Top 25

Boyle County 112.49
Trinity 95.89
Christian Academy-Lou. 93.02
Paducah Tilghman 91.48
Male 90.98
St. Xavier 90.78
Frederick Douglass 90.64
Cooper 88.43
Ryle 88.32
Owensboro Catholic 87.41
Lexington Christian 86.73
Corbin 85.63
North Oldham 85.44
Highlands 85.32
Bowling Green 84.72
Covington Catholic 84.05
South Warren 82.68
Manual 82.36
Franklin County 81.42
Madisonville N. Hopkins 81.16
Great Crossing 80.26
Bryan Station 79.7
Madison Central 75.56
Owensboro 75.08
Woodford County 74.32

First Team All-Watchlist
Montavin Quisenberry (Boyle County, ATH)

Second Team All-Watchlist
Antonio Harris (Male, ATH)

Third Team All-Watchlist
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB)

Honorable Mention
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE)
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
Isaac “Spike” Sowells (Male, OL/DL)
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB)
Brock Coffman (Sayre, ATH)

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre
4. Newport Central Catholic

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Beechwood
3. Lexington Christian
4. Mayfield

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Central
3. Lexington Catholic
4. Belfry

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. Cooper
3. Highlands
4. South Warren

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Male
3. Manual
4. Saint Xavier

Who Ya With!

Total domination! Boyle > St. Edward. Boyle never punted the football the entire game! 21 all at the half and Boyle's 2 way starters out scored them 17-0 in the second half.

Offensive masterclass. Anyone who knows football would've predicted that St. Ed would start to wear Boyle down in the 2nd half. It was the exact opposite. Boyle just flat took over the game.

Haddix and his staff dialed up a phenomenal offensive game plan from start to finish. They opened it up with some gadgetry when needed, but otherwise kept it bunched up tight with some wildcat/single wing looking concepts. And what can you say about the second half defensive effort? They only needed one stop, but instead got them all.

Let's take a drive out to the suburbs in Boone County on the first Friday in September. You better give yourself enough time though, because 42 is going to be hopping as the titanic struggle between Ryle and Cooper is sure to attract a big crowd. 

Cooper comes into this matchup 2 - 0 after blowing out both Bardstown and Henry Clay. They have scored 83 points and conceded just 6. Cam O'Hara is coming off a performance at Henry Clay where he went 8 for 9 on passing attempts for 152 yards and three touchdowns, all of that happening in the first half. Jaiden Combs accounted for two of those touchdown catches while also getting a 42 yard rushing touchdown to start the scoring. Isaiah Johnson was the other receiver to catch an O'Hara touchdown pass. Austin Alexander, to no one's surprise, has anchored a Jaguar defense that has absolutely smothered the opposition. 

Ryle is also 2 - 0 with very impressive wins. Frankly, they have stunned the NKY football community, not necessarily that they have won but how much they have won by. They cruised right past Covington Catholic 30 to 14 and then absolutely decimated Conner on the road 46 to 8. Nathan Verax has found Landon Lorms for a touchdown pass both weeks. Jacob Savage has also proven himself to be a combo threat as he has dominated on the ground, scoring a rushing touchdown in both games, while also being a quality target for Verax. Add in that he as also been possibly the most involved defender on the other side of the ball and you have one of the most dynamic players in Northern Kentucky.

Last season this game was a 28 to 10 home victory for Ryle with the now graduated Logan Verax going for 156 yards passing and 102 yards rushing, contributing to 3 of the 4 touchdowns scored by the Raiders. Jacob Savage was the leading tackler. For Cooper, O'Hara threw for a touchdown and 182 yards but was also picked off by the Raider defense twice. Austin Alexander had 16 total tackles including three sacks.

Kick off is set for 1:00 PM on Saturday.

St. Edwards comes into this game back to back to back Division 1 State Champs in Ohio. Division 1 is equivalent to our 6A. They seemed to have lost a lot to graduation with 3 OL going to play in the Big 10, but that hasn't stopped the train that keeps rolling. They were ranked #25 in the nation last week via Max Preps and just beat the #15 team in the nation and top team in PA last week pretty handily. 

