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2020 Football Preview Flipbook PDF
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Football P •r •e •v •i •e •w
2020
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Football Preview 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROGRAM STAFF
Mason County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Editor:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evan Dennison Fleming County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Cover and Design:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melody Evans Bracken County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
*Special thanks to those that submitted photos
Lewis County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Thanks to the coaches and administration who helped with the process of putting together the preview. Photo page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Manchester. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17 Class 3A, 6th District Preseason Poll, Players to Watch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Follow us on Twitter @LedgerSports for all the action during the sports season. @EvanDennison1 will be providing game and feature Class 1A, 5th District Preseason Poll, Players to Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 stories, live-tweeting games and uploading video highlights. The Ledger account posts all the game stories and scores to the website University of Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 at maysville-online.com/sports. University of Louisville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Cincinnati Bengals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Follow the Facebook page of Evan Dennison for uploaded game stories, game photos, feature stories and photo galleries of the Photo pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-24 action this season.
Fleming County’s Logan Pinkley celebrates one of his seven touchdowns scored last season.
Lewis County hopes to start turning things around in 2020 as they’ve collected just seven wins since the 2015 season.
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Football Preview
The Ledger Independent
Mason County Royals
Royals bringing different style in search of district title 2020 Mason County coaching staff
Evan Dennison [email protected] After earning their first playoff victory since the 2013 season, things will look a little bit different for the Mason County Royals in 2020. Gone are Carson Brammer and the highscoring offense with a wide array of options at wide receiver. The team will now shift to a more run-oriented type of offense. It may have only produced a 6-6 record, but it was entertaining to see the Royals games last season, all but one of them having at least 40 combined points scored in them. That should change this year as they seek more of a ball control offense and a defense that returns some key pieces and should show improvement from the 25 points per game they allowed last season. “We return some pieces. Defensively, other than our d-line I feel okay about where we can be,” Royals coach Jonathan Thomas said. “Offensively we’ll have to work a little bit because even though some kids we didn’t lose to graduation, some aren’t playing this year.” The first question for the offense will be who replaces Brammer at QB. The two early options have been junior Ashton Adams and sophomore Terrell Henry. Thomas doesn’t expect a clear-cut starter named in Week 1 and possible beyond that. “Experience, neither one of them have it. They both do some different things. There may be a Friday night when one shines brighter then the other, hopefully they can be in each others corner and cheer for each other. I’d say by the end of this, we’ll probably have a defined starter, but going into the first game that’s not going to happen,” Thomas said. “Whoever can manage the offense, control it and put points up. Whoever can do that in those games, those things kind of tell on themselves. It’s one thing to be okay and be good during the week of practice, but come Friday night you still have to manage the game and our goal is to try and win so it’s a matter of who can do that.”
Photos by Evan Dennison The Ledger Independent
Three of the five pieces on the offensive line are back spearheaded by three-year starter Shawn Monteith, who will help pave the way for a loaded backfield that features Chad and Caden Clark-Roberts, Brandon Dearing and Trey Walker expected to get the bulk of the carries spread out among the four. “We feel like the o-line can be a big part of what we do and an anchor on our team this year,” Thomas said. Instead of the average of 21.6 pass attempts they had per game last year, anticipate that number to be lower with a lot more designed runs, whether it be with the quartet of backs mentioned or with Adams or Henry, both capable of tucking the ball and gaining yardage. “It will kind of be a who’s hot type of thing and when we get to the fourth quarter we might be able to throw a fresh back at somebody. It’s a luxury we have a lot back there and we’ll definitely be able to ride those guys for a while,” Thomas said. Outside at receiver is where the biggest turnover on the team is. Four receivers combined for 122 of the 142 receptions last season, all gone either due to graduation or transferring elsewhere. While there isn’t much experience back at receiver, Thomas is ready to explore all options at the position with a deep younger group to try and work with. “With us being a run-heavy team this year, those guys out wide are going to have to block and that’s going to be a big thing for them with playing time. They’re going to have to know what to do, where to line up and when their number is called, run the right route. Do what the play asks you to do. We have some guys that can fit into those spots and we’re really deep out there. The competition is always good, will weed out some and bring the cream to the crop. It’s a deep, but young there. Losing Jeremiah (Jones), Jayden (Riggs), Jake (Swolsky) and Kolby (Jones), we’ll have to replace those guys with a collective group of people,” Thomas said. An opportunistic defense that forced 35
turnovers, tops in Class 3A last season will hope to duplicate that effort once again. That’s nearly three turnovers per game they forced on the opponent last season. “I’d like to take credit for us being opportunistic, but that was the kids being opportunistic. Every defense is going to find their identity and this year they’ll have to find theirs. I’d like them to be opportunistic again, it really helps you win football games. If you look at any of the statistics and analytics, creating turnovers really increases your chances to win football games,” Thomas said. The defense has some pieces that can create a lot of havoc whether if it’s with linebackers Dillon Osgood and Tyler Stice or defensive lineman Dravin Routt and Joseph Tull. Those four will be in the mix of a lot of tackles and defensive impact plays at the first and second levels again this season, while Adams and Henry will be the driving forces in the secondary. Adams also handles the kicking duties and will be relied upon for extra points and field goals and as the team’s punter, a Swiss-army knife one could say and will be on the field quite a bit. The team has 50 players on the roster, a nice increase from prior years which should help create more depth. “We definitely had to refigure some practice things. We’re not used to having this many kids and it’s a good problem to have. We love to have as many kids as we can possibly have and it’s good to have depth and those things will come into play as the season rolls on,” Thomas said. “But we’re still young and inexperienced this year. Still a lot of kids that
didn’t play last year and a lot of kids that have to get up to speed really fast.” In order to become district champions and do some more damage in the postseason this year, they know who they have to get past… the arch rival that’s beat them seven times in a row — Fleming County. The Panthers will enter the season as preseason favorites in the district and the team the Royals will be shooting for. “It’s a mental thing for our group right now. To me it’s not necessarily x’s and o’s, it’s getting guys to do their jobs to the best of their ability every play. We usually have a ton of mistakes against that group. I don’t know if it’s the pressure of being 0-7 against them and it’s a rival game. We’ve got to make sure guys are doing their job every play and I know if we can get that done we can have some success against them,” Thomas said. The season opener against Grant County comes and then boom…district play begins
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Football Preview 5
Roster No. Name 2 Trey Walker 3 Isaac Marshall 4 Jonathan Jones 5 Terrell Henry 6 Isaac Frye 7 Carson Ginn 8 Brandon Dearing 9 Keshaun Thomas 10 Maxwell Arrasmith 12 Dillon Osgood 14 Ashton Adams 15 Tyler Stice 16 Kayne Jones 17 Kason Gibbs 18 Andrew Shelton 20 Brady Sanders 21 Caden Clark-Roberts 22 Carson Pugh 23 Kenan Andrews 25 Westin Messer 27 Me’Caiyon Jackson 29 Colton Riggs 31 Carter Sanders 32 Kaden Allison
Pos Grade HT RB/LB 9 N/A WR/DB 10 5-10 RB/LB 10 5-8 QB/DB 10 5-11 TE/DE 10 6-0 QB/DB 9 N/A RB/LB 11 5-8 QB/DB 9 5-11 WR/DB 9 N/A RB/LB 12 5-10 QB/LB 11 5-9 TE/LB 12 5-11 WR/DB 10 N/A WR/DB 11 N/A WR/DB 10 5-11 RB/LB 10 5-10 RB/LB 10 5-10 WR/DB 10 5-9 WR/DB 10 5-10 WR/DB 10 5-10 RB/LB 9 N/A WR/DB 12 5-9 FB/LB 10 5-10 LB/TE 11 5-9
WT N/A 155 155 160 165 N/A 175 135 N/A 180 170 175 N/A N/A N/A 160 170 140 N/A 160 N/A 160 170 165
No. Name 39 Marcellio Beard 40 Barry Gifford 42 Cody Smith 49 Hunter Thompson 50 Clay Soward 52 Kyin Lewis 53 Braxton Champion 55 Dravin Routt 56 CJ Hill 57 Ethan Jefferson 58 Blake Osgood 59 Jace Moore 60 Parker Planck 61 Joseph Tull 62 Ben Redmond 63 Shawn Monteith 64 Josh Toller 65 Taylor White 66 Sean Reynolds 67 Bradley Dugan 70 Stephen Lofton 71 Jonathan Bravard 72 Wyatt Fuller 74 Shepherd Dalton
