KSR's 2023 Kentucky High School Football Preview: Class 6A
It’s once again football time in the Bluegrass. With just a couple of days remaining until the kickoff of the 2023 Kentucky High School football season, KSR has previewed all 220 schools and all six classes. We’ve already covered Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, Class 4A, and Class 5A. Finally, we have Class 6A, the new home to reigning 5A champion Frederick Douglass, reigning 6A champion Bullitt East, 15x State Champion St. Xavier, and 27x State Champion Trinity.
Class 6A | District 1
Christian County, Daviess County, Henderson County, McCracken County
2022 was a solid season for both Henderson County and Daviess County, as both squads advanced past the first round of the postseason. In Daviess County’s case, they scored a nice win over North Hardin in the first round, a team consisting of three-star wide receiver Shaun Boykins (Louisville commit) and three-star EDGE rusher Darius Wiley. Henderson advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Male. Daviess returns senior quarterback Lake Wilson, who threw for 1,647 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Wilson’s leading receiver Luke Floyd returns as well (731 receiving yards, seven touchdowns).
Christian and McCracken County will be looking to reverse their fortunes this season. In their final stretch of 5A play last year, Christian County finished with a 2-9 record, losing in the first round of the postseason to Owensboro in blowout fashion (54-16). McCracken County finished at 2-9 as well, including a 27-20 loss to Christian County in the second-to-last game of the season. It will be a rebuilding season for these squads.
Class 6A | District 2
Barren County, Central Hardin, North Hardin, Warren Central
Speaking of North Hardin, the Trojans do return Boykins and Wiley as their senior cornerstones. Boykins is the seventh highest-ranked player in the state of Kentucky in the Class of 2024, with Wiley coming in at No. 10. Boykins is Class 6A’s leading returning receiver from last season. As a junior, the three-star hauled in 897 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Wiley had 17 tackles (one for loss) and a sack. North Hardin will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing first-round loss this season.
Just 13 miles away, rival Central Hardin enjoyed a successful 11-2 season, advancing to the 6A quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Bullitt East. 2022 marked their first 11-win season since 2014. The Bruins of Central Hardin bulldozed rival North Hardin 38-7 in Week 9. They return senior quarterback Zakery Spurrier (732 passing yards, eight touchdowns) and senior running back Mason Gardner (1,171 rushing yards, 26 touchdowns) as they look to deliver back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 2013-14.
Warren Central will be making the leap from 4A to 6A this season. The Dragons went just 5-6 and may be in danger of finishing with an even worse record following the loss of last season’s passing/rushing leader Kayumba Jean Aime (1,346 passing yards, 574 rushing yards, 21 total touchdowns). Barren County finished at a disappointing 4-7. Both squads lost in the first round of the postseason in 2022.
Class 6A | District 3
#23 DuPont Manual, Meade County, Pleasure Ridge Park, #3 St. Xavier
A great 2022 campaign quickly went awry for 15x State Champion St. Xavier last season as they fell to Male in just the second round of the postseason. The loss was devastating, as Male cemented their 22-21 overtime victory with a gutsy, “Philly-Special”-esque two-point conversion for the win. St. Xavier however returns some great pieces in 2023, featuring the duo of senior quarterback Trevor Havill (1,006 passing yards, 12 touchdowns) and senior running back Davis Yates (445 rushing yards, five touchdowns). After falling early in the 2022 postseason while being a favorite to win their 16th state title, there’s no doubt that head coach Kevin Wallace enters 2023 with a chip on his shoulder. St. Xavier defeated newcomer Frederick Douglass 26-21 in a scrimmage last Friday night.
DuPont Manual returns one of the most exciting running backs in the state of Kentucky in senior running back ZahRon “Zeek” Washburn. As a sophomore, Zeek rushed for 1,388 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Crimsons started off the 2022 season blazing hot at 6-0 before falling to St. Xavier 21-10. Head coach Donnie Stoner however will not be returning, as he found himself in some serious legal troubles over the offseason. Assistant coach Josh Gillispie, who has been at Manual since 2019, will take over as head coach this season. We’ll have to wait and see how Stoner’s actions have affected Manual this season.
Meade County and Pleasure Ridge Park both finished the 2022 season with six wins and will be looking to improve on that this season. PRP will do so without standout wide receiver Jakob Dixon however, as he graduated in the spring. After originally committing to the University of Kentucky, Dixon de-committed and enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University in July.
