Lexington Herald Leader Logo

LCA's King showing uncanny nose for end zone | Lexington Herald Leader

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • All News
    • Business
    • Communities
    • Counties
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Lexington
    • Local
    • Most Wanted
    • Nation/World
    • News Photos
    • News Videos
    • Politics
    • Searchable Databases
    • State
    • Watchdog
    • Columns
    • Tom Eblen
    • All Sports
    • UK Sports
    • College Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • High School
    • Horses
    • Kentucky Speedway
    • Lexington Legends
    • Reds
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NASCAR
    • NFL
    • Sports Photos
    • Sports Videos
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Columns
    • Mark Story
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • All UK Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • Baseball
    • Basketball - Men
    • Basketball - Women
    • Recruiting
    • Ex-Cats
    • Football
    • UK Photos
    • UK Videos
    • More UK Sports
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Blog
    • Mark Story
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Restaurants
    • Stage & Dance
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Entertainment Photos
    • Entertainment Videos
    • News Blogs
    • Kentucky Weather
    • Photo Archive
    • Sports Blogs
    • John Clay's Blog
    • High School
    • UK Football
    • UK Men's Basketball
    • UK Women's Basketball
    • Lexington Legends
    • Entertainment Blogs
    • Walter Tunis on Music
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Joel Pett
    • Letters to the Editor
    • National Columnists
    • Op-Ed
    • Submit a Letter
    • All Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Fru-Gal: Deb Morris
    • Health & Medicine
    • Home & Garden
    • Paul Prather
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Readers' Choice
    • Kentucky Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • E-edition
    • Page Reprints
    • Photo Reprints
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Site Information
    • Advertise With Us
    • Archives
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Google+
    • Today's Circulars
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Homeseller
    • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

High School Football

LCA's King showing uncanny nose for end zone

By Mike Fields - mfields@herald-leader.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

September 05, 2012 03:06 PM

Justin King is king of play-making for Lexington Christian Academy's football team. The Eagles are 3-0 thanks in large part to King coming through in the clutch.

The 5-foot-9, 150-pound junior's latest heroics came at Harlan last Friday night.

LCA, trailing 25-20, faced a fourth-and-21 on its own 44-yard line with just more than a minute left.

"If we get in a tight spot and really need a first down or a big play, I definitely go to Justin," Eagles quarterback Dima Ballard said. "We have other play-makers, but he's No. 1."

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Ballard threw to King, who caught the ball about 20 yards down field, got a key block from teammate Josh Weber, and raced to the end zone for the winning score.

"That was exciting," King said.

Exciting, but fairly routine.

King's fingerprints (and footprints) are all over LCA's three close victories this year.

He scored all of the Eagles' points in the first two games. He had TD catches of 19 and 5 yards, and booted the decisive extra point to beat Louisville Christian 13-12. He had TD catches of 83 and 74 yards, returned an interception 38 yards for a TD, and added three PATs to push LCA past Corbin 21-14. And he provided the punctuation mark score in the Eagles' dramatic 28-25 escape at Harlan last week.

King has 13 receptions for 369 yards and five TDs this year, along with a pick-six and six PATs.

"When you go back and figure out that one out of every four or five times he touches the ball, he finds the end zone, there's not many guys you can say that about," Coach Ray Graham said.

King, who also starts at safety and is one of LCA's surest tacklers, has 4.5 speed and a nose for the football.

He showed both talents in getting his first varsity TD a year ago this week.

LCA was 0-3 when it went to Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy last September, and the Eagles trailed 3-0 in the closing seconds. But Adam Hilton blocked a punt, and King scooped it up and raced 56 yards for a TD with five seconds left to give the Eagles a 6-3 victory.

"That was a fun touchdown," King said this week.

That play sparked King to a big sophomore season. He wound up with 37 catches for 571 yards and seven TDs.

He's been even more of difference-maker this year, although he's still trying to improve his game.

"I see myself getting better," he said. "I come out every day trying to get better with every single rep. I need to work on route-running, and I'm trying to get faster."

Not many people expected LCA to be undefeated at this stage of the season, but the Eagles have shown a penchant for survival.

"We've won three games by the skin of our teeth," Graham said. "We've won with a lot of heart, a lot of character and a lot of resilience.

"We're just a bunch of winners."

Led by the King of play-makers.

  Comments  

Videos

Kroger Field gets soaked during state football finals

KHSAA football championship three-peat saved on senior’s interception

View More Video

Trending Stories

Pazzo’s, Magee’s Bakery, Texas de Brazil, Sonic, Qdoba and more on probation

February 15, 2019 06:45 AM

Kentucky Senate approves NRA gun bill on anniversary of Parkland school shooting

February 14, 2019 11:59 AM

Updated list of restaurants on probation as of February: Read before you eat

February 15, 2019 07:00 AM

‘She has to come home.’ Here’s how you can help find missing Kentucky mom

February 15, 2019 03:03 PM

Paradise no more. TVA votes to close iconic coal-burning power plant in Kentucky.

February 14, 2019 11:09 AM

Read Next

National Signing Day 2019: See where Kentucky’s high school athletes are headed next

High School Football

National Signing Day 2019: See where Kentucky’s high school athletes are headed next

By Josh Moore

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 06, 2019 02:07 PM

Kentucky high school athletes who did not sign during the early period signed as part of National Signing Day on Wednesday, February 6, 2019.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Lexington football star finds ‘the perfect fit’ after late recruitment shake-up

High School Football

Lexington football star finds ‘the perfect fit’ after late recruitment shake-up

February 06, 2019 05:11 PM
Ex-Louisville QB Stefan LeFors leaves Kentucky high school for job in his hometown

High School Football

Ex-Louisville QB Stefan LeFors leaves Kentucky high school for job in his hometown

February 01, 2019 04:42 PM
Wandale Robinson to Dwane Casey to Leah Edmond, what voters said about finishers 11-25

Mark Story

Wandale Robinson to Dwane Casey to Leah Edmond, what voters said about finishers 11-25

January 30, 2019 08:46 PM
Changes are coming to the Kentucky HS football playoffs. They take effect this fall.

High School Football

Changes are coming to the Kentucky HS football playoffs. They take effect this fall.

January 16, 2019 02:16 PM
Here are the 2018 Kentucky high school football All-State selections

High School Football

Here are the 2018 Kentucky high school football All-State selections

January 14, 2019 04:22 PM
Wandale Robinson adds second Mr. Football award to his decorated résumé

High School Football

Wandale Robinson adds second Mr. Football award to his decorated résumé

January 14, 2019 03:18 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Lexington Herald Leader App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Local Deals
  • Digital Solutions
  • Media Kit
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story