One of the best new rivalry games in Kentucky high school football will be played Friday under the bright spotlight of the MaxPreps Game of the Week Presented By T-Mobile.
MaxPreps Game of the Week Presented By T-MobileFrederick Douglass at Boyle County
Date: Friday, Oct. 30, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Streaming: MaxPreps YouTubeTickets: GoFanLocation: Rebel Stadium | Boyle County High School
Frederick Douglass (9-0) head coach Nathan McPeek makes no bones about it, his unbeaten squad has plenty of incentive taking on one of the best programs in the state.
But the fact that Boyle County (8-1) has won four of five in the series, including the last three (28-7 in 2023, 38-17 in 2024 and 20-13 last season) should make this more than a vital tune-up for both teams heading into the playoffs.
The only time Douglass prevailed was 37-6 in 2022 en route to their Class 5A state championship. McPeek, a 2024 Marshall University Hall of Fame inductee as an offensive lineman blocking for future NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich, took over in 2020 and the Broncos have gone 68-19 coming off three straight five-loss seasons.
The Broncos knocked off
Highlands (Fort Thomas) 41-20 in the season-opener, which is significant because that is the same team that handed Boyle County its only defeat of the season Sept. 11. But since then the Rebels have rattled off five straight wins in impressive fashion, outscoring each opponent by almost identical scores: 38-3, 42-13, 42-0, 41-7 and 42-7.
Boyle County, with an enrollment of nearly 900, is led by the state's top senior recruit in 6-foot-6, 235-pound tight end
Seneca Driver. The Oklahoma-bound star hauled in 49 catches for 875 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior while contributing 67 tackles and five interceptions on defense. He was the Kentucky Football Coaches Association 4A Player of the Year.
Justin Haddix, who took over as Boyle County head coach in 2020, has the luxury of moving Driver all around as senior
Maddox Hager (6-6, 210), another tight end, is also one of the state's top recruits. He has 13 offers, including Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue and Wisconsin.
Quarterback
Jhet Raleigh, tackle
Christian Bryant (6-3, 285) and defensive backs
Gavin Johnson and
JaKain Logan are other top players for the Rebels, who have won five state titles since Haddix took over. He is 87-6 in that span.
Larry French and Chuck Smith are other coaches that won state titles for Boyle County, which opened its doors in 1963. Smith led them to five straight state titles starting in 1999, with four 15-0 campaigns. After French recorded 15-0 state title seasons in 2009 and 2010, Smith returned and won a state crown in 2017 at 14-1.
"It's the culture of the kids in the community who just love football," Haddix told GLICOD TV last season. "They're very disciplined kids and they simply put in a lot of hard work. All the kids are very coachable."
Another prominent tight end, Jacob Tamme, graduated from Boyle County in 2003, before playing nine NFL seasons with the Colts, Broncos and Falcons, racking up 259 career catches and 2,570 yards.
Douglass, with an enrollment of just over 1,700, lost in the state 5A final in 2019 and 2021 before its banner 2022 campaign. Green Bay Packers center Jager Burton and Denver Broncos practice squad receiver Dane Key both played for the Broncos.