Pos Grade HT RB/LB 10 5-10 FB/LB 9 N/A N/A N/A N/A OL/DL 11 5-9 OL/DL 11 N/A OL/DL 10 5-7 OL/DL 11 5-11 OL/DL 11 5-9 OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 10 N/A OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 10 N/A OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 12 N/A OL/DL 10 6-2 OL/DL 11 6-2 OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 10 5-10 OL/DL 9 N/A OL/DL 10 6-2 OL/DL 11 6-0
No. Name 75 Jayven Hesler 76 Kenai Billie 80 Chad Clark-Roberts 81 Owen Stice 84 Kemper Arrasmith 88 Alix Flinders
WT 165 N/A 195 N/A 225 175 210 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 235 240 N/A N/A N/A N/A 250 N/A 275 225
Pos Grade HT OL/DL 11 5-8 OL/DL 11 6-1 RB/LB 10 5-10 TE/LB 10 5-9 WR/DB N/A N/A WR/DB 11 N/A
WT 280 225 170 160 N/A N/A
Head Coach: Jonathan Thomas (6th season) Assistants: Dean Ravencraft, Jim Stice, Bradley Boone, Andrew Okruch, Brandon Combess Middle School Staff: Rodney Washington, Corey Arthur, Gavin Gardner, Luke Morgan Radio: Travis Scaggs & J.T. Teegarden Manager: Matt Miller Pressbox: Daniel Scilley, Adam Sapp, Kelly Faris, Larry Dunaway FieldCrew: Jim Brown, John Roberts, Johnny Walker, Joey Waddell, Seth Faulkner, Chad Thomas, Matt Jolley Stats: Rodney Washington Film: Butch Chain Superintendent: Rick Ross Principal: Seth Faulkner Athletic Directors: Brian Kirk, Chris Ullery, Michael Fegley
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time Sep 11 Grant County home 7:30 PM Sep 25 Pendleton County home 7:30 PM Oct 2 Frankfort away 7:30 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 9 Fleming County away 7:30 PM Oct 16 Lewis County home 7:30 PM Oct 23 Powell County away 7:30 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 30 Greenup County away 7:30 PM Nov. 6 Harrison County home 7:30 PM
2019 Year in Review (6-6) Date Opponent Site Result Aug 23 Russell home (L) 49-13 Aug 30 Harrison County home (L) 27-21 Sep 6 Clay County away (W) 28-21 Sep 13 Grant County away (W) 33-8 Sep 20 Lloyd Memorial away (L) 55-27
September 25 when they host Pendleton County. A bout with Frankfort is sandwiched in-between the contest with Fleming County on October 9, district foes Lewis County and Powell County follow after that.
Date Opponent Site Result Sep 27 Pendleton County away (W) 50-22 Oct 11 Fleming County home (L) 29-19 Oct 18 Lewis County away (W) 59-6 Oct 25 Powell County home (W) 45-14 Nov 1 Greenup County home (L) 35-34 (2OT)
all got families to go home to and we want to keep them as safe as possible. We’re wearing masks as much as we can, even in our offices inside, stagger locker times and things like
Date Opponent Site Result Nov 8 Powell County home (W) 27-0 Class 3A Playoffs Nov 15 Fleming County away (L) 35-7 Class 3A Playoffs
that,” Thomas said. “The biggest thing with me and our coaching staff, we’re thankful for this opportunity, some of these kids we’ll have for the last time. Who knows if we’ll
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make it through a full season, none of that is promised, hopefully we’ll take the mentality that tomorrow is not promised and we can use every day like it’s our last.”
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Football Preview
Fleming County Panthers
Panthers know the bullseye is on them Evan Dennison [email protected]
Coming off their third d i s t r i c t championship in five seasons and just their sixth double-digit win total in program history, Fleming County is slotted again to be at the top of their district as they enter 2020.
in quarantine, their bout with border rival Rowan County on September 11 was called off, setting up their first game to be played at East Carter on September 18.
The Panthers made it look easy against district opponents in 2019, the newly aligned Class 3A, 6th District didn’t cause them any problems, winning all six games by a combined score of 263-42. This year might look a little different though.
“The guys have been excited. I’ve been thrilled with how they came to work and want to get back to football. The shutdown we had to have for months helped create more excitement I think and has them ready to get back to work,” Spencer said.
The gap probably won’t be as wide and the bullseye will be on them from the jump. “We’ve been preaching being the hunted and not the hunter,” Panthers coach Bill Spencer said, who returns to the sidelines for his 11th season. “No one really knew last year with it being a whole new district. We know the target is on us, everyone we play we expect to get their A game and we’re ready to accept that challenge.” On top of having to replace record-setting quarterback Jonathan Maher, who was the first in program history to run for 1,000 yards and throw for 1,000 yards at the position, the Panthers have been dealt with a little bit of adversity before they can even get going, having their first game of the season canceled due to a couple of positive COVID-19 tests in the program less than two weeks before the season began. Unable to get the required practices in time due to the team
Even in limited time so far on the field with just helmets, Spencer has liked what he’s seen from his group, especially with their attitudes.
With the limited reps, figuring out who will replace Maher is at the top of the pecking order. Zeke Conn and Buddy Morgan have been in a healthy competition since the start, while neither has clearly won the competition to be named the outright starter. Upon returning to action after quarantine, the battle will continue as they’ll have nine practices leading into their game with East Carter. “It’s a big question we have to answer when we get back at it,” Spencer said. “Replacing a guy that did as much as Johnny, we’re not expecting to do that with one guy. It will be multiple people that will have to pick up where that production left off.” Helping out the cause will be an experienced offensive line that brings back three starters and a fourth that saw plenty of time due to injuries last season. The unit that labels themselves the “Hawg Squad” has some fierceness and nastiness to them which should help the offensive engine continue to go that put up an average of 39.1 points per game last season. Kenley Manning, Daniel Watkins, Cooper Schwartz and Austin Hyatt are back and Spencer feels good about that part of the offense. “It’s the strength of our team early on. I talked to those guys this summer and told them I expect them to carry us. With limited practice, games won’t be as crisp early on and I’m counting on those guys to help get us through it,” Spencer said. They’ll be creating holes for whoever will be under center and what the Panthers are hoping will be a healthy season for running back Tanner Weaver. Weaver was dinged up last season and was limited to just 62 carries. Spencer also likes what he’s seen out of Levi Denton out of the backfield, the two to form a duo in the backfield this season.
Logan Pinkley has been tabbed as the Cats’ Pause Class 3A, 6th District Player of the Year.
Submitted photos
While most of the receiving core is gone that put up a lot of the production, the Panthers do have Cats’ Pause preseason district player of the year Logan Pinkley returning. Pinkley tied for the team lead with 707 receiving yards and was second with seven receiving touchdowns on 49 receptions last season. His playmaking ability will be vital for a unit that lost 126 of the 183 receptions they had last season. “Logan had a big year for us last year. Maybe he always wasn’t
Tanner Weaver will be counted on as the lead running back for the Panthers this season.
our No. 1 option last year, but he definitely will be this season and we expect teams to key in on him more. We took what the opponent gave us with him last year, whether if it was the screen plays or the deep ball. His hands are phenomenal and he has big play ability every time he touches it,” Spencer said. An opportunistic defense helped the Panthers out last year, forcing 33 turnovers, second in 3A only to rival Mason County who forced 35. The ballhawk defense has to deal with a bit of turnover this year, having to replace their whole defensive secondary and their leading tackler in Maher. They do return two linebackers in Grayson Hurst and Zeke Conn and some pieces along the defensive line in Payton Roark and Daniel Watkins. The new secondary will have Pinkley and Weaver at cornerback and Buddy Morgan at safety. A lot of names are playing both ways because numbers are down a little in the program. Normally right at 50 players each season, the Panthers enter this season with 41 players on the roster, something that didn’t surprise Spencer when things began. “Our junior and sophomore classes were just a little bit smaller. Some others with their living situations and living with their grandparents or elderly people didn’t want to play and I respect and understand that and hope we can get them back in the future,” Spencer said. After what’s expected to be two tough tests against East Carter and Russell, the Panthers will begin their district slate with Powell County on the road October 2. The following three weeks comes Mason County, Pendleton County and Lewis County. The Royals are expected to give them the biggest push in district play, the Panthers having won seven straight games
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Football Preview 7
over their biggest rival, including twice last year, the second game in the district championship. “We’ve been on the other side of that trying to break the momentum too now. Maybe it hasn’t been seven straight times, but sometimes it just becomes a mental thing. We have a ton of respect for Coach Thomas and their program and know when we play them this year it will be a new ballgame and we won’t harp on the past,” Spencer said.
