Class 2A football state championship preview: Beechwood vs. Mayfield

It’s championship weekend for the 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals. Here’s a look at Friday’s Class 2A state title game at Kroger Field.

Beechwood (13-1) vs. Mayfield (14-0)

Kickoff: 4 p.m. Friday.

RPI Ratings: No. 1 Beechwood (.77094); No. 3 Mayfield (.74372).

Cantrall Ratings: No. 1 Beechwood (83.9); No. 2 Mayfield (80.1).

Championship game history: Beechwood — 16 state titles (the last two back-to-back) in 21 finals appearances; Mayfield — 12 state titles (the last in 2015) in 24 finals appearances.

Quick hits

▪ Class 2A offense ranks: No. 2 Mayfield (42.7 ppg); No. 3 Beechwood (42.6 ppg).

▪ Class 2A defense ranks: No. 1 Beechwood (7.4 ppg); No. 2 Mayfield (10.4 ppg).

▪ Beechwood senior Antonio Robinson Jr., a transfer from Florida ahead of the season, tops Kentucky’s recruiting charts and rates as a four-star player, according to 247Sports.com. His namesake father won a Super Bowl as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. He’s committed to Wake Forest.

▪ Both teams have ball-hawking defenses with Beechwood picking off a 2A-high 22 interceptions to Mayfield’s 17; Mayfield has recovered 10 fumbles. Beechwood has no fumble stats, but that could be a stat-keeping omission.

▪ The Tigers lost leading rusher Mitchell Berger to a knee injury in October. The Eastern Kentucky baseball commit had 1,119 yards and 21 TDs rushing and 251 yards and two TDs receiving. Chase Flaherty has stepped up with three 100-plus yard games and a total of 534 of the Tigers’ 1,178 rushing yards over the six games since Berger’s injury.

▪ Beechwood is trying for a third consecutive state title, a feat the Tigers have accomplished twice before — 2016-2018 and 1991-1994 (and, yes, that’s four straight).

▪ In Mayfield’s last appearance at Kroger Field, the Cardinals lost the 2A title in 2019 by a score of 34-31 to Somerset on the last play of the game, which occurred on an untimed down after a defensive penalty. The winning TD pass was thrown by now-Kentucky backup QB Kaiya Sheron. Seven Mayfield players, including-now quarterback Zane Cartwright and running back Jutarious Starks, were on the roster that day.

▪ Beechwood’s 16 state titles rank third all-time behind Trinity (27) and Highlands (23); Mayfield’s 12 state titles rank fifth all-time behind those three and St. Xavier (13).

▪ Beechwood Coach Noel Rash succeeded the legendary Mike Yeagle, who led the Tigers to eight state titles in 10 finals appearances from 1991 to 2004. Rash has won seven titles in eight finals appearances since taking over in 2006. Beechwood also reached the 2002 finals under interim coach Bob Burnett while Yeagle took time off for health reasons.

▪ Mayfield Coach Joe Morris followed in his legendary father Jack Morris’s footsteps after the Cardinals had a successful few years under Paul Leahy, Jack Morris’s longtime assistant. Jack Morris led the Cardinals to four state championships in nine finals appearances from 1976 to 1992. Leahy led Mayfield to two state titles in three appearances from 1993 to 1998. Joe Morris has led Mayfield to six state titles in 12 finals appearances since taking over in 1999.

▪ Beechwood and Mayfield have twice met in state finals, with the Cardinals winning the 1995 and 2008 Class A titles over the Tigers. They’ve met in the playoffs eight times since 2002 with Mayfield winning all but last year’s semifinals game at Beechwood, a 38-7 Tigers rout.

Standouts

Beechwood: Clay Hayden, So. QB (1,503 yards, 17 TDs passing); Chase Flaherty, So. RB (606 yards, 15 TDs rushing); Liam McCormack, Sr. WR/DB (598 yards, 5 TDs receiving); Antonio Robinson, Sr. WR/DB (501 yards, 7 TDs receiving); Xavier Campbell, Jr. DL (11 sacks).

Mayfield: Zane Cartwright, Jr. QB (1,984 yards, 23 TDs passing); Jutarious Starks, Jr. RB (1,110 yards, 20 TDs rushing); Isaac Stevenson, Sr. WR/DB (783 yards, 8 TDs receiving); Brajone Dabney, Jr. WR (610 yards, 9 TDs receiving); Ian Williams, So. TE/LB (88 tackles, 1 sack).

@HLpreps pick

Mayfield 21, Beechwood 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 10:59 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