Predictions for Ky. high school football’s state semis. Three Lexington teams still in it.

Jared Peck

November 22, 2023 at 1:29 p.m.·8 min read

Three Lexington teams have reached their Kentucky high school football state semifinals, and Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass and Lexington Catholic all like their chances even though they all have to play on the road in Louisville on Friday.

That’s because Douglass and Bryan Station have already beaten their respective Class 6A final four foes in the regular season and Lexington Catholic stood toe-to-toe with the only opponent to have knocked off its Class 3A antagonist.

The No. 9 Broncos took down No. 4 Trinity 17-14 at the Shamrocks’ Marshall Stadium on Aug. 26, but it wasn’t easy then and Douglass coach Nathan McPeek doesn’t figure it will be with the season on the line either.

Could Class 6A have the first-ever Lexington school vs. Lexington school state championship?

“I’m glad all these Lexington teams are doing well,” McPeek said. “We’ve got a chance. Obviously, we have a tough rematch and I’m sure (Bryan Station) feels the same way.”

No. 6 Bryan Station won at No. 5 Ballard 28-21 on Sept. 8 in a game that was sealed by a Defenders interception in the end zone late.

“In the first game against Ballard we learned we could match up with teams that are built like us,” Bryan Station coach Phillip Hawkins said. “That’s when we started to learn how balanced we could be on offense. That was a game where all three phases were pretty decent and that’s what it takes to beat a team like that.”

In Class 3A, No. 9 Lexington Catholic faces No. 1 Christian Academy-Louisville, the defending state champions. CAL’s only loss came in a 14-12 defeat against LexCath city rival Lexington Christian. The next week LCA narrowly escaped a 49-42 shootout with the Knights.

Meanwhile in Class 4A, four undefeated teams are vying for a Kroger Field berth. All have quality wins against ranked opponents. No. 1 Covington Catholic defeated Class 5A No. 1 Highlands. No. 2 Franklin County defeated Bryan Station. No. 3 Boyle County knocked off Frederick Douglass and Corbin. Paducah Tilghman took down Class 2A No. 2 Mayfield.

The game between No. 2 Franklin County and No. 3 Boyle County is a rematch of their 2020 state championship game that went the Rebels’ way, 31-28 in overtime.

The Flyers host Boyle County this time around and will be led by former Frederick Douglass backup QB DuRi Trahan, who has thrown for 2,258 yards and 25 touchdowns despite missing some action due to an injury early in the season.

“We’ve just got a great group of kids,” Franklin County coach Eddie James said. “Nobody thought we were going to be here … We’re excited to do it for one more week, man.”

Here’s a look at all of this week’s matchups with scoring offense and defense averages, notes, predictions and where to stream it if you can’t make the game. Some streams carry a fee. All rankings are from the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI Standings which were frozen after the final week of the regular season and used to seed last week’s regionals and this week’s final fours. All games are Friday and all times are local to the home team.

Bryan Station quarterback Trenton Cutwright (2) led the Defenders onto the field before their 34-14 loss to visiting Frederick Douglass on Oct. 14. The Defenders are one win away from a potential rematch against the Broncos in the Class 6A state championship game at Kroger Field in Lexington.

CLASS 6A

No. 6 Bryan Station (10-3) at No. 5 Ballard (10-3), 7 p.m.

Defenders: Offense, 36.4 points per game/Defense, 14 points against per game.

Bruins: 35.4 ppg/20.8 papg.

Notes: Feature RB comparison — Bryan Station’s Kalen “Jaws” Washington (1,196 yards, 15 TDs); Ballard’s Journey Wyche (1,308 yards, 20 TDs).

Streaming: Glicod.com

@HLpreps pick: Bryan Station.

No. 9 Frederick Douglass (8-4) at No. 4 Trinity (Louisville) (10-3), 7 p.m.

Broncos: 28.3 ppg/14.6 papg.

Shamrocks: 34 ppg/12 papg.

Notes: The Broncos won their first state title last year; Trinity has won 27 KHSAA titles, the most among member schools. Their last came in 2020.

Streaming: Download the WDRB+ app on your streaming device.

@HLpreps pick: Frederick Douglass.

CLASS 5A

No. 8 Owensboro (9-4) at No. 4 Bowling Green (10-3), 7 p.m.

Red Devils: 42.8 ppg/8.3 papg.

Purples: 45.3 ppg/17.5 papg.

Notes: Bowling Green defeated Owensboro 42-28 in the second week of the regular season, but both teams have evolved since. Owensboro topped the Purples’ chief district rival South Warren 53-22 on Nov. 10; The Purples edged the Spartans 36-29 on Oct. 13.

Streaming: Facebook.com/D93Rocks

@HLpreps pick: Owensboro.

No. 9 Cooper (11-2) at No. 1 Highlands (12-1), 7 p.m.

Jaguars: 37.8 ppg; 14.9 papg.

Bluebirds: 46.5 ppg/17.2 papg.

Notes: Highlands beat Cooper in a 58-51 shootout on Sept. 22. Bluebirds QB Brody Benke threw for 235 yards and five TDs and had 190 yards and two TDs rushing in that game, while running back Cameron Giesler rushed for 204 yards and a score. Cooper QB Cam O’Hara threw for 555 yards and six TDs, three each to Isaiah Johnson and Austin Alexander. The Jags had -14 rushing yards.

