A guide to high school football’s best first-round playoff games
The first round of the UK Orthopaedics/KHSAA Gridiron Bowl, the name the Kentucky High School Athletic Association calls its football postseason, kicks off this week with some intriguing matchups.
Sure, the first round will contain the usual batches of mercy-rule blowouts, but with some of the lower seeds opting not to play because of COVID-19 issues or concerns, there will be a number of competitive contests on the slate.
Many of these teams have seen each other before in regular-season district games, but because of COVID-19 this year, some will be meeting for the first time.
Class 5A’s 7th District — with No. 13 Collins, No. 14 Madison Southern, No. 15 Woodford County and No. 17 West Jessamine — represents the most tightly bunched pairings, which could produce two outstanding games.
Here’s a look at what we think will be the best games in each class. All rankings are from the KHSAA’s RPI, which will be used to seed the regionals and semifinals in each class beginning in two weeks.
Class 1A
No. 5 Sayre at No. 3 Pikeville
Last meeting: Did not play. The Spartans just completed their first full varsity season in four decades with an 8-0 record, but the only place to put them in the Class A playoffs happens to also be where defending state champion Pikeville (5-2) resides. Sayre will become a full member of the 7th District along with Pikeville, Hazard and Phelps next year.
Standing out: Sayre has a couple of sons of names you know. Cole Pennington, son of Sayre coach and former NFL and Marshall star Chad Pennington, ranks among the leading passers in the state, averaging 238 yards per game with 27 TDs. Among his primary targets is Trey Dennis, son of former Kentucky and North Hardin standout Harold Dennis, who has 11 TD catches.
Pikeville’s coach’s son, Isaac McNamee, was the state title game MVP last year and averaged 187 yards per game with 16 TD passes. He helped receiver Zac Lockhart set a state record 388 yards receiving with seven TD catches in a game earlier this year.
No. 16 Eminence at No. 21 Frankfort
Last meeting: The Panthers (2-4) won 51-38 at Eminence (3-5) on Oct. 9 as senior running back Azeno Williams slashed the Warriors for 384 yards and five touchdowns.
Standing out: Warriors quarterback Adriene Bailey has more than 1,100 yards total offense with 11 passing TDs and three on the ground. Davontaye Saunders and Jaylin Farris have combined for more than 1,000 rushing yards and 15 TDs. Williams is Frankfort’s leading scorer with 11 touchdowns. Charles Ellis has been a run/catch threat with more than 500 total yards and nine TDs.
No. 17 Dayton at No. 20 Ludlow
Last meeting: The Greendevils (5-3) lost at Ludlow 22-12 on Oct. 23 as junior Panthers (3-5) running back Braxten Newborn rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
Standing out: Dayton’s offense by committee has racked up 1,537 rushing yards led by James “Trey” Matthews and quarterback Nolan Brooks. Ludlow’s Newborn has 1,488 rushing yards and 22 TDs and is balanced by quarterback Austin Daniels, who has tossed for 1,319 yards and nine scores. Newborn is also Ludlow’s leading tackler.
Class 2A
No. 7 Danville at No. 5 Somerset
Last meeting: The Briar Jumpers (5-2) won 42-3 at Danville (4-2) on Oct. 9, getting three TDs from Mikey Garland in a balanced, dominating performance.
Standing out: Danville has made strides in the last couple of weeks with a near upset of Lexington Christian and a win over Raceland. Caleb Burns leads the Admirals in rushing and scoring. Somerset has Kentucky commit Kaiya Sheron at quarterback and Louisville baseball commit Kade Grundy at wide receiver.
No. 16 Caldwell County at No. 9 Murray
Last meeting: Murray (5-3) won 41-34 in overtime at Caldwell County (3-3) on Oct. 16 as Murray’s Rowdy Sokolowski scored on a 3-yard run and then got a goal-line stand that kept the other Tigers out of the end zone on a final try from the 2-yard line.
Standing out: Russ Beshear leads a balanced Caldwell offense with 1,044 passing yards and 11 TDs to go along with 173 yards and three scores on the ground. Baron Wells leads Caldwell in receiving with 502 yards and five TDs. Sokolowski has 848 yards passing and eight passing TDs for Murray and leads a three-prong rushing attack that has combined for more than 1,300 yards and 25 TDs with running backs Brendan Dahncke and Charvelle McCallister sharing equal portions of the load.
