Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class 3A high school football preseason poll for 2020
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2020 Kentucky high school football preview
The 2020 high school football season kicked off Friday, Sept. 11. High school sports beat writer Jared Peck wrote numerous stories in the Herald-Leader and on Kentucky.com previewing the season around the city, region and state and highlighting the top players and games and rankings. Click below to read all of his stories in case you missed any of them.
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A great way to be ranked No. 1 in preseason is to win the state championship the year prior, and Class 3A’s Belfry becomes the third champ to earn that distinction this year from coaches participating in the @HLpreps Preseason Football Survey.
The Pirates got 22 of the 26 first-place votes cast in the poll with DeSales and Bell County splitting the rest — two teams Belfry vanquished on the way to that title. DeSales lost by a point in double overtime of the 2019 semifinals. Bell County kept close for three quarters in the finals.
But they’re not the only teams who have expectations of making it to Kroger Field.
Here are the preseason top 10 teams in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A as voted on by coaches in the division.
1. Belfry
Head coach: Philip Haywood (37th season).
Last season: 11-2. State champs. Won 30-20 over Bell County in the Class 3A state championship.
Quick look: The Pirates had an astounding three 1,000-yard rushers last season, and the one who popped for a 228-yard, three-touchdown game at Kroger Field is back. Senior running back Isaac Dixon also has experienced offensive linemen Aidan Smith, Cameron Hensley and Logan McCoy to break things open, and senior quarterback Brett Coleman figures to become a bigger part of the attack after 12 total TDs last season. The Pirates have a few more questions on defense with only four starters back, but they include leading tackler Seth Mounts, a 6-3 196-pound senior linebacker.
2. DeSales
Head coach: Harold Davis (ninth season).
Last season: 10-4. 4th District champs. Regional champs. Lost 15-14 in double overtime to Belfry in the state semifinals.
Quick look: Coach Davis has some concerns on his offensive and defensive lines, but having running back James Johnson and quarterback Jayden Scroggins back offers a lot of peace of mind. Johnson, a 6-3, 210-pound senior, racked up 1,494 rushing yards and 19 TDs in 2019. Scroggins, a 6-2, 195-pound senior, shared play-calling duties a year ago and generated nearly 1,000 yards of offense and 18 TDs via run, pass or catch. The Colts graduated more than 300 tackles and a whopping 60-plus sacks, meaning they’ll need stepped-up production from senior linebackers Chase O’Neil, Derek Hollenkamp and Zane Wilkerson. Corner Lance Weiter had a team-high four interceptions, including a 77-yard house call last year.
3. Bell County
Head coach: Dudley Hilton (20th season).
Last season: 14-1. 5th District champs. Regional champs. Lost 30-20 to Belfry in the state championship.
Quick look: Coach Hilton feels good about his prospects despite losing some key playmakers off his state runners-up. But leading rusher Brandon Baker, who had a breakout sophomore year with 1,418 yards and 17 TDs, returns to anchor an offense that will likely see fellow junior Cameron Burnett step in under center. The Bobcats have nine of their 11 starters back on defense, led by senior linebacker Hunter Bailey (team-high 133 tackles) and senior end Tyson Thomas (100 tackles, five sacks). Jonathan Lankford, also a senior, makes plays on offense, defense and the kicking game. His team-high seven interceptions included two TD returns.
4. Christian Academy-Louisville
Head coach: Hunter Cantwell (second season).
Last season: 7-5. Lost 30-7 to DeSales in the 4th District finals.
Quick look: The Centurions had an ambitious schedule and took some lumps in their first season up from Class 2A, but looked to be hitting stride going into the playoffs until suffering their second loss of the season to DeSales. Twins Braeden and Brandt Babin led the defense last year as juniors with 83 and 53 tackles, respectively. They are two of eight starters back on a defense Cantwell expects to be strong. Brandt Babin figures to be a bigger part of the offense with the bulk of CAL’s production graduated. He had 572 yards rushing and seven TDs in 2019. Gage Geren, a senior wideout, caught for a team second-best 682 yards and five TDs in CAL’s balanced scheme.
5. Ashland Blazer
Head coach: Tony Love (eighth season).
