LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The first of six state football finals kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
Kentucky Country Day will take on Paintsville, a rematch of of the 2019 state semifinal, in the Bearcats' first championship appearance in football program history.
KCD has come a long way in nine years under head coach Matthew Jones. The school has state championships in field hockey and lacrosse but not a lot of history in football. The Bearcats were playing eight-man football just a decade before and hadn't won a playoff game until Jones' arrival.
"People see a great football team, and it is a great football team," said Ed Long, the defensive coordinator and strength coach during Jones' tenure. "But it's become a great program. And that's through the efforts of a lot of players that have come before. It's also come from great administrative support and from great parental support."
Lance Hoeltke, the Bearcats' offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, returned to the coaching staff in 2019 after coaching for several years at Christian Academy.
"It's an awesome, awesome program to be a part of — and it brought me back — because I love the way Coach Jones leads this program," Hoeltke said. "I love the structure they create and I think that's a big part of why we're successful, because we create great structure for the young men to reach their full potential."
While KCD's 13-1 run to the state semifinals in 2019 was a bit of a surprise, the coaches and players knew 2020 could be a special year.
"Thirteen seniors, most of whom are starters," Hoeltke said. "Not only an older bunch but a bunch that has played their respective positions for three years. You just can't replicate that kind of experience. Their familiarity allows us to do so much more than if we were getting them from scratch."
Now, the Bearcats get another shot at Paintsville, the team that gave them their only loss last season, and a chance to bring home the program's first state title.
"It would mean so much," senior linebacker Exavier Douglas said. "It would be the first in school history. We got the whole school excited. We've been telling everybody this is gonna be our year since our sophomore year. Looking to cap it off with a ring this year."
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