Class 6A | District 4
#14 Bullitt East, Fern Creek, #5 Male, Southern
For the first time in school history in 2022, coach Keegan Kendrick and the Bullitt East Chargers won a state championship. In what was one of the gutsiest play calls in Kentucky High School history, Kendrick dialed up a “Philly-Special” two-point conversion for the win, similar to what Male ran against St. Xavier earlier that postseason. Only this time, the Bulldogs were on the other side of it and fell to East 28-27.
The Chargers return a bit depleted, as star quarterback Travis Egan, a member of KSR’s 2022 Kentucky High School Football All-State Championships Team, is no longer a part of the program. Their leading rusher Mason Gauthier (1,522 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns), two leading receivers Camron Brogan (1,168 receiving yards, 17 touchdowns) and Nolan Davenport (1,056 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns), and leading tackler Ryan Still (86 tackles, seven TFL) have graduated as well. Kendrick, KSR’s 2022 Head coach of the Year, will have a lot of work to do if the Chargers have any chance of repeating as 6A champs in an even stronger class.
On the other side of that, Male will be entering 2022 fresh off an absolute rollercoaster of a postseason which included a Philly-Special for the win, a Philly-Special for the loss, and a last-second scoop-and-score that Ballard fans will never forget.
Only twice since 2013 has Male failed to win more than 10 games, so head coach Chris Wolfe and co. will be looking to keep the train rolling in 2023. The Bulldogs return senior quarterback Kolter Smith (871 passing yards, 12 touchdowns), who received ample playing time under senior Lucas Cobler last year. Cobler however is gone, and Smith looks ready to break out as one of Class 6A’s top quarterbacks. Male senior receiver Max Gainey, who KSR spoke with back in July, had high praise for Kolter.
“Me, Antonio [Harris] and Kolter have been either playing with each other or against each other since we were in elementary, so the chemistry will always be there,” Gainey said. “But I think just the countless snaps at practice and extra reps we try to get are going to eventually transfer to the game, so I think Kolter will come in and kill this season. He’s had a chip on his shoulder since he’s entered high school and he’s going to leave a good name at Male.” Senior receiver Antonio Harris led Male in receiving last year, hauling in 684 yards and 10 touchdowns. The trio of Smith, Gainey, and Harris will be one to keep an eye on this season.
Both Fern Creek and Southern failed to advance past the first round of the postseason in 2022, as Creek finished with just four wins and Southern finished with three. Those two schools will be looking to better their luck in 2023.
Class 6A | District 5
#24 Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, #11 Trinity (Louisville)
It’s been a difficult two seasons for the Trinity Shamrocks following the retirement of legendary head coach Bob Beatty. In two seasons under successor Jay Cobb, the Shamrocks have failed to win 10-plus games for just the third and fourth time in 24 years. After a rough 6-8 2021 season, the Shamrocks finished at 8-5 last season. Entering their third season under Cobb, Trinity looks to get back to their winning ways. Trinity was bounced in the quarterfinals of the 6A playoffs last season by Bryan Station, scoring only once in a 10-7 loss.
Things remain bleak for the Shamrocks, as last season’s leading passer/rusher Andrew Allen (1,125 passing yards, 741 rushing yards, 21 total touchdowns) graduated in the spring, as did last season’s leading tackler Cole Wickliffe (89 tackles, 15.5 TFL). 2023 may be just another step in getting things back on the right track for coach Jay Cobb.
After stuffing Male on the one-yard line with 27 seconds remaining in their semifinal matchup last season, it looked as though Ballard would be advancing to their first state championship appearance since 1984. However, tragedy struck when the Bruins mishandled the ball, allowing Male’s Korrey Mattingly to scoop it up and score, propelling Male to the title game instead.
The Bruins will no doubt enter the 2023 season fired up, as they could taste Kroger Field for just a few seconds before disaster struck. Impact running back Journey Wyche returns for his senior season, having rushed for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Wyche is a defending state champion in the 4×100 in track and field. Ballard begins their season ranked No. 24 in the state by KSR, loaded with lofty expectations from the Ballard faithful to get back to the state championship game for the first time in 39 years.
Eastern and Oldham both failed to advance past the first round of the postseason last year, as Eastern won just four games and Oldham went 0-11. 2023 will be a reset for both the Eagles and Colonels.
