Lexington vs. Louisville: Why So Lopsided?

Seeing predictions in the Male/Tates Creek preview thread got me to thinking about the seemingly always present gap between Lexington and Louisville high school football. This has been discussed on BGP before and several theories have been bandied about. I thought we'd take a look at the amount of success each Lexington public school has had against their Jefferson County counterparts in postseason play and the success of the so-called "Big Three" against Fayette County.

"Big Three" vs. Fayette County

Male (3-0)

1998 - beat Tates Creek

2012 - beat Lafayette

2015 - beat Lafayette

St. Xavier (4-0)

1978 - beat Tates Creek

1995 - beat Henry Clay

1999 - beat Bryan Station

2012 - beat Tates Creek

Trinity (11-2)

1985 - beat Lafayette

1998 - lost to Tates Creek

1999 - beat Henry Clay; lost to Bryan Station

2000 - beat Henry Clay; beat Tates Creek

2001 - beat Tates Creek

2002 - beat Paul Dunbar

2003 - beat Paul Dunbar

2005 - beat Henry Clay

2006 - beat Henry Clay

2007 - beat Henry Clay

2016 - beat Lafayette

Analysis

That Male, St. Xavier, and Trinity have dominated Fayette County schools should come as no real surprise. They've dominated everyone historically, compiling a combined playoff record of 336-88 with 45 state championships. But have the Lexington schools struggled against Jefferson County or just against the teams everyone else struggled against? Let's take a look.

Fayette County Schools vs. Jefferson County

Bryan Station (4-3)

1999 - beat Eastern; beat Fern Creek; beat Trinity; lost to St. Xavier

2000 - lost to Eastern

2011 - beat Fern Creek; lost to Eastern

Frederick Douglass (1-0)

2018 - beat Pleasure Ridge Park

Henry Clay (5-8)

1979 - lost to Butler

1981 - beat DeSales

1995 - beat Central; lost to St. Xavier

1999 - beat Ballard; lost to Trinity

2000 - beat Seneca; beat Eastern; lost to Trinity

2005 - lost to Trinity

2006 - lost to Trinity

2007 - lost to Trinity

2011 - lost to Ballard

Lafayette (1-4)

1985 - lost to Trinity

2012 - lost to Male

2015 - lost to Male

2016 - beat Butler; lost to Trinity

Paul Dunbar (1-3)

1996 - beat Fairdale

2002 - lost to Trinity

2003 - lost to Trinity

2011 - lost to Eastern

Tates Creek (1-5)

1978 - lost to St. Xavier

1998 - beat Trinity; lost to Male

2000 - lost to Trinity

2001 - lost to Trinity

2012 - lost to St. Xavier

Analysis

Fayette County public schools are 13-23 all-time against Jefferson County schools in postseason play. However, they are 11-5 all-time against Louisville schools other than Male, St. Xavier, and Trinity. So is it fair to knock Lexington schools for their lack of success against Louisville? St. Xavier and Trinity are private schools with massive all-male enrollments that no school in Lexington compares to in any way. Male is the oldest school in Kentucky, one of the longest running and winningest football programs in the state, and a traditional school with inherent advantages from a system completely different from that of Lexington.

Should the question be why can't Fayette County compete with Louisville or is it an unfair comparison with no real hope of a balanced playing field?

Due to their unique academic college prep program for all students, are kids from across the city allowed to attend Male?

Due to their unique academic college prep program for all students, are kids from across the city allowed to attend Male?

JCPS is open enrollment.To the best of my knowledge Male and Manual actually are much harder to get into though due to the programs they have.

JCPS is open enrollment.To the best of my knowledge Male and Manual actually are much harder to get into though due to the programs they have.

Thanks.

I know if you are in traditional program feeder schools you can go to either Male or Butler. I don’t what you have to do to get into traditional, might be a lottery. I have a nephew at Male and was in traditional since elementary school. His brother is not in traditional and will go to Ballard. The traditional program was set up to compete and attract kids from private schools. I know some catholic grade school kids get accepted into Male.

I think the advantage over Lexington is population, so there is larger pool of good players and they migrate to the best programs in Louisville.

Lexington also has had to deal with Scott County sitting right next to it. And there’s plenty of awful football in Louisville, just they tend not to play out of Jefferson County all that often.

Lexington also has had to deal with Scott County sitting right next to it. And there’s plenty of awful football in Louisville, just they tend not to play out of Jefferson County all that often.

Great point. We constantly ask this question and have several points but ultimately it just means more at the big three(and Douglass) ! We would put the Lexington schools on par with other Louisville schools.

100% of Male's football players came from Johnson Traditional, Barrett Traditional and Jefferson County Traditional Middle Schools. It is a pure lottery system for kids who get in. There are also NO transfers unlike other schools. I know of teachers at Male who can not get there own kids into Male.

