Let's Talk 2016 3A....

Never too early...

Who is going to surprise people?

Who is going to be "down" ?

Who will be the team to beat in the West?

Belfry prohibitive favorite

I'd say Belfry is the smart bet to end their season in BG.

I don't know how much Lex Cath returns, so I can't say if they are the favorite to repeat in the west. If not them, I'd say smart money is on Caldwell, PT, Boyle and Central (no specific order.)

Just like last year, I'd say 3A is going to have a wealth of great regular season and post season games.

It should all be fun to watch this fall!

My way too early notes and Top 15:

1. Belfry- Yeah..... the three time defending Champs will be loaded. 9 Starters each way, 4 possible D1 players, possibly the State's Top Defensive player, and a huge and dominant OLine

2. Corbin- Redhounds return the farm and actually competed well with Belfry. Will need to improve on the Dline but Offensively return almost all their firepower including a very talented backfield and one of the best QB's in 3A

3. Caldwell County- Tigers return one of the State's Top Passers and a nice amount of experience around him. Javonte Riley is a sensational weapon and Gaither provides a nice receiving option.

4. LexCath- Graduation hits them hard at the skill spots but Legend Brumbaugh will be a nice piece to build around. Bring back some experience up front including a D-1 prospect. Sid Sharp is a solid defensive player.

5. Boyle County- Lots of questions, namely how do you replace a Josiah Robbins? With that said Boyle does have some experience on the OL and return a nice group from one of the better Defensive teams in 3A.

6. Waggener- If you want a surprise team Waggener may fit the bill. In terms of shear athletic talent and playmakers they bring back some scary potential including Jairus Brents and the Harper Brothers. Once the transfers cleared Waggener was a Top 10 caliber team last year and gave Central all they wanted.

7. Central- Graduation was not kind to the Yellowjackets who lose 7+ starters each way. with that said as long as Ty Scorggins is on the sideline Central will be a force to reckon with come November.

8. Garrard County- The Golden Lions are an interesting team. They return some excellent rushers in Foley and Logan. They have plenty of beef up front and some talent on Defense to build around. Can they make up the gap that existed in their District in 2015?

9. Russell- Nick Conley will be one of 3A's best all-around players and the Devils bring back a nice contingent of size and experience. Not alot of big time home run threats or speed though.

10. Tilghman- The Blue Tornadoes have what Russell is missing in terms of speed and explosion, but the problem is they don't have the size and depth. In a 3A Class that usually is littered with excellent Defensive teams it is hard to win when you can't win the LOS.

11. Etown- After a 13-0 start in 2015 and a Semi-Finals appearance I want to put Etown higher but the truth is they were decimated by graduation and basically must replace all their Offensive production.

12. Fleming County- Fleming will be one of the more experienced teams in the East, but they have a long way to improve to contend with some of the top teams.

13. Lawrence County- The Bulldogs have one of 3A's elite players in WR Timmy Dalton, the problem is they have lost essentially every other Offensive Weapon.

14. Bell County- The Bobcats are a bit of a wildcard. Treyton Humfleet is a superstar and single handily assures Bell as a tough out for any 3A team... with that said graduation hit Log Mountain pretty hard, but not nearly as hard as the drama of the coaching switch that is still...well.... to be determined.

15. Breathitt County- Expect to see marked improvement from the Bobcats. Coach Moore has some familiar help on the sidelines in HOF Coach Mike Holcomb and the Bobcats return a lot of experience after a trial by fire 2015 season. Still a long way to go to contend with the Corbin's and Belfry's of the World.

My way too early notes and Top 15:

 

1. Belfry- Yeah..... the three time defending Champs will be loaded. 9 Starters each way, 4 possible D1 players, possibly the State's Top Defensive player, and a huge and dominant OLine

 

2. Corbin- Redhounds return the farm and actually competed well with Belfry. Will need to improve on the Dline but Offensively return almost all their firepower including a very talented backfield and one of the best QB's in 3A

 

3. Caldwell County- Tigers return one of the State's Top Passers and a nice amount of experience around him. Javonte Riley is a sensational weapon and Gaither provides a nice receiving option.

 

4. LexCath- Graduation hits them hard at the skill spots but Legend Brumbaugh will be a nice piece to build around. Bring back some experience up front including a D-1 prospect. Sid Sharp is a solid defensive player.

 

5. Boyle County- Lots of questions, namely how do you replace a Josiah Robbins? With that said Boyle does have some experience on the OL and return a nice group from one of the better Defensive teams in 3A.

 

6. Waggener- If you want a surprise team Waggener may fit the bill. In terms of shear athletic talent and playmakers they bring back some scary potential including Jairus Brents and the Harper Brothers. Once the transfers cleared Waggener was a Top 10 caliber team last year and gave Central all they wanted.

 

7. Central- Graduation was not kind to the Yellowjackets who lose 7+ starters each way. with that said as long as Ty Scorggins is on the sideline Central will be a force to reckon with come November.

 

8. Garrard County- The Golden Lions are an interesting team. They return some excellent rushers in Foley and Logan. They have plenty of beef up front and some talent on Defense to build around. Can they make up the gap that existed in their District in 2015?

 

9. Russell- Nick Conley will be one of 3A's best all-around players and the Devils bring back a nice contingent of size and experience. Not alot of big time home run threats or speed though.

 

10. Tilghman- The Blue Tornadoes have what Russell is missing in terms of speed and explosion, but the problem is they don't have the size and depth. In a 3A Class that usually is littered with excellent Defensive teams it is hard to win when you can't win the LOS.

 

11. Etown- After a 13-0 start in 2015 and a Semi-Finals appearance I want to put Etown higher but the truth is they were decimated by graduation and basically must replace all their Offensive production.

