3 reasons Christian Academy of Louisville may be the team to beat in Class 3A football

Hunter Cantwell stopped short of using the term “rat poison” — the term coined by Nick Saban to characterize the positive attention his University of Alabama football team receives — but the Christian Academy coach is well aware of the fine line between confidence and cockiness.

Cantwell said it’s been one of his main areas of focus since the Centurions were eliminated by Paducah Tilghman in the third round of last year’s Class 3A playoffs.

“The most important thing I took from that game was how important it is to maintain humility and hunger on your football team,” Cantwell said. “That’s not to say we overlooked Tilghman … but maybe we could have done a better job throughout the year of understanding that you can get beat on any Friday night.”

If the first six weeks of this season are any indication, the Centurions haven’t looked past anyone.

CAL is 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Class 3A poll entering a District Four showdown Friday against Henry County (5-0). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at CAL.

The Centurions rank No. 2 in the state in both scoring offense (47.8 points per game) and scoring defense (6.0 ppg). Frederick Douglass — ranked No. 1 in the Class 5A poll — leads the state in both categories, scoring 51.6 points per game and allowing 5.8.

CAL may be the midseason favorite to take the Class 3A championship in December, but Cantwell knows there will be stiff competition from Paducah Tilghman, Bardstown, Elizabethtown, Union County and others come playoff time.

Christian Academy football: Check out the top five Louisville-area games to see this Friday

“We don’t to beat them down and constantly have in the back of their minds, ‘Hey, another Tilghman game could be right around the corner,’” Cantwell said. “We want them to be confident and playing fast on Friday nights. But we don’t want that confidence to turn into too much hubris and thinking, ‘We can’t be beat and we’re going to steamroll right into Kroger Field.’ That’s just not the case.

“There are teams out there that can absolutely beat us.”

Here are three keys to CAL’s success so far this season:

Stability at quarterback for Christian Academy of Louisville

While several of Louisville’s Class 6A powers have struggled to find stability at quarterback this season — see: St. Xavier, Male, Trinity and Manual — CAL has a rock in Cole Hodge.

The junior is completing 75.2% of his passes (76 of 101) and has thrown for 1,277 yards and 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

“The quarterback is the most important position on the field,” said Cantwell, a former quarterback at the University of Louisville. “If you have an absolute dude back there, you have a chance to be successful. If you don’t, that’s a lot of sleepless nights for you and your coaching staffs. To have the stability we have at that position … makes a coach sleep better at night, for sure.”

Hodge also is a capable runner, ranking second on the team with 240 rushing yards. He has scholarship offers from Central Michigan and Eastern Kentucky.

“Cole has taken a huge step forward, and that’s saying something considering the sophomore campaign he had,” Cantwell said. “Just his command of the offense and timing. We’ve put a lot more on his plate mentally that maybe a lot of people don’t see just sitting in the stands. He’s really doing big things for us.”

Midseason football rankings: Check out the top quarterbacks in the Louisville area so far this season

Transfers help Christian Academy of Louisville's passing game

Hodge’s favorite targets in the passing game both transferred from Oldham County during the off-season.

Junior Justin Ruffin Jr. (5-foot-9, 160 pounds) has a team-high 25 catches for 403 yards and seven touchdowns. Sophomore Trey Cotton (6 feet, 175 pounds) has 18 receptions for 361 yards and five scores.

Cotton is a big-play threat on the outside, and Ruffin is a shifty slot receiver.

“Trey has tremendous straight-line speed,” Cantwell said. “Justin can get inside and is electric when the ball is in his hands.”

Ruffin, also a defensive back, has offers from James Madison, Louisville and South Florida.

More high school football: Check out the top wide receivers in the Louisville area so far this season

Change in defense a key for CAL

Cantwell said he switched from a four-man front on defense to a three-man front this year to take advantage of the team’s speed.

“Some years you might have a bunch of big hogs up front and you want to play that four-man front,” Cantwell said. “Some years you might be more athletic in the back half and you want to find ways to get all of those athletes on the field.

“There’s been a lot of new for our defense this year, so for them to come out and be so dominant has been really impressive.”

CAL started the season with three straight shutouts against South Oldham, North Bullitt and Bullitt Central. A 52-15 victory over Owensboro Catholic on Sept. 16 marked a season-high for points allowed by the CAL defense.

Kentucky high school football: Jason Frakes ranks the top 10 teams in the state

Senior linebacker Gavin Copenhaver (6 feet, 210 pounds) leads the defense in tackles (50) and tackles for loss (11). He returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown in last week’s 51-7 victory at Mercer County.

Copenhaver, also the team’s top running back, is being recruited by Dayton, McKendree and Valparaiso.

“Gavin is an absolute monster at inside linebacker,” Cantwell said. “When he hits you, you feel it. He’s the heart and soul of our defense, no doubt.”

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: Why CAL may be team to beat in Class 3A