Kentucky Country Day Faces Major Reload After State Championship Run

The defending Class 1A champions return elite talent but must replace much of the roster that delivered the program's long-awaited state championship.

Kentucky Country Day celebrate after the Bearcats' won their first state football title at the KHSAA class 1A football state final at Kroger Field in Lexington Friday, December 5, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Winning a state championship is difficult. Replacing nearly the entire team that won it may be even harder.

Kentucky Country Day enters the 2026 football season as the defending Kentucky Class 1A state champion, but the Bearcats must replace the core of the roster that finally broke through with a state title last fall. Despite returning only a handful of starters, coach Matt Jones believes the program still has the high-end talent to contend once again.

Kentucky Country Day (1A)
Head Coach: Matt Jones
2025: 13-1 state champions

Kentucky Country Day finally got by Raceland last season, which had defeated the Bearcats in the previous two postseasons.

A Championship Team Turns the Page

But many of those players who contributed to the defeat of Raceland and the 2025 state 1A title are now gone.

KCD checks most of the boxes of experience not returning.

• Returning offensive starters: 3
• Returning defensive starters: 3
• Starting quarterback returning? No
• Top running back returning? No
• Top offensive lineman returning? No
• Top defender returning? No
• Key special teams personnel be returning? No

So, how does a team return to Kroger Field in December?

It’s a challenge.

“Lack of returning experience on both sides of the ball and especially at QB, where a sophomore, Harrison Lage, will likely be the starter,” wrote Coach Jones in an email. “We’ll need to rebuild the best LB corps in school history. Unproven, but talented at the kicker position, and need to replace our punter, holder and long snapper."

It’s a tall order for the KCD coaching staff, especially in a school with a small pool of players to select from.

Elite Talent Returns

But there is room for optimism on Springdale Road.

“Well, I feel like our top-end talent right now is as good as it's been in my 16 years,” Jones said. “Yet our depth may be as limited as it's ever been.”

Depth Will Be the Biggest Challenge

“Last year, we had some really good players, but we didn't have guys with Division I offers and things like that,” he explained in a phone interview. “But this year, we got some guys that are top of the top. And when they go to 2A, they'll be top of the top of 2A.”

The Bearcats return 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior lineman TD Collins and  5-foot-11, 180-pound senior outside linebacker Tripp Swisher (77 tackles, two interceptions).

Underclassmen-wise, KCD brings back junior slot/corner Deion Davidson, who was the state championship game MVP, and 6-foot, 180-pound freshman slot/free safety Braylen Batts-Hobbs, who has already received an offer from Louisville.

“We just don't have a lot of them,” Jones said.

Specifically and significantly, line depth will be a concern for KCD in 2026. The margin for flexibility regarding injuries is slim. The biggest concern isn't talent—it's numbers.

“There's only about seven linemen in our program right now,” he said. “So that's a tough turnaround between playing offense and defense.”

However, three of them are 6-foot-4-plus and over 280 pounds.

Last season was an anomaly for KCD, as they suited up nearly 20 seniors, a rarity in the Bearcat program.

“Last year was the biggest senior class that ever graduated. And there were 19 of them. This year, we're much more typical. Typically, I would say, eight kids per grade; we're doing okay.”

Championship Culture Remains

Jones said that while many of the squad members might not be football-savvy, their determination to succeed or excel is unquestionable. He credits them with creating an environment replete with self-assurance and a triumphant vision.

“They're used to being successful. They want to be good in the classroom. They want to be good on the field. They're very compliant as far as what we ask them to do. So we kind of make up for that lack of experience on the field with just the atmosphere that we try to create. Success is bred on success, where there's an expectation of we're going to be good, and we're going to have a chance to win and compete. And that comes from the kids. They've built that.”

Key Games

vs. Sayre-8/21

@ Spencer County (4A)-9/4

vs. Campbellsville-10/23