article Bluegrasspreps Mr. Football Watchlist (10/23)

Front Runners

Beau Allen (QB, Lexington Catholic)

Week 9: Allen found the hosts more agreeable in Paris than he did the previous week in Danville. He dusted himself off after the loss to Boyle County and got back on track against Bourbon County, totalling 418 yards of offense (341 passing/77 rushing) and five passing touchdowns, plus another on the ground. He's the first QB in the state this season to reach 3,000 yards of offense and trails only Drew Hartz (40) in touchdowns accounted for (38).

Season to date: 179/258 for 2,683 yards and 29 TDs/3 ints. - 385 yards rushing/9 TDs

Reed Lanter (QB, Boyle County)

Week 9: Lanter would have been hard pressed to top his Week 8 performance against Lexington Catholic, so his statistical come-down should have almost been expected. Still though, he was precise with his throws (12 of 16) and added two more touchdowns to his season total while leading the Rebels to another impressive victory, this time over Anderson County by a tally of 52-7.

Season to date: 100/136 for 1,823 yards and 21 TDs/1 int.

Michael Mayer (TE/LB, Covington Catholic)

Week 9: Mayer was only targeted a small handful of times against Highlands, and only came up with one reception in CovCath's underwhelming 13-0 win. Teammate Ethan Reardon (9 catches/174 yards) stole the offensive spotlight in an otherwise offensively challenged night in Fort Thomas. The Colonels' defense was on point again, stuffing the Birds time after time with Mayer (team high 14 tackles) serving as an overbearing presence in the middle. Highlands averaged a paltry 2.4 yards per carry on the night.

Season to date: 28 catches for 528 yards and 9 TDs - 3 carries for 37 yards and a TD - 62 tackles/1.5 sacks/2 int./1 pick-six

Reese Smith (WR/S, Boyle County)

Week 9: Coming off a monster performance under the bright lights of the Boyle/LexCath game a week earlier, it would be understandable if Smith had an off week against Anderson County. Instead, Smith showed up for work and did what he does every other week… play at a very high level while displaying near maximum efficiency. He touched the ball four times and recorded three touchdowns with 113 yards from scrimmage.

Season to date: 33 catches for 963 yards and 13 touchdowns - 2 rushing TDs - 19 tackles/4 ints.

Locks

Malachi Corley (RB/WR/DB, Campbellsville)

Week 9: In a game straight out of the BIG12, Campbellsville and Bethlehem combined for over a thousand yards of offense and 90 points, with Corley accounting for nearly 200 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. He is sometimes a man amongst boys at the 1A level, with his superior athleticism and playmaking ability on display every week.

Season to date: 46 rushes for 530 yards and 10 TDs - 21 catches for 606 yards and 9 TDs - 54 tackles/4 forced fumble/1 fumble recovery - 1 punt return touchdown

Bethlehem High School - Coach Corley highlights - Hudl

Izayah Cummings (WR, Male)

Week 9: Cummings overcame a costly second quarter fumble to help will his team to victory over a game Fern Creek squad. Any frustrations over his first career turnover were quickly cast aside as Cummings came up with one big catch after another on his way to 176 yards on a career high twelve receptions in Male's 34-21 win.

Season to date: 43 catches for 802 yards and 9 TDs

Fern Creek High School - Izayah Cummings highlights - Hudl

Jeriah Hightower (RB, Madisonville-North Hopkins)

Week 9: It's rare that Hightower isn't the star of the show for his own team, but such was the case in MNH's 58-21 defeat of Callaway County. Quarterback Hayden Reynolds threw for 313 yards and six touchdowns, upstaging his backfield mate. That's not to say that Hightower didn't get his, though. Despite the aerial assault, he still managed 171 rushing yards, pushing him past 2,000 for the season.

Season to date: 206 rushes for 2,041 yards and 20 TDs

Octavious Oxendine (DT, North Hardin)

Week 9: Double O recorded five tackles and a fumble recovery against Barren County. Now that that's out of the way, the highly anticipated matchup with fellow unbeaten county rival Central Hardin is just around the corner, pitting Oxendine and the state's #5 scoring defense (8.5 ppg allowed) against the state's #6 scoring offense (46.6 ppg).

