
No all-state team is complete. Every all-state team has glaring omissions. One just can’t possibly get them all. We have divided up our All-State team into Small School and Big School divisions. The Small School is the 1A, 2A, & 3A team and the Large School is the 4A, 5A, & 6A team. Without any more fanfare this is our Small School All-State Defensive Football Team. This year we will publish a side of the ball a day as we want to recognize more players. Congratulations to those players selected. To the worthy players we missed, we’re truly sorry; we did our best.
HB Lyon, Scouting Director, KPGFootball
Friday Night Fletch's Small School Coach of the Year: Chad Pennington, Sayre High (Lexington); Defensive Player of the Year: Rocco Huffman, '26 LB, Kentucky Country Day (Lou.)
We would point out that many of these kids are committed to play in college already and most of them are being recruited even if they haven’t committed. However, this isn’t the All-College Prospect team. Those teams exist and are published by periodicals which regularly focus on recruiting.
We didn’t list height and weight for anyone. We wanted the production to rise or sink on its own merit.
This team is comprised of the players we believe to be the best Friday-nighters, at their level of competition, throughout the Bluegrass. This is our defensive, small-school, all-state football team:
The Defensive Front or First Level:
1A Classification
Preston Cowan, ’25 DL, Paris, 136-tackles, 22-TFLs, 5-sacks, 3-FFs, 1-FR
Katavian Fryar, ’27 DL, Caverna, 82-tackles, 16-TFLs, 8-sacks
Jalan Hartness, ’25 DL, Newport, 83-tackles, 29-TFLs, 11.5-sacks
Teegan McCauley, ’25 DL, Bethlehem, 61-tackles, 5.5-TFLs, 10.5-sacks, 1-FF
Linden Sammons, ’25 DE, Raceland, 85-tackles, 15-TFLs, 9-sacks, 4-FFs, 5-FRs
Huffman has 132-tackles, 11-TFLs, 8.5-sacks, 5-FFs, and a pair of FRs
KHSAA Statistical Website
2A Classification
Logan Stumbo, ’26 DL, Prestonsburg, 158-tackles, 31-TFLs, 2-sacks, 1-FF, 2-FRs, 1-scoop and score, 44- FRNYs, and an INT
Jack Meier, ’25 DT, Beechwood, 75-tackles, 6-TFLs, 1-sack, 1-FR, 1-INT
Brody Wadell, ’25, DT, Beechwood, 71.5 tackles, 10.5-TFLs, .5-sacks, 1-FF, 1-INT
Tre Jackson, ’25 DL, Mayfield, 57-tackles, 9-TFLs, 6-sacks
3A Classification
Hunter Hylton, DL, ’26, Belfry, 128 tackles, 7 sacks, missed 3 games
Walker Wiser, ’25, DL, Marion County, 55-tackles, 8-TFLa, 12.5-sacks
Jackson Settle, ’26, DE, Christian Academy-Louisville, 85-tackles, 19-TFLs, 5-sacks
Amare Black, ’25 DE, Union County, 102-tackles, 8.5-TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 1-FF
The Second Level, the ‘Backers
1A Classification
Rocco Huffman, ’26, LB, Defensive Player of the Year, Kentucky Country Day, 132-tackles, 11-TFLs, 8.5-sacks, 5-FFs, 2-FRs
John Luke Minner, ’26 LB/Rush End, Sayre, 40-tackles, 3-TFLs, 10-sacks, 2-FFs
John Luke is 6’3,” 215-pounds and framed out just like the colleges want at his slot
Friday Night Fletch
2A Classification
Keshawn Dixon, ’26 MLB, Fort Campbell, 176-tackles, 23 TFLs, a sack, 2-INTs, 1FF, 1FR; gained close to a thousand yards rushing and scored 78-points for the offense as well as being the receiving corps’ third leading pass-catcher
