‘It’s good for the state of Kentucky.’ LexCath football bests Boyle in stunner.

As lightning tickled the sky around Clays Mill Road, the only thunder arose from the home team’s student section.

“HAIL CATHOLIC!”

Supporters broke into Lexington Catholic’s victory cry, then soon after broke onto the field after their Knights completed a 17-7 victory over Boyle County. It was LexCath’s first in the rivalry since Oct. 7, 2022, and just the second over the past 14 meetings.

The pair for much of the century shared the same district and classification. LexCath (2-1) in the most recent realignment fell to Class 3A, while Boyle (2-1) stayed in 4A, so since 2023 what used to be a regular in-season rematch hasn’t occurred. But make no mistake: this remains one of central Kentucky’s finest rivalries in any sport.

“We’ve been on the other end for several years,” Knights head coach David Clark said. “… What a great atmosphere for high school football. When these two teams are competing like this, it’s good for the state of Kentucky.”

Clark before this season observed one of Kentucky’s longest-running duels — the teams have played at least once a year since 2007 — from afar. For 17 years he was the head coach at Bardstown High School, resigning after the 2023 season to help ease the transition as he prepared for retirement from the public school system.

The timing couldn’t have worked out better for Clark, 51, nor Lexington Catholic when its football head coaching job abruptly opened for the second time in three years. The school got a coach who was part of two runs to the state finals at Bardstown — he guided the Tigers to the Class 3A bout in 2022 and was an assistant on the team that won the Class 2A championship in 2001 — and area roots (he’s a Centre College alumnus). Clark got a program that’s won two state titles and is aching for more after a lengthy drought; the Knights’ last was in 2007, and they haven’t played in the finals since 2015.

By snapping Boyle County’s 22-game regular-season win streak, Lexington Catholic showed it might have the goods, particularly on defense, to make a big run come November.

“I think this team hasn’t really reached its potential yet,” Clark said. “As the season goes, I hope that we’ll continue to get better and better.”

How Lexington Catholic beat Boyle County

Offensive stats belie the outcome. Boyle County outgained LexCath in total yardage (245-140) and had five more first downs (12-7). Both teams were mostly clean, but the Knights had one more penalty than the Rebels (three for 30 yards vs. two for 25).

But mistakes and misfortune piled up for the visitors.

The Knights scored three times off Boyle giveaways to build a 17-0 lead at intermission. They got their first numbers on the board via a 33-yard field goal from Jaelin White with 6:49 left in the first quarter, capitalizing on an early fumble. A turnover on downs after Boyle failed on a midfield bid early in the second quarter led to a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brady Wasik to Harrison Ledridge with 9:01 left in the half. Thirty-five seconds later, Mark Hosinki scooped up a fumble and returned it for a 6-yard TD.

Boyle’s only score came early out of the break. Backup quarterback Jhet Raleigh, who replaced an injured Baylor Murphy late in the first half, dealt a 14-yard TD pass to Kain Logan on the Rebels’ second play from scrimmage; the first was a 71-yard burst by Ji’Dyn Smith-Hisel.

But LexCath resettled from there and dominated the field-position battle down the stretch. After their early retaliation, the Rebels struggled to reach midfield the rest of the game until a late downfield catch by Seneca Driver got them into scoring position with 1:29 to play. On the subsequent play, LexCath defensive lineman Jack White got a hand on Raleigh’s pass and, after some juggling, reeled in the first interception of his career to seal the victory.

“I was just reacting; I saw the ball in the air,” said White, a senior. “As a D-lineman, if you wanna get an interception, you gotta tell yourself, ‘I’m getting this.’ There’s no plan B. It was pretty special.”

LexCath quickly went three-and-out before Boyle finally landed its first punch. From that point, the Knights’ plan turned more toward shortening the game than extending a double-digit lead. Wasik, who threw for 104 yards and rushed for 163 and two TDs last week in a 29-14 win over Paul Laurence Dunbar, was limited to the one TD pass and double-digit yardage totals (71 passing, 50 rushing).

LexCath didn’t need him or anyone else to press the issue offensively as the game waned. It just needed them to do enough.

“We wanted to waste as much time as we could,” said Wasik, also a senior. “No matter how many yards we got, take as much time off that clock as possible and let the defense do its job. It’s hard; you have to be very disciplined to do it, ‘cause you want to bounce it outside, you want to hold for a guy to get open. But if everybody does their job right?”

Answer: an upset.

Looking ahead

Lexington Catholic entered the week ranked third in the season’s first Class 3A statewide media poll and was unmentioned in the latest Herald-Leader Hype 25, which ranks teams regardless of class. Boyle County was ranked No. 2 in the Class 4A media poll and seventh in the Hype 25.

Both figure to be fixtures in all the rankings all season and have no shortage of chances to bolster their resumes: Boyle next week hosts fellow 4A stalwart Highlands (3-0) while LexCath stays at home to face Great Crossing. The Warhawks are off to an 0-3 start following their run to the Class 6A semifinals last year, but their opponents (Franklin County, Scott County and Woodford County) are a combined 9-0 and familiar with deep postseason runs.

To maximize the potential Clark and his staff see in them, the Knights must maintain the focus on the “assumptions” that made them turn heads on Friday night.

“The very first day that I got here, we laid down what the expectations for what our program is gonna be built upon, and it’s three assumptions,” Clark said. “You’re gonna be the best individual you can be, that’s number one. Then you’re gonna do whatever it takes to be the best football player that you can possibly be. That’s in the weight room, the locker room, in practice, extra work, everything you have to do.

“And then: You’ll do whatever it takes to be part of a state-championship team. That’s being selfless and playing for each other. That’s the foundation of the program.”

Game statistics courtesy Mike Marsee of The Advocate-Messenger.

This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 6:46 AM.