Breaking down every Ky. high school football state semis game with predictions
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State semifinals stage rematches and novel pairings across Kentucky on Friday night.
- Paducah Tilghman and Franklin County field top QBs and prolific offenses.
- Upsets loom in matchups where RPI seeding forces higher seeds on the road.
A trip to Kroger Field for a chance at a high school football state championship is on the line Friday night around the state, and there are no turkeys on the menu.
Among the state semifinals are games between the fiercest of rivals and a few others featuring teams that have never met.
In Class 2A and Class 4A, last year’s finalists will hold rematches a week early, and the 2024 loser of each respective matchup holds home-field advantage this time around.
Many of the players will be different from Franklin County’s 27-20 loss at Kroger Field last December, but the challenge remains largely the same for Class 4A’s No. 3 Flyers as they host No. 5 Paducah Tilghman, the defending 4A champions.
“They’re the defending state champions and they’re alive in the semifinals, so they’ve got talent,” Franklin County coach Eddie James said. “They’re not going to give it to us, so we’re going to have to line up and play. I think our kids will be excited to get another shot.”
Tilghman began the year as 4A’s No. 1 team but suffered a puzzling Week 4 loss at Madisonville-North Hopkins that stunned high school football observers.
The Blue Tornado pounded everyone else with an offense led by seniors Stone Crowe at quarterback and Demarkus Wilson at running back. Wilson has improved on his 2024 rushing totals by a good margin and has 1,173 yards and 15 TDs so far. Crowe, who succeeded Jack James, one of the state’s all-time passing leaders, has thrown for 2,941 yards and 36 TDs.
While that’s less than the offensive firepower Tilghman displayed last season, it’s still the most yards passing in 4A this year, and it helped the Blue Tornado score more points than all but one team in the class.
That team is Franklin County.
The Flyers’ running game doesn’t pose the same threat as Tilghman’s, but sophomore quarterback Knox Barrett can sling it. Barrett has thrown for 2,926 yards and 36 TDs and has two primary senior targets in Jacob Taylor (894 yards, 10 TDs receiving) and Delano Collins (850 yards, 11 TDs receiving).
“(Barrett) took us to a state championship game as a freshman. Last year, we kind of managed him. This year, we’ve kind of turned him loose,” James said. “He’s made some big plays in big moments and he’s kind of coming into his own.”
The other rematch of a 2024 state championship game will be Class 2A No. 5 Beechwood at No. 1 Owensboro Catholic, a matchup the Tigers won 50-34 at Kroger Field to regain their stranglehold on the division.
Beechwood won three straight Class 2A titles from 2020 to 2022. Its only hiccup came in the 2023 season, when its lower RPI ranking put it on the road for the state semifinals. To western Kentucky. Against the team it beat in the 2A finals the year before. That’s the same scenario Beechwood faces Friday.
Owensboro Catholic might be hoping lightning strikes twice. But the drive from Beechwood to Steele Stadium isn’t as long as the one to War Memorial in Mayfield.
2025 KHSAA state football seminfals at a glance
Here’s a look at all of this week’s matchups with scoring offense and defense averages, notes, predictions and where to stream it if you can’t make it to the game. Some streams carry a fee (**). Some might be audio only.
All rankings are from the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI Standings which were frozen after the final week of the regular season and used to seed this week’s final fours.
All games are Friday and all times are local to the home team. My @HLpreps picks are denoted by an asterisk (*). My record last week: 20-4.
Lexington has one team left in the playoffs. We’ll start there.
CLASS 2A
No. 4 Belfry (12-1) at No. 2 Lexington Christian (10-3)*, 7:30 p.m.
Scoring averages: Pirates—Offense-46.2/Defense-12.5; Eagles—O-36.6/D-19.5.
Notes: The Pirates typically run over opponents left, right and center, but senior QB Chase Varney has thrown it for 1,335 yards and 19 TDs alongside a run game that’s piled up 3,383 yards and 62 TDs rushing led by juniors JB Woolum (906/18) and Dante Davis (802/13). LCA sophomore quarterback Nash Whelan is a true double-threat with 2,084 yards and 24 TDs passing and 917 yards and 13 TDs rushing. LCA last played against Belfry’s unique offense in 2022 and routed the Pirates 36-7. That LCA team had Cutter Boley at quarterback.
