This is Drew Davis. He is among Kentucky’s very finest interior, defensive down lineman in Kentucky’s ’23 class. We believe he will be a first-team All-State AP player next Fall and made the KPGFootball first-team a year ago. There are two programs which believe he is theirs. In the end, isn’t he his-own? Enjoy the feature. HB.
We are in the throws of Future Stars season. What we mean by that is middle school stars across Kentucky are auditioning to play in the Tennessee-Kentucky Future Stars Classic this coming summer. This time of year always makes us think of Kentucky’s finest. Sedgwick is certainly among them. Enjoy this feature on one of Kentucky’s very finest at WR and CB. Get on by and visit one of our fine branches today and discover what makes Independence Bank’s people, products, and services revolutionary in the financial services industry. HB.
With players like Keagan Prince coming into the Blackcats program, things are looking up for Prestonsburg HS. Looks like happy days may be here again for a program which has been losing its local talent but not now. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Brady Hensley may be the best RB in all of Kentucky Football. He certainly is toward the top of the ’24 class. What he did last year as a sophomore will pale in comparison with what we expect from him this coming season. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Kentucky presents real opportunity for colleges wise enough to comb its fertile recruiting fields for football talent. There is no shortage of talent and, matter of fact, lucky college programs can come up with superior talent just lying around waiting to be claimed. Camden Phillips is a kid who, if he played in Nashville, TN, he might be headed to Auburn. As it is…well, here’s your Huckleberry as Doc Holiday would say. HB.
Gavin Chadwell is easily among the top players at his position in the commonwealth. This goes equally for his secondary position (DE) like it does for his primary position (TE). He has a college frame, right now. UK confirmed this with an offer for this top prospect as a sophomore. Enjoy this feature. HB.
What they call football and what is called football in the United States is quite different. That doesn’t mean there aren’t American Football stars in Ireland. To the contrary, Seems O’Conner is a star for the University of Limerick Vikings team. He is eager to show the Colonels a thing or two about a thing or two. HB.
This is a prospect who may impact his team’s fortunes more so than any other player in the 2A classification as we approach the ’22 season. He also may be in the discussion for the ’22 “Mr. Football” award. Enjoy this look at Middlesboro High’s Cayden Grigsby. HB.
Today we bring you a feature on a young man we have before featured when he was still in middle school. Kenyatta Carbon has found a way to contribute to the team’s success in a variety of ways. At Independence Bank we celebrate young people who find a variety of ways to contribute to the cause. Come by and visit us and learn the variety of ways our people, services, and products have revolutionized the Kentucky banking industry. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Jayden Justice is a middle school kid who everyone across Kentucky is already discussing. With Future Stars tryouts ongoing there is little doubt this LBer will be representing Kentucky this summer in the Tennessee-Kentucky Future Stars Classic. He is one of Kentucky’s very best in the ’27 class. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This is a guy who seemed virtually faceless and nameless a year ago, his junior season. When you get a load of what he will do this coming season you will wonder how that was even possible. We will tell you how it is possible; it is called playing for Kentucky’s most heavily loaded football roster in its largest classification of competition. Join us again next week as we award some more of the country’s finest beef jerky product to some of Kentucky’s finest football talent. HB.
Hayes Preston had a tremendous freshman campaign. What we believe he will do as a sophomore will astound all but the most astute of high school fans. Preston is at the very top of the class among ’25s. We could see him playing a multitude of posts depending on how his frame finished. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This is a player who got in one varsity game a year ago. Of course, he was a freshman playing Kentucky 6A football. We believe he will play early and often in ’22 as he is too good of an athlete to keep off the field. Keep an eye out on this “Breakout Player.” He has some mighty fine days ahead of him. HB.
If I were to draw a picture of what a middle school, rising high school offensive tackle should appear, I would probably be drawing a picture of Dylan peck. He his long, lean, has plus length, good feet, and is athletic for a big man at his stage of development. Enjoy this look at one of the premier OL or DL (for that matter) in the class of ’26 commonwealth-wide. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This guy is the type explosive, dynamic, “twitchy” monster we love seeing deployed along an interior defensive front. Lord knows the Mustangs are mighty glad he has another year of eligibility remaining. Enjoy this feature about this spectacular football player and see our friends and learn why Independence Bank‘s products, people, and services have started a revolution in the Kentucky banking industry. HB.
Belfry Middle School wins or competes for KYMSFA championships yearly. Guess what? The high school version of the football team does the exact same thing at the KHSAA level. Are these things interconnected? How can they not be? Enjoy this look at one of the newly minted stars headed for Coach Haywood’s ’22 varsity roster. HB.
If you want to tremble with fear, consider this…Franklin County has about every significant piece of the puzzle returning from a team which made it to the 4A semis a year ago. They should be among the favorites this coming Fall. Gavin Hurst is a large reason why although the Flyers have more ballyhooed players than the 6-1, 175-pound skilled athlete in the ’24 graduating class. Enjoy this look at one of Kentucky’s finest from the very finest in beef jerky from all across this mighty land of ours, the Mingua family. HB.
Here is a guy who figures to make a huge impact for Louisville’s Pleasure Ridge Park High this coming Fall. Though he only played in 6-games a year ago at Fern Creek, he was one of its more dynamic, second-level defenders. His addition to the Panther roster will pay huge dividends for the 6A program for the reasons we outline in this article. Enjoy the feature. HB.
One of my favorite songs growing up was “Harper Valley P.T.A.” The song, written by legendary songwriter Tom T. Hall was recorded by Jeannie C. Riley and was her debut. It topped many charts much like the Harper twins are the top of many important football statistics for the Eagles football program. Enjoy this feature about a pair of players we had to feature together for reasons which will become apparent to you readily. HB.
Dashawn Benford seems poised to surge to the front of the Broncos defensive plan in the Fall of ’22. This ’23 prospect has shown glimpses this offseason of the type of leader and player he is capable of being. Now the Broncos just need to get out of his way and let him do his thing. Enjoy this article about a player we believe will have a huge senior season. HB.
We search far and wide to bring you the players who have revolutionized the performance of his team in the communities we serve. We also enjoy recognizing superior branches in the Independence Bank family. This week we recognize a rising senior at Webster County and the famous “Sebree Branch.” Get on by and discover why Independence Bank’s people, products, and services have started a revolution in the financial services market in Kentucky. HB.
Cole Crampton might (quite frankly) be the top football player returning to the 2A classification in the Fall of ’22. If he has another year like his ’21 season, there is no telling how far the Comets may go this Fall…there is no telling what post-season accolades he may earn. Enjoy this feature. HB.
We have awarded some beef jerky and a super cool T-shirt to all kinds of players. Today, we award it to a player with the potential yet unrealized but which we believe is relatively certain to realize it this coming Fall. Enjoy this look at a “Breakout Player” we decided it was time to feed with the country’s very finest in beef jerky products. Congratulations to Kevin Amuri. Enjoy! HB.
His brother is Wilson Kelly who prepped at Boyle County where he was a consensus All-State player before matriculating to MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University) on a FBS football scholarship. Wilson is a first-team center for the Blue Raiders. Will little brother follow suit? You know what, I wouldn’t bet against it. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We hear all the time that this rising 9th grader is the next so and so. We have heard the same about Colin Jefferson. We will enter our guess as to whom he will favor over the course of his high school career and we won’t have to leave the Male High roster for our guess or guesses. Enjoy this look at a (now) former JCTMS Centurion pledged to play in high school for Coach Wolfe at Louisville’s Male High. HB.
We have a real find for you today. How many of you remember the big time linebacker who played at Magoffin and then transferred to Paintsville before heading to Marshall’s Thundering Herd? His name was Mason Lovely. Today’s feature mimics Lovely’s production in several key ways, thought not completely. Enjoy this look at a Breakout Player you may not be soon to forget. HB.
Talk about coming into a job in a tough spot, we can’t imagine an individual inheriting a tougher job than Kasey Boone did a year ago. His performance was remarkable for lack of a better term. Congratulations to this young QB, who is a ’23 prospect, and remember to get on by and visit our three (3) fine Owensboro area branches today and discover what makes Independence Bank’s people, products, and services revolutionary in the financial services industry. HB.
Hard to ever forecast a freshman getting much Friday Night run. This is even more true where the freshman in question is joining the roster of one of the most prestigious high school programs at the 5A level. Not every freshman comes in put together like Malik Coburn if we are being honest. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We are so good at evaluating players we see tomorrow’s stars today. Today’s recipient is a rising star among the ranks of Kentucky offensive centers. Centers across Kentucky get largely overlooked. Hey, these men are in need of nourishment too. Enjoy the feature and don’t forget to pick up a few bags of our one-of-a-kind product and #savortheflavor!
Dan Goble deserves to be inducted into the KHSAA Hall of Fame for what his teams did on the football field. We have agreed to help spearhead this push for his inclusion. It is one of the noblest callings for which we have ever been summoned. We are honored to be invested in this search for justice. HB Lyon.
This young man is hardly unknown in middle school circles in either basketball or football. He excels in those two sports in addition to a couple more. He is among the finest athletes we have anywhere in the commonwealth of Kentucky. Enjoy his time in the spotlight. HB.
This prospect reminds us of some former covers of ours. All of those guys did quite well. No reason to think this guy won’t fair equally. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Today we feature a kid who showed flashes of brilliance a year ago. Caleb Moore showed a dangerous burst, particularly on kick returns, and the Rock could stand a lot more of that type effort this coming season. If The Rock is to resurrect to its former glory it had under “the other Coach Larkey,” players like Moore will be called upon to “Breakout.” Enjoy the feature. HB.
This week we have a pass-rushing specialist in Chris Allen, Class of ’23, as our recipient. Allen was instrumental in “The Blue Tornado’s” run to Lexington and shot at the title a year ago. His continued excellent play will formulate (perhaps) a return engagement. Enjoy the feature and remember to get on by and visit one of our fine branches today to discover what makes Independence Bank’s people, products, and services revolutionary in the financial services industry. HB.
