article BluegrassPreps Lexington/Central Kentucky Area Power Rankings 10-18-18

For the first time this year I am at an impasse when it comes to the Central Kentucky/Lexington Area Power Rankings. After seeing last week’s results I can’t find a good reason to make a change in the rankings. And believe me, I’ve been looking for a reason to make some kind of change. I just can’t do it. I don’t see any reason to change anything. Because of that I am going to change things up a bit this week. I think there are many different things that can be touched on regarding the Central Kentucky/Lexington Area so after I post the Top Ten, Be On The Lookout For, Game of the Week, Last Week’s Game of the Week Results, Player of the Week and Top Performers I am going to jump into random questions I have had about the Lexington/Central Kentucky Area and I may even answer some of them myself. What else can you do when everyone did as expected? So on that note.........

 

 

Top Ten:

 

 

1. Frederick Douglass

2. Boyle County

3. Henry Clay

4. Scott County

5. Anderson County

6. Lexington Catholic

7. Taylor County

8. Montgomery County

9. Madison Central

10. George Rogers Clark

 

 

As I mentioned, nothing changes for me this week.

 

Frederick Douglass was on a BYE.

 

Boyle County defeated Lexington Catholic exactly like I expected them to.

 

Henry Clay defeated Bryan Station as expected.

 

Scott County defeated Dunbar as expected.

 

Anderson County defeated Montgomery County like I expected them to do.

 

Lexingon Catholic lost to Boyle County like I expected but they stay put because I believe they defeat everyone below them and truthfully, they’d probably defeat Anderson County as well.

 

Taylor County came from behind to defeat Mercer County which surprised me a little. I expected Taylor County to be more in control of this game but it wasn’t until the second half when they took control.

 

Montgomery County lost to Anderson County by 8 points so they can stay put since this was a winnable game for them. They lost to a higher ranked opponent. No punishment from me.

 

Madison Central withstood the challenge from Lafayette and pulled out the victory.

 

George Rogers Clark defeated an injured Tates Creek team so they can stay in the top ten.

 

All in all it was a good week for the Top Ten. All good wins and no bad or unexpected losses for anyone so they all stay put for this week. There are some good games this weekend but truth be told if things turn out the way I expect then next week could look a lot like this week.

 

 

Be On The Lookout For:

Franklin County is coming!!!! Don’t look now but Franklin County has won four games in a row as they put the smack down on Knox Central last weekend. Barring a big upset this weekend they should finish undefeated in their district and head into the playoffs with a little momentum and a 1 seed. Keep an eye on Franklin County. They. Are. Coming.

 

Mercer County took one on the chin last Friday night against Taylor County but make no mistake about it, the Titans are playing much better football right now. They get a week off before they take on Boyle County but they will host a playoff game and the experience gained for these young Titans will pave the road to success in the future. Be on the lookout for the Titans this season and definitely next season.

 

Danville got back into the winning column this last weekend and this weekend they will renew their district rivalry with Lexington Christian which is another school to be on the lookout for. Both teams couldn’t get past Somerset but I anticipate that one of these teams will get a second chance to upend Somerset in the playoffs. Winner of this game gets to host a playoff game so be on the lookout for whoever wins this game this weekend.

Paris gets love from me again this week. They won their district this season and will have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. While winning 1A is a little unrealistic for Paris their success this season and the opportunity for a deep run in the playoffs is definitely something that should be recognized. Besides, we all know that once you get into the playoffs....anything can happen. Good luck to Paris! We see y’all!!!!!

 

Game of the Week:

 

 

George Rogers Clark at Madison Central

 

This game was chosen as Game of the Week because of the importance of this game. The winner of this game will be the 6A District 8 #1 seed AND the winner will have a chance to host a late round playoff game if they are lucky enough to advance deep into the playoffs. I wouldn’t expect to see a whole lot of passing in this game as these teams have combined for about 1600 yards passing while both teams have ran for over 1600 yards apiece. George Rogers Clark is led by running back Nitavius Thomas who has been amongst the Top Performers a couple of times this season. Thomas has ran for over 1100 yards and 16 touchdowns as the focal point of the George Rogers Clark offense. Madison Central is led by running back Freddy Chenault who is sitting at 757 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. It is easy to see that the success of either team this weekend will come down to which dynamic running back has the better game. Both of these teams are allowing around 17 points a game on defense and they are both 6-2 overall with 2-0 district records. While I won’t go so far as to say they are mirror images of one another I will say that the similarities are striking. Biggest game of the season for both teams. We’ll see who emerges once the smoke clears.