Streaming: Go.PrepSpin.com**
No. 5 Beechwood (11-1) at No. 1 Owensboro Catholic (12-1)*, 7 p.m.
Scoring averages: Tigers—O-50/D-7.25; Aces—O-42.5/D-13.6.
Notes: Beechwood’s 42-14 loss to Covington Catholic on Sept. 19. was the only competitive game the Tigers have played all year. That’s not unusual for Beechwood, and it never seems to matter in the postseason. Beechwood features a balanced offense led by junior QB Emmett Queen (2,388 yards, 36 TDs passing). Dremail Carothers (3,381 yards, 44 TDs passing) hasn’t let the Aces’ air-it-out offense slip in the slightest. Running back Miles Edge and wideout Xavier Maddox each has topped 1,000 yards in their respective categories.
Streaming: OwensboroRadio.com (audio only)
CLASS 6A
No. 4 Trinity (11-2) at No. 3 St. Xavier* (10-3), 5 p.m.
Scoring averages: Shamrocks—O-42.3/D-9.7; Tigers—O-34/D-12.5.
Notes: The Rocks and Tigers know each other well. These Louisville Catholic private schools play annually, usually in the University of Louisville’s football stadium. Trinity leads the all-time series 51-41-2. The Rocks won this season’s prior meeting 35-24. Since 1998, they’ve met 14 times in the playoffs and three of those in the final four. St. X has won one playoff game against Trinity in that span, the 2009 Class 6A state championship.. St. X coach Kevin Wallace has already announced his retirement at the end of this season.
Streaming: Tiger Sports Network on YouTube
No. 6 Ryle (10-3) at No. 1 South Warren (12-0)*, 6 p.m.
Scoring averages: Raiders—O-37.8/D-15.5; Spartans—O-44.3/D-15.
Notes: South Warren jumped up from Class 5A this season and has barely faced a serious challenge from a 6A opponent. That changes this week against a Ryle team that gutted out an overtime win at Frederick Douglass. The Raiders have a ground game built for November with senior Indiana commit Jacob Savage (1,222 yards, 24 TDs) and a slew of others who’ve racked up more than 1,700 more rushing yards and 21 TDs. South Warren has a balanced offense led by junior QB Camden Page (2,060 yards, 22 TDs passing).
Streaming: STFanclub.com
CLASS 5A
No. 3 Woodford County (12-1)* at No. 2 Owensboro (11-2), 6 p.m.
Scoring averages: Yellow Jackets—O-43.8/D-21.2; Red Devils—O-43/D-12.8.
Notes: The Red Devils have a 2,300-yard passer, a 1,600-yard rusher and nearly a 1,200-yard receiver with DaMarcus Ganaway, Evan Hampton and Kingston Dillard, respectively. Hampton, a who flipped his commitment from Louisville to Vanderbilt over the summer, could polish his resume for Mr. Football with a big game here. Woodford County can light it up, too with its trio of juniors at the skill positions, QB Foxx Coons (3,253 yards, 41 TDs passing), RB Darrian Tomlin, 1,432 yards, 19 TDs rushing) and Omari Jointer (880 yards, 15 TDs receiving).
Streaming: KHSAA.TV**
No. 6 Atherton (12-1) at No. 1 Pulaski County (11-2)*, 7 p.m.
Scoring averages: Ravens—O-39.7/D-6.2; Maroons—O-36.4/D-21.8.
Notes: Atherton faced one of the weakest schedules of any 5A team, but its 49-21 win over two-time defending champion Bowling Green last week impressed. The Maroons’ schedule strength gave them an edge in the RPI Standings and should have them ready for this week. Neither team throws a ton, so this battle could be won in the trenches and on the legs of Ravens RB DuZye Grundy (1,356 yards, 21 TDs rushing) or Maroons RB Kasen Brock (1,593 yards, 21 TDs rushing).
Streaming: LakeCumberlandSports.com
CLASS 4A
No. 8 Corbin (10-3) at No. 1 Boyle County (12-1)*, 7:30 p.m.
Scoring averages: Redhounds—O-35.3/D-15.5; Rebels—O-35.5/D-9.9.
