Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class A high school football preseason poll for 2023
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories ranking Kentucky’s high school football teams class by class, according to voting by the class’s coaches.
Pikeville’s Panthers have claimed Kentucky high school football’s Class A championship in three of the last four years and are looking to make it three in a row this December.
But with just seven starters back and only three on defense, head coach Chris McNamee has fewer proven veterans to help defend the title this time around.
“We hope that our non-district schedule will allow several players to gain the experience needed to compete in our district and the playoffs,” McNamee said.
That schedule includes a who’s who of top teams across several classes, including Class 5A’s Pulaski County, Class 4A’s Johnson Central, Class 3A’s Belfry and Class 2A’s Lexington Christian, who are all top 10 teams in their respective divisions.
Here are 2023’s preseason top 10 teams in Class A — the smallest football-playing classification established by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association — as voted on by coaches in the division.
1. Pikeville
Head coach: Chris McNamee (15th season).
Last year: 12-2. State champions with a 41-9 win over Raceland.
Quick look: Quarterback Isaac Duty, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior, has been starting since sophomore year and has a championship ring to his credit. He threw for 1,506 yards and 21 TDs with a powerful running game at his back. Tayvian Boykins, a 5-10, 160-pound senior, should improve on his 475 yards and seven TDs rushing and 375 yards and three TDs receiving. “He’s worked extremely hard this offseason,” McNamee said. Brenden Anthony (120 tackles, three sacks) and Sam Wright (74 tackles, one interception) will lead the defense.
Marquee matchups: Aug. 18 vs. Pulaski County (at Corbin); Aug. 26 vs. Johnson Central; Sept. 2 at Lexington Christian; Sept. 8 vs. Raceland; Sept. 15 at Belfry; Oct. 13 vs. Paintsville; Oct. 20 at Hazard.
2. Raceland
Head coach: Michael Salmons (10th season).
Last year: 13-2. District and region champions. Lost in state finals to Pikeville.
Quick look: The Rams lost 15 seniors to graduation, but “the goal never changes,” Salmons said. “Get back to the same game from a year ago and change the outcome!” Senior quarterback Logan Lundy (2,372 yards, 35 TDs passing, 445 yards, 12 TDs rushing) returns as one of Class A’s top dual-threats. He has his leading rusher and second leading receiver in tow: seniors Noah Wallace (883 yards, 12 TDs rushing) and Parker Fannin (569 yards, nine TDs receiving). Wallace was also the team leader in tackles with 105 at safety.
Marquee matchups: Aug. 18 at Ashland Blazer; Sept. 8 at Pikeville; Sept. 15 vs. Highlands; Sept. 22 vs. Newport Central Catholic; Sept. 29 at Hazard; Oct. 27 vs. Lexington Christian.
3. Newport Central Catholic
Head coach: Stephen Lickert (sixth season).
Last year: 11-3. District and region champions. Lost 50-14 to Pikeville in state semis.
Quick look: The Thoroughbreds have been to two Class A semifinals since joining this division in 2019, including last year. “We think we have some guys that can get it done,” Lickert said. “We want to finish the job this year and win the state title.” Kolton Smith returns at quarterback (1,371 yards, 15 TDs passing, 285 yards, five TDs rushing) and linebacker (43 tackles), as does RB/LB Demetrick Welch (1,346 yards, 17 TDs rushing/56 tackles, two sacks) and junior LB Kaleb Cole (92 tackles, one sack).
Marquee matchups: Aug. 17 at Lloyd Memorial; Aug. 25 vs. Walton-Verona; Sept. 22 at Raceland; Oct. 6 vs. Newport.
4. Hazard
Head coach: Daniel Howard (fourth season).
Last year: 8-5. Lost 17-14 to Raceland in region finals.
Quick look: The Bulldogs have just five seniors and four starters back on each side of the ball, but Howard says “we have a much stronger team this year. They have worked in the weight room.” Junior QB Max Pelfrey (1,821 yards, 21 TDs passing, 193 yards, four TDs rushing) looks to build on a strong sophomore campaign. Jayvon White, a junior WR/DB, popped for 254 yards and five TDs on just 20 catches in 2022. Fellow juniors Memphis Blankenship (88 tackles) at linebacker and Gaige Logan (66 tackles) on the line ranked among the team’s defensive leaders.
Marquee matchups: Sept. 15 vs. Breathitt County; Sept. 22 vs. Corbin; Sept. 29 vs. Raceland; Oct. 6 at Paintsville; Oct. 20 vs. Pikeville.
5. Campbellsville
Head coach: Dale Estes (12th season).
Last year: 7-4. District champions. Lost 28-19 to Louisville Holy Cross in the second round.
Quick look: A number of Estes’ top players are going on their fourth year starting at the varsity level, including RB/LB Konner Forbis (637 yards, eight TDs/81 tackles), WR Deondre Weathers (560 yards, five TDs receiving, 350 yards, three TDs rushing) and FB/LB Landon Colvin (six rushing TDs, team-high 135 tackles and four sacks). “We are an experienced team with good depth,” Estes said. Kace Eastridge had an impressive freshman campaign at quarterback (1,220 yards, 11 TDs passing, 376 yards, seven TDs rushing).
