No. 2 CAL wins school’s fourth consecutive 3A state title

One game after Boyle County won their fifth state title in six years, we see another dynasty blossom: No. 2 Christian Academy of Louisville (15-0). In the noon slate of Saturday’s KHSAA State Championship games, CAL won the school’s fourth straight KHSAA Class 3A State Championship by defeating No. 22 Murray (14-1) 42-7, extending their overall winning streak to 22 in the process.

It was just last week tha CAL head coach Hunter Cantwell said Kroger Field is their second home.

“Our guys are comfortable here. They know what it takes to complete a play at a high level at Kroger Field,” said Cantwell.

Coming into this game, CAL was second in the state in point differential at 38.1 points per game, and stayed on track Saturday with the 35 point win. Also heading into this one, Centurion quarterback Jackson Burke had an 82.3 completion percentage which would be a national record. Against Murray, he was perfect, completing 14 passes on as many attempts for 316 yards and 5 touchdowns, clinching the game’s MVP award and the national record.

“I played this position [quarterback] in high school, and not even on my best day could I play the game at the level Jackson has played all year,” praised Cantwell of his sophomore quarterback.

Game Recap

CAL drove down the field with ease on the opening drive, and capped it off with a Jeffrey Vazzana touchdown run from five yards out. Murray then threatened CAL a bit by getting into Centurion territory with a 41-yard pass from freshman Kenyon Cunningham to Isaiah Martin and stopping a fake punt the next drive. But that’s all the positive the Tigers mustered until the end of the fourth quarter, where they scored a garbage time touchdown.

Burke was perfect through the first half, going 9-for-9 with 180 passing yards and three TDs, each to different receivers. The last one was a 10-yard strike to 4-star receiver Ja’Hyde Brown, who caught the ball and reached over the goal line, all while doing a 360 in the air, and celebrated the acrobatic play with a Heisman pose. CAL led 28-0 at the break.

In the third quarter, CAL had two drives, but that’s all they needed to balloon their lead to 42 by the quarter’s end. Brown dusted the Tiger defense for a 64-yard reception TD, and Stone Perkins earned his second of the game as he beat the defender to the pylon from 18 yards out.

Brown, the Class 3A Player of the Year, finished the game with six receptions for 180 yards and two TDs.

“If you’re a ball carrier and you don’t think anytime you touch the ball you can go for six, then you should not [carry the ball],” said Brown.

The scariest part? Brown and Burke will be back together for one more season at CAL.