Season to date: 33 tackles/6 TFL/11 sacks

Walker Parks (OT/DL, Frederick Douglass)

Week 9: In a game that can only be described as a one sided mismatch, Parks helped pave the way for a 10 yard per carry average for the Broncos as they ran over, around, and through Great Crossing, 50-0. He also added five tackles and 1.5 TFL on defense for a unit that hasn't been scored on in twenty-six quarters.

Season to date: 22 tackles/7 TFL/3 sacks - The Broncos are averaging 8 yards per carry and have yet to allow a sack this season.

Jake Sloan (WR, Pulaski County)

Week 9: The Maroons were off last week. They entertain crosstown rival Southwestern this Friday.

Season to date: 74 receptions for 889 yards and 5 TDs - 1 kickoff return TD

Jayden Stinson (QB, Mayfield)

Week 9: It was said here a few weeks ago that even a great quarterback like Stinson has to settle for less than perfect, even on his best nights. Apparently, he took that personally, because he executed a perfect game against Ballard Memorial, finishing 7/7 with four touchdown passes in an abbreviated performance.

Season to date: 103/154 for 2,002 yards and 26 TDs/7 ints.

On The Bubble

Jayden Barnhardt (QB, Lexington Christian Academy)

Week 9: Barnhardt's stat line wasn't particularly impressive - 8/18 for 111 yards with 2 TDs/1 int. and 19 carries for 72 yards - but like all great leaders do, he stepped up and came through for his team with the game on the line. In a battle of top three teams in 2A, Barnhardt brought his Eagles from behind in the final minutes of the game to beat previous #1 Somerset, 35-34. Trailing by seven, LCA's trigger man threw a dart over the middle to Will Vernon, who cut it up field for a 31 yard touchdown pass to draw the Eagles within one. Rather than play it safe and attempt a potential game tying extra point, Coach Doug Charles put the game in the hands of his quarterback. Barnhardt called his own number and darted into the endzone on an option keeper to give his team a late game lead they wouldn't surrender.

Season to date: 114/188 for 1,923 yards and 20 TDs/8 ints. - 453 rushing yards and 8 TDs

Drew Hartz (QB, Owensboro Catholic)

Week 9: Hartz was razor sharp again last week, completing 26 of 31 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns against Hancock County. Owensboro Catholic has a well documented history of producing quarterbacks who fill up the stat column. Names like Ray Zuberer, Zach Barnard, David Woodward, and Houston Hartz (brother?) litter the KHSAA record book. In that regard, they're sort of like the high school equivalent of Texas Tech or Lavell Edwards' old BYU teams. Drew Hartz's 2019 campaign appears destined to join the annals of OCath - and KHSAA - history.

Season to date: 169/236 for 2,915 yards and 39 TDs/2 ints.

2

The bubble and "first few out" group is getting crowded. Two future D1 players were dropped this week that have appeared in every installment of the watchlist this season.

Mr. Football is a Senior only award correct?

Mr. Football is a Senior only award correct?

Correct.

The bubble and "first few out" group is getting crowded. Two future D1 players were dropped this week that have appeared in every installment of the watchlist this season.

Nice job DevilMayCare. Thanks for the great research and thoughtful analysis. Just wish a valid jury decided this award other than the half-hearted AP's.

Mayer - I am glad to see you mentioning his defensive stats. I have said all along that he is more impressive on defense then offense, and he is one of the top 2 tight ends in the nation. I know the numbers are very offense focused but Mayer on defense is something else.

Corley - Just wanted to point out that those 200 yards of offense and 5 tackles in last week's game all happened in the first half. Corley got injured right before halftime and did not return in that game.

Can we get the list of college offers for these guys?

Can we get the list of college offers for these guys?

Don't know about offers but the top 3 have already committed.

