The season is running out quickly now, and the playoffs are growing closer. With two weeks left in the regular season, here are the latest standings in our end of the Commonwealth:
Class 1A, District 1:
Mayfield: 7-1, 2-0
Russellville: 7-1, 2-0
Fulton Co: 1-6, 1-2
Fulton City: 0-7, 0-3
Class 2A, District 1:
Caldwell Co: 8-0, 2-0
Murray: 5-3, 2-1
Ballard Mem: 7-2, 1-2
Crittenden Co: 3-5, 0-2
Class 3A, District 1:
Paducah Tilghman: 4-5, 2-0
Trigg Co: 4-4, 1-1
Fort Campbell: 2-6, 1-1
Webster Co: 1-7, 0-2
Class 4A, District 1:
Owensboro: 7-1, 2-0
Madisonville-N. Hopkins: 6-2, 2-1
Calloway Co: 1-7, 1-2
Hopkins Co. Cent: 0-8, 0-2
Class 5A, District 1:
Hopkinsville: 6-2, 3-0
Graves Co: 5-3, 3-0
Christian Co: 3-5, 2-2
Owensboro Apollo: 1-7, 0-3
Ohio Co: 0-8, 0-3
Class 6A, District 1:
McCracken Co: 7-1, 2-0
Henderson Co: 4-4, 2-0
Daviess Co: 2-6, 0-2
Marshall Co: 2-6, 0-2
Here are this week's games (home teams listed first). Some odd scheduling quirks. We have another Battle of Fulton -- the second one this season. Can't these teams schedule Hopkins County Central? Meanwhile, I have no idea why Christian County is going all the way to Knoxville to play the Fulton Falcons. For that matter, I don't know why North Bullitt is coming to Calloway County.
Murray High, on the other hand, has played a great schedule -- as has Madisonville. I would love to see that Murray/Madisonville game.
I think Eric should be very nervous about that game in Henderson County. Meanwhile, I know exactly how the folks in Russellville are feeling about their big game with Mayfield -- I used to go through this every year when Mayfield was in Heath's district. I went to three Heath/Mayfield games when I was in high school, and I think about those three games as much as I think about all the other Heath football games I saw put together.
Friday, October 24, 2014:
Ballard Mem (7-2) v. Massac Co. (Ill.)
Caldwell Co (8-0) v. Crittenden Co. (3-5)
Daviess Co. (2-6) v. Marshall Co. (2-6)
Fulton Co. (1-6) v. Fulton City (0-7)
Henderson Co. (4-4) v. McCracken Co. (7-1)
Hopkinsville (6-2) v. Graves Co. (5-3)
Knoxville Fulton (Tenn.) v. Christian Co. (3-5)
Madisonville-N. Hopkins (6-2) v. Murray (5-3)
Russellville (7-1) v. Mayfield (7-1)
Trigg Co. (4-4) v. Fort Campbell (2-6)
Webster Co. (1-7) v. Paducah Tilghman (4-5)
Saturday, October 25, 2014:
Calloway Co. (1-7) v. N. Bullitt (1-7)
Best game in Class A is definitely No. 1 Mayfield at No. 8 Russellville (I'm using the BluegrassPreps.com ratings these days because they list each ranked team's upcoming opponent, but I also look at the AP because they include the records). These two teams are the Region 1 heavyweights.
ReplyDeleteHere's who the other (bolded) teams I like per region play tonight:
-- Region 2, No. 2 Fort Mitchell Beechwood at Ludlow and No. 5 Frankfort vs. Eminence
-- Region 3, No. 4 Williamsburg vs. Lynn Camp and No. 7 Hazard at good Pineville
-- Region 4, No. 4 Pikeville at Allen Central and No. 6 Raceland vs. No. 10 Paintsville
Last Friday was a shakeout in Class 2A, with Christian Academy of Louisville thumping the defending state champ, Louisville DeSales and Caldwell County winning at Murray. The best games this week are probably No. 8 Prestonsburg at Leslie County (both teams are 7-1, with Leslie's lone loss coming last week as Pikeville Shelby Valley came out to Hyden and won, 38-35) and No. 6 Danville at home against Lexington Christian (Danville is 6-2, and Lexington Christian's 5-3--and all five of the losses were to strong teams in other classes). Prestonsburg, Leslie, Danville and Lexington Christian are all in Region 4.