Notes: A rematch of the 2023 4A state championship that Boyle won 21-14, these teams don’t have many who factored then, and Corbin has a different coach, but their communities remember. Both the Redhounds and the Rebels faced Class 6A’s Douglass this season. But while Boyle won at The Farm 20-13, Corbin suffered a 28-7 loss to the Broncos on its home turf. They’ve also both played Highlands this year. The Redhounds’ 35-21 win in Fort Thomas last week was more impressive than the Rebels’ 21-20 squeaker at home Sept. 12.
Streaming: Hometown News/Sports; BCHS hudl**
No. 5 Paducah Tilghman (12-1) at No. 3 Franklin County (13-0)*, 7:30 p.m.
Scoring averages: Blue Tornado—O-44.5/D-16.3; Flyers—O-48/D-13.7.
Notes: Stone Crowe of Paducah Tilghman and Knox Barrett of Franklin County could be nominated for the All-QB Name Team if nothing else. But each has the game to match the moniker. Tilghman has generated 5,286 yards of offense and 596 points. Franklin County has fewer yards with 4,647, but has more points with 625, the most of any team in any class. Get set to buckle up in Frankfort on Friday night.
Streaming: Frankfort Cable 10 on YouTube
CLASS 3A
No. 4 Bell County (12-1) at No. 1 Christian Academy-Louisville (13-0)*, 7 p.m.
Scoring averages: Bobcats—O-39.2/D-12.8; Centurions—O-46.7/D-8.4.
Notes: A rematch of their 2023 3A title game, Bell County sustained a drive for the entire first quarter against CAL at Kroger Field and still lost in a 41-16 rout. The Centurions have been playing on another level, and sophomore QB Jackson Burke has thrown for 2,930 yards and 45 TDs. Much of that was to junior wideout Ja’Hyde Brown (1,270 yards, 21 TDs receiving). Bell County’s Kaleb Miller likely will top 2,000 yards rushing for the season in this game and improve on his 29 TDs, but the Bobcats are the longest of shots.
Streaming: CAL Sports Network at livesportscaster.com
No. 3 Murray (13-0)* at No. 2 Lloyd Memorial (13-0), 7 p.m.
Scoring averages: Tigers—O-46.7/D-16.2; Juggernauts—O-41.5/D-13.2.
Notes: Murray proved its grit with a 20-14 overtime win against Lexington Catholic last week that featured a big-time pass play from Wyatt Robbins (3,130 yards, 35 TDs passing) to Isaiah Martin (1,221 yards, 19 TDs receiving). When LexCath was in Lloyd’s district in prior seasons, the Knights swept the Juggernauts with relative ease. That could be a positive in Murray’s favor and a concern for the Juggernauts. Lloyd senior QB Kaleb Evans leads a balanced offense with 2,187 yards and 34 TDs passing.
Streaming: Lloyd Memorial hudl
Lloyd looking for first state finals trip since 1976, Murray since 1994 First meeting between these two schools
CLASS A
No. 4 Pikeville (10-3) at No. 1 Raceland (11-1)*, 7:30 p.m.
Scoring averages: Panthers—O-30/D-16; Rams—O-43.3/D-14.9
Notes: Pikeville won its regular season meeting against Raceland 35-27, but RPI seeding put the Panthers on the road for this rematch. Pikeville is led by junior quarterback J.J. Reynolds, who threw for 211 yards and three TDs against the Rams on Sept. 5. Raceland has balance with Jacob Waller (1,656 yards, 25 TDs passing) at QB and Landen Stiltner (1,314 yards, 21 TDs rushing) at RB. Both are juniors. Raceland is 0-4 against Pikeville in the playoffs since 2021, including two state title games.
Streaming: KoolTV on YouTube
No. 3 Campbellsville (11-1) at No. 2 Kentucky Country Day (11-1)*, 7:30 p.m.
Scoring averages: Eagles—O-39/D-16.6; Bearcats—O-41.3/D-15.
Notes: Like Pikeville, Campbellsville beat its higher-seeded semifinal opponent in the regular season, but because RPI trumps district standings at this stage, the Eagles are on the road. Campbellsville’s dual-threat senior QB Kace Eastridge (1,710 yards, 14 TDs passing, 988 yards, 18 TDs rushing) is a load. KCD relies almost entirely on the run and has 2,851 yards and 46 TDs via a stable led by senior Parker Rudolph and Tyler Wilson, who count for about two-thirds of that.
Streaming: Glicod.com