Last season: 10-3. 7th District champs. Lost 41-7 to Belfry in the region finals.
Quick look: The Tomcats will have to revamp their offensive line, but the skill positions look solid, especially with three-star recruit Keontae Pittman and his 1,265 yards and 17 TDs back for his senior year. He holds offers from Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio). Also returning are quarterback Jake Gregg who kept defenses honest in Ashland’s run-heavy scheme with 1,111 yards passing and 12 TDs. Caleb Tackett is one of eight defensive starters returning, and he led the team with 112 tackles as a sophomore. Love thinks 6-3 junior Zane Christian can be “one of the most dominant DTs in the state.”
6. Elizabethtown
Head coach: Mark Brown (seventh season).
Last season: 9-3. Lost 51-27 to Bardstown in the 3rd District finals.
Quick look: The Panthers look to have plenty of experience in the trenches with five seniors back who play both the offensive and defensive lines. They’ll protect senior QB Clay Games who threw for 1,552 yards and 23 TDs despite E-town favoring the run more. Senior Camran McNeil and junior T Allen will probably spearhead the run attack. McNeil ran for 733 yards and 12 TDs as a fullback in 2019 and also led the team in tackles with 73 as a linebacker. Second-leading tackler Zachary Klockow (70 with two sacks) also returns at linebacker.
T7. Bardstown
Head coach: David Clark (14th season).
Last season: 10-3. 3rd District champs. Lost 41-7 to DeSales in region finals.
Quick look: Coach’s son Brady Clark returns at QB for his senior year after a standout 2019 that saw him throw for 2,170 yards and 26 TDs, but a lot of the Tigers’ production elsewhere graduated. Look for senior athlete DaTrail Wright to step up his play all over the field. He had 393 yards and five TDs rushing and was the team’s second-leading tackler as a linebacker with 94 takedowns and three sacks. Depth is a concern, but Coach Clark likes his team speed.
T7. Paducah Tilghman
Head coach: Jonathan Smith (second season).
Last season: 9-4. 1st District champs. Lost 38-28 to Taylor County in the region finals.
Quick look: Coach Smith believes this is the time for his three-year starter at QB, Camdon Marshall, to break out as a leader on both sides of the ball. At 6-4, 185 pounds, Marshall has good size under center and in the defensive backfield where he plays safety. Tilghman needs to replace two 1,000-yard rushers and will also look to Jarmorie Sabbs to step up. Tilghman has six offensive and five defensive starters back for a team that’s nearly two-thirds freshmen and sophomores.
9. Taylor County
Head coach: Sam Marple (second season).
Last season: 11-3. 2nd District champs, regional champs. Lost 46-28 to Bell County in the state semifinals.
Quick look: The Cardinals have won back-to-back regional trophies and could be in good shape to keep rolling with senior running back Wes Oliver in the backfield. He rushed for 2,265 yards and 29 TDs in 2019. Quarterback Ethan Coghill returns, as well, as an occasional passing threat in an offense that generated more than 5,000 yards total offense in 2019. The defense features 13 sack-man Tyler Shofner on the line, leading tackler (121) Conner Roney at strong-side linebacker and Carson Watson patrolling the edge. Watson had 11 interceptions last year, tied for second-best in the state, with one returned for a TD.
10. Glasgow
Head coach: Jeff Garmon (fifth season).
Last season: 10-2. Lost to Taylor County in the 2nd District finals.
Quick look: Most of the Scotties’ offensive stat-stuffers are gone, opening up opportunities for junior QB John Carter Myers, junior running back Hunter Scott and others to take their turn in the spotlight. On defense, Glasgow returns a number of top performers, including leading tackler Mason Bragg, a senior, at linebacker, junior linebacker Jayden Weyrauch and Myers and Carter McKeever helping patrol the defensive backfield.
Others receiving votes
(Listed in order of votes received)
Russell, Mercer County, Rockcastle County, Pike County Central, Fleming County, Mason County and Union County.
Survey method: Rankings reflect the participation of 26 of the 39 Class 3A teams (66.6%). Every Class 3A coach was given the opportunity to participate in the @HLpreps annual survey, emailed to their address listed on KHSAA.org. Multiple attempts were made to contact every coach.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 10:03 AM.