Also creating some uncertainty in district play will be the coaching changes with Powell County and Lewis County while Pendleton County brings a solid core of players back. At the end of the day and when they are able to get on the field, while the Panthers have already had to endure the setbacks with COVID-19, they know they’ll be one happy bunch when the ball gets kicked off for real on the 18th.
“First and foremost our main priority is being as cautious as we can to keep kids safe. You always worry about that in football to begin with, this adds a whole new level to it,” Spencer said. “Having a season at this point will be considered successful. Sometimes wins and losses play second fiddle to things, right now we’re happy to play games and give them that opportunity. We’ll still prepare and win, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a success to have a season this year.”
Roster No. Name HT 2 Landon Johnson 5-11 3 Jayden Argo 6-2 4 Bryce Bradley 5-8 5 Hunter Carpenter 5-11 6 Nate Ruark 5-10 7 Jordan Raikes 5-9 8 Mark Blackstone 5-10 9 Levi Denton 5-10 10 Tanner Weaver 5-6 11 Hoss Morgan 5-8 14 Logan Pinkley 6-3 15 Buddy Morgan 6-0 16 Zeke Conn 5-9 19 Caden Arrasmith 5-9 20 Austin Trent 5-9 21 Brady Faris 5-8 22 Landon Shields 5-10
WT 155 165 138 160 135 140 130 156 150 146 170 155 215 121 190 134 190
Pos Grade WR/DB 9 WR/DB 11 WR/DB 10 WR/DB 10 QB/DB 9 WR/DB 12 WR/DB 9 WR/DB 11 RB/LB 12 RB/LB 11 WR/DB 11 QB/DB 12 QB/FB/LB 12 WR/DB 9 RB/LB 9 RB/DB 9 RB/LB 10
No. Name HT 23 Braxton Igo 5-11 24 Braden Allen 5-10 25 Matthew Everidge 5-10 32 Matthew Dugan 6-3 33 Jesse Jones 5-10 34 Caleb Igo 5-8 35 Payton Roark 6-4 45 Grayson Hurst 5-9 50 Austin Emmons 5-7 51 Zain Barbee 5-9 52 Kenley Manning 5-11 53 Morgan Arnett 5-8 59 Daniel Watkins 5-11 65 Dylan DeAtley 5-9 68 Tristan Emmons 6-1 69 Carson Oldham 6-2 72 Harrison Doyle 6-0
WT 194 177 143 221 190 140 230 205 150 170 238 160 257 211 240 229 212
Pos Grade RB/LB 11 WR/DB 10 WR/DB 11 TE/LB 12 TE/LB 10 RB/LB 10 WR/LB 12 FB/LB 12 OG/DE 10 OG/DE 9 C/DE 12 C/DE 9 OT/DE 12 OG/DE 10 C/G/DT 12 OT/DE 11 OG/DT 12
Schedule
No. Name HT 74 Austin Hyatt 6-0 75 Caden Ervin 6-1 76 Cooper Schwartz 6-4 78 Justyn Haggerty 5-11 79 Carlos Sanchez 5-7 80 Triston Still 5-10 85 Andrew Brewer 5-7
WT 263 306 309 308 242 153 147
Pos Grade OG/DT 11 OT/DT 9 OT/DT 12 K/P 12 OT/DT 9 WR/DB 11 TE/T/DE 9
Head Coach: Bill Spencer (11th season) Assistants: Jordan Fritz, Todd Glascock, Jimmy McKinney, Aaron James, Heath Burnett, Jared Wagner Superintendent: Brian Creasman Principal: Stephanie Emmons AD: Bill Spencer Team Doctor: Mike Boyd Managers: Molly Spencer, Elisa Gonzalez Video: Aubrie Montgomery, Bryan Manning
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Date Opponent Site Time Sep 11 Rowan County home Canceled Sep 18 East Carter away 7:30 PM Sep 25 Russell home 7:30 PM Oct 2 Powell County away 7:30 PM Oct 9 Mason County home 7:30 PM Oct 16 Pendleton County home 7:30 PM Oct 23 Lewis County away 7:30 PM Oct 30 Harrison County away 7:30 PM Nov 6 Bath County away 7:30 PM
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2019 Year in Review (10-3) Date Opponent Site Aug 23 Nicholas County away Aug 30 Greenup County home Sep 13 Rowan County away Sep 20 East Carter home Sep 27 Russell away Oct 4 Powell County home Oct 11 Mason County away Oct 18 Pendleton County away Oct 25 Lewis County home Nov 1 Harrison County home Nov 8 Pendleton County home Nov 15 Mason County home Nov 22 Bell County away
Result Kentucky Locations Ohio Locations (W) 54-26 Knowledgeable Staff, Integrity, Exceptional Customer Service, Brooksville Garrison Mt. Olivet Florence Ironton Ripley (L) 40-36 Accounts to fit every need and 13 Locations for Customer Convenience 111 Powell St 9234 East KY 8 17 W. Walnut St 8545 US 42 221 Railroad St 104 E. Main (W) 48-18 Brooksville, KY 41104 Downtown Garrison, KY 41141 Mt. Olivet KY 41064 Florence, KY 41042 Ironton, OH 45638 Ripley, Oh 4 Office Ripley Office Garrison Office Brooksville Office (W) 27-26 606-735-2959 606-757-4784 606-724-5403 859-282-0235 740-533-4505 937-392-43 10 Second St. 104 Main St. 9234 E KY 8 104 Jefferson St. Vanceburg, KY 41179 Ripley, OH Garrison, KY 41141 Brooksville, KY 41004 (L) 55-7 606-796-3001 937-392-4369 Eminence Maysville Tollesboro Fort Wright Rome 606-757-4784 606-735-2959 (W) 47-11 5230 South Main St 1201 US 68 2954 West KY 10 3425 Valley Plaza 7604 Country Rd 107 Ft. Wright Office Mount Olivet Office AA Office Tollesboro Office (W) 29-19 Pkwy 3425 Valley Plaza Parkway 17 Proctorville, West Walnut OH St. 45669 67 Commercial Dr Suite 3 2954 W KY 10 (W) 41-0 Eminence, KY 40019 Vanceburg, Maysville, KY 41056 Tollesboro, Tollesboro, KY 41189 Ft.Fort Wright, 41141 Mount740-886-2500 Olivet, KY 41064 Wright, KYKY 41017 KY 41179 KY 41189 502-845-5639 606-564-8900 606-798-6111 859-344-7860 859-344-7860 606-724-5403 606-796-1010 606-798-6111 (W) 61-8 Florence Office Ironton Office Rome Office (W) 62-21 Eminence Office Vanceburg (AA Branch) 8545 Vanceburg US 42 (Main Office) 221 Railroad St. 7604 CO. RD. 107 Unit A 5230 South Main St. (W) 50-8 Class 3A Playoffs 67 Commercial Dr #3 Florence, 10 KY 2nd41042 Street Ironton, OH 45638 Proctorville, OH 45669 Eminence, KY 40019 Vanceburg, KY 41179 Vanceburg, KY 41179 859-283-6222 1-740-533-4505 1-740-533-4505 (W) 35-7 Class 3A Playoffs 1-740-502-5639 606-796-1010 606-796-3001 (L) 48-12 Class 3A Playoffs Maysville Office Huntington Office
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Football Preview
Bracken County Polar Bears
Polar Bears building for more competitive brand to do headed into the offseason and plans are set for a big year for the junior back.
