Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class 4A high school football preseason rankings 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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Last year’s state champ and runner-up, Johnson Central and Boyle County, go Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the rankings formed out of the @HLpreps Class 4A Preseason Football Survey, but both teams lost several key playmakers — meaning the division could be wide open in 2020.
The defending champion Golden Eagles got 19 of the 23 No. 1 ballots cast with Boyle County getting two top nods and Franklin County and Franklin-Simpson each receiving one.
Here are the preseason top 10 teams in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Class 4A as voted on by coaches in the division.
1. Johnson Central
Head coach: Jim Matney (17th season).
Last season: 15-0. Won 21-20 over Boyle County in the Class 4A state championship.
Quick look: Much of Johnson Central’s 2019 offensive production has graduated, but state championship game MVP Dylan Preston is back to help lead the offense and defense. Preston’s 588 yards and five TDs ranked fourth on a team that sent six players on to the next level. On defense he racked up 94 tackles and a team-high eight sacks. The Golden Eagles’ line is anchored by three-star junior tackle Grant Bingham, who’s already garnered 17 Division I offers from schools including Kentucky, Notre Dame and Michigan. Tight end Zach Russell has been courted by Bowling Green. Linebacker Mason LeMaster notched 132 tackles last season.
2. Boyle County
Head coach: Justin Haddix (first season).
Last season: 14-1. 5th District champs, regional champs. Lost 21-20 to Johnson Central in state championship.
Quick look: Leading rusher Will McDaniel, a 5-11, 185-pound senior, accounted for 887 yards and 17 TDs in a dynamic offense that featured the pass a little more than the run in 2019. Haddix had a similar run-pass mix at Corbin in his previous job and will look to senior transfer Jagger Gillis to take the reins of the offense at QB. Gillis tallied more than 1,300 yards and 14 TDS in 2019 for Anderson County. Wideouts Cole Lanter and Luke Sheperson each have shown playmaking ability. Tommy Ziesmer, a 6-3, 250-pound sophomore defensive lineman, led the team in sacks and has already received multiple Division I offers.
3. Central
Head coach: Marvin Dantzler (fifth season).
Last season: 8-6. 4th District champs, regional champs. Lost 31-14 to Boyle County in state semifinals.
Quick look: With eight starters back on offense, including senior offensive linemen Chris Pryor and Reginald Whyte, junior QB Vernon Duncan should have options to build on his nine TDs from a year ago as the Yellow Jackets look to a new primary rusher. Sophomore Justin Bush might be that back. Five starters return on defense, including junior linebacker Malachi Williams (63 tackles), senior lineman VaShawn Anderson and junior defensive back Djure Johnson.
4. Franklin County
Head coach: Eddie James (fourth season).
Last season: 11-1. Lost 18-7 to Central in the 4th District finals.
Quick look: The Flyers have a dynamic quarterback and wide receiver combo in seniors Nick Broyles and Fred Farrier. Broyles, 6-1, 190 pounds with an offer from Alabama A&M, proved to be a true dual-threat QB, leading Franklin County in rushing (959 yards, 11 TDs) and passing (2,437 yards, 32 TDs). Farrier, 6-1, 180 pounds, is a three-star recruit with upwards of 16 Division I offers and had 794 yards and 11 TDs in 2019. Junior wideoout Braedyn Tracy chipped in nine TD catches for a dynamic, well-balanced offense. Linebacker Peyton Ledford was second on the team in tackles with 135 as a freshman. Juniors Brenton Sears and Jayden Mattison also tallied more than 100 takedowns each.
5. Corbin
Head coach: Tom Greer (first season).
Last season: 6-5. Lost 63-49 to Wayne County in the 7th District finals.
Quick look: The Redhounds have loads of experience coming back with great depth on both sides of the ball, especially in the trenches with seniors Logan Smith, 6-1, 265 pounds, and Josh Jackson, 6-2, 285, Coach Greer says. Treyveon Longmire, a 6-2, 170-pound multi-purpose player and three-star recruit, is still just a junior. He has 17 Division I offers, according to 247Sports.com. Sophomore QB Cameron Combs cut his teeth with 1,876 yards passing and 16 TDs and 302 yards rushing and seven more scores. He had just five picks and a completion percentage of 63. Dakota Patterson, a 6-3, 200-pound sophomore, figures to be one of his top targets again. Senior linebackers Austin Lewis and Dawson Fore were the team’s leading tacklers in 2019.
