Herald-Leader Top 10: Kentucky Class 5A high school football preseason poll for 2022

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of stories ranking Kentucky’s high school football teams class by class, according to voting by the class’s coaches.

For the second year in a row and the third season out of four, Frederick Douglass comes in as the Herald-Leader @HLpreps preseason No. 1 for Class 5A, according to a vote of coaches in the division.

That’s a sign of respect for the football program the Broncos have built on The Farm, but it hasn’t translated into state championships, yet. Douglass has been achingly close twice, including last year.

“Hopefully, we can keep setting ourselves up to get there and, hopefully, we get a breakthrough there,” Coach Nathan McPeek said.

Though Douglass came out on top in the rankings, the Broncos got only six No. 1 votes from the 26 5A coaches who submitted rankings in our survey. Defending champion South Warren had far more with 14, but the Spartans were left off two ballots, including their own. Bowling Green, the 2020 champ, got two No. 1s with Covington Catholic, Scott County, Southwestern and Woodford County each netting one top nod.

Here are the preseason top 10 teams in Class 5A as voted on by coaches in the division.

1. Frederick Douglass

Head coach: Nathan McPeek (third season).

Last year: 13-2. District and region champions. Runner-up to South Warren in 38-26 finals loss.

Quick look: The Broncos have at least 13 players on the roster with Division I offers, nine of those to bowl-level teams. The defensive line features Jamarrion Harkless, who shot up the recruiting rankings this year with offers from Georgia and 20 others, and Western Kentucky commit Jalen Hand. Kentucky commit Ty Bryant leads a secondary that includes heralded juniors Jeremiah Lowe and Terrion Hicks. Bryant will also line up on offense with Ball State commit TJ Horton. Meanwhile, Cam Dunn, Tylon Webb and Thomas Howard will be among the targets running routes for a new quarterback. Juniors Cole Carpenter, a Madison Southern transfer, and DuRi Trahan are in consideration for the role.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 19 vs. Bryan Station; Sept. 9 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 23 at Scott County; Oct. 28 at Boyle County.

2. South Warren

Head coach: Brandon Smith (10th season).

Last year: 14-1. State champions in 38-26 win over Frederick Douglass.

Quick look: The Spartans have some rebuilding to do with four starters back on offense and five on defense. One of those is three-star Tennessee commit Cristian Conyer, a 6-1, 175-pound corner. Senior lineman KJ Hardesty is also of note. He notched 39 tackles and three sacks in 2021. Sophomore QB Bryce Button already has an Eastern Kentucky offer before taking a single snap as the South Warren starter. He understudied now-WKU freshman Caden Veltkamp last season, throwing for 196 yards and two TDs on 16 completions..

Marquee matchups: Aug. 20 vs. Highlands at WKU; Sept. 16 vs. Paducah Tilghman; Sept. 23 vs. Central; Sept. 30 at Bowling Green; Oct. 28 vs. Logan County.

3. Bowling Green

Head coach: Mark Spader (fifth season).

Last year: 6-6. Lost 28-3 to South Warren in district finals.

Quick look: “With a normal winter program and spring football under our belts, we feel our team is poised to step back up this season and contend in our district, region and state,” Spader said. Six starters return each way and include sophomore QB Deuce Bailey, who debuted last year with 1,100 yards passing and eight TDs to go with 112 yards and three TDs rushing. He’ll have an experienced offensive line led by senior Liberty commit Austin Anderson (6-4, 290). On defense, the experience lies at linebacker and in the secondary. Senior LBs Jake Napier and Davis Fant led the team in tackles in 2021.

Marquee matchups: Sept. 9 at Hopkinsville; Sept. 16 vs. Boyle County; Sept. 23 at Father Ryan (Nashville); Sept. 30 vs. South Warren; Oct. 28 at St. Xavier.

4. Covington Catholic

Head coach: Eddie Eviston (eighth season).

Last year: 9-4. District champions. Lost 28-14 to Woodford County in region finals.

Quick look: Only three starters return on offense and defense. But this is CovCath. “They’re not scared to work hard,” Eviston said. “And we had a decent number of guys get varsity experience last year.” The Colonels have senior leadership up the middle with Army commit Aiden Jones and three-year starter Thomas Schramm on the offensive line. Jones will play defense, too, where Eviston says senior defensive end Max Lawrie is integral. Juniors Willie Rodriguez (TE/LB). Braylon Miller (WR/DB) and Noah Johnson (WR) could be difference makers.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 27 at Pikeville; Sept. 2 at Lexington Catholic; Sept. 16 vs. Beechwood; Oct. 14 vs. Highlands.

5. Owensboro

Head coach: Jayson Fallin (eighth season).

Last year: 12-2. District and region champions. Lost 35-7 to Frederick Douglass in state semifinals.