 

Last Week’s Game of the Week:

 

 

Boyle County 40

Lexington Catholic 14

 

This score is what I expected of this game and anyone who read my column last week knows that I spoke on Lexington Catholic’s inability to stop the run. I knew that if I saw that then the Boyle County coaching staff absolutely saw that and Boyle County ran all over Lexington Catholic for 323 yards. Landen Bartleson ran for 149 yards and a touchdown. Tanner Crawford ran for 92 yards and a touchdown and Reese Smith ran for 49 yards. Reese Smith also caught a 66 yard touchdown pass in which he was wide open by a good ten yards. I will say this though......this game could have turned out a lot closer than expected if not for an opportunistic and ball hawking Boyle County defense. Lexington Catholic had at least two turnovers inside the red zone and a total of 4 fumbles lost. The vaunted passing offense of Lexington Catholic had difficulty moving the ball through the air and it seemed like Beau Allen’s legs did more damage than his arm. The Boyle County defense is already a touch cookie to crack and if you turn the ball over in the red zone against the Rebels then you will lose. Whether or not these two teams meet again remains to be seen but as of now Boyle County has now won three in a row against Lexington Catholic and have regained full control of this heated district rivalry.

 

Player of the Week:

Nick Broyles-Franklin County

 

Nick Broyles has himself a game last week in Franklin County’s 42-20 victory over Knox Central. Nick was 19-24 for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns and he also ran for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns.

 

 

Top Performers:

 

Zach Thornton-Danville- 8-8-242 yards-4 touchdowns

 

Brennan McGuire-Danville-152 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns

 

Zion Morgan-East Jessamine-198 yards rushing, 1 TD

 

Langston Jackson-Henry Clay- 189 yards rushing, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception

 

Alex Knuckles-Madison Southern-175 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns, 17 tackles(1 TFL)

 

Wandale Robinson Watch:

 

Garrard County:

 

1-1, 35 yards passing, 1 TD

181 yards rushing, 4 TDs

2-2 point conversions

16 tackles(5 TFL)

1 sack

2 forced fumbles

 

Year to date stats:

 

8-10, 173 yards passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT

1560 yards rushing, 25 TDs

367 yards receiving, 7 TDs

35 total touchdowns

3-2 points conversions

85 tackles(10 TFL)

1 sack

5 forced fumbles

3 interceptions, 134 interception return yards, 1 interception return TD

 

Random Questions, Answers, Predictions and Thoughts:

There is no doubt in my mind that Frederick Douglass is good enough to win the 6A state title. They have the horses and the coaches to get it done. Their defense continues to be a well kept secret and with their versatile offense they can score in a variety of ways. I’m all in on Freddy D winning the 6A title. Write it in pen.

 

Demarco Fishback should be a Mr. Football finalist. I can’t stress that enough.

 

Speaking of Mr. Football, if Boyle County shuts down Wandale Robinson this week does it ruin his Mr. Football chances? It shouldn’t but who knows what the voters are thinking and looking for? I will say this, if he doesn’t win there should be an investigation as to why he didn’t win. In my opinion there isn’t another choice at all for this season’s award.

 

Boyle County has an insane road to the state title this season. If they manage to win it all I think it will be one of the biggest accomplishments ever in the history of the program.

 

Boyle County will be even better next year.

 

Henry Clay’s win over Scott County is the biggest upset of the season and I am happy to see their program trending up.

 

I feel awful for Henry Clay losing their talented QB, DJ Van Horn. If Van Horn was healthy the Freddy D/Henry Clay game would have been the game of the week.

 

Frederick Douglass will likely face Scott County in the second round of the playoffs this year.

 

Anderson County has impressed me as much as any team this season. Charles Collins is a kid I hadn’t heard of before this year but we should all know who he is now. He has carried that team and I can’t wait to see how far they go in the playoffs if they get a decent draw. Wait, they play in the same draw as Covington Catholic and Highlands.......

 

Beau Allen is an outstanding quarterback for Lexington Catholic. He is fun to watch and easily worthy of being a member of the exclusive Lexington Catholic Killer QB Club.

 

I can’t wait to see how Taylor County and Mercer County do in the playoffs. 4A is wide open and while I can see Mercer County sinning a game of two in the playoffs I am really intrigued to see how far Taylor County can go. They appear to have a path to the state semis.

 

And while we are talking 4A, again, be on the lookout for Franklin County. They are doing all of the right things at the right time. I see a path to the state semifinals for them.

 

Madison Central and George Rogers Clark have a better path to the state semifinals than Frederick Douglass and Scott County if Frederick Douglass does as expected and defeats Henry Clay this weekend.

 

Lexington Christian and Danville both seemed to have rebuilding years this year. Another potential game of the week this weekend as they battle for second place. Both teams do have strong futures.

 

It’s good to see Lincoln County football having a good season. They are going in the right direction.

 

Was Montgomery County losing to East Jessamine a fluke?

 

Will Lexington football be dominated by Frederick Douglass going forward or will Lafayette, Dunbar, Bryan Station and Tates Creek be able to compete?

 

Will Lexington Catholic and Lexington Christian be affected in the future because of Frederick Douglass?

 

If Boyle County and Frederick Douglass played a game this year who would win?

 

How much Division 1 talent is in this area right now?

 

Are there any more questions or random thoughts about the Lexington/Central Kentucky Area that anyone can add? By all means do so.

 

Good luck to your teams this week! It’s almost playoff time!!!!!!