KHSAA State Championship Preview — Presented by Kroger

The KHSAA State Championship games are here at last. With 12 teams remaining, only six will be crowned as the best in their respective class.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of Friday and Saturday’s big games at Kroger Field: 

Pikeville (13-2) vs. Russellville (12-1) — 1A

Pikeville has been perceived as 1A’s top dog since the season began. The Panthers have not disappointed.

Pikeville has KHSAA’s leading rusher on their squad in Blake Birchfield, whose 2,329 yards and 23 touchdowns have played a major role in the Panthers’ success this season. 

Rushing isn’t the only facet of the Panthers’ game, however. Murray State commit and Pikeville quarterback Isaac McNamee has thrown for 1,739 yards and 27 touchdowns this season—22 of which have come via the hands of Zac Lockhart and Wade Hensley, who have combined for 1,272 receiving yards on the year.

Russellville has been just as impressive this season. Ranking No. 1 in the 1A RPI, they haven’t dropped a game since late August.

Led by running back Jovari Gamble’s 1,398 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball, Russellville also has one of the class’ top pass rushers in Braxton Baptiste, whose 11 sacks and three forced fumbles has a chance to keep McNamee in check, which would force Pikeville to rely on Birchfield. The only question is—can they stop him?

Beechwood (14-0) vs. LCA (14-0) — 2A

There are three undefeated teams left in KHSAA heading into the state championship games this weekend—2A will feature two of them.

If you want an example of what utter dominance looks like, take a look at what these two teams have done to their opponents this season. Beechwood has outscored their opponents 666-83 over their perfect season, pitching five shutouts and not allowing more than one touchdown in any game since the beginning of October. 

Reigning co-Mr. Kentucky Football Cam Hergott has 3,915 all-purpose yards this season, which has resulted in 59 total touchdowns. He’s a top-10 rusher and passer in 2A and ranks No. 1 in the class in both passing (32) and rushing (27) touchdowns.

LCA can say that they gave Boyle County their first home loss since August of 2017, defeating the Rebels 35-28 in a game that saw the Eagles rush for 446 yards due to the fact that starting quarterback Drew Nieves was out with injury. 

They’ve also scored at least 49 points in each of the last eight games—this postseason alone, the Eagles average 59 points per outing compared to Beechwood’s 49 per game throughout the playoffs. This statistic has been inflated, in part, due to LCA’s Xavier Brown, a Virginia commit, taking 107 carries this season for 1,445 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging a class-high 13.5 yards per rush. 

It’s safe to say this is a game that’ll give a defensive coordinator a headache, because points will be plentiful come game time.

Belfry (8-6) vs. Paducah Tilghman (8-6) — 3A

If you wanted to sum up the madness that was KHSAA’s Class 3A this season, just take a look at the records on both of the finalists.

8-6.

Both Belfry and Paducah Tilghman came into the postseason with 4-6 records, and on Saturday afternoon, one of these teams will be able to achieve the impossible and call themselves state champions.

The Pirates, who started 0-5 this season, are led by game-changing running back Isaac Dixon. The Pirate offense plays to Dixon’s advantage, featuring a run-heavy offense that legendary coach Phillip Haywood has implemented over his long tenure. Dixon ranks top-10 in 3A with 136 attempts for 1,365 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.

Tilghman passes the ball more than any other team in their respective class. Quarterback James Jack is 188-357 for 2,663 yards and 32 touchdowns coming into the state title game. His two favorite targets in Brian Thomas and Camdon Marshall are responsible for 21 of those 32 touchdowns and have 955 and 502 yards on the season, respectively.

Don’t think that Tilghman only has the ability to impact the game through the air—Malachi Rider’s 1,170 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns say otherwise. The Pirate defense will have to keep their head on a swivel if they want to keep their KHSAA title hopes alive.

