Written by Ivan Rice for 10thRegion.com
PARIS, KY – It’s a new beginning at The County!
A new coaching era has started for Bourbon County football, as Tyquan Rice has taken over as the new head coach of the Colonels, succeeding Bret Baierlein, who was relieved of his head coaching duties this past winter after two seasons that saw the Colonels go 3-19.
Rice, the former Paris coach, where he led his alma mater to 29 wins over his four years as their coach, as well as a steady top five team in 1A, inherits a Colonels program that hasn’t had much success on the gridiron over the past seven years, recording just 19 total wins, 55 losses, and only one playoff victory. Their last winning season came in 2017.
The Colonels faithful, along with the Colonel Crazies, really haven’t had much to cheer about when it comes to the football team but by the looks of things, that’s about to change.
A fresh staff, a culture change, a new district, a manageable schedule, along with several new faces, combining with a few familiar faces, one can easily see why the 2025 version of the Football Colonels could be in the running for a tremendous regular season and a deep run in the playoffs. A run that hasn’t been seen since 2013, when that team, under Coach John Hodge, capped off back-to-back years advancing to the state final four.
Rice must first replace all-district players Xavier Baker, Mariqus Ferguson, Ryan Lay, and Austin Rodarte, who gave their all for a 1-10 football team that showed tons of improvement towards the end of the season. However, with the return of several key players, the new coach and his staff should have plenty of leaders stepping up who are ready to fight for better results this season.
When looking at the Colonels’ roster, heading the returnees will be senior playmaker Jacob Ezell and his ridiculous ability to score from anywhere on the field. Ezell, known for his breakaway track speed, caught 38 passes for 556 yards, and 9 touchdowns, ranking him the 17th best receiver in Class 3A in 2024. He also rushed the ball 35 times for a team-best 229 yards and a touchdown. Another returnee is senior Malachai Rennie, the QB1 from last season’s team. Rennie completed 131 of his 228 pass attempts for 1,704 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was ranked as the 9th-best passer in 3A. On defense, he had a team second-best 57 (39 solo) tackles, with two picks. Other notable returnees are senior Bryson Carr (164 rushing yards, 317 receiving yards, 32 tackles), junior Tanner Lutz (32 tackles, 18 solo hits), senior Jake Ooten (17 catches with a touchdown), and junior Lucas Coleman, a key player on the Colonels’ offensive front, who finished with 30 tackles on defense.
Rice will also rely heavily on a few transfers that made their way to the County from Paris. Heading that group will be junior Bryant “Junior” Martin, who will be one of the better linemen in 3A, as well as the state. With the Greyhounds, Martin played the center position and held his own all season long, becoming the team’s best blocker. On defense, he had 43 total tackles, with 6 going for a loss. Others that should hear their named called several times throughout the season will be junior Julius “JuJu” Gregory, senior Myles Heilig, junior King Lee, and senior Shayne Bowling. Bourbon will have a few more unfamiliar faces that will go along well with the group mentioned above and with their makeover schedule.
Looking at BC’s schedule, Rice’s squad should be able to compete in every game, while also having a great shot at winning their district and doing well in their region, which should make the Colonels’ supporters excited about the upcoming season.
Bourbon’s new district will consist of Henry County, Carroll County, Lloyd Memorial, and Pendleton County. That’s vastly different from their previous districts that housed Lexington Catholic and Boyle County. The four teams combined for a 17-26 record a year ago, with 9 of those wins coming from Lloyd, who lost a slew of talented seniors off their 2024 squad that went 9-3. The schedule also shows two teams finishing at .500, while the rest had a losing record. Overall, the Colonels’ 10 opponents finished with a 33-73 record last season. However, in Coach Rice’s defense, the schedule was already completed before he made the transition over to The County, leaving to that old saying, you play the cards that you’re dealt!
Bourbon County will open their season at home on August 22nd when they face West Jessamine in the second of two games that will be part of the Mingua Beef Jerky Bourbon Bowl at approximately 8:15. They will play longtime rival Harrison County on September 5th in Cynthiana. Last year, the two teams had a shootout with the Thorobreds coming out on top, 38-34.
The rebuilding phase of Bourbon football has started. Rice’s team should field an elite defense to go with a big-play offense. If one wasn’t already excited about The County, well, they better be, because if not, they’re going to miss something special.
Welcome back to football Bourbon County!
