Another season of Kentucky high school football is pretty much in the books and the 2019 KHSAA Gridiron Bowl State Championship weekend kicks off tomorrow night. To the players who made the squad congratulations, to those who didn't use it as motivation in your games this weekend, or your offseason training for next year.

Reed Lanter's numbers aren't as eye popping as some other Kentucky signal callers like Owensboro Catholic's Drew Hartz, Tates Creek's Luke Duby, or Lexington Catholic's Beau Allen. That's because he engineered too many first half blowouts that led to a running clock and him and the rest of the starters getting the second half off. What Lanter's numbers do show however is surgical efficiency. He completed 73% of his 220 passes, 39 of which resulted in touchdowns and only three of those passes were picked off. He also accumulated 2,977 yards and he will eclipse the 3,000 yard mark this weekend as his undefeated team takes on Johnson Central for the 4A state title at Kroger Field.

I don't know how good the level of competition is out there in Wayne County but he dominated it to the tune of 3,775 total yards and 56 touchdowns. He rushed for 2,804 yards and 48 touchdowns on 277 carries for an average of 10 yards per carry and led the state with 234 yards per game.

Hightower rushed for 3,001 yards and 33 touchdowns. Do I need to type anything else? North Hopkins fell short to a mighty Johnson Central team last weekend in the state semifinals but Hightower still ran for 184 yards on 31 carries against one of the toughest run defenses in the state.

Reese Smith is the most dynamic player in the state and is the only multi position All State honoree as he also made the squad as a safety. Smith caught 51 balls for 1,353 yards and 19 touchdowns and also scored three rushing touchdowns and returned one of his seven interceptions for a score. He missed the better part of two games after sustaining an injury against Madison Southern but in his first game back against Lex Catholic he caught 6 passes for 109 yards and two touchdown and returned a Beau Allen interception 60 yards for a score. He's the unquestioned leader of one of the best teams in the state. He's also my pick for Kentucky Mr. Football. Smith didn't put together a senior season hudl because he didn't have to.

Izayah Cummings caught 55 passes for 1,056 yards and 12 touchdowns but those numbers don't reflect his true value. Standing 6-foot-4, 225-pounds the Male wideout is bigger than most high school defensive ends and tackling him is problematic for defensive backs. He's also a yeoman who has no problem smashing linebackers and safeties into the dirt as a run blocker. When he isn't the focal point of Male's offense coach Chris Wolfe lines him up as a move tight end and Cummings is one of the most devastating run blockers in the state at that position. Cummings is a star player who doesn't mind doing grunt work without a single complaint.

Smith doesn't get a lot of hype but he's an excellent athlete who led the state in receiving yards per game at 139 per contest. His final stat count was 82 catches for 1,623 yards and 20 touchdowns. Smith has an offer from Eastern Illinois but he could end up walking on at Kentucky.

Mayer is the #2 ranked tight end in the country. He's the best tight end in the state. There's no need to explain this obvious choice. Mayer didn't bother to put together a senior Hudl because he didn't need to, he's going to Notre Dame and he shut down his recruitment.

Walker Parks is the 59th ranked player in the country, he's going to Clemson, he beats people up as an offensive tackle and a defensive tackle and he's a no-brainer for all state honors.

Jager Burton plays tackle for Frederick Douglass but for the purposes of this exercise he's a guard. He'll be a guard in college. He's a dominant force at tackle for the Broncos and when he gets his hands on defenders, which happens most of the time, it usually ends undesirably for them. He's the number one prospect in the state of Kentucky for the 2021 class and like his teammate Parks he's a no brainer here.

Dane Jackson is nasty and plays all over the offensive line for Mad South. While he isn't the biggest guy on the line he's the meanest. Watch him discard bodies in his hudl below.

I'm not sure how a 6-foot-8, 300-pound guard who can get to the second level doesn't have a ton of offers but if I'm picking a team in the backyard this kid is my number one pick. I've seen Mallott three times this season and I was impressed with how fast he gets out of his stance and drives his man second level into linebackers. He's still raw but he creates a lot of trash with his size and his backs are able to cut back off his blocks and breeze through huge holes.

Kentucky fans are going to think this sounds crazy but I'm impressed with the improvement I've seen in John Young's game and tenacity this season. His hand accuracy has gotten better, his footwork looks more polished, and he just looks a lot meaner than he did last year. Like Parks and Burton, Young was a no brainer selection for the KyPreps All State Squad.

Ok so Israel only took one kick off back for a touchdown this season but he did run for 2346 yards and 28 on 287 carries so if I can sneak his kind of talent and production on my team this is the spot for it.

Jackson Smith is one of the best kickers in the country he made all eight of his field goals and went 86/87 on PAT chances. He also boots the ball out of the end zone on a regular basis when he kicks off the tee. If you're in to kicker highlights I got what you want right here: