BluegrassPreps.com Mr. Football Watchlist (11/8)

[DevilMayCare]

Jones' Sun Sets In Somerset As Pulaski Duo Steal The Show

From the moment the playoff brackets were finalized, the clock on Jacob Jones' career began rapidly ticking off the minutes to midnight. He would face a steep uphill battle from round one onward. An early trip to Somerset to face the Maroons immediately caught the eye of the watchlist, given the propensity of both West Jessamine and Pulaski County for offensive pyrotechnics. They didn't disappoint.  

As expected, Jones went out on his shield. He put the first points on the scoreboard and kept the Colts within arms length for a half, but was outgunned by a superior opponent that features two names that have popped up in this conversation before. As good as Jones was - he had 379 total yards and four touchdowns - he was upstaged by Pulaski quarterback Brycen Dugger, who shredded the West Jess secondary for 413 yards through the air and six touchdown passes. He pitched in another 76 yards and two scores on the ground to spur the Maroons to a 53-35 victory. His growth at the position has been revelatory. Coming into the season, his career touchdown to interception ratio was 11/16. As of right now, it's 39/4 this season. He's been the beneficiary of great pass protection and has the most reliable pass catching target in the state. 

If you follow the watchlist and/or Pulaski County, you had to suspect Chandler Godby's name was coming this week. If Dugger goes off for 400+ and six touchdowns, it's a safe assumption Godby got his. His pursuit of the single season touchdown reception record took a two week hiatus following a scoreless outing against Southwestern and a bye week. The possibility of a new standard is back on the table after Godby hauled in three scores from Dugger last week, bringing his season total to 26. The state record is still two away, but he did surpass Jake Johnson to set a new school mark at Pulaski County.

The night's most enduring visual was the sight of Godby, in the midst of an early 74 yard touchdown, racing to the endzone with none other than Jacob Jones giving chase. It was symbolic of both the night and the season. The Maroons were out of Jones' reach and he was unable to catch a fellow Mr. Football hopeful as his season comes to a close and Godby's carries on.

 

Bears Unable To Dodge The Bullitt

With Jones and Goodin bowing out, our quarterback contenders are thinning out, leaving Travis Egan as one of the select few remaining. He and the Chargers were tasked with hunting down the Butler Bears ahead of a potential colossal showdown with Manual. There would be no looking ahead, as Egan was all business from the word go. He showed off his arm on a couple of early touchdown passes, including one on the game's second snap. He then flashed some wheels on two long touchdown runs on consecutive possessions, sprinting away from Butler defenders. He added another scoring toss and another run later on, bringing his final tally to six touchdowns, all in the first half as Bullitt East poured on 48 points to put the game away by halftime.

Egan is beginning to close the statistical gap a little between himself and some of the other quarterbacks, while winning at a superior rate - he's got 40 touchdowns combined passing/rushing and the Chargers have won ten straight games. 

 

Godby Not The Only Receiver "Max"imizing His Abilities

Chandler Godby is stealing all the shine at receiver, but Max DeGraff is quietly putting together one of the greatest pass catching seasons in the history of Lexington Catholic. That's saying something, because historically, the Knights are known for being one of the more forward thinking offensive programs in the state. 

He caught three touchdown passes last week against Scott on five receptions and now sits on the cusp of the school's single season yardage record, trailing Clay Wolford ('00) by sixty yards. He's also within striking distance of Wolford's season standard for touchdown catches, needing five more to tie. He's got Bourbon County this week before a probable rematch with Boyle County. It's been referenced here before, but it bears repeating… he's also one of our finest kickers. When post-season honors are handed out, expect his variety of skill to be rewarded.

 

Odds And Ends

- Like Jacob Jones, Kenyon Goodin's season ended in the first round. Also like Jones, he didn't go down without a fight. Fifty-eight of Collins' sixty-seven offensive snaps resulted in either a run or pass by Goodin. He totalled 291 yards and four touchdowns, but the Titans fell to North Laurel by two scores. He also posted a team high - and career best - 18 tackles from his safety position. You can't ask for much more. His time on the high school gridiron is at an end, but the standout multi-sport athlete still has a senior basketball season to go.

- It was a relatively slow week, as is often the case for round one. Some of our true contenders had light workloads in lopsided games. Case in point, Blake Birchfield. Pikeville quickly doused Lynn Camp's fire with a bucket of water and led 51-0 at halftime. Birchfield registered four carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns. 

- Case in point #2, Chase Crone. Simon Kenton greeted Marshall County after a lengthy bus ride with a second quarter running clock. Crone only attempted four passes and threw for one touchdown while running for another. 

