Kentucky commit Dane Key among players of the year honored by coaches’ association
Frederick Douglass wide receiver Dane Key has been selected Class 5A player of the year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association, which announced its coach and player of the year honors for each of the state’s six competitive classes on Monday.
The honor marks the second statewide award for the Broncos’ wide receiver and Kentucky commit this month. The Louisville Quarterback Club will present Key with its Paul Hornung Award on Dec. 21 at Wildwood Country Club.
Key, a four-star rated wideout ranked as the No. 1 recruit in Kentucky, had 959 yards and nine touchdowns receiving this season, including 155 yards and two scores in the Broncos’ championship game against South Warren on Saturday. The Broncos finished runner-up in Class 5A in two out of the last three years with Key figuring prominently in the offense each season.
Also honored by the KFCA on Monday was Dennis Johnson of Woodford County as Class 5A coach of the year. Johnson led the Yellow Jackets (13-1) to the program’s first undefeated regular season and reached the state semifinals where they ran into eventual 5A champion South Warren.
The KFCA’s players of the year both at the class and district levels are finalists for its annual Mr. Football award given to the association’s choice for the state’s top senior. That award is expected to be announced later this month. The KFCA Mr. Football is not to be confused with the longer-standing Mr. Football awarded by The Associated Press.
As a fifth-year “super senior,” Beechwood’s Cameron Hergott, the reigning KFCA Mr. Football, is eligible to become the first repeat winner of the honor thanks to Senate Bill 128, which allowed students to repeat a year because the COVID-19 pandemic severely limited their high school experience in the year prior. Hergott, who led Beechwood to this year’s state title and is a three-time state championship game MVP, was named this year’s Class 2A player of the year. Curiously, Hergott did not receive that distinction last year when he was later named 2020 Mr. Football. Hergott shared the AP Mr. Football award with Frederick Douglass offensive lineman Jager Burton.
Here is the complete list of KFCA coaches and players of the year:
KFCA Players of the Year
Class A: Zac Lockhart, Pikeville.
Class 2A: Cameron Hergott, Beechwood.
Class 3A: Isaac Dixon, Belfry.
Class 4A: Jagger Gillis, Boyle County.
Class 5A: Dane Key, Frederick Douglass.
Class 6A: Selah Brown, Male.
KFCA Coaches of the Year
Class A: Mikie Benton, Russellville.
Class 2A: Larry French, Middlesboro.
Class 3A: Tim Champlin, East Carter.
Class 4A: Justin Haddix, Boyle County.
Class 5A: Dennis Johnson, Woodford County.
Class 6A: Kevin Wallace, St. Xavier.
Recapping the 2021 Kentucky high school football state championships
Thrilling championship weekend ends with upset of Kentucky’s No. 1 team
South Warren’s big-play offense too much for gritty Frederick Douglass in 5A title game
‘You gotta have belief in your team.’ Early risks pay off for Boyle County in 4A title.
Belfry’s belief, and unrelenting ground game, deliver Class 3A state football title
Beechwood lands final blow in another thrilling state title win over Lexington Christian
‘I’ll miss him.’ Father-son duo helps Pikeville outlast Russellville in Class A finals.
