KSR's 2024 Kentucky High School Football Preview: Class 3A

It is once again football time in the Bluegrass. With less than a week remaining until the kickoff of the 2024 Kentucky high school football season, KSR will preview all 48 districts and all six classes. We’ve already covered Class 1A and Class 2A. Now, we assess Class 3A, home to the back-to-back state champion Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions, the #10 overall team in KSR’s Kentucky High School Football Preseason Rankings.

District 1 may be the home of the best player in all of 3A, Union County running back Jarren Johnson. Last season, Johnson actually took snaps behind center, and the Braves’ offense consisted of mostly Wildcat formation. As a junior, Johnson ran for 2,091 yards and 33 touchdowns (both second in 3A) while throwing for 680 yards and finding the end zone six times through the air. However, Johnson will be returning to his usual spot in the backfield heading into his senior season.

Additionally, the Braves return junior running back Willem McPeake, who ran for 1,084 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. On the defensive side of the ball, two 100+ tacklers in Amare Black (107) and Kamden Davis (100) take control. Black and Davis also combined for 19.5 sacks a year ago, so expect them to maintain a similar level of production in 2024.

McLean County will be looking to build off a successful 8-3 campaign in 2023, but losing QB Brodie Cline to graduation and having to completely reload on the offensive line will be a big question for the Cougars to answer. Junior running back Aden Bolden tallied 1,030 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns (one on a kickoff return) a year ago, and he’ll look to add to that this season.

Webster County will look to keep its momentum rolling after managing a 6-5 season under first-year head coach Edward Milum. The Trojans lose their leading passer and top two rushers however, so it’ll be a tall task for them to keep riding high.

In 2023, Hart County took that next step to really asserting itself as one of the best teams in 3A. However, Chad Griffin lost a ton of offensive production in the offseason. To be specific, he lost each of his top five rushers who combined for 4,153 yards and 36 touchdowns last season. It would feel wrong to call 2023 a flash in the pan for the Raiders considering how consistently good they have been in years past, but they may take a considerable step back this season.

The transition from 4A to 3A has been very kind to the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats, as one would probably expect. After going 9-3 and making it to the second round of the playoffs last season, Max Chaney and his squad will look to elevate themselves this season, and that starts with their backfield.

Colin Anderson, Blake McPherson, and Layne Alford will all be returning in 2024 after combining for 1,516 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground last season. The Wildcats lose three of their four leading tacklers, so there will be some new faces leading the defense this year.

Adair County saw a revitalization of their program after Steve Stonebraker took over for the Indians last season, and that climb upward looks to continue to be trending in the right direction. Easton Jessie, who threw for 2,164 yards and 21 touchdowns (both fifth in 3A) for cross-district foe Glasgow last season, transferred to Adair County ahead of his senior season. So, maybe look out for the Indians as a team that can make some noise in 3A.

District 3 is home to the back-to-back state champion Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions. Most programs see some difficulty in finding success once they’re forced to move up a class, and that was the case for CAL too when they first transitioned to 3A in 2019. Since then, however, the Centurions have gotten back on their feet and dominated.

This offseason, CAL had to replace standout quarterback Cole Hodge who is now bound to continue his football career at East Carolina. Luckily for CAL, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Senior Connor Hodge will most likely take over for his brother behind center after recording 1,494 yards and 23 touchdowns (both first in 3A) as a wide receiver last season.

Junior running back Jeffrey Vazzana will also play a big role in CAL’s offensive attack this season. As a sophomore, he rushed for 613 yards and 11 touchdowns. The schedule is certainly a hard one, but it’ll also prepare them for the postseason where they’ll look to make it three consecutive state championships.

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— CAL Football (@centurions_fb) December 4, 2023

Louisville Central will try to put a halt to CAL’s dominance, and returning senior running back Cortez Stone will certainly help with that. In 2023, he ran for 1,871 yards and 23 touchdowns (both fifth in 3A). The Yellowjackets also bring back nine of their top 11 tacklers from a year ago, so expect their defense to take a step up in 2024.

The Titans of Mercer County doubled their win total from 2022 in Craig Yeast’s (yes, that Craig Yeast) second year at the helm in Harrodsburg last season. Yeast’s program took a bit of a blow when they lost Thaddeus Mays in the offseason.

Mays threw for 1,467 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he was also the team’s second-leading ball carrier, rushing for 893 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground as well. Unfortunately for Mercer County, their leading rusher from last season, Denim Griffieth, also departed in the offseason.

However, junior wideout Ashton Drakeford is primed to have his biggest season yet after rushing for 369 yards and six touchdowns while also tallying 24 pass receptions for 402 yards and two touchdowns as well. On the defensive side of the ball, the Titans return their top three tacklers, including junior defensive end Juhon Goodman whose 12 tackles for loss and five sacks were both tops on the team last season.