Class 6A | District 6
Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle, Simon Kenton
In their fifth year of existence, Great Crossing will be making the jump from 5A to 6A this season. The Warhawks had a confusing 2022 campaign, as they finished with an impressive 8-3 record. However, their three losses came to the only three ranked teams on their schedule, losing by an average of 39 points and failing to score a single point in those three matchups. Coach Ricky Bowling’s squad will have to start winning big-time matchups if they want to be taken seriously. Their 2023 schedule looks promising, as they are currently scheduled to play just two teams ranked in KSR’s Preseason Top 25 (Scott County & Lexington Catholic).
After going 6-6 last season, Ryle returns 6A’s leading passer senior Logan Verax (2,018 passing yards, 17 touchdowns) and one of 6A’s leading pass rushers, junior Dillon Smith (nine sacks). The Raiders have failed to win 10 games in a season since 2016. Simon Kenton finished with an 8-4 record last season but was eliminated in the second round of the postseason by St. Xavier 51-20. Campbell County met the same fate, as they were wiped out in the first round of the postseason by St. Xavier as well, 47-14.
Class 6A | District 7
Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Tates Creek
It was another rough season for Lexington schools not named Frederick Douglass or Bryan Station in 2022, as these four squads combined for a 14-32 record. Lafayette in particular finished at 0-11, long removed from the Jedrick Wills and Walker Wood glory days. Sophomore wide receiver DeMarcus Surratt, who was expected to have a large role for the Generals this season, enrolled at Frederick Douglass over the offseason. A big hit to coach Jon Lawson’s squad.
Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tates Creek did both advance to the second round of the postseason before falling to Madison Central and Bryan Station, respectively. The Commodores do get back some big pieces in senior quarterback Andrew Witherington (1,488 passing yards, 15 touchdowns) and senior linebacker Logan Julian (100 tackles, 6.5 TFL) as they look to improve on last season’s 6-6 record.
Class 6A | District 8
#19 Bryan Station, #2 Frederick Douglass, George Rogers Clark, Madison Central
In just their sixth year of existence, head coach Nathan McPeek’s Frederick Douglass Broncos finally won their long-awaited state championship last season. The Broncos left 5A with a bang, taking down Bowling Green 28-7 en route to moving back up to 6A. Expectations are large for the Broncs, as they were ranked No. 2 in KSR’s Preseason Top 25. Although they lost cornerstones three-star safety Ty Bryant (Kentucky) and three-star DL Jamarrion Harkless (Purdue) to graduation, McPeek’s squad still remains one of the most talented in all of Kentucky.
The Broncos return a boatload of D1 talent, including three-star offensive line anchors Demeco Kennedy and Zuri Madison (Arkansas commit), secondary leaders Jeremiah Lowe (Michigan commit) and Terrion Hicks (Northwestern commit), and senior quarterback Cole Carpenter, who threw for 1,863 passing yards and 23 touchdowns last season. Entering the season, Douglass is the team to beat upon their return to 6A (They played in 6A from 2017-2018 before moving down to 5A). The Broncos will kick the season off with a bang, as they travel to Canton, Ohio to square off against Archbishop Hoban.
Since taking over in 2020, head coach Phillip Hawkins has guided Bryan Station to three consecutive 10-win seasons. The Defenders’ run to the 6A semifinals last season was the closest they’ve been to a state championship since 1999, so the future is extremely bright under Hawkins. Station returns a strong core of senior quarterback Trenton Cartwright (1,982 passing yards, 17 touchdowns) and three-star wide receiver JT Haskins (758 receiving yards, eight touchdowns). The Defenders haven’t won a state championship since 1971.
Madison Central won nine games last season and looked to be poised for a promising 2023 season before the loss of star running back Brady Hensley (1,470 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns), who transferred to Lexington Christian in the offseason. New head coach William Blair and the Indians will be on the lookout for a new premier playmaker due to the loss of Hensley and senior Hagan Harrison, but the 2023 season may not be as promising as it once was. George Rogers Clark looks to build on a seven-win season with a chip on their shoulder, as they were brutally eliminated in the playoffs by Tates Creek 20-19.
Preseason Honors
- Class 6A Player of the Year – Jeremiah Lowe (Frederick Douglass)
- Class 6A Coach of the Year – Nathan McPeek (Frederick Douglass)
- Class 6A State Champion – Frederick Douglass Broncos
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