Championship week: Meet the 2018 Kentucky high school football finalists

Fourteen weeks of football have led to this weekend, when Kentucky’s six high school state champions will be crowned in the culmination of the KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl playoffs.

The finals will be played over the course of three days at Kroger Field in Lexington. Here are the matchups, along with some details about each team and their program’s history.

CLASS A

BEECHWOOD VS. PIKEVILLE (2 p.m. Friday)

Beechwood (11-2)

History: The Tigers will play for their 14th state title and third straight, a streak it hasn’t achieved since winning four consecutive championships from 1991-1994. They’re in the finals for the fourth straight season and 19th time overall. Beechwood’s 13 titles are third-most in state history behind only Trinity and Highlands.

How they got here: Beechwood didn’t have a first-round opponent so its trip began with a 50-6 win over Kentucky Country Day in the second round. It followed that up with two more routs at home — 49-8 over Frankfort and 48-13 over Campbellsville — to bring a nine-game win streak into the finals.

MVP candidates: Logan Castleman — who rushed for 51 yards and 1 TD in last year’s rout of Raceland in the finals — has become a bell cow for the Tigers as a senior. He averages 8.6 yards per carry and leads still-active rushers in Class A with 1,593 rushing yards and has 28 TDs on the ground coming into Friday, one behind Lynn Camp’s Dalton Cook for the most this season in the class. He’s intercepted four passes this season on defense, returning two for TDs. Castleman, an outfielder who’s been part of two All “A” Classic state title teams, has signed to play baseball at Wright State.

Pikeville (11-2)

History: Pikeville has won four state titles, its most recent coming in 2015. The Panthers that year knocked off Beechwood, 42-28, and remain the last Class A team to hand the Tigers a loss. Pikeville’s first three titles were won over a three-year period from 1987-1989. This is its eighth finals appearance.

How they got here: The Panthers romped through the first three rounds — 49-16 over Pineville, 55-8 over Lynn Camp and 57-16 over Williamsburg — before getting a rematch with Raceland, which used a last-second field goal to upset them in last year’s semifinals. Pikeville answered this year with a 38-19 victory, the team’s eighth straight.

MVP candidates: Connor Roberts has thrown for 1,908 yards and 24 TDs with only five interceptions on the year. He’s also the Panthers’ leading rusher, going for 1,241 yards and 18 TDs. Roberts is a standout for Pikeville’s basketball team, too; he was second on the team with 13.9 points per game as a junior last season and twice came up with clutch plays in the Panthers’ epic three-overtime win against John Hardin in the Sweet Sixteen earlier this year — an assist on Wyatt Battaile’s game-tying three-pointer to force overtime and an offensive rebound that led to a game-tying three-pointer at the end of the second overtime period by Christian Billiter (who leads the football team with six interceptions).

CLASS 2A

Christian Academy of Louisville vs. Mayfield (1 p.m. Saturday)

CAL (14-0)

History: The Centurions hope to improve to 2-0 in finals trips; they defeated Danville, 24-6, in their debut in 2016. Outside of that season, they’ve lost to the eventual state champion or state runner-up each of the other previous years since 2013.

How they got here: CAL’s 90 points allowed are the second-fewest in the state and tops in 2A. It opened the playoffs with back-to-back shutouts — 62-0 against Covington Holy Cross and 39-0 over Lloyd Memorial — before a 34-7 win over rival DeSales in the region finals. Somerset in the semifinals snapped CAL’s streak of five straight games not allowing double-digit points but the Centurions still cruised on the road, 35-12.

MVP candidates: Purdue commit Milton Wright is a catch or so away from his first 1,000-yard receiving season (997 yards) and has scored 12 TDs on only 66 receptions in 2018. He’s also scored 10 other TDs (six rushing) to lead CAL in scoring for the third straight season (he was only six points away from doing so as a freshman, too). Wright’s already got one MVP award — he had 102 yards and two TDs on only four receptions and threw a TD in the 2016 championship.

Mayfield (14-0)

History: Mayfield has dominated equally between Class A and Class 2A — it has six titles apiece as a member of each for a total of 12, tying it with St. Xavier for the fourth-highest total in KHSAA history. This is the Cardinals’ ninth finals appearance in 10 seasons — CAL defeated them in the 2016 semifinals to blemish the streak — and 23rd appearance overall. They lost to Danville, 35-21, in last year’s finals.

How they got here: Western Kentucky had no answer all season for the Cardinals, who also picked up a 45-21 win over Class 3A finalist Corbin at a neutral site in September. They’ve scored a state-leading 673 points — 23 points better than the next best, Johnson Central — and hammered their first three playoff opponents at home (Hancock County, 56-28; McLean County, 55-20; Murray, 57-13) before having their second-lowest point total of the season in a 38-7 road win at Walton-Verona last week.

