KSR's 2025 Kentucky High School Football Preview: Class 6A

It’s almost football time in the Bluegrass. With the 2025 Kentucky high school football season set to begin on August 22nd, KSR will preview all 48 districts and all six classes. We’ve already covered Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, Class 4A and Class 5A. We end this series with Class 6A, home to the Trinity Shamrocks, the two-time defending 6A state champions and the No. 1 team in the state of Kentucky in KSR’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings.

Class 6A | District 1

Christian County (2024: 1-10), Hopkinsville (2024: 3-7), Henderson County (2024: 4-7), McCracken County (2024: 6-6)

Henderson County will be led by first-year head coach John Elliott in 2025. 2024 was a bit of a disappointing year for the Colonels, going 4-7, but then again, they also played a really, really tough schedule. Their losses came to South Warren, Paducah Tilghman, Owensboro Catholic, Mayfield (in double overtime), McCracken County (who went 6-6, but also played similarly tough schedule), Owensboro and Barren County.

While Henderson County still has to play Owensboro to close the regular season, their 2025 schedule is certainly more forgiving than last year’s. They’ll be tested in Week 1, however, when they take on a tough Pulaski County squad.

McCracken County will be looking to improve on their 2024 season behind senior quarterback Maddox O’Neal, who threw for 2,896 yards and 41 touchdowns a year ago. He’ll probably want to cut down on the 16 interceptions, however, if the Mustangs want to take that next step.

Class 6A | District 2

Central Hardin (2024: 4-9), Daviess County (2024: 1-10), Meade County (2024: 5-6), #15 South Warren (2024: 12-2)

As a part of realignment, South Warren was moved up to Class 6A. They looked like one of the best teams in Class 5A last season, with their only loss in the regular season coming to DuPont Manual. They beat Bowling Green in the regular season, but the Purples got the best of the Spartans in the playoffs.

South Warren will open its 2025 season in what will be the first game of a doubleheader at Lexington Christian, playing against Bryan Station in the KSR Game of the Week.

Seniors Jake Carter and Kayden York return this season, and they should be the leaders of this team. Carter was last year’s leading receiver for the Spartans, catching 52 passes for 792 yards and 13 touchdowns. As for York, he ran for 852 yards and 12 touchdowns while also recording 328 yards via the pass as well.

Class 6A | District 3

#14 DuPont Manual (2024: 10-2), Pleasure Ridge Park (2024: 2-9), #6 St. Xavier (2024: 7-5), North Hardin (2024: 8-4)

Head coach Kevin Wallace has announced that he is heading into his final season with St. Xavier, and per usual, the Tigers have one of the toughest schedules in the state, if not the toughest. St. X plays Owensboro, Bowling Green, Male, Elder (OH), Trinity, Boyle County, Manual, North Hardin, PRP and Madison Central. They could seriously go .500 and still be a borderline top 10 team in the state.

Quarterback Mason Trimble will be back in 2025 for his senior season after posting 2,300 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024. Additionally, the Tigers get back senior Marlon Harbin III, who recorded 1,343 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage a year ago.

Manual’s only loss in the regular season last year came to CAL, and heading into the playoffs, they looked like they could make a push for a state championship. However, they were bounced in the second round by an up-and-coming Great Crossing team. Behind a solid core of returning players, the Crimsons may be able to take that next step in 2025.

District 3 is also home to arguably the best player in Class 6A, North Hardin’s Josiah Hope. The four-star defensive lineman and Louisville commit recorded 61 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a team-high seven sacks in 2024. Oh, and he also caught a five-yard pass for a touchdown. He can truly do it all.

Class 6A | District 4

Bullitt East (2024: 6-5), Fern Creek (2024: 6-6), #16 Male (2024: 9-3), Southern (2024: 2-9)

In 2022, Bullitt East ruled Class 6A. The Chargers lost their season opener to Spencer County, but the wouldn’t lose another game the rest of the way, hoisting the state championship trophy following a win over Male in the title game. But since then, things have’t been the same. After a pretty good 9-3 2023 season, they just went 6-5 last year.

However, they could turn things around behind senior quarterback Cole Cornell, who threw for 1,635 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024, while also tallying 348 yards and six touchdowns on the ground along the way.

