When the 2024 high school football season kicks off this week, The Daily’s coverage area will once again be treated to a plethora of on-field talent, as 10 returning all-state players highlight the best the area has to offer heading into the new season.

Austin running back Gavin Fuqua, Athens offensive lineman Spencer Downland, Athens quarterback Brogan Gross, West Morgan offensive lineman Melvin Carrillo, the Hatton trio of Kenyon Suggs (WR), Zairiyon Long (DB) and Tasean Love (ATH), and Decatur Heritage’s Savarius Evans (RB), Jacob Belcher (OL) and Dylan Germany (DL) all return after helping their squads reach the postseason in 2023.

Fuqua, a second-team selection in Class 7A, rushed for 1,188 yards and 18 touchdowns on 175 carries. The rising senior also caught 12 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns and threw a touchdown as the Black Bears went 8-3 with a first-round playoff loss to Vestavia Hills.

Dowland earned first-team honors in Class 6A after allowing zero sacks, while grading out at 80% with 12 pancake blocks. The Auburn commit anchored the line in front of Gross, who completed 189 of 274 pass attempts for 2,449 yards and 28 touchdowns to earn honorable mention honors in Class 6A. Gross also rushed for three scores and had two games with five touchdown passes, while only throwing four interceptions all season.

Carrillo earned first-team honors in Class 4A after grading at 96% to anchor the line for one of the best offenses in the state of Alabama in 2023. He finished with 62 pancakes while protecting all-state quarterback Braxton Peters (second team), athlete Jalen Fletcher (first team) and receiver Ti’Arrius Mosley (first team).

Suggs caught 33 passes for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns to earn second-team honors in Class 2A. Long, also a second-team selection, intercepted six passes, while Love passed for 1,525 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 636 yards and 12 more scores. The returning experience will be crucial for the Hornets, who are making the leap from Class 2A to Class 4A this season after school consolidation in Lawrence County.

Evans was a first-team selection for the Eagles after rushing for 2,012 yards and 24 touchdowns as a freshman in 2023. Belcher earned second-team honors with 27 pancakes and was joined by Germany, who finished the season with 105 tackles, including three tackles for loss.

The talent is not, however, limited to those who earn all-state accolades. Fifteen players also return to action after earning spots on The Daily’s Class 5A-7A All-Area team, while 13 more return from the Class 1A-4A All-Area squad. Those counts do not include those 2023 players who earned honorable mention accolades.

A Look at Returning Players

Quarterbacks Jake Cochran (East Limestone) and Parker Frost (Lawrence County) return after productive seasons for their respective schools. Cochran passed for 1,327 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Frost passed for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns after missing most of the 2022 season with an injury.

Austin receiver Jaxon Potter caught 31 passes for 584 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 168 punt return yards, one punt return touchdown and 334 kickoff return yards. Hartselle’s Markus Tapscott caught 37 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns.

Austin offensive lineman Josiah Flood allowed zero sacks while playing guard and tackle and Wayne Horton (Brewer) graded at 77% for the season with 37 pancakes.

Austin’s Hayden Wynn, a rising senior, was 47 of 47 on extra point attempts and kicked four field goals, including a 41-yarder.

Defenders Ready to Shine

Defensively, Cortavious Mason (Austin), Porter Simmons (Hartselle), Dakota Crawford (Brewer) and Beau Yancey (Brewer) all return after strong seasons on the line.

Mason led Austin with 83 tackles, including five sacks and four for a loss. Simmons had 63 tackles, including 17 for a loss, and five sacks for the Tigers, while Crawford (110 tackles, 12 QB pressures, two fumble recoveries) and Yancey (114 tackles, 14 QB pressures, five sacks) were strong up front for the Patriots all season.

Hartselle defensive back Jace Preuitt finished with 103 tackles, including seven for a loss, three interceptions, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception, while backfield teammate Cole Miles had 85 tackles, three interceptions, two sacks and a blocked field goal. Brewer defensive back Walker Latham had 187 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Hunter Knighten, a rising junior at Brewer, average 42 yards per punt for the Patriots with four kicks inside the 5-yard line.

Class 1A-4A Stars

Key returning players in Class 1A-4A include Tanner athlete Endymion Tyus, who caught 35 passes for 718 yards and eight touchdowns. He also ran 34 times for 356 yards and five scores.

Danville offensive lineman Ryder Reeves started at left tackle and graded at 90% for the Hawks, while Falkville teammates Trey Hemming (61 pancakes) and Bryan Owens (57 pancakes) were solid for the Blue Devils.

Priceville kicker Landon Byer, a rising sophomore, hit 17 of 18 extra points and three of five field goals, including a long of 29 yards.

Decatur Heritage defensive lineman Xavier Johnson had 50 tackles, including 17 for loss, and five sacks for the Eagles.

West Morgan linebacker Ty Jones had 116 total tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups.

Ian Wickwire (Decatur Heritage) had 10 tackles and three sacks and Preston Moore (West Limestone) recorded 128 tackles, including five for loss. Danville’s Matthew Tidwell, a rising junior linebacker, had 100 tackles and three sacks.

