Bowling Green hosts Cutter Boley, LCA in first 2023 Kroger KSR Game of the Week
High school football officially kicks off this week across the Bluegrass and the KSR crew is amped up to catch the action alongside fans from all over the state.
This year’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week series will begin in the beautiful city of Bowling Green, Kentucky at Houchens L.T. Smith Stadium, home of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (GO TOPS!). This week’s game features two teams in KSR’s Preseason Top 25, No. 7 Bowling Green and No. 13 Lexington Christian Academy.
If you follow high school football in KY, you’ve likely heard of guys like Deuce Bailey (BGHS ’25) and Cutter Boley (LCA ’24), QB1 of their respective teams, particularly the latter as a four-star recruit committed to UK. Let’s break down some stats from last season and dive into how these teams might fare against each other this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST (7:00 p.m. CT) in the Raffety’s Bowl.
Bowling Green’s Athleticism
Bailey is thrilling to watch not only on the field but on the court as well. As a sophomore guard on the Purples’ basketball team, Bailey’s talents shined all season, guiding his team to a nail-biter regional championship where they lost only to the 2023 KHSAA State Champions, Warren Central.
As a sophomore quarterback last year, he led his to the 5A state championship game against Frederick Douglass. On the season, he threw for 3,136 yards, averaging 209.1 per game while converting 2.3 touchdowns.
Bowling Green’s offense is stacked with weapons, too. ’24 RB Javen Huddleston ran for 1,184 yards on the season in 2022, converting 91.1 yards per game, 16 total touchdowns, and 1.2 touchdowns per game. Not only is he liable to advance, but he’s also likely to score while doing it. ’24 WR Easton Barlow tallied 1,008 receiving yards and 12 total touchdown receptions. Talk about a cohesive offense for the Purples.
Lexington Christian’s Weapons
You know the name. ’25 QB and Kentucky commit Cutter Boley is a huge competitor for the Eagles and a big get for Kentucky. He threw for 3,901 total yards last season, converting 36 total touchdowns and 300.1 yards per game. He’ll work alongside talented wide receiver ’24 Parker Chaney, who totaled 1,175 total yards receiving and 97.9 yards per game last season, along with transfer running back Brady Hensley, who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns last year for Madison Central.
LCA’s rush game will also be fulfilled by young ’26 RB Mac Darland, who got opportunities to debut as a freshman last season and tallied 323 total yards with a pair of touchdowns. Although LCA likes to keep their options in the air, you can’t discount the athleticism of this offense. They’ll find a way to score.
On the Defensive End
Saturday’s game is likely to be a scoring frenzy considering the depth both teams have. But, as they say, “offense wins games, defense wins championships.”
Bowling Green returns ’25 DB Grayson Newman and ’24 safety Wick Dotson, who were big contributors to the Purples’ defensive last year as they combined for 113 solo tackles and 196 total tackles, contributing to the team’s total of 1,015 tackles. Meanwhile, LCA returns ’24 Major Brown, who tallied 136 tackles to contribute to the Knights’ total of 716 tackles in the 2022 season.
Needless to say, this game features historically great programs in Kentucky high school football with rosters full of competitors. We can’t wait to share the action with you all in the 2023 season debut of the Kroger KSR Game of the Week.
KSR’s Freddie Maggard and Steven Peake will make the trip down to my neck of the woods to give you updates in real-time. Make sure you’re following us on Twitter/X (you can follow me here) to keep up with the action.
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