That heavy dose of the passing game comes with its detriments, however. Jack has thrown 13 interceptions this season—if Belfry can force a turnover or two and keep this Blue Tornado offense off the field, another ring might be added to the fistful that Haywood has already acquired over the years. If not, it might be a long day for the Pirates.

Johnson Central (12-2) vs. Boyle County (13-1) — 4A

Jim Matney would be proud of his Golden Eagles as they headline KHSAA’s Friday night’s state championship slate against the Boyle County Rebels.

Johnson Central hasn’t lost a game since the passing of their head coach—they haven’t just defeated the opposition, they’ve dominated each team they’ve faced. Their postseason run has been nothing short of impressive, defeating the previously undefeated Corbin Redhounds and then getting their revenge on Franklin County, who defeated JCHS in the semifinals last season. 

The Golden Eagles are one win away from making this season one that they’ll never forget.

Boyle County will look to play spoiler for their feel-good moment Friday night, however. With two impressive victories over a tough Lexington Catholic team and dominating victories over Pulaski County and 5A finalist Frederick Douglass—the Rebels know how to find ways to win in important games.

The Rebels know what they’ll get in the Johnson Central offense and will have to find ways to stop the run game—something no team this season has been able to do. For the Golden Eagles, the duo of quarterback Jagger Gillis and Kentucky commit Cole Lanter is a major threat, the likes of which JCHS hasn’t had to defend this season. 

Add in the fact that Avery Bodner and Sage Dawson can hurt you on the ground—it’s becoming likely that this game will be decided on defense.

Frederick Douglass (13-1) vs. South Warren (13-1) — 5A

Saturday will mark the first time Frederick Douglass and South Warren battle each other on the gridiron, and with the seasons these two teams have had and with the stakes as high as they can go—you won’t want to miss KHSAA’s 5A title game.

South Warren is undefeated when facing KHSAA opponents this season. Their only loss was a week two slugfest against Tennessee’s Hendersonville 27-20. Otherwise, the Spartans have won every game this year by at least two touchdowns or more.

The Spartans are led by a top-50 quarterback in the nation in Caden Veltkamp, a WKU commit. His 2,427 passing yards and 32 touchdowns rank him second in 5A in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns. South Warren also boasts a 1,000-yard rusher in Kobe Martin, which gives the Spartan offense the ability to keep the Douglass defense guessing.

Frederick Douglass seems to have completely bounced back from their regular-season finale bashing to 4A finalist Boyle County. Thus far in the postseason, Douglass has outscored their opponents 177-27 and hasn’t given up more than one score in each of their four games.

Led the quarterback-wide receiver duo of Sam Cornett and Kentucky commit Dane Key, the Broncos also have a bevy of rushers the Spartans need to keep an eye on; fellow Kentucky football commit Ty Bryant, TJ Horton and Davaun Hart can all impact the game. Add Cam Dunn into the passing game and that makes for one of the most well-rounded, dynamic offenses in any class this season.

Male (13-0) vs. St. Xavier (13-1) — 6A

It’s the rematch we’ve all been waiting for.

The one blemish on St. Xavier’s record—Male defeated the Tigers 28-21 in week three’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week. Bulldog quarterback Nic Schutte and running back Daniel Swinney were responsible for all of Male’s 365 yards during their first meeting.

Schutte threw for 225 yards and two scores, rushing for another while Swinney took 27 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.

That, however, was in September. Since their loss, St. Xavier has dominated KHSAA, outscoring their opponents 379-127 in 11-straight victories, including three shutouts. Tiger quarterback Jack Sivori has thrown for 2,013 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 1,213 yards and 22 more scores through 14 games this season.

Male, on the other hand, has dominated every opponent they’ve faced this season. They come into the state title game ranked No. 1 in 6A’s RPI (St. X is No. 2) thanks to the fact that they defeat each opponent by an average score of 42-8 every Friday night.

St. X was down six defensive starters in their first meeting. How will Male fare against a completely healthy Tiger team that has been on fire since the loss three months ago?

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