No. 2 in the poll. “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.”

▪ Raceland indeed did return 10 starters on offense and nine on defense. Those players included almost every big-time playmaker, like quarterback Logan Lundy, running backs Noah Wallace and Jules Farrow, receiver Conner Hughes and 80 percent of the offensive and defensive lines.

▪ The losses: Pikeville lost to Class 4A finalist Corbin and Class 5A’s Covington Catholic. Raceland lost to Class 5A’s Highlands.

▪ Pikeville has won four in a row against Raceland over the last four years, including eliminating the Rams from last year’s playoffs with a 36-7 win in the state semis.

▪ Pikeville and Raceland have met in the playoffs six times since 2011. Pikeville is 4-2 in those contests.

▪ Raceland won six region championships over the last 10 years, but advanced past the state semifinals only once before this season.

Standouts

Pikeville: Blake Birchfield, Sr. RB (1,795 yards, 32 TDs rushing); Isaac Duty, So. QB (1,436 yards, 20 TDs passing); Wade Hensley, Sr. WR (459 yards, 8 TDs receiving); Tayvian Boykins, Jr. WR (475 yards, 7 TDs rushing; 373 yards, 3 TDs receiving); Carson Wright, Sr. LB (127 tackles, 4 sacks).

Raceland: Logan Lundy, Jr. QB (2,213 yards, 34 TDs passing, 388 yards, 7 TDs rushing); Conner Hughes, Sr., WR/DB (506 yards, 8 TDs receiving; 142 yards, 4 TDs rushing; ); Noah Wallace, Jr. RB/DB (871 yards, 12 TDs rushing; 91 tackles); Mason Lykins, Sr. WR/DB (650 yards, 11 TDs receiving; 42 tackles; 4 sacks); Cameron Bell, Jr. LB (73 tackles; 4.5 sacks).

@HLpreps pick

Pikeville 36, Raceland 20.

State championships

At Kroger Field in Lexington

Tickets: Available by advance sale digitally at KHSAAtickets.org. No walk-up paper tickets sold.

Streaming broadcasts: Subscription required for live video stream at KHSAA.tv. Pay-per-view live video at Go.PrepSpin.com. Free audio stream at KHSAA.net.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Class A: Pikeville (11-2) vs. Raceland (13-1), Noon

Class 2A: Beechwood (13-1) vs. Mayfield (14-0), 4 p.m.

Class 4A: Corbin (14-0) vs. Boyle County (12-2), 8 p.m.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Class 3A: Christian Academy-Louisville (14-0) vs. Bardstown (14-0), Noon

Class 6A: Male (10-4) vs. Bullitt East (13-1), 4 p.m.

Class 5A: Frederick Douglass (14-0) vs. Bowling Green (12-2), 8 p.m.

This story was originally published November 30, 2022 at 8:00 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