Boyle County football’s Quisenberry makes the ridiculous look easy

Boyle County’s Montavin “Tavi” Quisenberry has had so many spectacular eye-popping plays in his career that he’s hard-pressed to pick a favorite.

His 39-yard punt return for a touchdown in last year’s Class 4A state championship game helped earn him most valuable player honors. His 13-yard TD run earlier in that game displayed how elusive he can be in close quarters.

The 5-foot-9 West Virginia commit has been making the ridiculous look easy since he donned Boyle County colors his sophomore year.

The craziest play he remembers? “Probably against LexCath. I made like three people miss — I watched it on film. I don’t know how my legs did it.”

Boyle County coach Justin Haddix quickly remembered another. It came against Central in the 2022 Class 4A state semis as the Rebels were backed up in their own end and clinging to a 28-21 lead in the second half. A deep pass to Quisenberry looked doomed for an interception as two Central defenders converged on it.

“When he threw it, I said ‘pick.’ Haddix said, shaking his head. “(Quisenberry) jumped up and tipped it. Both those guys (the defenders) fell down and he caught it and went 60 or 70 yards to the house and put that game out of reach.”

Boyle County has one more season to enjoy Quisenberry’s remarkable playmaking ability during a campaign the Rebels hope ends in a 13th state championship and fifth straight in Class 4A. If that happens, Quisenberry should be a favorite for Kentucky’s annual Mr. Football award.

At a recent practice, Quisenberry talked about the season, his career and his decision to play for West Virginia when his high school days are done. West Virginia is coached by Boyle County alumnus Neal Brown.

Question: You’ve made your college choice. How big a weight is that off your shoulders?

Answer: “It’s a big relief, because I just want to get focused on the season and not have to worry about figuring out where I’m going to all the time.”

Q: Why West Virginia?

A: “West Virginia made me feel at home. They was with me through the whole recruiting process. That’s kind of what made me want to go out there.”

Q: How do you manage the championship expectations at Boyle County?

A: “You’ve got to stay humble. You just have to keep the same mindset of coming out here every day and practicing hard — doing our bootcamp, coming in at six o’clock (in the morning), keep working, keep our head down and keep pushing.

“Everybody knows that they all have got a certain thing they’ve got to do on the team. It don’t matter if you’re scout team or the start guys, everybody knows that they’ve got to work hard.”

Q: What would it mean to be named Mr. Football?

A: It’d be great to win it, obviously, but I’ve just got to perform on the field. A championship would be what I want first and if a ‘Mr. Football’ comes with it, that’d be great.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 10:30 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