article 1A Notebook 10/3 - Larger Classes Move Aside

It was a banner week for the 1A top ten. The only loss suffered by a top ten team came at the hands of another 1A top ten team. With the impressive wins by the 1A powerhouses, we are going to push back the districts review and talk about the big week in 1A and the top players in this class.

It is always interesting to me when people assume that a school from a larger class should automatically win over a 1A team just because the school is bigger. It has been proven time and time again that 1A schools are very capable of beating larger class opponents and this week is another example of that. Four of the teams at the top of the 1A rankings played strong opponents from a larger class and the 1A team won in all four of those games.

First things first, 1A #1 Beechwood stunned 6A #8 Simon Kenton 28-21 and knocked some of the fun out of the Pioneer's homecoming. Beechwood RB Logan Castleman put on a show rushing for 220 yards, adding 47 yards receiving and scoring 3 touchdowns. Castleman's 82 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter put this big win away for the Tigers. Beechwood solidified their spot atop the 1A rankings.

Raceland put up an impressive win of their own by beating 2A #5 Somerset 19-17 in another game where the 1A team was chosen as the opponent for homecoming. This game was a defensive battle. RB Judd Adkins returned to action to lead the Rams with 89 yards rushing. Raceland is putting together a stellar season against tough competition. The Rams' strength of schedule is second to only Beechwood in 1A and they have earned their #2 ranking.

The only loss in the 1A top ten was delivered by #3 ranked Pikeville to #4 ranked Hazard. This game was an instant classic as each score by one team was answered by the other. It was tied at 20 in the fourth quarter then tied again at 27 before Pikeville finally got a touchdown followed by a stop on downs to seal the win. Skylar Pelfrey rushed for 213 yards for Hazard. Pikeville's victory in this district contest should secure home field advantage for the Panthers in the playoffs.

The parade of 1A wins over larger class teams continued with #5 Paintsville defeating 2A Walton Verona 27-15. It was another good win for Paintsville that keeps them locked in at #5 in the rankings. Last week the Tigers knocked off a solid 3A opponent and this week they add a win over a solid 2A team. Paintsville is marching their way confidently towards their district showdown with Raceland.

The final notch in the 1A belt over a larger class team was #6 Campbellsville pulling out a 34-33 win over 4A Russell County. The Eagles overcame three interceptions and followed Malachi Corley and his 154 yards rushing to the narrow victory. That brings Campbellsville's record to 6-1 as they enter district play.

The other two 1A top ten teams in action last week were #7 Crittenden County who rolled to a 49-6 win over Fulton City and #10 Lynn Camp having no problem in a 35-14 win over 2A Clinton County.

1A Statistical Leaders

Each week the statistical leaders in each class are listed on the KHSAA.org website. Here is the link to the 1A leaders for this week.

218 Football Class 1A Stat Leaders | Kentucky High School Athletic Association

Let's take a look at the 1A leaders.

Rushing

Lynn Camp's Dalton Cook is currently leading 1A with 1,353 yards averaging 226 yards per game. Cook is averaging 20.2 yards per rushing attempt. Two other rushers have over 1,000 yards rushing - Caleb Kimble of Fulton County and Will Ryan of Bellevue.

Passing

The leading quarterback in 1A is Hunter Boone of Crittenden County. Boone has thrown for 1,307 yards, 18 touchdowns and is completing 66.9% of his passes. There are four other quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 1,000 yards - Dalton Ponder, Williamsburg; John Tillman, Frankfort; Arren Hash, Campbellsville and Jacob Heighton, Raceland. Heighton has been especially impressive throwing for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions with a completion percentage of 67.8%.

There are two other dual threat quarterbacks that should be mentioned. Isaac Fryman of Nicholas County has 973 yards rushing and 350 yards passing while leading 1A in completion percentage at 76.5%. Connor Roberts of Pikeville is #8 in rushing (612 yards) and #3 in passing (862 yards).

Receiving

Ethan Dossett, Crittenden County, is the leading receiver with 447 yards. Other receivers with more than 400 yards are Gavon Thomas, Williamsburg; Ryan Flores, Russellville and Malachi Corley, Campbellsville.

Friday's Schedule

There are several teams using this week as their open week. We do have one big district battle on the schedule as #9 Louisville Holy Cross takes on Kentucky Country Day. The other interesting matchup is Lynn Camp putting their undefeated record to the test against district rival Pineville.

1. Beechwood vs. Bellevue (10/4)

2. Raceland -- OPEN

3. Pikeville -- OPEN

4. Hazard at Phelps

5. Paintsville vs. Fairview

6. Campbellsville -- OPEN

7. Crittenden County at 2A Ballard Memorial

8. Williamsburg vs. Harlan

9. Louisville Holy Cross at Kentucky Country Day

10. Lynn Camp vs. Pineville

First things first, 1A #1 Beechwood stunned 6A #8 Simon Kenton 28-21 and knocked some of the fun out of the Pioneer's homecoming. Beechwood RB Logan Castleman put on a show rushing for 220 yards, adding 47 yards receiving and scoring 3 touchdowns. Castleman's 82 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter put this big win away for the Tigers. Beechwood solidified their spot atop the 1A rankings.

Did Beechwood stun SK? I think most people picked a Tiger win?

Did Beechwood stun SK? I think most people picked a Tiger win?

Yes, I think the Simon Kenton people were stunned. I don't think they were shocked or amazed but they were probably stunned because they expected to win.

Yes, I think the Simon Kenton people were stunned. I don't think they were shocked or amazed but they were probably stunned because they expected to win.

If they were stunned, they haven't been paying attention.

Don't think anybody outside of Independence was surprised at the result.