MVP candidates: Jaden Stinson and Kent Trey Matthews both boast strong cases, and will each figure large in the Cardinals’ championship bid. Stinson — a junior quarterback — has thrown for 2,931 yards and 35 TDs with only four interceptions this season, giving him back-to-back years with at least 2,000 yards and 20 TDs. Matthews ranks third in Class 2A rushing and leads all active rushers in the class with 1,872 and 29 TDs. He’s had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

CLASS 3A

Central vs. Corbin (7 p.m. Friday)

Central (12-2)

History: Muhammad Ali’s alma mater never made a finals appearance before 2007 but has since made a habit of it; Central’s in the title bout for an eighth time and seeking its sixth win in the state’s biggest ring. It is the program’s first trip under Marvin Dantzler, who succeeded Ty Scroggins in 2017.

How they got here: One word: Defense. The Yellow Jackets have allowed 82 points this season, and 47 of those points were scored against them in one-possession road losses at Ballard (27-20) and St. Xavier (20-19), both Class 6A programs. Central in its wins is allowing only 2.9 points per game. The “Dark Side Defense” posted three straight playoff shutouts (Fleming County, 66-0; Bardstown, 56-0; Russell, 26-0) before allowing its first score of the season in last week’s 48-8 semifinal win over LaRue County.

MVP candidates: Senior quarterback Malik Goodall is a strong pick — he’s rushed for 1,256 yards and 21 TDs and thrown for 13 TDs and 1,123 yards — but if Central is crowned Friday night it’d be strange not to recognize its defensive prowess. Quintez Payton could be the guy: the senior defensive back has eight interceptions (four returned for TDs) as part of a secondary that’s stolen 22 balls and allowed only 597 passing yards.

Corbin (13-1)

History: This is Corbin’s ninth state-title berth and its second straight trip following a 15-year drought. The Redhounds have won three championships but are 0-3 since defeating Glasgow, 18-6, for the 1982 crown.

How they got here: Its only loss in the regular season was to Class 2A stalwart Mayfield, and it boasts wins over Pulaski County (a semifinalist in 5A) and Beechwood (playing for the Class A title before the Redhounds take the field). No win mattered as much as last week’s 21-0 shutout of a Boyle County team favored to repeat as the Class 3A titlist. Corbin, which lost to the Rebels in the finals last season, got revenge following three straight routs (54-16 over Morgan County; 53-0 over Powell County; 42-16 over Bell County).

MVP candidates: Senior Chase Estep — who will play baseball at the University of Kentucky — has put up monster numbers after stepping into the starting quarterback role. He’s completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for more than 2,800 yards and 38 TDs with only four interceptions on the season. He’s rushed for about 500 yards and a team-high 10 TDs, too.

CLASS 4A

Franklin-Simpson vs. Johnson Central (4:30 p.m. Saturday)

Franklin-Simpson (13-1)

History: The Wildcats reached the championship for the 10th time in program history and will play in their third straight title game, splitting the last two with Johnson Central. Their 35-21 win in last year’s finals ended a drought of 36 years without a championship.

How they got here: Franklin-Simpson has reeled off 11 straight victories since dropping a 36-14 decision to South Warren, a finalist in 5A. The Wildcats have had one of the state’s best scoring defenses over the last six weeks — they’ve given up only 5.8 points per game in that stretch, which includes three shutouts. They got a stiff test from Madisonville — 12-10 — in the region championship after routs in the first two rounds (Calloway County, 41-0; Logan County, 55-19), but returned to form in a 33-0 road win at Taylor County last week.

MVP candidates: Tre Bass — the only returning MVP from last year’s six championship games — leads the team with 1,803 rushing yards and 28 TDs, but teammate Carlos McKinney could also end up with the award if Franklin-Simpson comes out on top; he’s rushed for 1,517 yards and 20 TDs. If the defense stays on a heater then Collin Preston could be a pick — he has 12 sacks for a unit that’s recorded 54 as a team. Jack Randolph, a lineman who’s committed to the University of Louisville, could be in the mix, too.

Johnson Central (13-1)

History: Johnson Central never played in the finals before 2015, but hasn’t missed the last weekend of play since then. The Golden Eagles are 1-2 over that stretch, their single victory coming in a blowout of Franklin-Simpson, 48-0, in 2016.

How they got here: No offense in the state has racked up as many points in the postseason as has Johnson Central’s. It has scored 214 of its 650 points — 32.9 percent — in the playoffs, while the Golden Eagles’ defense has only given up 204 points all season. They eliminated Bourbon County (55-7), Scott (50-7), Ashland Blazer (50-14) and Knox Central (59-20) to extend their win streak to 13 games after dropping a 28-21 season-opener to Capital, a state semifinalist in West Virginia’s largest class.

MVP candidates: Joe Jackson missed most of the 2017 season with a knee injury following an MVP-winning performance in the Golden Eagles’ 2016 title victory. His return could be the biggest difference-maker in this rubber match: He’s rushed for 2,203 yards and 29 TDs, both the high-marks this season in 4A. Devin Johnson could be a deserving selection, too: he’s scored 15 TDs and is second on the team with 1,196 yards on 99 fewer carries than Jackson and is among the team leaders in tackles with 102, including 20 for a loss.

