KSR's High School Football State Finals Preview: Friday Games
After a long year of great matchups all throughout the Bluegrass, it all comes down to one weekend at Kroger Field.
Friday will mark the start of six Kentucky high school football championship matchups. Three will be played on Friday (Class 1A, 2A, and 4A) followed by three more on Saturday (3A, 5A, and 6A). With KSR’s Freddie Maggard calling all six games from the booth, KSR will have boots on the field for every single one, and we are ecstatic for a great weekend of football. General admission tickets will cost you $20 a piece, or you can watch the games live at KSBar and Grille in Lexington.
Before we roll into the final weekend of the 2023 Kentucky high school football season, we will preview the matchups for Friday and Saturday, starting with Friday’s three-game slate.
Class 1A: #22 Raceland vs. #24 Pikeville | 12:00 PM
The first heart-racing action will start with #22 Raceland (11-3) and #24 Pikeville (11-2) squaring off in an all-important Class 1A final. Raceland’s season featured tough matchups outside of their class. With losses to No. 21 Ashland Blazer (4A), No. 18 Highlands (5A), and No. 11 Lexington Christian Academy (2A), Raceland fans were anxious for some domination.
Once the Rams were faced with 1A action, it was curtains for the rest of the class.
Raceland went a perfect 10-0 in the class, including a 7-6 road win over this same Pikeville squad on September 8th. This time, the matchup will take place on the beautiful Kroger Field turf, with hopefully more points to come.
However, both squads feature premier defenses, as both coaches must be strategic on “gamble” offensive plays. In the first matchup, Raceland went for 221 total yards but only entered the endzone once. The touchdown came from senior running back Noah Wallace.
Pikeville out-gained Raceland with 252 total yards, with a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Isaac Duty to junior Bradyn Hall. However, an extra-point miss from Pikeville cost the Panthers a victory.
This time they will meet with much higher stakes — the winner taking home the 1A title. Last season, Pikeville dominated Raceland 41-9 in the title game, embarrassing the Rams on the big stage. We’ll see what happens when the two meet again Friday afternoon in the first championship game of the weekend.
Class 2A: #8 Owensboro Catholic vs #10 Mayfield | 4:00 PM
No. 8 Owensboro Catholic (14-0) and No. 10 Mayfield (12-1) have both enjoyed dominant 2023 seasons. They’re seen as two of the best teams in the state while in a very competitive 2A class. No. 11 Lexington Christian and No. 12 Beechwood were both great on the season, but Owensboro Catholic and Mayfield outlasted them all. For this matchup, it will come down to explosive offenses going head-to-head.
Owensboro Catholic averages an impressive 48.1 points per game, insane numbers for an explosive offense. However, Mayfield bests them with 49.5 points per game. If there were a betting line, I’d say take the over. One thing is for sure, make it to Kroger Field to see this offensive clash.
Mayfield will be led by quarterback Zane Cartwright. The senior has thrown for 32 touchdowns with only two interceptions for an astounding 2,306 yards through the air.
Cartwright balled out in his team’s quarterfinal matchup against Kentucky QB commit Cutter Boley and LCA, then led the Cardinals to a 31-28 victory over Beechwood in the semifinals. However, the big reason for the Cardinals’ win over Beechwood was the play of senior Jutoriaus Starks.
Starks ran for 220 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns last week. Beechwood had no answer, as the bell-cow back ran 27 times in the win. He has rushed for 1,533 yards on the ground with 29 touchdowns this season. He averages a staggering 117.9 yards per game, putting Mayfield’s rushing attack into elite status.
For Owensboro Catholic, two blowouts of Green County and Somerset led the Aces to Kroger Field. Their high-powered offense is led by junior STAR Brady Atwell. The stats in the following tweet speak for themselves.
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With 65 touchdowns through the air and 4,227 passing yards, Atwell has been lighting up every record book in the Bluegrass. He also leads the Aces in rushing yards with 657 to go along with 13 scores on the ground. His main target is senior William Carrico, who has caught 85 passes for 1,587 yards and 27 receiving touchdowns. Noah Rhinerson and Waryn Ebelhar provide support at the receiver position as well. Vince Carrico leads the Aces in tackles with 185 total tackles along with four sacks.
It’s going to be a rushing attack vs. a passing attack, who’s going to win?
Class 4A: #3 Covington Catholic vs. #1 Boyle County | 8:00 PM
The game of the weekend will take place on Friday night under the SEC lights. Juggernaut No. 1 Boyle County (14-0) will meet its toughest state championship test in recent memory when they defend their title against No. 3 Covington Catholic (14-0).
After Boyle’s narrow victory over Corbin earlier this season, many expected the Colonels would be waiting for the Rebels. Both teams took care of business in the semifinals with Boyle thrashing No. 13 Franklin County 41-14 and Covington Catholic taking down No. 9 Paducah Tilghman 22-14. Now, the matchup that everyone has been waiting for will take place, and where better than Kroger Field?
Future Wildcat and three-star senior monster TE Willie Rodriguez will lead the Colonels’ receiving efforts on Friday. He has caught 28 passes for 485 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The 6-foot-4 225-pound Rodriguez will dominate blocks as well, opening up holes for senior RB Owen Leen. The running back has dominated opponents with 12 touchdowns on 834 yards gained.
Senior quarterback Evan Pitzer is the man in Covington, one of the more underrated quarterbacks in Kentucky. He has 2,556 yards in the air with 32 touchdowns for the Colonels. Pitzer is the engine behind the Colonels’ offense and even uses his legs with his strong frame to punish defenses in deep coverage. The defense has been solid too, with Tate Kruer leading Covington Catholic with 109 total tackles.
For Boyle County, the number one team in the state has dominated every team all season. The Rebels are the most proven team in the Bluegrass and would be favorites in every state championship game no matter the class. Justin Haddix has a great case for Coach of the Year in Kentucky while junior Montavin Quisenberry is the most electric player in state limits.
Quisenberry and senior Avery Bodner are the best rushing duo in Kentucky, combining for 1,912 yards total and 37 touchdowns. Bodner is seen as the most reliable back with over 1,000 yards, but Quisnberry is the big play phenom that every team wants. Quisenberry has four special teams touchdowns. Teams have begun to not even punt to the Rebels, scared of a Montavin masterclass.
Air Force commit Sage Dawson is under center and has proven himself time and time again as one of the best. He has 2,378 yards of passing with 28 touchdowns through the air and three on the ground.
Boyle County’s defense is led by Bodner and Brock Driver, with Jayce Crowe and Gage Feltner contributing to the #1 overall squad. Get to Kroger Field on Friday night for one of the best matchups Kentucky has seen in many years.
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