As the curtain drops on the 2020 season, a Tiger takes the throne as king of the 2A jungle. Broyles comes agonizingly close to bringing a championship to the capital city, but is denied by a "Title Town" rebellion. And a monster day from a future West Point cadet helps end a thirty year Tomcat drought.  

The Trinity Shamrocks win their 27th State Football Championship over the Male Bulldogs in convincing fashion.  Make no mistake, Male is a very good football team but Trinity is just that good in 2020. 

Congrats Trinity!  Congrats Coach Beatty!

 

This one was all Purples all the time!  Owensboro did add a late touchdown but it was a non-factor and the game was already decided. Bowling Green dominated Owensboro to win their 7th State Championship. 

Congrats Bowling Green!  Congrats Coach Spader!

 

With the game tied at 21 all and Franklin County on their own one yard line the Flyers drove the length of the field to score a touchdown with 544 left in the game to go up 28 to 21. Boyle County came right back and scored on a long pass from Gillis to Clark to make it 28 all with 351 remaining in the game.  The Flyers threw and interception with 307 left in the game but blocked a Boyle County field goal attempt with less than a minute to go to set up overtime. Boyle got the ball first and kicked a field goal to go up 31 to 28.  Franklin went for the win on 4th and 4 but Boyle held to win the game. 

Congrats Boyle County! Congrats Coach Haddix!

 

Ashland jumped out to a 21 to 0 lead over Elizabethtown with almost everything going the Tomcats' way.  The Panthers stayed in the game with a 3rd quarter touchdown to make it 21 to 7.  Ashland raced down the field again with their potent running attack to go up 28 to 7 with 936 left in the game and never looked back. Etown didn't quit and added a touchdown with 158 left in the game to make it 28 to 14.  Ashland superstar Keontae Pittman broke out for a 57 yard touchdown (253 total rushing yards - both unofficial) to close out the scoring.

Congrats Ashland!  Congrats Coach Love!

 

Beechwood jumped out to a 14 to 0 lead but LCA roared back to lead 17 to 14.  LCA was driving but threw an interception that Beechwood converted into a FG to tie the game at 17 with 209 left in regulation.  LCA drove down to the 27 yard line with 2 seconds to go and Andrew Dobbs attempted a 44 yard FG that hit the upright as time ran out.  In overtime, Beechwood scored on the first play to take a 24 to 17 lead.  LCA came right back to score a TD but the extra point was blocked for a 24 to 23 Beechwood win.

Congrats Beechwood!   Congrats Coach Rash!

 

Paintsville dominated the game with a potent running attack and stingy defense. The game was never in doubt for the Tigers.  Paintsville wins their first state title. 

Congrats Paintsville!  Congrats Coach Chirico!

King of the Carpet Contest (Round 5)

Here are the Round 5 games:

6 point game - Bowling Green / Owensboro
5 Point Game - Elizabethtown / Ashland
4 Point Game - Paintsville / Kentucky Country Day
3 Point Game - Lexington Christian Academy / Beechwood
2 Point Game - Boyle County / Franklin COunty
1 Point Game - Trinity / Male

In lieu of the weekly update (because frankly, hardly anyone played last week and no one is playing this week), we'll use this opportunity to pause and take a look at some of this year's more prominent Mr. Football candidates and take the temperature of the room here, so to speak, with a BGP poll. 

A Tiger devours his prey in a clash of NKY blue bloods. The Pirate ship is sunk by a 21 gun salute from JC, but Belfry's star leaves his mark. E'town's field general keeps an 0 in the loss and turnover columns. And the "Wayne County Wonder" has a field day after a fortnight off.

A Flyer gets his wings clipped in a clash of top five teams. Inclement weather can't deter a streaking Comet in Florence. A Rock rolls his way back onto the watchlist. And a pair of eastern Kentucky standouts make the most of their opportunities in blowouts to set the stage for a Mr. Football showcase game in Paintsville.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Louisville Holy Cross
3. Raceland

Class 2A
1. Lexington Christian Academy
2. Somerset
3. Beechwood
 
Class 3A
1. Ashland
2. Belfry
3. DeSales

Class 4A
1. Johnson Central
2. Boyle County
3. Central

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass
2. Covington Catholic
3. South Warren 

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Male
3. North Hardin

Pikeville
Paintsville
Lou Holy Cross

Lexington Christian Academy
Somerset
Beechwood

DeSales
Belfry
Ashland

Johnson Central
Boyle
Franklin

Frederick Douglass
CovCath
South Warren

Trinity
Male
North Hardin

The Franklin County aerial circus returns to action, and promptly puts two Flyers back on the Mr. Football radar. Johnson Central's one man scoring machine keeps up his preposterous pace for another week, while a blue Colonel's legs help keep CovCath grounded against an archrival. And Somerset's field general can't jump quite as high as Eagles can fly.

