Kroger's Kentucky High School Football Playoff Rundown: Semifinals
We’re now just one week away from six new state football champions being crowned. Friday’s semifinal action is officially in the books, and now 12 teams remain to battle it out at Kroger Field next weekend for the crown.
But before we get too ahead of ourselves, we need to talk about what happened across Kentucky under the lights on Friday. Mirroring the Bills-Vikings ending from the NFL a couple of weeks ago, No. 6 Male pulled off a similar stunner over No. 10 Ballard in the closing seconds. In what was the final Kroger KSR Game of the Week, Male escaped with a stunning 24-20 victory that resulted in plenty of controversies.
That was hardly the only thrilling matchup from Friday though. Check out KSR’s recaps below from Bullitt East’s high-scoring win over Bryan Station along with Frederick Douglass’ tight win over Owensboro. We also have a statewide scoreboard thanks to our friends at Kroger.
State championship games at Kroger Field are scheduled for Friday (Dec. 2) and Saturday (Dec. 3).
Bullitt East Knocks Out Bryan Station in Exciting Shoot Out
BY: Troy Howell
Travis Egan’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Camron Brogan broke a 41-41 tie, and Mason Gautgerier added a long touchdown run on 3rd down in the final minute to give Bullitt East a 55-41 road victory over Bryan Station. Egan finished with four passing touchdowns and added a score on the ground.
With the win, the No. 11 Bullitt East Chargers (13-1) will play No. 6 Male (10-4) in the Class 6A state finals on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4:00 p.m. EST at Kroger Field. Bullitt East is seeking its first state title in school history. The Chargers defeated Male 24-17 in the regular season back in October.
Meanwhile, No. 16 Bryan Station (10-3) had its best finish since Eric Shelton led them to the state finals in 1999. The Defenders had won nine straight games before the loss to Bullitt East.
First Quarter
Damin Green’s opening kickoff return to the end zone was negated by a penalty, but Station still scored on its opening possession. A 23-yard run by Trenton Cutright set up a 22-yard TD run by Jeremiah-Mundy Lloyd to put the Defenders up 7-0.
Mason Gautgerier then had a 40-yard carry that set up his own short touchdown run to level the score at 7.
After a Station punt to midfield, the Chargers’ offense kept rolling. Travis Egan capped the drive with a short touchdown pass to Isaiah Hare to put the Chargers up 14-7.
Green returned another kickoff to the end zone. This time there were no flags and it stood for a touchdown. 14-14.
Second quarter
After forcing a punt, Station went to the air with two first-down passes from Cutwright to JT Haskins Jr. and another to Green. Mundy-Lloyd punched it in for his second rushing touchdown to give Station a 21-14 lead.
Green then intercepted a pass giving the Defenders the ball at the Chargers’ 45-yard line. Bullitt East forced a punt, then drove 96 yards for a touchdown. The drive was highlighted by passes from Egan to Nolan Davenport, including one for a touchdown. A bad snap on the extra point helped Station maintain a slim 21-20 lead.
The Defenders would tack on to the lead with a touchdown very late in the half on a spectacular catch from Dahvon Frazier to go up 28-20.
Third Quarter
The Chargers opened the second half with a seven-minute drive capped off by a two-yard Egan touchdown run on 4th and goal. It was Bullitt East’s third fourth down conversion on the drive, and the second such conversion from Egan’s legs.
Zechariah Dabney came up with a key tackle to deny the two-point conversion and keep the Defenders up 28-26.
Brogan got an interception for the Chargers and returned it for a 40-yard touchdown. The successful two-point conversion made it 34-28 in favor of Bullitt East.
Several Mundy-Lloyd runs, including a fourth down conversion, set up a short Cutwright touchdown run. The Chargers blocked the extra point to keep it tied at 34.
Fourth Quarter
Egan’s touchdown pass to Davenport pushed the visitors back into the lead.
But Bryan Station answered with a short Mundy-Lloyd touchdown run to tie it once again, this time at 41-41. The play was set up by an incredible hurdle by Mundy-Lloyd on 4th down.
After going up 48-41 on a Brogan touchdown reception, Bullitt East came up with a key stop on 4th and short.
Bullitt East then punched their ticket to Kroger Field with the late touchdown run. The Chargers have won 13 straight games after falling to Spencer County in the season opener. Bullitt, which has been one of the few teams in 6A to maintain a consistent offense, will need another big game from Egan in order to take down Male again. The Chargers are seeking to become the only team outside the big three (Trinity, St. Xavier, and Male) to win a 6A title, except for Scott County in 2013. The big three have won the championship in the state’s largest classification in 24 of the past 25 seasons.
