LCA and Owensboro Catholic have Class 2A’s gold trophy in sight
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Owensboro Catholic back in Class 2A state finals with a high-powered offense.
- Lexington Christian counters with dual-threat quarterback Nash Whelan and ground game.
- The Aces feature 20 seniors and 12 starters from last season’s state runner-up.
Two of Kentucky high school football’s hard-luck heroes in Class 2A over the past five years will square off Friday afternoon at Kroger Field with a state championship on the line.
But only one can take home the KHSAA’s big gold trophy. For the other, it’s yet another silver football for the showcase.
Will it be No. 1 Owensboro Catholic (13-1), the state runner-up to first Mayfield in 2023 and then Beechwood in 2024?
Or will it be No. 2 Lexington Christian (11-3), which suffered back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Beechwood in the 2020 and 2021 finals?
The Aces have the edge in experience with 20 seniors and 12 returning starters from last season’s runner-up.
“We’re learning this season just how important that experience and just being two years older is,” said Owensboro Catholic coach Jason Morris, whose team knocked off Beechwood last week to earn its return trip to Lexington. “When you look at this year compared to last year and how easily Beechwood was pushing us around, especially in the trenches — that didn’t happen this year.”
Known for a high-powered offense, this year’s Aces haven’t skipped a beat with junior quarterback Dre’Mail Carothers under center. He’s thrown for 3,753 yards, 46 TDs passing in his first full season as a starter and has gathered college interest, including from Kentucky.
“He’s special,” LCA coach Oakley Watkins said. “I’ve seen a lot of good teams … and their quarterback is as good as I’ve seen at this level. There’s not a throw he can’t make.”
As backup to four-year starter Brady Atwell, Carothers got an up-close look at one of the most prolific passers in Kentucky high school football history. Carothers’ numbers are right on par with his predecessor.
“He’s a Division I-type quarterback,” Morris said of Carothers. “We had high expectations for him. We knew he had the God-given talent. It was just developing his leadership skills and game management skills and just being a better quarterback altogether. He just keeps getting better and better. He had the best game of his career against Beechwood, and we’re hoping for another repeat of that.”
Carothers’ top three targets have more than 3,000 combined receiving yards and 33 TDs, led by senior wideout Xavier Maddox (1,290 yards, 14 TDs receiving).
Owensboro Catholic is also anchored by two-way standout Miles Edge, a senior running back/linebacker who leads the team with 1,221 yards and 20 TDs rushing and has a team-high 5.5 sacks to go with 101 tackles.
“Miles Edge is the glue to our team,” Morris said. “Pound-for-pound, he’s the strongest kid on the field every week and he only weighs about 185 pounds.”
Lexington Christian will counter with a true dual-threat quarterback in sophomore Nash Whelan, who’s racked up 2,299 yards and 26 TDs passing to go with 1,000 yards and 14 TDs rushing. Daven Hood and Bennett Gudalis do most of the other ground work with nearly 900 yards and 26 TDs between them. Tyler King is LCA’s top receiving threat with 958 yards and 12 TDs.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, sophomore linebacker Thomas Sizemore, their second-leading tackler, has been ruled out this week after being stretchered off the field against Belfry with an apparent neck injury. He recovered well, but not well enough to be cleared to play, Watkins said.
Watkins served as LCA’s offensive coordinator for the Eagles’ past two trips to Kroger Field, and many on his staff were there as well. But LCA’s players were in middle school back then.
“We’ve, obviously, learned that when you play at Kroger field, you’re playing somebody that’s a really, really good opponent,” Watkins said. “It’s impossible to prepare for everything that they do. So for us, it’s really just being focused on what we’re best at on both sides of the ball and special teams, and just trying to execute and be as detail-oriented as we possibly can be.”
Watkins wants his players to enjoy the moment and take it all in. Then he expects them to get to work.
“These guys get one opportunity to be high school student athletes, and to be able to play a state championship game is pretty special,” Watkins said. “I want them to go out there and kind of be in awe at first in the warmups and realize how special an opportunity is really in front of them. But once the ball snaps, that’s when it’s all the details we’ve talked about, about just focusing on us and blocking and tackling and catching the football. …
“Once the lights come on, you start playing.”
KHSAA Class 2A State Football Championship
No. 1 Owensboro Catholic (13-1) vs. No. 2 Lexington Christian (11-3)
Where: Kroger Field
Kickoff: 4 p.m. Friday.
Tickets: General admission is $17; sold online at KHSAA.org.
Video streams: KHSAA.tv or Go.PrepSpin.com. Prices vary.
Audio stream: mixlr.com/khsaa/events/