ReplyDeleteMy other regional favorites and their opponents tonight:
-- Region 1, No. 2 Caldwell County vs. Crittenden County and No. 4 Owensboro Catholic vs. McLean County
-- Region 2, No. 1 CAL is idle
-- Region 3, No. 9 Newport Central Catholic at Covington Holy Cross
After a lively last Friday in Class 3A, I'm keeping an eye out for only the odd upset this week:
ReplyDelete-- Region 1, No. 7 Paducah Tilghman at Webster County (No. 1 Bowling Green South Warren is idle)
-- Region 2, No. 3 Louisville Central vs. LaRue County, No. 4 Corbin at Casey County and No. 5 Bell County vs. McCreary County
-- Region 3, No. 6 Garrard County vs. Estill County and No. 9 Russell at Grayson East Carter
-- Region 4, No. 2 Belfry vs. Pike County Central
A few weeks ago, I was at the IKEA north of Cincinnati on a Friday afternoon, and I ran into a very old woman wearing a blue baseball cap with a giant block "H" on the front that she confirmed was, indeed, for Fort Thomas Highlands. She was thrilled to learn both that I had grown up in Paducah and that I did not attend Tilghman, which she pointed out had just lost at Highlands, 49-17, earlier that season. Ever since that encounter, I've found myself rooting a little more for Highlands.
ReplyDeleteThe No. 1 Bluebirds certainly appear to be on track to reclaim the Class 4A state title they lost to Shelbyville Martha Layne Collins last season, but we'll see. Collins is back to 4-4 after its 0-3 start on its 2013 championship defense, and all four of the losses were to Class 5A and 6A teams with winning records. The Titans tonight play at Goshen North Oldham (5-2 and tied for 10th in the AP poll), and this is the game of the night in 4A for my money. Whoever wins here looks to me to be the Region 2 favorite, and it will also say to me whether the 2013 state champion is a legitimate contender to repeat.
Other regional faves and their foes tonight:
-- Region 1, No. 2 Owensboro vs. Mortons Gap Hopkins County Central, No. 4 Madisonville-North Hopkins (yes, I know the Maroons lost at home to Owensboro, but I don't care--I still choose to consider Madisonville a regional contender) vs. Murray and No. 8 Franklin-Simpson at Allen County-Scottsville
-- Region 3, No. 5 Lexington Catholic vs. Marion County and No. 7 Barbourville Knox Central vs. Russell County
-- Region 4, No. 1 Highlands vs. Cincinnati Elder and No. 3 Paintsville Johnson Central vs. No. 10 Ashland Blazer
I slipped to T36 last week in WKDZ's Wildcat Chevrolet Friday Football Frenzy, but tonight I'm throwing the Hail Mary, going against the 56-percent majority of the 63 competitors and choosing Hopkinsville to beat visiting Graves County at the Stadium of Champions.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hoptown is really a Class 5A contender. The Tigers lost by 38 to Warren Central early this season, and then No. 3 Warren Central last week lost at home, 34-13, to Bowling Green in its giant, circle-on-the-calendar rivalry game. The No. 1 Purples are obviously the favorite to repeat as Region 1 and state champions, and tonight they play another cross-towner, hosting Greenwood.
My other 5A regional faves and their foes:
-- Region 2, Shepherdsville Bullitt Central at Independence Simon Kenton
-- Region 3, No. 10 Union Randall K. Cooper vs. Grant County and Hebron Conner at Taylor Mill Scott (No. 8 Crestwood South Oldham is idle)
-- Region 4, No. 2 Pulaski County at No. 6 Somerset Southwestern in the Class 5A game of the night
I join Go Heath in his displaced nervousness about No. 8 McCracken County's trip up U.S. 60 to Henderson County in Class 6A. But I joined the other 100 percent (!) of my fellow WKDZ Wildcat Chevrolet Friday Football Frenzy competitors in picking the Mustangs to prevail against the home-standing Colonels. McCracken County has lost one game this season, and it was at home to a team in a lower class, 5A Graves County. But that was the game after the Mustangs' head coach, Jack Haskins, collapsed on the sidelines, and things were going so haywire that Coach Haskins reportedly rushed out of the press box at halftime and joined his team on the sidelines against doctor's recommendations in an attempt to stir things up. So I'm still considering the Mustangs to be a Region 1 contender, along with No. 7 Elizabethtown Central Hardin, which plays at Muhlenberg County tonight.
ReplyDeleteOther regions, other opponents tonight:
-- Region 2, No. 9 Edgewood Dixie Heights at Union Larry A. Ryle
-- Region 3, No. 1 Louisville Male vs. No. 6 Louisville Manual, in the 6A game of the night
-- Region 4, Lexington Bryan Station at Lexington Henry Clay and No. 4 Scott County at Lexington Paul Laurence Dunbar
"Now everyone listens to this prime-time show,
ReplyDeletefrom the county line to the O-hi-o"
WSON is now broadcasting a local sendup to the horrible Hank Williams Jr. "Are You Ready For Some Football?" song that they used to play on Monday Night Football.
"Are you ready for some football, Henderson County?" it closes.
DeleteRussellville's WRUS is calling it "the ballgame to end all ballgames." The hometown Panthers trail Mayfield, 9-8, at Rhea Stadium and taking over at their own 20 with about seven minutes to play.