When you study statistics as often and as vigorously as we, you stumble across the unexpected sometimes. We were checking in on how our buddy, Blake Dodd, was faring when we found ’24’s Brach Rice. Rice is a specimen and getting it done at 6A Dixie Heights. He is already drawing quite a bit of notice. Now, he’s getting love from us. Enjoy the article. HB.
This kid is coming practically out of nowhere but he could be one of Kentucky’s more recruited DE’s in the ’23 class before it is all said and done. Talk about a kid who passes the eye-test, this kid is it. If you are a program serious about competing in college football, I would get this kid on campus and right away. For now, we have agreed to feed him and send him a snappy T-shirt. Enjoy this look at one tremendous high school football player with unbelievable upside.
Landon Smith, one of Kentucky’s highest regarded players at the Slot/TE position, is a Patriot no more. Smith reports his having enrolled at Hazard High where he will be a Bulldog this coming Fall. We analyze the move and its import in this article. Enjoy! HB.
We gave used an arrow to point out Corey Bitterling. If you attend any South Warren games, we are wagering you will not need any gesticulation to find him. We have watched highlights on him and he jumps off the page at us. He may be a couple inches too short to play anywhere but center at the D-1 level. However, with his grades, he will be able to go wherever he wishes and there are some small-college programs who would pay handsomely for him. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Is it time to set the Deuce (No. 2) loose in Ashland, Kentucky. We believe it just may be. This player, considered too short by some, is plenty fast and plenty productive. We wouldn’t bet against him, that’s for sure and don’t recommend it for you either. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Today we bring you a feature on a young man we have before featured when he was still in middle school. Mitchell has found a way to contribute to the team’s success in a variety of ways. At Independence Bank we celebrate young people who find a variety of ways to contribute to the cause. Come by and visit us and learn the variety of ways our people, services, and products have revolutionized the Kentucky banking industry. Enjoy the feature. HB.
No one spends more time covering specialists than KPGFootball. Why? For starters no one covering football in Kentucky knows half as much as we. This, coupled with the fact the social teams are where the breaks are made and championships won, and we are going to continue to cover it. Should you be surprised we wrote this feature about the best placekicker in Kentucky’s ’23 class? Nope. Enjoy the article. HB.
We have featured this particular prospect a few weeks ago but going back over what he did as a freshman at the position where he was deployed we just perpetually found ourselves more impressed. We thought this tribute to him, and rushing him some much needed protein would be entirely appropriate. We believe you will agree. Join us again a week from today when we do all this again. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Class of ’22 prospect, AJ Harvey hasn’t yet settled on exactly where he will play college football. However, he plans on doing just that. This article will demonstrate it isn’t wise to bet against Harvey once he sets his mind on doing something. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We believe Toby Cercone may be the best interior offensive lineman in Kentucky’s ’23 class. He has been garnering quite a bit of interest and making a slew of visits. He has his sites set on making All-State his senior year. We wouldn’t feel it safe to bet against him. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Mason Sulla may have been a name you hadn’t heard when the Associated Press announced its ’21 All-State Football team. However, there is a difference between the casual football fan and a working member of the Kentucky press corp. Mason Sulla is a name with which we in the press corp are intimately familiar and you will be too after reading this feature. HB.
We believe Carter Guillaume is the best offensive center playing football anywhere in Kentucky’s high school version of the game today, at any level of play. As the Associated Press’s All-State teams were released a few weeks ago, it would be safe to assume we aren’t alone in this assessment. Enjoy this feature about this spectacular football player (and wrestler) and see our friends and learn why Independence Bank‘s products, people, and services have started a revolution in the Kentucky banking industry. HB.
This is a prospect in the ’23 class who hails from the prestigious Lexington Ravens program. The Ravens routinely provide the very top in football playing talent around area high school rosters. Floyd is “blowing up” as is routinely said. This article should explain the phenomenon to you clearly. Enjoy the feature. HB.
It is very rare for a freshman to make much of a contribution to a high school varsity football. How about a freshman running back who averaged 9.3-yards per carry, carried it a tad under 200-times, gained nearly 2,000 yards, and scored a TD every 8.65 carries? What about that for rare? We are recognizing the inordinate freshman season of Taylor County’s Peyton Smith this week. We felt his numbers were worthy of recognition and required nourishment. Luck for us, Mingua Beef Jerky felt exactly the same way. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Ninety-three percent of high school players never walk on a college football field. That doesn’t (nor should it) take away from what they accomplished playing the greatest game of all…high school football. Cusick is a very fine player for his Ryle Raiders. We are sure they wouldn’t trade a pretty for him. Enjoy this feature. HB.
Zri Dabney, No. 29 on the roster but foremost on opponent’s scouting reports, is a ’23 prospect sure to make quite a bit of noise around the 8th-District in Class 6A this coming Fall. He was the Blue Devils’ top defensive threat over the course of the ’21 season and sure to be as be-deviling his senior year at Bryan Station as a Defender. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We featured this young player five-six months ago. That’s okay, many star players get featured multiple times on our forum. We believe this kid is among the very best young DB’s or RB’s in Kentucky’s graduating class of 2026. We hope you remember from where you first heard this. HB.
We have always loved to cover the powerlifting championships offseason. Having 300-plus pounders like Foster around challenging for state titles at his weight class is a real bonus for any program. Enjoy this look at the Revolutionary Player of the Week from Independence Bank and discover why Independence Bank’s people, products, and services have started a revolution in the financial services market in Kentucky. HB.
Lucas Hughes signed today with the Spartans from Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Missouri. KPGFootball was pleased to cover this event. Enjoy this late breaking article.
When it come to looking the part, no one does it any better than ’24’s DJ Walker. He is locked in a tough battle for the starting QB slot at Lexington’s Layfayette High School and in the 6A classification, the real firs-stringer needs badly to reveal himself. Who will it be under center primarily in ’22. We discuss in this article. HB.
Cooper Stone is one of the commonwealth’s most polished and prolific pro-style QBs. He has led the Bethlehem program to a level of play it will be difficult to replicate without him. Good thing the Eagles have Stone on whom to lean again next Fall. We know people around Bardstown, Kentucky are relieved to hear that! Enjoy this look at one of our most accomplished players of the week and don’t forget to savor the flavor of the country’s finest beef jerky products. HB.
All Bryant from Boyd County High School is a player who gives his all every day in practice and works hard to put himself in position to help his team. An outgoing college All-conference player in Kentucky reminded KPGFootball such efforts ennoble both the player giving the effort and the program in receipt thereof. Enjoy this feature about a ’23 ready to step up his game in ’22. HB.
Some break out players are more obvious than others. Still, we never just throw up someone for no reason. Why do we think Tate Johnson from Frederick Douglass is primed to breakout onto the High School Friday Night scene? This article should explain it. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Lleyton Penn was the “Ace Hardware Throwback Player of the Year.” That appears to be one of the more appropriately awarded awards we have ever seen any one company bestow. This guy is a linemen’s lineman. We believe he will have a big senior year and he will have opportunities to keep the party going in college should he choose. Enjoy this feature. HB.
This week we check in on our friends in Providence, Kentucky on North Willow Street. Providence is in Webster County and Jackson Edens has been turning quite a few heads over that way. Enjoy this feature and learn what makes Independence Bank’s people, products, and services revolutionary in the financial services industry. HB.
Well, this is article number 2,000 in our long and illustrious career covering middle and high school football. We have chosen a special player to mark this very special occasion. Enjoy this feature and thank you for reading and following us all these years. HB.
Xsavier Cleary surprised everyone with what he did as a freshman starting and manning the middle of the defensive line for Paducah’s Blue Tornado in ’21. He is a guy whose improvement will continue to define the resurgence of one of the commonwealth’s premier programs. Enjoy this feature about this fantastic young DL. Join us again next week as we award Kentucky’s most prestigious weekly distinction to another worthy recipient. HB.
We have kids who remind us of other kids we have before covered. This Justin Ruffin, Jr. reminds us of Diasjaun Mercer (’23, Hoptown). That is a very good thing. Both of these guys are major college football prospects. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We love to feature the middle schoolers offseason. It is a great way to replenish our database which gets annually depleted by graduation. Harrison McGraw plays offensive center along with defensive line and is a player whose progression we intend to closely monitor. Players like him, especially where he is deployed, are not easy to find and are in very high demand. Enjoy the feature. HB.
As the ’22 class leaves us here at the magazine, we are in the midst of augmenting our database with kids formerly in middle school headed to the high school game. Well, Caden Veltkamp from South Warren is a Hilltopper (WKU) now. Who will take his place in the lineup running the Spartan offense as it defends its 5A title? Don’t be surprised if Coach Smith’s troop don’t turn to an incoming freshman. Don’t be surprised if his name happens to be Easton Jointer. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Daviess County is coming off an 11-2 season in ’21 which saw them compete at the highest level in the 6A Classification. Now Humphreys and Dees are both moving on to the college game, what will the Panthers do for an encore in ’22? Well, they will surely lean even more heavily on this week’s Revolutionary Player of the Week. Enjoy this week’s feature and discover what makes Independence Bank’s people, products, and services revolutionary in the financial services industry. HB.
“Middle School Spotlight” is an opportunity for the magazine to perpetually reload its invaluable trove of database containing information about the finest Kentucky footballers in each graduating class. Each year we lose great players and every year we gain a new crop of superstars. Avery Thompson, come on down! Enjoy the feature. HB.
Talk about a young player already turning some heads, what about this QB playing for Raceland who is a ’24 and has just completed his sophomore season. If you read this feature, it will be apparent how this guy won the country finest beef jerky. Join us again a week from today when some other lucky Kentucky middle or high school player gets awarded the finest beef jerky on the market. HB.
