The Lexington Christian Academy Eagles (2-2) make the short trip across town Friday night to face the Lexington Catholic Knights (3-1) in one of Lexington's best rivalries. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Lexington Catholic, and PrepSpin will be livestreaming the game.Both teams enter the matchup coming off wins and looking to build momentum as district play draws closer.Lexington Catholic enters the game at 3-1 and coming off a 42-14 win over Great Crossing. The Knights also own wins over Ballard and Paul Laurence Dunbar, with their only loss coming against perennial state power Boyle County. Through the first month of the season, Lexington Catholic has established itself as one of the stronger teams in Class 3A.LCA improved to 2-2 last week with an impressive 40-21 victory over Franklin County. That win may have reminded people just how challenging the Eagles' schedule has been through the first month of the season. LCA has already faced unbeaten Pulaski County, unbeaten Christian Academy-Louisville, a larger-classification North Hardin team, and now enters another rivalry matchup against a quality Lexington Catholic squad. Few small-school teams in Kentucky can match that level of early-season competition.Matchups to WatchThe biggest question entering Friday night is which team can dictate the style of play.Lexington Catholic has been at its best when it controls the pace, plays physical football, limits mistakes, and forces opponents to drive the length of the field. The Knights have consistently been one of the more disciplined programs in the state, and that identity appears unchanged this season.For LCA, the key may be whether last week's offensive performance was the start of the Eagles finding their rhythm. The losses to Pulaski County and CAL don't look nearly as damaging when viewed through the lens of where those two teams are today. Both remain undefeated and have established themselves as legitimate contenders in their respective classes. LCA responded the way good teams do by bouncing back with a convincing win over Franklin County.Another interesting storyline is how battle-tested LCA may be at this point in the season. The Eagles have already seen a variety of offensive and defensive styles through four weeks and should be prepared for the physical nature of a rivalry game. Lexington Catholic, however, has been equally impressive, rebounding from its Boyle County loss and continuing to stack wins.As is often the case in rivalry games, field position, turnovers, and special teams could end up deciding the outcome. Both teams appear to be trending in the right direction, and neither side should be lacking motivation for a crosstown matchup.This feels like one of the better rivalry games in recent years. Lexington Catholic enters with the better record, but LCA may have played one of the toughest schedules of any small-school program in the state. Friday night should tell us a lot about where both teams stand heading into the second half of the season.Who wins, and what is your score prediction?

The Battle of the toughest of Toughest in Pike County. The Panthers welcome in the big red machine for an exhibition matchup for bragging rights of the county. Belfry won big last season 41-3. Do the Panthers have what it takes to knock off the undefeated 4-0 Belfry Pirates? Does Belfry come to Hambley and give the Panthers another butt whipping?

Beechwood wins it 42-35.

Ballgame.

The ratings use margin of victory/loss applied to strength of schedule of teams played to date. Out of state opponents are not included. Trinity plays first in state opponent this week so they will show up in ratings next week.

Top 25:
Christian Academy - Lou.
110.5
Frederick Douglass
109.72
Highlands
93.94
Covington Catholic
93.85
Boyle County
91.71
Manual
89.27
Paducah Tilghman
87.72
Beechwood
82.88
Madison Central
82.62
South Warren
79.06
Owensboro Catholic
77.77
Woodford County
76.63
St. Xavier
75.87
Owensboro
75.7
Corbin
75.65
Pikeville
75.51
Pulaski County
74.87
Lexington Catholic
73.97
West Jessamine
70.7
Scott County
69.94
Lexington Christian
68.83
George Rogers Clark
65.07
Mayfield
64.78
Madisonville N. Hopkins
64.25
Logan County
63.83

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Raceland
3. Sayre
4. Middlesboro
5. Bethlehem
6. Louisville Holy Cross
7. Kentucky Country Day

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Lexington Catholic
3. Murray
4. Lloyd Memorial

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Frederick Douglass

📰 Headlines 🗞️
- Zane Johnson went out on his shield in a marquee game of national interest. In a matchup of Top 25 teams, Johnson carried the Trinity offense, attempting a career high 43 passes and throwing for 330 yards and three touchdowns, plus one more with his legs. Unfortunately, the Rocks' oft impenetrable defense was no match for the incomparable David Gabriel Georges.
- The stat line of the week was no contest. Kade Goodin went off on Oldham County with a career night: 25/32 for 383 yards and 5 touchdowns with another 152 and three scores on the ground. Collins will likely have to win some shootouts to contend for the district, so another game or two like this could be on the horizon.