I t’s once again football time in the Bluegrass. With less than one week remaining until the kickoff of the 2024 Kentucky High School football season, KSR will preview all six classes. We’ve already covered Class 1A , Class 2A , Class 3A , Class 4A , and Class 5A .
Last but not least is Class 6A, home to seven of the top 16 teams present in KSR’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings (No. 2 Trinity, No. 3 Frederick Douglass, No. 5 Male, No. 6 St. Xavier, No. 13 DuPont Manual, No. 15 Bryan Station, and No. 16 Ballard).
Class 6A | District 1
Christian County (2023: 2-9), Daviess County (2023: 6-6), Henderson County (2023: 5-7), McCracken County (2023: 6-7)
Class 6A District 1 had a rough 2023 season, as none of the four teams finished over .500.
Daviess County and Henderson County however advanced to the second round of the postseason, while McCracken County even made it to the 6A State Quarterfinals before a 45-0 loss to Trinity.
Class 6A | District 2
Barren County (2023: 5-6), Central Hardin (2023: 7-6), North Hardin (2023: 1-10), Warren Central (2023: 1-10)
Just like District 1, Class 6A District 2 has been down as well.
Both Warren Central and North Hardin won just one game last season, while Barren County and Central Hardin were blown out in their playoff losses. Central Hardin however did win seven games and advance to the 6A Quarterfinals, but were absolutely no match for Ballard.
Class 6A | District 3
No. 13 DuPont Manual (2023: 9-3), Meade County (2023: 5-6), Pleasure Ridge Park (2023: 5-6), No. 6 St. Xavier (2023: 8-4)
Class 6A District 3 is one of three districts in Class 6A with multiple teams featured in KSR’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings. District 3 features No. 6 St. Xavier and No. 13 DuPont Manual, both inside the top 15.
By finishing 8-5 last season, St. X has still never suffered a losing season in the 21st century.
The Tigers feature two Kentucky targets in junior wide receiver Marlon Harbin (2023: 703 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns) and junior linebacker Karsten Busch (45 tackles, three sacks). Both players are deciding between the Cats and Louisville, so that will be a recruiting battle to keep up with as the season progresses.
Coach Kevin Wallace’s team is facing a gauntlet of a schedule this season however, as they are currently slated to face off against four teams ranked in KSR’s Preseason Top 25 at some point this season (No. 2 Trinity, No. 4 Bowling Green, No. 5 Male, No. 13 DuPont Manual).
Speaking of DuPont Manual, the Crimsons knocked the Tigers off for just the second time in 33 tries this century last season. Zeek Washburn hauled in the game-winning touchdown with no time remaining, leaving St. Xavier fans in shock.
Manual finished with a 9-3 record in 2023, tied for their best since 2009. They’ll return with a vengeance as well this season, as the Crimsons’ season came to an end in the second round of the playoffs to Ballard 48-42 in double overtime.
Meade County and Pleasure Ridge Park both finished 5-6 last season and will be fighting to get over the .500 mark in the toughest Class in the state.
Class 6A | District 4
Bullitt East (2023: 9-3), Fern Creek (2023: 7-5), No. 5 Male (2023: 11-2), Southern (2023: 4-7)
The Male Bulldogs will be entering the 2024 season with a vengeance, as the Bulldogs were edged out of the postseason last year by Frederick Douglass 21-20.
They return two of the best players in the entire state of Kentucky in three-star senior wide receiver Louisville commit Antonio Harris (2023: 620 yards receiving, 11 receiving touchdowns) and three-star senior offensive lineman NC State commit Isaac Sowells Jr. With senior quarterback Kolten Smith returning as well (2023: 2,447 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns), the Bulldogs are hoping to bring home their first state title since 2018.
Male lost four straight 6A title games from 2019-2022.
Bullitt East played last season as the defending 6A champs for the first time in school history but were unable to make another run for glory as they were dominated by Ryle 43-20 in the second round of the postseason.
Head coach Keegan Kendrick however has done a phenomenal job with the Chargers, as they are 31-8 since his arrival in 2021 in the most talented Class in the state of Kentucky. They’ll likely sneak back into KSR’s Top 25 Rankings at some point this season.
Neither Fern Creek nor Southern made it past the second round of the playoffs in 2023, so they’ll try to find a way to scrap in yet another extremely talented District.
Class 6A | District 5
No. 16 Ballard (2023: 10-4), Eastern (2023: 4-7), Oldham County (2023: 3-8), No. 2 Trinity (2023: 12-3)
Trinity won its 28th State Championship last season, taking down Bryan Station 41-20 after holding off Frederick Douglass 14-7 in the State Semifinals. It was quite an impressive feat for third-year head coach Jay Cobb, who took over for the legendary Bob Beatty in 2021.
The Shamrocks are stacked with talent this season, led by sophomore quarterback Zane Johnson . Johnson became the first true freshman quarterback in Trinity history to start on a State Championship team last season, throwing for 2,289 passing yards and 30 touchdowns en route to the crown.
His supporting cast is extremely strong, consisting of players such as sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Sekou Kamara (who holds a Kentucky offer), sophomore running back Jamaurion Berry (2023: 273 rushing yards, five touchdowns), and an absolute weapon of a kicker in Carson Hilbert . Hilbert made all 57 extra points and 11 of his 13 field goal attempts last season, leading to college offers from Louisville and Western Kentucky.
Trinity will be looking to win State Championship number 29, while Ballard is still looking to get back to a state title game for the first time since 1984. The Bruins finished last season with a 10-4 record before falling to eventual runner-up Bryan Station 24-21 in the 6A semifinals.
