First of all, for all of you out there who thought this team would be published at one time, you know we aren’t doing that. We want to maximize the exposure and the views this site gets.
C’mon guys, its the offseason and we need the ratings. We are kicking off the release of our Freshman All-State football team with the All-State Offense.
First of all, here’s a word about the qualifications to be considered. A player had to be nominated by a subscriber to the site to be considered. If you sent a nomination to a member of the staff of KPGFootball, I am sure they were kind and thanked you (or at least, we hope so) but your nomination wasn’t considered.
This site exists to serve the interests of those who support us. Don’t support us, we don’t support you. This magazine isn’t a not for profit entity, sorry.
Secondly, for the people in the “but our school doesn’t dress freshman” crowd. That is not our fault. Many of the schools you are referencing are private schools in Louisville. Who elected to send their kids there? You did.
We are not going to evaluate freshmen players based off of what they did on Tuesday or Thursday nights. All of these players contributed on Friday night.
Finally, we didn’t sacrifice quality just to fill the roster. There may be some positions on here either unrepresented or under-represented. If that is the case, it is because the kid nominated at that spot just didn’t play well enough, this year, for this recognition. It doesn’t reflect on what kind of next-level prospect the kid is nor is it a forecaster for what the player will do the remainder of his HS career.
We will drop the Freshman All-State Defense in short order and the same criteria you see here will likewise apply to that side of the football.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your KPGFootball Freshman All-State Offense…
QB, Cole Dixon, Hancock County. This is a departure from what we have seen in the past at this position. There really weren’t any freshman, drop-back or “pass-first” guys who played enough on Friday night to be considered. This kid here played in every game for Hancock County and started 10 of them.
Hancock runs the “Veer Option” and this kid ran surgically. He was 13-41 for 253 yards through the air and ran the ball 89 times for 322 yards. He passed for a couple of scores and ran for 5 TDs. That doesn’t really tell the tale however.
The team averaged 200-yards rushing a game, with everyone in the ball park knowing what was coming, and had an all-Freshman backfield (Xander Early at RB). Dixon started on the Varsity baseball team as an eighth grader and averages 8-points a game in basketball as a freshman playing varsity in that sport too. He is gritty, tough, heady, a winner, and this year’s freshman All-State QB.
RB, Xander Early, Hancock County. Early led the varsity at Hancock County in rushing, receiving, and scoring. The kid has 809-yards gained from scrimmage, had 112-yards receiving, and scored 50-points. The former Team Kentucky FBU and Future Star who also attended the FBU “Top Gun” national combine a year ago is one of the best athletes in the 2023-class. Hancock figures to be prominent in Class 2A’s 2nd-district in upcoming years with young skills of this ilk.
RB, Matt Anderson, Pike County Central. If you were to ask anyone around the commonwealth of Kentucky who the very best freshman running back was in 2019 you would hear a whole lot of “Matt Andersons.” Production-wise, he may be the best freshman running-back to have ever been made a KPGFootball Freshman All-Stater. This kid is freaking huge, with reports he tips the scales in the 240-pound range. Good luck with that when it gets rolling down-hill at your linebacking corp. Anderson had 150 rushing attempts for 1,385 yards from scrimmage with 14 Rushing TDs. Caught 2 footballs for 71 yards. Part of the backfield which put Pike County Central on every pollsters’ radar this past season.
WR-Brody Wells, Knox County Central. This guy is the only WR prospect in the Freshman class who had the type numbers which screamed inclusion on this team to our selection committee. Frankly, he was Kentucky’s best receiver in the 2023 class to hit the field in 2019 and the only guy at his position we are electing to honor. Wells played in 11 of the 12 games for Class 4A Knox Central and led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and TD-receptions. Wells caught 33 passes for 539-yards with 3 TDs receiving. He was on our Middle School All-State team a year ago (good call us!). He is 6-2, and weighs 170-pounds so his frame is only going to improve.
