2020 Mr. Football Watchlist (11/30)

[DevilMayCare]

The Flyers' chief pilot puts the Yellowjackets under the "broy-ler" in the biggest statement of Round 2. A two-way mountain standout continues to display his multi-dimensional ability. A Tiger toys with his prey in Fort Mitchell, and a Jumper returns home to the Briar Patch one last time. 

(Alphabetically)

Jaylin Bross (RB) Male

Season to date: 91 carries for 900 yards and 18 touchdowns 

Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2Ei8Ua

Round 2: Bullitt East was just what the doctor ordered to get Bross back on track after a month off. The last time he saw game action, he ran for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Chargers. He outdid himself against them in Round 2 with 153 yards and four touchdowns.

 

Nick Broyles (QB), Franklin County

Season to date: 97/127 for 1,615 yards and 21 TDs/0 ints.

Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2Ei7E9

Round 2: It was said in last week's watchlist that a win over Central that included big numbers from Broyles wouldn't necessarily make him a favorite. Whether or not he's achieved that status right now is still up for debate, but he's trying his darndest to break through that barrier. We've seen him display touch on his throws before, but last week against Central, it was all about arm strength. He let rip dagger after dagger on a defenseless Jackets secondary to the tune of 15/16 passing and four touchdowns. Defenseless and Central are not words you find grouped together often, but Broyles was simply in a zone the opposition hadn't seen in quite some time.

 

Leetavious Cline (RB/DB), West Carter

Season to date: 186 carries for 1,735 yards and 25 touchdowns - 42 tackles/1 pick-six

Round 2: Cline blazed a path, untouched, straight through Shelby Valley's defense for his lone score of the night. The Comets found great success through the air, scoring four of their six offensive touchdowns on the arm of quarterback Orry Perry, but Cline still found room to fit 176 rushing yards into West Carter's district championship clinching win. He now stands at #3 in the state, regardless of class, in both rushing yards and touchdowns.

 

Clay Games (QB), Elizabethtown

Season to date: 110/176 for 1,927 yards and 26 TDs/0 ints.

Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2Eha2L

Round 2: The first three quarters against Bardstown must have felt like a bad dream to Games and his teammates. It appeared as though the Tigers were about to send E'town to the hardwood, before Games woke up and threw three fourth quarter touchdown passes, all to Khia Sherrard, to rally his troops to a 35-28 comeback victory. For the night, he threw for 345 yards and four scores, but it was that fourth quarter eruption that will go down as a (the?) signature moment of his career in a Panthers uniform. 

 

Jagger Gillis (QB), Boyle County

Season to date: 89/131 for 1,637 yards and 22 TDs/1 int. - 281 rushing yards/10 TDs

Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2EhQ5g

Round 2: No one would have guessed entering the game, or at halftime when Boyle held a 28-3 lead, but the Rebels needed every one of Gillis' 349 yards of offense and four touchdowns to escape with a 49-41 win over Lexington Catholic. This was the hardest Boyle had been pushed by LexCath in a few years. Gillis posed a dual threat to the Knights' defense, throwing for 282 yards and two touchdowns, while running for two more scores and 67 yards.

 

Cam Hergott (QB), Beechwood

Season to date: 125/166 for 1,903 yards and 18 TDs/4 ints. - 645 rushing yards and nine touchdowns 

Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2EhV9i

Round 2: Pretty much the only thing that didn't go right for Hergott against Lloyd Memorial was a tipped ball that was picked off by the Juggs. Otherwise, he more or less did as he pleased, amassing 334 yards (201 passing/133 rushing) of total offense and four touchdowns (two passing/two rushing). Hergott now leads the state in total offense with 2,548 yards.

 

Nathan McElroy (QB), Trinity

Season to date: 80/120 for 1,051 yards and 14 TDs/4 ints.

Round 2: The Rocks raced past Eastern 49-7 to secure another district championship with McElroy recording his second straight four touchdown game. The downside to his night was two interceptions on badly thrown balls, one of which was launched into double coverage. This could just be chalked up to playing a little too fast and loose against a vastly inferior opponent.

 

Dylan Preston (RB/LB), Johnson Central

Season to date: 103 carries for 1,404 yards and 25 touchdowns/4 receiving touchdowns - 35 tackles/7.5 sacks/1 pick-six 

Round 2: Preston served as the gunner of Johnson Central's armored tank as it steamrolled Letcher County Central for the second time this season. He ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on thirteen carries as the Golden Eagles polished off an overwhelmed district. Preston threw in a sack for good measure, reminding us he can get it done on both sides of the ball.

 

Kaiya Sheron (QB), Somerset

Season to date: 111/178 for 1,996 yards and 15 touchdowns/5 interceptions - 454 rushing yards/10 touchdowns 

Round 2: If Sheron's career were going to end on a losing note, it's only fitting that the end came at the hands of rival LCA. He faced the Eagles six times in his three years as a starter, with the last five meetings being decided by one score each. The story last Friday was eerily similar to the one told a few weeks back. A fast start by LCA/slow start by Somerset put the Jumpers behind the eight ball before Sheron valiantly guided his team back, but ultimately couldn't put them over the top for a win. His Mr. Football campaign ends with 258 yards of offense and three touchdowns. Though the disappointment of not returning to Kroger Field must be immense, he'll have many more opportunities to shine on that stage in the blue and white.

 

 

Noteworthy performances from Round 2:

Caleb Jacob (QB), Covington Catholic: Tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns against Highlands 

Javy Bunton (RB), Bowling Green: 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns against South Warren 

Fred Farrier (WR), Franklin County: 112 yards receiving and two touchdowns against Central

DeShawn Hamilton (RB), Fairdale: 137 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Bullitt Central 

[ImJustHere]

Is there any clear front runner? It’s hard to really sit here and say “yup that’s gotta be the guy who wins it.” 

