2023 Team MVP Predictions: 5A (Part 3)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we approach the end of June, the 2023 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, it is time to start previewing the upcoming season. As I begin to preview some top players and teams to watch in the 2023 season, I wanted to focus on which player I believe will make the biggest impact for each individual team. After already covering 6A, I have turned my attention to class 5A in my “Team MVP” series. With most of the class being covered, I will wrap up the 5A class with one last group of MVP Predictions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Atherton: </strong>Atherton is a team that will be looking to build off a solid 2022 season. If they want to continue to improve, they will need a big season out of incoming junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='331756' first='Quashawn' last='Thompson']. Thompson is coming off a strong sophomore season in which he completed 76/158 passes for 1,288 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He has a very strong arm, showing the ability to lead his receivers down the field and hit them in stride in the deep passing game. Thompson has also shown the ability to make plays with his legs, finishing this past season with 26 carries for 167 yards and one touchdowns. While he doesn't currently hold any offers, Thompson will definitely be a player for college coaches to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ohio County: </strong>Ohio County will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season. If they want to turn things in the right direction, incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865211' first='Noah' last='Phelps'] will be one of the players leading the charge. Phelps does most of his damage on defense, finishing this past season with 99 tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack. He lines up at linebacker and does a great job of flowing to the ball in a hurry and making tackles in the open field. Noah has also shown the ability to make plays in pass coverage, finishing this past season with three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also played a role as a running back on offense last season and may see his carries increase as a senior. Phelps doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to keep an eye on during his senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Butler: </strong>Butler is another team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season. They have a solid group of players coming back that will be looking to turn things around. Among this group of players, incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865212' first='Kevion' last='Rutledge'] stands out to me the most. Rutledge had a solid junior year at defensive back last season, finishing with 37 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions. Kevion lines up at safety and does a great job of reading the quarterback and flowing in coverage to put himself in a position to make a play. He has shown the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to come away with an interception or break up a pass. Rutledge also does a great job of reading the run and coming downhill in a hurry to provide support and make tackles in the open field. Kevion doesn't currently hold any offers but is a player to keep an eye on as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fairdale: </strong>Fairdale is a team that is looking to build off a very impressive 2022 season. They have a solid group of players coming back but incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865213' first='Yanni' last='Pearson'] stands out the most to me. Pearson plays a key role on both sides of the ball for Fairdale. On offense, he is an impressive running back, finishing his junior year with 98 carries for 792 yards and nine touchdowns while sharing the backfield with a senior. Pearson has a nice combination of speed and strength as a ball carrier. He has shown the ability to run away from the defense while also having the strength/contact balance to break tackles in the open field without losing stride. Yanni is also an impressive outside linebacker/strong safety on defense, finishing his junior year with 29 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one interception which he returned for a touchdown. While Pearson doesn't currently hold any offers, I expect some to come his way soon as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iroquois: </strong>Iroquois is looking to turn things around this year coming off a one-win season in 2022. If they want to get things going in the right direction, they will be looking for incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865214' first='William' last='Irvin'] to be one of the players to lead the way. Irvin played a key role on both sides of the ball for Iroquois last season. On offense, Irvin finished his junior year second on the team in rushing with 42 carries for 169 yards I'm just seven games. He should see his role on offense grow tremendously this season as he was sharing the backfield with a senior last year. Irvin also plays a key role as a defensive back. He finished his junior year as the team's leading tackler with 65 along with one tackle for loss. William has also shown the ability to make plays in pass coverage, leading the team with three interceptions and returning one for a touchdown last season. Irvin doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch during his senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bullitt Central: </strong>Bullitt Central is a team looking to improve this year after a first-round playoff exit in 2022. If they want to take the next step, they will be looking for a big season out of incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id='865245' first='Michael' last='Anderson']. Michael played a key role on both sides of the ball last season. On offense, he does most of his damage as a ball carrier. He finished his sophomore year with 34 carries for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Anderson also has shown the ability to make catches out of the backfield, finishing this past season with seven receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. He also finished with 25 tackles on defense as a sophomore. David doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons as his role continues to grow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grayson County: </strong>Grayson County is another team looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2022 season. If they want to improve this year, incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id='865246' first='Greyson' last='Chaffins'] will be one of the players leading the way. Chaffins is a ball-hawking safety on defense, showing the ability to read the quarterback and break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. He led his team with four interceptions as a sophomore. Chaffins is also a reliable tackler in the open field, finishing this past season with 27 tackles. He is also a reliable receiver on offense, finishing his sophomore year with 18 catches for 198 yards and one touchdown. While Chaffins doesn't currently hold any offers, he will definitely be a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Moore: </strong>Moore is another program looking to turn things around in 2022. If they want to get things moving in the right direction, they will be looking for a big year out of incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id='865247' first='Tristian' last='Jackson']. As a sophomore, Jackson finished as the team's leading receiver, catching 13 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. He also played a key role on defense, finishing with 35 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks. Jackson doesn't currently hold any offers but is a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seneca: </strong>Seneca is a team that will be looking to build off a solid 2022 season. If they want to continue their success, incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865215' first='Terrance' last='Wilson'] will be one of the players leading the way. Wilson had a very impressive year on defense at linebacker last season, finishing with 80 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He also showed some ability in pass coverage, coming away with two interceptions and returning one of them for a touchdown. Terrance also finished as the team's leading receiver last season, catching 19 passes for 459 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson doesn't currently hold any offers but he deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anderson County: </strong>Anderson County will be looking to have a strong 2023 season in their first year in 5A. If they want to have success this season, they will be looking for incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865216' first='Ethan' last='Caldwell']. He is an impressive linebacker, finishing this past season as the team's leading tackler with 84 along with nine tackles for loss. Caldwell does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball quickly. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Caldwell has proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field. Ethan doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to watch this season as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Oldham: </strong>South Oldham had an impressive 2022 season but will be looking to try to replace a talented senior class from last year. If they want to continue their success, they will need a big year out of incoming senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='865217' first='Nick' last='Hamilton']. Last season, Hamilton completed 96/204 passes for 1,646 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Hamilton has shown the ability to thrive in RPO situations, reading the defense and getting the ball out of his hands quickly as a passer to hit receivers out of their breaks. In the option offense that they run, Nick is a dangerous threat as ball carrier, finishing this past season with 92 carries for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Hamilton doesn't currently hold any offers but he will be a player to keep an eye on as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Scott: </strong>The Eagles are another program that will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season. If they want to improve this season, they will be looking for a big year out of incoming senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='865218' first='Dylan' last='Giffen']. As a junior, Dylan only played in nine games but still finished second on the team in receiving with 26 receptions for 322 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also scored one rushing touchdown this past season. Dylan also showed some value on special teams, returning one kickoff for a touchdown last season. Giffen doesn't currently hold any offers and is also a talented basketball player so it remains to be seen what the future holds but he has the talent to play football at the next level if decides to pursue that path.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harlan County:</strong> To wrap up the 5A class, I have Harlan County. They are another program that will be playing their first season in 5A after being moved up. If they want to succeed in their first season against new competition, they will look to incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='865219' first='Jonah' last='Swanner'] to be one of the players to lead the charge. Swanner is a dangerous play maker on offense for Harlan County. As a running back, Swanner finished his junior year with 73 carries for 556 yards and ten touchdowns. He also played a key role in the passing game last season, finishing as the team's leading receiver with 19 catches for 316 yards and five touchdowns. Swanner also made an impact of defense as a junior, finishing with 30 tackles and two interceptions. Jonah doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on as he has the talent to play at multiple positions at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->