Evan Dennison [email protected] After their winningest span in three seasons of 23 wins, Bracken County suffered a winless season for the sixth time in program history in 2019 as they look to turn things around quickly entering 2020. Tim Carver enters his second year with the team and hopes the young roster that still exists uses another year under their belt with more experience and competitiveness on the field. All but three seniors return for the ones who endured the hard times in 2019 and now have had somewhat of an offseason with Carver when they could, utilizing the weight room and establishing an offensive scheme to work towards. “I feel a lot more comfortable with the kids and they feel a lot more comfortable with me. They were worried I might have been a one and done with how things went, but I’m not. I’m sticking around. I told the administration I’m here to stay because I like it here and like who I work for and with,” Carver said. Despite losing just three seniors, some additional roster turnover happened with a few that decided not to return and others that moved, including last season’s quarterback Carson Hord and defensive impact player Emery Woods. Despite the losses, Carver is grateful for the 28 that are in a Polar Bears uniform this season and feels like if they made it through last year, they’ll see the benefits of it for the coming year. “I don’t see these kids giving up. They haven’t from last year to this year. You have an 0-andall season, it’s easy for kids to say I’m done and some did,” Carver said. “But the kids that have stuck with it, we’re going to win with those kids and they don’t seem to have any quit in them. That’s a strength for us and they have an attitude about them of not giving up. If things go bad they’re not going to let down.” With Payton Gilvin in the backfield in the Polar Bears option offense, improvement seems like it will be a matter of time. When healthy last season, Gilvin was the driving force as he ran for 669 yards and six touchdowns in eight games played. His surge towards the end of the season gave the Polar Bears the idea of what they wanted
“We finally figured out what was going to work for us during the end of the season there last year. We know Payton is going to be a big key to our offense. We just had to figure out what we wanted to do. We knew we wanted to make him and the option the center of our offense,” Carver said. The new man under center running the option will be sophomore Chase Wilson, who takes over for Hord. Wilson has approached the offseason with an all-in approach and it has paid off. ”When Hord left and moved to Ohio, we had to look at who to replace that and looked at who was showing up to stuff. Chase is that guy. He listens, very coachable kid, been working on building up his confidence, making the right reads and Coaching Staff developing his arm. We feel very confident with him right now, he’s smart,” Carver said.
Photos by Evan Dennison | The Ledger Independent
Other options in the option offense will include Cody Pulaski and Austin Holder running the ball while Tanner Yelton, Devante Jefferson and Ashton Muse will be the young crop of receivers to look for when the Polar Bears keep try to keep the defense honest and throw the ball. The offensive line remains intact for the most part, four of five starters back from a season ago that hopes to continue to improve from an offense that ran for 1,899 yards last season. Matthew Bishop and Caleb Jefferson will be at the heart of the defense at middle linebacker, with Pulaski and Holder on the outside. The three receivers will also be tasked with playing cornerback while Gilvin will be the backbone of Offensive Lineman/Defensive Lineman the defense at safety. A little switch in philosophy on that side of the ball will have Carver running it. “I’m a lot more aggressive. We’re going to get after it, I’ve told the kids we’re going to do something up there. We’re not real big, but we’re fast and we’ll use that to our advantage,” Carver said. It’s a continuing transition the program is in, Carver hoping that the lumps suffered last year turn into a more competitive brand this season while they continue to build things back up. “I’m not going to promise a winning season or anything like that, but we’re going to be more in games then what we were last year. We’re still Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
The Ledger Independent young, our offense only starts two seniors. Next year we’ll have nearly everybody back. Same way with the defense, only two seniors starting on that side of the ball as well,” Carver said. The Class 1A, 5th District will present some tough matchups, Bishop Brossart expected to be at the top with loads of talent back while Nicholas County is the defending champ. “The team to beat is Bishop Brossart. They’re loaded. Coach Wiggins is a great coach. They
Football Preview 9 can do a lot of different things,” Carver said. Prior to KHSAA mandatory shutdown from COVID-19, the Polar Bears attacked the weight room when possible and continued on when things returned in late June. “We had to buy some new bars, they’re bending them. They’ve bought into that and it’s going to come to fruition. We’d open the weight room from 12-2 and 6-8 and some kids would come in twice a day,” Carver said.
Captains
Limited numbers means the Polar Bears primarily played just a varsity season last year, but on a couple of occasions where they had a JV game or a scrimmage, they were able to see some success, hopeful that taste of it can help improve the product in 2020. “They just need to see success and see this actually works. When they go against guys their own age, they see things can be okay. We had a JV game against Dayton last year, won that
game and it shows we have some hope. They’re learning, it’s going to come sooner or later,” Carver said. The first shot at topping last season’s win total comes September 11 when the Polar Bears play at Trimble County. Contests against Jackson County and Dayton come before district play begins October 2 against Paris, their closest taste to a victory last season when they lost 3028 in Brooksville.
Linebackers
Roster No. Name Grade HT 3 Isaiah Tall 9 5-8 5 Devante Jefferson 9 5-8 8 Payton Gilvin 11 5-11 10 Logan Rice 10 5-9 12 Brayan Ramirez 11 5-8 14 Ashton Muse 11 5-7 16 Chase Wilson 10 6-2 20 Daniel Fisher 11 6-1 21 Kyler Mahan 10 5-7 23 Nathan Jefferson 12 6-3
Pos QB/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DE RB/LB WR/DB QB/FS FB RB/LB WR/FS
No. Name Grade HT 24 Kody Pulaski 11 6-1 25 Tanner Yelton 10 5-10 44 Austin Holder 11 5-10 50 Ethan Bishop 10 5-9 51 Preston Roberts 9 5-10 52 Kysten Morales 12 5-11 53 Sawyer Bishop 9 5-10 54 Robert Cracraft 10 5-9 55 Logan Carter 12 5-10 56 Caleb Jefferson 11 5-10
Pos RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB OL/DT OL/LB OL/DT OL/DT OL/DE OL/DT OL/LB
No. Name Grade HT 61 Justin Buser 12 6-0 64 Matthew Bishop 12 5-10 66 Braden Girdler 9 5-7 70 Rylie Kinder 10 5-11 71 Tyler Davenport 11 6-2 73 Ronnie Darnell 12 6-5 74 Lincoln Earlywine 12 6-4 75 Lane Stewart 11 6-2
Pos OL/DT OL/LB OL/DT OL/DT OL/DT OL/DT OL/DT OL/DE
Head Coach: Tim Carver (2nd Season)
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time Sep 11 Trimble County away 7:30 PM Sep 18 Jackson County home 7:30 PM Sep 25 Dayton away 7:00 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 2 Paris away 7:30 PM Oct 9 Bishop Brossart away 7:30 PM Oct 16 Clinton County home 7:30 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 23 Nicholas County home 7:30 PM Oct 30 Newport home 7:30 PM
2019 Year in Review (0-11) Date Opponent Site Result Aug 23 Landmark Christian, OH home (L) 20-0 Aug 30 Ludlow home (L) 36-0 Sep 6 Pendleton County home (L) 57-12 Sep 13 Newport away (L) 63-8 Sep 20 Jackson County away (L) 30-0 Sep 27 Dayton home (L) 41-14 Oct 4 Paris home (L) 30-28 Oct 11 Bishop Brossart home (L) 41-0 Oct 18 Clinton County away (L) 49-0 Oct 25 Nicholas County away (L) 46-6 Nov 8 Nicholas County away (L) 46-0 Class 1A Playoffs
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Bracken County Polar Bears
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Lewis County Lions
Excitement with Lions as new era starts Evan Dennison [email protected]
kind of takes care of itself,” Hoover said.