Boyle comes into this game 2-0 with wins over LCA and Bryan Station. The Rebels dominated Station by putting a running clock into effect with four minutes into the second quarter. The first half saw Boyle out gain the defenders 302 to 35 before cruising in the second half to a 48-8 final. Jr QB Baylor Murphy has 3 incompletions in two games and his plethora of weapons are all thriving right now. 

Boyle has won 22 straight games and four straight titles. St. Eds has won three straight D1 Titles. Something's gotta give. Who takes this one and why? 

Montavin Quisenberry (Boyle County, ATH)
Following a productive, but restrained opener, Quisenberry flashed against Bryan Station with three first half touchdowns and 122 yards from scrimmage on seven touches. “Q” was in no mood to play around as he ran through goal line contact for both touchdown runs and battled through double coverage for a long touchdown reception. He ran the spectrum from elusive open field runner, to bullish finisher, to deep threat.
Season to date: 9 carries for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns | 8 catches for 134 yards and 1 touchdown

Jack James (Paducah Tilghman, QB)
Tilghman's embarrassment of riches at the receiver position would make any quarterback look good, but the nature of that pitch and catch relationship is symbiotic. Someone has to set it all in motion. The Tornado's trigger man diced up Graves County's secondary for a career high 438 yards and five touchdowns, plus two more with his legs. James is now tied with Lone Oak's Corey Robinson at #4 for career touchdown passes, and needs only two more for sole possession of second place.
Season to date: 49/65 for 730 yards and 8 touchdowns with 2 interceptions | 2 rushing touchdowns

Deuce Bailey (Bowling Green, QB)
With the Douglass debacle already in his rear view mirror, Bailey exorcized the Devils for the third time in two years, completing 18/23 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half. Four of them came In the decisive second quarter to blow the game open and trigger the running clock. In three career games against Owensboro, he's accounted for 14 touchdowns and zero turnovers.
Season to date: 32/50 for 483 yards and 5 touchdowns | 1 rushing touchdown

1. Boyle County                     50.6
2. Trinity                                49.4
3. Male                                   40.2
4. Frederick Douglass           39.0
5. Saint Xavier                        36.0
6. Christian Academy-Lou.   35.2
7. Cooper                                27.7
8. Bryan Station                     27.2
9. Paducah Tilghman             26.1
10. South Warren                   25.6
11. Franklin County                 24.9
12. Bowling Green                   24.5
13. Highlands                           23.9
14. Corbin                                23.5
15. Manual                                19.6
16. Ryle                                      17.4
17. Owensboro Catholic            13.1
18. Ballard                                  13.0
19. Ashland Blazer                     12.8
20. Lexington Christian             11.7

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre
4. Newport Central Catholic

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Beechwood
3. Mayfield
4. Lexington Christian

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Central
3. Lexington Catholic
4. Belfry

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. Cooper
3. Highlands
4. South Warren

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Saint Xavier
3. Frederick Douglass
4. Male

Trinity (1-0) will travel to Frederick Douglass (1-0) after defeating Bryan Station 28-10. Frederick Douglass is coming off a 35-13 win over Bowling Green. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Last season the two teams split with Frederick Douglass winning the early season game 17-14, but in the 6A playoffs Trinity got revenge in a very close game 14-7.

In Trinity's game against Bryan Station they racked up 376 yards (206 rushing/170 passing), and the defense held Bryan Station to one touchdown so a good opening performance for the young Shamrocks.

Frederick Douglass stymied a powerful Bowling Green offense holding them to 13 pts, and on offense controlled the line of scrimmage to rack up 35 points on the Purples.

This game is the game of the week in 6A and I would expect another close game between these two teams. With the strength of both team's defenses, I would expect this to be a low scoring game like both games were last season. The Farm should be packed and a great atmosphere. Who wins this huge 6A matchup?

Week 1 Headlines
• Atwell Blasts Apollo To The Moon
• Carter Outruns A Pack Of Wild Horses
• Meet The New Hodge, Same As The Old Hodge

Leaders
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)
Martels Carter Jr. (Paducah Tilghman, ATH)
Connor Hodge (Christian Academy of Louisville, ATH)

Honorable Mention
Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE)
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB)
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Kanyon Johnson (Madisonville-North Hopkins, QB)

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre
4. Newport Central Catholic

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Beechwood
3. Mayfield
4. Lexington Christian

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Central
3. Lexington Catholic
4. Belfry

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. Cooper
3. Highlands
4. South Warren

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Saint Xavier
3. Frederick Douglass
4. Manual

It's rivalry week for the Colonels and the Bluebirds. This Friday will be the 78th meeting of Covington Catholic and Highlands on the gridiron - and only the second time that meeting has ever taken place as part of non-district play. The game will also be one of Cov Cath's 100 Year Celebration events, with skydivers parachuting the game ball down onto Art's Rental Field before the coin toss.

The Birds and Colonels have traded punches the last two years, with each team handing the other a loss at home in the last two games between the two. In 2022 Highlands Coach Sphire earned his first W over the Colonels (as the Birds' head coach, anyway) when Highlands left Park Hills with a 32-21 road win over Cov Cath. Then last year Coach Eviston and the Colonels returned the favor, heading over to Fort Thomas and leaving with their own 35-21 win on the road. Cov Cath has won 9 of the last 10 games against Highlands, but prior to that the Birds had an impressive 15 game win-streak dating back to 2007. All in all, in the 77 previous games between these two, Highlands leads the rivalry in wins with 50 total wins, to Cov Cath's 27 wins.

What are your predictions for the game on Friday? Looking forward to hearing what folks have to say.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre

Class 2A
1. Mayfield
2. Owensboro Catholic
3. Beechwood

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Central
3. Lexington Catholic

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Covington Catholic

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. Cooper
3. Highlands

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Saint Xavier
3. Frederick Douglass

No appetizers needed, Week 1 of the 2024 Kentucky high school football delivers the main course. The 3-time defending Class A state champions, Pikeville Panthers, will travel west along Route 80 for a matchup with 4A powerhouse, the Corbin Redheunds, Even though, on paper, the game has the possibility of delivering a Michelin-star rated dish, the two teams will enter the matchup from two very different perspectives.

Pikeville is coming off its third straight Class A state championship. While the Panthers lost some heavy contributors from last year's title team (Sam Wright, Jeb Wilkerson, Jackson Wilkerson, Westin Bevins, Taxvian Boykins, etc.), the cupboard is far from bare. The reigning Class A state title game MVP and preseason Mr. Football candidate, Brenden Anthony, is back for Pikeville. The "do-it-all" player will be the focal point for the Panthers on both sides of the ball. Along with Isaac Duty, Deonte Stevens, Bradyn Hall, Isaiah Stanley, Blake Caudill, Drew Ferguson and many others, Pikeville looks primed to make a run for a 4th-straight Class A state championship. The Panthers are enjoying an unprecedented level of success and look to continue their dominance in 2024.

Across the field, the Redhounds of Corbin enter 2024 with a high level of cautious optimism. The goal is always the same for the Redhounds, a state championship. They've been close in recent years to achieving that goal, real close. While that elusive title has escaped the grips of the Corbin faithful, the goal remains unchanged. That may be the only aspect of the Corbin program that hasn't changed. Gone is Tom Greer.

Gone are Jacob Smith, Jerod Smith, Franklin West, Guy Bailey, Carter Stewart and others. Enter Luke Salmons. The former Cabell Midland coach takes over as head honcho for the Redhounds, Even though Salmons has experience coaching in Kentucky (head coach at Lawrence County, 2008-2010), his new assignment comes with heavy expectations. Fortunately for Salmons, he'll have plenty of tools in his arsenal to compete for a state championship. Kade Elam, Eli Pietrowski, Cam Estep, Jonah Mahan, Jace Hatfield and others are back, plus a couple of additions from Cabell Midland that followed Coach Salmons.  Needless to say, the 2024 edition of the Redheunds will be more than equipped to compete for a state championship.

This is a rematch of a 2022 game that saw Corbin beat Pikeville, 24-19. Both teams that year ended their seasons at Kroger Field. If this year's game can produce a similar result, both programs will leave the table full and ready for dessert.

Who wins the game, Pikeville or Corbin?

Trinity will travel to Bryan Station Friday for a 7:30 pm kickoff. This is a rematch of the 6A State Championship from last year which Trinity won 41-20. This should be the game of the week in 6A as Calpreps ratings has Trinity preseason #1 in 6A and Bryan Station #5.