Our breakout series is meant to highlight players likely to come from nowhere to be a star in the coming season. We either look like fools or exceedingly wise when the season arrives. We went out on the limb in this prediction. Still, that being said, we are acting on reliable information from a very reliable source and we feel pretty good about this prediction. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Aris Pittman has every attribute a college recruiter could possibly want. His junior season is fast approaching and this is perhaps a recruit’s most important film. He has just competed at the Best of the Midwest Combine so what may we expect for this prospect going forward? Well, we expect him to be widely recruited. You should too; and this article will explain why. Enjoy the feature. HB.
His friends call him “Tobster.” His opponents call him “Trench Gorilla.” College recruiters are gong to call him. We don’t do this often but we are featuring a player outside of Kentucky today from our neighbor Indiana. For those doubting whether this is something we do, remember our featuring Evan Kelley from Texas and Michael Williams from Michigan? Not to mention the Tennessee players we have featured. Anyway, it is something we do. We are doing it again and will continue intermittently. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We have featured quite a few McLean County Cougars through the years. There is a reason for this…they are A’s second-district. The Cougars had an uncharacteristic 4-6 year in ’21 and missed the playoffs for the first time in a while. Guys like this week’s feature will insure that will not turn into a trend. Enjoy this look at one of the area’s top two-way players and get on by our Livermore branch and discover why our people, products, and services have started a revolution in the financial service’s sector clear across the Bluegrass. HB.
Jacob Parker, the one to whom the white arrow points, is a late to the party player like so many others we have before featured. Parker transferred in to Breathitt from a high school which didn’t field a football team. He has been a wonderful surprise with a work-ethic which encircles many kids his age and has now worked himself into someone we have noticed. Look for him to start along the Big Blue Wave in ’22 at OT and to contribute at DE. HB.
We enjoy highlighting future football stars at a time while they are still unknown. We don’t know that this guy would count as an unknown as the knowledgeable people in football circles all seem to know him but he is largely unknown to the casual fan, at least at present. That shouldn’t last very long, particularly after his winning this particular distinction. Enjoy this look at ’24’s top of the class along the OL. Join us next week and we will hit the “repeat” button. HB.
We have been breaking down some Mr. Football potential candidates for next Fall. No one should overlook Mr. Kaden Gardner from the Ryle Raiders. He had an incredible junior season and has some very attractive, next-level measurable and times. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Success can be a relative term. What some people consider to be successful others profess disappointment. Shawn Marshall is a prospect who finds himself on a roster of other young players searching for its way back to the type of success it was enjoying just a few short years ago. Can Koby Clark lead this team back to where Gary Wheeler, Jr. had the Bears just a few short years ago. We believe he can! Enjoy the feature. HB.
Daisjaun Mercer is clearly taller than he has been consistently listed. We had heard that, but his running into Coach Long and me at the Hoptown/County basketball game the other night just proved it. He’s going to continue to stand tall as he enters his “Senior Year.” He may even prove tall enough to bring home the “Mr. Football” award this coming Fall. HB.
Garrison Barker is among the fastest kids in his graduating class all across western-KY. HIs sub five-second, laser timed 40-yard dash would support that contention. Enjoy this look at one of Daviess County’s very finest in the ’26 class and get on by and discover why Independence Bank’s people, products, and services have started a revolution in the financial services market in Kentucky. HB.
The Colonels picked up a pledge from a very talented and well put together OLB hailing from Texas. Evan Kelley is a kid who, in spite of playing his prep football in Lake Travis, Texas, still has considerable ties to the Bluegrass. Enjoy this special feature which is a bit different from our normal fare. HB.
We saw this featured athlete perform for Team Kentucky Future Stars in its annual classic with the Tennessee counterpart. We believed him to be a top-two DE in that class at that time and he did nothing but confirm that prediction for us over the course of his freshman season. What he is poised to do as a sophomore could prove incredible. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We love feeding the “big boys” around Mingua Beef Jerky and KPGFootball. This week we are nourishing one of Kentucky’s very finest Right Tackles in the high school game’s class of ’23 in Demartae “Bulldozer” Johnson. Enjoy this look at a kid who has a great time playing the game he loves and join us again next week. HB.
We love our breakout series mostly because it is rare when we don’t turn out to be “dead on the money.” We are confident in the rising Sophomore who is the subject of today’s feature. Landon Yates is a horse. How good will he be in ’22? Well, we shall see. With the graduation upcoming this Spring, he should get his opportunities. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This is the time of year we start forecasting and even promoting players for the coveted “Mr. Football” distinction. Here is a guy we expect to be right in the mix next Fall for the award. We have seen him forecast headed to UK. We have seen him forecast to UT. Either program will be getting quite a specimen and quite a football player. Enjoy the feature. HB.
How does any program replace a Mr. Football in the offensive backfield. Well, when that program is Belfry, they do it with a young talent who has shown he won’t shy from having to fill shoes that size. It must stink having to play Belfry all the time. When does the endless wave of superior football playing talent ever ebb? Seemingly never. Enjoy the feature. HB.
There are people who win this distinction multiple times. Of course, there are people who render a Revolutionary level of service every single day. At Independence Bank, our people, products, and financial services revolutionize the banking industry in Kentucky every, single day, much like Lujan McAdoo’s play on a football field amazes every, single time he goes out under the lights. Enjoy this look at this extraordinary performer. HB.
He’s among the very best down linemen in the Commonwealth’s ’23 graduating class. Big programs are jumping on with offers and many others are circling looking for a place to land. His name is Jalen Hand and he is just another example of the strides Lexington, KY and its in-town programs have made in establishing Lexington as a hot-bed of in-KY recruiting. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This week’s Protein-packed Performer is a versatile athlete who can do plenty of things for a football team. He will undoubtedly be an elite prospect in the ’23 class and is already drawing major interest from teams like EKU which has invited him to “Junior Day.” Enjoy this look at a player who, like Mingua Beef Jerky, knows something of rendering incredible value and performance. While you are at it, get some of the world’s finest beef jerky and savor the quality and taste while you learn more about this quality young man. HB.
Isaiah Fitzpatrick was among Kentucky’s very finest as a high school football player. Several in-state schools felt strongly enough about that to insist on fully funding his upcoming college experience. He jumped on the opportunity, leaving some bigger programs trying to PWO him to their roster hanging at the alter. In the grand scheme, he was shrewd, smart, and cagy and we applaud his decision. Enjoy this feature. HB.
Damarien Mudd is an up and comer with a bright future playing for Louisville’s Central High. He is a track star, in addition to what he does on the football field. He didn’t get a ton of run in ’20 but we would expect him to be an active part of the team’s efforts in the Fall of ’22 and thereafter. Enjoy this look at a kid who will be a junior next year. HB.
Year after year Pikeville High School has talent come off its bus which defies all logic in evaluating a Kentucky 1A roster. We would suppose that is why the Panthers are perpetually in the Title hunt at the 1A classification in football. Wade Hensley, and talent very much like him, promises the Panthers are likely to be in the hunt in ’22 also. Enjoy this feature. HB.
Hawesville, KY is home to both a stellar branch of Independence Bank and one of Kentucky’s finest second level defensive stalwarts in all of the ’24 graduating class. This week we feature Hancock County’s Aiden Weatherholt. Enjoy this look at a young player about whom you should hear tons going forward. Join us again a week from today as we highlight another fine talent from an area where Independence Bank flourishes. Get on by our Hawesville branch where you will find we routinely provide the people, products, and services which have started a revolution in the financial service’s sector clear across the Bluegrass. HB
Zion Mason exhibited incredible value and versatility in ’21 as a junior. We don’t foresee his senior year being different. The only thing more to add to what he did as a junior will be the cornucopia of recruiting campus visits he will travel to over the Fall. HB.
This week’s Mingua Beef Jerky Protein-packed Performer is a guy who has manned the MLB slot on defense for John Hardin as well as that slot can be played. Bennett is playing the 2nd level like a Stradivarius violin. Enjoy this feature and join us next week as we do all of this once more. HB.
We don’t know why Greyson Vance is called “Pigpen.” Maybe he stinks at cleaning his room or making his bed. He has been wrecking havoc on opposing offensive backfields. He leaves them mighty untidy most of the time. Enjoy our breakdown of Pigpen Vance in this edition of Middle School Spotlight. HB.
William Long (60) and Miller Barnett (18), both in green jerseys with gold numerals, will be both in gold once more. This time, the two former junior pro teammates will be donning the Gold and White of Centre College for the next several years. Enjoy this look at two football players who grew up together and have now found themselves together once more. HB.
This prospect looks poised to “Ponce” on the upcoming Woodford County slate of opponents. Christian Ponce looks to be among the commonwealth’s finer nose guards. He has the perfect build for the position and is quick off the ball and moves well for a young man built like he is. We look forward to seeing what he gets done over his senior year. You should too. HB.
This is another fine example of an undersized kid who rendered an unbelievable performance for his high school on Friday nights. Humphrey came darn close in ’21 to leading his team all the way to the 3A title. Enjoy the feature and get by your local Independence Bank and discover just why their people, products, and services have started a revolution in the financial services industry. HB.
John Sualla is an example of why Frederick Douglass challenges for the title in 5A yearly. He is a 6-2, 265-pound, big-body guy who has had an unfortunate injury situation which has robbed him of some PT. He will have a huge senior year we predict and end up on quite a few recruiting boards. Enjoy this feature. HB.
It is hard to imagine a ’24 with more promise than RB/DE Trey Durbin. The 6-2, 200-pounder contributed to his team’s fortunes mightily on both sides of the ball in ’21 and is a star in more than the one sport. We believe he may be a “Mr. Football” candidate in a few years. Enjoy this look at one of Kentucky’s finest and don’t forget to join us a week from today when we get to do this all over. HB.
Georgetown College has secured the signature of Kentucky’s premier player at the OG position. How big of a pickup is this for the Tigers? What does it mean for LeMaster. We will discuss all of that in this feature. HB.
Talk about your upside potential. This is a TE who has it all. Frame, movement, hands, speed, aggression, literally has it all. Enjoy this look at a kid who is headed to Centre College where the sky is the limit on what he may do at that level of play. HB.
