6A South Warren (0-0) vs 6A Bryan Station (0-0)

Opening Round of the 2025 eCampus.Com Bowl at Lexington Christian Academy High School!

The South Warren Spartans will start their 2025 campaign with this game in Lexington on the campus of Lexington Christian Academy (LCA) High School where they will meet Lexington Bryan Station in the opening game of the 2025 eCampus.Com Bowl.  LOT of change for this game!  For South, you are now a 6A school for the first time and you start a new season without your staunch D1 QB Bryce Button, who led the Spartans the last 3 seasons.  For Station, you are now led by a new head coach and former standout player, JT Haskins SR, who takes over for Coach Phillip Hawkins, who departs for cross town rival Henry Clay.       

Bryan Station Defenders Information

The Bryan Station Defenders come into this game needing to replace their QB1, RB1, WR1 and their top two tacklers from 2024.  But they do return Jordan Haskins, who almost assuredly will go both ways for the Defenders.  Haskins was 2^nd on the team in receptions, 3^rd on the team in rushing yards and 3^rd on the team in tackles.  He will be a leader for this Defenders team for sure.  But the rest of the 2025 Defenders are somewhat of an unknown for me anyway.

South Warren Spartans Information

As mentioned above, the Spartans will be breaking in a new QB as Bryce Button now plays up in Ypsilanti on Saturdays!  I was going to say generational QB (and Button really is) BUT South is on an incredible roll with stellar D1 QBs.  Button (SR Year was 2024) will play for Eastern Michigan this fall.  Before Button, Caden Veltkamp led the Spartans to the 2021 5A State Championship and played for Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky University.  Before Veltkamp, Gavin Spurrier led the Spartans to the 2018 5A State Championship and played for Duke University.  And before Spurrier, Ryder Litten led the Spartans to the 2015 4A State Championship and played for Jacksonville University.  QUITE the assembly line of ultra-talented QBs.  Well, I’m projecting the next in line should also have a great shot to fit in this group as well. AND that is a big statement.  But who will that be?  The two candidates:  JR Camden Page is a 6’3” 170 lbs. 3-sport athlete who also played basketball (4^th leading rebounder as a sophomore) and baseball (3^rd leading hitter on South’s State Quarterfinals team with a .347 batting average).  On the gridiron as a Sophomore, Page started at WR and was 5^th in receiving yards for the Spartans 2024 5A Semi-final squad.  I look for a big year out of Page, BUT will he line up at QB or at WR?  The other candidate:  Chase Bell.  Bell is a 6’2” 185 lbs SO who is rated as the top rated QB in the State (at least according to a few ranking sites - Chase Bell (’28 QB) from South Warren is this week’s Kentucky Comfort Creator from @bigassfans @minguabeefjerky, @KyHighFootball, @khsaafootball, @SouthWarrenFB, @IamChaseBell15 – Kentucky Prep Gridiron).  Bell has turned more heads than mine and ALREADY received offers from Maryland & EKU Football this past June.  I watched the Owensboro vs South scrimmage and thought both were just OK.  It’s a lot to ask to come out in a pre-season scrimmage and just be completely in tune to your newly assembled team with no kinks to be worked out or mistakes to correct.  But I do feel playing both will be hard to continue.  Just my opinion. 

I also look for South to be very strong on both sides of the line of scrimmage, even though they lost several guys to graduation on the OLine.  What about their skill guys?  Kayden York (SR) is the Spartan’s leading rusher from 2024 with over 850 yards and 12 TDs and was 3^rd on the team in receiving.  Also, Jake Carter (SR) is South’s leading WR from last season with over 50 catches on the year for nearly 800 yards and 13 TDs. 

The Spartan defense lost 5 of their top 7 tacklers (including their top 3 tacklers) from last season including standout Colton Veltkamp, who is set to play on Saturdays at Georgia Southern University.  But returning seniors Drayson Moore at LB and Kayden York at safety, doing double duty in the secondary, should keep South in most if not all their games this season.  And the Spartan DLine will be led in part by JR JaQuise Smith who is a super-sized dude on that interior line at 6’3” 320 pounds!!!  WOWZA!!!!  I don’t really like to compare players, but Smith does have some similarities to former South great Jacob Lacey!  Big words, but I think they are true.

LCA Bowl Game Preview and Information

Kickoff will be at 5:30 pm Eastern Time at LCA High School in Lexington, Kentucky.  That is a 4:30 pm kickoff time on a Friday afternoon in Bowling Green time.  Being fan friendly has never been a prime objective for the first game of the season for South ever since they left the Rafferty’s Bowl in 2023.  Game time forecast:  85 degrees and humid!   

I look for South to run the ball and use their Oline to try to dominate the game.  I also look for South to focus their defensive front 7 on stopping Jordan Haskins from running the ball.  If they do those 2 things, I think it will be hard for Bryan Station to stay in this game.  For Bryan Station, I hope they come with a quick passing game to set up the run mentality, as very few teams have success just lining up and running the ball on South Warren.  I look for an absolute sun blistering game, but also an entertaining one.  So, if you want to see kickoff, you’ll likely need to take off work, pick up an industrial shade umbrella, buy a case of sunscreen and a 5-gallon bucket of water to make it to the end. 

Good luck to both teams!   Who ya got in this matchup? 

I'll go with South Warren since Bryan Station replacing a lot of starters from last year plus have a new coach.

Spartans 49, Defenders 14.

I heard Bryan Station was beat pretty handily by North Oldham yesterday. While North Oldham will likely be improved, that is a terrible sign for a 6A program trying to get into the state title conversation.

I’m unsure what Station is bringing in the opener, South Warren will be tough defensively per usual, very good size up front with some immovable bodies plugging the middle. Surely the Spartans won’t attempt to run a two Quarterback system this year and have made their decision, my best guess is they’ll roll with the JR Camden Page.
 

Spartans 38 Defenders 14

Paid video from Prepspin.com

https://go.prepspin.com/bryan-station-vs-south-warren-e-campus-com-bowl-at-lca/

It was reported on the @Big Things Kentucky thread that Bryan Station star player Jordan Watkins is injured and out for this game.  I hate to hear this.

But if this is the case, I'll take South Warren with a running clock.

On 8/16/2025 at 6:20 PM, Hungover_in_Andover said:

Spartans 49, Defenders 14.

 

3 hours ago, Purple88 said:

was reported on the @Big Things Kentucky thread that Bryan Station star player Jordan Watkins is injured and out for this game.  I hate to hear this

Spartans 56, Defenders 7.

SW should win pretty big.  

 

 

28-17 South Warren. 50 sec left in the 2nd qtr. 

28-17 South Warren. Halftime.

Just started watching this one after halftime, I'm shocked it was as close as it was at halftime based on what I've seen here in the first part of the 3rd quarter. 

35-17 SW leads but about to score again.

TD SW!

42-17 middle of 3rd.