3 observations: CAL football dominates LCA for best start to season since 2018

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jackson Barrickman's soccer instincts kicked in.

With Christian Academy of Louisville facing a fourth-and-very-long on its opening drive of the second half, Barrickman lined up even farther behind the chains, fielded the snap and began rolling out for a rugby-style punt.

Except Barrickman didn't stop running — not with that much open space ahead of him. He surged past the first-down marker and gave his offense new life at a crucial juncture of Friday's game at Lexington Christian Academy.

"That vision with soccer — playing striker, finding the gaps in the defense, definitely helps out with that run," said Barrickman, a senior who leads CAL's boys soccer team with nine goals through 11 games this season.

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Less than two minutes after Barrickman's heroics, junior quarterback Cole Hodge connected with senior running back Gavin Copenhaver through the air for a 38-yard score. The Centurions pushed their lead over the Eagles to 28-14 and cruised to a 49-14 victory from there.

"The lights aren't too bright for him," CAL head coach Hunter Cantwell said of Barrickman. "(He) saw the opening and made a play, so that's always on the table."

"I might be on the depth chart after tonight," Barrickman joked when asked if he was gunning for a minutes at tailback or wide receiver.

With the win, CAL is off to its first 4-0 start since the 2018 season, which ended with the Centurions running the table en route to a Class 3A state championship. Cantwell's team also avenged last season’s 37-14 home loss to LCA, which fell to 2-2 with Friday's blowout.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

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Cole Hodge wins QB duel; Gavin Copenhaver shines

Friday's game was billed as a quarterback duel between Hodge and LCA's Cutter Boley, the No. 4 quarterback prospect in the 2025 class according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Both QBs had their mishaps, but Hodge and CAL's offense shined brightest — thanks in large part to an opportunistic defense that provided solid field position all night and a consistent ground attack.

Hodge finished the game 8 for 17 with 216 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 58 yards and a score on nine carries.

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His favorite target of the night was Copenhaver, who accounted for 107 of the Centurions' receiving yards and scored two touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts.

"To be the team that we want to be in November and December, we have to run the ball effectively," Cantwell said. "Gavin just had an absolutely phenomenal game, and so that's encouraging because, when the weather turns nasty, it's not going to be air raid; it's going to be ground and pound."

Cutter Boley sidelined with injury; LCA's offense stalls

On the other side of the duel, Boley showed flashes of his potential, but the CAL defense kept him uncomfortable in the pocket all night.

"I couldn't be prouder of their effort," Cantwell said of his defensive line. "From playing (quarterback) personally, it's always tough no matter how talented you are — and Cutter's extremely talented — if there's penetration, guys are in your face and you're getting hit on every single play. We felt like that's what we needed to do."

Boley eventually exited the game with less than six minutes to play in the third quarter with an injury to his left ankle after being sacked for a second time. His final stat line: 16 for 23 with 201 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

With Boley out for the entire fourth quarter, LCA's offense couldn't make much headway against the Centurions, who pitched a second-half shutout and held the Eagles to just four first downs and 89 yards of total offense after the intermission.

"Our other backup quarterback is out with an MCL sprain, so we were down to third and fourth (stringers)," LCA head coach Doug Charles said. "In high school, third and fourth don't get a lot of reps on game week, so we became kind of one dimensional, and CAL did what a good team does; they just put us away."

As for Boley's injury, the quarterback was in a walking boot by the final horn, and Charles said they'll know more about his status moving forward after an X-ray Saturday.

"It's gonna help us more than it's gonna hurt us," Boley said of the lopsided result. "You gotta stay out of your head. You can't overthink it."

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Turnovers loom large, with CAL prevailing

Hodge and Boley entered Friday’s game having thrown a combined three interceptions through three games apiece.

By halftime, that number jumped to seven.

CAL and LCA's combined five turnovers told the story of the first half by derailing potentially momentum-shifting drives and ending others before they really got started. On LCA's first play from scrimmage, Boley was picked off by the Centurions' Isaac Patrick at the Eagles’ 15-yard line, and CAL scored two plays later on a run from Hodge.

CAL’s most costly turnover of the first half came with 2:06 remaining in the second quarter. After Boley’s second pick of the night, the Centurions had a chance to stretch their lead to three touchdowns before receiving the second-half kickoff.

Instead, Hodge was picked off by LCA’s Will Nichols at midfield. The Eagles proceeded to march down the field and score on a 6-yard jet sweep from Parker Chaney with just 20 seconds on the clock. At halftime, the score read, CAL 21, LCA 14.

"Next-play mentality," Hodge said of how he bounced back from the first-half turnovers. "Just gotta keep leading."

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Perhaps the most important stat of the evening: CAL didn't surrender a turnover after halftime. LCA, on the other hand, coughed up the ball twice: once on its first offensive play of the second half and again inside its own 10-yard line during the fourth quarter.

"It was just one of those nights," Charles said.

What's next

CAL returns home for Week 5 to face Owensboro Catholic at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16.

LCA has a crosstown matchup at Lexington Catholic.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: How CAL dominated LCA 49-14 to stay undefeated