Boys of Fall Kicks off Season Friday
James Collier
Ashland Beacon
ASHLAND
2022 Record: 9-5
Season Ended: State Final Four (CAL, 50-7)
Coach: Chad Tackett (2nd)
2022 was the donning of a new era for Ashland football with Chad Tackett grabbing the reins after long-time coach Tony Love’s retirement after the 2021 season. It was a bumpy start for Tackett’s Tomcats after losing three of their first four and four of their first six. Ashland fell to Raceland, 34-7 to open the season, then followed with losses in weeks three and four to George Washington, 21-14 and Wheelersburg, 49-7.
But things took a magical turn on Oct. 1 when Ashland entertained Elizabethtown at Putnam Stadium. Ashland withstood the opponent it defeated in 2020 for the Class 3A State Championship with a 27-25 win. But the win over Etown was the first domino to fall as the Tomcats rolled off six straight wins that sent them into the Class 4A Final Four and a trip to Christian Academy-Louisville. Unfortunately, the ride for the Tomcats ended in a 50-7 defeat but the once youth roster had gained a tremendous amount of success they hope carry over to this season.
“Really excited for this season,” Tackett said. “We have a lot of skill guys back from last year that had a big impact on our success.”
Returning for the Tomcats are three intricate pieces of their offense in quarterback LaBryant Strader, running back Braxton Jennings and wide receiver Brandon Houston. Strader worked effectively while learning on the job while throwing for 2,153 yards and running for 670 more. He threw 18 touchdowns to only five picks and rushed six additional scores. Jennings led the way in the backfield with 1,202 yards and 19 scores. Houston hauled in 39 balls for 920 yards and nine scores. Tay Thomas added 444 yards and seven scores from the backfield.
“It's LaBryant’s second season in Coach Dowdy’s offense,” Tackett said. “I look for his numbers to increase.”
Ashland returns a pair of big hitters on the defensive side of things with leading tackler Sawyer Edens (111 tackles, 7TFL) ready to lead from his linebacker position. Cameron Davis tallied 75 tackles, five for loss from the secondary last season and hauled in two picks. Thomas had 7TFL and led the team in interceptions with three.
Brian Church returns to do the kicking duties after working in tandem with Jake Sexton. Church went 18 of 22 on PAT tries.
Ashland will work in a new classification and district this season after moving back into Class 4A. Ashland welcomes Raceland and West Jessamine before hitting the road for three straight against GW, Bardstown and Russell. Ashland opens district play with visits from Greenup and Rowan County followed by trips to Boyd and Johnson Central.
“Our guys have had a great off season and we are excited to open with a Top 20 team like Raceland,” Tackett said.
BOYD COUNTY
2022 Record: 8-4
Season Ended: 2nd Round of Playoffs (43-21, Boyle County)
Coach: Evan Ferguson (5th)
Last season was something special for the boys from Cannonsburg. With an 8-4 mark in 2022, it marked the first time the Lions had a winning season since finishing 7-5 in 2008. Still yet, an ugly taste was left in the Lions mouths after suffering a 13-12 loss to Mason County and a 13-10 shortcoming to Lawrence County. But the Lions rolled off four straight including a 41-14 playoff win over Anderson County before falling to eventual state champion Boyle County, 43-21 in the second round.
“Coming off a district championship season in 2022, we are replacing a lot of impacting seniors,” Boyd County coach Evan Ferguson said. “Looking for big seasons out of returning captain Dakota Thompson and junior Rhett Thompson who enters his third season at QB. We want them to have big seasons making plays and leading our guys on and off the field.”
Led by their dual threat quarterback in Rhett Holbrook, Boyd County moved the ball in a multitude of ways with Holbrook throwing for 1,577 yards, 17TDS and only three interceptions while rushing for 515 more and adding nine scores. But the Lions lost a large collection of their offensive firepower from last year with leading rusher Malichi Wheeler and leading receivers Trey Holbrook and Josh Thornton all graduating. Wheeler rushed for 1,311 yards and eight scores. Trey Holbrook caught 34 passes for 622 yards and six TDS. Thornton added 42 grabs for 555 yards and six TDs. Another missing piece for the Lions will be kicker Cole Thompson who went 37 for 40 on PATs and added four made field goals to his stat line.