[DevilMayCare]

Broyles (76.4) and Hergott (75.3) are 1 and 2 in the state in completion percentage. If those percentages hold up through the end of the year, they would rank #2 and #3 all-time for a single season. Hergott only needs nine more attempts to meet the minimum single season requirement, while Broyles has some work to do. He's got 127 right now, and the minimum number of attempts is 175. 

[DevilMayCare]

3 hours ago, ImJustHere said:

Is there any clear front runner? It’s hard to really sit here and say “yup that’s gotta be the guy who wins it.” 

This has been a down year for Mr. Football. Overall, this crop of seniors doesn't measure up to last year's, and then you throw in schedules disrupted by Covid. No true favorite, or even a group of favorites, emerged. Sheron and Wright were probably two you could point to as total package candidates, but Sheron's season is over and Wright's status is up in the air after missing two games with an injury. 

[WCardinal]

10 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

This has been a down year for Mr. Football. Overall, this crop of seniors doesn't measure up to last year's, and then you throw in schedules disrupted by Covid. No true favorite, or even a group of favorites, emerged. Sheron and Wright were probably two you could point to as total package candidates, but Sheron's season is over and Wright's status is up in the air after missing two games with an injury. 

I know my opinion is biased, but I see one player that overshadowed everyone last year as a junior and sits atop the stats lists for rushing and scoring in the entire state for the second year in a row. With all the craziness of this football season, there is no way he could reach the unprecedented level of last year, but in my opinion, still the best football player in the state.

[ATLCat]

10 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

This has been a down year for Mr. Football. Overall, this crop of seniors doesn't measure up to last year's, and then you throw in schedules disrupted by Covid. No true favorite, or even a group of favorites, emerged. Sheron and Wright were probably two you could point to as total package candidates, but Sheron's season is over and Wright's status is up in the air after missing two games with an injury. 

Wright and Sheron have the "UK Effect" in their favor as well for rural areas where voters may not have a candidate of their own or don't follow players as closely. 

Hergott has had probably the most statistically impressive season of all and did it against quality competition despite. His issue will be lack of NKY representation in the media, a false narrative of playing 1A competition to stack up those stats, and a lack fo D-1 attention. 

For as good as Broyles has been, I don't think man people know him by name or has ever seen a Franklin County game.

Braedon Sloan could have taken this award with a repeat of last year's eye popping numbers. For no fault of his own he had a down turn in physical numbers (Although still impressive) which does not help him when geographically he is from an area that doesn't get much attention.

Dixon and Preston are interesting cases. Both have had "wow" season statistically in some capacity and both play for programs that people know and have seen. With that said, Dixon is not getting D-1 love and Preston remains under the radar to most people. I don't think the normal voter will notice the efficiency of what they have accomplished.

 

 

[Cheese]

46 minutes ago, WCardinal said:

I know my opinion is biased, but I see one player that overshadowed everyone last year as a junior and sits atop the stats lists for rushing and scoring in the entire state for the second year in a row. With all the craziness of this football season, there is no way he could reach the unprecedented level of last year, but in my opinion, still the best football player in the state.

For what it’s worth. You hear rumors and watch film and prepare for Sloan. Then you see him for real. I have got to see some great running backs in my time. I have never seen a single kid require the attention of a entire defense and still be able to put up a impact like that kid. Most players have a bunch of helpers that assist in there success. Sloan takes nothing and turns it into a highlight real. I became a fan last year of the young man. If you didn’t get to watch him play, you missed a opportunity to see a once in a lifetime player with his skill set. I will be following him as he is set to go to EKU. 

[ATLCat]

15 minutes ago, Cheese said:

For what it’s worth. You hear rumors and watch film and prepare for Sloan. Then you see him for real. I have got to see some great running backs in my time. I have never seen a single kid require the attention of a entire defense and still be able to put up a impact like that kid. Most players have a bunch of helpers that assist in there success. Sloan takes nothing and turns it into a highlight real. I became a fan last year of the young man. If you didn’t get to watch him play, you missed a opportunity to see a once in a lifetime player with his skill set. I will be following him as he is set to go to EKU. 

I honestly think between Sloan, Preston, and Dixon this may go down as the most under appreciated year for HB's from rural KY.

Everything you said about Sloan is true and everyone that has played Dixon says the exact same things about him as well. Dixon may very well be the best Belfry HB of all-time.. at the very least the most dynamic... Preston may not put up JJ Jude numbers or have the flash of the other two, but he has had arguably most efficient season in JC history and may end up being the only JC back to win two State Titles as the featured star.

It is almost unfair that COVID cost so many people an opportunity to witness their greatness. Here is their combined Senior season performance

365 Total Touches, Total Yards 4815, 82 Total offensive TD's

13.2 yards per touch

They score a TD every 4.5 touches

 

 

In case no one has really watched them:

Sloan Senior Year

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8048861/5fc51caebd6acd0a38e2d57f

 

Dixon Senior Year

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/6313407/5fba7195041ef309e8308716

 

Preston Senior Year

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12379901/5f7c898632dd960b98e2dfac

[Purple88]

I think Bowling Green Quarterback Conner Cooper should be considered for this list.

His stat line for the year is:

106 of 182 with 1,387 yards and 11 TDs vs 5 INTs (3 of those were in the Crazy Round 2 Playoff game with South Warren).  He also has 216 yards rushing and 3 TDs.

See the highlights below from that South Warren game, Conner is #4 for Bowling Green in White and Gold helmets and pants.  (This is the full game highlights sorry)

Boys Varsity Football - Bowling Green High School - Bowling Green, Kentucky - Football - Hudl

While I don't think he will win the award, I think due to the stiff competition faced and the way he has progressed he deserves to at least be on the list.