Shakespeare once wrote “uneasy is the head that wears a crown.” He was talking about King Henry the IV from England. We believe the same could be equally applied to Blake Birchfield, the unofficial King of Pike County. Enjoy this feature. HB.
We like to inform readers about young men whose academic performance and on field excellence have netted for the individual remarkable opportunities. Well, Landon Nokes embodies this as well as any young athlete in the Commonwealth. Enjoy this look at one of Kentucky’s very best and brightest and remember to get on by your local Independence Bank and learn why our people, product, and service has revolutionized the financial services market in Kentucky. HB.
I had a close friend who played at WKU back in the day. WKU is a FBS program now but was an OVC member then and competed in the old NCAA Division I-AA now called FCS. He told me the Hilltoppers were the only school which manifested much interest in […]
We relish every opportunity to distinguish fantastic performers in all three phases of the game of football. This would include special teams where guys like today’s recipient really shine. Having an accomplished place kicker is like finding money in your dry cleaning. It can also be like “money in the bank.” Enjoy this look at a fine placekicker/punter from the class of ’25 and join us next week as we do all of this all over again. HB.
Jack Gohmann may be among Kentucky’s more forgotten star QBs. It sure was a crowded position among ’22 players across the Bluegrass. However, when you crunch the numbers, one sees Grohmann stacks up to any other player who played the position. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This is a young player who made the most of his limited opportunities over his freshman season. We believe he is poised and preparing to make his move up the depth chart at Mayfield this coming season. Read why we feel this way. HB.
Sawyer Horton may be one of the better QB’s in the ’24 class. If what he did as a sophomore is any indication, that “may be” should be changed to “definitely is.” Enjoy this look at a young player who has it all and who can be as good as he works to be. HB.
This week’s Revolutionary Player of the Week was the picture of versatility and consistently good play for the Spartans on defense along its third level in both ’20 and ’21. He is also among the elite middies in Lacrosse from around the Bluegrass. Enjoy this feature about a true star at two different varsity sports. HB.
We are hitting the ground running this summer highlighting some of the outstanding ’26 football talent which figures to hit varsity rosters as early as this coming Fall. This prospect would certainly fit that description. Enjoy this feature. HB.
Tel Tel Long is a Long way from being done with his high school career. With what he did as a sophomore, we just can’t wait to see what he does as an upperclassman. Congratulations to Tel Tel Long on being this week’s Protein-packed Performer of the Week. Join us again a week from today when we get the pleasure of doing this all over once more. HB.
It is looking like it is rounding into Jhaden Vaughn time around the Trigg County Wildcat football program. This article here should easily demonstrate just why that appears true. Enjoy this feature on a kid who’s upside looks to us to be incredibly high. HB.
The mascot for Simon Kenton’s athletic teams are “The Pioneers.” The man for whom the high school has been named was a legendary frontiersman in Ohio and the Midwest. The rising senior to be, ’23’s Josh Bowling, is getting fairly legendary in his own right. Enjoy this feature on one of Northern Kentucky’s more talked about and recruited 2nd level defenders. HB.
We have covered Frankie Knight since he was a middle schooler setting the curve in the 40 at the Future Stars combine. He is still fast as his work on the track as a sprinter would suggest. He’s also a real diamond in the rough football prospect too who may be finding his dance card filling up really soon. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This is a prospect of whom you might not have heard but when you ready what he did in ’21 you will wonder why he isn’t a household word. Drew Hudgin is just another example of the superior playing talent Kentucky has lying beneath the surface across Kentucky and why Independence Bank bring readers this weekly segment. Congratulations to Drew and get on by and see your local Independence Bank branch today and discover why its products and services have revolutionized the financial services market in the Kentucky banking industry. HB.
There are some fine young QBs around Kentucky who are sure to impress many an onlooker as their careers move along through the years. Justin Hisle from East Jessamine would certainly fit the description. Enjoy this look at a Class of ’25 guy from whom you will hear more and more as we continue to cover the game. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We search long and hard each week to bring you Protein-packed Performers from all sorts of places around Kentucky. This week we go to Pineville, Kentucky (Bell County) and award our delicious jerky products to the best running back Pineville High has had in some time. Congratulations to Devon Morris from the Mingua Beef Jerky Company and KPGFootball and join us next week as we do this all once more. HB.
Whether you call Burke, “Shawn” or “Drew,” or whether you call him a ’22 or a ’23 one thing you can’t call him is timid. No sir, this Ram reminds us of the old Dodge Truck commercials. Burke is “Ram Tough!” Enjoy this look at an outstanding offensive center in the commonwealth of Kentucky. HB.
When you are talking about big-timers coming in to tour the campus, they don’t get any bigger than Adam Wicktom from Memphis, Tennessee. Wicktom played his prep football at Evangelical Christian, was selected by the Tennessee Football Coaches Association (TNFCA) as an All-State player, and won numerous Player of the […]
There is literally no telling the type numbers Jordan Wright will accumulate over his senior season this coming Fall. He has been scintillating so far. Enjoy this look at one of Henderson County’s leading young citizens and get on by and visit one of our three (3) in-county locations and discover why our products and services have revolutionized the financial market in Kentucky. HB.
Tristan Cox is one of Kentucky’s finest in the ’23 class. We believe him likely headed to the OL in college. There are plenty of colleges and universities willing to find out just how could he could grow to be. He is darn-right fantastic right now. Enjoy the feature! HB.
What this prospect may have lacked in size, he more than compensated for with performance. Luke Saner had quite the year as a member of the Class of ’22. Walking off the field a 6A champion is no inconsequential feat either. Enjoy this feature and join us again a week from today where we will do this all once more. HB.
Here is a kid we just knew would have a big year. Did we know he would account for 42 TDs over the course of his 8th-grade season? Well, of course not! Who could have possibly predicted that? Still, never let it be said we don’t know a player when seeing one. Enjoy this look back on a prediction we couldn’t have gotten any more correct. HB.
Not everyone hits the lineup when the “experts” believe they should. In some programs it is much harder to hit the field than in others. That shouldn’t diminish the ability and skill exhibited by young interior bigs like Hayden Baker from Corbin however. Especially when he is so willing to put in the offseason work. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Easton Jessie is a prospect from whom you will hear plenty in coming seasons. We believe he will be a “Mr. Football” candidate in the Fall of ’25, his senior year. Check out this feature and learn why. HB.
Centre College hosted one of its top targets in Tennessee’s Gabe Walker (RB/ATH). Walker is just the latest example of the type talent prestigious schools like the “Yale of Kentucky” routinely sign for inclusion among its rosters. Walker is a difference maker touring and evaluating a school which would end up making a tremendous difference in his life and the life of his family. Make no mistake, the Colonels will be keenly interested in gaining his signature. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This guy is among the more dominant players we have seen matriculate through the middle school ranks since we first began our coverage. Besides that, he’s a Wolford.
We are transitioning away from the class of ’22 toward the classes which will continue to compete in succeeding seasons. However, we can’t help ourselves sometimes reminiscing about players we have enjoyed covering over the years. We thought it would be only fitting to begin the year 2022 remembering the fine play of a class of ’22 stalwart along the Murray High defensive line. Enjoy the feature and join us again a week from today to do this all over once more. HB.
With every team coming out right about now we thought we would publish one ourselves. We are still voting members of the AP team and will be voting fairly consistent with these selections you see here. We were sitting around the magazine on a slow day and decided, what the heck; let’s put out an All-State team, what the heck. We didn’t get them all, but we are certain these players are all deserving of this recognition and players we would select if we were picking a team of high school players to play a team from elsewhere. Flame away! HB.
Quality bigs coming through your program determines the overall success of the team. Getting quality interior linemen like Ryne Randall is critical to a program’s winning formula. Randall is a promising young baller with things to work on, sure; but otherwise he figures to be quite the player going forward and we are happy we will have a front row seat. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Here is a player who had an extraordinary year and led his team to unprecedented heights. Yessir, Grayson, Kentucky locals will be talking for many years about Charlie Terry we believe. Who better to send some of the country’s finest beef jerky? We agree with you. Enjoy this feature and join us again a week from today as we do this all over. HB.
Russellville High had a ton of talent coming into the ’21 season. It was why we predicted preseason they would challenge for the title in the 1A classification and we couldn’t have been more correct. One guy who gets overlooked but shouldn’t is the subject of today’s feature. Enjoy the article. HB.
We were big fans of the Benny Hill Show in the 70s. Well the Hill who spells his name “B-E-N-N-I-E” is poised to put on his own primetime show in the Fall of ’22. Read all about it! HB.
Louisville Eastern produces some top-notch college talent. There are colleges around the area learning this pretty quickly. There is “Gold in that thar locker room!” Read this and learn just how deeply those veins run. HB.
This week we are featuring a Derby City football prize who is equally good in lacrosse or so we are told. Jacob Dewitt has already been offered by Rose Hulman which should tell you all you need to know about his ability in the classroom. Enjoy this feature and join us again a week from today for another fine example of an outstanding student-athlete. HB.
He’s one of the hottest recruits in the ’22 class of graduates from across Kentucky. He is also among its very best along the offensive line. We were thrilled to interview him and even more thrilled that a school called and offered him while we were conducting the interview. No telling how many offers he will have by the time you finish reading this. HB.
We travel to the “Derby City” to award our prize package this week. Louisville, Kentucky has no shortage of players dotting rosters across the city and we could award some jerky here every single week were we so disposed. Tyson Huffman is just a junior on a roster which gets overlooked. Well, Huffman, we’re looking. Enjoy this feature and join us again next week for another feature just like it! HB.
A player from the eastern Kentucky area contacted the magazine through a staff member and assured KPGFootball he was coming for the ’22 “Mr. Football Award” and that we should get prepared for his run-up that ladder. We love the kid’s enthusiasm and confidence. That being said, we would think, at this point, Kenyon Goodin presently looks like he may be a hard man to beat for next year’s “Mr. Football,” assuming he puts forth the numbers on both sides of the football he did in ’21. Here is our take on it. Enjoy! HB.
Here is a feature about the only 1A player on the Coaches All-State first-team in ’21. Thing is, this particular school could well have placed two DBs on the first-team. Enjoy this feature. HB.
Too many kids these days are ignoring the fact it will take more than just the ability to play a sport to get a college to invest money in the kid’s continued play. Character and academics are measured and considered maybe more than many of your parents out there realized. Enjoy this Christmas present from our staff to you. Thanks for your continued support. HB. Merry Christmas!
We enjoy featuring premier football players around Kentucky in the areas where Independence Bank provides its tremendous array of financial products and services. Bowling Green is a market of which we never get enough. Today we feature one of Kentucky’s very best in Jeremiah Lightfoot to go along with one of Independence Bank’s very best branches named for where it sits on “Nashville Road.” Enjoy the feature. HB.
We always hear around the magazine either this guy or that on is being “slept on.” If Keyandre Strand were to make such a claim, his complaint might be legitimate. The sleeping on him won’t last much longer. This kid can scoot. Enjoy the article. HB.
Today we further our attempts to nourish with powerful protein the finest high school players the commonwealth of Kentucky has to offer. We go to Betsy Layne High and single out the fine play in ’21 from its senior linebacker, Marcus Hall. Enjoy the feature and join us again a week from today as we find for you another fine Kentucky High School football player. HB.
The topic of this feature is undeniably among the larger RBs you will ever see in high school football. Having to tackle a near 300-pounder is tough, especially when he can really scoot. Enjoy this look at a young player who still has a ton of great football ahead of him. HB.
In this article we would share with the reader a little about how good one has to be to play ANYWHERE in college football. It is harder to see the field than many people realize.Enjoy the feature and let the honest, self-evaluations commence. HB.
We are dealing with our grief. Each year we have to say good bye to another group of players we began covering when they were just middle schoolers. The best way to deal with the grief is to get right back up on that horse. Here is a player we are sure we will continue to cover over the course of his budding high school career beginning next season. If it is anything like what he accomplished in the KYMSFA, there will be quite a lot to cover. HB.
Both Independence Bank and KPGFootball send out their very best to all the families impacted by the recent tornado which ravaged Mayfield, Kentucky as hard as any area in the Bluegrass. We know the people of Graves County will meet this challenge with the tenacity and toughness they meet every other challenge. Independence Bank will be with you, hand in hand, every step of the way. Enjoy this look at a tough customer who just finished a fine career for Mayfield High School. HB.
Every year All-State teams get published. Every year some obvious All-Stater gets omitted from every single team. There are more All-State caliber players playing the high school game among Kentucky’s 6-classifications than there are available spots. Like the game “Musical Chair,” there will be an extra-player without a place to land when the music stops. This year, the first of the All-State teams was published. It is sponsored by Kentucky Sports Radio. It was a fine team but omitted Tyler Morris. This article is why that omission was so glaringly inappropriate. Here’s to hoping the other teams don’t err in the same way. HB.
First of all, both the fine people at Mingua Beef Jerky and KPGFootball would like to express heartfelt care and concern for all those impacted by what has been termed the worst tornado in the history of Kentucky. We hope our efforts may bring a moment of comfort to those whose lives have been so inestimably impacted. We will continue to bring to people the coverage and products on which they have come to rely and hope our efforts in some small way may provide some comfort and the certainty which can come from “soldiering on” under truly adverse circumstances. With that being said, we are pleased to award this week’s prize package to a fantastic player who lives in one of the more impacted communities, Princeton, Kentucky. Please enjoy this feature and join us next week as we award this to another fine football player and athlete. HB.
Nick Masek is the big-bodied, athletic, huge handed TE college’s covet. He is a real weapon working against any second level defender with the build and length to put defenders on his back and use his arms and “mitts” to envelope passes thrown his way. Lots of schools are beating a path to his door. Enjoy the feature. HB.
If any of you were thinking Cameron Hergott was the only potent dual-threat guy running a Class 2A offense across Kentucky, do we ever have a surprise for you. Russ Osborne is one of the mountains best kept secrets and one of its more potent one-man offensive attacks. Secret will be out now. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Not many people realize how good of a football player one has to be to get offered by football teams at the top of any division of play. Let me assure you that St. Johns in Minnesota can flat out ball and could either beat or really push many of the FCS teams populating or surrounding our commonwealth. Read about this fine prospect and try to learn a little something. HB.
Never met an offensive lineman who much relished the obligation of having to block a player like Jake Jackson. Low center of gravity, incredible leg kick, power, explosion, off the charts strength, and Jack Jackson’s being ill-humored upon arriving to the football all make him a handful. Yessir, blocking Jake Jackson was such a pain in the rear no one elected to do it all season. Enjoy this feature on a guy who is definitely an All-State caliber defensive lineman. HB.
This guy is among Kentucky’s most athletically gifted and freakishly apportioned (in a good way) football stars from across Kentucky. He plays at one of the more storied and accomplished programs too. We haven’t written enough about this talent who we believe will leave the HS ranks among the very best to have ever played football in the Bluegrass. Enjoy the feature. HB.
There were a plethora of candidates for this week’s award and many of them had just won championships. This award is going to a player who just missed out on winning a championship though not because of anything he either did or didn’t do. This guy performed brilliantly in multiple phases of the game and stood out for a team which came one possession away from perhaps pulling it out. Enjoy the feature and join us again next week as our coverage converts into the offseason. What a year it was! HB.
Here’s a guy whose numbers were exceptional but whose performance may have been overshadowed by some other players around the commonwealth. Make no mistake, this kid was uncommonly good all season. The most important statistic was his team finished 14-1 and Class 5A football champions. Enjoy the feature.
Isaac Dixon has every right to lay claim to Kentucky’s premier high school running back. With what he did for a Belfry team which couldn’t possibly have won a title without him he may well have staked a claim to “Mr. Football” too. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We love Title weekend. The first day, which pitted the 1A, 2A, and 4A games didn’t disappoint. In the 1A football game, Russellville came out and made a much closer game of it than expected. Pikeville had gotten out to a sizable lead before Russellville owned the middle 8-minutes (last […]
Daniel Swinney and his Bulldogs from Male High School are playing this weekend for the coveted title of Kentucky 6A State Champion. It is a title the program has won numerous prior times. Having a RB as hard to contain as Swinney may just win the program another Trophy for the case and a set of rings for Swinney and his teammates. It won’t hurt the Bulldogs to have the reigning Independence Bank Revolutionary Player of the Week in the offensive backfield when the game commences. Enjoy this feature and join us again a week from today and we will repeat this exercise which makes our week and which we hope brightens yours. HB.
We have written about coaches before now but only in rare and special cases. We would submit to you that Chris Manning at Hopkins County Central is both rare and special and worthy of this feature in every imaginable way. Enjoy this look at a guy who is turning the apple cart upside down in a very positive way around the Hopkins County Central program. HB.
We have before said time and again that both KPGFootball and Mingua Beef Jerky place an emphasis on the boys up front who do a lion’s share of the work for very little recognition. That is why, when a chance presents itself, we jump at the chance to award this to an offensive lineman. Well, if you look at what Johnson Central did in the Semis, the time was ripe to award it to a big and we picked a good ‘un for you. Enjoy this look at an outstanding offensive center and join us again next week when we get to do this another time. HB.
Mitchell Berger is among Kentucky’s “best kept secrets.” He is one of Northern Kentucky’s better football players and a guy who has a very bright future ahead of him which will include college football should he so choose. Enjoy this look at a real thoroughbred. HB.
Bad things happen historically when a person hears the cock crow a third time. The other night, playing Glasgow High, Roosta Woodard was flat crowing. By his third crow, it had become basketball season around Glasgow, Kentucky. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Well, it is now down to Championship weekend and a pair of eight and sixers will battle for the crown in 3A. Do we have an opinion about whom will ultimately win? Have you ever seen this magazine want for an opinion? Enjoy the feature. Remember from where you heard this. HB.
Zane Cartwright and his Mayfield Cardinals travel to Fort Mitchell tonight to take on the defending champion in 2A football in Beechwood Independent High School. The reigning “Mr. Football” will be under center for the Tigers. The Cardinals will have the reigning Independence Bank Revolutionary Player of the Week under center for them. One thing is certain, not a single fan from either team will file into the stadium thinking the other has any chance at victory at all and that is what makes programs like these two so great. Enjoy this feature and join us again a week from today and we will repeat this exercise which makes our week. HB.
Raceland has had a terrific season. It is Thanksgiving Day and the season is still ongoing so football fans know that means the season has gone alone swimmingly. Much of the defensive success for the Rams is partly attributable to a pair of splendid 2nd-level defenders. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and enjoy this look at these two top-flight ’23s. HB.
This week’s Protein-packed Performer player a position you don’t find many teams manning these days. Yessir, we have found us a full-back and this guy is a throw back to the Jim Brown/John Riggins/Bronco Nagurski types. This fellow looked a lot like Jim Brown against Bardstown in the Regional Championship. We thought we better get this big old Hoss some protein stat! Enjoy this feature and join us again a week from today when we award this prestigious award to another worthy recipient. HB.
“Coach, this is __________(name omitted); quick, what can you tell us about East Carter?” Yessir, it is that time of year. Week after week, teams don’t know who’s next. COVID-19’s impact on high school football appears to have lent itself to upsets; so, the uncertainly this year is more palatable […]
There are clouds gathering and the winds are beginning to howl. Yessir, there is a storm brewing on the 3A title horizon and it is one we could see forming as early as preseason. The Blue Tornado has gotten its game “together” at just the right time and the result of this “jelling” may be a football championship. Enjoy this article. HB.
It is good to go back to preseason and look at the teams you forecast would do well. We weren’t perfect. We didn’t do too shabbily either. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We have before featured this middle school football phenom. He was on the Future Stars team this past summer and looks (to us) poised to return to the roster this coming summer. He is easily among the best 8th-graders playing the game today. Enjoy the spotlight on Cam Thomas. HB.
It is getting that time of year where we start making our list of players for whom we intend to vote onto the Associated Press All-State Football Team. We get some help from coaches across the commonwealth which we welcome. This kid here has had one of the finest freshman seasons at QB we have ever witnessed. Will we vote for him for All-State? We just might, we are sure to nominate him and insure his being on the ballot. You know, there is nothing saying an All-State QB can’t be a freshman. Enjoy this feature and congratulations to Berry gaining selection to the Independence Bank Revolutionary Player of the Week. HB.
Mr. Football voting is around the corner. First up will be the Coaches in the Courier Journal. The Media (Associated Press) will conclude the awards season months from now in the Herald-Leader. Who will win “Mr. Football?” What about this guy? His play makes a very compelling case. HB.
We love versatility at Mingua Beef Jerky and at Kentucky Prep Gridiron. Players who find many ways to make their teams succeed have already taken one tremendous “life lesson” from the sport of football which will keep that young person in good stead as he travels down life’s road. This guy here is as versatile and outstanding as any player in his graduating class. No telling where Logan County would be without him. With him, they are breathing some fairly rarified air. Enjoy the feature and join us again next week for another installment. HB.
We hope to debut this as a new sponsored, regularly appearing series. We thought we would start off with a “bang” and feature one of our very favorite players at his position from across Kentucky. HB.
We start getting solicitations from people this time of year seeking our casting our All-State ballot (AP) for either this player or that. We appreciate receipt of the information and promise we will scrutinize any and all data provided. We got such a solicitation about this particular RB who was on our “Hot Board” for All-State anyway. The provision of the data did nothing but solidify for us we are on the right track. Enjoy this look at a RB who has rendered just an extraordinary performance over his senior season. HB.
Entering the season all we could talk about at the QB position in Owensboro and surrounding areas was the 4-Star QB at the helm of the offense. He departed for “greener pastures.” Now, we’re talking about “The Other Guy.” That “other guy” is performing at a really high level. Enjoy the article. HB.
Wow is all we can say about the Centre College performance on Mount Berry, Georgia yesterday to finish the ’21 season. The Colonels had a fine 8-2 season and were in the conference title hunt for much of the year and an at-large threat for an NCAA bid too. Enjoy this last installment of this series for 2021 and we will look forward to getting things back up and rolling in 2022. HB.
We have been high on Dylan Yates all year long. He is a prime example of a kid at the 1A level who is among the very best Kentucky has to offer in the high school ranks at the DE position. There are a plethora of suitors for his services. Where will he end up in our opinion? Well, on our All-State ballot we will submit several weeks from now for starters. Enjoy the article. HB.
The Hornets’ performance has really shocked some people around the Western Kentucky football world. Independence Bank has been quick to notice the outstanding play from Hancock County High School and the Hawesville, Kentucky brand of Independence Bank located at 225 US 60E has been wearing us out around the magazine about when we were going to feature some of the area outstanding football talent. Okay guys, we hear you! Jack Duncan maybe one of the best defensive players at his level in his area of the commonwealth. He, for darn sure, may be among the more underrated. This kid has played very well for his Hornet’s team all year. Enjoy this feature and congratulations to Mr. Duncan on winning this very prestigious distinction. HB.
We are sliding into the offseason slowly but surely and it is time to start individually featuring some players. We begin our offseason series “Middle School Spotlight” looking at a 7th-grader who had a devastating impact on his 8th-grade team to which he returns in ’22. Teams scheduling the Trojans beware! Enjoy the feature. HB.
It is very hard to gauge accurately the accomplishments of the guys who play along the scrimmage line, on offense or defense. We are committed to the effort because Mingua Beef Jerky and KPGFootball recognize that winning football begins right there, on the scrimmage lines. We want to make sure we are giving those guys their fair due. Mingua Beef Jerky prizes players who work hard to make the team succeed whether the player himself gets appropriately credited or not. Such was the case Thursday night in Union. County’s opening win over Webster County in the first round of the playoffs. Union County’s Montrell Garnett had an extraordinary performance, though in an out of the ordinary sort of way. Nevertheless, we believe you will find his contributions more than deserving. We did. Enjoy the feature and join us again next week as we do all of this again. HB.
We used to run this as a weekly series. It never did well enough getting views for the editorial board to recommend its continuation. Still, I just couldn’t help myself this week. I had to do it. Here are four games where the underdogs seem virtually sure of covering what Calpreps has determined to be the spread. Enjoy the analysis. HB.
The Murray High Tigers travel to take on a Mayfield team it sent packing from the playoff in ’20 and which it beat on October 22. Will history repeat itself or will Mayfield, once again, advance to the Regional Championship game? Hard to say. One thing easy to say is this…Coach Darren Bowling is doing one Hell of a job. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Enjoy this news series we are sort of test running at the end of the football season entitled “Looking both backward and forward…” In this series we review Centre’s past performance while looking ahead to what is upcoming. This coming Saturday, a trip to Mount Berry, Georgia. That’s no pleasure cruise. HB.
Chase Brasher from Hopkins County Central came up huge for the Storm when his team most needed it. Fighting for their collective playoff lives, the Class 4A, first-district team insured its inclusion with a win over McLean County which bolstered its RPI and secured the 3rd-seed in the playoffs which begin for the Storm tonight in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The opponent is the always tough, athletic, and well coached Hoptown Tigers. Enjoy the feature and get by and see our friends at Independence Bank. Independence Bank has revolutionized the banking industry with its superior service and products. HB.
We are here to help your parents and you find the right college home for your immense talents. Call us up and ask what we can do to come to your town and present to your friends and you.
Sometimes the winner of this award doesn’t have the “stand alone numbers” one generally sees from his position group. However, Mingua Beef Jerky also prizes players who invent ways to make things happen even when the opposing defense is trying desperately to take away from that player what he generally contributes. Such was the case Friday night in the Mingua Beef Jerky Bowl. Boyle County’s Jagger Gillis had an extraordinary performance, though in an out of the ordinary sort of way. Nevertheless, we believe you will find his contributions more than deserving. We did. Enjoy the feature and join us again next week as we do all of this again. HB.
Enjoy this news series we are sort of test running at the end of the football season entitled “Looking both backward and forward…” In this series we review Centre’s past performance while looking ahead to what is upcoming. Enjoy.
We have been seeing this prospect around many college sidelines on visits here this Fall. When you look at his “body of work” it is easy to see why he is so pursued and sought after as a next level guy. He is the son of a revered and famous former head football coach too which only adds to his luster from our vantage point. This guy here has a ton of tremendous football still in his future, wherever that future “plays out.” Enjoy the feature. HB.
The regular season’s over guys. It ended last night. As old Coach Albert at Towson State used to say, “The hay’s in the barn.” Now, let’s go get paid! HB.
This week’s recipient, Zach Clayton, and his cohorts at McLean County High School had a bad night against Owensboro Catholic. Lots of Western Kentucky, Class 2A football teams can make the same claim. However, this Clayton guy has been playing really well all season as have a few of his teammates. Enjoy this look at another player who provides excellent value to the team’s bottom line. Sort of sounds like Independence Bank now doesn’t it? HB.
It is the premier game on the schedule across Kentucky this coming Friday night, or so we believe anyway. We have a special relationship with the Mingua Beef Jerky company and this is their bowl game so we thought it deserved some in depth analysis. Here is our breakdown of the matchup. Enjoy! HB.
This week’s award recipient came up big in the biggest game of the year for his team to date. Trenton Cutwright had a great night in Bryan Station’s win in Richmond Friday night against highly regarded Madison Central High School. Matter of fact, the sophomore signal caller is having quite a season. Enjoy this feature. HB.
This guy is Andrew Hobbs and he is among the very finest defensive linemen across Kentucky in the ’23 graduating class. He is having one fine season and his Bruins are reaping the benefits. This team has proven all season it will have to be contended with as the playoffs dawn. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We had another big week and so did these guys we have featured in this weekly series. This week we feature 21-current stars among the performances “singled out.” We believe one of these guys is very likely to win the Mingua Beef Jerky Award this Wednesday. We know this…there isn’t a bad choice in this entire article. Enjoy this look at some of the very fine performances we saw this past Friday night. HB.
We are delving into the college game. An unnamed sponsor has contacted us and wants to see about sponsoring some collegiate content. We are showing this business what we can do. Here’s to hoping we have done a thorough job. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Lucas Hughes is a late-developer who is really coming on this his senior season. Fact is, the 6-4 270-pounder is rendering an All-State caliber performance. Enjoy this look at a prospect we absolutely love at KPGFootball. HB.
There is a reason the games get played on the field. Many of us around Kentucky were penciling in a victory for Hopkins County Central over Madisonville North-Hopkins last week. This week’s recipient reminded all of us there is a reason these things have to get played out on the gridiron and not on different scribes computer publishing programs. Enjoy this feature and join us next week as we do all of this once more. HB.
We have been singing this kid’s praises for years. We are seeing him around the recruiting trail and particularly at one of his many suitors. We believe there is a “leader in the clubhouse,” but you will have to read this article to find out which program we believe it to be. Enjoy the article. HB.
We have a real treat for the readers today as we highlight a player we covered extensively when he was a KYMSFA superstar. Brady Hensley was part of a backfield we christened “Thunder and Lightening” when he teamed up with Kenyatta Hardge back at Caudill Middle. Well, today we give you “Lightening” who struck this past Friday night and demonstrated what about his game was so celebrated in years past and figures to be celebrated many more times in the future. Enjoy this look at Brady “Lightening” Hensley and join us next week as we award this to another worthy recipient. HB.
We had another big week and so did these guys we have featured in this weekly series. This week we feature 31-current stars among the performances “singled out.” We believe one of these guys is very likely to win the Mingua Beef Jerky Award this Wednesday. We know this…there isn’t a bad choice in this entire article. Enjoy this look at some of the very fine performances we saw this past Friday night. HB.
This is Deacon Jones and he is young for his enrollment and just turned 13 this past February. Regardless his board elected not to allow reclassification so he is stuck as a ’26 prospect. No matter, he is still among the very elite such prospects in all of Kentucky. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Talk about your weapons, Webster County has a kid named Sylas with quite a Gunn on him. Sylas Gunn is one of the more versatile and talented football players in the western end of the commonwealth. Enjoy this feature about a ’26 prospect from whom you will be hearing plenty going forward. HB.
We aren’t going to lie to you. We prefer not to give this award to QBs all the time and we are really hesitant to award it to “past winners.” We strive to spread it around as there are so many weekly worthy players. However, sometimes a former winner, and even a QB, render a performance impossible to ignore. This week, Cameron Hergott, who has put up ridiculous numbers all season, had another performance we just couldn’t ignore. So, the EKU commit wins it again. At the end of this year the Mr. Football award is very likely to follow our lead. Enjoy the article. HB.
His name is Montavin Quisenberry and around KPGFootball he is just called “Q.” We believe he may be the best freshman football player in all of Kentucky particularly among the skills. This is a fine freshman class too as many are making incredible contributions to the ball club right now. Enjoy this look at the pride of Garrard County. HB.
We had another big week and so did these guys we have featured in this weekly series. This week we feature 27-current stars, one coach, and two teams among the performances “singled out.” We believe one of these guys is very likely to win the Mingua Beef Jerky Award this Wednesday. We know this…there isn’t a bad choice in this entire article. Enjoy this look at some of the very fine performances we saw this past Friday night. HB.
For the fourth week in a row, KPGFootball has gone 11-1. On the year we are 44-4. Here is our report card from last night. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Clancy is a guy tailor-made for this particular award. He is gritty, tough, and a winner. Sounds like a bank we know. Anyway, Owensboro Catholic played a gauntlet of an opening five (5) games but they seem to have righted the ship just in time for the games which really matter. We believe they will slide into the playoffs hotter than blue-blazes. Players like Clancy number among the reasons why. HB.
Here is this week’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ selections. This is week four coming up and we have gone 33-3 over the first 36 picks. How will we do this week? We are shooting for 12 for 12. HB.
This week we have awarded this to a guy who has been playing QB for his team because they just need him there. He projects as a WR next level and the 6-3, 185-pounder has a next level in him too. He has his Titans back in the 5A hunt. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Isaiah Fitzpatrick is among the best RBs in Kentucky ’22 class. There are high school programs in Kentucky where he would be a D-1 guy. We still think he is a D-1 guy and some team below D-1 is going to wind up with a All-conference/All-American type at its level of play. Lucky them. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We had another big week and so did these guys we have featured in this weekly series. This week we feature 24-current stars, one former star now in college, and a coach among the performances “singled out.” We believe one of these guys is very likely to win the Mingua Beef Jerky Award this Wednesday. We know this…there isn’t a bad choice in this entire article. Enjoy this look at some of the very fine performances we saw this past Friday night. HB.
It is one thing to claim being the “best in the business.” We prove it week after week. We have now polished off three consecutive 11-1’s. What is even more remarkable is the times we are able to get the score and/or margin pretty close to dead-on.
We don’t always award this to two players at once and we know the brothers Sokolowski are probably tired of being lumped together all the time but, c’mon, did you see the performance the two of them put up against 5A Christian County? Just ridiculous and both of the performances were so outstanding it would have been impossible to award this to one over the other. So, we awarded it to both. Join us again next week as we tee this up and award this prestigious honor to another player or players as the case may be. HB.
Here is this week’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ as we have killed over the first two weeks of the series. We can’t wait to see what we do with these twelve picks. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Two weeks in a row we have awarded this award to an offensive lineman as we award it to Kentucky’s very best offensive center. We won’t apologize. These guys have been doing the dirty work for little to no fanfare for far too long. We believe this guy is Kentucky’s best offensive center in the game today. Enjoy the feature. HB.
It looks like Ky Galbreath is bucking to add his name to that of “Cameron Hergott” on the list of former 21’s, reclassified as 22’s, who have made the reclassification work for (as opposed to against) them. Many others haven’t faired nearly so well. We won’t know for a couple years for sure, but questions are already being asked. Was reclassifying good for players or not? This article may not answer the question but it does take a look at it. HB.
We had another big week and so did these guys we have featured in this weekly series. We believe one of these guys is very likely to win the Mingua Beef Jerky Award this Wednesday. We know this…there isn’t a bad choice in this entire article. Enjoy this look at some of the very fine performances we saw this past Friday night. HB.
It is one thing to claim being the “best in the business.” We prove it week after week. We have polished off a pair of consecutive 11-1’s. What is even more remarkable is the times we are able to get the score and/or margin pretty close to dead-on. Check out our prediction of the LCA/Pikeville score. Top that!
We have another good one for this week’s Revolutionary Player in Scottsville’s Payton Cope. Okay, technically Independence Bank doesn’t have a Scottsville branch but it has a Bowling Green branch on Scottsville Road. Looks like the commonwealth’s fast growing bank appears headed that direction anyway. Enjoy this feature and join us next week as we will do this all over and gladly. HB.
We decided to pick another 12-games again this week. Why not? We went 11-1 last week so it isn’t like we don’t know what we are doing. Enjoy this submission and let’s get ready for Friday night! HB.
This week’s Mingua Beef Jerky’s Protein-packed performer is OT Lucas Hughes (’22) from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Sometimes a company which prides itself on selling only the finest cuts of beef needs to recognize the guys up-front who make a living moving meat around a football field. This offensive lineman’s best football is still ahead of him. Enjoy the feature and join us again a week from today where we will do this for the next worthy recipient. HB.
We believe in rewarding and reporting on outstanding line play at KPGFootball. We have been sent clips from the performance of Lucas Hughes from Friday night’s game with cross-town, hated rival Christian County and we must confess we were impressed. This 6-4, 270-pound class of ’22 “late bloomer” is showing that the flower which blooms last often blooms longest. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We are so sorry it took us so long to get this up today. We are pleased we got it up and this guy in the featured photograph is just one of the over 20-candidates for the jerky this week. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This week’s recipient is someone who, if he hasn’t won this award yet, we have to wonder what has taken us so long to distinguish his play? He is a reclassified senior and is putting up the type production for which he is known. He is considered among the very best at his position on the western end of the commonwealth and we are very pleased to honor him today. Enjoy the feature and get on by to see your friends at Kentucky’s fastest growing financial institution, Independence Bank. Independence Bank boasts the service and products which are causing a revolution in the banking industry. Join us next week as we get the privilege of honoring another worthy recipient. HB.
The Dirty Dozen is one of the greatest of all the cowboy movies. In honor of that film, KPGFootball decided to pick twelve outcomes from twelve big rivalry matchups upcoming tomorrow night. We used to do this all the time pre-COVID. Let’s see how we do. HB.
Guys who find multiple ways to mightily contribute to the team’s victory in more than one phase of the game always seem to impress our voters. This week we picked a guy who could have won this award based off of what he did offensively, standing alone, or what he did on special teams, standing alone. Taken together, it was just too much not to notice. Union County is absolutely red hot and looking over the remaining schedule it looks difficult to forecast a slip up down the stretch. We could be looking at a 10-0 ball club entering the playoffs. If that occurs, today’s recipient will have played a major part in that happening. HB.
Many of you have read “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. That novel introduced many of us to the character, the Cheshire Cat, who is most known for his mischievous grin. There is another mischievous grin around the Richmond, Kentucky area and he has plenty of reason to be grinning. His team is playing very well and may finish strong enough to come away with some 8th-District, Class 6A hardware. Enjoy the feature. HB.
The featured photograph is of Corithian Seales-Portee of Union County. He had a really great night last Friday and he certainly wasn’t alone. By the way, this photograph was taken by Allison Evans for “The Crittenden Press.” Enjoy this regularly appearing series, “In the Running,” to learn more about “who is doing what” around the commonwealth. HB.
Is this team or that the best ever in Kentucky in its classification is heady and speculative talk. That aside, after the first four or so weeks of the season we have to wonder if LCA may not be the best 2A football team in Kentucky history? We believe the question is legitimate and fair. Here is our argumentative proof. HB.
For this week’s award we head back to the Derby City where some mighty fine football is played and exceptional banking is daily rendered. This week we honor the QB/ATH who finds countless ways to contribute to the success of his squad, C/O ’23’s Tristen Hawkins. Enjoy this feature and join us again next week! HB.
Rob Reynolds was John Schlarman’s very best friend. He was one of the first people interviewed when Coach Schlarman passed. Now Rob Reynolds has gone to be with his friend, leaving behind a commonwealth full of people mourning his loss. Enjoy the feature. HB.
We went a little off-script this week. For the first time since the award was incepted, we awarded the prize to a player whose information wasn’t included within the Monday article, “In the Running…” Hey, we have to keep people honest and mix-it-up occasionally. Anyway, enjoy this look at one of Kentucky’s undiscovered diamonds in the rough, Betsy Layne’s Chase Mims, 6-5, 215-pound QB and class of ’22 standout! HB.
Being a Pennington isn’t easy. Being a Pennington headed to Marshall to play QB will prove to be even more challenging. So far Cole Pennington has performed excellently and led a new program to unprecedented heights in 1A’s toughest district. Enjoy this feature about an acorn which didn’t fall too far from its tree. HB.
For the third consecutive week we canvass the commonwealth digging for exceptional performances to highlight and perhaps reward. This week we featured some 21 or so performances, and 26 if you want to count the offensive line from Madisonville who will be tough to beat for any award with their performance from this past weekend. Anyway, here is this week’s “In the Running…” Enjoy the feature. HB.