Marquee matchups: Sept. 1 at Metcalfe County; Sept. 15 vs. Somerset; Sept. 28 at Danville; Oct. 13 at Louisville Holy Cross; Oct. 20 vs. Kentucky Country Day; Oct. 27 vs. Hart County.
6. Kentucky Country Day
Head coach: Matthew Jones (12th season).
Last year: 9-3. Lost 28-21 to Newport Central Catholic in region finals.
Quick look: With nine starters back on offense and eight on defense, KCD could be poised for a run to the state finals like it had in 2020. Jones calls senior quarterback Ethan “ET” Harris “one of the fastest and best athletes in the state in Class A.” Harris had 1,718 yards and 21 TDs passing and 224 yards and six TDs rushing. Second leading receiver Cam Edwards (359 yards, seven TDs) has length at 6-4 and also plays cornerback where he led the team in interceptions (four). Senior linebacker Lawson Cantley led the defense with 67 tackles and three sacks.
Marquee matchups: Sept. 8 vs. Walton-Verona; Oct. 6 vs. Louisville Holy Cross; Oct. 13 vs. Bethlehem; Oct. 20 at Campbellsville.
7. Middlesboro
Head coach: Larry French (fifth season).
Last year: 7-4. Lost 28-21 to Shelby Valley in the Class 2A second round.
Quick look: Realignment puts the Yellow Jackets back in Class A for the first time since 2003. Nine starters return, including the skill positions where dual-threat QB Cayden Grigsby (1,475 yards, 17 TDs passing, 1,089 yards, 17 TDs rushing) leads the swarm. He has leading receiver Kameron Wilson (687 yards, 10 TDs) among his targets. Wilson also scored on defense last year with two big interceptions for a touchdown. Senior linemen Trey King (40 tackles) and Landon Coffey (35 tackles) lead the defense.
Marquee matchups: Sept. 8 vs. Shelby Valley; Sept. 29 at Harlan; Oct. 6 at Pineville; Oct. 12 vs. Williamsburg.
8. Louisville Holy Cross
Head coach: Eric Dick (fourth season).
Last year: 10-4. Region champions. Lost 49-6 to Raceland in state semis.
Quick look: The Cougars return 14 starters, but they’ll need someone to step up at quarterback where junior Aiden Dewees and sophomore Jamie Jones are competing for the starting spot. Jayse Hardesty, a senior WR/DB, had 457 yards and four TDs receiving to go with 203 yards and one TD rushing. Hardesty also notched 45 tackles and a team-high four interceptions on defense. Leading tacklers Michael Wortham (70 tackles, seven sacks), Dewees (66 tackles, one sack), Cam Henderson-Reed (63 tackles, eight sacks) and Logan McClellan (40 tackles/367 yards and three TDs receiving) all return.
Marquee matchups: Oct. 6 at Kentucky Country Day; Oct. 13 vs. Campbellsville; Oct. 20 at Bethlehem.
9. Williamsburg
Head coach: Jerry Herron (18th season).
Last year: 7-3. District champions. Lost 29-0 to Hazard in the second round.
Quick look: Williamsburg has tapped last year’s top wide receiver, junior Nate Goodin, as its new quarterback, filling a role that had a very productive dual-threat player there last year. Goodin also stood out on defense with 40 tackles and three interceptions. Second leading rusher Hunter Thomas (527 yards, four TDs) should help. Thomas also led the team in tackles at linebacker with 76 tackles. The eight returning defensive starters include Williamsburg’s top four tacklers, Thomas, Mason Powers (76), Peyton Tye (73) and Cooper Prewitt (58).
Marquee matchups: Sept. 1 at Clay County; Sept. 29 vs. Pineville; Oct. 13 at Middlesboro; Oct. 20 at Harlan.
10. Sayre
Head coach: Chad Pennington (sixth season).
Last year: 5-6. Lost 42-7 to Harlan in the first round.
Quick look: The Spartans make their first Herald-Leader preseason top 10 appearance in only the sixth year since the program was revived from dormancy. With 17 starters back, nine on offense, Sayre looks to be a contender in District 5 where it was aligned with Berea, Eminence and Frankfort. Junior quarterback Luke Pennington (1,785 yards, 25 TDs passing) has his leading rusher and receiver back and they’re all juniors. Charlie Slabaugh had 425 yards and one TD rushing to go with 478 yards and eight TDs receiving while Brock Coffman caught for 853 yards and nine TDs. Slabaugh also led the team in tackles at linebacker with 92.
Marquee matchups: Aug. 25 vs. Bracken County; Sept. 22 at Nicholas County; Sept. 29 at Bourbon County; Oct. 6 vs. Berea; Oct. 13 at Frankfort; Oct. 20 vs. Eminence; Oct. 27 at Bethlehem.
Others receiving votes
In order of votes received: Paintsville; Bethlehem; Russellville; Bishop Brossart; Harlan; Paris; Frankfort; Pineville; Lynn Camp; Dayton; Holy Cross (Covington); Nicholas County; Newport; Eminence; Ludlow.
Survey method: These rankings reflect the participation of coaches from 20 of the 34 Class A teams (58.8%). Every coach in the division was given the opportunity to participate in the @HLpreps annual survey via email. Multiple attempts were made to contact each coach.
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