There’s some new formed excitement in the Lewis County football program. Guys yelling in the weight encouragement for each other.
room
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New coaching staff, new decals on the helmet, new era for Lions football. The Lions start 2020 in the Bryan Hoover era, replacing Josh Hughes after coaching the Lions the last 12 years. Hoover comes in from Ohio, where he coached as an assistant at South Point. Hired in March, Hoover’s brought a new mindset and energy that he feels is wearing off on his new group, despite a limited time with them so far. “Their commitment and work ethic has just been great. We’ve had a consistent 30, good core group of guys and the work they‘ve put in, the way they’ve bought into my expectations of them is really unbelievable,” Hoover said. “It’s unlike any other group I’ve been with. The commitment they have to our system and what they’re trying to build has really impressed me about this group.” Hoover is entering his first head coaching position, but has been an assistant the last four years, two years at South Point and two at Sciotoville. He’ll hope to change the fortunes of a program that has just seven wins in its last five seasons and a playoff drought that’s lingered on since the 2013 season. In 2019, the Lions were outscored 456-98 and lost by 20 or more in nine of 10 games. Even if the wins don’t come immediately, Hoover wants to make sure they do one thing. “The guys are probably sick of me saying this word, but compete…trying to change the culture that way. Everything we do, whether it’s lifting weights, doing a drill, running conditioning…I emphasize compete and always try to win. No matter who you are going up against, yourself, if you’re lined up across from somebody whether it’s your buddy or your grandma, you are competing. You are in that position to win, once you start competing at everything you do the rest and it
In order to get things going the right way the Lions will turn to Dylan Hardy at quarterback, who saw some time under center last year as a sophomore, playing in six games with 46 pass attempts. Hoover feels Hardy has put the commitment in to learn the footwork and fundamentals of the position to be the guy. The Lions will use a committee at running back, Austin Howard, Isaiah Hamm and Ethan Sizemore seeing a bulk of the carries. As a former running back himself at Ohio Wesleyan and a brief stint at Syracuse, Hoover knows what’s needed at the position and likes what he’s seen early on between the three. “They’ve taken the competition to heart. They’re fighting to get reps over one another. My running back coach in college always urged us to compete. Iron sharpens iron and these guys are really doing that,” Hoover said. Sizemore is the leading returning rusher, collecting 274 yards on 69 carries and two touchdowns last season. Howard received 21 carries in eight games last season while Hamm had five in just two games played last year. Out wide will be four seniors getting most of the targets in Isaiah Burns, Bryson Dummit, Hunter Switzer and Peyton Spencer. “They all bring different skill sets, all of them are above 6-feet and it will be fun to manipulate those guys in different areas,” Hoover said. Paving the way along the offensive line includes Zared Lewis, Tucker Madden, Braxton Smith, Don Oliver, Austin Cain and Gentry Zornes. In the past, defense has been a struggle for the Lions, allowing 45.6 points per game last year. In order for that to get better, it starts with tackling. Despite being limited this offseason and really not able to get into full pads much prior to the season, Hoover wants to make sure his guys are ready any way they can be. “Just preaching aggression and competitiveness on that side of the ball. Can’t fault them if they do that. Now that we have more clearance, we’re putting pen to paper and establishing how to tackle,” Hoover said.
Photos by Evan Dennison | The Ledger Independent
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Football Preview 13
“We’ve been opening and closing practice with tackling drills. We know if you tackle people you’re going to win football games.” Outside of some of the names already mentioned that will play both ways, Hoover is leaning on Ashton Evans, Caden Lumpkins and Austin Howard to be some of his defensive impact guys. “We’ve been learning the what, why and how on the defensive side of the ball. We’ll get pads on and see where we can go from there,” Hoover said.
In order for the Lions to end their playoff drought, they’ll need to win a game or two in district play. While they’re projected from the outside to remain at the bottom in the Class 3A, 6th District, the Lions believe they can prove otherwise. Hoover honestly believes his guys are bought into that, coming in right away and competing for a district title despite previous years struggles. “I’m a big believer in the players take on the personality and persona of the coaches. They’ve taken on my energy and competitiveness and my belief in them. It’s not only something I talk to them about
constantly, but I show them. I’m in there in drills with them. If they can do it with me, they can do it with any 17 and 18 year old out there,” Hoover said. “I truly believe not showing just in words, but action and they’ve bought in to that and me 100 percent. At the end of the day, a teenager is a teenager, how they coach, how they practice and how they lift is going to dictate how they play on Friday nights no matter where we’re located at. I’ve stressed that to the kids and I truly believe that they believe that.” The Lions open up their eight-game slate this season with Nicholas County on September
11. A bout with Rowan County follows before district play begins when they host Powell County on September 25. They’ll want to get either that one against the Pirates or Pendleton County the following week before a bye week and what’s projected to be the toughest two opponents in the district, Mason County followed by Fleming County. Fairview and Morgan County come next in the last two regular season games. From there, they’ll hope to continue playing, trying to earn their first playoff berth since 2013.
Roster No. Name Ht 1 Izaia Burns 6-2 3 Hunter Switzer 6-0 5 Hayden Gibson 6-0 7 Peyton Spencer 6-3 8 Dustin Ralph 5-7 10 Dylan Hardy 5-10 11 Austin Howard 6-0 12 Jayden Hunt 5-7 13 Ashton Evans 5-10 15 Brycen Dummit 6-3 18 Caiden Lumpkins 5-9
WT 175 185 170 180 145 165 190 150 185 200 165
Pos Grade WR/DB SR WR/DB SR QB/DB JR WR/DB SR RB/LB FR QB JR RB/LB JR RB/LB FR RB/LB SR TE/DE SR RB/DB JR
No. Name Ht 22 Steve Mefford 5-10 24 Jordan Thompson 5-9 25 Kade Walters 5-7 26 Ethan Sizemore 5-9 33 Isaiah Hamm 5-9 42 Levi Lykins 5-8 52 Donald Oliver 5-10 53 Zared Lewis 5-11 54 Wesley Fogle 6-0 55 Braxton Smith 5-11 57 Everett Horsley 5-8
WT 170 185 165 190 180 150 235 265 245 245 275
Pos Grade WR/DB JR RB/LB SR RB/LB JR RB/LB JR RB/DB SR RB/LB SO OL/DL SO OL/DL JR OL/DL SO OL/DL JR OL/DL FR
No. Name Ht 59 Austin Cain 5-10 72 Tucker Madden 5-10 73 Landen Gilliam 6-1 75 Jentry Thompson 6-5 78 Elijah Horsley 5-10 66 Jonah Tackett 6-2 89 Alex Grabinski 6-4 82 Kaysen Roberts 5-11
WT 220 240 235 270 310 245 165 165
Pos Grade OL/DL JR OL/DL SO OL/DL SO OL/DL SO OL/DL JR OL/DL JR WR/DE JR WR/DB SO
Head Coach: Bryan Hoover (1st Season)
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time Sep 11 Nicholas County away 7:30 PM Sep 18 Rowan County away 7:30 PM Sep 25 Powell County home 7:30 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 2 Pendleton County away 7:30 PM Oct 16 Mason County away 7:30 PM Oct 23 Fleming County home 7:30 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 30 Fairview home 7:30 PM Nov 6 Morgan County home 7:30 PM
2019 Year in Review (0-10) Date Opponent Site Result Aug 23 Bath County home (L) 27-7 Aug 30 East Carter away (L) 49-0 Sep 6 West Carter away (L) 50-7 Sep 14 Nicholas County home (L) 46-12
Date Opponent Site Result Sep 20 Rowan County home (L) 45-12 Sep 27 Powell County away (L) 39-18 Oct 4 Pendleton County home (L) 42-0 Oct 18 Mason County home (L) 59-6 Same day appointments are almost always available.
