Top 20 Matchup Between Trinity vs. Bryan Station Kicks Off 2023 Season
The loaded, opening weekend slate of Kentucky High School Football kicks off with a 6A playoff rematch between No. 11 Trinity and No. 19 Bryan Station on Friday night.
For just the second time in 23 years, the Shamrocks and Defenders met in the postseason last year. The second matchup went exactly as the first one did, with the Bryan Station Defenders coming out on top. Back in 1999 however, Station advanced to the 4A state title game, where they ultimately fell to St. Xavier. Last season, Station advanced to the 6A semifinals, where they fell to eventual champion Bullitt East.
It’s safe to say there will be no love lost between these two teams when they line up against each other on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST in Louisville.
The Shamrocks have been in purgatory since the retirement of legendary head coach Bob Beatty back in 2021. Beatty walked away with a 254-44 record over 21 seasons and 15 state championships, four more than any coach in Kentucky history. Beatty lost just six playoff games (90-6) and was a nearly unblemished 15-2 in state championship games. His replacement was defensive coordinator Jay Cobb, who had been in the role for seven seasons prior to Beatty’s retirement. But Cobb hasn’t had the overwhelming success that his successor enjoyed, going just 14-13 with five postseason wins over his first two seasons. The Shamrocks have yet to reach the state championship in his two years as head ball coach.
It’s officially a new era at Louisville Trinity, as there are only a handful of players who played under coach Beatty returning for their senior seasons in 2023. Cobb will have a few decisions to make, as last season’s starting quarterback Andrew Allen (1,125 passing yards, 10 touchdowns) graduated in the spring. Along with being their starting quarterback, Allen was their leading rusher last season as well (741 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns). Only two players who saw time at quarterback last year will be returning this season; junior William DeSensi II (134 passing yards, two touchdowns) and senior Jackson Hepner (24 passing yards). DeSensi II is expected to start on Friday.
Other prominent offensive contributors such as Clinton Sansbury (520 rushing yards, four touchdowns), Lucas Sasser (394 rushing yards, two touchdowns), and Noah Meyers (318 receiving yards, four touchdowns) have all moved on as well. All-around junior athlete Jeremiah Lynn looks to make the leap to stardom this season, as the then-sophomore rushed for 367 yards and five touchdowns and led the team with 486 receiving yards and three touchdowns last year. The Shamrock defense returns a great crop of senior leadership, consisting of linebacker Brady McEnaney (73 tackles, 9.5 TFL), defensive back Gabriel Mingus (60 tackles, 1.5 TFL), safety Robert Morrow (56 tackles, eight TFL), defensive back Lincoln Mitchell (42 tackles), and linebacker Andrew Davis (40 tackles, 2.5 TFL). All five were a part of Beatty’s final team coached back in 2020. The Trinity defense allowed just an average of 15 points and 218 opposing yards per game in 2022.
Following back-back-to-back 10-win seasons for the Defenders, Bryan Station is on the cusp of reaching that next level as a program in 6A this season. Before coach Phillip Hawkins’ arrival in 2020, the Defenders had last won 10 games all the way back in 1999 when they made a run to the state championship game. Hawkins made an immediate impact, as Station has won 10 games in each of their last three seasons. After previously making it to the quarterfinals in 2020, the Defenders were just one game away from a state championship appearance last season before falling to Bullitt East in the semifinals. The future is bright at Station, as Hawkins returns a strong core revolving around senior quarterback Trenton Cartwright and three-star senior receiver JT Haskins Jr.
Cartwright is one of the most talented returning quarterbacks in all of 6A, having passed for 1,982 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. Along with his arm, Cartwright got it done on the ground as well, rushing for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. Haskins Jr., who is currently the No. 11 ranked player in the state of Kentucky in the class of 2024, hauled in 758 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season. With the departure of 2022’s leading receiver Damin Green (766 receiving yards, four touchdowns), Haskins’ role will grow exponentially in 2023. Along with Male’s Antonio Harris and North Hardin’s Shaun Boykins, Haskins is one of the top receivers in Class 6A.
The Station defense, which allowed just an average of 19 points and 225 opposing yards per game in 2022, returns some quality playmakers in senior brothers DE Jahvon Frazier (54 tackles, nine TFL, five sacks) and LB Dahvon Frazier (42 tackles, eight TFL, three sacks), linebacker Jason Hocker (90 tackles, 10 TFL) and Haskins Jr., who recorded 46 tackles and four interceptions at defensive back last season. The sky is the limit for the experienced Defenders this season, led by 18 seniors.
#19 Bryan Station and #11 Trinity will kick off at 7:30 PM EST Friday night at Marshall Stadium (Trinity Louisville).
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