- Allen County-Scottsville began its season by surrendering 100+ rushing yards in defeat to Ryan Rayno and Logan County. Their season ended the same way, with Rayno going for 130 and a touchdown as the Cougars broke the ten win plateau. That makes him a perfect 11/11 on 100 yard games this season. Next up is Hopkinsville, whom he worked over for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a mid-season encounter.

 

Players Highlighted This Week

Jacob Jones (QB, West Jessamine)

Season to date: 166/263 for 2,415 yards and 23 touchdowns with 6 interception | 1,741 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns

 

Brysen Dugger (QB, Pulaski County)

Season to date: 186/274 for 3,029 yards and 39 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 8 rushing touchdowns

 

Chandler Godby (WR, Pulaski County)

Season to date: 83 receptions for 1,546 yards and 26 touchdowns | 3 interceptions, including 1 pick-six | 1 kick return touchdown

Highlights: vs. West Jess

 

Travis Egan (QB, Bullitt East)

Season to date: 147/228 for 2,139 yards and 26 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 620 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns | 1 defensive interception

Highlights: vs. Butler

 

Max DeGraff (WR/K, Lexington Catholic

Season to date: 52 receptions for 1,308 yards and 20 touchdowns | 53/54 on extra points | 4/6 on field goals

 

Kenyon Goodin (QB/DB, Collins)

Season to date: 141/258 for 1,928 yards and 23 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 1,225 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns | 67 tackles | 4 interceptions, including a pick-six | 1 forced fumble and 1 recovered 

Highlights: vs. North Laurel

 

Blake Birchfield (RB, Pikeville)

Season to date: 144 carries for 1,347 yards and 25 touchdowns | 1 interception

 

Chase Crone (QB, Simon Kenton)

Season to date: 84/151 for 1,267 yards and 13 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 834 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns

 

Ryan Rayno (RB, Logan County)

Season to date: 211 rushes for 1,776 yards and 21 touchdowns 

[DevilMayCare]

Do first round losses effectively end Mr. Football contention for Goodin and Jones? Other players still have huge opportunities in front of them, they just have to cash in.

[MaddenCurse44]

Simon Kenton Jayden Lawson has 1011 yards rushing 12 tds!

[BEChargers]

As you said, Egan threw for 3 and ran for 3.  Impressive !!

[Unrivaled97]

8 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

Do first round losses effectively end Mr. Football contention for Goodin and Jones? Other players still have huge opportunities in front of them, they just have to cash in.

I don’t necessarily think so.  There have been other Mr. Football winners exit in the 1st round before.  I think the last was Wandale in 2018.  I think your team having a losing record for the year has more of a negative impact for me anyway.  Has a Mr. Football ever come from a team with a losing record in KY before?  I can’t recall, but maybe somebody else can.

[Ram]

At this point, count me in the Brysen Dugger corner.  His numbers are impressive.

Max DeGraff would be my second choice at this point.  I like a guy that excels on O or D and as a special teams player.  That screams "Mr Football" to me.

[DevilMayCare]

14 hours ago, Unrivaled97 said:

I don’t necessarily think so. There have been other Mr. Football winners exit in the 1st round before.  I think the last was Wandale in 2018.  I think your team having a losing record for the year has more of a negative impact for me anyway.  Has a Mr. Football ever come from a team with a losing record in KY before?  I can’t recall, but maybe somebody else can.

For my two cents, I'll touch on what I said last week in regards to Mitchell Berger... I think the extent of how deeply Goodin or Jones linger in the minds of voters depends partly on what the remaining contenders do in the coming weeks. Egan and Crone can push Goodin and Jones further toward the fringes of the award conversation this week. The lights are getting brighter for those two. And Birchfield and Bryant feel like locks to play a few more games and finish the season on the highest of notes.

I wouldn't rule Goodin or Jones out completely, but it's out of their hands now. 

To answer your question... after skimming the list of winners, I don't think there's ever been a Mr. Football come from a team with a losing record. Western Hills in '18 might be the "worst" team to produce a winner and they won seven games.

[DevilMayCare]

10 hours ago, Ram said:

At this point, count me in the Brysen Dugger corner.  His numbers are impressive.

Max DeGraff would be my second choice at this point.  I like a guy that excels on O or D and as a special teams player.  That screams "Mr Football" to me.

Dugger has been lights out this year, but there may be two things working against him right now.

1. His own teammate is having a season that's bordering on historic. Godby's trying to run down a state record.

2. Dugger's coming from way off the pace. No one had him on their radar when the season began. He's made up a lot of ground, but he's done a lot of it with Godby's help.