(Alphabetically)....

The Franklin County aerial circus returns to action, and promptly puts two Flyers back on the Mr. Football radar. Johnson Central's one man scoring machine keeps up his preposterous pace for another week, while a blue Colonel's legs help keep CovCath grounded against an archrival. And Somerset's field general can't jump quite as high as Eagles can fly.

"Pride week," "rivalry week," "the game week"...the name may switch depending on which program you support and which team your big rival is, but the message is the same: it is THE big one when it comes to the regular season schedule. During my days playing at Cov Cath, it was "Highlands week," but what made that even more distinct was that we may have had a different opponent the week before, but the week before, that usually just felt like "the week before Highlands week". The Highlands game was the game we were locked in on from the time we started putting on any helmets or pads in the spring.

From this week's Mr. Football Watchlist:

Cam Hergott (QB), Beechwood

Season to date: 78/110 for 1,115 yards and 7 TDs/3 ints. - 323 rushing yards and four touchdowns

Two of the state's best hooked up in Pike County, with both reaffirming their status as watchlist regulars. Last year's 4A finals MVP continues his scoring spree, and a Wayne County wonder returns to the field after a week off. Plus, one of the nation's best offensive linemen helps spur the Broncos to a stampede in Lexington.

Here's what matters: The Jumpers and Eagles have been the two best teams in 2A all season. They've been less like #1 and #2, and more like #1 and 1A. They met twice last year, with LCA winning the first game and Somerset claiming the one that mattered most to win the district, en route to a state title. Both games were edge-of-your-seat affairs, decided by three total points. With another district championship rematch likely in the works for November, this week's game could serve as a dress rehearsal at times, as both teams feel each other out in anticipation of what may lie ahead.

Class 3A
1. Russell .76797
2. Bardstown .72794
3. Elizabethtown .71332
4. Rockcastle County .66155
5. Mercer County .65786
6. Belfry .63992

Class 1A
1. Louisville Holy Cross .89329
2. Pikeville .71961
3. Bethlehem .71788
4. Paintsville .69285
5. Newport Central Catholic .68525
6. Dayton .67753

A running back dominated field highlights this week's watchlist. Pond Creek's show-stopping Pirate and Olive Hill's dazzling Comet continue to wow spectators, and a trio of 6A super backs set fire to scoreboards in Louisville, Owensboro, and Brandenburg. Meanwhile, what was already a thin crop of quarterbacks continues to dwindle.

Class 6A

Trinity (3-0) remains as #1 as they continue to roll up opponents with running clocks, the latest a 48-10 defeat of #5 St. Xavier. They will host #7 Ballard in a key district game...

Class 4A

It was a COVID kind of week for 4A, with seven out of the Top Ten taking a week off.  Johnson Central and Central held it down for the top five, winning by a combined 93-6 against Clay County and Shelby County, respectively....

Class 2A

Owensboro Catholic fans will tell you 2019 was not expected. The Aces have emerged as a 2A fixture over the years, so a disappointing campaign ending with a 2nd Round loss to McLean County certainly left a sour taste in their mouths. The Aces avenged that loss in dominating fashion and are now one of the fastest risers in Class 2A, if they can somehow upset powerhouse rival Owensboro, they then become a team in the running for the title. Lexington Christian Academy also has a chance to make a move. The Eagles are setting themselves up for a monster RPI value, adding a win over 6A Dunbar most recently, and a last minute addition of Frederick Douglass gives them all the ammo to make the move to the top of the class. Beechwood knows how tough 6A teams can be as they need to rebound quickly after 6A Dixie Heights bested them. Somerset won convincingly over 1A Hazard but did not look sharp, they need to get their bearings together as Danville looks for the first statement in that grueling district. Breathitt County was pushed by Middlesboro but held on to take the catbird seat in their district. For an under the radar game to take note, Lloyd Memorial and Newport seem to be evenly matched and neither want to fall out of District contention.

Class 5A

In the eagerly awaited "Showdown at the El", South Warren and Bowling Green engaged in a minimalist war of attrition between top five teams. The Spartans emerged victorious in a game that told us little about either side, other than they enjoy getting after each other. Let the sabre rattling commence for the inevitable district championship rematch. With the Purples going down, Covington Catholic returns to the top spot, though the Colonels are still struggling to find the polish that's been a staple of theirs in the recent championship seasons. CovCath has a week off to do some fine tuning before hosting a Highlands team that turned back the clock about ten years and drubbed previously ranked Conner...