article 1A Notebook 8/28 - We May Be Little But...

The top teams in Class 1A made a point last week. So many times it is said that the little school should not beat the big school. Well, anyone who thinks that had better not read on - because you won't like what happened with the top teams in 1A last week. The top teams in 1A almost all played teams in higher classes last week. Several of those bigger school opponents were also ranked. That did not matter at all to the 1A schools. In games where a 1A team played a team from a larger class, the 1A schools won 8 and only lost 3. Take that big guys!

1A Tops the Big Guys

Leading the way on the 1A over big school victory parade were 3 of the top 4 in 1A. Beechwood, Hazard and Kentucky Country Day all scored impressive wins over very good bigger schools. Beechwood took on a 2A Lloyd Juggernaut team that was coming off a very nice opening win over 4A West Jessamine. The Tigers got off to a slow start then poured it on in the second quarter to lead 28-0 at halftime on their way to a 35-14 win. Kentucky Country Day faced an even higher ranked 2A opponent, the #8 Walton Verona Bearcats. Kentucky Country Day jumped out to a lead and then hung on for a 21-20 win. The most impressive win though from our top ranked teams was Hazard defeating 5A Harlan County 17-6. It was a defensive struggle with both teams holding the other to less than 200 yards of offense.

The results were a little more mixed in the lower half of the 1A top ten. Williamsburg, Raceland and Pikeville all took losses to higher class ranked opponents. However, balancing that out were Louisville Holy Cross, Russellville, Frankfort, Fairview and Brossart who all posted wins over bigger schools. Those wins pushed 1A to their 8-3 winning record in last week's interclass games. The point is made. Just being bigger doesn't make you better.

Did we get any more answers?

The notebook was looking for answers this week. Did we get any? Maybe not complete answers, but definitely some more clues.

Our annointed top three are not disappointing. Beechwood, Hazard and Paintsville are all looking like the top contenders we expected them to be. We might be adding a fourth team to this top tier. The strong win by #4 ranked Kentucky Country Day over 2A #8 Walton Verona moves them up the ladder a couple notches.

The rest of the top ten and beyond looks as muddled as it did last week. Williamsburg fell short of expectations in their contest versus 2A Somerset, and now there are rumblings of discontent in the ranks of the Yellowjackets. That was a step back for Williamsburg. Likewise, Raceland did not show much in their loss to rival Ashland. No help in figuring out what the Rams have. Then there was Pikeville taking a drubbing by 2A #3 Lexington Christian Academy. The suspicions about the quality of their opening win over a struggling Covington Holy Cross team were somewhat confirmed by this loss.

On the Rise

There were some other nice wins last week in the 1A ranks. Russellville and Louisville Holy Cross bounced back from opening losses by posting wins over larger schools. Those wins solidified their position in the 1A rankings. Here are some other nice wins and teams on the rise in 1A:

Frankfort over Grant County - One of the perennial 1A contenders is looking like they are back. Frankfort walked over Grant County to join the ranks of 2-0 teams in 1A. That win pushed Frankfort into the top 10 of this week's rankings.

Ludlow over Bracken County - Everyone knew Ludlow had one of the outstanding players in 1A, QB Justin Blackburn. The questions were about his surrounding cast and his new head coach. Ludlow showed there is more than just QB Blackburn with a win over then #10 Bracken County. This win by Ludlow certainly puts them on the list of teams on the rise.

Fairview over Boyd County - The Fairview Eagles opened their season in style with a convincing 36-14 win over 4A Boyd County. Never underestimate the Eagles. They always put a solid team together and this opening win makes them a team to keep your eye on.

Brossart over Holmes - Brossart went to 2-0 by posting a win over Holmes on opening night of the new turf and stadium for Holmes. Brossart is on their way to doing it again. They start the year underrated and then just go out and post wins to move their way up the 1A rankings.

This Friday's Menu

Looking ahead to this Friday, the games aren't quite as compelling as what we were looking at last week. Still there are several key games to keep your eye on:

Beechwood at Somerset - Beechwood will try to do what Williamsburg could not last week and post a win over the Jumpers. Somerset is giving us some good game comparisons as they play Williamsburg, Beechwood and Hazard back to back to back.

Kentucky Country Day at Washington County - Kentucky Country Day needs to back up the win last week by getting another one over a 2-0 Washington County team. Last year this game was no problem for the Bearcats. They need to repeat with just as impressive a win this year as they did last year.

Louisville Holy Cross at DeSales - Holy Cross has looked good in their two opening games but this game is different. The Cougars have not been competitive versus DeSales. They need to step it up and at least be more competitive in this game if they want to move closer to the top of the 1A title contenders list.

Williamsburg at Leslie County - We will add this game to the watch list because it now is looking like a key matchup for Williamsburg. They need to get a win here to get their season back on track.

There are several other games that have the potential for a top 1A team to be upset, but we expect the rest of 1A to get wins. That doesn't mean it will happen of course. That is why we reflect weekly in the notebook on these results as we make our way to Lexington and the 2017 title game.

@Voice of Reason what do you expect from the Beechwood against Somerset?

@Voice of Reason what do you expect from the Beechwood against Somerset?

Taking the weather out of the picture, I expect this to go about like last year. Beechwood is bigger, stronger and just as fast as last year. Beechwood controlled the game last year and won 29-7. I expect Beechwood to win by 2 TD's or more.