First-year head coach J.T. Haskins is keeping Bryan Station football focused

It’s trite to reference Bryan Station’s athletic mascot, the Defenders, when wishing to highlight its teams’ ability to stop what opponents hope to achieve.

Now that it’s been acknowledged, let’s be trite: The Defenders have lived up to their name the last couple weeks.

After an 0-3 start, Bryan Station defeated Tates Creek 35-14 on Friday night to move to 2-3 on the year. Four of its players picked off passes from two Creek quarterbacks and Bryan Station held the Commodores to 66 rushing yards.

That came on the heels of a grittier showing in Louisville. The Defenders claimed an 8-3 decision at Ballard, then ranked in Class 6A’s top 10, to get their first win. They managed 31 yards of offense and failed to convert once on 11 third-down tries but scored that game’s only touchdown shortly after recovering a fumble inside Ballard’s 40-yard line early in the third quarter. Their only other score was a safety near the end of the first quarter.

“That was a very interesting game,” Station head coach J.T. Haskins said. “We didn’t lose composure. … Any time your defense is playing good ball, nine times out of 10 you’re gonna do some good things overall as a team.”

In a postgame huddle following his team’s latest victory, Haskins was audibly and visibly upset that it didn’t further impose its will against Tates Creek (1-4). Station outgained Creek by a slim margin, 331 yards to 301, and again struggled in third-down situations (1-for-8).

The Defenders quickly trailed 7-0 after yielding a nine-play, 80-yard drive less than four minutes into the game. They answered a couple minutes later but couldn’t turn their first interception into points. Their second pick not too long after gave way to a six-play, 44-yard scoring drive that gave them the lead for good.

Haskins felt like Tates Creek’s quarterbacks got off easy.

“I’m gonna go back and look at the film, but I don’t think we put enough pressure on the quarterback,” Haskins said. “I think there should’ve been more picks, but that’s neither here nor there, the DBs turn around at the last second. That’s on me.”

Haskins is an alumnus turned head coach

Station’s first-year skipper knows a lot about playing in the defensive backfield.

Haskins was a standout DB and quarterback for the Defenders in the late 1990s, leading the program to a state runner-up finish in 1999 before suiting up for the University of Louisville. He was so good that he’ll be officially inducted into the Lexington African-American Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Saturday.

Previously Bryan Station’s defensive coordinator, Haskins assumed the reins at his alma mater following the departure of former head coach Phil Hawkins, who left to take the same job at Henry Clay.

“It’s been a pleasure so far,” Haskins said. “Just knowing that I come from this school, I’ve gotten to coach my kids at this school, it’s been a full-circle moment for me. With me growing up in the same neighborhood as my kids are coming from, I can adapt to those guys. I know and understand their community, I know what they’re facing. I’ve got a good support staff with the booster club and they understand the needs of our players.

“We’re just gonna try to keep this thing rolling.”

One shared vision between Haskins and Hawkins is the value of an intense early schedule. Haskins helped make the schedule he inherited, which before Ballard and Tates Creek — the only in-city team Station plays in the regular season outside of its district schedule — included losses to South Warren (56-35), Pulaski County (49-27) and Corbin (7-0, ruled complete at halftime due to inclement weather).

All three of those teams have won state championships and project as state-title contenders in their respective classes. Bryan Station, which in 2023 played in the state finals for the first time since Haskins’ team did so in 1999, aims to keep itself in that conversation as well.

The Defenders won their only state championship in 1971.

“We’re trying to go to Kroger Field and get us a ring,” said Kyhaun Johnson, a junior who had two interceptions on Friday. “That’s the standard.”

District play looms for Bryan Station

Bryan Station starts a three-game homestand next week with Simon Kenton (3-2) before district play gets underway on Oct. 10. It’ll get a week off before George Rogers Clark (3-2) visits. The week after that: a battle with city rival Frederick Douglass.

Douglass has never lost to another team from Lexington, but Bryan Station has played it closer than any in recent seasons. The Broncos went to Corbin on Friday and left a clash of Herald-Leader Hype 25 teams with a 28-7 victory, bringing their record to 2-3 after the worst start in program history. Dakari Talbert rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and Jayden Guzman threw three TDs.

Frederick Douglass’ bye is positioned this coming week, ahead of one last tough road trip (Male). The Broncos open district play at home against Madison Central, which on Friday night notched a head-turning 34-14 win at Scott County, which entered the week ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by media across the state.

Frederick Douglass, which hasn’t suffered a district loss since its first season of play, has earned the benefit of the doubt, but that district — Class 6A, District 8 — appears as if it could be in its most contentious state in recent memory.

When asked about his team’s outlook in district play, Haskins showed that the head coach can still play quality defense, too.

“Simon Kenton’s next,” Haskins said. “One game at a time.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 7:38 AM.