Streaming: HHSFilmAndBroadcast (YouTube) or NFHSNetwork.com

@HLpreps pick: Highlands.

CLASS 4A

No. 5 Paducah Tilghman (13-0) at No. 1 Covington Catholic (13-0), 7:30 p.m.

Blue Tornado: 51.8 ppg/11.9 papg.

Colonels: 43.1 ppg/14 papg.

Notes: QB comparison — Paducah Tilghman’s Jack James (3,831 yards, 55 TDs passing; 256 yards, 6 TDs rushing); CovCath’s Evan Pitzer (2,508 yards, 32 TDs passing; 513 yards, 9 TDs rushing).

Streaming: covcath.org/athletics/can

@HLpreps pick: Paducah Tilghman.

No. 3 Boyle County (13-0) at No. 2 Franklin County (13-0), 7:30 p.m.

Rebels: 45.5 ppg/11.6 papg.

Flyers: 40.2 ppg/9.8 papg.

Notes: Boyle County junior Montavin Quisenberry leads the Rebels in scoring with 15 rushing TDs, 12 receiving TDS, two punt return TDs and two kickoff return TDs. Franklin County defensive end Johnathan Griffin leads the state in sacks with 21.

Streaming: Frankfort Plant Board Channel 10 YouTube

@HLpreps pick: Boyle County.

CLASS 3A

No. 9 Lexington Catholic (9-4) at No. 1 Christian Academy-Louisville (12-1), 7:30 p.m.

Knights: 39 ppg/16.2 papg.

Centurions: 41.7 ppg/11.8 papg.

Notes: QB comparison — LexCath’s Jackson Wasik (2,698 yards, 30 TDs passing, 264 yards, 7 TDs rushing); CAL’s Cole Hodge (3,542 yards, 52 TDs passing, 505 yards, 5 TDs rushing).

Streaming: CAL Sports Network at LiveSportscaster.com

@HLpreps pick: Lexington Catholic.

No. 3 Bell County (12-1) at No. 2 Hart County (13-0), 7 p.m.

Bobcats: 42.2 ppg/24.2 papg.

Raiders: 32.9 ppg/15.2 papg.

Notes: Bell County’s Daniel Thomas set the state single season rushing record last week (3,446 yards) and needs two TDs to top the 50 TDs scored by Boone County’s Shaun Alexander in 1994 (Alexander went on to be an NFL MVP for the Seattle Seahawks). Thomas already owns the state record for most points scored in a season at 341, another mark he set last week. Hart County features a pair of 1,000-plus yard rushers in Hunter Monroe and Clark Rexroat.

Streaming: NFHSNetwork.com

@HLpreps pick: Bell County.

CLASS 2A

No. 4 Beechwood (12-1) at No. 2 Mayfield (11-1), 7 p.m.

Tigers: 49 ppg/13.3 papg.

Cardinals: 47.2 ppg/13.6 papg.

Notes: This is a rematch of last season’s state title game which the Tigers won 14-13 after a missed Cardinals’ extra point. Beechwood is the three-time defending Class 2A champion and has 17 titles overall to Mayfield’s 12.

Streaming: Red Helmet Video (YouTube)

@HLpreps pick: Mayfield.

No. 6 Somerset (10-3) at No. 1 Owensboro Catholic (13-0), 7 p.m.

Briar Jumpers: 38.3 ppg/15.6 papg.

Aces: 48.4 ppg/11.8 papg.

Notes: This is Somerset coach Clay Clevenger’s first season back in charge of a team since being fired in 2021 after eight years at his alma mater Danville where he had a 65-32 record and a 2017 state title. The Briar Jumpers’ Kam Hughes has 1,899 yards and 34 TDs rushing. Owensboro Catholic features a potent passing attack with junior QB Brady Atwell (3,751 yards, 60 TDs passing) and senior wideout William Carrico (1,410 yards, 23 TDs receiving).

Streaming: Facebook.com/OCathSN/

@HLpreps pick: Somerset.

CLASS A

No. 3 Pikeville (10-2) at No. 2 Campbellsville (11-1), 7:30 p.m.

Panthers: 28.3 ppg/10.3 papg.

Eagles: 31.7 ppg/9.9 papg.

Notes: Pikeville is the two-time defending Class A state champion and has won seven titles overall; Anthony Brenden leads Pikeville in rushing (933 yards, 14 TDs). Campbellsville QB Kace Eastridge (1,693 yards, 18 TDs passing, 698 yards, 14 TDs rushing) leads an Eagles attack that also has 1,000-yard rusher Daniel Forbis (16 TDs).

Streaming: NFHSNetwork.com

@HLpreps pick: Pikeville.

No. 6 Raceland (10-3) at No. 1 Kentucky Country Day (11-2), 7:30 p.m.

Rams: 33.5 ppg/17.6 papg.

Bearcats: 33.7 ppg/18 papg.

Notes: Raceland leaned into its run game last week against Sayre, but can toss it too, with QB Logan Lundy (1,659 yards, 22 TDs passing). Noah Wallace has 1,029 yards and 14 TDs rushing for the Rams. The Bearcats feature a run/pass balance with QB Ethan Harris (2,007 yards, 20 TDs passing) and running back Kassani Wilson (1,017 yards, 11 TDs rushing).