KHSAA football: Male routs Bullitt East in rematch of 6A title game – Courier Journal

Each day at practice this week, Male High School’s football players were met with a reminder of the bitter end to their 2022 season.
“Guests 28, Male 27” the scoreboard at Maxwell Stadium read, the final score from Bullitt East’s victory over the Bulldogs in last year’s Class 6A state championship game in Lexington.
“It gave us a chip on our shoulder all week,” senior running back Shammai Gates said. “We prepared and put in work.”
And the Bulldogs got a slight measure of revenge in a big way.
Max Gainey returned the opening kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown — his first of three scores on the night — and Gates rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns as the host Bulldogs routed Bullitt East, 42-6.
Gates’ 1-yard touchdown run with 7:07 remaining made it 42-6 and started the mercy-rule running clock — a far cry from last December’s nail-biter.
“We came out and finished business,” Gainey said. “Having that scoreboard lit up all week, it meant a lot to everybody on this team, especially everybody that went to state last year and knew what Bullitt East did. That made everybody want to play 10 times harder.”
The victory gave the Bulldogs the regular-season title in Class 6A, District Four. Ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, Male (8-1) will close its regular season next Friday at rival Manual.
No. 6 Bullitt East (7-2) saw its six-game winning streak come to an end.
“This game does not define our season,” Chargers coach Keegan Kendrick said. “This game does not affect what we can do in the playoffs. This game is another chapter in the season, and we have to learn from it.”
After senior night festivities, Gainey continued the celebration on the field. He caught the opening kickoff at his 28-yard line and headed toward the left sideline before reversing direction and taking off down the right side.
After 19 seconds, the scoreboard read: “Male 7, Guests 0.”
“We can certainly track the ball and tackle better,” Kendrick said. “That being said, Max Gainey is an unbelievable talent.”
Gainey made a similar move in the second quarter, reversing field on a bubble screen and scoring from 43 yards for a 21-0 lead at the 9:50 mark. He outjumped two defenders for an 11-yard touchdown pass that made it 28-0 with 3:05 left in the second quarter. Gainey finished with eight catches for 94 yards.
Bulldogs coach Chris Wolfe, of course, was pleased with Gainey’s big plays but also wondered if it might be fool’s gold for his squad.
“It’s Max going across the field on the kickoff; it’s Max going across the field on a bubble screen; it’s Max making a ridiculous catch in the end zone,” Wolfe said. “We have to be able to move the ball with our core stuff, not just with Max hitting the turbo and going to the other side. … We can’t win with hero ball. I wish Max could do that every week, but he can’t. Nobody can play like that every week.”
Gates was the other star, scoring on runs of 5 yards and 1 yard in the second half.
A former wide receiver, Gates leads the Bulldogs with 13 rushing touchdowns this season.
“At first, I wasn’t really sure about the position switch,” he said. “Now that I’m there, I’m really starting to like it. Every game, I feel like I’m getting acclimated to the position.
“Running over people, scoring touchdowns, I love it.”
More:Atherton football overcomes miscues, key injury to top Fairdale for district crown
BULLITT EAST    0            0            6            0 – 6
MALE                  14          14          7            7 – 42
First quarter
M – Max Gainey 72 kickoff return (Seth Henson kick)
M – Chayce Burton 6 run (Luke Vallandingham kick)
Second quarter
M – Gainey 43 pass from Kolter Smith (Henson kick)
M – Gainey 11 pass from Smith (Vallandingham kick)
Third quarter
BE – Jack Zwernemann 4 run (kick blocked)
M – Shammai Gates 5 run (Henson kick)
Fourth quarter
M – Gates 1 run (Vallandingham kick)
Reach Jason Frakes at jfrakes@courier-journal.com and follow him on X @kyhighs.

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