Official Kentucky 8th Grade FBU National Championship Preview

<strong>Get Familiar:</strong> The state of Kentucky does middle school football the right way. The large majority of the state falls under the KYMSFA, which is a true governing body in the state for football. For this reason and others, they have a lot of athletes come through and tryout for their teams and truly get most of the top kids in the entire state. They have traditionally run into many of the tournament’s powerhouse programs (GFL, GMSAA) when participating in the south bracket. After their 8^th graders reached championship week for the first time last year, Kentucky is hoping to find more success in the Central Region of the Midwest bracket. <strong>How they’ll light it up: </strong>Coaches made it very clear that if this team wants to be successful it will start with the big boys up front on the line. They feel like they’re much improved and will average about 6-foot-2 and anywhere from 250-300 pounds up front. They plan to take the best formations from the teams across the state and combine it all together into a very dynamic playbook. Kentucky feels very excited that a lot of the install is already done and kids are learning very quickly. Look for the boys from the Bluegrass State to show a mix of everything from empty sets to the wishbone and everything in between. One lasting thing I took away from conversations with the coaches is that the preached “it would be Kentucky football without pounding it between the tackles!” <strong>How they’ll shut it down: </strong>Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this Kentucky 8^th grade team plans to depend on the guys up front to make a difference. Expect to see defensive ends that are around 6-foot-3 with special length, in addition to interior defensive lineman that average around 6-foot and 250 pounds. They plan to run a 3-4 or 4-2-5 depending on what the offense shows them at the line of scrimmage. Coaches plan to make the defensive box a very busy place with a lot of bodies in there and stressed the importance of playing fast across the board. <strong><u>Mt. Rushmore</u></strong> <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-238221 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/BoWolford26-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="224739" first="Bo" last="Wolford"] | Offensive Line</strong> As previously mentioned, coaches know that the offensive and defensive lines are going to be of the utmost importance if this Kentucky team is going to have success. Enter Wolford. The 6-foot-4, 250 pounder returns from last year’s team and is fresh off back-to-back state championships for Belfry Middle School. This kid is as tough as they come up front and is currently playing with a club on his broken hand. He’s the unquestioned leader upfront. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-238222 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/JefferyVazzana-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Jeffery Vazzana | Running Back</strong> I’m very excited to see Vazzana up close and personal during this FBU National Championship tournament. The standout back from the Christian Academy of Louisville is the complete package with speed and a hard-nosed approach to toting the rock. Sporting a tremendous build he’s a do-it-all type of running back who does not need to come off the field in any situations. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-238223 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/TreySedgewickprz-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="212338" first="Trey" last="Sedgwick"] | Wide Receiver</strong> Everywhere this kid goes, he produces. Fresh off an 8^th grade season where he was named the 8^th Grade Division 2 Player of the Year, Sedgwick is back representing Kentucky in the FBU National Championship tournament again this year. Lightning quick. Dynamic playmaker that only needs the smallest of creases to make a defense pay. Look for him to be a special player in the slot and in special teams for Kentucky. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-238224 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/DeaconKing-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Deacon King | Athlete</strong> King is somewhere between a defensive back that will knock your head off and a linebacker that can cover than most corners in the country. No stranger to the FBU pathway, King is a kid that can play multiple positions on the football field but coaches feel his biggest impact will be on defense. Fresh off a year where he was South Oldham’s leading tackler on defense and a 1,300 yard rusher—expect to hear his name a lot. <strong><u>Offensive Ballers to Know</u></strong> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li><strong>Chapman Russel | Wide Receiver</strong></li> <li><strong>Easton Joiner | Athlete</strong></li> <li><strong>Cameron O’Hara | Quarterback</strong></li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="227403" first="Mason" last="Griffin"] | Quarterback</strong></li> <li><strong>JayQuan Crawford | Running Back</strong></li> </ul> <strong><u>Defensive Ballers to Know</u></strong> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li><strong>Caden Varney | Defensive Back</strong></li> <li><strong>Donezz Marshell | Defensive Line</strong></li> <li><strong>Colt Kelley | Defensive Line</strong></li> <li><strong>Cam Bueller | Linebacker</strong></li> <li><strong>Brauck Strunk | Linebacker</strong></li> </ul>