Lexington Catholic has new coach, returns plenty of talent

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Lexington Catholic went shopping to the collegiate ranks to get new head coach Bert Bathiany who replaces Nigel Smith. “I think it’s been smooth,” says Bathiany. “I think any time you go through change there’s going to be some bumps in the road, but I love my team and my coaches.”

Offensive and defensive lineman Robert Hall sees a renewed energy. “Coach B’s really brought the effort into the program and that’s really picked up,” says the senior. “I think that’s had a big impact on the effort on the mentality and we’re bringing it every day.”

The Knights graduated QB Jack Gohman and receivers Jack Monday and Blake Busson. LexCath still has plenty of offense left in the tank led by Walker Hall who had a shade under 1,200 yards rushing with 13 touchdowns.

Bathiany knows he has a workhorse in Hall. “I mean his leadership is phenomenal. He’s gonna be a captain for us this year so I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Hall thinks the Knights have all the offensive pieces to put a lot of points on the board.

“We’re looking great and I think by the end of the year, we’re gonna go day-by-day, and I think we’re just gonna continue to get better.”

Let’s not forget the cannon leg of Max DeGraff, but he does more than just kick the ball to the moon.

“He’s an absolute weapon,” says Bathiany. “What’s funny is that he’s one of our most explosive guys on offense and he’s one of our best cover guys on defense. So, he’s going to be utilized in every aspect of the game.”

There is a ton of experience coming back on defense, especially at linebacker, who plan to show up with bad intentions, just the way Bathiany likes it.

“You’re gonna see eleven hats fly to the football and and when they get there there’s gonna be a collision!” “We changed our scheme,” says senior linebacker Spencer Bennington. “We’re bringing more athletes on the field I feel like our linebacker group is very deep and so is our d-line.”

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