2021 BluegrassPreps Mr. Football Watchlist (10/27)

[DevilMayCare]

LCA's cruise missile sinks the Admirals' battleship; Humphreys maintains a torrid pace; Boyle County's pitch and catch combo shines on senior night; And Sivori's arm comes more into focus
 

In alphabetical order:

Grant Bingham (OL, Johnson Central)

Week 10: JC's offensive front washed over 7th ranked Letcher County Central like a tidal wave, allowing Golden Eagles' ball carriers to pick up 450 yards on the ground. With Bingham leading the charge, Johnson Central averaged 344 yards rushing per game in district play. During that four game stretch, they nearly averaged a first down per rush.

 

Xavier Brown (ATH, Lexington Christian Academy)

Season to date: 77 carries for 879 yards and 11 touchdowns ; 223 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns

Week 10: Brown put on a show against Danville, roasting the Ads for four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) that, altogether, covered 200 yards. His acceleration and top end speed can deflate the opposition in the blink of an eye. Even a player with the wheels of Danville's Corydon Crawford abandoned pursuit of Brown forty yards from the endzone on a 72 yard touchdown run. He's starting to heat up, posting 334 yards rushing and five touchdowns on nine carries over the last two weeks. The race for Mr. Football may go down to the wire, but it appears the title of 'most explosive athlete' already has an owner.

 

Brady Clark (QB, Bardstown)

Season to date: 102/149 for 1,931 yards and 29 touchdowns with 3 interceptions ; 341 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns ; 2 sacks and 1 interception

Highlights: vs. Fairdale

Week 10: Bardstown grabbed some all important RPI points against 5A Fairdale behind 205 yards passing and three touchdowns from Clark. He now stands at the doorstep of a significant milestone: the school record for career touchdown passes (99). He leads class 3A in passing yards and touchdowns and ranks in the statewide top 5 in both categories.

 

Jagger Gillis (QB, Boyle County)

Season to date: 116/173 for 1,784 yards and 20 touchdowns with 2 interception ; 276 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns

Week 10: Gillis and the Rebels were all business from the word 'go' against Bourbon County. He threw three first quarter touchdown passes and added a fourth in the second quarter to trigger a first half running clock. Dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season, Gillis has thrown 45 touchdown passes against just three interceptions. He'll face perhaps the greatest challenge of his career this week against an attacking, playmaking Frederick Douglass secondary headed up by UK commit Ty Bryant. 

 

Cam Hergott (QB, Beechwood)

Season to date: 91/125 for 1,740 yards and 23 touchdowns with 2 interception ; 955 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns

Week 10: Welp, I'll take the blame for it. Hergott was racking up touchdown passes and hadn't thrown a pick in a few weeks, so his 20/1 touchdown-to-interception ratio was lauded here last week. So of course he throws an interception last Friday against Newport. No matter, his 246 yards of total offense and four touchdowns were more than enough to offset the turnover in a 54-0 Tigers win.  

 

Joe Humphreys (QB, Daviess County)

Season to date: 189/279 for 2,831 yards and 35 touchdowns with 8 interceptions ; 422 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns

Highlights: vs. Apollo

Week 10: Humphreys concluded his run through an unbeaten district slate with another sparkling statistical night against Apollo - 13/16 for 348 yards and five touchdowns with another 73 yards and one score on the ground. It's got to be frustrating when your pass coverage does its job taking away Humpheys' options to throw, but he escapes the pocket and tiptoes untouched down the sideline for a 56 yard scamper to the endzone. Sometimes, all you can do is tip your cap when someone is simply that good. Humpheys averaged 400 yards of total offense and accounted for 25 touchdowns in district play. 

 

Cole Lanter (WR/ATH, Boyle County)

Season to date: 52 catches for 919 yards and 15 touchdowns ; 21 carries for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns ; 2 interceptions ; 1 kick return touchdown

Highlights: vs. Bourbon County

Week 10: The Rebels took out Bourbon County 49-12 with help from another standout performance from Lanter. The numbers (4 catches for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns) were fairly pedestrian, but his skill set and physical tools were center stage. The two touchdown receptions were at opposite ends of the spectrum. One was aided by polished route running, the other, sandlot improvisation. He also scored on a punt return where some gymnast level balance kept him upright rather than tumbling head over heels.

 

Easton Messer (ATH, Christian Academy of Louisville)

Season to date: 44 receptions for 785 yards and 11 touchdowns ; 187 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns ; 3 interceptions and 2 pick-six's ; 1 scoop and score ; 1 kick return touchdown

Week 10: When Messer is in the vicinity of the football, things tend to work out in CAL's favor. He got his hands on the ball six times against Western Hills, producing 141 yards and two touchdown catches on five offensive touches, plus a punt return for a score. It's doubtful many players around the state have scored in the variety of ways Messer has: receiving, running, kick return, pick-six, and fumble recovery.

