Johnson Central vs. Lexington Catholic: Kroger KSR Game of the Week Preview
[Ed. Note: This article was published prior to the news that Pulaski County is replacing Johnson Central as Lexington Catholic’s opponent in the Bluegrass Bowl.]
KSR will head down Clays Mills Road Friday for a matchup of ranked teams between the Lexington Catholic Knights and the Johnson Central Golden Eagles. Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. at Lexington Catholic. The contest is the second of two games that combined make up the Traditional Bank Bluegrass Bowl. Henry Clay will take on Fern Creek at 6:00 p.m. in the opener. Johnson Central traveled to Henry Clay last week and left with a 60-21 victory. Fern Creek blew out J-Town 52-0 last Friday night.
Past Kroger KSR Game of the Week Success
Lexington Catholic (1-0) and Johnson Central (2-0) combined to go undefeated in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week last year. Lexington Catholic is hosting for the second straight season. They knocked off Covington Catholic last year on a blocked field goal as time expired. Johnson Central rolled to road victories over Simon Kenton and Belfry last season.
- Week 3: Johnson Central DEFEATED Simon Kenton 47-17
- Week 8: Johnson Central DEFEATED Belfry 35-14
- Week 9: Lexington Catholic DEFEATED Covington Catholic 29-28
Johnson Central
KSR State Ranking: 2
State Championships: 2 (2016, 2019)
State Runner-up: 3 (2015, 2017, 2018)
Last Season: Finished 10-1. Lost to Franklin County 20-12 in 4A semifinals
Coach: Jim Matney – For more about Coach Matney and football in the mountains, check out this article.
Key Players
Sr. OT Grant Bingham – 6’6 303-pound UK commit had offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Louisville, among others. He is a four-star player and part of the dominant “Pancake Platoon” Johnson Central o-line. He qualified for the state high school tennis tournament in doubles.
Sr. LB Mason Lemaster – Leads the team in tackles (88) last year. Also notched 8.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks.
Jr. RB Mason Lawson – Averaged nearly 10 yards a carry last year, totaling 812 yards. Rushed for 10 touchdowns including 4 in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week victory over Simon Kenton last season.
Lexington Catholic
KSR State Ranking: 16
State Championships: 2 (2005, 2007)
State Runner-up: 1 (2015)
Last Season: 5-3. Lost to eventual state champion Boyle County 49-41 in 4A 2nd round.
Coach: Nigel Smith – Coach Smith played football at UK. I spoke with coach Smith after the victory over Covington Catholic last season.
Key Players
Sr. QB Jack Gohmann – 114-for-190 for 1,646 yards, 17 TDs and 6 picks last season. Also gained 261 yards and 5 TDs on the ground. One of the top players on the highly-ranked Lexington Catholic basketball team.
Jr. K Max DeGraff – 25-of-25 on extra points and 8-of-9 on field-goal attempts last season. One of the top kickers in the state.
Sr. WR Jack Monday – Accepted an offer to be a preferred walk-on for UK next year. Had 19 receptions for 288 yards and 2 scores last year.
Johnson Central vs. Lexington Catholic Preview
Johnson Central, which fell one game short of their sixth-straight state finals appearance last season, has perhaps the best offensive line in the state. UK commit Grant Bingham joins Jesse McCoy, Owen Lemaster, Dylan Boner, and a host of other talented linemen as part of the Pancake Platoon. If that is not enough, lineman Lucas Wyatt decided to come back for another senior season.
They will be blocking for junior Mason Lawson and freshman Zack McCoart who both went over the century mark last week against Henry Clay. QB Grant Rice returns to lead the offense for the second straight season. He is also one of the top punters in the state. Several starters return on defense, including leading tackler Mason Lemaster. The Golden Eagles allowed only 10.3 points per game last season, good for seventh in the state.
If the Knights are going to challenge No. 2 Johnson Central, they will need a great game from QB Jack Gohmann and the rest of the offense. The Knights put up 41 points in a 2nd round playoff loss to Boyle County last season. They lost several key players from last year’s defense but most of their main players on offense are back. Gohmann, who is one of the state’s top quarterbacks, will be throwing to experienced WRs Blake Busson and Jack Monday. Monday accepted a preferred walk-on spot with UK. Running back Walker Hall rushed for 116 yards in the season opener. Experienced lineman Quentin Duffy and Harrison Romero will also need to have big games against Johnson Central’s big physical line. If the game comes down to a last-second kick, Max DeGraff is a guy that can be counted on to make long field goals.
Johnson Central vs. Lexington Catholic Prediction
Johnson Central 42
Lexington Catholic 28
Twitter Poll
Can’t make it to the game?
Prepspin is live streaming the game and we will embed it on KSR Friday night.
A Message from Kroger
We’re excited to tell you about something new from our friends at Kroger. Did you know Kroger is America’s largest grocery chain that started over 135 years ago? They are doing something they’ve never done before: bringing fresh groceries right to you with a new service called Hometown Pickup.
That’s right, for those of you in Cynthiana, Midway, Eminence, Bedford, McKee, Dry Ridge, Carlisle, Eubank, Georgetown, Mt. Vernon, Jackson, Frenchburg, Irvine, Mt. Olivet, and Paris, Kentucky you can now order all your groceries online and pick them up at a central location in your hometown. No more long drives into the city to get fresh food for you and your family. Now THAT is truly Fresh for Everyone. Thanks, Kroger.
Learn more and place your first order at Kroger.com/hometown.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard