Public Service Announcement

Austin Jacobson, from St. Xavier, getting ready for take-off @austinj_19_, @Coach_Odom, @CoachKWallace, @noahhouk5, @jack_albers11, @StXTigersFB, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

June 28, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We see these hot-shot, gun slinger QBs come out of MS and look to challenge an incumbent for snaps every so often. It isn’t every year, but every five (5) or so years wouldn’t be a stretch. I once had a former college, SEC QB tell me the most popular position on any football team is the 2nd-string QB. If you think about it, it makes sense. Austin Jacobson is the best MS QB we have seen come down the pipe in a few years. He reminds us of Zane Johnson (Trinity) who defied all odds to lead the Shamrocks to the 6A title in 2023. Mason Trimble returns for St. Xavier and the rising junior had a very good season and looks to be getting some “Mr. Football” pub entering the ’25 opener. Trimble won’t hand the kid this job. However, should it get to the point his services are immediately needed, one could do much, much worse. Enjoy the feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Look out for a pretty common name around Morton’s Gap, Collin Phaup @HopkinsCentral, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @CountyMustangs, @_CoachManning, @phaup40001

June 26, 2025 Fletcher Long 1

If you are a fan of the Storm, the surname “Phaup” isn’t an unfamiliar one. Collin is a ’29 guy and his varsity journey looks to get under way this coming Fall. Elizabeth Phaup is a known commodity who has just wound up her varsity tenure playing soccer for The Storm. From what we hear from our agents around Hopkins County, if you are excited about what Collin Phaup may bring to the playing field this Fall, you should be. Phaup is another of the 29’s we expect will see considerable playing time when the season opens in mid-August. If he does hit the stardom pay dirt, he will be following in his big sister’s footsteps. Enjoy the feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Brayden Tupper readying for take off in 2025 @TupperBray43875, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @bigassfans, @Coach_CobyLewis, @CClakerfootball

June 24, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Calloway County High is under new direction in 2025. Coby Lewis has been brought in from off the Tilghman staff to resurrect the Laker football program. Lewis helped the “Blue Tornado” to a 15-0 mark and a 4A title a year ago and will look to build off his former head coaching experience he had at Trigg County before joining Sean Thompson’s staff in Paducah. Lewis is the right man for this job and he will not find the cupboard barren. Brayden Tupper is a stout young guy who has considerable power and strength stacked on his frame now, especially in light of his being a rising junior. Guys who bench press 290, pull 535, and clean 255 generally play around these parts. Enjoy this article about a young gun who should be on the field plenty this coming season.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Well, that’s a Peach…Mark Peach proved his worth over his many years of service @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @LC_Patriots, @TravAtwell

June 23, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Mark Peach is a high school coach who has met with considerable success along his career path. We have Peach with around 166-wins against 97-losses. We have him winning his region four (4) times and appearing in the state championship game twice, once at Hancock County in 1A (1999) and a second time at Anderson County in 5A (2011). Peach’s teams enjoyed a pair of undefeated regular seasons over his tenure. In addition, Peach developed and promoted a player, in Travis Atwell, into the coveted “Mr. Football” award and an appearance in the 1A title game after turning in a 12-3 mark and losing to Beechwood for the title. Enjoy this feature about Mark Peach, a fine football coach.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: Alvis Johnson and an anecdote on acorns @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @driver_brock, @CoachHaddix11, @khsaafootball, @WoodfordFBall, @Woodfordsuper1, @mctitansfball

June 22, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We keep running across coaches deserving of recognition. This guy here lent a tremendous amount of credence to the proverb about acorns not falling too far from its tree. Alvis Johnson played football at Christian County High School in the 60s and went on to become a football player for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Upon graduation, Johnson came home to Hopkinsville and began as an assistant football coach at his alma mater. Thereafter, Johnson got the head coaching job at Harrodsburg where he built them into a 1A powerhouse. Johnson won over 71% of the games in which he coached, totaling 194-wins against only 77-losses with three (3) trips to the finals, losing in 1996 to Beechwood in overtime. This guy here was among the greatest track coaches in the history of the KHSAA like yesterday’s feature Ben Pumphrey. Sons Derrick and Dennis Johnson were part of Harrodsburg’s huge run of success in the ’90s and both went on to play at the University of Kentucky. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: ‘Holy Toledo, Batman! It’s Coach Ben Pumphrey!’ @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball

June 21, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We thought we had concluded our “Slow Motion Replay” series and then a colleague reached out to me and said “What about Ben Pumphrey?” We researched it and couldn’t have agreed more. Pumphrey was among the more fun and charismatic coaches the KHSAA has ever known. He was also a guy who traveled the commonwealth taking hard jobs, jobs many of his colleagues didn’t want. Pumphrey did it to make a difference and what a difference he made. Pumphrey was enshrined in the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 2004 and richly, deservedly. Today he is being featured by us. Again, his being featured by Friday Night Fletch and KPGFootball is richly and deservedly past due. Enjoy this edition of the Slow Motion Replay series. Be aware, there is no telling where this series will actually end and when. We will keep writing them as long as you care to read them.

Friday Night Fletch.

Mason Griffin has a pretty tight lid on the QB job at South Laurel @Masegriffin7, @JohnHines66, @CoachDGage, @Gtown_Football, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

June 21, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

His name is Mason Griffin and he may be the best QB in the KHSAA with whom you might not be completely familiar. He is 6’4,” weighs 215-pounds and has a 4.0 GPA. Griffin plays for Next Up 7X7 and passed for 2,199-yards and 18-TDs his junior year in only 10-games of action. Griffin made his first team all-district squad and finds himself playing for a legendary head football coach in John Hines who has won over 200-career games. South Lauren is coming off a 6-win campaign and played in its first playoff game in years. Enjoy this feature about a young man whose star is on the rise and who may show up on some “Mr. Football” lists before all is said and done.

Friday Night Fletch

KPGFootball’s Preseason Top-Five (4A) @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @driver_brock, @CoachHaddix11, @khsaafootball

June 20, 2025 Fletcher Long 1

It is that time of year. It is time to start figuring which teams, entering the ’25 season, figure to factor in the title chase. We have detailed what we think here and it is based on our study of the incoming, ’25 rosters, what players return, what players graduated, and other various factors we have perfected through the years to render such predictions. We had done this for all six (6) classifications as this is our sixth such article posted and published. We hope you enjoyed this series. There are good football teams in the KHSAA and there are bad ones and those teams span all of the six classes. Enjoy today’s look at 4A. Thanks for reading us.

Friday Night Fletch

KPGFootball’s Preseason Top-Five (3A) @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

June 19, 2025 Fletcher Long 1

It is that time of year. It is time to start figuring which teams, entering the ’25 season, figure to factor in the title chase. We have detailed what we think here and it is based on our study of the incoming, ’25 rosters, what players return, what players graduated, and other various factors we have perfected through the years to render such predictions. We plan to do this for all of Kentucky’s six (6) classifications and there is no guarantee we will go in order from the top down, or the bottom to the top. There are good football teams in the KHSAA and there are bad ones and those teams span all of the six classes. Enjoy today’s look at 3A. Keep checking back as we may drop another class any time we feel like it.

Friday Night Fletch

KPGFootball’s Preseason Top-Five (5A) @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

June 17, 2025 Fletcher Long 2

It is that time of year. It is time to start figuring which teams, entering the ’25 season, figure to factor in the title chase. We have detailed what we think here and it is based on our study of the incoming, ’25 rosters, what players return, what players graduated, and other various factors we have perfected through the years to render such predictions. We plan to do this for all of Kentucky’s six (6) classifications and there is no guarantee we will go in order from the top down, or the bottom to the top. There are good football teams in the KHSAA and there are bad ones and those teams span all of the six classes. Enjoy today’s look at 5A. Keep checking back as we may drop another class any time we feel like it.

Friday Night Fletch