Frederick Douglass Sneaks Back to Kroger Field
BY: Katelyn Perkins
The #1 ranked Frederick Douglass Broncos defeated No. 23 Owensboro 14-2 on Friday night in the Class 5A state semifinals. With the victory, the Broncos are headed to the state title game at Kroger Field next weekend.
Coming into this semifinal matchup, Douglass (13-0) was only one of two teams with a still undefeated record. The other remaining undefeated team was No. 4 Southwestern (13-0), which fell 47-20 to No. 13 Bowling Green.
Douglass Expected to Look Dominant
Most people expected a blowout win in favor of the Broncos. Prior to this game, Douglass had defeated every opponent this season by at least two touchdowns.
Douglass found the end zone first off of a strong run from senior RB Davaun Hart nearly four minutes into the game, giving them an early 7-0 advantage.
Although the Broncos were able to find an early lead, the offense began to look shaky as junior QB Cole Carpenter threw an interception with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
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Owensboro stuffed the box on defense in an effort to try and stop the tough running game of Douglass. The score remained 7-0 in favor of the Broncos going into the second quarter.
Defenses Shine
Coming out of the gate in the second quarter, Owensboro found themselves on the board after backing up the Douglass offense and getting a safety. They cut the deficit to five with a little time left at the end of the first half.
The Owensboro defense made more big plays as they were able to get to Carpenter a few times on third downs.
Going into halftime, the Broncos were held from putting up any more points and the score remained 7-2 with Owensboro trying to fight their way to a lead.
Hoping For a Faster Second Half
Starting just six minutes in the second half, Douglass was able to get their second fumble recovery of the game after getting one late in the first.
There were various opportunities for Douglass to find another score but they struggled to convert on third downs which made it difficult for them to get in the red zone.
After a slow third quarter, the score was still 7-2 with the Broncos in the lead.
Right at the start of the fourth quarter, Douglass had an opportunity to tally three more points with a field goal, but it was blocked.
UK Commit Makes Presence Known
Kentucky Commit, 2022 Paul Hornung Award Winner and Bronco senior ATH, Ty Bryant, was able to get some first downs for his team in the fourth quarter, however, a false start penalty and another sack from the Owensboro defense kept pushing him back.
The Broncos found themselves in the red zone with almost seven minutes left in the game but could not get the first down.
Owensboro did not have the only stellar defense on Friday night as Douglass’ Logan Busson got an interception with just six minutes remaining.
It did not take long for Bryant to find a hole in the Owensboro defense and end the scoring drought that had come in the second half. The future ‘Cat ran all the way to the end zone and put the Broncos up 14-2 with five minutes left.
Owensboro could not get past the Douglass defense and did not find another score in the last five minutes.
The Broncos advance to the Class 5a state championship over Owensboro 14-2, and will head into yet another state title game at Kroger Field.
The 5A state title game between Douglass and Bowling Green will be held at Kroger Field in Lexington on Saturday, Dec. 3 3rd at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Kroger’s Scores From Around The State
Kroger is a staple in your hometown community just like high school football. There’s nothing quite like Friday nights in the Bluegrass. We are honored to share this journey with Kroger and you for the third consecutive season.
(KSR High School Rankings listed)
| No. 9 Pikeville | 50 | vs. Newport Central Catholic | 14 | Class 1A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 24 Raceland | 49 | vs. Holy Cross (Louisville) | 6 | Class 1A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 21 Beechwood | 48 | vs. Lloyd Memorial | 0 | Class 2A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 17 Mayfield | 38 | vs. Lexington Christian | 28 | Class 2A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 18 Bardstown | 38 | vs. No. 27 Mason County | 28 | Class 3A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 7 Christian Academy-Louisville | 50 | vs. Ashland Blazer | 7 | Class 3A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 5 Boyle County | 35 | vs. Central | 21 | Class 4A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 2 Corbin | 49 | vs. Franklin County | 35 | Class 4A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 13 Bowling Green | 47 | at No. 3 Southwestern | 20 | Class 5A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 1 Frederick Douglass | 14 | vs. No. 23 Owensboro | 2 | Class 5A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 11 Bullitt East | 55 | at No. 16 Bryan Station | 41 | Class 6A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
| No. 6 Male | 24 | at No. 10 Ballard | 20 | Class 6A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals |
State Championship Matchups
Friday, Dec. 2
12:00 PM (1A): Pikeville vs. Raceland
4:00 PM (2A): Beechwood vs. Mayfield
8:00 PM (4A): Corbin vs. Boyle County
Saturday, Dec. 3
12:00 PM (3A): Christian Academy-Louisville vs. Bardstown
4:00 PM (6A): Male vs. Bullitt East
8:00 PM (5A): Frederick Douglass @ Bowling Green
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