Woodford County vs. West Jessamine: Kroger KSR Game of the Week

The seventh Kroger KSR Game of the Week in 2021 will feature two Lexington-area schools in No. 15 Woodford County (5-0) and West Jessamine (3-2). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST in Versailles on Friday night.

Take a look at some additional information ahead of this week’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week:

Woodford County

KSR State Ranking: No. 15 (No. 3 — 5A)

Record: 5-0

State Championships: 0

State Runner-Up: 1 (1978)

Last Season: 4-3

Coach: Dennis Johnson

Key Players:

• Bryce Patterson, QB — 34-58 for 652 yards. Six touchdowns and one interception. 43 carries for 172 yards and six touchdowns.
• Preston Stacy, RB — 39 carries for 334 yards and five touchdowns (three games).
• Jacob Jackson, ATH — 19 carries for 177 yards and four touchdowns. Six receptions for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

West Jessamine

KSR State Ranking: Not ranked

Record: 2-3

State Championships: 0

State Runner-Up: 0

Last Season: 4-4

Coach: Scott Marsh

Key Players:

• Jacob Jones, QB — 64-116 for 1,000 yards. Nine touchdowns and three interceptions. 51 rushes for 396 yards and eight touchdowns.
• Bryce Chestnut, RB — 88 carries for 392 yards and five touchdowns.
• Ernest Stanfield, WR — 29 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns.
• Dalton Carter, WR — 21 receptions for 365 yards and four touchdowns.

Woodford County vs. West Jessamine Preview

The Yellow Jackets are off to their best start since 2007, winning the first five games of the 2021 season. That’s a record they’ll like to break, as they’ve never won their first six games of any season on record. Behind Woodford County’s offensive firepower, they’ll look to make that happen against West Jessamine this Friday.

Woodford’s offense has five different athletes on the offensive side of the ball that can hurt you at any moment. Led by quarterback Bryce Patterson’s 824 all-purpose yards and 12 scores — along with his three consistent weapons in Jacob Jackson, Aden Nelson and Mekhi Smith, who have combined for 518 of Patterson’s 652 passing yards — the Yellow Jackets have yet to be stifled at all this season.

Their passing game has opened up lanes for running back Preston Stacy, who has 334 yards and five touchdowns on three games this season. Defenses have also had to take into account Patterson’s threat in the running game, as he takes off from the pocket 11 times per game on average. Jackson also splits time out wide and in the backfield, scoring four rushing touchdowns this season.

Can West Jessamine Pull Off the Upset?

That doesn’t mean you should count out West Jessamine, however. When the Colts win — they win big. In their three victories this season, they’ve outscored their opponents 110-42 and have won each of those games by an average of 23 points.

Colts quarterback Jacob Jones’ 1,396 all-purpose yards and 17 total touchdowns can — and will — hurt Woodford County’s defense Friday night. No team has been able to stop him this season with his pair of weapons in Ernest Stanfield and Dalton Carter, who have combined for 832 of Jones’ 1,000 passing yards and have caught every passing touchdown this season for West Jessamine. Running back Bryce Chestnut will also find the ball in his hands around 20 times Friday, which is just another aspect of their multi-dimensional offense to take into account.

Bottom Line

Woodford County has all the momentum in the world heading into the Kroger KSR Game of the Week. They enjoyed a BYE week last Friday after defeating Franklin County 24-21, who lost in overtime to Boyle County in the 4A state title game at Kroger Field last season.

The game against the Flyers is, on paper, the toughest of the season and the rest of their schedule is rather light compared to the first half. That makes it easy for Woodford to overlook opponents with eyes toward the playoffs, and ultimately Kroger Field when it’s all said and done.

That plays to West Jessamine’s advantage in a major way. With their offense firing on all cylinders this season, all they need is a few defensive stops, and all of a sudden, an upset may be possible in Versailles this weekend.

KSR Predictions

Barkley’s Prediction: Woodford County 42, West Jessamine 22

Troy’s Prediction: Woodford County 35, West Jessamine 21

Jude Howell’s Prediction: Woodford County 32, West Jessamine 20 (Jude is 3-0 this season)

Who wins the Kroger @KySportsRadio Game of the Week?

— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) September 28, 2021

A Message from Kroger:

We’re excited to tell you about something new from our friends at Kroger. Did you know Kroger is America’s largest grocery chain that started over 135 years ago? They are doing something they’ve never done before: bringing fresh groceries right to you with a new service called Hometown Pickup. 

That’s right, for those of you in Cynthiana, Midway, Eminence, Bedford, McKee, Dry Ridge, Carlisle, Eubank, Georgetown, Mt. Vernon, Jackson, Frenchburg, Irvine, Mt. Olivet, and Paris, Kentucky you can now order all your groceries online and pick them up at a central location in your hometown. No more long drives into the city to get fresh food for you and your family. Now THAT is truly Fresh for Everyone. Thanks, Kroger. 

Learn more and place your first order at Kroger.com/hometown.