Everyone is talking about what LCA is accomplishing around the 2A classification. Well, it is impressive. What is getting overlooked by some around Kentucky is the résumé the Beechwood Tigers are quietly amassing. Enjoy the article. HB.
This week’s ‘Revolutionary Player’ may among Kentucky’s most highly decorated and recruited player in the ’24 class at the RB slot. If not the highest, he is certainly among them. He had a tremendous night against the Eagles of Graves County though, regrettably for his teammates and him, in a losing cause. Join us again a week from today and we will do all this once more. HB.
What do you do when you are joining a roster your big brother just left as the school’s all-time, career tackler. Ethan Gough would say just take his number and show everyone you can play a little football too. That is exactly what Ethan “Big E” Gough is doing. Better watch out Red Devil opponents, there’s more to come from a No. 26 named Gough on that Senior High team going forward. KPGFootball is glad to be well position to enjoy the ride! Enjoy the feature. HB.
Two weeks in a row we have awarded this award to a QB. Oh well, both performances were of a nature we couldn’t ignore. Kizer Sloan had a huge week and he’s just a ’24 prospect sure to have many more performances of the kind yet to come. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Eli Thomas may be our first ’28 to feature on this site. Oh well, gotta start somewhere. This young phenom is a star in the backfield for one of the finer youth programs in the eastern part of Kentucky, the Northfork Lumberjacks. Enjoy this look at a kid whose name is one you will likely hear many times over in coming seasons. HB.
Twenty-four (24) players had their performances highlighted in this week’s edition of “In the Running” and were placed into nomination for the weekly Mingua Beef Jerky “Protein-packed Performer” Award. Who will win it? We’ll just have to wait and see. Enjoy this look at some of the remarkable performances around the KHSAA. HB.
Several places on the Centre College campus you will find what appears to be some elemental compound or formula for some substance on the periodic table, “C6H0.” What does it represent? Well, on October 29, 1921 it was the formula for disaster for the Harvard Crimson’s undefeated football team on New York’s “Polo Grounds.” We take a look back at this remarkable game. HB.
This week’s ‘Revolutionary Player’ may be Kentucky’s most highly decorated and recruited player in the ’22 class. If not the highest, he is certainly among them. He had a tremendous night against the Tigers of Hoptown in spite of his not playing as many snaps as opponents will like see from him in succeeding weeks. Join us again a week from today and we will do all this once more. HB.
Has Jack Sivori proven he’s among the best dual-threat guys in Kentucky in out-dueling Owensboro’s Gavin Wimsatt this past Friday night at Red Devil stadium? We’re not sure. We are sure he has shown himself to be fully restored post-labrum surgery and his high ankle sprain. Enjoy this feature. HB.
There is a QB in Kentucky who could win this award every week. QB is one which gets tons of attention owing to the nature of the position. We try not to award this to just the glory positions but we spread it around to the less glorious ones also. Every now and then a signal-caller has a night which just can’t be ignored. The night Polston had against the strongest program in the 3A Classification was such a night to us. Congratulations to Drew Polston and join us next week as we tee this up and do it all again. HB.
Omarion Riddick has quietly been producing big-time since transferring to 2A Todd County from 5A Christian County. Riddick tore it up this past Friday night and the casualty happened to be Trigg County’s Wildcats. Didn’t see this one coming, did you? HB.
There were some exceptional performances around the commonwealth of Kentucky which will make the selection of a Mingua Beef Jerky “Protein-packed Performer” especially challenging this week. Any of the performances listed in this article could win it. All of these players have been nominated. Enjoy this look at what we found particularly noteworthy from the Kentucky high school gridiron this past weekend. HB.
Statistics haven’t been posted yet for many performances we would have loved to cover for you. That is the case every year as we fight to morph our coverage from the out of season stuff to the in-season content. Bear with us. Here are just a few of the exceptional and noteworthy performances from last night’s action. Enjoy. HB.
There is some precedence for this award being given to a coach and not a player. We have a distinct recollection of having done it one time prior to this, but even should our memory be faulty, it is high-time it happened. Quality coaching makes such a difference at the High School level of competition and The Storm has hired a great coach to help “coach-up” the QB-position, which is loaded this year (by the way) on The Storm’s ’21 roster. Enjoy this feature and join us again next week when we reward another fine player or coach. HB.
You won’t find a bigger player in the ’25 class if you scour the entire commonwealth. Jaycob Davis, at 6-4, 405-pounds, will be called upon to play early and often at a 1A program on the western end of Kentucky which produces quite a lot of talent. Enjoy this look at a monster OL prospect who seems to “get it.” HB.
The Hoptown Tigers are LOADED! We had an agent at the Tigers scrimmage with Class 6A McCracken and they came away impressed. Their words reporting back to the office at the first of the week were, “These guys look all the way back to me…like mid-90s back!” That is saying quite a bit. It also means we likely had a serious omission from our preseason Top-5 in the 4A classification. However far the Tigers go this coming season, they will lean heavily on Daisjaun Mercer, this week’s award recipient for the reasons we have detailed herein. Friday night we have season openers so this is our last offseason award. It is all over but the crying now. Join us next week as we give this award to another worthy recipient. HB.
His is one of Kentucky High School football’s better nicknames. Enjoy this feature about Martrell “Night Train” Horton. Horton is one of the more dynamic and explosive players in Kentucky 5A football particularly in Louisville. Horton plays for Fairdale High School and the Bulldogs figure to be quite good again in ’21. HB.
The words, “the best…” can get thrown around and excessively used. No outfit is anymore aware of this than we. In the end, it amounts to a bunch of hyperbole and little more most times. However, every now and then the term is used and appears accurate. This may well be one of those times. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Right off the bat you have to love the personality of any lineman who choses to wear “00” as a number. This is a young ’26 prospect who has the type of frame which indicates there is literally no telling how big he gets in the end. He seems to have plenty of length and good feet and athleticism right now, which is something you don’t always find in “bigs” his age. Enjoy the feature. HB.
The Independence Bank Revolutionary Player of the Week Award is among the commonwealth’s oldest and most respected weekly awards. Of course, Mr. Football is the ultimate award for any high school player in Kentucky to win. It is a huge honor just to be in the running. This week’s Revolutionary Player has been named to the preseason “Watch List” for Mr. Football. That is quite an honor. So is winning this. The details about why he has been so honored by us today is within this feature. Enjoy and join us next week as we award another distinction to another worthy middle or high school player. HB.
Here are five (5) freshmen we believe will play this coming year. Some of these guys play for lower level teams which routinely challenge for titles at the respective classifications and others play for teams playing in large classifications where freshmen rarely see Friday Night action. All five of these guys here are just too good not to play, and therefore, we are saying they definitely will. Enjoy the feature. Get ready for the coming season! HB.
An agent of the magazine was at this scrimmage which was “Meet the Cougars” night at Letcher Central. The Cougars got to meet one of Breathitt’s more potent offensive weapons for the ’21 season in Isaac “Wheels” Turner. Turner was scintillating in this scrimmage and gave a foreshadowing of what kind of threat he poses opposing defenses on the schedule in ’21. Enjoy this feature and join us next week as this gets awarded to another fine recipient. HB.
We believe Knox Story from Mayfield will offer the Cardinals some steady and consistent play along the offensive front in ’21. We also believe his ending up a NASA scientist isn’t out of the question either. This is a kid we think will play quality snaps this coming year as we look for Mayfield to #Riseup! Enjoy the feature. HB.
It would be hard to imagine a prospect at either WR or OLB in Kentucky’s ’22 class who more “looked the part” than Shyhiem Drew. At 6-5, 210-pounds with tons of athleticism and length, he certainly looks the part of a “big-time” football star and prospect. His performance, thus far, hasn’t been what one would expect but we believe his best football is ahead of him. A college will give him the opportunity to hone his skills, either on the hardwood or the gridiron, and if properly developed some lucky school will be getting quite a catch. Enjoy the feature. HB.
They just keep reloading at programs like Ashland-Blazer. Vinnie Palladino is poised to step up and take the reins in the offensive backfield and continue his defensive contributions too. He will be recruited heavily in the coming year and will end up playing collegiately is our educated guess. Enjoy the feature. HB.
This kid has to be the number one or two athlete in Kentucky’s ’23 class of high school prospects. That is why it was shocking we have never before awarded him this coveted title. Well, Independence Bank and we thought we might do something about that this week! Enjoy this feature. HB.
This ’25 prospect is one we have been told to expect to play quite a bit in ’21. Not a ton of freshmen see the varsity field at the 4A level. This kid is special. Enjoy the feature. HB.
Mingua Beef Jerky appears to really appreciate versatility. Maybe that is the reason its superior product comes in a variety of forms and in many different delicious flavors. Ashton Adams reminds us of a guy who won this prestigious award for his play in ’20, Breathitt’s Lane Weddle. Adams adds so much production and value to his roster and lineup. Colleges are taking notice. Enjoy this feature. HB.
This is a kid who has developed late and is young for his age. He didn’t elect to stay-back under SB-128 so he will graduate as a young senior in the ’22 class. He gets better and better every year and he also keeps getting bigger, badder, and thicker every time we look his direction. We have no problem believing he will have a tremendous, break-out year for the Tigers in ’21. Season’s around the corner, ain’t nothing left but the getting! Enjoy this feature. HB.
This guy didn’t get a ton of varsity action over his sophomore year but he did get some. By the end of the shortened season, he was looking more and more like a player the team would, one-day, rely on heavily. We think the time is now. He has put in the work and his frame and dimensions are perfect for where he projects capable of playing. Ladies and Gentlemen, we give you Caleb Brown! Enjoy the feature. HB.
Here is a guy who we believe will become close to a household word around his part of Kentucky this coming Fall. He showed glimpses of what he could do in ’20 but ’21, his junior year, promises to showcase his full capabilities particularly over the course of a full season. Expect this guy to “blow-up big-time!” Remember from where you heard this first. HB.