CLASS 5A

Covington Catholic vs. South Warren (2 p.m. Sunday)

Covington Catholic (14-0)

History: No team in this year’s finals has a better track record than Covington Catholic: It’s 7-0 in the finals, including a 49-13 win over Madison Southern in last year’s trip, the Colonels’ first since 2006. This is the third time CovCath has played in back-to-back finals and its first time doing so since 1993-1994.

How they got here: The Colonels’ defense isn’t as stout as last season, but that just means it went from “historically great” to “really, really great.” Three of their four shutouts have come in the last five weeks, including a 49-0 win over Woodford County to open the playoffs and a 36-0 victory over rival Highlands in the region finals. Between those contests it defeated Montgomery County, 43-15, and went on the road to best Pulaski County, 36-14, in the semifinals.

MVP candidates: Casey McGinness leads the way. The senior has rushed for 34 TDs, which leads all active rushers and is tied with Perry County Central’s Jayden Neace for the statewide lead. He’s eclipsed 2,000 yards on the ground this season and also has five receiving TDs. Junior Michael Mayer with a big receiving day could get the nod: the Notre Dame commit has 905 yards and 11 TDs on only 40 receptions and leads the Colonels with 87 total tackles (70 solo). He’s also forced three fumbles, recovered four and had an interception on defense.

South Warren (14-0)

History: The Spartans have reached the championship round just once before, in 2015, when they defeated Johnson Central, 36-6, for the Class 4A crown. They made the leap to 5A in 2017 and bowed out to Covington Catholic in the state semifinals.

How they got here: Having the state’s top-ranked offense and scoring defense has helped. South Warren won handily over Apollo (48-0), Grayson County (55-21) and Owensboro (44-7) before South Oldham tried to play spoiler in the semifinals. That game was tied, 10-10 at halftime, before the Spartans rattled off 21 straight points in the third quarter to make the difference in a 31-10 road victory. South Warren’s resume also includes a 36-14 road win at Franklin-Simpson and a 21-0 victory over Ravenwood, a semifinalist in Tennessee’s largest class.

MVP candidates: If the offense manages to pile up points, Gavin Spurrier might walk away with it. He has thrown for 2,491 yards and 39 TDs, the latter tops in 5A this season and tied for second statewide. The senior grandson of college football legend Steve Spurrier has completed 71 percent of his passes, too (174 of 246). Clayton Bush — the Spartans’ leading scorer with 24 total TDs — could earn it on two-way merit; the WKU commit leads the team with seven interceptions, two returned for scores. Or, perhaps, Notre Dame commit Jacob Lacey will take it should the Spartans succeed — he leads the team with 13 sacks and four forced fumbles.

CLASS 6A

Male vs. Scott County (8 p.m. Saturday)

Male (13-1)

History: Male is making its 14th appearance in the finals and has won the whole thing seven times previously. The Bulldogs last won it all in 2015, when they defeated Lafayette, 41-14, behind won of the state’s best all-time defenses. That was one of just two state titles won by a public school in the state’s largest division this century.

How they got here: If you want to get straight to the point: By knocking off the two most dominant big-school programs in consecutive weeks. Male shut out Meade County, 36-0, before leaving North Hardin with a 40-16 victory. Up next was a 20-10 road win over St. Xavier in the region finals, then a 27-20 decision squeaked out against Trinity. The Bulldogs prevailed through one of the most parity-filled years in the city of Louisville.

MVP candidates: The conversation begins and ends with Garrett Dennis, a dark horse for the Mr. Football award. He’s thrown for 34 TDs and 2,378 yards in his debut as a starter, and leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 921 yards and 14 TDs. If any other player were to emerge from a Male victory with the MVP trophy, it’d probably be Izayah Cummings, who leads the Bulldogs in receiving (483 yards, 10 TDs on 34 receptions in only nine games played) and is one of the state’s top recruits in the junior class.

Scott County (11-3)

History: The Cardinals are in their fifth championship game and have split their previous four appearances. The only other title won by a public school in the large-school division this century? Scott County in 2013, when it bested Meade County, 21-14.

How they got here: No one had a run to the finals equivalent to Scott County, which played — and won — three road games to start things. The Cardinals routed Campbell County, 36-13, before surviving multiple comeback bids by top-ranked Frederick Douglass in the final minutes in a 28-27 decision. Scott County cruised at Simon Kenton, 56-28, before finally getting to host a playoff game — a 40-6 semifinals victory against Madison Central.

MVP candidates: Two running backs — Austin Barnett and Bronson Brown — spearhead a rushing attack unmatched in Class 6A; the Cardinals have amassed 4,322 yards on the ground, almost double what Male’s produced. If Scott County’s ground game is seeing green lights all night, expect Barnett (1,570 yards, 24 TDs on 246 carries) or Brown (1,422 yards, 18 TDs on 135 carries) to get the nod. A wild-card selection: Glenn Covington, a senior who leads the team in receiving (446 yards, seven TDs on 28 receptions) and interceptions (four, two returned for TDs).