article EKY Power Ranking- Offseason Discussion

The ground is beginning to thaw out, pollen fills the air, the grass is becoming green, and Spring Football is set to begin.

We will evaluate how the EKY power Rankings finished in 2016, and also take a glance at what we think they will look like as the page turns to 2017.

Will familiar names fall down or even off the list? Will new names challenge the top? WHo will be the top players? EKY brough home two titles and a pair of State Runner-Up finishes, will the tally change in 2017?

Let us take a trip back to early November where we left off the EKY Power Rankings:

1. 3A Belfry Pirates

2. 4A Johnson Central Golden Eagles

3. 3A Corbin Redhounds

4. 4A Rockcastle County Rockets

5. 5A Southwestern Warriors

6. 1A Paintsville Tigers

7. 5A Pulaski County Maroons

8. 4A Wayne County Cardinals

9. 3A Russell Red Devils

10. 1A Raceland Rams

Aside from 1A Runner-Up Hazard, who else should have been ranked differently?

The Watch List:

Belfry Pirates- Belfry has been the Beast of the East for a while now, but must replace a dominant Senior Class.

Johnson Central- The Eagles got over the hump and won their first State Title, will the loss of several key cogs trip up a talented squad?

Pulaski County Maroons- Pulaski got hot in the playoffs and made it to Bowling Green, they now must address life without Jake.

Hazard Bulldogs- Speaking of getting hot, the young Bulldogs peaked in November and nearly won the 1A Title. Do they get over the hump in 2017?

Corbin Redhounds- Corbin gave Belfry all they wanted for 3 Quarters then became another notch in the belt. Can Corbin get over the hump in 2017?

Wayne County Cardinals- Wayne got their Semi-Final re-match with Johnson Central but now probably wish they could forget it. With a solid core back do they close ground?

Rockcastle Rockets- The Rock kind of broke apart in re-entry with an early round loss. Can they build off their regular season success.

Southwestern Warriors- Those darn Maroons! Becoming a bit of a predictable experience for Southwestern to win the regular season only to see Pulaski advance in November. Can they flip the script?

North Laurel Jaguars- North Laurel has been a bit of a buzzword this off season and have stirred the pot, can they back it up on the field?

Paintsville Tigers- The tiny 1A school that keep producing D1 talent. Tyrese Allen is the latest in line, but can Paintsville catch Hazard with Kent Phelps gone?

Ashland Tomcats- It was a rebuilding year but the Cats should be significantly improved. Is the gap still far too wide to catch Johnson Central?

Pikeville Panthers- The Panthers have a solid QB and some solid skill. Will Pikeville compete or was Hazard's playoff win a changing of the guard?

Raceland Rams- The Rams want their time to come. Numerous 1A programs have reached Bowling Green in recent years but Raceland remains an odd man out.

Russell Red Devils- Belfry has had Russell's number but with talent turning over on Pond Creek can the Devils find a way to make the rivalry competitive once more?

Leslie County Eagles- A 9-1 regular season and competitive playoff push coupled with some young talent returning may have the Eagles in Dark Horse status in 2017.

Good work!

Until someone knocks them off, Belfry's still the top dog in EKY, as far as I'm concerned. I think JC's nearly eye level with the Pirates and Corbin continues to close the gap heading into 2017.

In my neck of the woods, Russell and Raceland have to replace a lot of key pieces and experience. Ashland's biggest obstacle, personel wise, is developing linemen on both sides of the ball.

Despite losing a talented senior class that included Nick Conley, Landon Brewer, Drey Boehm, Maxx Blackburn, and Evan Ison, just to name a few, the optimist in me thinks Russell will be fine. The incoming seniors have been very successful as a group and there looks to be no shortage of depth in the younger classes.

Raceland must replace one of the best QBs, RBs, WRs, and two way lineman the Rams have seen in recent years. The cupboard is far from bare, but there are enough question marks that they could be a candidate to drop off the list, at least early on.

Ashland's got its share of skill kids, headed up by dual threat QB Braxton Ratliff. But, the Tomcats went from having one of the best offensive and defensive lines in EKY in 2015 to having both units be a liability last year. A significant improvement in the trenches could make Ashland a fixture in the top 10 next season.

Some players to keep an eye on:

Belfry

LB/FB Derek Wellman

HB/DB Taveon Hunter

DB Devin Varney

Johnson Central

RB Joe Jackson

ATH/DB Blake Gamble

DL Dawson Stalker

Pulaski County

QB Wiley Cain

Hazard

RB/LB Cory Smith

QB Bailey Blair

Corbin

QB Cameron Sizemore

ATH Chase Estep

DB Cameron Maquet

Wayne County

LB Chris Dunagan

LB/TE Clay Shelton

Rockastle County

RB/DB Brent Lovell

RB/DE Holdan Barnett

Southwestern

RB/DB Patric Edwards

WR JP Vaught

North Laurel

QB/LB Cole McWhorter

ATH Matt Sizemore

RB/DB Jose Rodriquez

Paintsville

DL/FB Tyrese Allen

Ashland

QB Braxton Ratliff

Pikeville

QB Wyatt Battaile

Leslie County

TE/LB Tyler Dixon

Knott Central

QB Cameron Jones

WR Tyler Kidd

Pike Central

QB/DB Seth Conn

Bell County

ATH Raynoch Thompson

Harlan County

ATH Ty Simmons

Knox Central

ATH Donovan Arthur

McCreary Central

RB Brandon Troxell

Shelby Valley

RB/DB Seth Johnson

Lynn Camp

RB Dalton Cook

Williamsburg

QB Alec Poore

Perry Central

RB Jayden Neace

Estill County

HB/DB Logan Beckler

Fleming County

QB Josh Crump

Breathitt County

QB Cameron Stacy

Somerset

WR Josh Cornett

I think next year's junior class at Corbin is the group that won the D1 title as 8th graders. You've gotta figure that they're going to make their presence felt this year. Maguet and Estep are probably just the tip of the iceberg in that class.

Also, I'll be interested to see if JW Phelps can pick up where his brother left off at Paintsville.

And finally... This might be a bit of a homer pick, but I think Russell's Ryan Stump is one of the top pass rushers in EKY. As the 2016 season went on, he became more adept at dropping back into coverage as well. He'll be a force to be reckoned with in 2017 and is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

As a Fleming County fan, I believe Zac Alexander is worthy of being on this list. He is a 6'4 WR and LB that is garnering a lot of attention from schools this off season.

As a Fleming County fan, I believe Zac Alexander is worthy of being on this list. He is a 6'4 WR and LB that is garnering a lot of attention from schools this off season.

He's an outstanding player on both sides of the ball.

Fleming is in the same boat as Ashland, IMO. They each have an excellent QB with plenty of athletic skill people to get the ball to, but probably need some help up front.