Nine finalists, including two from Louisville, named for 2023 Kentucky Mr. Football award
Christian Academy quarterback Cole Hodge and Male wide receiver Max Gainey are among nine finalists for the Kentucky Football Coaches Association’s 2023 Mr. Football award.
Ballots were sent to coaches throughout the state Monday and are due back Friday. The Mr. Football and Jimmie Reed Coach of the Year winners will be announced this month.
Manual’s Josh Gillispie (Class 6A) is among six nominees for the statewide Coach of the Year award, joining Campbellsville’s Dale Estes (Class A), Hart County’s Chad Griffin (Class 3A), Boyle County’s Justin Haddix (Class 4A), Owensboro Catholic’s Jason Morris (Class 2A) and Bowling Green’s Mark Spader (Class 5A).
Here’s a look at the nine Mr. Football finalists, listed in alphabetical order. Only seniors are eligible for the award. Class 2A Player of the Year Brady Atwell of Owensboro Catholic and Class 5A Player of the Year Deuce Bailey of Bowling Green are both juniors.
Avery Bodner, Boyle County
Bodner was a two-way star for a Boyle County team that finished 15-0 and won its fourth straight Class 4A championship. At running back, Bodner rushed for 1,274 yards and 22 touchdowns and averaged 8.4 yards per carry. He also had 29 receptions for 378 yards and four touchdowns. As a defensive back, Bodner led Boyle County with 87 tackles (43 solo), 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He also had two fumble recoveries and one interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Bodner has offers from Campbellsville, Eastern Kentucky, Kenyon, Lindsey Wilson, Thomas More and Union.
Cutter Boley, Lexington Christian
The University of Kentucky commit led the Eagles to an 11-2 season that ended with a loss to Mayfield in the third round of the Class 2A playoffs. Boley passed for 2,187 yards and 24 touchdowns and completed 64.1% of his passes (172 of 268) with nine interceptions. He also rushed for 115 yards and five touchdowns.
Zane Cartwright, Mayfield
Cartwright posted big numbers in leading the Cardinals to a 13-1 record and the Class 2A state championship. He passed for 2,628 yards and 34 touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes (160 of 224) with two interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns. He has offers from Georgetown, Greenville, Kentucky Wesleyan and Lindsey Wilson.
Sage Dawson, Boyle County
Dawson was named the Class 4A Player of the Year after helping the Rebels go 15-0 and win their fourth straight Class 4A championship. He passed for 2,509 yards and 29 touchdowns and completed 70.6% of his passes (137 of 194) with five interceptions. He also rushed for 385 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, Dawson posted 24 tackles (18 solo). He has committed to Air Force.
Max Gainey, Male
Gainey was named the Class 6A Player of the Year after helping the Bulldogs go 11-2 and reach the third round of the playoffs. Gainey had 57 catches for 1,019 yards and 20 touchdowns (tied for fourth in the state), averaging 17.9 yards per catch. He also had two rushing touchdowns and returned three kicks (two punts, one kickoff) for scores. Gainey has an offer from Purdue and has received interest from East Carolina, Kentucky and Louisville.
Brady Hensley, Lexington Christian
Hensley had a big season on the ground for an Eagles team that went 11-2 and reached the third round of the Class 2A playoffs. He ranked second in the state in rushing yards (2,408) and rushing touchdowns (43) while averaging 10.2 yards per carry. He added 17 receptions for 213 yards and four touchdowns. He has committed to Eastern Kentucky.
Cole Hodge, Christian Academy
The Class 3A Player of the Year, Hodge led the Centurions to a 14-1 record and their second straight Class 3A championship. He passed for 4,104 yards and 57 touchdowns – both ranking second in the state - while completing 74.5% of his passes (283 of 380) with seven interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 625 yards and 10 touchdowns. The East Carolina commit finished his career with 135 touchdown passes, ranking second in state history behind Caldwell County’s Elijah Sindelar (144).
Daniel Thomas, Bell County
Thomas set three single-season state records while leading the Bobcats to a 13-2 record and Class 3A runner-up finish. His totals of 3,817 rushing yards, 54 rushing touchdowns and 373 points all set single-season state records. He carried 400 times and averaged 9.5 yards per carry. He also converted 20 2-point conversions. As a linebacker, he ranked third on the team with 94 tackles (77 solo) and returned a fumble for a touchdown. He has offers from NCAA Division II schools Kentucky Wesleyan and Notre Dame College (Ohio) and also is receiving interest from Eastern Kentucky.
Noah Wallace, Raceland
The Class A Player of the Year led the Rams to an 11-4 record and a state runner-up finish. He rushed for 1,198 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He also had 10 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. As a linebacker, he ranked second on the team with 82 tackles (51 solo) and added four tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack. He has offers from Coahoma Community College, Georgetown, Kentucky Christian and Virginia-Wise.
Reach Jason Frakes at jfrakes@courier-journal.com and follow him on X @kyhighs.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Mr. Football: Meet the nine finalists for the 2023 award
