6A
St. Xavier 105.72
George Rogers Clark 102.52
Manual 102.17
Ballard 100.4
Trinity 96.93
Male 95.33

5A
Frederick Douglass 124.16
South Warren 120.21
Covington Catholic 109.11
Woodford County 108.24
Highlands 101.24
Bowling Green 98.43
Southwestern 97.37

4A
Boyle County 109.93
Lexington Catholic 108.08
Corbin 100.78

3A
Christian Academy Louisville 106.37
Bardstown 93.99
Paducah Tilghman 90.43
Elizabethtown 84.21

2A
Beechwood 106.31
Mayfield 93.02
Lexington Christian 81.64
Owensboro Catholic 78.89

1A
Pikeville 103.26
Raceland 95.18
Hazard 76.66
Bethlehem 74.72
Newport Central Catholic 71.65

A slow start to the season is fading rapidly into Blake Birchfield's rearview mirror. Hidden inside Pikeville's demonstrative dismantling of Lexington Christian Academy was Week 6's most bombastic individual declaration.

No matter where it happens, it's always noteworthy when a school record falls. At Pikeville, the unofficial RB High in eastern Kentucky, a new rushing standard carries a little more weight than most. No one in the rich history of that program has ever run for more yards than Birchfield did against LCA last week. Not the immortal duo of Greg Hackney and Bobby Deramus. Not Daric Pugh, who bulldozed a path for Pikeville to the 2015 1A title. All-time rushing leader Brent Coleman ran for 6,700 yards in maroon, but never for more yards in a single game than Birchfield. He bested last year's performance against the Eagles by nearly a hundred yards. All told, he punished LCA for 350 yards and six touchdowns, giving him over 600 yards in two games against one of the top small school programs in the state.

It was a devastating display of power and speed. He consistently battered LCA for 7-10 yards with a few huge gainers sprinkled in. He ran over tacklers, drug defenders, and sprinted away from fleet footed pursuers. It might be the most commanding performance by a running back this season and instantly reinstates him as one of the top contenders to follow from here on. And presented as evidence that he's not just an offensive force, he picked off his first pass of the season. Hail Birchfield!

Class 1A
1. Pikeville vs. 6A #7 Madison Central
2. Raceland -- OPEN
3. Newport Central Catholic -- OPEN
 
Class 2A
1. Beechwood vs. 6A Dixie Heights
2. Mayfield vs. Caldwell County
3. Owensboro Catholic vs. Todd County Central
4. Lexington Christian Academy vs. Washington County
 
Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. Henry County
2. Bardstown vs. Nelson County
3. Union County at Webster County
4. Paducah Tilghman vs. Trigg County
5. Belfry vs. Floyd Central

Class 4A
1. Boyle County -- OPEN
2. Corbin at 6A Simon Kenton
3. Lexington Catholic -- OPEN
4. Johnson Central at Clay County
5. Central vs. Shelby County

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. Grant County 
2. Woodford County at West Jessamine 
3. South Warren at #5 Bowling Green 
4. Covington Catholic at Boone County 
5. Bowling Green vs. #3 South Warren

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier vs. #8 Ryle
2. Manual -- OPEN
3. Ballard -- OPEN
4. Male at Roncalli (IN)
5. Trinity vs. Saint Xavier (OH)

South Warren (3-2) at Bowling Green (5-1)

South Warren has come on strong after 2 early setbacks to 2 good out-of-state opponents and now sits at 3-2 on the year.

Bowling Green came out of the gates this year strongly in response to a not-so-common 2021 season rolling through their first 4 games outscoring their opponents 141-41.

Records and teams played and scores are good data points, but these 2 teams have produced great games and high drama on many occasions regardless of those data points.  I anticipate this to be so again in a very close game with the difference likely being turnovers, costly penalties and/or perhaps the kicking game.  I think both teams play well and it will be another memorable game in one of the better rivalries in the state.

Who wins this game and why?

1A
Pikeville 99.08
Raceland 93.22
Hazard 76.63

2A
Beechwood 106.1
Mayfield 97.53
Lexington Christian Academy 85.81

3A
Christian Academy Louisville 107.39
Bardstown 99.13
Paducah Tilghman 99.01

4A
Lexington Catholic 108.27
Boyle County 104.14
Corbin 99.18

5A
South Warren 133.3
Frederick Douglass 124.82
Covington Catholic 110.56

6A
George Rogers Clark 108.88
St. Xavier 105.88
Ballard 105.57
Male 98.1
Trinity 95.56
Manual 94.85

Class 1A
1. Pikeville vs. 2A #3 Lexington Christian Academy 
2. Raceland at 3A Greenup County
3. Newport Central Catholic vs. 2A Newport 
4. Hazard vs. 3A Ashland 