As for Male, they’re hoping to get back to the state championship game for the first time since that 2022 loss to the Chargers. They could do so behind senior Chayce Burton, their leading rusher from a year ago. He ran for 908 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

Class 6A | District 5

Ballard (2024: 6-7), Eastern (2024: 4-7), Oldham County (2024: 6-5), #1 Trinity (2024: 13-2)

The Trinity Shamrocks are the best of the best when it comes to Kentucky high school football. Always have been, and at this point, they may always be. It’s not like they did all of their winning back before color television either. They’ve won back-to-back state championships, and they could very well be on their way to a three-peat.

The biggest question regarding Trinity is how quarterback Zane Johnson will do after somewhat of an inconsistent sophomore season. Last year, he threw for 2,001 yards and 18 touchdowns, but he also threw 10 interceptions along the way as well. He’ll have a talented cast of athletes around him, but Trinity will need him to elevate his game a bit of they want to be the sure-fire favorites to win it all in 2025.

Among those talented athletes at Johnson’s disposal is junior running back Jamaurion Berry, who ran for 780 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns in 2024. He also caught 11 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe he’ll be targeted even more heading into this season.

Class 6A | District 6

Campbell County (2024: 2-9), #19 Great Crossing (2024: 10-4), #3 Ryle (2024: 12-3), Simon Kenton (2024: 4-7)

There was an eight-week stretch during the 2024 season where Ryle genuinely looked like the best team in the state. During that span, they didn’t lose a game, blowing out Great Crossing twice and St. Xavier en route to the state championship game. Of course, they would end up falling to Trinity in the end, but the Raiders proved that they were among the best programs in the state.

They have a shot to be really, really special this season behind senior quarterback Nathan Verax, who threw for 2,374 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2024. Alongside him is senior tailback Jacob Savage, who ran for 1,085 yards and 22 touchdowns while also catching 29 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns. If there’s any team that’ll prevent a Trinity three-peat, it’s probably Ryle.

In 2023, Great Crossing went 2-9, and expectations weren’t too high for the Warhawks in 2024. However, they proceeded to go 10-4 under head coach Ricky Bowling. Maybe they can get even better in 2025 and put themselves in position to be a sleeper to win it all in just their seventh season as a program.

Class 6A | District 7

Henry Clay (2024: 1-10), Lafayette (2024: 6-5), Paul Laurence Dunbar (2024: 1-9), Tates Creek (2024: 6-4)

There was a time (2020, to be exact) when Dunbar was one win away from the state championship game. Tates Creek was in the exact same position back in 2019. Lafayette made it to the state championship game in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016. However, the story of District 7 is close, but no cigar.

There just ain’t a whole lot going on in District 7, unfortunately. Until someone decides to step up, District 7 will remain a cesspool of mediocrity at best.

However, Henry Clay will be interesting to keep an eye on in 2025 considering that they’ll be led by first-year head coach Phillip Hawkins, who was previously at Bryan Station. After taking the Defenders to the state championship game in 2023, maybe he can turn the Blue Devils around too.

Class 6A | District 8

Bryan Station (2024: 7-5), #12 Frederick Douglass (2024: 9-5), George Rogers Clark (2024: 5-7), Madison Central (2024: 7-5)

Frederick Douglass has been among the top teams in the state since their program started up in 2017. However, the Broncos lose their top passer, four of their top rushers and top receiver from a year ago, so a lot of the production will have to come from junior running back Dakari Talbert, who ran for 847 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024.

Perhaps no one has a tougher first three weeks to begin the 2025 season than Frederick Douglass. They open their season against Highlands before taking on Trinity on the road and Manual the following week. In addition to that, the Broncos will square off against Corbin, Male, Boyle County and cross-district foes Bryan Station and Madison Central.

After Hawkins left Station for Henry Clay, they’ll be led by head coach J.T. Haskins. They lost running back Kalen Washington to graduation this offseason, and he was the workhorse who kept the Defenders going more often than not last season. In his senior season, Washington ran for 1,654 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Defenders may have to lean a bit more on the passing attack in 2025.

KSR’s Preseason Honors

• Class 6A Player of the Year – Josiah Hope (North Hardin)
• Class 6A Coach of the Year – Jay Cobb (Trinity)
• Class 6A State Champion – Trinity Shamrocks