Ludlow High School is the reigning champion of small‑town roster building among the area’s four public schools competing in KHSAA Class 1A. Over the last two seasons, the Panthers have averaged 41 players on roster — nearly one‑third of the school’s entire male student body. Viewed through the lens of the city’s population of about 4,300 residents, Ludlow produces more than 10 football players for every 1,000 citizens, a ratio that speaks to the tight bond between the neighborhood and its Friday night lights.
Bellevue and Dayton, Ludlow’s Class 1A rivals, finish in a virtual dead heat for second. Bellevue’s two‑year average of 30 players represents about 26 percent of its available male enrollment. Dayton’s 33‑player average lands at almost the same mark. Both schools outpace Newport, which has the largest pool of boys but the lowest public‑school football participation rate at around 18 percent.
“That’s very interesting,” says Panthers coach Woody McMillen, a former Ludlow player, graduate and current resident who understands the town’s dynamic. “It sounds about right because a lot of kids in Ludlow do want to grow up and play on the football team, like I did. But those other schools have done a nice job, too. And I would add that those football teams — Ludlow, Dayton with Jesse Herbst, Bellevue with Chad Montgomery and Newport with Paul Wiggins — are all coached by alumni.”
The picture shifts completely when the area’s Class 1A private Catholic schools enter the frame. Bishop Brossart, Holy Cross and especially Newport Central Catholic post strong numbers, but their context is different: they aren’t bound by municipal borders. For a Kentucky Class 1A public‑school coach, survival depends on convincing the boys who live down the street to play football. In that sense, what Ludlow is doing is every bit as remarkable as what’s happening at the region’s powerful Catholic programs.
Here are five things to know about the Panthers heading into the 2026 season:
Who is the new starting quarterback?
Miller Reed, an experienced junior, takes over for departed Jackson Mays. Reed was the starter to begin last season, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game. He finished 33-of-61 passing with six touchdowns for last year’s 4-7 squad. He rushed 35 times for 263 yards. Since his recovery, he has worked with his own personal QB coach, attended camps and received tutelage from former Ludlow signal caller Tom Arnold.
“I’m back and ready to go,” Reed says. “I feel good.”
McMillen likes his moxie. “He’s tough, and he’s as talented a quarterback as Ludlow’s had in a few years,” the coach says. “He has a good arm and he can run.”
Reed, who played strong safety as a freshman, is also the punter and the placeholder for the kicker.
What the offense looks like
McMillen’s hybrid scheme leans on the run, but his teams have shown the ability to pass. “That’s why I like our quarterback,” says the coach, who returns eight offensive players with starting experience. “Miller gives us options back there.”
The Panthers have options galore even though Mays graduated and last year’s leading rusher is gone. Reed is in great position to lead Ludlow in rushing. The other top returning runners are Logan Day, Jaylen Stone and a player who has the swaggiest first name for a running back: Deaken Reed. “I’ll be deking, yep,” Deaken laughs. “That’s right.”
His brother says there’s much more to his younger brother’s game: “He’s got moves but he’s a bowling ball back there,” Miller says. “I think he’s going to have a big year.”
The top two receivers are back: Andre Englemon (42 catches, 631 yards, 4 TDs) and Stone (26-494-6). The Panthers averaged about 22 points per game last year after putting up 36 points in 2024, so improvement is needed. Back on the line are Ben Griffiths and Tyler Crafton at tackle, Maddox Arnold at center and Jacob Cook at guard.
When the defense finds its form
The hybrid Panther defense gave up 28 points per game last season. Coach McMillen looks at that and sees lots of room for improvement, beginning now.
The good news there: eight players with starting experience return. The top three tacklers and eight of the top 11 are back. They include linebacker Austin Grant Ashcraft (146 tackles), linebacker Crafton (86), and Englemon (79) at safety.
Also returning are Day, Stone, Cook, Griffiths and Deaken Reed at linebacker. Craftin led with 12 tackles for loss and had a pair of sacks. Englemon came up with three interceptions.
Deaken Reed, like his brother, was lost for the season early in 2025 with a broken leg. “Don’t worry,” he assures. “I’m back.”
Why Woody never wavers
McMillen no longer teaches but he’s around James Rigney Memorial Stadium. “I retired from teaching in 2025 but I’m still coaching. I enjoy it. It’s fun,” says McMillen a 1987 Ludlow graduate. “It’s an honor to coach my hometown football team. I want us to win as much as anybody and we’ll find a way.”
McMillen is in his fourth season as Ludlow head coach. When the times get tough, which they often do, he gets tougher. Last season, the coach lost his starting QB and had Jackson Mays ready to go when Miller Reed went down. That’s preparedness in action, on the part of the player and the coaches, all orchestrated by the head coach.
McMillen’s Ludlow teams have compiled a 20-16 record, 8-2 in district play. He led the Panthers to back-to-back eight-win seasons his first two years and their first district title in nearly 50 years. He continues a record of stability at the head coach position following Greg Taphouse. McMillen, an assistant three years under Taphouse, cut his teeth building the Walton-Verona football team from scratch.
McMillen had to leave Walton-Verona after one miraculous 4-6 season to take care of his ailing father. He got back in the game at Bellevue and coached there from 2015-18. Bellevue went 7-1 against archrival Dayton during his four seasons. When he came back to Ludlow, people were excited. “He’s a great coach and a longtime family friend,” Miller Reed says. “I appreciate him sticking with me.”
How does Ludlow do it?
Coach McMillen says Ludlow’s secret sauce in landing players includes tradition, proximity and a genuine love for football in the community. “I’ve come full circle with the program and seen entire families,” he explains. “Ludlow football has been around about 100 years. There are sons of players, guys whose grandfathers played here, their uncles, cousins. It’s a walking-distance community. Lots of kids walk to school and it’s easy to get to the stadium. The youth football here is strong. It’s a special atmosphere they want to be part of. There are all kinds of kids like that.”
Take the Reed boys, for example, but don’t try taking them away from the football field. Their father, their grandfather and at least three other family members have played for the Panthers.
“Tradition is important. I still walk out there and remember I did that then and we did that there,” remembers the decidedly old-school McMillen. “Back then, it was with the smell of grass. Now we have a bright red turf field, and we’ll put a good team out there this year.”
The coach says this next version of the Panthers is athletic, experienced and scrappy: “We’re not huge but we’re fast, and the goals never change. We’re trying to win the district and some playoff games. We won district two years in a row and we didn’t last year. Nobody falls onto the top of a mountain. You have to climb it first, and that’s what we’re doing.”
We’re previewing all 22 NKY football teams from July 27-August 17. Check out five things to know about each team below:
