SHS community excited about Sheron's opportunity to lead UK gridders

Oct. 11—If the rest of the Southeastern Conference didn't know what a Briar Jumper was before Saturday night, they do now.

Somerset High School alum Kaiya Sheron stepped in for the injured Will Levis at quarterback during this past weekend's University of Kentucky football game at Kroger Field against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and did the purple-and-gold proud while wearing the blue-and-white.

"I couldn't have been prouder of the way he represented the Briar Jumpers," said Somerset Athletic Director Kevin Burkett. "It really caused quite a buzz in our athletic family. One of the things I was most tickled about was (support from) people from previous generations and current generations that had no connection to Kaiya, but everybody had a connection to Somerset. Every time they'd mention 'former Briar Jumper' on the TV broadcast, I'd get four or five text messages from somebody who was excited about it."

"Anything that creates pride in one's hometown and home school, that's always good for the school," he added. "We do it in athletics, but we do it in the classroom and we do it in other organizations. We want people who have been to Somerset to go out and be successful, and we all take pride in that when they are."

Although Kentucky was upset by the Gamecocks in the contest, losing by a score of 24-14, Sheron played well in his first start as a collegiate player, and only his second appearance in a college game. The redshirt freshman completed 15 of 27 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns — a quick strike from 16 yards out to fellow former Kentucky high school athlete Jordan Dingle in the second quarter, and a 10-yard pass after a solid drive to JuTahn McClain as the Wildcats were mounting a late-game comeback attempt.

Sheron did have one interception, but it came at the end of the game, as Kentucky was desperately trying to move the ball upfield in a hurry — hardly ideal conditions for a first-time quarterback to find himself in during the fourth quarter.

"He did some good things when he had time, I thought, when we put him in a position to be successful. I don't think we played very good around him," said Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops of Sheron after the game. "So, it's one thing that, you know, I put on all of us; myself, the coaches, and the team. And I told the team that. I don't think we responded and played very well around him. I thought we played as poorly as we have all year at certain positions around a first-time starter. And I don't think that's right for that young man. And there's things that he did very well. And there's areas where we didn't do a good enough job around him."

Even if the Kentucky fans were disappointed after the game, Briar Jumper Nation was thrilled to see the local boy do well on national television, care of the SEC Network.

"It's great that our name got out there nationally, but the young man deserves his shot at what he's getting ready to do," said Burkett. "That makes it a lot more fun for everybody. The people who know Kaiya Sheron know how hard he's worked and how much time he's put in. They knew he would go out and represent us and himself and his family well."

Many of them were even in the stands Saturday night.

"I was at the game and there was a tremendous amount of people from Somerset who had connections to our football program who made a special effort to go to the game," said Burkett. "I don't know if (anyone) was gathered here in town to watch it somewhere or not, but it was certainly all over social media."

Certainly, Somerset High School itself got its moment in the spotlight thanks to Sheron's start. Early in the broadcast, the SEC Network crew introduced the nation to Kaiya Sheron by showing footage of his game-winning touchdown pass in the Class 2A state championship game in 2019 — a game played on the very same Kroger Field that Sheron took Saturday night — followed by a team picture of the victorious Somerset squad. And following Sheron's first touchdown of the game, announcer Tom Hart spoke the Briar Jumper name out loud.

Kaiya's coach at Somerset, Robbie Lucas, broke down Sheron's performance in true coach-like fashion — proud, but analytical, with just a dash of tough love.

"I think he went out and executed the plays that were called for him," said Lucas. "I don't know that he played a perfect game, but I thought he played a pretty good game. His execution was good. I don't think he was nervous. Every time I ever coached him, he was unflappable. You got 24,000 to 28,000 people in there, and that's difficult to do. Honestly, I was not worried about (his confidence) at all."

Lucas said that the whole SHS football community is excited for Sheron, including some kids still on the team who played with Sheron. Lucas added that he's spoken with Sheron's father Kevin "a few times" surrounding the game and said that his parents were "very excited" for their son to get this kind of opportunity.

"I don't think people realize the amount of miles of running and time you invest in getting to that point," said Lucas. "To actually get to that point and be the young man who gets to lead the University of Kentucky out on the field, that's huge.

"It was probably the most-watched UK game around here there's been in a while," he added. "... (The positive attention) doesn't hurt. (Sheron) certainly has been a good ambassador for our program, that's for sure."

It may not be the only time SHS fans see Sheron take the field. Kentucky's QB1 Levis remains "day-to-day" with a foot injury, meaning if he's unable to go this weekend against Mississippi State, Sheron will likely get the start once again.

Whether or not Saturday will have been Sheron's only opportunity this year, Somerset Principal Jeff Wesley was happy to see his former student on the screen Saturday night.

"I don't think I had watched a UK football game so far this season, but I made sure to get fuboTV so I could watch that game," said Wesley. "He made us proud. ... I was very pleased that they gave us a mention and tied that success together with Kaiya. I'm glad that it all came together the way that it did."

Somerset Independent Schools Superintendent Kyle Lively and Board of Education Chairman Scott Gulock also passed along their congratulations to Sheron.

"Kaiya is an outstanding young man and a tremendous athlete," said Lively. "He always represents Somerset and the state of Kentucky extremely well. We are very happy for Kaiya and look forward to many more great things on and off the field during his career!"

Said Gulock, "That's a pretty awesome deal right there. I'm just very proud of (Sheron) and what he's accomplished and how he represents Somerset Schools and the state. I'd say his parents are very proud of him, and he has a lot to be proud of himself. I think a lot of people are rooting for him, that's for sure."