UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1957
Page 1 of 2
XXXX 2/19/2024 1:00 PM Jacketed
A RESOLUTION honoring the Mayfield High School Cardinals football team, 1
2023 Kentucky High School Athletic Association Class 2A Champions. 2
WHEREAS, on December 1, 2023, in front of a crowd of 7,432 fans at Kroger 3
Field on the campus of the University of Kentucky, the Mayfield Cardinals defeated the 4
Aces of Owensboro Catholic, 53 to 48, to capture the 2023 Kentucky High School 5
Athletic Association (KHSAA) Class 2A Football Championship; and 6
WHEREAS, in one of the greatest offensive shootouts in state finals history, it was 7
Mayfield's defense that made two crucial plays: a fumble recovery on Owensboro 8
Catholic's first play for scrimmage to set up a field goal; and a fourth-down stop that 9
ended the Aces' comeback late in the fourth quarter; to seal the win for the Cardinals; and 10
WHEREAS, Mayfield controlled the championship throughout most of the game 11
and led by 19 points with five minutes to play in the third quarter, then withstood a 12
furious comeback from the Aces over the last 17 minutes of the game; and 13
WHEREAS, the Cardinals were led by running back Jutoriaus Starks, who had 34 14
carries for 196 yards and four touchdowns, recorded one sack, recovered a fumble that 15
was the only turnover of the game, and was named the game's Most Valuable Player; 16
quarterback Zane Cartwright, who completed 23 passes in 33 attempts for 322 yards and 17
two touchdown passes; wide receiver Braden Morris, who had 11 catches for 150 yards 18
and a touchdown; and wide receiver Xavier Biggers, who caught seven passes for 81 19
yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 86 yards for a score; and 20
WHEREAS, the victory in the championship game capped off a season that saw the 21
Cardinals compile a record of 14 wins against a single loss, outscore their opponents on 22
the season by an average of 46 to 17, and in their final three games, defeat teams ranked 23
number 4, 3, and 1 in the state; and 24
WHEREAS, the victory was also redemption for this year's Cardinal team, and 25
especially for kicker Lincoln Suiter, who missed an extra point late in last year's 26
championship game loss against Beechwood. This year, Suiter kicked a game-winning 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1957
Page 2 of 2
XXXX 2/19/2024 1:00 PM Jacketed
field goal to beat Beechwood in the semi-finals, and in the championship, was perfect on 1
extra points, and made two field goals that ended up being the difference in the final 2
score; and 3
WHEREAS, the championship was the 13th in the storied history of the Mayfield 4
program, tied for the fourth-most in the history of the Commonwealth; and 5
WHEREAS, the Cardinals were led by legendary coach Joe Morris, and the 6
championship was his eighth during his tenure at the school; and 7
WHEREAS, the dedication, tenacity, resilience, and teamwork shown by the 8
Mayfield Cardinals on their journey to the state championship sets a worthy example for 9
young athletes across the Commonwealth, and it is wholly appropriate that they be 10
publicly recognized for their hard work and achievements; 11
NOW, THEREFORE, 12
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 13
Kentucky: 14
Section 1. The members of the Senate join Senator Jason Howell in 15
congratulating the Mayfield Cardinals and coach Joe Morris, 2023 KHSAA Class 2A 16
Football champions, and wishing all team members, coaches, and staff good fortune in all 17
future endeavors. 18
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this Resolution to 19
Senator Jason Howell for presentation to the team. 20