Class 2A
1. Beechwood -- OPEN
2. Mayfield vs. Fort Campbell
3. Lexington Christian Academy at 1A #1 Pikeville
4. Owensboro Catholic at Hancock County

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville at Mercer County
2. Bardstown at LaRue County
3. Union County at 1A Crittenden County
4. Paducah Tilghman vs. 6A #8 Henderson County

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 6A North Hardin
2. Corbin -- OPEN
3. Lexington Catholic at 6A Tates Creek
4. Johnson Central -- OPEN

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass at #9 Scott County 
2. Woodford County -- OPEN
3. South Warren vs. 4A #5 Central 
4. Covington Catholic at Cooper

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier vs. #5 Trinity at Cardinal Stadium
2. Manual vs. #3 Ballard
3. Ballard at #2 Manual
4. Male at Butler

Players Highlighted This Week:

Jacob Jones (QB, West Jessamine)
Ty Bryant (ATH, Frederick Douglass)
Cristian Conyer (ATH, South Warren)
Blake Birchfield (RB, Pikeville)
Micah Carter (DL, St. Xavier)
Oryend Fisher (Edge, Great Crossing)
Mitchell Berger (RB/LB, Beechwood)
Antonio Robinson Jr. (ATH, Beechwood)
Kenyata Carbon (ATH, Owensboro)

St. X (3-1) and Trinity (3-2) will meet Friday at Cardinal Stadium at 8:00 pm. 

St. X is coming off their 1st loss of the season to Elder (OH) 24-13.

Trinity is coming of a 23-21 loss to Male.

Both teams strength is the defensive units and this looks to be a lower scoring close game. Trinity has a great kicker who could make the difference. As always in a close game, special teams and turnovers could play a factor. Both teams coming off losses along with the rivalry should have them focused in practice this week. Does St. X make it two in a row or does Trinity avenge last year's loss?

6A:
George Rogers Clark 109.36
St. Xavier 108.77
Ballard 104.47

5A
South Warren 131.85
Frederick Douglass 130.89
Woodford County 112.06

4A
Boyle County 103.42
Lexington Catholic 101.71
Corbin 97.09

3A
Christian Academy Louisville 103.42
Paducah Tilghman 100.64
Bardstown 98.62

2A
Beechwood 108.77
Mayfield 103.33
Lexington Christian Academy 89.21

1A
Pikeville 94.37
Raceland 91.65
Pineville 79.53

Tommy Ziesmer (Edge, Boyle County)
Season to date: 21 tackles | 7 tackles for loss | 2 sacks | 1 forced fumble

Oryend Fisher (Edge, Great Crossing)
Season to date: 27 tackles | 13.5 tackles for loss | 9 sacks | 1 forced fumble and 2 recoveries

Kenyon Goodin (QB/DB, Collins)
Season to date: 59/85 for 881 yards and 13 touchdowns with 1 interception | 428 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns | 1 pick-six

Jacob Jones (QB, West Jessamine)
Season to date: 56/93 for 775 yards and 10 touchdowns with 1 interception | 729 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns

Max DeGraff (WR/K, Lexington Catholic
Season to date: 16 receptions for 569 yards and 10 touchdowns | 13/14 on extra points | 2 field goals

Jakob Dixon (WR, Pleasure Ridge Park)
Season to date: 19 receptions for 463 yards and 5 touchdowns

Mitchell Berger (RB/LB, Beechwood)
Season to date: 66 rushes for 621 yards and 11 touchdowns | 8 receptions for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns | 1 forced fumble and 2 recovered | 8/8 on extra points | 1 field goal

Kenyata Carbon (ATH, Owensboro)
2021: 76 carries for 571 yards and 8 touchdowns | 1 receiving touchdown | 1 interception

Charlie Noon (ATH, Highlands)
Season to date: 24 receptions for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns | 10 rushes for 109 yards | 1 kick return touchdown

If outscoring your first four opponents 159-14 isn't firing on all cylinders, then I don't know what is. And that's exactly where Beechwood is right now. At 4-0, the Tigers have already taken down teams in 1A, 2A, 5A and 6A. This week they take the short trip down to Park Hills for another 5A competitor in Covington Catholic.

Cov Cath is sitting with a 3-1 record, with three straight wins over Pikeville, Lex Cath, and Dixie Heights. Their only loss came in Week 1 when the Colonels lost their home opener to Elder (OH).

Game Questions all answered in this thread:
1. Just how good is this Beechwood defense?
2. What will the Covington Catholic offensive game plan be?
3. Can Mitchell Berger do a Michael Mayer on the Colonels?
4. Will the Colonels defense fill the box and force the Tigers to throw the ball?