Defensively, the Lions return a large part of their nucleus except for leading tackler Jacob Meade who tallied 99 tackles, 24TFL and 3.5 sacks. Back for the Lions is Dakota Thompson (81T, 20TFL, 1.3S), John Jackson (72T, 10TFL, 1.5S), Jack Hogston (63T, 22TFL, 7.7S) and Nate Manning (59T, 16TFL, 3S).
Boyd County welcomes new but familiar district mates in Johnson Central, Greenup and Ashland while Rowan County remained in Class 4A District 6 with the Lions. Boyd opens at South Point on Aug. 18 then welcomes Bell County and East Carter on Aug. 25 and Sept. 1. The Lions entertain Greenup and Ashland in district play and close the season with a visit from two-time defending Class A state champion Pikeville on Oct. 27.
“Excited about the new schedule and going to have to be at our best week in and week out if we plan to make another run at a State Championship,” Ferguson said. “Focusing on one game at a time and developing our depths at all positions.”
FAIRVIEW
2022 Record: 1-10
Season Ended: 1st Round of Playoffs (Bishop Brossart, 36-14)
Coach: Brent Wilcoxon (2nd)
2022 proved to be a year of tough sledding for Fairview with only one win to speak for in a 36-8 win over Morgan County on Sept. 9. The Eagles fell in their next seven outings including a 36-14 loss to Bishop Brossart in the opening round of the Class A playoffs to end their season. Now with a new district alignment for 2023, the Eagles hope to get flying once again. But the Eagles will have to find new wings after departing a large portion of its starting lineup to graduation.
“We are really talented and really inexperienced,” Fairview coach Brent Wilcoxon said. “We hope the talent outweighs the inexperience.”
Gone are starting quarterback Austin Miller, running back Caden Thomas, receivers Jeremy Harper, Cameron Harper and Steven Day. Miller threw for 1,752 yards with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He also ran for 380 yards and a team-high seven TDs. Thomas led the Eagles rushing attack with 707 yards and six scores. Jeremy Harper hauled in 52 balls for 587 yards. Thomas added 25 catches for 354 yards. Cameron Harper added 20 catches for 233 yards and a score.
Cameron Harper led the Eagles defense with 90 tackles, six for loss and a sack. Miller had 68 stops, four for loss. Jeremy Harper had three of the six Fairview interceptions.
Fairview will be the road warriors this season with only three home games on its new slate. The Eagles welcome Bath County on Aug. 18 to open the season and does not return home until Sept. 29 in a visit from new district foe Nicholas County. Fairview’s final home game comes on Oct. 13 against Phelps. The Eagles visit Raceland and Paris in district play.
RACELAND
2022 Record: 13-2
Season Ended: State Championship Runner Up (Pikeville, 41-9)
Coach: Mike Salmons (10th)
2022 expectations for Raceland football were simple. Kroger Field or bust.
“That is where our program has elevated to, but you can’t just wake up and say, we are going to Kroger Field,” Raceland coach Mike Salmons said. “It’s about what you did better tomorrow than today or what you did in the film room and weight room that gives you that opportunity to play in December.”
The Rams marched their way to the carpet behind an unbelievable 13-win season before their journey got upended by the defending Class A champion, Pikeville, 41-9. Regardless of the outcome, the Rams proved they were one of the top teams in the state. Led by Logan Lundy at quarterback and a suffocating defense, the Rams allowed over 20 points only twice in the regular season and limited their opponents to one score or less in nine of their 15 contests.
Raceland’s season began with a home game on a neutral field after delays in the installation of their new turf surface caused a relocation to nearby Wheelersburg and a meeting with Ashland. The Rams looked the part of a well-oiled machine by dismantling the Tomcats, 34-7. One week later, the Rams showed off the new turf surface at Rams Stadium with a 53-14 beatdown of Russell to accent the first ever game on carpet. The Rams lone setback in the regular season came at the hands of Class 5A, Highlands, in a 24-14 loss in Ft. Thomas.
Lundy torched the passing record books with 35 TDs, 2,372 passing yards and only eight interceptions. He also ran for seven scores. Noah Wallace returns with Lundy as the starting tailback hot off an 883-yard season with 12 TDs. Isaac Browning followed suit with 666 yards and seven TDs and will work alongside Wallace again this season. Jaxon Heighton will round out the running back stable this year after seeing limited work last year.
“We have three running backs that we think a lot about this year,” Raceland coach Mike Salmons said. “Noah is just a dynamic player. Isaac is the unsung hero and kind of the keep pounding guy for us and then Heighton is going to be a primary ball carrier even though he didn’t carry it as much last season because of our depth.”
Lundy loses three of his top four receivers this year in Mason Lykins, Conner Hughes and Landyn Newman but returns Parker Fannin and Brayden Webb. Fannin hauled in 28 balls for 569 yards and nine scores while averaging nearly 41 yards per game. Webb only caught five balls but three went for scores. Bryson Rowsey, Parker Ison and Brody Austin will join the receiving corps looking to add to the Rams air-raid offensive attack.
Defense will be the Rams strong suit to open the season as they return much of the starting 11 from last year. Wallace earned defensive player of the year honors from his safety position while leading the Rams in tackles, 105, tackles for loss, seven and added three interceptions including a pick-6. Webb and Heighton anchored a strong linebacker unit that returns all four starters from last season. Webb tallied 88 tackles, 6TFL and a pair of sacks. Heighton added 81 stops and a pair of sacks. Fellow linebacker Cam Bell led the team with 4.5 sacks.
“Noah decided to fall in love with the weight room in January and has totally changed the way his body looks,” Salmons said of Wallace. “He is in the best shape that he has ever been in the four years he’s been with us. His instincts are something you just don’t coach and he’s just a really phenomenal player.”
Raceland loses a major contributor on special teams from last year with kicker Peyton Ison graduating, leaving a big question mark in the kicking game.
Raceland will be road tested this season with its first three contests away from the friendly confines of Rams Stadium. Raceland visits Ashland on Aug. 18, visits Letcher County Central the following week and wraps up the three-game road trip two weeks later with a rematch against Pikeville on Sept. 8. Raceland welcomes Highlands and Newport Central Catholic on Sept. 15 and 22, respectively before visiting Hazard prior to the start of district play. The Rams welcome a new district this season with Nicholas County and Paris joining Fairview in Class A, District 6. The Rams close the season with a visit from Lexington Christian and UK bound quarterback Cutter Boley on Oct. 27.
RUSSELL
2022 Record: 2-9
Season Ended: 1st Round of Playoffs (Belfry, 56-14)
Coach: TJ Maynard (10th)
2022 was a tough season for Russell in every facet of the game. The Red Devils lost their first eight contests and finished 2-9 on the year after being dispatched 56-14 by Belfry in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs. But a deeper dive into the scores of several of the losses might show just how close Russell missed having a much different looking year.
"Last year aside from a couple games—the Raceland and Belfry games—every other game we were in,” Russell coach TJ Maynard said. “Of those seven losses, we were within 27 points. We were right there in a lot of games, but we just didn’t make the plays. We have to do a better job of putting our kids in position to score. A lot of those situations last year, we were there, but we didn’t capitalize on them.”
The season started with a 20-18 loss to Boone County, a Week 3, 28-21 loss to Wheelersburg followed by four straight losses to Montgomery County, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Greenup County and Ashland by a total of 18 points.
Russell featured a new quarterback in Ethan Pack who threw for 1,400 yards but tossed only four touchdowns to his nine interceptions.
“Last year was his first year behind center and obviously he had some growing pains,” Maynard said. “He made some really big plays for us, but he also made some mistakes, too. Hopefully, another year of experience and another year of training for changing his body, he’s ready to go again this year and make those plays for us.”
But one thing that Russell has this season that it did not in 2022 was competition in the quarterback position with Elijah Hankins pushing pack for the starting job as QB1. But one of the biggest losses to the Russell offense comes at wide receiver with the departure of Carson Patrick to graduation. Patrick caught nearly half of the total Russell completions last season for 839 yards and all four passing touchdowns. Much like Patrick, leading rusher Colby Rock graduated leaving Andre Richardson-Crews as the lone returning back. Crews toted the rock 106 times for 593 yards and seven TDs and is expected to take the Devils rushing attack to the next level.
Ben Totten will also be called upon to fill the void on special teams left by his older brother Nathan who had one of the best legs in the state.
Defensively, Maynard said the Red Devils have some serious uncertainties, all of which haunted their success last season in the form of missed tackles.
“Up front, I think we will be as good if not better than last year,” Maynard said. “Linebackers are a concern. Our linebackers have to come through and overall team defense has to tackle better. We had a scrimmage last week against Lawrence and Martin County and we gave up a couple long runs on the outside and a lot of that was our inexperience on the edge. Our corners got caught down inside. But our linebackers, we have some question marks and we just have to see who steps up and makes some plays.”
Russell welcomes a new but familiar district slate this season after realignment. Joining Russell in Class 3A, District 6 will be Fleming County, East and West Carter, Lewis County and Bath County. The downfall of a six-team district is two teams will be left on the outside looking in come post season time, putting even more emphasis in trying to secure the top two spots. Gone from Russell’s schedule this season is Raceland, ending a series that has played every year since 2015. Also departing from the Devils slate is Wheelersburg but Greenup County and Ashland both return along with additions of South Point, Mason County and Magoffin County prior to the start of district play.
GREENUP COUNTY
2022 Record: 8-5
Season Ended: State Quarterfinals (Mason County, 27-14)
Coach: Travis Jones (1st)
Greenup County put together one of its best runs in years in 2022 before falling to Mason County in the state quarterfinals, 27-14. With an 8-5 finish, the Musketeers captured the most wins since an 8-3 finish in 1998 and look to continue where they left off last year by returning one of the most prolific offensive players in the state while introducing a new head coach.
Tyson Sammons played as a one-man wrecking machine from his quarterback position last season. The sophomore threw for 1,395 yards and ran for 1,672 more while visiting the end zone 25 times on the ground and nine times through the air.
“The Musketeers are looking to pick up where they left off last season with a bunch of new faces on the field,” rookie head coach Travis Jones said. “The potential is there to have another great season, but we have to have guys step up to fill the shoes of our senior class last season.”
One of those seniors was the Musketeers do anything guy in Carson Wireman. The departing senior was second on the team in tackles (56) and led the team in tackles for loss (8) while handling the kicking duties. But his leadership will be the biggest loss for the team as he was a lead by example type of player. Also departing are leading tackler Mason Sammons (57T, 4TFL, 2S) and Jayce Griffith (54T) leaving a gaping hole at every level of the defense. Sammons worked on both sides of the ball from the line and Griffith was second on the team in receiving yards (291) while leading the secondary. Leading receiver Brady Howard also graduated after turning in 318 yards on 20 catches and 5TDs in only nine games.
Ike Henderson returns to the backfield alongside Sammons after tallying 877 yards on 190 totes with 12 TDs. Drew Boggs will be the only returning receiver who caught a varsity pass last season with 97 yards on four grabs.
Greenup County fast start last season provided a buzz around the team after winning three straight over Fleming County, Martin County and Lawrence County before suffering a setback at Boyd. Greenup stood tall with Raceland for three quarters before ultimately falling, 48-28 but responded with a pair of district wins over Russell, 28-27 and East Carter, 21-20 before falling to Ashland.
This season, Greenup will see several familiar faces on its schedule but as district games rather than non-conference slates. Ashland, Boyd, Johnson Central and Rowan County join Greenup to make up Class 4A, District 6. The Musketeers start on the road with a trip to Coal Grove on Aug. 18 and welcomes Russell on the 25th. Greenup opens district play at Ashland on Sept. 22 followed by a trip to Boyd on the 29th. Johnson Central comes to Lloyd on Oct. 13 for the first time since 2017 with Rowan County on the 20th to close district play.