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Date Opponent Site Result Oct 25 Fleming County away (L) 61-8 Nov 1 Fairview away (L) 38-28
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Manchester Greyhounds
Greyhounds excited for shot at postseason Evan Dennison [email protected] Despite a new face at the helm, not much changes schematically for Manchester in 2020. Nick Neria takes over for Dustin Cook after Cook had led the team the prior six seasons, taking an administration role at Eastern Brown. Neria is in his second stint as head coach, coaching the Greyhounds from 2007-09. From 201012, Neria was with David Buchanan at Mason County as an assistant. He’s been with the Greyhounds program ever since, serving as an assistant and offensive coordinator and also coaching the junior high program. His players are familiar with him, the offense taking the same look with their wildcat style from a season ago while they hope the results are different, outscored by their opponent by an average score of 42-17 and a season ending record of 2-8 in 2019. “I knew all the guys, knew what to expect, knew what we were going to do. I knew the pieces to the puzzle we had before taking the job which is a good benefit,” Neria said. The Greyhounds have won two games each of the past two seasons, but new guidelines for the 2020 season brings them an automatic in for the playoffs, something the program hasn’t experienced in quite some time. The COVID-19 pandemic has shortened OHSAA football seasons to six games with postseason to follow. A team can opt to not play in the playoffs and play four additional games, but the Greyhounds have no thoughts about that at this current time. “We’ll play six in the front end and then we’ll get to the playoffs and we’ll pick up whatever games we have left if we lose in the playoffs. We’re hoping to get in nine or 10 games for sure either going further in the playoffs or picking up the teams at the end of our schedule,” Neria said. In order for the Greyhounds to have success, Neria’s scheme is to get a handful of running backs involved with the offense. Whether they’re running, catching or even throwing out of the backfield, the Greyhounds will feature up to four running backs on any given play. There is no set quarterback. “We won’t focus in as much on one back, we want to have multiple guys being able to touch the ball on every series. We want to be able to attack you at three different points of attack each play,” Neria said. The guys in the backfield will be Mason Dunn, Trey Spears,
2020 Manchester Greyhounds
Rylan Bailey and Lucas Smith where they’ll be called upon an any given down. “We’ll try to spread them out in different formations this year. Not all the time, but we’ll try to spread teams out a little bit,” Neria said. “Each week we hope someone new is our feature back. We want to be opportunistic on what the defense allows us to take. We want to be able to throw the ball a little more than we did last year.” The key to making it work is the offensive line, where they’ll have to replace seniors Kris Walters and Carl Ricketts. “I don’t think you replace guys, you just hope to build towards guys that you lost. We’re building towards having guys that are comparable to them and that’s a good start as young guys,” Neria said. While they increased their scoring in 2019 by nearly 14 points a game from a season ago, they still struggled defensively, giving up an average of 42 points per game. “We’ll have an odd front. We don’t have a whole lot of guys that are different sizes, we have a whole lot of guys that are similar in size. We want to be able to rally around the
Photos by Evan Dennison | The Ledger Independent
football as best as we can. Play pretty basic up front, not a whole lot of blitzing, but we’ll try to maneuver our fronts a little bit,” Neria said. With just a 22-man roster, many of the guys asked to provide the offense will also be playing the majority of the game on defense. After losing their first seven games of the 2019 season, the Greyhounds were able to put two wins on the board in their last three games to build some momentum going into 2020. “That’s our biggest thing is in the past we’ve had players but we didn’t really have a team. We want to really focus in on that aspect of us,” Neria said. Early season losses against Fayetteville-Perry (55-6) and Middletown Christian (26-0) has the Greyhounds with an 0-2 hole to start the season. A three-week break leads them into a contest with Federal Hocking on September 25. County opponents then follow the next three weeks as they take on Southern Ohio Independent League opponents Peebles, West Union and North Adams, respectively, in October. The season finale has them hosting Hannan out of West Virginia before playoffs begin.
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Football Preview 17
Roster No. Name Grade 2 Ian Thomas Senior 3 Levi Gilvin Senior 4 Lucas Smith Sophomore 5 Bryce Flack Senior 7 Dylan Wages Sophomore 8 Nick Hagg Junior 10 Braiden Brown Sophomore 18 Levi Justice Senior
No. Name Grade 20 Trey Spears Senior 25 Kayden Butcher Freshmen 31 Mason Dunn Senior 41 Rylan Bailey Junior 51 Burton Strunk Freshmen 52 Dallas Wages Junior 53 Carver Morgan Sophomore 54 Logan Neria Freshmen
No. Name Grade 55 Nick Grooms Senior 58 Aaron Lucas Sophomore 60 Alex Walters Senior 65 Quentin Lucas Sophomore 70 Lucas Ballinger Junior 80 Aaron Walters Senior
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time/Result Aug 28 Fayetteville-Perry away (L) 55-6 Sept 4 Middletown Christian home (L) 26-0 Sept 25 Federal Hocking home 7:30 PM
Date Opponent Site Time/Result Oct 2 Peebles home 7:00 PM Oct 16 West Union away 7:00 PM
Date Opponent Site Time/Result Oct 23 North Adams home 7:00 PM Oct 30 Hannan (WV) home 7:00 PM
2019 Year in Review (2-8) Date Opponent Site Result Aug 30 Fayetteville-Perry home (L) 39-10 Sept 6 Portsmouth East away (L) 34-0 Sept. 13 Green home (L) 40-8 Sept. 20 Eastern Beaver home (L) 45-6
Date Opponent Site Result Sept. 27 Hannan (WV) away (L) 34-26 Oct. 4 Peebles away (L) 62-28 Oct. 11 Southern Ohio Buckeye home (L) 48-8 Oct. 18 West Union home (W) 30-28
Date Opponent Site Result Oct. 25 North Adams away (L) 56-22 Nov. 1 Hillcrest home (W) 38-34
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Football Preview
Class 3A, 6th District Preseason Coaches Poll/Players to Watch Players to watch (*Submitted by coaches) FLEMING COUNTY Logan Pinkley (Jr. WR/DB) — leading WR returning, 49 catches for 702 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Zeke Conn (Sr. QB/FB/LB) — leading tackler returning, recorded 107 tackles, five tackles for loss and could be the starting QB this season. Payton Roark (Sr. TE/DE) — leader in tackles for a loss, 70 tackles all together last season. Tanner Weaver (Sr. RB/LB) — was starting RB before injury last year, 62 rushes for 320 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Shawn Monteith (Jr. OL/DL) — Has started every game since his freshman year at left tackle. Solid, technically sound lineman. Ashton Adams (Jr. QB/WR/S/K/P) — Very versatile, does a multitude of things for the Royals. Battling to be the starting QB as well. Jack of all trades that is capable of changing the game in all three phases. Terrell Henry (So. QB/S) — Basketball standout was a huge surprise at safety as a freshman. Will either be the QB or the QB on the defense at free safety.
Daniel Watkins (Sr. OL/DL) — returning OL starter.
Tyler Stice (Sr. LB) — 2 year starter at ILB. Stice and Osgood are the two headed monster in the middle of the Royals defense.
MASON COUNTY
PENDLETON COUNTY
Dillon Osgood (Sr. LB/RB) — Two-year starter, led team in tackles as a junior. Great motor, defensive leader who is an aggressive and passionate player and should only improve this year. Could see some time in the offensive backfield as well.
Caleb Rogers (Sr. LB) — has some college offers and will lead the defense this season.
Dravin Routt (Jr. DE/OL) — Quick off the edge, can be tough to block. With a year of varsity experience under his belt, will be the guy to watch on the defensive line. Has the strength and speed to take over. Will also see time along the offensive line.
Tredyn Thomas (Sr. WR/S) — has big play ability.
him an all-around threat.
as a four to five star in some recruiting services.
POWELL COUNTY Tyler Charles (Sr. RB) — ran for 157 yards on 30 carries last season. Steve Norris (Jr. WR/DB) — returning leading receiver with 12 catches for 190 yards last season. Tyler Wrenn (Jr. RB/LB) — Returning linebacker, 12 tackles and a fumble recovery last season. Tyler Deflippo (Sr. OL/DL) — returning offensive/defensive lineman. Braxton Ledford (Sr. OL/DL) — returning offenisve/defensive lineman. Holden Townsend (Jr. QB/DB) — returning quarterback, threw for 988 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Brian Baker (Sr. K/P) — One of the top kickers/punters in the state. Graded out
LEWIS COUNTY Peyton Spencer (Sr. WR/DB) — Peyton is a senior and a four-year player. Works extremely hard and holds every player on the team to his high standards. Has the ability to change a game at any moment. Hunter Switzer (Sr. WR/DB) — Hunter is a senior and is a vocal leader that also walks the walk. He is a gritty, hardworking player that does anything that is asked of him and more. Zared Lewis (Jr. OL/DL) — Zared is a junior and an anchor on the line. He leads his group by example and demands that they meet his and the coaches expectations. He pushes himself harder than anyone asks him to so he can demand the same thing from his peers.
Coaches Poll RANK SCHOOL
POINTS (1ST PLACE VOTES)
Gary Baker (Jr. QB) — has run the option for several seasons and gets his turn to 1 lead the offense.
Fleming County
24
Blayne Pugh (Sr. OL) — has college interest and will be a big contributor to 3 the offensive attack.
