Citizen, Scholar, Steward

Varsity Football scores its first KHSAA State Championship

The KCD Varsity Football Bearcats made history at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field on Friday, December 5, after defeating the Raceland Rams 20-16 in the KHSAA Class 1A UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Finals, capturing the program’s first state championship. 
According to a press release from the KHSAA, the Bearcats also became the first Louisville school to win the Class 1A state title. KCD previously won the KHSAA eight-man football state tournament in 2002, the last year the event was held.

The win was several years in the making, according to Head Coach Matthew Jones. “This is a group of 19 seniors who set their goal to be state champions when they were in the fifth grade,” he explained at the post-game press conference.

The championship matchup marked the KCD’s second appearance at Kroger Field for the state finals. In 2020, the Bearcats lost 38-7 to the Paintsville Tigers in the championship game.

The Bearcats’ past two seasons ended with losses to Raceland in the state semifinals (42-6 in 2023 and 14-0 in 2024).

“Whenever we lost to them my sophomore year, I think the biggest issue we had that year was not being a player-led team,” said Bowen Johnson ’26. Since then, the team has focused on becoming player-led. “Trust the guy next to you to be able to do the job and execute,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, a 25-yard touchdown run by Deion Davidson ’28, with 3:30 remaining, sealed the win for the Bearcats and crowned them as State Champions. Davidson was named the recipient of the Class 1A MVP Award presented by Morgan & Morgan.

Congratulations, Bearcats!

Click here for photos from the 2025 State Championship.
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    • KHSAA Class 1A Football State Champions

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Kentucky Country Day School is a private JK–12, coeducational school located on a spacious 80+ acre campus in Louisville, KY. KCD combines a rigorous academic program with a wide variety of athletic and extracurricular programs. Our outstanding faculty creates an intimate learning environment that is both challenging and supportive.