TE-Bryce “The Predator” Hoskins, Breathitt County. At 6-5, 255-pounds of “nothing soft on him” this kid has one of the better frames on the entire offense. Also one of the 2023-classes better basketball prospects, this kid warrants early offers and could net himself some college offers as early as this coming summer, if he camps and combines appropriately. Super athlete with a kid with a frame like he has. Catches the ball well, when called upon to do so and when he puts a defender on his back and uses his length to meet the football he is darn difficult to adequately defend. Bryce played in all 14 games, caught a pivotal 2-point conversion in the playoffs running down the back line of the end-zone, and was devastating as a blocker and 6th member of Breathitt’s “Big Blue Wave.” Is he the next Michael Mayer? Could be!
OT, Isaac Poe, Logan County. Poe is a 6-3, 280-pounder who figures to still be growing. He has long arms and a frame that just looks like it isn’t finished quite yet. Poe, who also made our MS All-State team a year ago, played in 10 of Logan County’s 11 ball games in Class 4A where they finished 8-3. Helped anchor a line of scrimmage which gained 1,948 yards in 278 carries for 24 rushing TDs. Offense threw it for 2,521 yards and 34 TDs against 10 picks. Logan County has turned it around under Todd Adler. Young “Bigs” like Poe and Jenkins makes it likely they aren’t going anywhere first district. You’re going to have to deal with them.
OT, Keyton Jenkins, Logan County. Jenkins, at 6-0, 270-pounds, looked like a grown man in 8th grade. He’s a bull, to put it frankly. Jenkins played in all 11 of Logan’s games, and like his co-hort Poe, helped anchor a line of scrimmage which gained 1,948 yards in 278 carries for 24 rushing TDs. Offense threw it for 2,521 yards and 34 TDs against 10 picks. As for a “right-now” finished product, Jenkins is the better player and is mentioned with the Sayers twins as far as outstanding freshman contributors. Long-term, Poe may prove to be the better prospect owing to a longer frame. This kid also made our MS All-State team a year ago and his play this year, as a freshman, means his selection last year (like this year) was “right on the money.”
OG, Mason Sayers, Pikeville. Sayers played in 11 of State Champion Pikeville’s 14 games at OG. A FBU All-American. Lost two or so games owing to injury. The Sayers Twins are the best two interior offensive linemen in Kentucky. Matter of fact, they are the best pair of guards to come out of our middle school ranks since KPGFootball has covered that level of football. Another former KPGFootball MS All-Stater from a year ago. His play this year validated his selection last year.
OC- Bracken Castle- Knox Central. Castle played in the majority of the varsity games his freshman year at OC for Class 4A Knox Central but the last six games were his best and he started those, getting better as the year progressed. Castle is the class of the centers in the 2023-class. Castle was selected to the FBU Freshman All-American game. Another former KPGFootball MS All-Stater from a year ago. His play this year validated his selection last year.
OG, Payton Sayers, Pikeville. Sayers played in 13 of State Champion Pikeville’s 14 games at OG. A FBU All-American. Another former KPGFootball MS All-Stater from a year ago. His play this year validated his selection last year.
PK- Daniel Richardson, Somerset. Richardson was 23 of 31 PATs 74.2%, in 12 games.
Close and real candidates to make the sophomore team a year from now. We’ll call both these kids “honorably mentioned.”
OT, Bradee Davidson, Leslie County. This guy has been described to KPGFootball as “a big teddy bear.” That is going to have to change if he wants to live up to his enormous and impressive frame. Davidson is 6-7 and weighs a well distributed and put together 305-pounds. Started four or so games on the varsity and has a really bright future. Needed to play more to warrant inclusion here.
OT, Evan Miller, Breathitt County. This kid, like Davidson, is really framed-out and figures to be among the most coveted college prospects at either guard or tackle in the future, depending on his development and offseason commitment. He’s 6-3 and weighs 305-pounds with an 81-inch wing-span, the longest wing-span at UK’s big-man camp a summer ago. His head, hands, and feet are just huge. Probably would have played a lot of snaps had he not been at a school boasting one of the best offensive fronts in Kentucky’s 2A classification, or any other classification for that matter. We have been told Miller likely lettered this year, which is really good playing in one of Kentucky’s elite programs. Started all year upfront on special teams for a team which finished 13-1. Watch this kid in the future.
There it is folks, that is our Freshman All-State offense. Keep checking the site for the posting of the defense and, remember, we still have the sophomore team to publish so be looking for it as well.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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