2021 BluegrassPreps Mr. Football Watchlist (10/6)

[DevilMayCare]

Inactivity and a slow week from some watchlist regulars has opened the door for new faces; Hergott shoulders a Herculean load in Beechwood's closest brush with defeat; And Sivori comes off the bench to lead St. X to victory in a Louisville/NKY heavyweight battle

 

In alphabetical order:

Grant Bingham (OL, Johnson Central)

Week 7: With emotions running high, Bingham and his cohorts on the JC offensive line steamrolled Clay County in the trenches, paving the way for 354 yards on the ground at nearly 12 yards per rush. Between covid, bye weeks, and fraudulent "schools", few teams in the state have had their schedule chopped up like Johnson Central. Bingham and the o-line have just begun to gel, which is a scary thought for the rest of 4A.

 

Brady Clark (QB, Bardstown)

Season to date: 75/114 for 1,269 yards and 18 touchdowns with 3 interceptions ; 329 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns

Week 7: Facing an outgunned opponent, Clark set the Tigers' offense for cruise control and coasted to a 52-16 win over Nelson County. He set a career high with six touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) to go with 329 yards through the air. The only speed bump along the way, was his third interception in as many games. Clark is in the midst of the stat padding portion of Bardstown's schedule, which should continue through the end of the regular season, if not longer.

 

Isaac Dixon (ATH, Belfry)

Season to date: 57 carries for 539 yards and 9 touchdowns ; 3/7 for 53 yards and a touchdown with one interception ; one pick-six 

Week 7: As Dixon wades further into district play, his running lanes get wider and the would-be tacklers get a step slower. The Pirates continued their upward trajectory in the win column with their star ball carrier leading the way with 137 yards and a pair of scores on just 5 carries versus Floyd Central. 

 

Kylan Galbreath (RB, Mayfield)

Season to date: 111 carries for 908 yards and 11 touchdowns ; 107 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns ; 1 interception

Highlights: vs. Caldwell County

Week 7: Caldwell County's pursuit and angles prevented him from truly running to daylight, but Galbreath spun, twisted, slashed, and fought his way to a 200 hundred yard effort against the Tigers that's landed him a promotion on the watchlist after a few appearances in the "noteworthy" category. He's averaged over 150 yards per game this year against Mayfield's ranked opponents.

 

Cam Hergott (QB, Beechwood)

Season to date: 56/74 for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns with 1 interception ; 809 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns

Highlights: Season's 1st Half

Week 7: Beechwood received and subsequently survived its stiffest challenge of the season against Dixie Heights. Hergott accounted for all three Tigers touchdowns and 352 yards of total offense, including his fourth 100+ yard rushing game this season. His yardage total represented 97% of Beechwood's output on the night. He engineered a length of the field scoring drive in the fourth quarter to give Beechwood a two score cushion they would inevitably need in order to secure the win. Hergott is on a remarkable run of accuracy, connecting on 39 of his last 42 pass attempts. The only thing to gripe about last week, was that his only incompletion against DH was also his first interception of the season. 

 

Joe Humphreys (QB, Daviess County)

Season to date: 162/233 for 2,239 yards and 26 touchdowns with 7 interceptions ; 231 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns

Highlights: vs. McCracken County

Week 7: The Daviess County aerial circus continued against McCracken County, with ringleader Humphreys inflicting damage from the ground and through the air to the second worst scoring defense in 6A. Feeling virtually no pressure from the Mustangs, he picked apart their secondary to the tune of 24/30 for 332 yards and four touchdowns to go with his three rushing scores. This was Humphreys' third straight game with at least six touchdowns and fourth overall this year.

 

Clint McKee (RB, Graves County)

Season to date: 119 carries for 974 yards and 22 touchdowns ; 10 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown

Week 7: The beat goes on for Graves County's ferocious ground gainer. McKee gobbled up 169 yards and four touchdowns on a mere seven carries against Ohio County. This polishes off a breezy three game stretch against overmatched district opponents where he totalled 441 rushing yards and 12 scores, while averaging 22 yards per carry. McKee has a bye week to rest up before a hotly anticipated clash with Owensboro. Yardage should be harder to come by against the Red Devils, though he did go for 375 against them last year in two meetings. They were hard yards, earned at a clip of 4.7 per carry.

 

Cole Pennington (QB/DB, Sayre)

Season to date: 86/125 for 1,237 yards and 14 touchdowns with 1 interception ; 2 rushing touchdowns ; 4 interceptions

Week 7: With the pedigree and talent that Pennington possesses, it was only a matter of time and a big game against a quality opponent before he made an appearance on the watchlist. A top 10 Williamsburg squad presented Sayre with its first opportunity to make a splash this season, and both Pennington and the Spartans delivered in a fashion that will force 1A to take notice. The Marshall commit finished 21/30 for 334 yards and five total touchdowns (four passing) as Sayre handled the perennial contender, 35-17. This sets up an intriguing contest between unbeaten Sayre and the best team they'll see all season… top ranked 1A favorite Pikeville and another watchlist quarterback, Isaac McNamee. 