No. 23 Martin County at No. 10 Shelby Valley
Last meeting: The Wildcats (7-2) defeated the Cardinals (3-3) 49-36 on Oct. 9 with four passing TDs from Russ Osborne and 229 rushing yards and three TDs from Jayden Newsome.
Standing out: Martin County’s Kolby Sparks leads a deep running back corps with 624 yards rushing and four TDs. Logan Proctor leads the Cardinals in scoring with seven TDs and four two-point conversion. Shelby Valley’s Osborne has 1,586 passing yards and 19 TD tosses to go along with 444 yards and five rushing TDs. Newsome has 965 rushing yards and seven scores. Anthony Pallotta leads Shelby Valley in receiving with 505 yards and 10 TDs.
Class 3A
No. 14 DeSales at No. 9 Christian Academy-Louisville
Last meeting: Did not play because of COVID-19 issues.
Standing out: Colts (3-2) running back James Johnson has 655 yards and eight TDs in just five games. Quarterback Jayden Scroggins is a threat to run in short-yardage situations and has 614 yards passing and five scores. Connor Clayton Masters has 1,353 yards passing and 20 TDs for the Centurions (4-2). Brandt Babin leads the team in rushing with 524 yards. Easton Messer and Gage Geren lead CAL in receiving with more than 400 yards each. Braeden Babin leads the state in sacks with 10.
No. 11 LaRue County at No. 5 Bardstown
Last meeting: Bardstown (6-1) defeated the Hawks (4-2) 58-16 on Sept. 25 on three TDs passes from Brady Clark and 405 rushing yards and five TDs on the ground four different running backs.
Standing out: Jeremiah Bolton leads the Hawks in scoring and has 762 rushing yards and 10 TDs. He also has a pair of interceptions as a defender. Clark has tossed for 1,176 yards and 24 TDs for the Tigers, who have more than 1,800 yards rushing from a deep corps of backs led by Tyleeq Williams and TJ Greenwell.
No. 20 Pike County Central at No. 15 Lawrence County
Last meeting: Lawrence County (3-1) won 29-28 over visiting PCC (4-4) on Oct. 9 as Alex Strickland hit Andrew Tackett on an 8-yard TD pass with 12 seconds remaining in the game. The extra point pushed the Bulldogs to victory.
Standing out: Matt Anderson leads the Hawks with 1,325 rushing yards and 20 TDs followed by QB Tayvian Boykins’ 904 yards on the ground and eight scores. Keegan Bentley adds 874 yards and 12 TDs as PCC runs almost exclusively. In only four games, Dylan Ferguson leads the way for the Bulldogs with 439 yards and four TDs. Blue Fletcher, Douglas Hall and Alex Strickland round out the run-heavy attack.
Class 4A
No. 13 Lincoln County at No. 3 Corbin
Last meeting: Corbin (6-1) won 14-8 over the visiting Patriots (5-3) on Oct. 16. Both Redhounds’ scores came from Seth Mills, who also had 150 rushing yards.
Standing out: Lincoln’s Clayton Davis is a dual threat out of the backfield and shares some snaps with Sawyer Horton. That also makes Davis a receiving threat with nearly 1,500 total yards and 22 TDs. Lee Amon and Rodney Alcorn have combined for more than 1,000 rushing yards and 15 TDs. For the Redhounds, Mills leads the team in scoring but Corbin utilizes four primary backs who account for more than 1,000 rushing yards combined. Cameron Combs has 864 yards passing and 12 TDs. Treyveon Longmire, a UK recruit, leads the team in receiving.
No. 11 Knox Central at No. 10 Wayne County
Last meeting: Did not meet because of COVID-19 issues.
Standing out: Seth Huff and Ethan Mills equally share the Knox Central (4-2) running load with more than 1,300 rushing yards and 13 TDs while Brady Worley has 915 yards and nine TDs passing, much of that to receiver Abram Brock. Wayne County (4-3) depends on the state’s leading rusher, Braedon Sloan, for 1,415 yards rushing and 25 TDs. Brody Weaver has 846 yards passing and five scores.
No. 16 Harrison County at No. 18 Rowan County
Last meeting: Rowan (3-3) won 41-34 at Harrison County (5-3) on Oct. 9 as Cole Wallace romped for 209 yards and five touchdowns.
Standing out: Harrison’s Tayshaun Custard is a threat to run or receive with nearly 900 total yards and 13 TDs. LaDarius Conner has 860 yards of the Thorobreds’ 2,080 total on the ground and six scores and Devin Lewis is also a threat. QB Kaydon Custard has run in five TDs and thrown for another seven. The Vikings’ Wallace went for a whopping 464 yards and four TDs against Scott earlier this year and has 1,179 yards and 14 scores on the season. QB Austin Fannin keeps defenses honest with 629 yards passing and seven TDs.
