Tyler Ezell is moving his game to Saturdays. There are a bunch of Class 4A, 1st District teams glad to see him go. It’s not that he isn’t a fine fellow, he’s aces. It’s just that he was the “straw which stirred the drink” for Logan County’s best three-year run in program history (29-6).
Last year in 2019, Ezell completed 154 of his 264-passing attempts for 2,340-yards passing and 34-aerial TDs against only 9-interceptions. Combine that with his being the team’s second leading rusher (behind only senior Gary Hardy’s 976-yards) with 404-yards rushing from scrimmage and that is just a huge amount of offensive efficiency for any team to have to replace.
It isn’t exactly like he’s the only playmaker lost to graduation. Gary Hardy…gone, Xavier Evans…gone, Jarrett Sears…gone, Thomas Bilyeu…gone; there are many others.
So who’s set to grab the mantle? North-Hopkins has lost Blake Moody, Jordan Vaughn, Jeriah Hightower, Marquise Parker, and many others. Hopkinsville has lost Javier (Jay) Bland, Denarius (Red) Barnes, Eric (Fat Daddy) Grubbs, the Lackey twins (Connor and Hayden), Keane Mumford, and Quinton Carlton. All of these guys I have named are college football bound.
Well, don’t be surprised to see Logan County not drop off as much as one may expect. There is still plenty of talent in the cupboard.
So who takes the reigns of the offense? Well, Logan has two choices as we see it.
Braxton Baptiste got the second team reps in 2019, completing 11 of his 27 attempts for 163-yards. He also gained 127-yards rushing with 3-ground scores. On defense is where he really demonstrated his explosiveness, athltecism, and speed last season. Baptiste tied with Xavier Evans with 4-picks in 2019 but led the team, far and away, with interception return yards with 134 and one of the team’s two pick-sixes.
Another possibility is Anthony “Rooster” Woodard. Woodard, seen to the left of this paragraph playing QB in middle school at Russellville Middle, was one of Kentucky’s top signal callers while playing at that level. While he didn’t ever play for Team Kentucky as a middle schooler owing to Basketball obligations (where he is also a top-notch prospect), Woodard was “selected” to several of the Team Kentuckys.
There can be little to no doubt Woodard is among the top 2-5 “athletes” competing in high school sports across Kentucky. Rooster led the team, last season, in receptions with 44 for 818-receiving yards and 14-TDs receiving in only 11-games. He will have Jaden Sells back with him as a target. Sells was the team’s third leading receiver with 28-catches, 492-receiving yards, and 6-TDs receiving of his own.
Moving Woodard may not be necessary, as there is Baptiste, but Woodard can flat play the position, is the Cougars’ best athlete, and many high school coaches like having the ball in the hands of its best athlete every play. To move him, however, is moving him from a position where he is one of the three top players at that slot in all of the Western-end of Kentucky. The proposition is “dicy.”
Defensively, the Cougars return the “Tackle Machine” in Class of 2021, Zach Yates. Yates has been among the top tacklers on the team for years and last season was the team’s top producer defensively. He doubles as an offensive lineman, to go along with his defensive deployment at LB, so getting him back is absolutely huge to the team. This kid, whom we selected to both our KPGFootball Freshman and Sophomore All-State teams is just a football-player. That is all that can be said about him and savvy football fans know what a compliment that really is.
Logan County has two young-guns upfront who will be returning fairly well-season after playing varsity nearly all of their freshman seasons. Zach Poe and Keyton Jenkins, both KPGFootball All-Staters, are the top of upfront players around whom any team could build quite an offensive foundation.
Now we look for Hopkins County Central to come on this next year in the fist District too as they certainly have the skills position player at QB for a run and they hired a fantastic coach who will assemble a great staff and keep the South Hopkins Middle kids at home instead of flooding the North-Hopkins roster like in past years. However, that being said, we feel the Storm is still a year or two away.
I have talked to some “Hoptowners” and they believe they will be 8-plus in the win column in 2020 with a transfer QB they really like out of Florida and a softer schedule than in years past. However, the Tigers are counting on both the Maroons and Cougars “being way down” and we aren’t so sure anyone counting on Logan County being significantly worse than they have been is going to be satisfied next season.
We can see why they would think that, losing a QB like Ezell on the HS level can be devastating. We just would caution you “slowing your roll” on that a little as there are ample playmakers remaining for the Cougars to win the district in 2020 provided they get the chess pieces on the board in the proper slots.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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