What could have been ... good first-round matchups

What intriguing first-round games would we have seen under the old playoff format, which saw teams take on schools from another district in the first round?

These are some of the matchups I would have liked to have seen this week:

Class A ... Russellville at Murray, Louisville Holy Cross at Danville, Newport Catholic at Raceland

Class 2A ... Trigg County at Owensboro Catholic, Elizabethtown at Corbin, Sheldon Clark at Breathitt County, Leslie County at Prestonsburg

Class 3A ... Franklin-Simpson at Hopkinsville, North Bullitt at Southwestern, Doss at Boyle County, Franklin County at Highlands, South Oldham at East Jessamine, Mason County at Bell County

Class 4A ... Graves County at Henderson County, Marshall County at Owensboro, Manual at North Hardin, Pleasure Ridge Park at John Hardin, Woodford County at Lincoln County, Scott County at Madison Central

You have entirely too much time on your hands, westie...

Maybe so, oneijoe. :lol:

Nevertheless, a lot of those games would appeal more to me than this week's slate ...

KHSAA should have left this alone, maybe draw the Regions in the state semi-finals. The first three rounds were fine as it was.

I'll take Manual @ St X and NCC @ Holy Cross over the games you listed for NCC and Manual. Plus I'll take a Dixie/Ryle and Boone/Campbell rematch over matching up with the Hardins, Meade and Nelson...

I'll take Manual @ St X and NCC @ Holy Cross over the games you listed for NCC and Manual. Plus I'll take a Dixie/Ryle and Boone/Campbell rematch over matching up with the Hardins, Meade and Nelson...

The Lexington 4A district playoffs would have looked like this:

Madison Central @ Lafayette (1)

Montgomery County @ Henry Clay (2)

(3) Scott County @ GRC

(4) Woodford County @ Lincoln County

What intriguing first-round games would we have seen under the old playoff format, which saw teams take on schools from another district in the first round?

 

These are some of the matchups I would have liked to have seen this week:

 

Class A ... Russellville at Murray, Louisville Holy Cross at Danville, Newport Catholic at Raceland

 

Class 2A ... Trigg County at Owensboro Catholic, Elizabethtown at Corbin, Sheldon Clark at Breathitt County, Leslie County at Prestonsburg

 

Class 3A ... Franklin-Simpson at Hopkinsville, North Bullitt at Southwestern, Doss at Boyle County, Franklin County at Highlands, South Oldham at East Jessamine, Mason County at Bell County

 

Class 4A ... Graves County at Henderson County, Marshall County at Owensboro, Manual at North Hardin, Pleasure Ridge Park at John Hardin, Woodford County at Lincoln County, Scott County at Madison Central

It would certainly feel more like the playoffs if Corbin had to face E-town this week, then if they won that game playing probably Larue Co. the following week. I just cannot see the Corbin fans getting very excited about playing two more district games(hopefully the players don't feel the same way)before getting to see someone new if they advance to the 3rd round.

I imagine the gate will be at an all-time low at Corbin Friday for a playoff game.

Maybe it's just me BUT something is missing this year.

Every year at playoff time part of the anticipation was playing against a team that you don't play every year or maybe have never played before. With the new set-up your first two games are definitely against a team that you have played previously and likely every year. IMVHO this reduces the chances for early round upsets and takes some of the excitement away from the playoffs.

Class 4A ... Graves County at Henderson County, Marshall County at Owensboro

I mentioned to a couple of people that this certainly could have made life easier for Warren Central and Christian County. Owensboro especially lucks out, trading Marshall County for Grayson County.

It would certainly feel more like the playoffs if Corbin had to face E-town this week, then if they won that game playing probably Larue Co. the following week. I just cannot see the Corbin fans getting very excited about playing two more district games(hopefully the players don't feel the same way)before getting to see someone new if they advance to the 3rd round.

I imagine the gate will be at an all-time low at Corbin Friday for a playoff game.

I hear you, westsider, and here is another example.

This past Friday night was the smallest crowd I have seen at a Belfry game in many years. The weather was the biggest reason, no doubt, but nobody expected a close game.

The game turned out to be a snoozer, Belfry beat Shelby Valley 49-0. They built a halftime lead of 42-0, holding the Wildcats to negative yards and 1 first down, then played the JV and freshmen the rest of the way.

Now considering these same two teams play again this Friday, and coming off that type of game, how many of the regulars will take a week off and skip the game this week?

I hear you, westsider, and here is another example.

 

This past Friday night was the smallest crowd I have seen at a Belfry game in many years. The weather was the biggest reason, no doubt, but nobody expected a close game.

 

The game turned out to be a snoozer, Belfry beat Shelby Valley 49-0. They built a halftime lead of 42-0, holding the Wildcats to negative yards and 1 first down, then played the JV and freshmen the rest of the way.

 

Now considering these same two teams play again this Friday, and coming off that type of game, how many of the regulars will take a week off and skip the game this week?

The flip side would be at places like Ryle and Boone Co. The crowds will be a lot larger because of the new format...

I think some things are lost with the change to a new playoff system. As a fan, I like seeing how adjacent districts compare to each other with the head-to-head matchups. I think coaches and players get more excited over a first-round game against a team they don't normally see (and everyone I've talked to feels that way).

We've always have some rematches in the playoffs, but they were because both teams earned their way to a rematch, and (in most cases) one of them had to do it on the road.

The flip side would be at places like Ryle and Boone Co. The crowds will be a lot larger because of the new format...

I agree and I know the thinking is that two local teams playing each other will draw a bigger crowd than a 1-4 matchup where a big underdog has to travel an hour or two for the game. And for the most part, that thinking is probably true.

This situation with Belfry is magnified because they just played each other in week 11.