High school football is back! Check out Week 1's top five games in the Louisville area
Here’s a look at the top Louisville-area games to see in Week 1 of the high school football season:
Central at Manual, 7:30 p.m. Friday
For the 12th time since 2011, these teams will meet in their season openers. The only time they didn’t meet was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Manual won last year’s matchup 40-12.
Central enters the season ranked No. 2 in Class 3A in The Courier Journal’s preseason poll of coaches. The Yellow Jackets return 10 starters on offense from last year’s 9-5 squad. The leader is junior running back Cortez Stone, who earned first-team All-State honors after rushing for 2,191 yards and 26 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Steven Smith is only new starter on offense.
Manual, ranked No. 7 in Class 6A, returns nine starters on offense from last year’s 9-3 squad. Senior running back Zeek Washburn could get some Mr. Football consideration after rushing for 1,388 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. Quarterback Eli Creech was limited to five games last year because of a broken collarbone but is healthy entering his senior year. This will be the debut for Josh Gillispie, Manual’s interim head coach.
Bryan Station at Trinity, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Bryan Station, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A, returns 17 starters (nine offense, eight defense) from last year’s team that went 10-4 and reached the state semifinals. The Defenders beat Trinity 10-7 in the third round of the playoffs. Senior quarterback Trenton Cutwright returns after throwing for 1,982 yards and accounting for 25 touchdowns (17 passing, eight rushing). Senior J.T. Haskins Jr. is a force on offense (40 catches, eight TDs) and defense (46 tackles, four interceptions). He has offers from Louisville, Marshall, West Virginia and several others.
Trinity, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A, returns 14 starters (six offense, eight defense) from last year’s 8-5 squad. Senior Jackson Hepner and junior Will DeSensi are in the running for the starting quarterback spot. Junior running back/wide receiver Jeremiah Lynn is the spark plug after scoring 11 touchdowns five rushing, three receiving, two punt returns, one kickoff return) last season. Senior linebacker Brady McEnaney (73 tackles, 9 ½ tackles for loss, four sacks) anchors the defense.
Owensboro at Christian Academy, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Owensboro enters the season ranked No. 3 in Class 5A and has reached the state semifinals four straight years. The Red Devils lost their quarterback, top running back and top two receivers to graduation. Junior running back Deion Winstead returns after rushing for 546 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Senior lineman Jak Lindsey (6-foot-5, 300 pounds) has committed to Southern Illinois.
Christian Academy is the defending Class 3A champion and enters the season ranked No. 1 in the class. The Centurions averaged a state-best 48.5 points per game last season and return senior quarterback Cole Hodge. The East Carolina commit passed for 2,949 yards and 48 touchdowns with just four interceptions. The top three receivers all return in senior Justin Ruffin (Army commit) and juniors Trey Cotton and Connor Hodge. Sophomore Jeffrey Vazzana looks to take over at running back after the graduation of Gavin Copenhaver.
Ballard vs. Southwestern, 7 p.m. Friday at Campbellsville’s Forcht Bank Bowl
Ballard, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A, is still deciding on a starting quarterback after the graduation of Tristen Hawkins. Coach Adrian Morton said senior Rashad Nash, junior Noah Barnett and sophomore Larry Irvin are in the mix. The Bruins will lean on senior running back Journey Wyche, who rushed for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Five starters return – including senior linebacker Davon Rudolph (76 tackles, four sacks) – from a defense that allowed just 10.6 points per game last season and helped the Bruins go 11-3 and reach the state semifinals.
Southwestern, ranked No. 7 in Class 5A, returns several key players from last year’s 13-1 squad that lost to Bowling Green in the state semifinals. Senior running back Christian Walden rushed for 1,157 yards and 15 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Collin Burton (644 passing yards, six TDs) and senior receiver Caden Cunnagin (26 catches, 311 yards) also are back.
Bullitt East vs. Woodford County, 5 p.m. Saturday at Mercer County’s Fort Harrod Bowl
Bullitt East, ranked No. 8 in Class 6A, returns just two starters on offense – junior linemen Landon Alvey and Tegan Heilman – from a team that won the state championship last season. Senior Jack Zwernemann takes over at quarterback after earning all-district honors as a safety in 2022. Junior Mikey West will take over at running back, and the wide receiver group will feature seniors Trintin Baker and Tyler Spalding along with juniors Cayden Cowan and Caden Bostock. Senior lineman Isaiah Hare, a second-team All-State pick, anchors the defense.
Woodford County, ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, finished 11-2 after falling to eventual state champion Frederick Douglass in the third round of last year’s playoffs. Junior quarterback Andrew Nason returns after passing for 1,623 yards and accounting for 32 touchdowns (20 passing, 12 rushing). Junior wide receiver/safety Makhi Smith is one of the state’s top athletes and has offers from Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisville, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
Here’s the rest of this weekend’s schedule for Louisville-area teams:
Friday’s games
Kentucky Country Day at Atherton, 7 p.m.
Butler at Male, 7 p.m.
Shelby County at Collins, 7:30 p.m.
DeSales at Seneca, 7 p.m.
Southern at Doss, 7 p.m.
DuBois at Thomas Nelson, 7:30 p.m.
Tates Creek at Eastern, 7:30 p.m.
North Bullitt at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Jeffersontown at Iroquois, 7 p.m.
Moore at Shawnee, 7 p.m.
Oldham County vs. Lafayette, 6 p.m. at Henry Clay’s Mingua Beef Jerky Bowl
Pleasure Ridge Park at Cincinnati Taft, 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati Anderson at South Oldham, 7:30 p.m.
Floyd Central (Ind.) at St. Xavier, 7 p.m.
Valley at Washington County, 7:30 p.m.
Western at Carroll County, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Bullitt Central at Nelson County, 8 p.m. (Don Franklin Auto Bowl)
Elizabethtown at Fairdale, 7 p.m. (King of the Bluegrass Bowl)
Fern Creek vs. North Oldham, 6 p.m. at South Oldham
Spencer County vs. Hart County, 5:30 p.m. at Nelson County’s Don Franklin Auto Bowl
Waggener vs. Grant County, 5 p.m. at Eminence’s Alumni Bowl
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: Top five Louisville-area games to see in Week 1