ReplyDeleteRussellville is unable to get out of its own end, though, punts back to Mayfield--and then the Cardinals run for a touchdown on the ensuing first down. With exactly five minutes to play, Mayfield adds the kick and is up 16-8.
ReplyDelete"Scoring early wasn't the worst thing that could've happened," WRUS points out, correctly.
2:24 to go in Russellville ... Panthers complete a pass of 33 yards to the Mayfield 15 ... Russellville trails by eight points ...
ReplyDeleteNone of the Class A contenders have backed off tonight:
ReplyDelete-- Region 2, No. 2 Fort Mitchell Beechwood beats Ludlow, 41-7, and No. 5 Frankfort beats Eminence, 73-0
-- Region 3, No. 4 Williamsburg beats Lynn Camp, 49-0, and No. 7 Hazard wins at Pineville, 42-6
-- Region 4, No. 4 Pikeville wins at Allen Central, 41-0, and No. 6 Raceland beats No. 10 Paintsville, 32-0
1:18 to go ... third down ... WRUS reports Russellville drops pass in end zone ... fourth down coming ...
ReplyDeletePanther quarterback Coco Darden (sp?) scrambles all the way back to the 30 ... to the 40! ... WRUS reports the ball hits a receiver in the end zone in the hands but falls incomplete ... Mayfield will survive ...
ReplyDeleteFinal in Class A, Region 1: No. 1 Mayfield 16 at No. 8 Russellville 8.
ReplyDeleteThe Region 4 scrum in Class 2A got a lot more interesting tonight. No. 6 Danville won at home, 58-57, over Lexington Christian, and Leslie County won at home in overtime, 41-34, over No. 8 Prestonsburg. And now I'm starting to wonder, too, about Shelby Valley, a 46-8 winner over Betsy Layne.
ReplyDeleteOther Class 2A contenders:
-- Region 1, No. 2 Caldwell County over Crittenden County, 63-6, (as Elijah Sindelar breaks the state record for career touchdown passes) and No. 4 Owensboro Catholic over McLean County, 60-7
-- Region 2, No. 1 CAL was idle, but No. 3 DeSales whipped Bardstown Thomas Nelson, 49-13
-- Region 3, No. 9 Newport Central Catholic over Covington Holy Cross, 50-21
"How close are we?" Russellville's coach says on WRUS. "We're knocking on that door."
ReplyDelete"Beating them once is one thing; beating them twice is another. But beating them once when it counts is what we want to do."
ReplyDeleteClass 3A contenders almost all won and won big, but, in Region 3, we had an upset: No. 6 Garrard County falling, 26-22, at Estill County. Estill's only 3A loss this year was at Bourbon County, 38-28, and Bourbon's only 3A loss this year was at Garrard, 32-12. So now I don't see any reason to believe that any of these three teams, or No. 9 Russell couldn't emerge out of Region 3.
ReplyDeleteOK, now I think Collins is done. The defending 4A champs sustained what was reportedly the second-worst loss in Titan football history, 43-0, at North Oldham. The Mustangs of Goshen have now won their last three games by 53-0, 49-0 and 43-0. Of course, the game before that, North Oldham lost, 21-13, to another Region 2 team, Spencer County, which then turned around and lost at Collins the following week, 20-7. Well, now I've gotten to the end of the paragraph, and I'm not so sure again about Region 2. OK, upon further review, I'm not giving up on Collins--or Spencer County.
ReplyDeleteIn Region 4, No. 1 Highlands lost, but it was to Cincinnati Elder, 49-35. The best win among the other contenders was also in Region 4: No. 3 Paintsville Johnson Central, 42-7, over No. 10 Ashland Blazer.
The opponent is Class 2A, but, still, No. 4 Madisonville-North Hopkins impressed me by beating visiting Murray, 27-15.
Keenan Singleton @KJMSingleton
ReplyDeleteSouthwestern from 1-9 last season to 8-2 and district champs. Beat Pulaski 14-0. Quite a 1-year turnaround.
8:27 PM - 24 Oct 2014
That one's big in Class 5A--and even bigger still in Somerset. Pulaski County is the defending 5A runnerup, but now I've got to learn more about the Southwestern Warriors.
Simon Kenton stomped Bullitt Central of Region 2 in Independence, 43-7, but Kenton's a good 6A team.
Scott beat Conner, 16-15, in Region 3, so I guess I'm going to undismiss the Eagles of Taylor Mill from Region 3 contention.
And No. 1 Bowling Green beat Greenwood, 21-3.
I didn't make it all the way to Henderson County, but the Mustangs of McCracken County showed and rocked, 42-19. In fact, all of the 6A competitors I had bolded earlier won, except Bryan Station, which lost, 70-63, at Henry Clay. Clay beats Station, which beat Scott County, which beat Clay. So who knows who comes out of Region 4?
ReplyDeleteThe Simon Kenton Pioneers wore the helmets and other equipment of nine different teams tonight because their equipment house burned Wednesday.
ReplyDelete