Priceville defensive back Tyde Borden had 128 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles and Tanner’s Ny’Quavious Green had 74 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore.

Decatur Heritage freshman Budda Taylor had 62 tackles, including nine for loss, and rushed for 523 yards and five touchdowns.

Highlands Bluebirds: A Deep Roster Ready to Compete

Name your sport, any sport, it’s almost certainly a numbers game in one way or another. Here’s the problem with that: Numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Or the most accurate one. For example, how about this year’s Highlands Bluebirds.

The key stat for a high school football team is often the number of returning starters. For the Birds, who finished 12-2 a year ago and came up just short the second time they faced state finalist Cooper in the playoffs, those numbers don’t look all that impressive. Four starters return on offense, just three on defense. Might be one of the lowest in Northern Kentucky after losing a 24-man senior class.

But that’s not how Highlands coach Bob Sphire looks at it. “While on paper we do not have many ‘returning starters,’ we have a plethora of returners who played meaningful snaps.” Not only is Sphire’s use of the word “plethora” impressive, so is his explanation of the real numbers as he adds names beginning with “seven offensive linemen who will play significantly.”

Senior Torin Bryant (6-1, 250) is also earning college recruiting attention now that he’s back from knee surgery and healthy. “Having Bryant back is significant,” Sphire says. Add 6-2 290-pound Teagan Haretuku, 6-5, 320-pound Mason Howard along with Diego Race, Peter Murriner and Brody Cook and you have a big, young group with impressive numbers.

“We’re still going to be a wide-open spread team,” Sphire says, just with really big bodies up front. The numbers game doesn’t end there. “Our running back room is as deep as we have had over the past three years,” Sphire says, naming “at least six players who will play a significant role” in Jack White (144 yards on 21 carries), Ethan Grimm, Deven James (the leading returnee with 207 yards on 46 carries), Isaac Niemann, Aiden Duncan and Gabe Williams.

At tight end? Three names there: Tommy Ferring, Brady Carnohan and Tayden Lorenzen.

The top returning skill players on offense are clear from last year. Quarterback Rio Litmer (77 for 106 passing for 1,110 yards, 20 TDs and two INT as a sophomore) will be pulling the trigger after sharing quarterback duties with the graduated, multi-position Brody Benke. Sphire said Litmer will be aided by returning wide receivers Adam Surrey (39 catches for 584 yards, five TD) and Jackson Arnold (25 catches for 402 yards, eight TD).

Here’s the way the Highlands defense will go, Sphire says, noting the numbers again and how they “will rotate many players in the secondary and defensive line.” The eight secondary candidates start with two-way players Surrey, Arnold and Williams with help from Hayden Hass, Tyus McCarter, Dominic Gregory, Peyton Klosterman and Connor Carnohan. To the eight offensive linemen who will rotate through on defense, add Ferring, Griffin, Howard and Cooper Benke.

Linebackers number five with two-way players Grimm (38 solo tackles, 32 assisted, nine tackles for loss and two sacks) and Niemann, James, TJ Hicks, and Ryan Dunn. Logan Nickelman, with 49 extra points and three field goals last season, returns to handle placekicking duties.

Add those up and that’s 43 names for 23 positions and a sign of just where things have gone in this fourth year of Sphire’s tenure in Fort Thomas. He explains: “We feel confident in our offseason process and the development of our players over the last three years. This will be the first class we have had for four full off-seasons and we expect to compete every Friday night.”

Which is exactly how you do it, with a new crop of upperclassmen ready to play every season. It’s how a Highlands program that has won 23 state championships — second-most in Kentucky history — and is the nation’s fifth-winningest program all-time with 932 wins has done it. The number that matters is the number of players a deep program can call on this season even if they weren’t all starters last season.

Schedule-wise, the Birds get right into it hosting Lexington Catholic in the opener followed by the traditional rivalry with Covington Catholic. They’ll finishing up the pre-district play with Ryle in Week 4 and Raceland in Week 5 before the home district headliner against high-flying Cooper in Week 6. “That’ll be a big game,” Sphire says in the understatement of the preseason after Highlands’ 58-51 shootout regular season win before Cooper prevailed 17-15 in the playoffs in 2023.

Highlands Bluebirds 2024 Season Preview

HIGHLANDS BLUEBIRDS 2023 SEASON:  12-2 record, lost in semifinals of Class 5A playoffs. STARTERS RETURNING: 4 offense, 3 defense. DISTRICT:  Class 5A, District 6 with Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, Scott. HEAD COACH:  Bob Spire (26-11 in three seasons at Highlands, 305-114 in 35 seasons overall).

2024 SCHEDULE Aug. 23 – LEXINGTON CATHOLIC, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 – at Covington Catholic, 7 p.m. Sept. 6 – at Campbell County, 7 p.m. Sept. 13 – at Ryle, 7 p.m. Sept. 20 – RACELAND, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 – COOPER, 7 p.m. Oct. 4 – DIXIE HEIGHTS, 7 p.m. Oct. 11 – at Boone County, 7 p.m. Oct. 18 – at Conner, 7 p.m. Oct. 25 – SCOTT, 7 p.m.