2022 Statewide Top Performers: Week 1
In this article:
After what felt like a very long off-season, we finally got some high school football regular season action last week in the state of Kentucky! The football talent in this state seems to continue to be on the rise as…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAfter what felt like a very long off-season, we finally got some high school football regular season action last week in the state of Kentucky! The football talent in this state seems to continue to be on the rise as there were a ton of impressive performances this past weekend. Over the past few days, I have looked at stats and watched film from the first week of play and was blown away with the things I was seeing! While it was very hard to narrow it down, these are the top ten performers (in no particular order) from week one of the Kentucky high school football regular season.
Russ Osborne Russ Osborne 6’0″ | 170 lbs | QB Shelby Valley | 2024 State KY is a junior quarterback that has stood out to me this summer and he put the entire state on notice this past Friday! Osborne finished the game completing 31/46 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns. The 547 yards is the 12th most single-game passing yards in state history. Osborne truly impressed me the most with his ability to stand in the pocket make throws under pressure and also keep his eyes down the field to make throws on the run when needed. He also showed impressive mobility, scoring two rushing touchdowns. Osborne also made an impact on defense, finishing with eight tackles. If he continues to play anywhere close to this level throughout the season, college coaches will definitely take notice.
Matt Anderson
Matt Anderson
The next player on this list is one that I will need to make myself more familiar with after seeing some of the numbers he put up Friday and all of last season. Matt Anderson put on a show Friday, leading his team to a 46-12 victory over Pendleton County. Anderson carried the ball 13 times for 260 yards and five touchdowns! He is a strong, physical runner that is very difficult to bring down on first contact but also has some impressive speed to him once he hits the open field. Matt doesn’t have any reported offers but has received some college interest and more interest will come if he keeps playing like this.
Kayden Anderson
Kayden Anderson
Another player that jumped onto my radar this past Friday was PRP senior quarterback Kayden Anderson. Anderson led his team to a dominant 60-0 opening week win over Valley High School. He put on quite the show completing 10/10 passes for 360 yards and seven touchdowns. Anderson obviously showed impressive accuracy as he didn’t throw a single incompletion. He did this by showing a great amount of zip on his short/intermediate passes while also showing the ability to throw the deep ball down the field. Kayden doesn’t hold any offers currently but this performance showed that college coaches should put him on their radar.
Jacob Jones Jacob Jones 6’2″ | 200 lbs | QB West Jessamine | 2023 State KY is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now as he is our top ranked quarterback in the class of 2023. He continued to impress on Friday, leading West Jessamine to a 43-36 victory over Bourbon County. Jones completed 11/18 passes for 185 yards and five touchdowns. He showed off an impressive arm on his deep balls, leading his receivers down the field and also showed a good quick release in RPO situations. While he played a strong game as a passer, he was even more impressive as a ball carrier, rushing 21 times for 342 yards and a touchdown. Jones was able to show off his elite speed and elusiveness in the open field as he was used on designed quarterback draws and also showed the ability to tuck the ball and run when things broke down in the passing game. He currently holds an offer from Kentucky but more offers should come as Jones is a very special, Power 5 level talent.
Highlights
Clay Estes
Clay Estes
On the other side of the back and forth game between West Jessamine and Bourbon County was another talented senior quarterback, Clay Estes. While his team came up just short, Estes had a solid performance, completing 10/21 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 16 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Estes showed off a strong arm with the ability to throw the ball down the field and put a nice amount of zip on his passes in the short/intermediate passing game. Once the pocket broke down or receivers couldn’t get open, he showed the ability to tuck the ball and use his speed and elusiveness to make plays in the open field. Clay currently holds an offer from Union College but I expect more to come as he has the talent to play at the next level.
My first defensive player on this list is Rowan County defensive end Byron May Byron May 6’3″ | 235 lbs | DL Rowan County | 2023 State KY . May was already high on my radar following an impressive junior season and he picked up right where he left off this past Friday! Byron lived in the West Carter backfield Friday night, showing impressive speed off the edge and finishing with two sacks and four tackles for loss. May also made a very impressive play against the pass, using his athleticism and hands to jump up and catch an interception while rushing the passer and then taking it to the end zone for a touchdown. Byron currently holds an offer from Morehead State but more should come as he has the potential to be a very good player at the next level.
Highlights
Kenyon Goodin Kenyon Goodin 6’3″ | 185 lbs | ATH Martha Layne Collins | 2023 State KY is a player that has been very high on our radar at Prep Redzone Kentucky for quite some time but made his case to be ranked even higher on our list this past Friday. Goodin put on a show leading his team to a 42-28 victory over Shelby County and established himself as one of the top players in the state this season. Kenyon completed 17/20 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns while also carrying the ball 19 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. As a passer, he showed the ability to make throws on the run and deliver strikes all over the field. Kenyon also showed impressive speed and elusiveness in the open field as a ball carrier to pick up big plays on the ground. He currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky and Charleston but more should come as he has received a ton of interest and is a very special talent.
Highlights
Another dual-threat quarterback that impressed on Friday was Boyle County junior, Sage Dawson Sage Dawson 5’11” | 150 lbs | ATH Boyle County | 2024 State KY . Dawson led the Rebels to a dominant 50-0 win over Madison Consolidated (Indiana), completing 12/17 passes for 221 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing five times for 52 yards and a touchdown. As a passer, he showed off an impressive deep ball with the ability to lead his receivers down the field. When the pocket broke down or nothing was there, he showed the ability to tuck the ball and use his blazing speed to run away from the defense. Sage currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky but I expect more to come for him over the next two seasons.
Demauriah Brown
Demauriah Brown
An underclassman that jumped onto my radar this past Friday was Danville sophomore running back, Demauriah Brown. Brown helped lead Danville to a 26-14 win over Lincoln County in the Death Valley Bowl and was named MVP of the game. He finished the game with 236 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Brown is a very talented back with the ability to break tackles in the open field and the speed to run away from a defense once he gets around the edge or hits the second level. He is also very dangerous on special teams as he had an 89-yard kickoff return touchdown. Demauriah currently holds and offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect that offers list to grow tremendously over the next few seasons as he is a Division I caliber talent with plenty of time to develop even more as a player.
Rounding out my list is our sixth ranked defensive lineman in the class of 2023, Beni Tshita Beni Tshita 6’3″ | 245 lbs | DL DuPont Manual | 2023 State KY . Tshita was a dominant force in DuPont Manual’s 40-12 win over Louisville Central. Beni used his impressive combination of speed and strength off the edge to beat the opposing tackle and live in the backfield on Friday. He started the game off on the very first play with a sack and finished the game with two sacks and a handful of tackles. Beni also made his presence felt on special teams, blocking a punt and a field goal. Tshita is committed to Marshall and will be looking to help lead his team to a long playoff run to finish out his high school career.