Pulaski County will play Lexington Catholic in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week

Change of plans.

KSR will still head down Clays Mills Road Friday night but the Knights will have a new opponent.  Instead of playing Johnson Central as originally scheduled, Lexington Catholic will take on the Pulaski County Maroons.  Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. at Lexington Catholic. 

The contest is the second of two games that combined make up the Traditional Bank Bluegrass Bowl.  Henry Clay will take on Fern Creek at 6:00 p.m. in the opener.  Henry Clay lost to No. 2 Johnson Central 60-21 last week, while Fern Creek blew out J-Town 52-0.

Past Kroger KSR Game of the Week History 

Lexington Catholic is one of only three home teams to get a victory in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week.  Pulaski County lost as host last year to Southwestern.

Lexington Catholic DEFEATED Covington Catholic 29-28

Pulaski County fell to Southwestern 35-14 in the 2^nd round

Pulaski County Maroons

KSR State Ranking: 12

State Championships:  1 (2014)

State Runner-up:  3 (2013, 2015, 2016) – All 3 losses were to Bowling Green

Last Season:  Finished 8-2.  Lost to Southwestern 35-14 in the 5A 2^nd round

Coach:  John Hines led Pulaski County to the 2014 state championship.

Key Players

Sr. QB Drew Polston – Threw for 327 yards and 5 touchdowns in the season-opening win over Belfry.  Missed several games last season due to injury.

So. S Cody Nichols – Finished with 107 tackles last season.

Jr. WR Barek Williams – Caught 7 passes for 112 yards in the opener, including 2 touchdowns.  Led the team last year in receptions (86) yards (868) and TDs (9).

Lexington Catholic Knights

KSR State Ranking:  16

State Championships:  2 (2005, 2007)

State Runner-up:  1 (2015)

Last Season:  5-3.  Lost to eventual state champion Boyle County 49-41 in the 4A 2^nd round.

Coach:  Nigel Smith – Coach Smith played football at UK.  I spoke with coach Smith after the victory over Covington Catholic last season.

Part 2 of my postgame interview with ⁦@LexCathFootball⁩ coach Nigel Smith in 29-28 win over Cov Cath in ⁦@KySportsRadio⁩ Game of the Week. pic.twitter.com/Y8WcCqhEZ6

— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) November 7, 2020

Key Players

Sr. QB Jack Gohmann – 114-for-190 for 1,646 yards, 17 TDs and 6 picks last season.  Also gained 261 yards and 5 TDs on the ground.  One of the top players on the highly ranked Lexington Catholic basketball team.

Jr. K Max DeGraff – 25-of-25 on extra points and 8-of-9 on field-goal attempts last season.  One of the top kickers in the state.

Sr. WR Jack Monday – Accepted an offer to be a preferred walk-on for UK next year.  Had 19 receptions for 288 yards and 2 scores last year.

Pulaski County vs. Lexington Catholic Preview

Both teams were left looking for new games and this game came together quickly today.  When it comes to rankings, KSR has shown more respect for the Maroons than the rest of the state has, and they made our rankings look good by blasting traditional powerhouse Belfry 55-13 in the opener.  Despite losing Tristan Cox to Purdue, the Maroons return most of their players from last year’s 8-2 squad.  One of the reasons for the high expectations this season is the return of QB Drew Polston, who missed games at the end of last season due to injury.  He passed for over 1,300 yards in only six games last year.  Top target Barek Williams also returns along with leading rusher Donovan Abbott.

The Knights’ explosive offense is led by QB Jack Gohmann.  They put up 41 points in a 2^nd round playoff loss to Boyle County last season.  They lost several key players from last year’s defense but most of their main players on offense are back.  Gohmann, one of the state’s top quarterbacks, will be throwing to experienced WRs Blake Busson and Jack Monday.  Monday accepted a preferred walk-on spot with UK.  Running back Walker Hall rushed for 116 yards in the season opener.  Experienced lineman Quentin Duffy and Harrison Romero are key players on the veteran line.  If the game comes down to a last-second kick, Max DeGraff is a guy that can be counted on to make long field goals.

Pulaski County vs. Lexington Catholic Prediction

Pulaski County 35

Lexington Catholic 31

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