Allen is going to UK

Mayer is going to Notre Dame

Smith is going to WVU

Can we get the list of college offers for these guys?

Commitments:

Allen - UK

Mayer - Notre Dame

Smith - West Virginia

Cummings - UK

Parks - Clemson

Sloan - Eastern Kentucky

Hensley - Harvard

Offers:

Oxendine - UK, UofL, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Penn State, and WVU, among others

Corley - Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Austin Pray, Southeast Missouri State, and Western Illinois

Hightower - UT-Martin and Illinois State

I couldn't find D1 offers for anyone else, but that doesn't necessarily mean some players don't have them.

Mayer - I am glad to see you mentioning his defensive stats. I have said all along that he is more impressive on defense then offense, and he is one of the top 2 tight ends in the nation. I know the numbers are very offense focused but Mayer on defense is something else.

 

Corley - Just wanted to point out that those 200 yards of offense and 5 tackles in last week's game all happened in the first half. Corley got injured right before halftime and did not return in that game.

Imagine being a QB and seeing a 6'5" 240 pound linebacker with D1 athleticism in the middle of the field. He's long, rangy, covers sideline to sideline, and shrinks the window into which you have to throw.

The Corley injury is news to me. He did miss a game earlier this season. Hopefully this doesn't turn into an injury plagued/shortened year for him. That would be a terrible shame for him and Campbellsville.

1. Hayes McCracken

2. ALLEN LexCath

3. Hightower - Madisonville

Against the favored Dyer team, Hayes went 7 for 179 and 2 TD’s.

Season has him 1,144 Yards, 19 TD’s ( 144 yards a game). He has done it every game. Bowling Green, Paducah Tilghman, Dyer, Mayfield. The young man is #1 in receiving yards, receiving TD’s and yards per game not only in 6A, but the entire state.

1. Hayes McCracken

2. ALLEN LexCath

3. Hightower - Madisonville

 

Against the favored Dyer team, Hayes went 7 for 179 and 2 TD’s.

 

Season has him 1,144 Yards, 19 TD’s ( 144 yards a game). He has done it every game. Bowling Green, Paducah Tilghman, Dyer, Mayfield. The young man is #1 in receiving yards, receiving TD’s and yards per game not only in 6A, but the entire state.

Going to play some devils advocate for you, Hayes has 46 receptions and 17 carries for a total of 1200 yards and 19 touchdowns. That is 19 yards per touch and a TD every 3.3 times he touches the ball. He also has 2 tackles on the year. Compare that to Reese Smith at Boyle who has 33 catches and 3 carries for a total of 1034 yards and 15 touchdowns. That is 28.7 yards per touch and a TD every 2.4 times he touches the ball. He also has 19 tackles and 4 INTs from his safety spot that he only plays part time. If Reese touched the ball as many times as Hayes his numbers would be 1801 yards and 26 TDs. Boyle isn’t on the field for that many plays offensively and the starters only play 2-3 quarters on Average. That is why Reese is rated much higher than Hayes. Not that Hayes isn’t a good receiver it’s just that Reese is a more impactful player per touch and is a big contributor on the defensive side of the ball as well.

Have not seen Boyle this year; but Reese Smith's stats just jumped off the chart. Offensively he has touched the ball 37 times and produced 16 touchdowns on 33 receptions avg 29 yards (13 TDs), 3 rushes avg 24 yards (2 TDs), and one pass attempt that went for a TD for over 40+ yards. Additionally, he has 4 interceptions on defense.

Hope to see this young man before the season is over.

Nice job DevilMayCare. Thanks for the great research and thoughtful analysis. Just wish a valid jury decided this award other than the half-hearted AP's.

Keep in mind that there are now two Mr. Football awards. One voted on by the coaches and announced during the state finals and the other voted on by the media which is usually announced around April Fool’s Day.

Keep in mind that there are now two Mr. Football awards. One voted on by the coaches and announced during the state finals and the other voted on by the media which is usually announced around April Fool’s Day.

Not going to lie, I forgot about the new one.