The Big Ass Fans, Small School (1A, 2A, 3A) All-State Defense @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @KyHighFootball

Fanny, the official corporate logo of Big Ass Fans

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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About Fletcher Long 1675 Articles
Two-time winner of Kentucky Press Association awards for excellence in writing and reporting news stories while Managing Editor of the Jackson (KY) Times-Voice

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