6. Wayne County
Head coach: Shawn Thompson (17th season).
Last season: 10-2. 7th District champs. Lost 36-7 to Johnson Central in region finals.
Quick look: Coach Thompson believes he has a Mr. Football candidate in Braedon Sloan. The 6-0, 195-pound Eastern Kentucky commit averaged a state-best 234 yards per game as a junior on his way to 2,804 yards and 48 TDs He also caught for 461 yards and six scores. And he has four offensive linemen back, William King, Cameron York, Andrew Sargent and Dylan Jones. Also returning is quarterback Brody Weaver, a three-year starter who threw for 1,822 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019. Defensively, the Cardinals have more holes to fill, but junior linebacker Lee Shelton proved his impact with 90 tackles last season.
7. Lexington Catholic
Head coach: Nigel Smith (third season).
Last season: 7-5. Lost 54-7 to Boyle County in the 5th District finals.
Quick look: Coach Smith has no shortage of confidence in his Knights for 2020. “Yes, we did lose Beau Allen to UK, but if there was ever a senior class ready to step into the leadership role, we have it this year.” Among the eight starters back on offense are their leading receivers, senior Jackson Corbett and junior Blake Busson, who each caught for more than 1,000 yards and had 11 and 12 TD receptions, respectively. Replacing Allen at QB will be a decision between 5-10 senior Josh Brownell and 6-2 junior Jack Gohmann. On defense, LexCath brings back seven starters with seniors Kimwanga Mafuta and Pearce Hall at linebacker as the top two returning tacklers and seniors John Martin Simms and Teddy Bullock in the secondary splitting about 60 tackles and four interceptions between them..
8. Madisonville
Head coach: Jay Burgett (sixth season).
Last season: 11-3. 1st District champs, regional champs. Lost 52-14 to Johnson Central in the state semifinals.
Quick look: The Maroons look to be on a complete rebuild after graduating most of their standout performers, including 3,001-yard rusher Jeriah Hightower, who’s now at Eastern Kentucky. Running back Lajuan MacAdoo started last year and got some touches in the air and ground game. Senior lineman Dru Fleener, who had 86 tackles and three sacks last year, is a three-year starter. Coach Burgett expects big seasons from junior linebackers Chris Price and Zach Carl.
9. Hopkinsville
Head coach: Craig Clayton (fourth season).
Last season: 8-4. Lost 28-21 to Madisonville in the 1st District finals.
Quick look: Any conversation about Hoptown’s prospects have to begin with three-star wideout Reece Jesse, who has offers from 10 Division I colleges including Kentucky. The 6-3, 180-pound senior caught for 1,184 yards and 15 TDs in 2019. Also returning is leading rusher Jayden Dillard, a 6-0, 190-pound junior who ran for 763 yards and seven touchdowns. There are more questions on defense, where senior Ventrall Baker is the leading returning tackler.
10. Franklin-Simpson
Head coach: Max Chaney (first season).
Last season: 7-6. 2nd District champs. Lost 45-31 to Madisonville in the region finals.
Quick look: Quarterback Luke Richardson enters his third year with two starting seasons under his belt and will have fellow junior Omar Harrison as a primary back. Richardson threw for 779 yards and 11 TDs in a run-dominated attack. Harrison rushed for 524 yards and six TDs as the third man out of the backfield. Coach Chaney is installing a new defensive scheme and has Atakis Allen, last season’s second-leading tackler (92) at linebacker and KJ Hardesty who notched 57 tackles on the defensive line as a freshman in 2019.
Others receiving votes
(Listed in order of votes received)
Harlan County, John Hardin, Logan County, Scott, Knox Central, Allen County-Scottsville, Spencer County, Rowan County, Moore, Waggener and Boyd County.
Survey method: Rankings reflect the participation of 23 of the 38 Class 4A teams (60.5%). Every Class 4A 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 September 1, 2020 at 8:12 AM.
