The Lexington Herald-Leader, one of Kentucky’s most widely circulated newspapers, has again selected certain players to its prestigious “Class of the Commonwealth” All-senior, All-Kentucky football team. Among the selections are kids considered “Mountain kids.”
Now, we know Somerset thinks we only include them among the mountain folk when they are winning but they appeared all year in the WYMT’s Mountain Top-10 over the course of the 2019 football season. If WYMT calls you “mountain,” then you’re “mountain.”
The following kids made the team composed by Jared Peck in the article the entirety of which we here link. We will include some commentary of our own as we saw most of these kids play this past season.
Jase Bruner, LB/RB, Somerset High School…
Bruner really step up and accepted the yolk of the hard work in the backfield when star RB, Alex Miller, was lost for the season in the Hazard game. Miller was the “real deal” and a bone fide D-I guy in the backfield and, had he stayed healthy the entire season, we don’t believe Somerset would have had a close game all year long. Bruner, a bull in a china shop kind of RB, had a 43-yard TD scamper in the State title game on 4th and 1 and 116 tackles at LB.
Charles “Geeny” Collins, RB/LB, Breathitt County…
We have beat the war-drum for this cat all year long. He is possibly the best football player in the high school game today. He played in 14 games (13-1) and had 137-carries, 1,863-yards from scrimmage, 37-rushing TDs.
On defense, at LB, he had 51-solos, 23-assists, 74-total tackles, 7-TFLs, 2-QB sacks. Collins scored 242-points in 2019 for the Bobcats.
Over the last three seasons, playing one season at 5A MoCo, one season at 5A (at the time) Anderson County, and one at 2A Breathitt, Collins gained 2,004-yards in 194 carries with 29 TDs on the ground for 10-3 MoCo, gained 1,474-yards, 131-carries, with 21-rushing TDs, for 10-1 Anderson County, and then did what he did this year, above detailed, for 13-1 Breathitt. This running back was the featured back for three teams, over three years, winning 33 of its 38-games played.
Over those three years, Collins gained 5,341-yards rushing, in 462-carries, and scored 87-rushing TDs. He averaged 11.56-yards a carry over the last 3 years, two of which were in Kentucky’s second highest classification, and made exactly zero Coaches’ teams, above his being “Honorably Mentioned” three straight years. In many ways, especially the time he takes to make a big deal of little kids in Breathitt County who worship him, Collins is the “Class of the Commonwealth” both on and off the football field.
Devin Johnson, RB/LB, Johnson Central…
Led the Golden Eagles in rushing with 1,668 yards and scoring with 24 TDs and nine two-point conversations as Johnson Central went undefeated for its second state title and the program’s remarkable sixth straight Class 4A finals appearance. The Youngstown State signee was also fourth on the team in tackles with 91.
This kid has absolutely made the most out of his frame being “not ideal.” He is a football player, through and through and the personification of “tough.” He may play on Sundays one day and redefine the frame we believe “ideal” for a player at his position. This kid was on our initial KPGFootball All-State Football Team.
Reed Lanter, QB, Boyle County…
Led the state in completion percentage, hitting his target 71.6 percent of the time for 3,286 yards and 41 TDs with only five interceptions and led the Rebels to a Class 3A state championship as a sophomore and Class 4A finals as a senior. This is a kid this publication selected to both of its freshman and sophomore all-state teams. He is the most efficient QB in his class who just always seems to do the right thing with the football. If you’re waiting on a QB to make a mistake to turn the game your way, you’re likely still waiting.
John Walker Phelps, RB/DB, Paintsville….
Sometimes you can see a small senior class and believe the team losing the limited number of seniors will be back and competing at a high level the next year. Well, that would depend on who the limited number of seniors happen to be. Losing Johns Walker Phelps from off a high school roster hurts even where everyone else returns.
Phelps helped lead the Tigers to their first Class A finals appearance since 1985 with a team-high 1,334 rushing yards and 148 points scored. Being recruited as a two-star defensive back, Phelps had 57 tackles and three interceptions, including one for a 35-yard TD return.
This is a player a school will take a chance on and be darn glad they did. The Tigers will not be the same ball club without him next season. Book it.
Reese Smith, WR/DB, Boyle County…
This kids is another former, KPGFootball All-Stater, being selected to our inaugural sophomore team in 2017. What a career this West Virginia signee has had. What a player!
Smith led the Rebels in receiving with 1,518 yards and 20 TDs and interceptions with seven, including 113 yards in interception returns and a TD. Like his quarterback, Reed Lanter, Smith, a West Virginia signee, was a huge part of Boyle’s 2017 championship and run to the 2019 Class 4A finals. This kid can absolutely fly and has a tremendous Fram to either stay at WR and be a physical down-field threat or move over to one of the back-four spots and be a physical presence defending the down-field passing game.
London Stephney, QB, Bell County…
This guy, together with Charles “Geeny” Collins of Breathitt, was a vital cog in the wheel that was the state finalist, Bell County team which lost to Belfy in the Championship game in 3A. Almost impossible to contain, he was even more dangerous breaking down defenses with his feet than he was throwing the ball. Stephney reminds KPGFootball of a player it worked with “back in the day” and who has gone onto college stardoms. London reminds us of Malcom Perry, the Naval Academy’s do-it-all offensive backfield weapon who came out of Clarksville, Tennessee’s Kenwood High School.
Stephney led the Bobcats with 1,642 yards passing and 19 TDs and 1,244 yards rushing with 17 TDs. He also had a team-high four interceptions as a defensive back.
Stephney doubled the passing production he had as a junior and established himself as a true dual-threat quarterback who’s gotten offers from both Army and Air Force. Bell County, this year, is a “good” team without him in the lineup. They just aren’t 14-1 without him at the controls. Man, will Bell County miss him.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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