Trinity graduated several starters from last year especially on defense. QB Zane Johnson returns as a sophomore after a breakout freshman year passing for 2289 yards and 30 TD's. They also return their 2nd leading rusher Jamaurion Berry who had 273 yards and 5 TD's. Then add top returning WR Jeremiah Lynn who had 1050 yards and 14 TD's. This will be a tough trio for most teams to try and stop. Trinity's top returning tackler is sophomore DB Sekou Kamara who had 59 tackles and what concerns anyone had for the lack of returning starters on the defense have been replaced with optimism after shutting down one of Ohio's better teams with Springfield in their scrimmage.

Bryan Station returns on offense their top RB with Kalen Washington who had 1311 yards and 16 TD's, and Coach Hawkins stated that the O-line will be bigger than last year so he should put up even better numbers this year. They also return WR Demond Green who had 341 yards and 3 TD's. Like Trinity, Bryan Station graduated several of their top tacklers on defense but return LB Keelan Adams who had 51 tackles. 

Can Bryan Station upset the defending 6A State Champions or does Trinity continue their winning ways over the Defenders? Regardless this will most likely be a packed house and fun environment for both teams.

BluegrassPreps.com 2024 Pre-Season Mr. Football Watchlist

As we close in on the opening weekend of the 2024 season, the time has come to dust off BGP's annual journal of individual excellence. Each entry, a snapshot of the chase for the title of Mr. Football.

This is one of the deepest fields we've had since the inception of the watchlist in 2017, and we've cast a wide net to bring them all together here. They're coming from all corners of the state.

First up…. The Supermen

Owners of awe inspiring physical ability, the result of genetics, work ethic, and perhaps being touched by the football gods… these four belong in a class of their own. They're capable of reaching a little higher than mere mortals.

Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE, 6’3”/245)
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB, 6’3”/225)
Martels Carter Jr. (Paducah Tilghman, ATH, 6’1”/190)
Montavin Quisenberry (Boyle County, ATH, 5’9”/175)

The rest of the Watchlist:
Deuce Bailey (Bowling Green, QB, 6’0”/170)
Bryce Button (South Warren, QB, 6’3”/205)
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB, 6’1”/180)
Jack James (Paducah Tilghman, QB, 6’0”/210)
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB, 6’0”/180)
Cortez Stone (Central, RB, 5'11”/175)
Connor Hodge (Christian Academy of Louisville, ATH, 6’1”/160)
Antonio Harris (Male, ATH, 6'0"/175)
Brenden Anthony (Pikeville, RB/LB, 5'11”/215)
Brock Coffman (Sayre, ATH, 6’0”/175)

Before I touch on the Rules Emphasis for this year, please keep this in mind:

1. You may have been watching College or the NFL football for many years, but your child is playing according to high school rules. In fact, there are over 100 rules differences between the three levels.

2. Before you decide to yell at the refs, keep in mind that they've attended rules and mechanics meetings and passed a rules exam. You  have done none of this!

3.  New officials are put on youth games for the same reason  your 10 year old doesn't get to play varsity; they have to develop too!

4. Even if your kid is good enough to get a football scholarship one day, his coach isn't going to care about the bad game he had when he was 12 or even as a underclassman in high school.

5. Mistakes in officiating will be eliminated when fumbles, dropped passes, missed assignments, and blown coverages are eliminated as well.

6. Every year, it gets harder and harder to find officials for high school, and middle school and youth football. The reason? The parents! Think about this before you decided to post a video of a call you don't like so you and a bunch of other people who've never read a rule book can debate a call you don't like!

Here is a look at how the last three weeks of the 2A football season played out last year. So now that we're just under 3 weeks away from the 2024 football season kicking off, what are you thinking in terms of preseason rankings for 2A?

Have any of these teams dropped out of the picture for the beginning of this season?

Are any of the quarterfinalists or semifinalists looking more like finalists this season? Or vice versa?

What about teams like Breathitt County, Murray, Crittenden County, and Metcalfe County...do you see them making it any deeper of a playoff run than they did last year?

