Class 3A region title preview: Battle-tested Lexington Catholic takes on Rockcastle County
On its surface, a 2-4 start to the season doesn’t seem like a good way for a first-year head coach to win over his football team.
But Lexington Catholic’s Nick Baisch didn’t mind taking those losses early because of how he believed they would prepare the Knights later on.
“It took us awhile to get rolling, but if you look at the teams we lost to, they’re still playing,” Baisch said. “The playoffs are going to work their way out any way you get in. We wanted to prepare our kids to be in the toughest situations possible.”
The losses to Class 5A No. 1 Highlands, Class 4A No. 3 Boyle County and No. 4 Corbin and Class 2A No. 3 Lexington Christian hurt LexCath in the KHSAA’s RPI Standings, where they rank as the No. 9 team in the Class 3A playoffs. But the Knights’ reputation didn’t suffer as the class’s second-ranked team in the final media poll and the Herald-Leader’s Cantrall Ratings.
“The guys have really bought in and are playing as a family,” Baisch said. “It’s more than just the 11 on the field, it’s the 80 in the program that are taking us to the next level.”
LexCath has won six straight heading into Friday night’s region championship against No. 7 Rockcastle County. Quarterback Jackson Wasik has thrown for 2,436 yards and 27 TDs and only two interceptions, and a running back corps led by Joaquin Pereira and Alex Rayyan has amassed more than 1,500 yards rushing and 29 TDs.
Rockcastle County counters with one player who has about the same stats all by himself. Senior Tucker Warren has thrown for 2,111 yards and 29 TDs while rushing for 1,063 yards and 15 scores. Wide-out Caleb Moore (953 yards, 17 TDs receiving) is his primary target.
“Their quarterback is a stud. He makes everything go,” Baisch said. “They’re a very good ball team. We’re going to have our hands full on Friday night. It’s going to be a battle, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Class 3A region championships
All games are Friday with times local to the host site.
EAST REGION FINALS
No. 9 Lexington Catholic (8-4) at No. 7 Rockcastle County (11-1), 7:30 p.m. Rockcastle’s best win came on the road against No. 3 Bell County, but the Rockets will be no pushover. Dual-threat quarterback Warren Tucker has topped 6,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards for his career.
No. 14 East Carter (9-2) at No. 3 Bell County (11-1), 7:30 p.m. Bobcats running back Daniel Thomas topped 3,000 yards rushing last time out. He’s a top candidate for Kentucky’s Mr. Football. East Carter beat Boyd County earlier this season 33-28. Bell topped the Lions 60-41. Edge to the Bobcats at home.
WEST REGION FINALS
No. 16 Central (7-5) at No. 1 Christian Academy-Louisville (11-1), 7:30 p.m. CAL topped Central 13-6 on Oct. 13 in a defensive battle that determined their district championship. Despite its ranking and record, Central is one of Class 3A’s top teams and a significant threat to oust the defending state champions.
No. 5 Union County (11-1) at No. 2 Hart County (12-0), 7 p.m. Each team swept common opponents Adair County, Franklin-Simpson and Webster County by similar margins. The latest Cantrall Ratings favor Union County slightly (68 for the Braves to Hart’s 66.6 rating). Union ended Hart’s season last year in the second round.
@HLpreps predictions for next week’s state semis: Central at Hart County; Lexington Catholic at Bell County.
This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM.