Vince Carrico, ’25 LB, Owensboro Catholic, 130-tackles, 7.5-TFLs, 4-sacks, 1-FF, 2-FRs, and a 30-yard pick-six
Braden Barnett, ’26 LB, Breathitt, 90-tackles, 5-TFLs, 1-sack, 1-FF, 2-FRs, scored 5-TDs and three two-pointers on offense
3A Classification
Ross Powers, ’26, LB, Hancock County, 162-tackles, 14-TFLs, 3-sacks, 3-FFs, 3-FRs,
Creed Gabbard, ’25, LB, Rockcastle County, 41-tackles, 20-TFLs, 12-sacks, 3-FFs
Kamden Davis, ’25 LB, Union County, 80-tackles, 13-TFLs, 10-sacks, 3-FFs, and a 64-yards pick-six
Brenan Griffin, ’25, LB, Hart County, 188-tackles, 14-TFLs, 1-sack, 2-FFs, 3-INTs
Blake Evans, ’25 LB, Bell County, 97-tackles, 1-TFL, 1-FF, 1-INT scored three rushing TDs and a pair of receiving TDs on offense if that gives you an idea about this kid’s ability to move
The Back Line of Defense, The guys often left on an Island
1A Classification
Nicholas Cozzi, ’26 DB, Bishop Brossart, 51-tackles, 1-TFL, 7-picks, 149-IRNYs, 1-FF, 1-FR, and a pick-six
Jaylin Craine, ’26 DB, Caverna, 27-tackles, 7-picks, 215-IRNYs, 2-pick sixes
Chris Meyer, ’25 DB, Newport Central Catholic, 44-tackles, 4-TFLs, 4-picks, 108-IRNYs, 1-pick six
Fred Carson, ’27 DB, Paris, 45-tackles, 1-TFL, 2-sacks, 4-picks, 196-IRNYs, and 2-pick sixes
2A Classification
Luke Erdman, ’25 DB, Beechwood, 18-tackles, 5-picks, 115-IRNYs, and a pick six
Nathan Pabst, ’27 DB, Beechwood, 32-tackles, 3-picks, 104-IRNYs, and a pair of pick-sixes
Erdman and Pabst gave the Tigers some Blue-Ribbon speed on the back-end!
Friday Night Fletch
Jude Cecil, ’26, DB, Owensboro Catholic, 47-tackles, 1.5-TFLs, 4-picks, 50-IRNYs, 1-FF
Malik Kirby, ’26 DB, Mayfield, 31-tackles, 3-TFLs, 6-pickes, 74-IRNYs, 1-pick-six, gnition.
3A Classification

Kohner Trent, ’25 DB, Hart County 61-tackles, 3-INTs, a pick six, was his team’s leading receiver on offense and contributed rushing yards and a TD to go along with his defensive contributions
Kellon Stone, ’25, DB, Glasgow, 69-tackles, 1-TFL, 7-picks, 128 IRNYs, 2-pick sixes
Blake Burnett, ’26, DB, Bell County, 44-tackles, 2-TFLs, 6-picks, 110 IRNYs,
Man Robinson, ’28 DB (only freshman to make this team, hard to overlook his year especially for whom he played) Christian Academy-Louisville, 4-picks, 1-pick-six, 37-IRNYs
Flipping the Field, the All-State, Small School Punters
Isaac Collins, ’25 P, LCA, Collins is Kentucky’s only 5-star punter. When you look at his stats, that becomes abundantly clear why that is the case. Collins averages 44.376-yards a punt with a long of 56-yards. Collins has an average hang time of 4.04-seconds, with a best of 4.38. Hang time like that gives the returner literally no chance.
Jesse Osbourne, ’25 P/PK, Leslie County (2A), Osbourne has a best of 44-yards and has achieved a “hang time” of 4.22-seconds. Osbourne has proved to be a real weapon in the battle for field position.
Tomorrow we will publish the Large School (4A, 5A, and 6A) All-State Offense. Until then, this is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
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