 

JaWaun Northington (RB, Manual)

Season to date: 108 carries for 873 yards and 14 touchdowns ; 2 passing touchdowns

Highlights: vs. Butler

Week 10: Northington bided his time in anticipation of the 'Old Rivalry' by collecting three touchdown runs in a blowout of Butler. The highlight video linked above is a great showcase of the tenacity that he runs with. He seems to dish out more punishment than he takes and you seldom see him go down on first contact. He's always spinning and twisting his way through tacklers with legs perpetually driving and falling forward for additional yardage. He'll need to summon all of his powers this week, as the Crimsons engage ancient rival and top ranked Male. The Bulldogs only allow an average of 39 rushing yards per game.

 

Jack Sivori (QB, St. Xavier)

Season to date: 107/158 for 1,219 yards and 15 touchdowns with 4 interceptions ; 768 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns

Highlights: vs. PRP

Week 10: The St. X passing game has taken priority over Sivori's ability to run, lately. We know he can make plays with his feet, but his ability to make throws may mean the difference between a state championship and just "another very good season" for the Tigers. He recorded season highs for completions (20) and yards (269) against Pleasure Ridge Park as well as a pair of touchdown tosses. Tack on another couple of touchdown runs, too. Over the last three weeks, he's completed nearly 83% (48/58) of his passes with six touchdowns against zero picks. 

 

Noteworthy performances from Week 10:

Clayton Davis (ATH, Lincoln County) - 7 receptions for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns against Knox Central

Caden Veltkamp (QB, South Warren) - 237 passing yards and 4 touchdowns against Greenwood

Brady Willis (QB, Trinity) - 256 yards of total offense and 6 touchdowns against Eastern 

[Voice of Reason]

RE: The Hergott INT. Perfectly throw pass in very tight coverage. WR jumps for back shoulder throw. Ball hits WR in his hands and he begins to pull in the ball. As WR lands on his back with the TD reception, Newport DB is able to wrestle with WR and get his hands on the ball along with WR's hands. Officials confer for a couple minutes. TD? No. Officials call it an INT.

[ChickenWyngz]

1 minute ago, Voice of Reason said:

RE: The Hergott INT. Perfectly throw pass in very tight coverage. WR jumps for back shoulder throw. Ball hits WR in his hands and he begins to pull in the ball. As WR lands on his back with the TD reception, Newport DB is able to wrestle with WR and get his hands on the ball along with WR's hands. Officials confer for a couple minutes. TD? No. Officials call it an INT.

Yeah... that's not the correct call but not shocking this year. This isn't the thread for it, but ask anyone with Cooper connections about the illegal man down field called against them last Friday. Didn't change the game, but wow...

[ImJustHere]

5 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

RE: The Hergott INT. Perfectly throw pass in very tight coverage. WR jumps for back shoulder throw. Ball hits WR in his hands and he begins to pull in the ball. As WR lands on his back with the TD reception, Newport DB is able to wrestle with WR and get his hands on the ball along with WR's hands. Officials confer for a couple minutes. TD? No. Officials call it an INT.

In the grand scheme of things it didn’t cost the Tigers, but when I saw that call I was beyond shocked. One of the worst I’ve witnessed. 

[gbballfan21]

9 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

RE: The Hergott INT. Perfectly throw pass in very tight coverage. WR jumps for back shoulder throw. Ball hits WR in his hands and he begins to pull in the ball. As WR lands on his back with the TD reception, Newport DB is able to wrestle with WR and get his hands on the ball along with WR's hands. Officials confer for a couple minutes. TD? No. Officials call it an INT.

That was an awful call, really wasn’t even close to being a pick, and they somehow thought taking the ball away from the WR after he landed in the end zone with possession of the ball, was an INT.

[DevilMayCare]

Some golden opportunities this week for several top players to test their mettle up close and personal.

- Northington and Vinny Anthony share the field in the week's biggest venue. No better setting to raise your Mr. Football stock than a marquee game in Jefferson County.

- Gillis, Lanter, Dane Key, and Sam Cornett will test their agricultural knowledge on "The Farm". Which quarterback/receiver duo will steal the show?

- Bingham and Isaac Dixon meet in a battle of two talents that transcend the mountains. Brute force vs. fleet feet.

[Brown]

5 minutes ago, DevilMayCare said:

Some golden opportunities this week for several top players to test their mettle up close and personal.

- Northington and Vinny Anthony share the field in the weeks biggest venue. No better setting to raise your Mr. Football stock than a marquee game in Jefferson County.

- Gillis, Lanter, Dane Key, and Sam Cornett will test their agricultural knowledge on "The Farm". Which quarterback/receiver duo will steal the show?

- Bingham and Isaac Dixon meet in a battle of two talents that transcend the mountains. Brute force vs. fleet feet.

Good points - I think Key has a great chance to move up the list.  Although he may be bracketed a lot tomorrow.