By Jonathan L. Smith
(Photo of Tucker Foster interception courtesy of SERG Photography)
The 2025 season is over for Lincoln football after falling in the second round of the 4A playoffs to Corbin. The final record of 9 wins and 3 losses was the most successful won-loss season since 2007 when the Patriots made it to the 5A semifinals in the newly expanded 6-class system and finished 11-3. This is the third nine win season at LCHS but the only 9-3 record (9-2 in 1982 and 9-4 in 1999).
Let’s look at some of the achievements from this season:
- Opened the season with a 28-7 PBK Bank/WPBK-FM Death Valley Bowl win over Madison Southern. This was the third straight DVB win for coach Levi Rogers (the first one was as Lincoln’s opponent when he was Casey County’s head coach in 2023). No other head coach has been 3-0 in the DVB.
- Defeated Danville for the second straight season. Before 2024, Lincoln County had beaten Danville once (that was 1988 and the program was credited with another win for an after-the-fact 1-0 forfeit in 2004 due to an ineligible Danville player in a game that Lincoln lost on the field). This senior class is the first to have two victories against Danville.
- Finished 2nd in the district standings after missing the playoffs last season.
- Finished with a program-high Ratings Percentage Index of .67511 (first season of RPI was 2019), which was good for 6th in Class 4A.
- Records Set or Tied
- Brody Baker set a new school single season record for made PAT kicks with 47. The previous record was 42 set by Dave Francis (1993) and Daniel Renner (1999).
- Brody Baker tied a single game school record for made field goals in a game with 2 against East Jessamine. He joins Boone Baird who did it in both 2012 and 2013 against Garrard County).
- Bob Floyd tied the school career kickoff return touchdown record with 3. He joins Jason Smith (2001-2002) and Deon Shannon (2011).
- Bob Floyd tied the school single game pass reception touchdown record with 3 touchdown catches against Wayne County. He joins Billy Harris (1985 vs Estill County).
- 100+ yard games
- Passing: Tucker Foster 7 games- West Jessamine 229, Danville 126, East Jessamine 123, Wayne County 251, Garrard County 127, Perry County Central 148, Corbin 138
- Receiving: Bob Floyd 2 games- Danville 105, Wayne County 118
- Rushing:
- Damon Spigle 5 games- Madison Southern 115, Estill County 126, Russell County 145, Garrard County 105, Perry County Central 111
- Reed Curlis 3 games- West Jessamine 100, Danville 153, East Jessamine 228
- Tucker Foster 2 games- Russell County 165, Garrard County 112
- Kash Smith 1 game- Perry County Central 128
- Junior quarterback Tucker Foster passed for 1,524 yards (132/230 13 TDs 13 INTs) which is the 4th most in a single season at LCHS behind Levi Rogers 1837 (2007), Sawyer Horton 1612 (2021), and Bryson Yaden 1534 (2017)
- Tucker has now passed for a total of 2,333 career yards, rushed for 997 yards, and received for 50 yards in his three-year career.
- Tucker has now scored 140 career points, putting him in a tie for 19th on the school career scoring list
- Bob Floyd blocked five kicks (four PATs and 1 field goal). He blocked two PATs and 1 FG vs Wayne County; 1 PAT vs Boyle County; and 1 PAT vs Perry County Central. This is not a stat that has been tracked through the years but is an accomplishment that no old timers remember anyone else doing, especially the three blocked kicks in one game.
- Grady Foster finished a four-year career where he was a starting lineman in 43 of 44 games, missing one game due to illness. This is a very rare feat in high school football. Grady and the rest of this senior class will be sorely missed and have set a high standard for future Patriots.
- Bob Floyd and Tucker Foster each had 5 interceptions from their defensive back positions. That is a lot but no where close to the single season school record of 11 set by Ryan Young in 2007.
The playoffs continue this week with some very interesting matchups in the quarterfinals. This round used to be the regional championships but with the shuffling of the brackets in the third round by utilizing the RPI ratings, it has lost that designation.
In the eastern part of 4A, Boyle County hosts Covington Catholic and Corbin travels to Highlands. In the western part, Franklin County hosts North Oldham, while Logan County travels to Paducah Tilghman. After this round, the winners will be reshuffled again, according to RPI, and the remaining four will meet in the semifinals.
All three of the teams that Lincoln County lost to during the season are still alive in the 4A playoffs (Boyle, Franklin, Corbin). On to the off-season workouts now, and the countdown begins to the 2026 PBK Bank/WPBK-FM Death Valley Bowl against North Bullitt.
