article 5A Notebook (9/14) The Colonels topple the Kings

With most teams having four games under their belts at this point in the season, several teams are really starting to stand out as the front runner’s for the class 5A title. The 5A field this season is much more competitive than in recent memory with a handful of teams all having a shot to take home the trophy. In other words, don’t expect a 70-22 type of championship game as witnessed last season when the Purples walked their way to another state championship. Covington Catholic and Bowling Green currently stand out as the top two teams to challenge for the championship this season, unfortunately due to cross bracketing these two would likely meet in the semifinals rather than the championship game.

Christian County and South Warren round out the currently undefeated 5A teams that should be considered contenders. Christian County has not been dominant this season like some would have expected with a QB like Kolbe Langhi on the team. Instead they have been very businesslike, winning their games methodically with a strong defense while providing just enough offense to nearly double up their opponents scoring for the season. South Warren on the other hand has skyrocketed up the rankings in recent weeks with some dominant wins over solid teams, outscoring their opponents 141-44 in the process. Some may say we missed the boat on the Spartans with the early season rankings. We may have, but I don’t think even the Spartan fans knew they would be this good at this point in the season. The October, 20th matchup versus the Purples will be one to remember as it will be the first time either team has played, with likely a district championship on the line.

Last Week’s Games

Covington Catholic faced their toughest opponent of the season while visiting Kings (OH) and didn’t skip a beat. Quarterback AJ Mayer completed 20 of his 32 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another touchdown on the ground, Mayer’s only fault was a single interception. Any coach will take that touchdown to turnover ratio any week of the season, especially playing a team like Kings. When it was all said and done the Colonels amassed 428 yards of total offense while only allowing 247. It doesn’t get any easier for the Colonels going forward however as they face 1A #1 Beechwood this week, then follow that up with what will likely be the best team they face in the regular season, St. Francis DeSales of Columbus, Ohio.

Bowling Green avoided an unheard of three game skid with a 48-21 win over Owensboro. A fun fact for this game is that this was the Purples 12th consecutive win over the Red Devils, which evens up the overall series for the first time since 1945. This game looked like it would go down to the wire at the end of the first half, however the Purples balanced offense as well as a defense that forced 6 turnovers allowed Bowling Green to get back into the winning column. Quarterback Beau Buchanan led the offense with 193 yards passing and a touchdown, Buchanan also added a touchdown on the ground. Sophomore Vito Tisdale may have had his best game of the season with a kickoff return for a touchdown, a rushing touchdown, as well as an interception. Owensboro fans should look at the bright side when reflecting on this game, it should have been much closer than the final score indicated. No discredit to the Purples defense at all, they were every bit as responsible for the 6 forced turnovers as the Red Devils were. However Owensboro moved the ball well in this game, keeping the total offense nearly equal for both teams with 327 yards for Owensboro and 345 yards for Bowling Green. I’m not a “what if” kinda guy so I won’t get into what that means, other than just saying these two teams are a lot more equal than the score of this one indicates.

Christian County just keeps on winning, though their overall scores have not been as impressive as you would imagine for a top three team. They have won their past two games versus Hopkinsville and Henderson County by a total of nine points, while those two teams have a combined record of 1-7. Hopkinsville is likely the best winless team in the state however and the Christian County defense held the Tigers to only 146 yards of total offense. The Colonels take this week off before facing Marshall County the following week. The real test for the Colonels will come in week six as Christian County travels to Owensboro.

South Warren has been super impressive in their first season of class 5A football, which in turn has allowed them to rocket through the rankings, solidifying themselves as a top 5 team at the moment. The Spartans remain unbeaten after a 27-17 win over a top 15 6A Central Hardin squad. South Warren has scored 141 points this season while only allowing 44 while playing solid competition along the way. Quarterback Gavin Spurrier was impressive once again, throwing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Tryce Jackson led all rushers with 85 yards on 12 carries, however as a team the Spartans amassed 154 yards rushing to keep the offense balanced and Central Hardin’s defense guessing. Keep an eye on the Spartans this season, they seem to be improving on a weekly basis and don’t think they don’t have October 20th circled on the calendar.

Fern Creek suffered their second straight loss of the season, to a very good 6A #7 Butler team 28-20. The Tigers won the ground game with 154 yards of offense, but couldn’t get much going through the air. The Tigers face 2A #3 DeSales this week, but will need to get some type of passing game going if they want to hold onto their number five ranking. After DeSales and a tough early season schedule, the Tigers will get a chance to regroup for a couple of weeks prior to playing rival Doss.

South Oldham was off last week and will visit 6A Boone County this week, while Southwestern, Highlands and Pulaski County all lost to round out the top ten. Southwestern lost to 6A Henry Clay 49-16, while Highlands lost to 6A Ryle 49-27. It’s hard to get a good read on Henry Clay as well as Ryle at this point in the season, so we will have to wait and see what these losses really mean. Highlands will get a chance to redeem themselves this week versus 3A #7 Lexington Catholic while Southtwestern will travel to Madison Southern.

North Laurel is a team that has been just on the outside looking in for most of the season and with their win over Grant County they replaced Highlands in the top ten. Grant County certainly isn’t the Ryle team that Highlands played, however North Laurel is one of six unbeaten teams left in class 5A and have worked their way into the top ten by outscoring their opponents 156-32. The Jags will have to prove their body of work this week as they travel to 2A #2 Somerset.

South Oldham defeated North Oldham 49-0 last week to up their record to 2-1.

Purples have October 20 circled as well.

Its what makes highschool football great. Competition, rivalry, bragging rights..., the list could go on.

Will be fun

South Oldham defeated North Oldham 49-0 last week to up their record to 2-1.

Thank you for the correction. South Oldham's open week was last week. Somehow I knew that but missed it when looking through the schedules. South Oldham dominated North Oldham with 375 yards of total offense while only allowing North Oldham 81 yards of total offense. Drew Zaubi had another solid game with 138 yards passing and three touchdowns. A handful of Dragons also added 235 yards rushing, while the defense stepped up as well to force the shutout.

I apologize for missing this one in the notebook, the Dragons are on track to have another special season. The Bullitt Central game should be an interesting one that will likely decide top seed for the district.

No problem JD. Look forward to your posts. Great job!