Thomas More football makes NAIA debut under the lights Saturday night; Kentucky Christian visits BB&T Field

NKyTribune staff

Thomas More plays host to Kentucky Christian at 7 p.m. Saturday in the first-ever night football game at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills.

It will also mark Thomas More’s debut in the NAIA, and Saints head coach Trevor Stellman is looking forward to the new challenge of competing in the Mid-South Conference and playing under the lights at home.

“I’m really excited to be in a new conference, after switching from the NCAA to the NAIA,” said Stellman, who guided Thomas More to a 7-3 record last season at the NCAA Division III level. “It will be a great experience for our players. More importantly, it’s about the competition level and starting rivalries with schools that are very close.

“Getting lights is huge, especially for our first home game. We hope everybody from the community comes out and supports the team for a very historic night for our program.”

Kentucky Christian, located in the city of Grayson, finished 2-9 a year ago. The Knights were 1-5 in Mid-South Conference play last fall, competing in the Appalachian Division. Thomas More is entering its first season as a member of the Mid-South Conference, and the Saints will compete in the Bluegrass Division.

Thomas More quarterback Justin Post completed 155 passes in 265 attempts last season for 2,072 yards and 21 touchdowns. Post also rushed for 241 yards and three scores in 2018.

Senior wide receiver Da’marco Canty returns after hauling in 26 receptions for a team-leading 490 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Saints must replace leading rusher Hjavier Pitts and his 1,337 yards. Pitts also scored 12 touchdowns last season. Also missing is second-leading rusher Luke Zajac, who gained 803 yards on the ground in 2018 and added eight touchdowns.

Dillon Powell is the top returning running back for the Saints. Powell averaged 6.5 yards per carry in limited action last season.

Kentucky Christian features junior running back De’Anta Sipp, the top returning rusher for the Knights. Sipp gained 256 yards in 10 games last season. Sophomore Devon McCoy led Kentucky Christian in receiving last season with 778 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, the Knights allowed 45.8 points per game last season. Kentucky Christian’s opponents averaged 477.8 total yards per game, including 261 yards rushing and 216 yards passing.

This will mark the first-ever meeting between Thomas More and Kentucky Christian on the gridiron.

(Information compiled from Thomas More, Kentucky Christian and staff reports)