Mason County
19
Pendleton County
12
Powell County
11
Lewis County
9
2
4
Coen Fuller (Jr. WR/DB) — has outstanding speed that’s going to make 5
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Football Preview 19
Class 1A, 5th District Preseason Coaches Poll, Players to Watch Players to watch BISHOP BROSSART Jacob Leicht (Jr. QB/S) — Split QB duties with Trevor Schadler, threw for 697 yards and ran for 568. Recorded 43 tackles and five interceptions on defense. Trevor Schadler (Jr. RB/LB) — Threw for 475 yards and returning leading rusher with 748 yards last season. Recorded 64 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery defensively. Led team with 12 touchdowns scored. Jed Martin (Jr. RB/CB) — Ran for 267 yards and three touchdowns last season. Recorded 64 tackles, five for loss on defense. David Govan (Jr. TE/DL) — Had 11 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown last season. Recorded 45 tackles, 11 of them for loss and 3.5 sacks defensively. Devon McCormick (Sr. OL/DL) — Returning along the line, led the team with 14 tackles for loss last season.
Cody Orth (SR OL/DL) — Recorded 70 tackles, two sacks and nine tackles for loss last season.
touchdowns as a receiver last season. Recorded 30 tackles with an interception defensively.
NICHOLAS COUNTY
Gabriel Arnett (Jr. WR/DB/K) — Had 11 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown last season. Had 36 tackles, five for loss with two fumble recoveries and an interception last season.
Seth Tincher (Sr. RB/LB) — Returning leading rusher with 270 yards and two touchdowns last season. Returning leading tackler with 109 tackles last season. Recovered three fumbles. Spencer Neace (Sr. FB/DE) — Recorded 62 tackles and seven for loss last season. Had 18 carries for 83 yards as a fullback. Ethan Adams (Sr. OL/DT) — One of the returning lineman. PARIS
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BRACKEN COUNTY Payton Gilvin (Jr. RB/LB) — Returning leading rusher with 669 yards and three touchdowns. Chase Wilson (So. QB/S) — Enters as a first-year quarterback. Matthew Bishop (Sr. OL/DL) — Returns along the offensive and defensive line. Had 47 tackles, five of them for loss last season.
Coaches Poll RANK SCHOOL
POINTS (1ST PLACE VOTES)
Bishop Brossart
16
Nicholas County
10
3 Paris
9
Jakari Ransom (So. WR/LB) — Had 10 catches for 163 yards and three 4
Brell & Son Barbara Boone, Principal Broker Sarah Boone - Jayasuriya, Agent Angie Boone - Ishmael, Agent
Colin McDonald (Sr. OL/DL) — Team
Chase Puckett (Sr. QB/DB) — Threw for 1,486 yards and 16 touchdowns as a 1 junior last season on 229 pass attempts. 2 Had 32 tackles defensively.
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Zion Jackson (Sr. RB/LB) — Second leading tackler with 54 tackles last season, seven for loss with two interceptions and a forced fumble.
high 10 tackles for loss and returns along the offensive line.
Bracken County
5
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NCAA Football
Kentucky hopes its depth results in more balance, victories Gary B. Graves Associated Press Kentucky is hoping to build off last season’s success as the Wildcats play an expanded Southeastern Conference schedule featuring several Top 25 teams.
running aims to pass more again with QB Terry Wilson’s return from a season-ending left knee injury sustained in last year’s second game. The Wildcats averaged just 114 yards passing per game last season, a statistic overlooked because of Bowden’s dominance with the ball in his hands.
The winning culture Mark Stoops vowed to establish helped Kentucky avoid a huge falloff last year following its best season in a generation.
But with a solid group of receivers back — not to mention, an able trio of pass-catching backs in A.J. Rose, Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez — the Wildcats seek balance.
Already challenged to fill voids left by key departures from a 10-win 2018 bowl squad, quarterback injuries last year forced the Wildcats to move speedy receiver Lynn Bowden behind center. It worked out well with the consensus All-American’s feet leading the Wildcats (8-5, 3-5 SEC) to six wins in their final eight games, including a comeback Belk Bowl win over Virginia Tech capped by one of Bowden’s few touchdown passes.
“Last year we had 55 runs in a game and two passes,” offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said. “That’s not balance. We’re going to be able to because our passing game is getting better to mix it around and keep people off balance in just a different manner than we did last year.”
Other players were able to get experience, providing Kentucky much-needed depth. Kentucky is now hoping that depth will help the Wildcats have success playing an expanded, albeit shortened, Southeastern Conference schedule featuring several Top 25 teams. “I feel like this is the deepest team since I’ve been here,” said Stoops, who enters his eighth season with 20 starters back. “That has to help when you’re playing 10 conference games, because we all know how difficult that’ll be. “It’ll be a real challenge. But we do have a deep team, we have a mature team. We’ll see where it goes.” Some phases figure to look different this fall. An offense that relied heavily on Bowden’s
Kentucky’s defense also seeks balance even after ranking among the SEC’s best last season. The Wildcats were fifth overall (324.6 yards) and was tops against the pass despite remaking the secondary. Improvement against the run is needed after they ranked in the bottom third. That’s where returning nine starters can help, with some players moving around to help the unit take another step.
AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File
An offense that relied heavily on Lynn Bowden’s running aims to pass more again with QB Terry Wilson’s return from a season-ending left knee injury sustained in last year’s second game.
“I’m just out there slinging the ball, having fun and doing what I love to do, he said. “I don’t even think about the knee or anything. I’m just happy to be back out there with my brothers and getting back to it.” BACKFIELD DEPTH
Some other things to watch during Kentucky’s season:
Lost in Bowden’s impressive performances were solid rushing contributions by Rose (826 yards), Rodriguez (533) and big-play threat Smoke (616). The trio each had six TDs. All will be critical toward establishing ball control and potential balance through the air. Rose can become the Wildcats’ latest 1,000-yard back after Bowden, Benny Snell Jr. and Boom Williams.
WILSON’S HEALTH
BIG LEG, NEW ROLE
The pandemic lockdown gave Terry Wilson extra time to heal without contact. The junior QB now looks to prove he can stay healthy and display the quickness and passing skills that keyed Kentucky’s 10-win season in 2018.
Max Duffy enters as a unanimous Associated Press Preseason First Team All-America selection after leading the nation last season with a 48.10-yard average. The Australian native was a consensus first team All-
And this season, do it quickly.
American and won the Ray Guy Award as the top punter. His expertise earned him responsibility as special teams coordinator, an unpaid role he says allows him some input. “I was given the holder’s position, so he thought that was enough of an increase,” Duffy joked. VIRUS UPDATE Kentucky has reported few COVID-19 cases and no player has opted out of playing this season. If anything, the Wildcats have embraced the protocols because they’re eager to play this truncated season. SCHEDULE SCRAMBLE The league-only slate cost Kentucky a meeting against in-state rival Louisville and three other opponents that could have eased the path to six-win bowl eligibility. They open Sept. 26 at Auburn and have added games against Mississippi (Oct. 3) and at Alabama (Nov. 21) before visiting East rival Florida the following week.
