‘This year, it’s not going to be like that.’ Rivalry game a chance for payback.
Somerset Coach Robbie Lucas knows when he brings his No. 1 Briar Jumpers to No. 3 Lexington Christian on Friday night, the Eagles will probably have a little extra for their top-tier Class 2A district battle.
“I know they’re pissed after last year’s loss to us there in a goal-line stand,” Lucas said. “I’m sure they remember that. … They’ll want to bury those demons a little bit.”
He’s right.
In LCA’s weight room, there’s a photo of the Eagles with the ball at the 1-yard line in the closing seconds of last year’s Class 2A regional. LCA failed on four attempts that started at the 2. Somerset held and moved on to the state semifinals.
With the photo, a caption reads “ONE MORE YARD.”
“Even though this is not playoffs, this determines who can have the best pathway to (Kroger Field),” said LCA senior DeAirious Smith, the state’s leader in receiving yards with 1,014, averaging 145 per game. “Last year, we were 1 yard short. This year, it’s not going to be like that.”
While Friday night is not a playoff game, it could be a preview to one next month as these two teams appear on a collision course for each other again in the reformatted state postseason. The winner Friday could wrap up home field for that rematch and possibly the regional and semifinal rounds, as well.
Somerset is ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and LCA is No. 3 in Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State this week.
Smith, part of a potent LCA passing offense that ranks No. 6 in the state with senior standout quarterback Jayden Barnhardt establishing himself as a legitimate dual-threat, credits his teammates for his breakout year.
“They’ve helped me through everything, they’ve had my back through everything. It’s just been awesome,” he said.
Smith’s signature catch of the season, so far, came on a bang-bang two-point conversion that put the Eagles in front of Lexington Catholic with under a minute left.
“That catch, it just went through me,” Smith said of the Eagles’ 43-42 win on Sept. 20. “It took everything in me just to hold onto it. As soon as I caught it, he hit me, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to let go of this ball no matter what.’”
The chemistry that has developed on LCA Coach Doug Charles’ senior-laden squad has them ranked No. 1 in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Rating Percentage Index, which will be used to seed the playoffs after round two.
“(Barnhardt)’s trusting the guys to go make plays, because he knows he’s got athletes that can go get the football,” Charles said. “(Smith) has always been one of the better intermediate route runners that I’ve ever coached. He’s just so good when (opposing defenses) single him up — I don’t care who it is — they are going to have a problem. And when they double-team him, it opens things up for Will Vernon, who had 150 yards against Washington County the other night, or for Xavier (Brown) or Elijah (Hammond).”
Somerset has its own batch of big-time playmakers, led by junior quarterback Kaiya Sheron, a three-star recruit who received a Division I offer from Kentucky the summer before his sophomore year and figures to gain even more attention as he continues to develop.
“He’s a different quarterback,” Lucas said of Sheron’s growth over the past year. “I know a lot of people were upset or thought I was being a little tough when I said we have a kid with a Division I offer, not a Division I quarterback, yet. I didn’t mean that as an insult to Kaiya. He’s earned everything he’s got. The truth is, he’s got a lot of room to grow. He’s got a lot of potential. He’s growing by leaps and bounds. He still has moments (misplays), but he’s young. You’ve got to remember, he’s only a second-year starter.”
Sheron has completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 1,368 yards and 14 touchdowns against only two interceptions.
“A play is never over until the whistle blows,” Charles said. “He could be falling down and throwing over his shoulder. He just does everything. He keeps plays alive, so it puts a lot of pressure on your defense because he’s got such good instincts for feeling pressure and being elusive out of the pocket.”
Sheron’s primary target is fellow junior Kade Grundy, a three-sport star who has 565 yards and seven TDs. Leading rusher Alex Miller broke his leg against Danville, putting more of the rushing load on Sheron and senior Cam Austin.
For Somerset, Coach Lucas says the Briar Jumpers must match LCA’s intensity and limit their possession time. For LCA, the worry is being pushed around by a team that’s a little more physical than they are.
Coach Charles believes his team will be able to handle whatever result.
“We just go play. We don’t freak out. It’s not the ‘end of times’ it’s a football game,” Charles said. “If we end up on the short end on Friday night, there’s worse things than going and taking our speed guys and putting them on the turf (in Somerset), because that’s where we have a clear advantage. They are more physical and stronger than us, but I’m not sure they’re as athletic and fast as us.”
Friday
No. 1 Somerset at No. 3 Lexington Christian
What: Class 2A, District 4 rivalry game
When: 7:30 p.m.
Records: Somerset 7-0, Lexington Christian 6-1
This story was originally published October 17, 2019 at 4:26 PM.
