KSR Game of the Week: Lexington Catholic and LCA clash in annual Holy War

The KSR Game of the Week will travel to Lexington for the annual Holy War.

It’ll be an intra-city battle between two ranked teams as Lexington Christian Academy is set to host Lexington Catholic this Friday, Sept. 19, under the lights at 7:30 p.m. ET. These private schools have gone head-to-head every year for nearly a decade now, but after LCA won the last two editions, LexCath will have vengeance on the brain.

Lexington Christian Academy has faced a tough schedule so far this season, but dreams of winning the Class 2A state championship are still on the table. The Eagles are in a transition period after Doug Charles stepped down from his post following a five-year run as head coach. Oakley Watkins, the school’s longtime offensive coordinator, is now running the show. Lexington Catholic is also embracing a new head coach, David Clark, who was at Bardstown for nearly 30 years. The Knights moved down from Class 4A to Class 3A following this year’s realignment.

On3’s Massey Ratings is calling for Lexington Christian Academy to pull out a 30-21 win. Here’s what you need to know about both schools going into Friday’s showdown.

No. 22 Lexington Catholic Knights (3-1) | 3A

After a season-opening loss to Ballard, 19-6, Lexington Catholic has won three straight, including a massive win over No. 6 Boyle County earlier this month that ended the Rebels’ 22-game regular-season winning streak. Boyle County lost its starting quarterback midway through the contest, but the Knights were already in front 17-0 at halftime. Coach Clark’s squad is looking the part of a team that could make a run in the state tournament.

Senior Brady Wasik is back leading the LexCath offense, although he’s suiting up at quarterback more often than he was a season ago. He’s 30-48 through the air with 321 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns, and no interceptions. But Wasik generates most of his offensive production with his legs. He leads the Knights by a substantial amount in the run game. His 362 rushing yards and three touchdowns rank ahead of the rest of his teammates combined (232 yards, two touchdowns). Lexington Catholic will try to pound the ball on the ground all game long behind a talented offensive line.

Lexington Catholic’s frontline has been the defensive headliner thus far. The Knights have given up just 84 total rushing yards this season, compared to 481 yards through the air. Six different players have recovered loose fumbles and three different players have logged an interception. Junior Jack Wedding leads the team with 32 total tackles, while Wasik and junior Mark Hosinski have combined for 7.5 sacks. Senior Jack White is another talented piece on defense with his 18 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and one pick.

No. 23 Lexington Christian Academy Eagles (1-3) | 2A

Where the Knights have started 3-1, the Eagles have done the opposite — with no help from a challenging schedule, though. Lexington Christian Academy opened the season with a 41-21 win over North Hardin, but has since lost to a trio of the state’s best teams. LCA fell to No. 6 Boyle County (28-21), No. 4 Christian Academy-Louisville (47-7), and most recently No. 5 Franklin County (28-27). Two of those games were one-score finishes — don’t let the record deceive you.

Like Lexington Catholic, we’ll see a run-heavy offense from LCA. Eagles sophomore QB Nash Whelan has thrown for 513 yards (44-75), two touchdowns, and one interception, but he leads his team in rushing with 344 yards and six more scores. Junior Bennett Gudalis is right at 100 yards rushing, while junior Daven Hood has found the end zone four times on just 20 carries. Senior Tyler King and junior Sam Pearson have hauled in a combined 347 yards and three touchdowns through the air to aid the passing game. They’re threats on defense, too.

The name to watch on defense, though, will be sophomore Thomas Sizemore, who was offered by Kentucky last summer and picked up a Marshall offer back in June. Sizemore leads the Eagles in tackles with 37, including two for loss. He had a team-high 15 tackles in the close loss to Franklin County. Junior Aiden Lyons (28 tackles) and senior Logan Mays (20 tackles, three TFL, two sacks) are impact players on defense. Whelan also suits up on defense with 18 tackles, two for loss, under his belt.

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