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time Sep 26 Auburn AWAY 12 PM Oct 3 Ole Miss HOME 4 PM Oct 10 Mississippi State HOME TBD Oct 17 Tennessee AWAY TBD
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 24 Georgia HOME TBD Oct 31 Misouri AWAY 12 PM Nov 14 Vanderbilt HOME TBD
Date Opponent Site Time Nov 21 Alabama AWAY TBD Nov 28 Florida AWAY TBD Dec 5 South Carolina HOME TBD
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NCAA Football
UofL, Satterfield aim to follow up successful debut Gary B. Graves Associated Press LOUISVILLE — Louisville is ready to build on last season’s surprising turnaround. Initially looking to rebuild from a dismal two-win 2018 campaign that forced a coaching change, the Cardinals quickly became respectable and competitive in Scott Satterfield’s first year as coach. They went 8-5 and won the Music City Bowl behind a quick, balanced offense that lit up the stat sheet and scoreboard. More impressively, they won five of their final seven Atlantic Coast Conference contests after dropping the previous nine over two seasons. Work remains, especially on defense, but the Cardinals aim to continue progressing. “Last year people were counting us out to be last,” said sophomore wide receiver Tutu Atwell, who caught 60 passes for 1,125 yards and 12 touchdowns. “That was motivation. We had a good season, and this year we see what we can do.” Depth on both sides of the ball has helped spark that optimism. The offense-minded Satterfield enters Year 2 with 18 starters back, including 10 on an offense averaged nearly 33 points per contest last fall. The highlight was a 62-59 shootout win at Wake Forest that symbolized his up-tempo approach. On the other hand, the Cardinals’ new 3-4 defensive scheme yielded nearly a point more per game and ranked 102nd nationally (439.9 yards per game) of 130 Division I schools in total defense. The upside is having coordinator Bryan Brown back for a second season, continuity they believe will result in improvement. “There would always be that one little play or that one missed assignment that just overshadowed the good things,” said senior inside linebacker Dorian Etheridge, “This year, with all that experience we have, it’s going to be
one of those things where we can really be special.” Like last year, Louisville began spring drills in late February, this time with the euphoria of a bowl win still fresh in their minds. The Cardinals registered seven workouts before the coronavirus pandemic shut things down. Players and Satterfield believe that was enough time to reinforce things, and their mission now is meeting significantly higher expectations. “We’ve got a great group coming back and we want to prove that what we did last year wasn’t a fluke, that this year could be something special,” said Satterfield, who was named ACC Coach of the Year by coaches and media members. “We want to be picked as the team that’s going to be a contender not only in our league, but nationally.” Other things to watch as Louisville seeks consecutive winning seasons: DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK Last August, Micale Cunningham was recovering from a preseason knee injury that put him behind Jawon Pass on the depth chart. He returned to replace an injured Pass at midseason and didn’t look back, passing for 2,065 yards and 22 TDs in 11 starts. He set a school record for passing efficiency (194.5) along the way and earned Music City Bowl MVP honors. OTHER PLAYMAKERS Atwell and running back Javian Hawkins, both 5 foot 9, return after each surpassed 1,000 yards. Atwell emerged as the big-play guy and deep threat while Hawkins provided Louisville’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Harry Douglas (1,159) in 2007. Receiver Dez Fitzpatrick (598 yards, 6 TDs) provides another passing target and RB Hassan Hall is coming off a career-best 501 yards rushing. FILLING VOIDS The departure of left tackle and first-round NFL draft pick
AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham threw for 2,065 yards and 22 TDs in 11 starts in 2019.
Mekhi Becton left an opening up front that 6-5, 310-pound Adonis Boone will try to fill. He started two of the final four contests and could join a senior trio of Robbie Bell, Cole Bentley and Caleb Chandler. Special teams sustained the biggest losses with the departures of kicker Blanton Creque and punter Mason King, leading to open competition at both positions among a large group of hopefuls. VIRUS UPDATES Four Louisville players have tested positive this summer but the team hasn’t lost any practice days to the coronavirus. Tests are conducted weekly and players and staff have boasted about the program’s diligence in following protocols, particularly in a city and state where infection rates have recently spiked. SCHEDULE SCRAMBLE Louisville opens Sept. 12 against in-state rival Western Kentucky as its lone non-conference game. The revamped ACC docket to 10 games cost the Cardinals a marquee home matchup against favorite Clemson, but they gained a chance for revenge at home against Miami, which drilled them 5227 last fall. They also retained meetings at temporary ACC member Notre Dame and against Virginia Tech.
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time Sep 12 Western Kentucky HOME 8 PM Sep 19 Miami HOME 3:30 or 7:30 PM Sep 26 Pittsburgh AWAY TBD Oct 9 Georgia Tech AWAY 7 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct 17 Notre Dame AWAY 2:30 PM Oct 24 Florida State HOME TBD Oct 31 Virginia Tech HOME TBD Nov 7 Virginia AWAY TBD
Date Opponent Site Time Nov 20 Syracuse HOME 7:30 PM Nov 27 Boston College AWAY TBD Dec 5 Wake Forest HOME TBD
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Cincinnati Bengals
Bottom up: Bengals & Burrow try to dig out of deepest hole AP Photo/ Aaron Doster
Joe Kay Associated Press CINCINNATI — Josh Bynes knew where Joe Burrow was going with the pass during practice. The new Bengals linebacker stepped in front of the intended receiver for an interception and headed down the sideline. A few moments later, he got a surprise. The rookie quarterback sought him out to find out why he was able to anticipate the pass and make the interception. Bynes, a nine-year veteran, was taken aback. Rookies don’t usually have the courage to ask such questions. “Maybe a few vets here and there, but definitely not a rookie quarterback,” Bynes said. “But you can tell he wants to get better. That’s what I like about him.” The learning curve for the Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and first overall draft pick will be the main focus during a season of transition in Cincinnati. The Bengals have a new face for a franchise that’s in one of the deepest stretches of futility in NFL history. So many quarterbacks have passed through town without making a dent in that futility — no playoff win since the 1990 season, the fifthlongest such streak in league history. Can Burrow get the breakthrough? How long will it take him to get up to speed so he can make an impact as a rookie? “He’s been able to take in the offense,” coach Zac Taylor said. “It hasn’t been overwhelming for him. We put a lot on his plate. He asks the
right questions.” Burrow knows the circumstances are stacked against him. He’s also aware that with playmakers such as A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon, he’s got a good starting point. Now, just watch it play out. “I feel very comfortable with my guys, and I think we’re going to be pretty good on offense,” Burrow said. “I’m excited more than nervous, I’d say.” TAYLOR’S SECOND CHANCE Burrow isn’t the only one under the microscope. The Bengals went 2-14 in Taylor’s first season as head coach, losing a clubrecord 11 in a row to start the season. Taylor had to put his coaching staff together after the Super Bowl last year, leaving it behind from the outset. Everyone will get a better idea of Taylor’s coaching ability the second time around. PANDEMIC ADAPTING It’s always tough on rookie quarterbacks, but Burrow has been especially challenged because of COVID-19 precautions. He lost a lot of offseason practice time and won’t have any preseason games to get accustomed to the speed of the NFL. “This is a different offseason and preseason,” Taylor said. “So the communication between (Burrow) and the receivers and the coaching staff and the O-line is more critical than it’s ever been. We meet countless hours a day in the quarterback meetings.” A.J. ONCE MORE
Joe Burrow takes over the reigns at quarterback in 2020 for the Cincinnati Bengals, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Bengals kept Green for at least one more year by using the franchise tag on him. The 10-year veteran missed all last season with an ankle injury. He had a hamstring problem early in camp. If Green can be healthy — he’s played in only nine games in the past two years because of injuries — he’s an important safety net for a rookie quarterback. “I’ve got at least four great years left in me — great years,” Green said. “I’ve always said I want to play 15 years and now I’m like, ‘Maybe I can play more.’ My body feels good.” O-LINE The offensive line has been a major problem the past few years. It got a major overhaul in the offseason, with left tackle Cordy Glenn and right guard John Miller released. Jonah Williams moves in at left tackle after missing
his rookie season with a shoulder injury. Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo was signed as a free agent. How well they gel will have a lot to do with how much Burrow can succeed his first time around. OH THAT DEFENSE The defense finished last in the league in yards allowed in 2018 and 29th overall last season, including last against the run. The Bengals went for an overhaul in free agency, signing safety Vonn Bell, tackle D.J. Reader and cornerback Trae Waynes, who will miss the first part of the season after having surgery for a chest injury. Melding all the new players is the biggest challenge. “I don’t think it’s going to be hard,” Bell said. “We just have to be on the same page.”
Schedule Date Opponent Site Time Sep. 13 Los Angeles Chargers HOME 4:05 PM Sep. 17 Cleveland AWAY 8:20 PM Sep. 27 Philadelphia Eagles AWAY 1 PM Oct. 4 Jacksonville HOME 1 PM Oct. 11 Baltimore AWAY 1 PM Oct. 18 Indianapolis AWAY 1 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Oct. 25 Cleveland HOME 1 PM Nov. 1 Tennessee HOME 1 PM Nov. 15 Pittsburgh AWAY 1 PM Nov. 22 Washington AWAY 1 PM Nov. 29 New York Giants HOME 1 PM
Date Opponent Site Time Dec. 6 Miami AWAY 1 PM Dec. 13 Dallas HOME 1 PM Dec. 21 Pittsburgh HOME 8:15 PM Dec. 27 Houston AWAY 1 PM Jan. 3 Baltimore HOME 1 PM
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