 

12. Fleming County- Fleming will be one of the more experienced teams in the East, but they have a long way to improve to contend with some of the top teams.

 

13. Lawrence County- The Bulldogs have one of 3A's elite players in WR Timmy Dalton, the problem is they have lost essentially every other Offensive Weapon.

 

14. Bell County- The Bobcats are a bit of a wildcard. Treyton Humfleet is a superstar and single handily assures Bell as a tough out for any 3A team... with that said graduation hit Log Mountain pretty hard, but not nearly as hard as the drama of the coaching switch that is still...well.... to be determined.

 

15. Breathitt County- Expect to see marked improvement from the Bobcats. Coach Moore has some familiar help on the sidelines in HOF Coach Mike Holcomb and the Bobcats return a lot of experience after a trial by fire 2015 season. Still a long way to go to contend with the Corbin's and Belfry's of the World.

Nice! Good Job ATL

The only thing I have to add in terms of rebuttal to you ATL is don't underestimate E-town. Mark Brown knows how to win (look at his John Hardin dynasty he built before retiring for the first time), and even when decimated by graduation finds a way. E-town could very easily be a top 10 team come November if not earlier.

The only thing I have to add in terms of rebuttal to you ATL is don't underestimate E-town. Mark Brown knows how to win (look at his John Hardin dynasty he built before retiring for the first time), and even when decimated by graduation finds a way. E-town could very easily be a top 10 team come November if not earlier.

I totally agree. I considered Etown from about #7 down but just couldn't overcome the fact that they literally are going to have to rebuild their Offense from scratch.

ETown started a lot of talented kids both ways. They will be tough to replace. PT has quite a bit of young talent coming up and the QB got some valuable experience last year when Dunnigan was hurt.

ETown started a lot of talented kids both ways. They will be tough to replace. PT has quite a bit of young talent coming up and the QB got some valuable experience last year when Dunnigan was hurt.

E-town loses a ton, but they have a very talented junior to be bunch that will make them tough to handle as the year goes on. Several of those juniors next year would have started for many people as sophomores, and some did..including one of the very talented Becherer brothers that transferred in from Collins last summer. I don't know if they can run the table again in the regular season, but it wouldn't shock me one bit to see E-town finish 9-1 to 7-3.

E-town definitely isn't going anywhere. That senior bunch last fall; all they have ever known is winning. State semifinalist in football, back to back region champs in baseball (with a chance to 3-peat).Deep and talented. The junior bunch next year won their regular season middle school conference as as 8th graders (all of Hardin County + Meade), and I think this year's 8th graders did the same.

After Belfry, the next several teams could be interchangeable.

Waggener and Garrard Co. are intriguing teams. Waggener gets a full off-season to work with its shiny new toys and Garrard might have more size in the trenches than anyone not named Belfry to go along with a strong returning backfield.

Russell has to replace some big bodies along the line of scrimmage. Three 300 pounders will be lost to graduation. I do think next year's OL will be more mobile and athletic, though. The Red Devils return a lot of experience at WR and DB. QB, OL, and DL are the question marks.

Having watched Lexington Catholic last year, I will share what little I know.

1)Belfry has to be considered a favorite to be in Bowling Green the 1st week in December, if the QB plays as well as he did last season and can avoid injury. The QB is what makes that team go (and yes they do have a dominant offensive line).

2) Lexington Catholic will have more size across the offensive line in 2016-question remains as to how athletic that group will be. The development of Brumbaugh is significant and replacing the receiver group will be difficult. I will make a bold statement and say that losing Jaylen Jones may not be as difficult as some may think. He really never got rolling in 2016 for whatever reason.

Defensively Catholic loses alot of quality players and great depth on the defensive line. Talented group coming through in 2016 and will the depth will develop as the season progresses. In anticipation of a possible rematch with Belfry in December, I do believe that you could possibly see some of the OL play on defense on a rotational basis against run dominated teams.

Linebackers will be a strength of the defense as Catholic returns several 3 yr starters. In the hybrid position Lauterbach and Fagot may be 2 of the better players in 3A and the foundation of the defense. Defensive backfield will be a rebuild but the talent is there but it does lack varsity experience.

3) Garrard was absolutely huge upfront last year but not athletic enough to keep up with Catholic's spread. Team seemed to play with a chip on its shoulder in the playoffs and I expect will be a very good team in 2016.

4) Boyle County-Seems the only thing that changes is the name on the back of the jerseys. Could easily have been in the State Championship game. Fundamentally, the strongest team in Class 3A as Chuck Smith seems to do more with less as well as any Coach in 3A.

Bardstown developed some lineman last year after the defection of several seniors. It was a tough road to hoe. They now have a year of seasoning and will be bolstered by some very strong underclasses coming up. Defense should be very strong. They have a college-caliber pair of athletes in QB Santrel Farmer and WR Deondre Boggs. IF Farmer plays (some indication he may concentrate just on baseball where he is likely to get scholarship offers), then Bardstown could be strong. If Farmer doesn't play, or if the revamped line doesn't protect him, then they will struggle.

After Belfry, the next several teams could be interchangeable.

 

Waggener and Garrard Co. are intriguing teams. Waggener gets a full off-season to work with its shiny new toys and Garrard might have more size in the trenches than anyone not named Belfry to go along with a strong returning backfield.

 

Russell has to replace some big bodies along the line of scrimmage. Three 300 pounders will be lost to graduation. I do think next year's OL will be more mobile and athletic, though. The Red Devils return a lot of experience at WR and DB. QB, OL, and DL are the question marks.

Church the favorite to start at QB?

Church the favorite to start at QB?

Most likely. Freshman Grant Wilburn has all the tools to be a very good QB down the road, but for now, the job is probably Church's to lose.

Caldwell County will have to find some receivers in order to compete in the state.