Just like many other schools in 6A, Ballard brings back a good crop of talent next season. Junior offensive lineman David Pellman , who holds big-time offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Florida, Ole Miss, and West Virginia, will lead the way for an offense losing its starting quarterback and running back. Last year’s leading receiver Maurice Stephens , who committed to Kent State in June, will lead the core once again this season after totaling 630 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.
Eastern and Oldham County are in a tight spot dealing with powers such as Trinity and Ballard. Eastern hasn’t defeated Ballard since 2012, and Oldham County hasn’t beaten Ballard since 2001. Neither team has knocked off Trinity since game results have been recorded on riherds.com (since 1998).
Class 6A | District 6
Campbell County (2023: 3-8), Great Crossing (2023: 2-9), Ryle (2023: 8-5), Simon Kenton (2023: 5-5)
The Ryle Raiders went 8-5 last season, winning two postseason games before losing to Bryan Station in the third round. They knocked out last year’s defending 6A State Champion Bullitt East in the second round.
The Raiders return senior defensive lineman Dillon Smith (2023: 56 tackles, six sacks), who committed to Louisville back in April. Coach Mike Engler and company will look to continue their winning ways, as Ryle has posted a .500 record or better in seven of the last nine seasons.
Simon Kenton experienced another uncharacteristic season in 2023, finishing just 5-5 overall. From 2012-2021, the Pioneers won at least eight games every season but have finished with a .500/sub-.500 record in three of their last four seasons. After losing three-star offensive lineman and now Kentucky freshman OL Aba Selm to graduation, the 2024 season may be another long one for SK.
Although Great Crossing plays at one of the nicest stadiums in all of Kentucky High School Football, its play in its five years of existence hasn’t quite lived up to it.
The Warhawks are 22-30 overall in program history and are 0-6 in “The Battle of Georgetown” against rival Scott County . The Cardinals have won those matchups by an average of 28 points. They’ll look to take a positive leap forward as a program this season along with Campbell County, who won just three games in 2023.
Class 6A | District 7
Henry Clay (2023: 0-11), Lafayette (2023: 2-9), Paul Laurence Dunbar (2023: 3-8), Tates Creek (2023: 8-4)
Since Frederick Douglass’ inception in 2017, it’s been a rough go-around for the Lexington area schools.
This continued last season, as Henry Clay, Lafayette, and Dunbar combined for a 5-28 record. Henry Clay and Tates Creek, the latter winning at least eight games in a season for just the second time since the 2018 season, both played Douglass and lost by a combined score of 91-0. The Broncos are 31-0 against Lexington-area teams in their program history.
However, Creek was crowned Class 6A District 7 champions and will look to repeat once again this season in a weaker District.
Class 6A | District 8
No. 15 Bryan Station (2023: 11-4), No. 3 Frederick Douglass (2023: 8-5), George Rogers Clark (2023: 4-7), Madison Central (2023: 4-8)
The Broncos suffered their worst season in program history last season, finishing with an 8-5 record. Since the program’s first season in 2017, Frederick Douglass had never lost more than two games in a season.
However, head coach Nathan McPeek put together what was easily the hardest schedule in Kentucky High School Football in 2023. The Broncos’ five losses were to Archbishop Hoban (OH), Cathedral (IN), Corbin , 4A State Champion Boyle County , and 6A State Champion Trinity.
The Broncos are going through a gauntlet once again this season, as they are scheduled to play six teams ranked in KSR’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings (No. 1 Boyle County, No. 2 Trinity, No. 4 Bowling Green , No. 5 Male, No. 9 Corbin, and No. 15 Bryan Station).
Douglass however made a big splash this offseason, bringing in four-star Kentucky commit EDGE Cedric Works to help anchor a defense that allowed 14.5 points per game last season. The D1 factory is also bringing back Western Michigan commit senior wide receiver Aveion Chenault (2023: 591 receiving yards, seven receiving touchdowns), Western Kentucky commit senior offensive tackle Jackson Dialls , and Ball State commit senior wide receiver Derion Talbert (2023: 591 receiving yards, seven receiving touchdowns).
After a down season in 2023 (for their standards), the Broncos will be right on the doorstep of their first-ever 6A State Title this season.
The Bryan Station Defenders actually made it farther than their in-town rivals last season, as they made it to the 6A State Championship game before falling to Trinity 41-20.
Coach Phillip Hawkins’ team returns future D1 talent as well in sophomore defensive back Jordan Haskins (2023: 878 receiving yards, 10 touchdown receptions, seven interceptions), sophomore wide receiver Demond Green (2023: 341 receiving yards, three touchdowns), and 1,000-yard rusher senior running back Kalen Washington (2023: 1,311 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns).
Station will be looking to earn its first-ever victory over Frederick Douglass this season, as the Defenders are 0-6 against the Broncos.
Madison Central and George Rogers Clark are in a tight spot sharing the District with two of the top 15 teams in the state, but they’ll both look to surpass the four-win mark this season.
Safe to say Class 6A District 8 is among the most talented in the state.
Preseason Honors
- Class 6A Player of the Year – WR Antonio Harris (Male)
- Class 6A Coach of the Year – Nathan McPeek (Frederick Douglass)
- Class 6A State Champion – Frederick Douglass Broncos
The post KSR’s 2024 Kentucky High School Football Preview: Class 6A appeared first on On3 .
Local Kentucky State
Most Popular
Comments / 0