One thing is for sure, while there is no movement at the top of the Top 10 this week, the middle and bottom (and others) is a bit of a jumbled puzzle to try and put together and decipher.  NewCath had the Charles Dickens' week, the best of times (nice win over Dixie), and the worst of times (losing by 22 to Grant County). Grant County is looking more like the team we had in our Top 10 to start the season, and less like the team that struggled to find their way in the first couple of weeks.  Campbell Co had a great win over district rival Bishop Brossart, and the Camels are off to a great start.  

Additionally, this is a week where most of our top teams are going to be down in the state playing in either the Queen of the Commonwealth (amazing field!!) or the White, Green, Maggard Holiday Classic in Lexington.  The exception being Notre Dame (and Brossart) who are playing in an inter-state event at McNicholas H.S. in Cincinnati with Ursuline.  We will know a lot about our Top 5 teams as they will certainly be battle-tested this week, especially those 3 that earned the invite to the Queen of the Commonwealth (the girls' version of the King of the Bluegrass).  I hope everyone stays healthy, learns a great deal about themselves and their team, and their families stay safe traveling the highways of the Bluegrass.  Should be a fun week heading into Christmas!  Here we go....

Though there were a lot of good games featuring 9th region teams this week, there were only a few interesting contests between teams both from the 9th region. However, those games were good. None stood out more than Covington Catholic versus Newport, a matchup between the two hands-down best teams in the region (at least for now). 

I believe we can look at the region early on as distinctly segmented - 1 & 2 in a group of their own, 3 beside themselves at the moment, 4 through 7 as the other legitimate teams to make a run, 8 through 12, maybe 13, as the last group before you get to all the other schools competing in the 9th.

1. Covington Catholic - They came, they saw, they beat the Newport Wildcats on their home court. Their earlier game in the week was a blowout win over St. Henry. Brady Hussey, Caden Miller and Athens McGillis represent the three headed monster racking up the most offense for the Colonels and it was no different against Newport. Cash Harney, Luke Carroll and Nolan Ruthsatz round out the top contributors, at least this early in the season. They host St. Xavier of Ohio and NCC this week before facing La Lumiere of LaPorte, Indiana later in the week.

2. Newport - Sure, the Wildcats are no longer undefeated. But they have certainly opened the season impressively. Before falling to CovCath, Newport defeated Boone and Dixie. Taylen Kinney is up to 19 points per game and DeShaun Jackson is the other double digit scorer for the Wildcats at 13 points per game. They face Ryle and Huntington Expression Prep of West Virginia this week.

Hard to argue against it after the season he had. The yards and touchdowns are both state records and he carried the Bobcats to the state finals. Congratulations to Daniel on the well deserved recognition. 

Daniel Thomas (RB/LB, Bell County)

2023 Season: 400 carries for 3,817 yards and 54 touchdowns | 94 tackles | 1 sack | 1 scoop and score

• 3,817 single season rushing yards (#1 all-time)

• 7,143 career rushing yards (#8 all-time)

• 54 single season rushing touchdowns (#1 all-time)

• 104 career touchdowns (#9 all-time)

• 400 single season carries (#5 all-time)

It took over half a century for the single season rushing record to fall. Thomas has improved on the previous number by 456 yards. This one may stand at least that long, but records are made to be broken.

I just read multiple reports on Twitter that longtime Scott County Coach Billy Hicks has passed.  Terrible news to start the week...prayers go out to his family, former players, and friends. 

Coach Hicks is the All-Time KHSAA leader in wins with 1013 over 4 schools ( Evarts, Harlan, Corbin, Scott County).