Seeing predictions in the Male/Tates Creek preview thread got me to thinking about the seemingly always present gap between Lexington and Louisville high school football. This has been discussed on BGP before and several theories have been bandied about. I thought we'd take a look at the amount of success each Lexington public school has had against their Jefferson County counterparts in postseason play and the success of the so-called "Big Three" against Fayette County.

 

"Big Three" vs. Fayette County

 

Male (3-0)

1998 - beat Tates Creek

2012 - beat Lafayette

2015 - beat Lafayette

 

St. Xavier (4-0)

1978 - beat Tates Creek

1995 - beat Henry Clay

1999 - beat Bryan Station

2012 - beat Tates Creek

 

Trinity (11-2)

1985 - beat Lafayette

1998 - lost to Tates Creek

1999 - beat Henry Clay; lost to Bryan Station

2000 - beat Henry Clay; beat Tates Creek

2001 - beat Tates Creek

2002 - beat Paul Dunbar

2003 - beat Paul Dunbar

2005 - beat Henry Clay

2006 - beat Henry Clay

2007 - beat Henry Clay

2016 - beat Lafayette

 

Analysis

That Male, St. Xavier, and Trinity have dominated Fayette County schools should come as no real surprise. They've dominated everyone historically, compiling a combined playoff record of 336-88 with 45 state championships. But have the Lexington schools struggled against Jefferson County or just against the teams everyone else struggled against? Let's take a look.

 

Fayette County Schools vs. Jefferson County

 

Bryan Station (4-3)

1999 - beat Eastern; beat Fern Creek; beat Trinity; lost to St. Xavier

2000 - lost to Eastern

2011 - beat Fern Creek; lost to Eastern

 

Frederick Douglass (1-0)

2018 - beat Pleasure Ridge Park

 

Henry Clay (5-8)

1979 - lost to Butler

1981 - beat DeSales

1995 - beat Central; lost to St. Xavier

1999 - beat Ballard; lost to Trinity

2000 - beat Seneca; beat Eastern; lost to Trinity

2005 - lost to Trinity

2006 - lost to Trinity

2007 - lost to Trinity

2011 - lost to Ballard

 

Lafayette (1-4)

1985 - lost to Trinity

2012 - lost to Male

2015 - lost to Male

2016 - beat Butler; lost to Trinity

 

Paul Dunbar (1-3)

1996 - beat Fairdale

2002 - lost to Trinity

2003 - lost to Trinity

2011 - lost to Eastern

 

Tates Creek (1-5)

1978 - lost to St. Xavier

1998 - beat Trinity; lost to Male

2000 - lost to Trinity

2001 - lost to Trinity

2012 - lost to St. Xavier

 

Analysis

Fayette County public schools are 13-23 all-time against Jefferson County schools in postseason play. However, they are 11-5 all-time against Louisville schools other than Male, St. Xavier, and Trinity. So is it fair to knock Lexington schools for their lack of success against Louisville? St. Xavier and Trinity are private schools with massive all-male enrollments that no school in Lexington compares to in any way. Male is the oldest school in Kentucky, one of the longest running and winningest football programs in the state, and a traditional school with inherent advantages from a system completely different from that of Lexington.

 

Should the question be why can't Fayette County compete with Louisville or is it an unfair comparison with no real hope of a balanced playing field?

Thank you for this breakdown. I have been curious about this information and you did the work for me!

My mistake.

I know if you are in traditional program feeder schools you can go to either Male or Butler. I don’t what you have to do to get into traditional, might be a lottery. I have a nephew at Male and was in traditional since elementary school. His brother is not in traditional and will go to Ballard. The traditional program was set up to compete and attract kids from private schools. I know some catholic grade school kids get accepted into Male.

 

I think the advantage over Lexington is population, so there is larger pool of good players and they migrate to the best programs in Louisville.

I think your last sentence explains it best. When you have open enrollment in a county that has 800,000 people it’s going to lead to a select group of schools getting more of the athletically talented middle school kids. That’s tough for the rest of the state to compete with in most of the KHSAA sports.

I think your last sentence explains it best. When you have open enrollment in a county that has 800,000 people it’s going to lead to a select group of schools getting more of the athletically talented middle school kids. That’s tough for the rest of the state to compete with in most of the KHSAA sports.

Private schools also get a few kids from surrounding counties plus Indiana.

Should there be a Jefferson County 6A division and a State At Large 6A division? And then those divisions winners play for the state championship?

Should there be a Jefferson County 6A division and a State At Large 6A division? And then those divisions winners play for the state championship?

I think that would be a non competitive championship game most years. It would get more outside of Louisville teams in championship, but would kinda be like everybody gets a trophy mentality, since most years the two best teams won’t be in championship.

I'd caution you on this statement but 'generally' yes...