Casey County will be led by first-year head coach Will Hatter this year after Levi Rogers jumped ship to Lincoln County, his alma mater, this offseason.

District 5 is one of the more top-heavy districts in Class 3A, and last season, Lexington Catholic won the district. Lloyd Memorial finished their regular season 9-1, but their lone loss came against the Knights. Lexington Catholic made it all the way to the fourth round of the playoffs before falling to the eventual Class 3A champions, CAL.

Lexington Catholic lost quarterback Jackson Wasik, who threw for 2,785 yards and 31 touchdowns (both top three in 3A) last year, in the offseason. However, the next man up for the Knights is senior Matthew Kern, who spent most of his time last season playing as a wideout. He caught 28 passes for 455 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.

As for Llyod Memorial, they’ll look to continue trending upward under Kyle Niederman. Last season, the Juggernauts were one of the more dominant defenses in the state of Kentucky, regardless of class. They held their opponents to just 12 points a game, which was good enough for second in 3A, just behind CAL who held their opponents to just 11.9 points per game.

However, the Juggernauts will have to look to reload on the defensive side of the ball as almost all of their stats leaders aren’t back in 2024. After going winless last season, Pendleton County will be turning to Jaeggar Graham to lead the program forward. It’s quite literally only up from here for the Wildcats.

After taking a loss in Week 1 to Estill County season last, it seemed that East Carter wouldn’t quite be the East Carter of the past few years, but Tim Champlin and the Raiders got things turned around in a hurry. In the playoffs, East Carter took Bell County, the eventual state runners-up, right down to the wire and came up just short in a 38-36 overtime loss. If one pass or one call goes the other direction, then it may have been the Raiders taking on CAL in Kroger Field.

2024 is shaping up to be another great year for East Carter, at least offensively. Firstly, they return senior quarterback Quentin Johnson, who threw for 1,239 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, but they also return their lead back, junior Landon Yoak. Yoak ran for 1,434 yards and 21 touchdowns (both top 10 in 3A) as a sophomore. On defense, however, the Raiders will lose their top six tacklers from a year ago.

Fleming County lost a ton of production on both sides of the ball, but the Panthers do return senior Aiden Johnson and junior Johnathon Hickerson on defense. Johnson recorded 78 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and six sacks last season. As for Hickerson, he posted 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks a year ago.

Brandon Brewer will take over the program at Bath County after Larry Bowling spent just two seasons at the helm for the Wildcats. Additionally, there will be a new face running the show at Lewis County as well. Dalton Stamm will take over the Lions in 2024.

Bell County. What a season the Bobcats had last year. Behind 2023’s Kentucky Mr. Football, running back Daniel Thomas, the Bobcats made a run all the way to the state championship game before falling to CAL in the finals. Of course, losing Thomas in the offseason, and ultimately replacing his production, will be the biggest question mark for Dudley Hilton’s program.

Thomas ran for 3,817 yards and 54 touchdowns last season, and he was far and away the best running back in the state of Kentucky last season. Junior Blake Burnett, who was second on the team in rushing last season, will likely be the man expected to fill the shoes that Thomas left behind. Last season, Burnett ran for 491 yards and six touchdowns.

Rockcastle County, which actually beat Bell County in the regular season last year, took a step up last year, and now they’re knocking on the door of a potential state championship game appearance. In 2023, the Rockets had the second-best offense in all of 3A, scoring 40.1 points per game.

Quarterback Tucker Warren returns for his senior season, which is beyond huge. In 2023, he threw for 2,186 yards and 30 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,112 yards and 16 touchdowns as well. As a defensive back, he recorded 59 total tackles and two tackles for loss as well. Expect the Rockets to assert themselves as a potential dark horse in 3A.

There was a time when Belfry dominated Class 3A. The Pirates won four consecutive state championships in 3A from 2013-16, and they even managed another one in 2021 as well. However, in 2023, Philip Haywood’s squad only made it to the second round as they would narrowly lose to Bell County in a 24-22 bout.

Although they lose their top two rushers, senior quarterback Chase Varney and junior running backs Ace Caudill and Jeremiah Austin should be able to power the offense this season. Varney threw for 877 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago, while Caudill and Austin combined for 1,097 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Lawrence County will try and compete for a district title this season, and they’ll look to their defense to try and carry at times. The Bulldogs held opponents to just 14.6 points per game last year, good enough for fourth in 3A.

The Estill County Engineers will be run by Austin Moore this season after Jordan Marcum was let go in the offseason following five seasons at the helm. As for Magoffin County and Powell County, they’ll be giving their current coaches at least another year to get their respective programs back on their feet.

KSR’s Preseason Honors:

• Class 3A Player of the Year – RB Jarren Johnson (Union County)
• Class 3A Coach of the Year – Hunter Cantwell (Christian Academy-Louisville)
• Class 3A State Champion – Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions