Class 2A football finals preview: Beechwood vs. Lexington Christian

It’s championship weekend for the 2021 UK Orthopaedics State Football Finals. Here’s a look at Friday’s Class 2A state title game at Kroger Field.

Beechwood (14-0) vs. Lexington Christian (14-0)

Kickoff: 4 p.m. Friday.

RPI Ratings*: No. 2 Beechwood (.75757); No. 1 Lexington Christian (.82387).

Cantrall Ratings*: No. 2 Beechwood (87.7); No. 1 Lexington Christian (88.5).

Championship history: Beechwood (15-5) — The Tigers won 14 Class A titles, including three in a row from 2016 to 2018 and last year’s Class 2A title; Lexington Christian (1-2) — The Eagles won the 2009 Class A title. They lost both the 2007 Class A title and the 2020 Class 2A title to Beechwood.

Quick hits:

▪ The Tigers won last year’s championship 24-23 over LCA in overtime when they blocked LCA’s potential tying extra point. Beechwood had rallied to tie the game 17-17 with a field goal in the fourth quarter after a red-zone interception by then junior linebacker Michael Hatfield. It was Hatfield’s only pick of the season; he returned it 59 yards to the LCA 27.

▪ LCA kicker Andrew Dobbs had a potential game-winning 44-yard kick at the end of regulation bounce off the left upright and then the crossbar and out. What makes the miss more cruel is that it would have been good on a regulation high school goal, which has a gap 4 feet, 10 inches wider than the college posts at Kroger Field. Dobbs, a Pro-Kicker Top Prospect five-star senior, has been making all his kicks for charity this year. The Andrew Dobbs Kicks for Cancer Campaign benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand has raised $1,389 as of Monday.

▪ Beechwood’s Cameron Hergott is the only reigning Mr. Football ever to play another season. Like a number of high school students, Hergott took advantage of Senate Bill 128, which allowed for a repeat year. Hergott did not turn 19 before Aug. 1, so he maintained his playing eligibility. With two more games played this season, the Eastern Kentucky commit has far surpassed the rushing and touchdown totals that earned him the coaches’ Mr. Football award and got him a share of the original Mr. Football bestowed by the Kentucky Associated Press (Frederick Douglass’s Jager Burton tied Hergott for the AP honor). The award is reserved for seniors by both organizations. Hergott needs 203 passing yards Friday to top his 2020 mark.

▪ Lexington Christian and Beechwood rank 1-2 overall in scoring offense (LCA-48.8 ppg, Beechwood-47.6 ppg), while Beechwood ranks No. 1 in fewest points allowed at 5.9 per game to LCA’s No. 8 ranking in that category at 11 points allowed per contest. Beechwood and LCA are 1-2 in scoring margin, as well with the Tigers thumping teams by an average of 41.6 points and LCA crushing them by 37.8. These numbers are regardless of class. Yep, they’re good.

▪ LCA’s 0.82387 RPI rating is tops in the state by a good margin and owes to the Eagles’ difficult schedule. Among LCA’s victims have been Class A finalist Pikeville, Class 3A No. 1 seed Christian Academy-Louisville, Class 4A finalist Boyle County and Class 6A semifinalist Madison Central. Beechwood’s 0.75757 rating is second best in the state. Its best wins are against Class 5A No. 6 Covington Catholic and 2A No. 3 Mayfield.

▪ LCA college commits on the field include Xavier Brown (Virginia), Mason Moore (Miami, Ohio), Anthony Johns (Eastern Kentucky) and Tyler Morris (Navy). In addition to Hergott’s EKU commitment, Beechwood junior Mitchell Berger has committed to play baseball for the Colonels.

Beechwood standouts: Cameron Hergott, Sr. QB (2,265 yards/32 TDs passing, 1,650 yards/27 TDs rushing; Avery Courtney, Sr. RB (435 yards/11 TDs rushing, 193 yards/four TDs receiving); Parker Mason, Sr. WR/DB (629 yards/six TDs receiving, three interceptions/one for a TD); Mitchell Berger, Jr. WR (545 yards/seven TDs receiving; 448 yards/nine TDs rushing; Xavier Campbell, So. DL (12 sacks).

Lexington Christian standouts: Drew Nieves Jr. QB (1,609 yards/24 TDs passing, 210 yards/four TDs rushing); Xavier Brown Sr. RB (1,445 yards/21 TDs rushing, 385 yards/six TDs receiving); Jeremiah Riffle Jr. RB (563 yards/10 TDs rushing); Mason Moore, Sr. WR/S (879 yards/10 TDs receiving, 315 yards, five TDs rushing, 28 tackles/two for a loss, four interceptions/two for TDs); Tyler Morris, Sr. LB (50 tackles/18 for a loss/11.5 sacks); Jeffrey Selby, Sr. LB (91 tackles/9.5 for a loss/one sack).

State championships

At Kroger Field in Lexington

Tickets: Available by advance sale digitally at KHSAAtickets.org. No walk-up paper tickets sold.

Online: Subscription required for live video stream at KHSAA.tv. Pay-per-view live HD video at Go.PrepSpin.com. Free audio stream at KHSAA.net.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Class A: Pikeville (13-2) vs. Russellville (12-1), Noon

Class 2A: Beechwood (14-0) vs. Lexington Christian (14-0), 4 p.m.

Class 4A: Boyle County (13-1) vs. Johnson Central (12-2), 8 p.m.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Class 3A: Belfry (8-6) vs. Paducah Tilghman (8-6), Noon

Class 5A: Frederick Douglass (13-1) vs. South Warren (13-1), 4 p.m.

Class 6A: Male (13-0) vs. St. Xavier (13-1), 8 p.m.