Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class 5A high school football preseason rankings
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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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It’s fitting that Covington Catholic, the defending state champion and eight-time title winner overall, is the No. 1 team in Kentucky high school football’s Class 5A this preseason.
After all, the Colonels have reached three straight title games at Kroger Field with wins on two of those trips.
But this year, they’ll need to do it without 2019 Mr. Football Michael Mayer, who’s off to Notre Dame, and nearly every starter from what was the stingiest defense in the division.
Still, Covington Catholic received 13 of 21 first-place votes cast in the @HLpreps Preseason Football Survey by Class 5A’s head coaches. A talented No. 2 Frederick Douglass team got four first-place votes. No. 3 Bowling Green, No. 4 Scott County, No. 5 South Warren and No. 7 Highlands each received one top nod.
Here are the preseason top 10 teams in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Class 5A as voted on by coaches in the division.
1. Covington Catholic
Head coach: Eddie Eviston (sixth season).
Last season: 15-0. Won 14-7 against Frederick Douglass in the Class 5A state championship.
Quick look: The defending champs have only one starter back on defense, but Coach Eviston says his incoming first-teamers have gotten enough quality snaps to make a run at what could be their fourth straight finals appearance. And they have someone Eviston thinks is the state’s top QB leading the way in senior Caleb Jacob. It was Jacob’s clutch, fourth-down dime to Michael Mayer at Kroger Field last year that helped seal their victory. Jacob threw for 2,817 yards and 33 TDs in 2019 and he’ll have senior offensive linemen Ben Dickhaus and Trey Janiszewski protecting him again. While Mayer’s gone, Jacob’s second favorite target returns. Ethan Reardon, a 6-4, 192-pound wideout, had 804 receiving yards and nine scores.
2. Frederick Douglass
Head coach: Nathan McPeek (first season).
Last season: 14-1. 6th District champ, regional champ. Lost 14-7 to Covington Catholic in the state championship.
Quick look: With offensive coordinator Nathan McPeek taking over the top job, the Broncos appear loaded with NCAA Division I-level talent, starting with one of the nation’s top offensive line prospects, Jager Burton. At the skill positions, senior multi-purpose back Dekel Crowdus returns to the fold after a year away and joins “SportsCenter Top 10” playmaker Dane Key, who was the team’s leading scorer as a sophomore. Senior running back Darius Neal gained 868 yards with 13 TDs in 2019 as part of a devastating, big-play offense. Samuel Cornett, a 6-7 junior transfer from Washington state looks to be the new QB. The defense has three-year starter Romarion Warner on the D-line and UK recruiting target Ty Bryant at linebacker. Bryant was second on the team in tackles with 81 in 2019.
3. Bowling Green
Head coach: Mark Spader (third season).
Last season: 9-4. 2nd District champ, regional champ. Lost 28-0 to Covington Catholic in the state semifinals.
Quick look: The Purples have some significant players back for an attempt to send their El Donaldson Stadium out in style. A new stadium will be built soon. Chief among those returnees is 6-4 tight end Jordan Dingle, who has 21 Division I offers and is among Kentucky’s targets. Bowling Green also gets back leading rusher and scorer Javy Bunton, who ran for 764 yards and 10 TDs as part of a balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Conner Cooper threw for 1,352 yards and 15 TDs. On defense, senior linebacker Rece Jones had a team-high 158 tackles.
4. Scott County
Head coach: Jim McKee (24th season).
Last season: 10-2. Lost 24-14 to Frederick Douglass in 6th District finals.
Quick look: Coach McKee’s Cardinals lost 29 seniors, but, as always at Scott County, it’s “next man up.” Running backs Jeremy Hamilton and Jaxon Saylor combined for more than 600 yards and nine touchdowns last year as sophomores playing behind two 1,000-yard rushers. Senior offensive tackle Jonathan Berry, at 6-5 and 273 pounds, has a number of college offers and will be part of a retooled offensive line along with junior center Ethan Miracle, who McKee is high on. Senior inside linebacker Cade Tackett is the defense’s leading returning tackler. Senior defensive back Campton Martin is a three-year starter who led the team with four interceptions in 2019.
5. South Warren
Head coach: Brandon Smith (eighth season).
Last season: 11-2. Lost 20-13 to Bowling Green in the 2nd District finals.
