KSR's Kentucky High School Football State Championship Previews: Saturday

DanielHagerKSR

Football stock photo — Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

It’s been a long season, but the 2022 Kentucky high school state championship matchups are finally set.

Over the course of Friday and Saturday, 12 teams will do battle at Kroger Field for the right to be crowned state champion in their class.

Some teams are looking for their first state title in nearly 40 years; others are looking to cement modern-day dynasties. Let’s take a look at Saturday’s three matchups.

3A: Bardstown vs CAL (12:00 PM)

The Bardstown Tigers and Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions will kick things off Saturday afternoon in this weekend’s only battle of undefeated teams. These teams have dominated 3A this season, combining for double-digit victories in 24 of their 26 combined matchups. The Tigers and Centurions have faced off on 10 separate occasions since 1999, with CAL leading the series 7-3. CAL will be going for its third state title in school history and first since 2018. Bardstown will be competing for state title #5, with their last coming all the way back in 2001.

Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions

After opening with a sluggish 20-15 victory over Greenwood all the way back in week one, Bardstown has dominated their opposition this season. They sport a 26-point average margin of victory this season in the 13 games they played (their first-round playoff game was forfeited by Western Hills). The Tigers are led by senior quarterback Brayden Clark, who threw for 1,371 yards, 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Clark broke his collar bone in the third quarter of the Tigers’ 43-16 victory over Nelson County in week seven. After missing only three games, Clark returned for Bardstown’s first playoff game in a 21-7 win over the team he was injured against, Nelson County. Junior running back Tyleeq Williams was named District 3 Player of the Year, rushing for an impressive 1,788 yards and 25 touchdowns this year. He ranked eighth in the state in rushing yards and 13th in rushing touchdowns. Senior Shannon Tonge has been Clark’s best receiver this season, hauling in 40 receptions for 785 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Tiger defense is led by impressive sophomores Caden Ferrell (81 tackles, 8 TFL) and Kaden Stone (63 tackles, 5 TFL). Some young studs there. Junior kicker Tate Blincoe is the lone female participant in this year’s state championship affairs. Blincoe is 42/51 on extra point attempts and drilled her only attempted field goal this season. Bardstown is a run-heavy offense, as they averaged an impressive 278 yards of offense on the ground per game this season. Williams and the Tigers will be tough to stop.

Bardstown Tigers

If there were a team fit to stop the Tiger offense, however, one of them would definitely be the Christian Academy-Louisville Centurions. CAL ranks third in the state in scoring defense this season (7.8), just behind 5A finalist Frederick Douglass (4.8) and 2A finalist Beechwood (7.4). The Centurions also sport the state’s 14th-best rushing defense, allowing an average of only 73 rushing yards a game. CAL led the state in scoring margin, winning their 14 matchups by an average of 41.4 points per game. The Centurions are led by junior quarterback Cole Hodge, who was recently named District 4 Player of the Year. Hodge had a phenomenal season, throwing for 2,774 yards, 45 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The impressive junior ranked sixth in the state in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns. Senior Gavin Copenhaver is the team’s leading rusher, just crossing the 1K mark with 1,007 yards and 17 touchdowns. In addition to being their leading rusher, Copenhaver is also their defensive leader. He totaled 105 tackles, 24 TFL and three sacks. Cole Hodge’s little brother, Connor Hodge, is tied for the team lead in interceptions (four), led the team with two pick-sixes, and is third on the team in receiving (408). Very talented family.

Two great offenses meet two great defenses. This is exactly what a state championship game should look like. Bardstown is looking for a little playoff revenge this year, as they were ousted from the 2013 and 2014 playoffs by CAL.

KSR’s Predictions

Matt Jones: CAL
Drew Franklin: Bardstown
Ryan Lemond: Bardstown
Shannon The Dude: CAL
Zack Geoghegan: CAL, 35-21
Troy Howell: CAL, 31-24
Clark Howell: Bardstown, 28-27
Jude Howell: Bardstown, 42-28
Daniel Hager: CAL, 42-24
Brady Byrdwell: CAL

KSR’s Pick: CAL (6-4)

6A: Bullitt East vs Male (4:00 PM)

Bullitt East (13-1) and Male (10-4) will face off for the coveted 6A State Championship title in the second matchup of the day. Saturday’s matchup will be just the third time in the last 10 years that powerhouses St. Xavier and Trinity have failed to make the title game. If Male was unable to pull off a miracle victory over Ballard last week, this would have been the first 6A title game since 2013 to not feature St. X, Trinity, or Male. While Bullitt East held off a pesky Bryan Station team 55-41, Male needed a miracle fumble recovery by senior Korrey Mattingly to send the Bulldogs to their fifth consecutive 6A title game. Bullitt East defeated Male 24-17 all the way back in week nine. This was the Chargers’ first victory over the Bulldogs in six attempts since 1998.

Bullitt East Chargers

After losing their first contest of the season to Spencer County, the Bullitt East Chargers have rattled off 13 consecutive victories. They received a scare from DuPont Manual in the second round of the playoffs (36-35) but held off Central Hardin and Bryan Station to advance to just their third-ever state championship appearance. Senior Travis Egan is the Chargers’ QB1, passing for an impressive 2,649 yards, 31 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. Egan is also second on the team in rushing with 901 yards and 17 touchdowns. In last week’s semifinal victory over Station, Egan passed for 247 yards, rushed for 74 yards, and accounted for five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). Senior Mason Gauthier had himself a great season on the ground, rushing for 1,479 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bullitt East may just have the most balanced offense in high school football, averaging 216 yards passing a game and 215 yards rushing a game. Senior receivers Camron Brogan (996 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Nolan Davenport (989 yards, 11 touchdowns) found themselves just short of the 1K mark but had fantastic seasons, nonetheless. The Bullitt East defense is led by senior Ryan Still (76 tackles, seven TFL), junior Isaiah Hare (67 tackles, 15 TFL, four sacks) and sophomore Ryan Rayhill (65 tackles, nine TFL, 0.5 sacks). This Chargers team is full of experience and is looking for its first-ever state title Saturday afternoon.