Quick look: The Red Devils return 16 starters and seem primed for a deep run. “We are an experienced, senior-laden group,” Fallin said. Senior RB/DB Kenyatta Carbon is a multi-purpose threat. He’ll have three-star left tackle Jak Lindsey up front (Kentucky is among those who have offered). Kasey Boone went 10-1 at QB as a sophomore, throwing for 1,430 yards and 23 TDs. Jeremiah Goodwin, Khalil Rogers and Ethan Pendleton will be top targets — all have next-level offers. Linebackers Zachary Clark and Xander Early led the defense and had 101 and 83 tackles, respectively. Goodwin terrorized opposing QBs with 13 sacks.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 19 at St. Xavier; Sept. 9 at Owensboro Catholic; Oct. 14 vs. Graves County.

6. Woodford County

Head coach: Dennis Johnson (eighth season).

Last year: 13-1. District and region champions. Lost 46-25 to South Warren in state semifinals.

Quick look: The Yellow Jackets return a ton of talent off a historic season including 1,400-yard rusher Preston Stacy who scored 13 TDs on the ground and totaled 215 yards and three TDs receiving. Colleges have noticed senior Aden Nelson and sophomore Makhi Smith, the two leading receivers from last season who also stood out at defensive back. Nelson committed to Ball State. Smith has a UK offer. Sophomores Jasper Johnson and Andrew Nason will split QB duties. Senior DE Grant Garrison had 12.5 sacks in 2021 and looks to add to his school record 29 for a career.

Marquee matchups: Sept. 2 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 16 at Franklin County; Sept. 30 at West Jessamine; Oct. 14 at Collins.

7. Highlands

Head coach: Bob Sphire (second season).

Last year: 5-6. Lost to Covington Catholic in the playoffs’ first round.

Quick look: Freshman QB Mario Litmer led the Bluebirds to an upset win over Lexington Christian in the 64-team seven-on-seven event at Eastern Kentucky University last month. Last year’s signal caller, Charlie Noon, now has WR/DB next to his name on the roster where he’s sure to do some damage. Noon led Highlands in rushing with 660 yards and six TDs in 2021. Linebacker Sam Robinson and defensive back Adam Dunn, both seniors, ranked among Highlands’ top tacklers.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 20 vs. South Warren at WKU; Sept. 9 vs. Raceland; Oct. 14 at Covington Catholic.

8. Scott County

Head coach: Jim McKee (26th season).

Last year: 6-6. Lost to Frederick Douglass in the district finals.

Quick look: “We have the kind of team we are used to having — hard-nosed, team-first, relentless-effort kids,” McKee said. Twelve starters return, led by sophomore QB Andrew Hickey who threw for 860 yards and 10 TDs while piloting the Cards’ run-heavy wing-T. Junior running backs Ellis Huguely (337 yards, two TDs) and Thomas Feickert (208 yards, four TDs) figure to be the featured backs behind an experienced offensive line that includes seniors Ethan Miracle, Nate Hall and Daniel Daff. Senior linebacker Elijah Adams led the team in tackles with 73.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 19 vs. Franklin County at Great Crossing; Sept. 9 vs. Bryan Station; Sept. 16 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 23 vs. Frederick Douglass; Sept. 30 vs. Great Crossing; Oct. 21 vs. Ballard; Oct. 28 vs. Lexington Catholic.

9. Southwestern

Head coach: Jason Foley (fourth season).

Last year: 11-2. District champions. Lost 37-6 to Frederick Douglass in the region finals.

Quick look: The Warriors have a new artificial turf field (along with sister school Pulaski County), which should help Class 5A’s best rushing attack each of the last two seasons. Senior RB Tanner Wright gained 1,083 yards with 11 TDs in 2021. Collin Burton returns as the primary QB with exceptional playmaker Mason Hibbard stepping in there, situationally, when he’s not catching passes as their leading receiver. “We’ve got a good group returning. … on paper we’ve got more depth and we’re more balanced,” Foley said. “We have high expectations.”

Marquee matchups: Sept. 23 vs. Lincoln County; Oct. 7 at Whitley County; Oct. 21 at Pulaski County.

10. South Oldham

Head coach: Jamie Reed (13th season).

Last year: 9-4. District champions. Lost 47-13 to South Warren in region finals.

Quick look: The Dragons lost top performing players on offense and defense but have several with experience ready to step up. Junior RB/LB Jack McCubbin ranked second on the team in rushing with 628 yards and 10 TDs while contributing on defense with 42 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-six. Another junior, fullback Jeffery Burton, FB/LB rushed for 382 yards and three TDs. On defense, junior defensive back Wyatt Fowler is the team’s top returning tackle. He had 87 takedowns in 2021.

Marquee matchups: Aug. 19 at Christian Academy-Louisville; Sept. 2 vs. Ballard; Sept. 9 vs. North Oldham.

Others receiving votes

In order of votes received: Pulaski County, Graves County, Cooper, Great Crossing, Conner, Collins, Fairdale, Bullitt Central, Atherton, Greenwood, West Jessamine, Christian County, North Laurel.

Survey method: These rankings reflect the participation of coaches from 26 of the 40 Class 5A teams (65%). Every coach in the division was given the opportunity to participate in the @HLpreps annual survey emailed to their address listed on KHSAA.org. Multiple attempts were made to contact each coach.