Class 5A
No. 17 West Jessamine at No. 15 Woodford County
Last meeting: Did not play because of COVID-19 issues.
Standing out: The Colts’ (4-3) spread attack has Jacob Jones, son of former UK QB Pookie Jones, at the helm as a sophomore. He has 1,790 yards passing and 14 TDs, much of that to the versatile Jackson Green, the state’s leading receiver, who has more than 1,000 yards and 11 TD catches to go with nine rushing scores. Woodford County (3-2) has a more run-oriented attack with backs Preston Stacy getting the bulk of the carries along with Jackson Geilear and quarterback Bryce Patterson. Stacy and Geilear are each receiving threats as well. Geilear is the team’s leading tackler.
No. 13 Collins at No. 14 Madison Southern
Last meeting: Collins (6-2) won 21-13 over the visiting Eagles (4-3) as Joe Lucas connected with Kenyon Goodin for 184 yards in the air and a TD. Keaton Edwards had a TD run and catch.
Standing out: The Titans’ Lucas has 1,757 yards passing and 21 TDs with Goodin on the receiving end for 787 yards and 13 of those scores. Henry Robbins leads Collins in rushing with 570 yards and seven TDs. Madison Southern balances the pass and run with a number of playmakers. QB Cole Carpenter has thrown 10 TDs to four different receivers, led by Walter Smith with five. Smith also leads a multi-pronged running attack with 301 of the team’s 908 total rushing yards.
No. 20 Highlands at at No. 19 Conner
Last meeting: Highlands (4-5) routed the Cougars (3-3) by a score of 36-0 on Oct. 3 thanks in large part to four interceptions, a fumble recovery in the end zone and a punt return TD by Dominic Robinson.
Standing out: Bluebirds QB Charlie Noon represents a dual threat with 806 yards and seven TDs passing and 750 yards and six TDs rushing. Robinson is Highlands’ second-leading scorer and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown this year, as well. Conner’s Colton Roy leads the team in rushing with 462 yards and eight scores. QB Alex Castrucci has two TD passes to go with four rushing scores in the Cougars’ run-oriented attack.
Lexington game in 5A: No. 23 Great Crossing at No. 9 Frederick Douglass.
Class 6A
No. 15 Oldham County at No. 14 Clark County
Last meeting: Clark County (34) won 48-28 over the visiting Colonels (4-3) on Oct. 23 as Louisville commit Azariah Israel gashed Oldham for 318 yards and four TDs while Jordan Manley hit Dawson Gay for two more scores.
Standing out: Oldham’s Sam Young can run and pass with 1,302 yards and 11 TDs in the air and 458 yards and four TDs rushing. Grayson Huff is his chief target with four scores. Clark’s Israel has 946 rushing yards and 11 TDs and a strong understudy in Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd. Manly has 1,204 yards passing. Dawson leads the receiving corps with 613 yards and six TDs.
No. 11 Apollo at No. 7 McCracken County
Last meeting: McCracken (4-2) won 45-21 over visiting Apollo (4-3) on Sept. 25 thanks to three turnovers, four TD passes from Pryor Lamb and 179 rushing yards and two TDs from Hunter Bradley.
Standing out: Apollo QB Damian Lovinsky can run it or throw it and has more than 1,400 total yards and 12 touchdowns. Harold Patterson leads the Eagles in rushing with 877 yards and six TDs. The Mustangs’ Hunter has 875 yards and 11 TDs balanced by Lamb’s 833 yards in the air with 12 scoring throws.
No. 18 Pleasure Ridge Park at No. 10 St. Xavier
Last meeting: Did not play because of COVID-19 concerns.
Standing out: PRP’s Kayden Anderson threw for 1,113 yards and 13 TDs in just five games as the Panthers finished their abbreviated schedule with a 2-3 record. Derrik Gant was targeted for 643 yards and nine of those scores. St. X (3-2) rotated in running backs with Grant Goodman getting 231 of the Tigers’ 709 rushing yards. Giles Pooler threw for 552 yards and four TDs with Mekhi Smith a favorite option catching for 327 yards and four scores.
Lexington’s Class 6A games: No. 30 Madison Central at No. 3 Bryan Station; No. 28 Lafayette at No. 19 Henry Clay; No. 27 Tates Creek at No. 6 Paul Laurence Dunbar.