Here are this year's team threads that have been started from among the teams that made last year's 2A quarterfinalists:

2024 Mayfield Cardinals
2024 Owensboro Catholic Aces
2024 Beechwood Tigers
2024 Somerset Briar Jumpers
2024 Lexington Christian Academy Eagles
2024 Shelby Valley Wildcats
2024 Green County Dragons

Here is a look at how the last three weeks of the 1A football season played out last year. So now that we're just under 3 weeks away from the 2024 football season kicking off, what are you thinking in terms of preseason rankings for 1A?

Have any of these teams dropped out of the picture for the beginning of this season?

Are any of the quarterfinalists or semifinalists looking more like finalists this season? Or vice versa?

What about teams like Paris, Bethlehem, and Louisville Holy Cross...do you see them making it any deeper of a playoff run than they did last year?

Here are this year's team threads that have been started from among the teams that made last year's 1A quarterfinalists:

2024 Pikeville Panthers
2024 Raceland Rams
2024 Campbellsville Eagles
2024 Kentucky Country Day Bearcats
2024 Middlesboro Yellow Jackets
2024 Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds
2024 Ludlow Panthers
2024 Sayre Spartans

With the season approaching, I think all six teams from their respective classes have a legit shot at repeating this season. 

My question is pretty straight forward though, which champion do you think is most prone to being bounced this year?

Here are the champs from last year:
Trinity
Bowling Green
Boyle County
Christian Academy of Louisville
Mayfield
Pikeville

What do you think?

Here is a look at how the last three weeks of the 3A football season played out last year. So now that we're just over 4 weeks away from the 2024 football season kicking off, what are you thinking in terms of preseason rankings for 3A?

Have any of these teams dropped out of the picture for the beginning of this season?

Are any of the quarterfinalists or semifinalists looking more like finalists this season? Or vice versa?

What about teams like Belfry, Franklin-Simpson, Mercer County, and Glasgow...do you see them making it any deeper of a playoff run than they did last year?

Here are this year's team threads that have been started from among the teams that made last year's 3A quarterfinalists:

2024 Christian Academy Louisville Centurions
2024 Bell County Bobcats
2024 Lexington Catholic Knights
2024 Hart County Raiders
2024 Union County Braves
2024 Rockcastle County Rockets
2024 Central Yellow Jackets

Now that we're just over 4 weeks away from the 2024 football season kicking off, what are you thinking in terms of preseason rankings for 6A? Have any of these teams dropped out of the picture for the beginning of this season? Are any of the quarterfinalists or semifinalists looking more like finalists this season? Or vice versa? What about teams like Manual, St. Xavier and Bullitt East...do you see them making it any deeper of a playoff run than they did last year? Is Simon Kenton the most logical favorite to win it all this year?

Here are this year's team threads that have been started from among the teams that made last year's 6A quarterfinalists:

2024 Trinity Shamrocks
2024 Bryan Station Defenders
2024 Frederick Douglass Broncos
2024 Ballard Bruins
2024 McCracken County Mustangs
2024 Male Bulldogs
2024 Central Hardin Bruins
2024 Ryle Raiders

Now that we're just over 4 weeks away from the 2024 football season kicking off, what are you thinking in terms of preseason rankings for 5A? Have any of these teams dropped out of the picture for the beginning of this season? Are any of the quarterfinalists or semifinalists looking more like finalists this season? Or vice versa? What about teams like Scott County, South Warren and Dixie Heights...do you see them making it any deeper of a playoff run than they did last year?

Here are this year's team threads that have been started from among the teams that made last year's 5A quarterfinalists:

2024 Bowling Green Purples
2024 Cooper Jaguars
2024 Highlands Bluebirds
2024 Owensboro Red Devils
2024 Southwestern Warriors
2024 Atherton Ravens

Now that we're just over 4 weeks away from the 2024 football season kicking off, what are you thinking in terms of preseason rankings for 4A? Have any of these teams dropped out of the picture for the beginning of this season? Are any of the quarterfinalists or semifinalists looking more like finalists this season? Or vice versa? What about teams like Ashland, and Logan County, and Taylor County...do you see them making it any deeper of a playoff run than they did last year?

Here are this year's team threads that have been started from among the teams that made last year's 4A quarterfinals:

2024 Boyle County Rebels
2024 Covington Catholic Colonels
2024 Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado
2024 Franklin County Flyers
2024 Corbin Redhounds
2024 Bardstown Tigers
2024 Johnson Central Golden Eagles