 

Jack Sivori (QB, St. Xavier)

Season to date: 59/100 for 639 yards and 9 touchdowns with 4 interceptions ; 719 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns

Week 7: St. X and a dinged up Sivori travelled to Union for a date with top 10 Ryle. He played sparingly in the first half, due to an ankle injury suffered against Trinity, but was called to action in the second half of a tight game versus the Raiders. This was one of his least impressive games of the season, statistically, with just 148 yards of offense and a lone touchdown, but that third quarter touchdown run gave X a little breathing room in a defensive oriented game. The Tigers will need a healthy Sivori this week for a watchlist spotlight game against JaWaun Northington and a stout Manual side.

 

Sam Young (QB, Oldham County)

Season to date: 55/86 for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns with 1 interception ; 430 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns 

Highlights: vs. Eastern

Week 7: After spending the last couple of years as one of the better kept secrets in Kentucky high school football, it's time to give Young his due. A big night against Eastern - 289 yards of total offense (159 rushing, 139 passing) and 5 touchdowns - has vaulted him onto the watchlist, with an opportunity to stick around after a date with Madison Central this week. Young leads the Colonels in passing and rushing, and if he could throw the ball to himself - which he did against Eastern off a batted ball - he might lead them in receiving, as well. That's not meant as a knock on his supporting cast, he's just that good.

 

Noteworthy performances from Week 7:

Seth Huff (RB, Corbin) - 15 carries for 202 yards and 3 touchdowns against Simon Kenton

Treyveon Longmire (ATH, Corbin) - 5 catches for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns against Simon Kenton

Brady Willis (QB, Trinity) - 413 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown against St. Xavier (OH), the top team from the buckeye state

 

[theguru]

Other than DMC, who do you think are the top three contenders for the Mr. Football award?

[The Double Deuce]

Is there any fear that the voters will collude to avoid having the first ever, senior only, two-time winner?  I hope that wouldn't be the case, if he is eligible to play, and he is the best player, he should win again, regardless of what I or anyone else thinks of the rule. 

I just know voters are human, and I hope that there wouldn't be anything nefarious (intentionally, for sure, but even subconsciously) that occurs in the votes being submitted.

All of that said, I expect Cam to win again.

[FB Head]

I would say top 3:

Cam Hergott

Joe Humphreys

Clint McKee

   Cam, to me, is the favorite! He is a beast on the stat sheet.  You stop Cam, Beechwood does not win but no-one has proven to even come close on that.  There may not be a team in 2A that will.  Time will tell.  I'm not sure how voters will think about putting him back on the podium.

  Joe has been playing Madden vs rookie mode of late.  He seems to be peaking right at the right time for districts & playoffs.  Joe seems to be the most natural QB prospect, after Wimsatt's departure, in the bluegrass for the next level.  He will have to have success past the second/third round to be a true contender.

Clint is a super smart, strong runner with deceptive speed.  His numbers could be padded more but Graves is smart to rest their workhorse vs inferior opponents.  The further the Eagles advance, the more his chances will grow for the Mr. KY award.  5A playoffs after the first round will be fun to watch.

[DevilMayCare]

3 hours ago, The Double Deuce said:

Is there any fear that the voters will collude to avoid having the first ever, senior only, two-time winner?  I hope that wouldn't be the case, if he is eligible to play, and he is the best player, he should win again, regardless of what I or anyone else thinks of the rule. 

I just know voters are human, and I hope that there wouldn't be anything nefarious (intentionally, for sure, but even subconsciously) that occurs in the votes being submitted.

All of that said, I expect Cam to win again.

This has crossed my mind more than once or twice. There's nothing stopping voters from taking a personal stance against voting for a 5th year senior. I don't think it's likely, but it wouldn't shock me, either. 

[DevilMayCare]

2 hours ago, FB Head said:

Clint is a super smart, strong runner with deceptive speed.  His numbers could be padded more but Graves is smart to rest their workhorse vs inferior opponents.  The further the Eagles advance, the more his chances will grow for the Mr. KY award.  5A playoffs after the first round will be fun to watch.

I think McKee needs to produce, both statistically and in the win column, against Owensboro to be a serious contender. He had the numbers last year, but couldn't get Graves over the hump. Maybe this is the year?

[Voice of Reason]

Coming into the season, I thought it was Wimsatt's to lose - then he excused himself from the competition. 

At this point, it is looking like Hergott versus Humphreys with Savori a dark horse possibility. McKee is at a disadvantage in the stats. Hetgott has rushing numbers comparable to McKee and add on what he is doing passing the ball. The state record season completion percent is within range with Hergott completing about 76% of his passes to date. Hergott's numbers are going to be tough to match and what his team is doing under his leadership adds even more to his resume.