Kroger KSR Game of the Week Preview: Frederick Douglass at Corbin
Week 4’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week may just be the biggest of the season so far. No. 3 ranked Frederick Douglass will make the 89-mile drive south for a blockbuster matchup against No. 4 ranked Corbin. Friday night’s game between these Kentucky powerhouses will mark their first-ever meeting. Along with that, it will also usher in a new era for the Corbin Redhounds.
Friday night will be a celebration in the city of Corbin, as they will be unveiling the newly renovated Campbell Field. The Corbin administration began renovating the stadium immediately following their 6A semifinal victory against Franklin County last season. After 10 months of renovations — which is why the Redhounds began their season at the University of Cumberlands — Campbell Field is finally ready to go.
Plenty of festivities are planned, including a tribute to legendary Eastern Kentucky head football coach Roy Kidd who passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, fireworks, the Redhound walk, and much more. Friday night will be special.
Frederick Douglass
The Broncos enter Friday night’s matchup having bounced back nicely from a season-opening 45-6 loss to Archbishop Hoban (OH). Douglass went on the road and knocked off Louisville Trinity 17-14 in Week 2 before blowing out Tates Creek 43-0 last week in their first game at The Farm this season. Following their win over Tates Creek, the Broncos are now 30-0 against Lexington teams in their program’s history. Mighty impressive.
Freshman Jaxon Strautman has taken over the reins at quarterback, throwing for 284 yards and two touchdowns through their first three games. Strautman leads Douglass in rushing as well, having accumulated 104 rush yards and a rushing touchdown. Junior wide receiver Darion Talbert has been Strautman’s go-to guy, hauling in five receptions for 107 yards and a score.
The bread and butter of this Bronco team is their defense. Senior linebacker Darion Neal has been all over the place, totaling 14 tackles (4.5 for loss) and a sack. Junior linebacker Logan Busson has formed a powerful duo with Neal, as he’s poured in nine tackles (3.5 for loss). Seniors DL Demeco Kennedy (Purdue), CB Jeremiah Lowe (Michigan), and CB Terrion Hicks (Northwestern) are all D-1 bound, making game plans difficult for any opposing offense.
After allowing 293 yards to Archbishop Hoban in their season opener, they have allowed just 345 combined yards in their games against Trinity and Tates Creek. The Douglass defense will have to be on their A-game Friday night.
Corbin
The Redhounds have come out with guns blazing in 2023, winning their first three games of the season (Hughes [OH], Lexington Catholic, Pulaski County) by an average of 33 points per game. Nearly, if not the entire city of Corbin, will be in attendance for the Campbell Field festivities Friday night, so expect a rocking crowd.
Junior quarterback Kade Elam has been phenomenal to start the season, throwing for 745 yards, eight touchdowns, and just one interception. Senior receiver Carter Stewart has hauled in two of Elam’s eight touchdowns, along with 231 receiving yards. Somerset transfer running back Guy Bailey has been a force as well, having rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns. The Redhounds rush attack is strong, as they feature three different rushers who have rushed for over 100+ yards on the season (Bailey, Cole Stevens, Cam Estep).
All eyes however will be on four-star brothers EDGE Jacob Smith and DL Jerod Smith, two Michigan commits who were cleared to play for Corbin just before their season kicked off. The Smith twins have been extremely disruptive, as they’ve combined for a whopping 62 tackles, six TFLs, and four sacks through just three games. It is believed that the odds of the twins flipping to Kentucky grow by the day, and Jerod’s cryptic tweet on Wednesday made it seem like Friday night could be more than just a celebration for Corbin fans, but for Kentucky fans as well.
These two powerhouses will meet Friday night at 7:00 p.m. EST at the newly renovated Campbell Field. Quick reminder that the field is not located at Corbin High, but at 338 Barbourville Road.
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