Class 4A football state championship preview: Corbin vs. Boyle County

It’s championship weekend for the 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals. Here’s a look at Friday’s Class 4A state title game at Kroger Field.

Corbin (14-0) vs. Boyle County (12-2)

Kickoff: 8 p.m. Friday

RPI Ratings: No. 1 Corbin (.75319); No. 2 Boyle County (.68600).

Cantrall Ratings: No. 1 Corbin (88.0); No. 3 Boyle County (85.5).

Championship game history: Corbin — Three state titles (1976, 1980, 1982) in nine finals appearances (the last in 2018); Boyle County — 10 state titles, (two-time defending 4A champs) in 12 finals appearances.

Quick hits

▪ Class 4A offense ranks: No. 2 Corbin (42.4 ppg); No. 4 Boyle County (39.3 ppg).

▪ Class 4A defense ranks: No. 1 Corbin (12.2 ppg); No. 4 Boyle County (15.2 ppg).

▪ Boyle County Coach Justin Haddix’s last job before the Rebels was as head coach at Corbin. Haddix led the Redhounds to the 2017 and 2018 Class 3A finals. The first of those title-game losses was to Boyle County. Corbin avenged that loss a year later by defeating Boyle 21-0 in the state semis.

▪ Corbin Coach Tom Greer, a defensive coordinator under Haddix for five seasons, took over the Redhounds in 2020 after a year away from the program. A Corbin native, Greer played for the Redhounds’ 1980 and 1982 state champions.

▪ Haddix won a state championship as a player for Breathitt County in 2002 at quarterback and has the last two 4A state titles as Boyle’s head coach.

▪ This is Corbin’s first trip back to a state finals since Haddix’s 2018 team.

▪ Corbin-to-Boyle County transfer Dakota Patterson, a three-star recruit with a number of college offers including Kentucky, suffered a season-ending injury at a summer camp before he could suit up for the Rebels.

▪ Boyle County’s Montavin Quisenberry, a 5-8, 155-pound sophomore, has quickly gained a reputation for his explosive playmaking ability on offense and defense as he displayed with a spectacular catch last week that went 84 yards for a score to help seal their victory. He’s nearing 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving and has three kickoff return TDs and three punt return TDs. He’s already been offered by Kentucky and Louisville.

▪ Corbin senior safety/kicker Jacob Baker, an Eastern Kentucky commit, was recently named District 7 player of the year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association. He has three interceptions and a team second-best 90 tackles to go along with making 70 of 71 extra points and eight of nine field goals.

▪ Speaking of Kentucky, Boyle County defensive end Tommy Ziesmer is a UK commit. UK has also offered Rebels sophomore Brock Driver, a running back/defensive end.

▪ The losses: Boyle County lost 28-27 to district rival Lexington Catholic in a game the Rebels led 27-7 going into the fourth quarter. Boyle also lost 37-6 to Class 5A finalist Frederick Douglass.

▪ Unbeaten Corbin has recorded six shutouts this year but faced close games against Class A finalist Pikeville (24-19), Class 5A’s Pulaski County (24-21), Class 6A’s Simon Kenton (38-35) and trailed in the fourth quarter last week against Franklin County before scoring two late TDs to win (49-35).

Standouts

Corbin: Kade Elam, So. QB (2,306 yards, 31 TDs passing; 476 yards, 12 TDs rushing); Cameron Combs, Sr. RB (1,315 yards, 17 TDs rushing); Carter Stewart, Jr. WR (1,033 yards, 9 TDs receiving); Israel Summers, Sr. DL (74 tackles, 8 sacks); Zayne Hammack, Sr. LB (131 tackles, 3 sacks); Jacob Baker, Sr. S/K (90, 3 INTs, 70/71 PATs; 8/9 FGs).

Boyle County: Sage Dawson, Jr. QB (1,635 yards, 23 TDs passing; 514 yards, 5 TDs rushing); Avery Bodner, Jr. RB (1,036 yards, 15 TDs rushing); Montavin Quisenberry, So. ATH (945 yards, 9 TDs rushing; 821 yards, 13 TDs receiving, 3 punt return TDs; 3 kick return TDs); Dalton Stone, Sr. LB/RB (94 tackles, 2 sacks; 179 yards, 5 TDs rushing); Tommy Zeismer, Sr. DE (78 tackles, 9 sacks).

@HLpreps pick

Boyle County 42, Corbin 35.

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 11:33 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