Event Preview: 859 vs 502 Challenge
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The first ever 859 vs 502 Challenge takes place at Frederick Douglass on Saturday afternoon. Some of the top schools in Louisville travel to Lexington to take on some of the top teams in the city. Here’s a look at…
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Continue ReadingThe first ever 859 vs 502 Challenge takes place at Frederick Douglass on Saturday afternoon. Some of the top schools in Louisville travel to Lexington to take on some of the top teams in the city. Here’s a look at the matchups and some players to watch.
Lexington Catholic vs Butler (12:00):
The day tips off with a matchup of top guards as Bellarmine commit Tyler Doyle Tyler Doyle 6'4" | CG Lexington Catholic | 2024 State KY leads Catholic to take on Dayton Williams Dayton Williams 6'4" | CG Butler | 2024 State KY and Butler. Catholic has a Senior driven roster that will have to replace Reece Potter’s low post production but has a lot of good pieces like John Reinhart John Reinhart 6'0" | PG Lexington Catholic | 2024 State KY and Miller Williams Miller Williams 6'7" | PF Lexington Catholic | 2024 State KY who are ready to step up. I’m hopeful this is the year that Sophomore Max Meagher Max Meagher 6'6" | SF Lexington Catholic | 2026 State KY starts to take off. Williams is the do-it-all leader for the Bears but has a couple of nice players in the supporting cast with Dontre Russell leading the way.
Henry Clay vs Central (2:00):
A couple of rebuilding teams go head to head in the second game of the day. Junior Kayson Brown Kayson Brown 6'0" | CG Henry Clay | 2025 State KY is expected to be a breakout player for the Blue Devils while Devin Henderson is the lone returning star for Central after averaging 14 points per game last season. This is the first year Central hasn’t been led by Doug Bibby for as long as I can remember.
Sayre vs CAL (4:00):
Sayre has a nice core group returning this year and will have a chance to surprise some folks in the 11th region. Ian Reesor Ian Reesor 6'6" | PF Sayre | 2024 State KY and Brock Coffman were both double figure scorers last year. Junior Sayvion Staley is primed for a potential breakout season. CAL is led by Florida Gulf Coast commit Jackson Washington Jackson Washington 6'2" | SG Christian Academy Of Louisville | 2024 State KY and do it all Senior Nolan Wahl Nolan Wahl 6'6" | SF Christian Academy Of Louisville | 2024 State KY . A sleeper team in Louisville, the Centurions will be interesting to watch this early in the season.
LCA vs Ballard (6:00):
The main event of the evening features perennial state title contenders Ballard taking on 11th region hopefuls LCA. The Eagles have a veteran group led by Andersen Green Andersen Green 6'3" | SG Lexington Christian | 2025 State KY , Saxton Howard Saxton Howard 5'11" | PG Lexington Christian Academy | 2025 State KY and Hagan Preston Hagan Preston 6'2" | SG Lexington Christian | 2025 State KY . Sophomores Sam Spillman Sam Spillman 5'11" | PG Lexington Christian Academy | 2026 State KY and Simon King Simon King 6'5" | SF Lexington Christian Academy | 2026 State KY figure to have big roles this season and Senior transfer Payton Mayhorn Payton Mayhorn 6'9" | C Lexington Christian Academy | 2024 State KY is a potential game changer for LCA. Ballard led the state in transfers this summer and have a brand new roster this season. Junior Sam Frazier Sam Frazier 6'3" | PG Ballard | 2025 State KY is maybe the biggest sleeper in the city. Transfers Keriawn Berry Keriawn Berry 6'4" | SG Trinity | 2026 State KY , Bryonn Faulkner Bryonn Faulkner 6'3" | CG Fern Creek | 2026 State KY , Javeon Fairman Javeon Fairman 6'1" | PG Ballard | 2025 State KY and Cayon Gaines Cayon Gaines 6'6" | PF Ballard | 2026 State KY should all help Ballard eventually. This early in the season it will be interesting to see how the rotations work with returners like Jordan Bender Jordan Bender 6'6" | PF Fern Creek | 2026 State KY , Nate Richardson Nate Richardson 5'8" | PG Ballard | 2025 State KY and freshmen Darian Shy Darian Shy 5'8" | PG Ballard | 2027 State KY and Precious Sam Precious Sam 6'10" | C Eastern | 2027 State KY all in the mix.