Quick look: The 2018 champs have one of the best defenders in the nation in Jantzen Dunn, a 6-2, 178-pound senior safety with 30 Division I college offers who committed to Ohio State earlier this year. He played a little offense, too, with seven TDs, six of them receiving in 2019. The Spartans also get back senior QB Caden Veltkamp, who threw for 1,007 yards and 16 TDs, and leading rusher Kobe Martin, who had 1,167 yards and 15 TDs.
6. Owensboro
Head coach: Jayson Fallin (sixth season).
Last season: 12-2. 1st District champs, regional champs. Lost 28-17 to Frederick Douglass in the state semifinals.
Quick look: Junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt has shot up the recruiting rankings in the last year with offers from Kentucky and Louisville among 14 others. The dual-threat QB threw for 2,729 and 31 TDs and ran for another 564 yards and 12 scores. He is among eight starters returning on what Coach Fallin says is the Red Devils’ best offensive group “in at least the past 10 years.” It also includes three offensive line starters, running back Ethan Avery and senior wide receiver Treyvon Tinsley, who had 909 yards and 12 TDs and already holds the school’s season and career TD reception records. The defense returns six starters, including standout senior linebacker Austin Gough after he missed half of 2019 with an injury. He set a program record for tackles as a sophomore with 131.
7. Highlands
Head coach: Brian Weinrich (seventh season).
Last season: 6-5. Lost 38-28 to Conner in the 5th District semifinals.
Quick look: The Bluebirds, like Scott County’s Cardinals, graduated most of their starters and will be looking for their rising upperclassmen to make their own mark. Junior running back Griffin Richter played just seven games a season ago, but he was the team’s leading rusher in a backfield-by-committee attack with 291 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have junior tackle Kaleb Kissee (6-4, 270) in front of him among others. Coach Weinrich labels Kissee as a “dominant blocker.” Junior wideout Jacob Welch caught three TDs. Senior linebacker Mason South, “the hardest worker on the team,” Weinrich says, will lead the defense. Senior DB Jason Noe had four interceptions in 2019.
8. South Oldham
Head coach: Jamie Reed (11th season).
Last season: 11-2. 4th District champs. Lost 28-14 to Bowling Green in regional finals.
Quick look: After back-to-back district titles, Coach Reed finds himself in a “major rebuild, but sees talent that just needs experience. But good size on the offensive line will open holes for senior running back Ethan Snider, who ran for 269 yards and three TDs and was the team’s third-leading receiver with 119 yards and a score. Senior linebackers Nathan Garrison and Austin Covington will lead the defense. They combined for more than 100 tackles in 2019.
9. Pulaski County
Head coach: John Hines (22nd season).
Last season: 7-4. Lost 17-7 to Southwestern in the 8th District semifinals.
Quick look: The Maroons are young with only seven seniors, but with Purdue commit Tristan Cox playing offense and defense, Coach Hines has at least a couple of questions answered. Cox, a 6-4, 233-pound senior, led the team in scoring with eight rushing TDs, six receiving TDs and a fumble recovery for a score. Junior QB Drew Polston threw for 1,944 yards and 18 TDs and rand for another 494 yards and two scores before suffering a late-season injury. Cox, as a linebacker, notched a second-best 94 tackles to go with three sacks. Juniors Layton Abbott, Ryun Dye, Jericho Dixon and senior Kaleb Adams should be major defensive factors.
10. Southwestern
Head coach: Jason Foley (second season).
Last season: 7-6. 8th District champs. Lost 44-8 to Frederick Douglass in the regional finals.
Quick look: After starting 2-5 in 2019, the Warriors roared to a district title and Coach Foley says this season’s team will be even stronger. Junior running back Tanner Wright was part of that surge, racking up 679 yards and eight TDs while playing only part of the season. Junior wideout Maison Hibbard was the team’s second-leading receiver. “Hard-nosed” senior linebacker Rowan Pennington leads the defense. He had 128 tackles in 2019 and is joined by junior Giddeon Brainard (102 tackles) and standout senior D-lineman Dylan Asher, who led the team with six sacks.
Others receiving votes
(In order of votes received)
Madison Southern, Conner, Fairdale, Christian County, North Bullitt, Cooper, Whitley County, East Jessamine, Bullitt Central and Graves County.
Survey method: Rankings reflect the participation of 21 of the 40 Class 5A teams (52.5%). Every Class 5A 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 2, 2020 at 7:41 AM.