Male Bulldogs

It isn’t a surprise that Male is in this game for the fifth consecutive season, but it hasn’t been the Male we’ve grown accustomed to over the last few years. The Bulldogs come into this matchup with four losses, its most in a season since 2012. They were just seconds away from losing to Ballard before the aforementioned miracle fumble recovery. If Ballard handled the snap and took a knee, we’d be talking about the Bruins right now. Chris Wolfe and his team have overcome the odds once again and are searching for their ninth state title in school history — the first since 2018. Male employs a two-man quarterback regime in senior Lucas Cobler and junior Kolter Smith. Cobler passed for 1,154 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions while Smith passed for 871 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Of the 12 teams that will suit up this weekend, the Bulldogs may have the weakest pass attack. They make up for these struggles with senior running back Daniel Swinney, who leads the team with 1,099 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns. Juniors Kevin Wilson (136 tackles, 4 TFL) and DeAndre Malone (91 tackles, 11 TFL, five sacks) anchor a Bulldog defense that allowed an average of 126 opponent rushing YPG, 94 opponent passing YPG, and 14 points a game. Although they may be down this season, Male will probably still be the favorite in this game to many people.

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This matchup is truly David vs Goliath. This game features the largest discrepancy between state title victories (eight) out of the six title games being played this weekend. Male is looking for its first title in five years, as Bullitt East is searching for its first title ever. It will be interesting to see this explosive Chargers offense match up with this Male defense.

KSR’s Predictions:

Matt Jones: Male
Drew Franklin: Bullitt East
Ryan Lemond: Male
Shannon The Dude: Bullitt East (by 90)
Zack Geoghegan: Male, 29-24
Troy Howell: Bullitt East, 28-26
Clark Howell: Bullitt East 24-21
Jude Howell: Bullitt East 42-35
Daniel Hager: Bullitt East, 45-24
Brady Byrdwell: Male

KSR’s Pick: Bullitt East (6-4)

5A: Bowling Green vs Frederick Douglass (8:00 PM)

The final matchup being played this weekend will be between the 12-2 Bowling Green Purples and the undefeated, 14-0 Frederick Douglass Broncos. Bowling Green’s two losses came against 4A finalist Boyle County and 6A powerhouse St. Xavier. Douglass throttled Boyle County 37-6 earlier this season. This will be Douglass’ third state title appearance in just their sixth season as a program. They have yet to break through, however, as they fell to Michael Mayer and Covington Catholic in 2019 and then Owensboro in 2021. Bowling Green will be entering its 12th state title game, coming away with the win in seven of those matchups. This is the first time these programs have ever played each other.

Bowling Green Purples

Bowling Green enters this game as heavy underdogs to some, but the Purples shouldn’t be taken lightly. They won 12 games by an average margin of 26 points and feature quality wins over South Warren and Southwestern. The Purples are led by Liberty Football commit Austin Anderson, the anchor of their offensive line. He was voted District 2 Player of the Year, an award usually given to quarterbacks or receivers. Sophomore quarterback Deuce Bailey produced a great season for such a young player, passing for 2,923 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He ranked fourth in the state in passing yards and seventh in passing touchdowns. Junior running back Javen Huddleston had a great year as well, rushing for 1,156 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Purples sported three 100+ tacklers in senior Jake Napier (123 tackles, 12 TFL, one sack), sophomore Grayson Newman (111 tackles, one TFL), and senior Davis Fant (111 tackles, 10 TFL, one sack). The Purples will have their work cut out for them against the Frederick Douglass defense, hailed as the best in the state.

Frederick Douglass Broncos

The Frederick Douglass defense has allowed 63 points all season, averaging out to 4.8 points per game; best in the state. Douglass boasts impressive blowout victories over 6A semifinalist Bryan Station (52-7), Scott County (41-0), 4A finalist Boyle County (37-6), and Covington Catholic (33-6). They may have the best resume of any team playing this weekend. The Broncos are led by Kentucky commit Ty Bryant, recipient of this season’s Paul Hornung Award and likely 2022 Mr. Kentucky Football. Bryant totaled 456 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, three punt return touchdowns, 20 tackles, three TFL, and 0.5 sacks. His stats may not be mind-blowing, but Bryant hardly played past halftime all season. When he did, he was often the best player on the entire field. Junior quarterback Cole Carpenter has been a great game manager for the Broncos this season, totaling 1,714 yards, 20 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Ball State commit T.J. Horton led Douglass in rushing with 666 yards and 14 touchdowns. The three-headed receiving monster of seniors Tylon Webb, Cameron Dunn, and Tate Johnson combined for 1,405 yards and 17 touchdowns. The unstoppable force that is the Douglass defense is led by Auburn commit Jamarrion Harkless (25 tackles, 6.5 TFL, two sacks), Western Kentucky commit Jalen Hand (23 tackles, 6.5 TFL, three sacks) and Kentucky target Isaiah Kenney (37 tackles, five TFL, six interceptions). This team is absolutely loaded with D1 talent.

There has only been one team that has put up double digits on the Broncos this season. Bowling Green is averaging 34.9 PPG (41st in the state) and 15.5 opponent PPG (26th in the state). Douglass is averaging 44.8 PPG (second in the state) and 4.8 opponent PPG (first in the state). It will be interesting to see how the Bowling Green offense goes about handling the vaunting Bronco defense. We’ll find out Saturday night in this weekend’s final matchup.

KSR’s Predictions: