Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class 4A high school football preseason poll for 2024

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories ranking Kentucky’s high school football teams class by class, according to voting by the class’s coaches.

Boyle County has been making it look easy.

It’s not.

But the “Title Town” winners of the last four Class 4A high school football championships look to be the favorites to capture the school’s 13th state crown and make it another remarkable five-peat for the program. (Boyle won five titles from 1999 to 2003.)

The Rebels garnered 31 of a possible 33 No. 1 votes cast in the Herald-Leader’s preseason survey of coaches in the division. No. 2 Paducah Tilghman and No. 5 Franklin County split the other two.

The Blue Tornado looks loaded for a run at the Rebels and none of the preseason top 10 can be dismissed.

Boyle Coach Justin Haddix knows how difficult Class 4A is and is taking nothing for granted.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to hopefully be playing for a state championship,” Haddix said.

Here are the preseason top-10 teams in Class 4A as voted on by coaches in the division.

1. BOYLE COUNTY

Head coach: Justin Haddix (fifth season).

Last year: 15-0. State champions with a 41-0 win against Covington Catholic.

Quick look: The Rebels have a question mark at quarterback, but they have a lot of answers, too, starting with dynamic playmaker Montavin Quisenberry, a 5-9 make-you-miss senior committed to West Virginia. He and fellow senior two-way star Demauriah Brown can hurt opponents on offense, defense and special teams. Look out for a pair of sophomore tight end/defensive ends who could have breakout seasons — 6-foot-7 Seneca Driver, who is the younger brother of Eastern Kentucky commit Brock Driver, and 6-foot-6 Mattox Hager. Both already have multiple Division I offers, including Kentucky.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 24 vs. Lexington Christian (at Western Kentucky University); Aug. 31 vs. Bryan Station; Sept. 13 at Scott County; Sept. 20 vs. Taylor County; Sept. 27 at Lexington Catholic; No. 1 vs. Frederick Douglass.

2. PADUCAH TILGHMAN

Head coach: Sean Thompson (fourth season).

Last year: 13-1. District and region champions. Lost 22-14 to Covington Catholic in the state semifinals.

Quick look: The high-powered Blue Tornado offense has all its top skill players back for a run at the school’s first title since 2009. They include senior quarterback Jack James, a Troy commit who threw for 4,019 yards and 56 TDs last season; junior running back DJ Wilson, who topped 1,000 yards rushing; and wideout/defensive back Martels Carter, a Kentucky commit who had 1,066 yards receiving. The star power doesn’t end there. Senior corner Vanzale Hinton is a Vanderbilt commit. Jarvis Strickland, a 6-6, 294-pound junior offensive lineman, has been racking up Division I offers, including Kentucky and Tennessee.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 24 vs. McCracken County; Sept. 6 at Mayfield; Sept. 13 vs. Henderson County; Oct. 4 at Logan County.

3. CORBIN

Head coach: Luke Salmons (first season).

Last year: 12-1. District champions. Lost 21-14 to Boyle County in region finals.

Quick look: Former Lawrence County coach Luke Salmons returns to Kentucky after a very successful 13-year tenure as head coach at Cabell Midland in Ona, West Virginia. He steps into a “great program with a great community and culture,” Salmons said. And Tom Greer didn’t leave the cupboard bare upon retirement. Senior QB Kade Elam, a Louisville baseball commit, has started since his freshman year and is one of nine starters back. Three-star junior tight end/defensive end Eli Pietrowski should see a lot more touches, as will junior wideout Cam Estep.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 23 vs. Pikeville; Sept. 6 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept. 20 at Frederick Douglass; Oct. 4 at Johnson Central.

4. COVINGTON CATHOLIC

Head coach: Eddie Eviston (10th season).

Last year: 14-1. District and region champions and state runner-up.

Quick look: It was no surprise the Colonels made an immediate impact after dropping from Class 5A last season. They’ll need to replace some key components with just 10 starters back, including only four on offense. “We look forward to some young talent blossoming as the season unfolds and we are excited to see where they can go,” Eviston said. Cash Harney, a 5-9 junior, could line up all over the field, including quarterback. Tate Kruer, a 6-1 senior, should be a primary target at tight end or in the slot and he led the team in tackles as a linebacker.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 23 at Ryle; Aug. 30 vs. Highlands; Sept. 20 vs. Beechwood.

5. FRANKLIN COUNTY

Head coach: Eddie James (eighth season).

Last year: 13-1. District and region champions. Lost 41-14 to Boyle County in the state semifinals.

Quick look: No team can take the Flyers lightly, as evidenced by their stunning win over Class 6A runner-up Bryan Station in Week 2 last season. Christian Moore, a 5-11 senior, rushed for nearly 1,000 yards. Jay’Quan Crawford, a 6-1 junior, will likely share the load in the backfield and improve on his eight TDs last season. Franklin County returns seven starters on each side of the ball, including Luke Toothaker, a 6-5, 230-pound tight end/linebacker.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 23 vs. Scott County (at Great Crossing); Aug. 31 vs. Lexington Christian (at Boyle County); Sept. 20 at Spencer County; Oct. 11 vs. Southwestern.

6. ASHLAND BLAZER

Head coach: Chad Tackett (second season).

Last year: 10-2. Lost 35-28 to Covington Catholic in the second round.

Quick look: The Tomcats begin their 125th season of football with senior standouts LaBryant Strader and Braxton Jennings at quarterback and running back, respectively. Jennings had 807 yards and 15 TDs rushing to go with 536 yards and five TDs receiving. He also made big plays at defensive back. “We have a veteran team,” Tackett said. The Tomcats return 11 starters and have 17 seniors. Cam Davis, a 6-1 junior safety, ranked second in tackles and had one of Ashland’s four pick sixes.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 23 at Raceland; Sept. 13 vs. Bardstown; Oct. 11 vs. Boyd County; Oct. 25 vs. Johnson Central.

7. JOHNSON CENTRAL

Head coach: Jesse Peck (third season).

Last year: 9-4. District champion. Lost 31-0 to Covington Catholic in the region finals.

Quick look: Injuries hampered the Golden Eagles a season ago, but Coach Peck believes his team can contend. “We return a solid corps on the offensive line and right now we have a rotation of four running backs that can carry our offense,” Peck said. They’ll be led by senior Zack McCoart, who played just one game last season, and junior Logan Music, who rushed for 813 yards and seven TDs as the third option. Defensive returnees include leading tackler Seth Davis, a senior linebacker.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 31 at Pikeville; Sept. 6 vs. Belfry; Sept. 13 at Breathitt County; Oct. 4 vs. Corbin; Oct. 25 at Ashland Blazer.

8. BARDSTOWN

Head coach: Justin Grundy (first season).

Last year: 8-5. District champion. Lost 37-29 to Franklin County in the region finals.

Quick look: Former player and longtime assistant Grundy takes over a Tigers team he helped lead to its last state title in 2001 as a team captain. Senior dual-threat QB Amonti Marshall had more than 1,800 yards of offense last season and 21 TDs. “We go as far as Marshall leads us,” Grundy said. Running backs Kenyin Calhoun and Sevyn Hamilton come off injuries and should be key to a run-heavy offense that totaled 3,357 yards last year. Senior linebackers Caden Ferrell and Kaden Stone lead the defense as four-year starters.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 23 at Cooper; Aug. 30 vs. Taylor County; Sept. 13 at Ashland Blazer.

9. LOGAN COUNTY

Head coach: Todd Adler (ninth season).

Last year: 8-4. Lost 51-48 to Bardstown in the second round.

Quick look: Adler admits the Cougars “will be young in a lot of spots,” but having 6-5 junior quarterback Ridge Holman is a good start. He threw for 2,405 yards and 24 TDs last year. One of his favorite targets, Brady Hinton, a 6-2 senior wideout, returns as well. Five of Logan’s nine returning starters are on defense, including senior defensive back Hunter Holloway, who had four interceptions in 2023.

Schedule highlights: Sept. 6 vs. Russellville; Sept. 13 at Greenwood; Oct. 4 vs. Paducah Tilghman; Oct. 25 at Warren East; Nov. 1 vs. South Warren.

10. TAYLOR COUNTY

Head coach: Scott Parkey (second season).

Last year: 9-3. Lost 49-14 to Corbin in the second round.

Quick look: Junior quarterback Rex Parkey established himself as a dual threat last season with 1,019 yards and eight TDs passing and 557 yards and seven TDs rushing. Senior wideout JaQuon Coulter figures to be his top target. Peyton Smith, the Cardinals’ lead rusher each of the last three seasons, transferred to Frederick Douglass. That should give Braxtyn Abren, a 6-1 junior, ample opportunity to fill the void.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 24 vs. Woodford County (as Mercer County); Aug. 30 at Bardstown; Sept. 20 at Boyle County; Oct. 4 at Russell County; Nov. 1 vs. Green County.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES

In order of votes received: DeSales, North Oldham, Spencer County, Boyd County, Western Hills, Shelby County, Warren East, Perry County Central, Henry County, Russell County, Mason County, Whitley County, Greenup County, John Hardin, Jeffersontown.

Survey method: These rankings reflect the participation of coaches from 33 of the 42 Class 4A teams (78.6%). 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.