Class 1A
1. Pikeville vs. 3A #5 Belfry
2. Raceland vs 2A West Carter
3. Newport Central Catholic at 2A Covington Holy Cross 

Class 2A
1. Beechwood at 5A #7 Covington Catholic 
2. Mayfield at 4A Calloway County
3. Lexington Christian Academy at 4A #3 Lexington Catholic

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. 2A #4 Owensboro Catholic
2. Paducah Tilghman at 5A #3 South Warren
3. Glasgow at Hart County

Class 4A
1. Boyle County at 5A #5 Bowling Green
2. Corbin at 2A #7 Somerset
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 2A #3 Lexington Christian Academy

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass at 6A Henry Clay 
2. Woodford County at 4A #8 Franklin County 
3. South Warren vs. 3A #2 Paducah Tilghman 

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier at Elder (OH)
2. Trinity vs. #5 Male
3. Manual vs La Salle (OH)

First ratings of 2022 season. Most teams have three games and some less. Out of state games don't count so Trinity doesn't have rating yet but will after Male game. Ratings use margin of victory/loss against strength of schedule of teams played. There is no cap on point margin so a team could run the score up on weak opponents and artificially have better rating than how good they really are, but as more games are played should average out.

Beechwood Bros Bomb The Briar Patch

Antonio Robinson Jr. joining the Tigers was like adding special sauce to an already mouth watering burger (sp?). He compliments (condiments?) Mitchell Berger's steak with a little South Florida sizzle. Listen people, I know the jokes and puns are going to get old real quick, but they practically write themselves.

There was nothing funny about what the two did to Somerset's defense in Week 3. Berger battered the Jumpers for 256 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns, while Robinson generated some electricity on a short catch and long run, plus an explosive punt return that was unfortunately called back. The touchdown that stood was a thing of beauty, as he shook a couple of defenders in tight quarters before swiftly tightroping the sideline 62 yards for the score. Meanwhile, Berger was painting his own masterpiece that began with a 30 yard touchdown run on Beechwood's opening possession. The highlight of his night was a catch and run covering 61 yards that was punctuated by Berger bowling over a helpless would-be tackler at the goal line. All together, the duo scored from 25, 30, 59, 61, and 62 yards, plus Robinson's 71 yard penalized punt return touchdown. The lightning bolt capabilities of Robinson, paired with Berger's relentless tenacity and all-around skill set, give the Tigers 2A's most fearsome offensive 1-2 punch.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville -- OPEN
2. Raceland at 5A Highlands
3. Newport Central Catholic at 2A #9 Walton Verona

Class 2A
1. Beechwood vs. 6A Simon Kenton
2. Lexington Christian Academy vs. 3A #2 Christian Academy-Louisville
3. Mayfield at 6A McCracken County

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman -- OPEN
2. Christian Academy-Louisville at 2A #2 Lexington Christian Academy 
3. Glasgow vs. 4A Allen County-Scottsville

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 6A Henderson County
2. Corbin vs. 5A #7 Pulaski County
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 6A Pleasure Ridge Park

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. 6A Dunbar
2. Owensboro at 2A #4 Owensboro Catholic
3. South Warren at Gibson Southern (IN)

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier -- OPEN
2. Trinity at La Salle (OH)
3. Manual vs. 4A Valley

Goodin? More Like Great'n!

Okay, I admit that was a bad joke and a little too 'on the nose'. I would normally see myself out right now, but I have to finish this thing first. I do have a serious question to pose: Do we have another Joe Humphreys in the making here? It's still too early to tell and the pace Humphreys set last year was as torrid as we've ever seen. Kenyon Goodin has yet to drop seven touchdowns on anyone like the former Daviess County star did three times last year, but it's coming. You can feel it. Goodin possesses a similar skill set to Humphreys and they both served/serve as the catalyst for virtually everything that happens in their respective offenses. He played a hand in six scores in Week 1 and notched five more in the Titans' 48-14 win over Bullitt Central to go with 314 yards of total offense. Given the frequent, quarterback-centric nature of Collins' offense in the past, this could be the beginning of a special ride.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville at #7 Paintsville
2. Raceland vs. 4A Rowan County
3. Hazard at 2A Breathitt County

Class 2A
1. Beechwood at #9 Somerset
2. Lexington Christian Academy vs. 3A #4 Belfry
3. Mayfield vs. 3A #1 Paducah Tilghman

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman at 2A #3 Mayfield
2. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. 5A Bullitt Central
3. Glasgow at 2A Monroe County

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 2A #7 Danville
2. Johnson Central at 5A North Laurel
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 5A #9 Covington Catholic

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. 6A Lafayette 
2. Owensboro vs. 6A Daviess County 
3. South Warren -- OPEN 

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier at #5 Male
2. Trinity vs. Center Grove (IN)
3. Manual at North Hardin

We hear this a lot from school officials who are concerned that a video stream will negatively affect the host schools’ funds. I actually dealt with this argument for radio, too, in the 1990s from a Louisville high school athletic director who required us to pay a fee to cover a football game on WRSL. Thankfully, the rest of the state understands the importance of small town radio coverage.

Now, we are dealing with an uneven acceptance of live video coverage by host schools. While the KHSAA controls postseason events, host schools control regular season games, and the access we can offer the public is controlled by them.

The value of an enduring first impression takes time to measure, but two players in particular got an early jump on the competition in Week 1. District mates Kenyon Goodin and Jacob Jones got their seasons off on the best foot possible, leading their teams to victory with scintillating individual performances. Collins' Goodin picked up where he left off last year, when he "discreetly" amassed 3,500 yards of offense and 52 touchdowns. He totalled 431 yards and six touchdowns against Shelby County, with upper and lower body working to maximum effect.

Not to be outdone, Jones displayed his own considerable dual threat skill set to the tune of 527 yards and six combined scores. The son of UK great Pookie Jones, who holds an offer from the Cats, raced past Bourbon County defenders for 342 rushing yards. Goodin's output was nothing we haven't seen from him before, but Jones has entered a new statistical stratosphere, one that now has him squarely on the Mr. Football radar. For the time being, it heightens the anticipation of their head to head meeting in the penultimate week of the regular season.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville vs. 5A #9 Covington Catholic (8/27)
2. Raceland vs. 3A Russell (8/27)
3. Hazard vs. 4A Harlan County 

Class 2A
1. Beechwood vs. 1A #4 Paintsville
2. Lexington Christian Academy vs. 3A Mercer County (at Boyle County)
3. Mayfield vs. 4A #10 Hopkinsville

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman vs. 5A Graves County
2. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. 5A North Bullitt
3. Glasgow vs. 1A Russellville

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 6A #10 Bryan Station
2. Johnson Central vs. 6A Fern Creek at Lexington Catholic
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 6A Henry Clay

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass at 6A Tates Creek 
2. Owensboro vs. 6A Apollo
3. South Warren at Hendersonville (TN)

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier vs. 4A #6 Central
2. Trinity at Moeller (OH)
3. Male at 6A #8 Ballard

Class 1A
1. Pikeville at 4A #6 Corbin
2. Raceland vs. 3A Ashland at Wheelersburg (OH) (8/20)
3. Hazard vs. 2A #6 Middlesboro  vs. 6A Campbell County at Thomas More University

Class 2A
1. Beechwood at 5A Fairdale (8/20)
2. Lexington Christian Academy at 6A #6 Madison Central
3. Mayfield at 5A Graves County

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman vs. 6A McCracken County 
2. Christian Academy-Louisville at 5A South Oldham 
3. Belfry vs. 5A #10 Pulaski County 

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. Madison Consolidated (IN) at Mercer County (8/20)
2. Johnson Central at 6A Lafayette
3. Franklin County vs. 5A Scott County at Great Crossing

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. 6A #5 Bryan Station 
2. Owensboro at 6A #1 St. Xavier 
3. Woodford County vs. 3A LaRue County 

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier vs. 5A #2 Owensboro 
2. Trinity at Carmel (IN) 
3. Male at Floyd Central (IN) 

Few things in Kentucky high school football are as absolute as Louisville owning the big school state championship. A quarter century of T/X/H dominance has bred cynicism and perhaps a measure of apathy in regards to the yearly outcome of our largest classification. We're confident we "know" how it's going to end, but that doesn't mean we can't take pleasure in the journey.

The big school division was given a rare reprieve from Trinity's relentless pursuit of championship hardware last year. Rebuilding years are few and far between for the Rocks, but last year qualifies. They still reached the semifinals, but were handily dispatched by Male, capping T's first losing season since 1995. You have to go back nearly that far to find a time when Trinity went more than one year between state championships. You read that right… the Shamrocks haven't gone more than one season without a title in over twenty years. 

Pikeville has been the alpha dog of 1A under the current alignment and the foundation beneath its feet shows no signs of cracking. They'll enter this season as the top ranked team in the class again and just scrimmaged Johnson Central to a virtual tie. The Panthers haven't been this hot since Hillard Howard was patrolling the sidelines. But that lofty position carries with it a target on their back and several hunters will be taking aim this year. Let's do a fly-by of five potential contenders - or are they pretenders? - to Pikeville this season.

Every year, long before the schedules are released, you can point to certain games that have a "must see" quality. They're typically rivalry games that we see every season, but I'm moving away from the usual suspects. Below are six games from the 2022 docket that involve schools that have either never met or don't hook up often. Something fresh, although one of the games featured below was one of last year's high points of opening weekend and should be again. There's a hook for each game that should draw in viewers, listeners, and BGP browsers from Pikeville to Paducah.