Class 4A football finals preview: Boyle County vs. Johnson Central
It’s championship weekend for the 2019 UK Orthopaedics/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl. Here’s a look at Saturday’s Class 4A state title game at Kroger Field.
Boyle County vs. Johnson Central
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
RPI ratings: No. 1 Boyle County (.73034); No. 2 Johnson Central (.70583).
Cantrall Ratings: No. 1 Boyle County (89.8); No. 2 Johnson Central (87.0).
Championship history: Boyle County (8-1) — The Rebels last won the title in 2017; Johnson Central (1-3) — The Golden Eagles are making their fifth straight finals appearance and won it in 2016.
How they got here: Boyle County (14-0) defeated No. 12 Central 31-14 and earlier beat No. 5 Lexington Catholic twice. Johnson Central (14-0) defeated No. 7 Madisonville 52-14 and topped No. 4 Wayne County in the regional finals.
Quick hits: Across all classes, Boyle County and Johnson Central rank Nos. 1 and 3, respectively, in team scoring, Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, in team defense, and Nos. 1 and 2, respectively in scoring margin. They both average about 50 points per game while only giving up a little more than nine. Boyle County’s Reese Smith is a top candidate to win Kentucky’s Mr. Football. To put it simply, this is the game everyone’s been waiting for in this division.
Boyle County standouts: Reese Smith, Sr. WR/DB, West Virginia commit (1,353 yards, 19 TDs receiving, 128 yards, three TDs rushing, seven interceptions); Reed Lanter, Sr. QB (2,977 yards, 39 TDs); Will McDaniel, Jr. RB/LB (827 yards, 16 TDs, 55 tackles, one sack); Andrew Sacco, Sr. RB/LB (634 yards, 10 TDs rushing, 65 tackles, four sacks); Landen Bartleson, Sr. RB, Notre Dame commit (404 yards, 12 TDs rushing, 127 yards, two TDs receiving).
Johnson Central standouts: Ryley Preece, Sr. QB/DB (1,172 yards, 18 TDs passing, 610 yards, 14 TDs rushing, four defensive INTs); Devin Johnson, Sr. RB/LB (1,619 yards, 20 TDs rushing, 127 yards, three TDs receiving, 87 tackles, five sacks); Cody Rice, Sr. RB (648 yards, 14 TDs rushing); Seth Dalton, Sr. WR (655 yards, 11 TDs receiving); Hunter McCloud, Sr. LB (140 tackles, 3.5 sacks); Mason Lemaster, So. LB (123 tackles, 2.5 sacks).
@HLpreps pick: Boyle County 42, Johnson Central 30.
State championships
At Kroger Field in Lexington
Friday
Class A: Paintsville (11-3) vs. Pikeville (13-0), 2 p.m.
Class 3A: Belfry (10-3) vs. Bell County (14-0), 7 p.m.
Saturday
Class 2A: Mayfield (13-1) vs. Somerset (13-1), 1 p.m.
Class 4A: Boyle County (14-0) vs. Johnson Central (14-0), 4:30 p.m.
Class 5A: Covington Catholic (14-0) vs. Frederick Douglass (14-0), 8 p.m.
Sunday
Class 6A: Male (14-0) vs. Trinity (12-2), 2 p.m.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 4:05 PM.
