Showdown on The Farm: No. 1 Male visits No. 4 Frederick Douglass on Friday
If it seems like Frederick Douglass is playing the biggest game of its high school football season every week, it’s because the Class 6A No. 4 Broncos are.
This week, No. 1 Male (4-1) strides onto The Farm for a top-10 showdown that could have significant postseason implications.
While the latest media poll places the visiting Bulldogs as Class 6A’s top team, the KHSAA’s quirky RPI standings (the system that seeds the later rounds of Kentucky high school football’s playoffs) currently places them at No. 9, which puts Male at risk of not having a home-field advantage in the later stages of the playoffs. A win over the Broncos could help rectify that problem.
Douglass (3-2) ranks as the No. 3 team in the RPI, and beating Male could propel the Broncos even higher. Douglass has had a bye week to prepare.
“This game is important. They’re obviously a very good team and they’ve played a tough schedule like we have,” Douglass coach Nathan McPeek said. “We’ll see how we handle the fall break. As a coach, you always wonder how they’ll handle that … being out of routine for teenagers.”
But home field doesn’t guarantee success. The last time these two played, Douglass upset Male 21-20 in Louisville to win a region championship and advance to last season’s state semifinals.
“The rest of our games are important for RPI (too),” McPeek said. “Within our district, Madison Central is right there with a high RPI (No. 6) and we know how good Bryan Station can be.”
Here are a few more notes about this week’s matchup.
College prospects
Like last year, both Douglass and Male have a number of Division I college recruits. Here are some who have already committed.
▪ Antonio Harris, a 6-foot, 170-pound three-star senior athlete and Louisville commit, will line up anywhere, including quarterback for Male..
▪ Isaac “Spike” Sowells Jr. is a 6-2, 295-pound three-star offensive lineman and North Carolina State commit, who also takes reps on defense for the Bulldogs. He’s the son of the namesake former Indiana University and NFL lineman who played for the Browns, Bengals and Lions.
▪ Cedric Works, a 6-4, 220-pound four-star senior edge rusher committed to Kentucky, transferred to Douglass from Ohio just before school started and is fully integrated into the defense now.
▪ Aveion Chenault, a 6-2, 165-pound three-star senior wideout committed to Western Michigan, is having his best season yet with 237 yards and nine TD catches in five games.
▪ Douglass’ other three-stars include: Jackson Dialls, a 6-6, 305-pound offensive lineman (Western Kentucky); Logan Busson, a 6-2, 215-pound linebacker (Bucknell); Pharo Watts, a 5-11, 175-pound running back (uncommitted) and Kaden Clay, a 6-1, 215-pound linebacker (Southern Illinois).
Still on the mend
▪ Derion Talbert, another three-star senior wideout who led Douglass in receiving and scoring last year, has returned to practice, but is probably a week away from seeing in-game action, McPeek said. He’s committed to Ball State.
Running backs battle
▪ Male relies mostly on junior rusher Chayce Burton, who has accumulated 631 yards and 10 TDs in four games. Stats from Male’s game against Pleasure Ridge Park last week have not been reported.
▪ Douglass has a stable of running backs led by sophomore Dakari Talbert’s 378 yards and three TDs. It’s not unusual for Douglass to sub in every running back on its roster during a series. That includes Pharo Watts, Kenoxie “TayTay” Allen, Peyton Smith and Jeremiah Turner.
Junior quarterbacks club
▪ Douglass junior QB Jaxon Strautman is in his second year as a starter and had his best game of the season against Corbin two weeks ago with three TD passes and a rushing score.
▪ Male’s Jordan Williams threw three of his five TDs against St. Xavier in a 35-34 overtime win.
Unpredictable Class 6A
With every team in the Class 6A top 10 but No. 10 Barren County having suffered at least one loss, the division might be as competitive as it’s ever been.
Both Male and Douglass have lost to No. 2 Trinity.
No. 3 St. Xavier beat Trinity, but lost to Male and an out-of-state school.
Douglass also lost to No. 5 Manual, but the Crimsons just took a 35-10 loss to Class 3A power Christian Academy-Louisville.
This week’s Douglass-Male game should clarify some things, as will St. X’s matchup with No. 6 Ryle on Friday.
Hall of fame honor for McPeek
Douglass’ McPeek returned to Huntington, West Virginia, during his bye week last weekend to be inducted into Marshall University’s athletics hall of fame.
“It was a heck of a weekend,” McPeek said. “I’m very blessed and honored.”
Regarded as one of the Thundering Herd’s best offensive linemen ever, McPeek started all four years of his college career (2000-03) and was a first-team All-Mid American Conference selection twice.
His time coincided with notable future NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich and included three bowl victories.
