Next Week's Games, Classes 1A to 3A

There are 24 teams still playing in Kentucky, as we are now down to the State Semi-Finals. Let's look at the three smaller classes:

Class 1A

Beechwood (10-3) v. Mayfield (13-0)

Hazard (13-0) v. Lexington Christian (10-3)

2009 Championship Game: Lexington Christian 55, Mayfield 19

2008 Championship Game: Beechwood 14, Hazard 7

2007 Championship Game: Beechwood 38, Lexington Christian 35

These are the same four teams that made it to the semi-finals last year. In 2009, Mayfield and LexChristian were the home team. Three of these four teams made it to the semi-finals in 2008 (Crittenden replaced Mayfield). That year Beechwood and Hazard were the home teams, and they went to the finals, where Beechwood prevailed. In 2007, Beechwood, Hazard, and LexChristian all made the semi-finals, and Beechwood won. So there hasn't been a lot of parity in Class A since Kentucky went to six divisions.

It seems extremely unlikely that Beechwood will lose a home game in the playoffs, but if any school in western Kentucky could ever go up to the Cincinnati suburbs and knock them off, Mayfield is that team.

Class 2A

Danville (10-3) v. Owensboro Catholic (12-1)

Corbin (11-2) v. Newport Central Catholic (11-2)

2009 Championship Game: Ft. Campbell 29, Lou. DeSales 9

2008 Championship Game: Ft. Campbell 26, Newport Central Catholic 23

2007 Championship Game: Ft. Campbell 21, Newport Central Catholic 7

There's been a shakeup in Class 2A, as Fort Campbell won this title in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Normally, I go with the Catholic schools in these public/private school matchups (despite Ft. Campbell's winning three consecutive title games against Catholic schools), but my guess is at least one of the public schools can win at home.

Class 3A

Lou. Central (7-6) v. Paducah Tilghman (11-2)

Belfry (9-4) v. Somerset (13-0)

2009 Championship Game: Paducah Tilghman 21, Somerset 0

2008 Championship Game: Lou. Central 40, Breathitt Co. 19

2007 Championship Game: Lou. Central 27, Belfry 17

Last year, Tilghman won the title by beating Russellville, Central, and Somerset, and the same path is before them this year. On the other hand, Central won the title in 2008 and 2007. So that should be quite a game. Central's record is misleading, as they took a bunch of losses to bigger schools in Louisville at the beginning of the year.

For the record, I think it is very unfair that Central gets to play as a 3A school. It may be the case -- in fact, I assume it is the case -- that Central's enrollment means that it is the same size as a school like Tilghman. But Central -- unlike Tilghman -- is a magnet "career academy" that specializes in training kids for certain career paths. This means that it can draw upon kids from throughout Jefferson County -- giving it a clear opportunity to build up an athletics powerhouse by granting the applications of kids who are particularly good at sports. Meanwhile, 3A schools like Belfry and Somerset can only play the kids who happen to live in their school district. That doesn't seem fair at all.