The Kentucky Football Coaches Association Has Selected The Following Players As Finalists For Mr. Football (In Alphabetical Order):

Avery Bodner (RB/DB, Boyle County)
Season to date: 151 carries for 1,274 yards and 22 touchdowns | 378 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns | 87 tackles | 15 TFL | 7 sacks | 1 interception | 2 fumbles forced and 2 recovered, including a scoop and score

Cutter Boley (QB, Lexington Christian Academy)
Season to date: 172/268 for 2,187 yards and 24 touchdowns with 9 interceptions | 5 rushing touchdowns

Zane Cartwright (QB, Mayfield)
Season to date: 149/207 for 2,452 yards and 33 touchdowns with 2 interceptions | 158 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns

Sage Dawson (QB/DB, Boyle County)
Season to date: 137/194 for 2,509 yards and 29 touchdowns with 5 interceptions | 385 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns | 2 fumbles forced and 1 recovered for a scoop and score

Max Gainey (WR, Male)
Season to date: 57 receptions for 1,019 yards and 20 touchdowns | 2 rushing touchdowns | 3 kick return touchdowns

Brady Hensley (RB, Lexington Christian Academy)
Season to date: 235 carries for 2,408 yards and 43 touchdowns | 213 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns

Cole Hodge (QB, Christian Academy of Louisville)
Season to date: 283/380 for 4,104 yards and 57 touchdowns with 7 interceptions | 625 rushing yards and 10 touchdown

Daniel Thomas (RB/LB, Bell County)
Season to date: 400 carries for 3,817 yards and 54 touchdowns | 94 tackles | 1 sack | 1 scoop and score

Noah Wallace (RB/LB, Raceland)
Season to date: 182 carries for 1,198 yards and 15 touchdowns | 1 receiving touchdowns | 82 tackles | 1 sack | 2 interceptions


Additional Players Featured This Week

William 'Tutt' Carrico (WR/DB, Owensboro Catholic)
Season to date: 95 receptions for 1,919 yards and 30 touchdowns | 2 rushing touchdowns | 107 tackles with 12 TFL | 13 turnovers created, including 6 interceptions

Jutarious "Juju" Starks (RB/DE, Mayfield)
Season to date: 208 carries for 1,827 yards and 32 touchdowns

Evan Pitzer (QB, Covington Catholic)
Season to date: 170/243 for 2,592 yards and 32 touchdowns with 5 interceptions | 637 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns

Cooper received the opening kickoff and the Jags started on the 19. The teams traded punts and Cooper fumbled the punt giving Bowling Green the ball on the Cooper 34 and a Deuce Bailey to Matthew Kline TD pass to put the Purples up 7-0.  Cooper punted and two passes from Bailey to Trevy Barber later, it was 14-0 BG with 555 to go in the 1st.  Cooper answered with a 24 yard TD pass from Cam O'Hara to Isaiah Johnson to make it 14-7 Purples.  The Purples next drive ended with a Lucas Hughes INT and Cooper ball at their 45.  BG stopped Cooper on downs at the BG 46.  BG's next drive ended with a Jack Lonaker interception. Another muffed punt gave BG the ball at the Cooper 19 and ended in a Deuce Bailey to Jaxen Smith TD pass for a 21-7 Bowling Green lead with 412 left in the half.

The Purples started the second half on their own 46. After some back and forth a long Deuce Bailey run to the Cooper 36 and another run by Deuce Bailey to the 2, set the Purples up.  A Bowling Green touchdown by Jaxen Smith with 335 left in the 3rd quarter put Bowling Green up 28 to 7.  The Jags came right back with an O'Hara to Alexander TD pass to make it 28-14 BG with 1145 to go. That ended the scoring in the game. 

Congrats Bowling Green!  Congrats Coach Spader!

Trinity won the toss and deferred, Station started on their own 17 yard line and punted from their own 1 yard line.  Trinity started on the Station 26 yard line but settled for a 30 yard field goal to go up 3-0 with 708 remaining in the 1st quarter.  Station and Trinity went three and out on their next possession.  Station started on their own 35 after a T punt.  A Trenton Cutwright scramble and run set Station up at the Trinity 26.  Station converted on a 2 yard Kalen Washington touchdown run after a nice throw and catch from Cartwright to Javari Burnett to make it 7-3 Station.  Bryan Station's Dahvon Frazier hit the Trinity QB causing a fumble and turnover.  A few plays later Kalen Washington punched it in from 2 yards out to give Station a 14 to 3 Station lead 4 seconds left in the 1st q.  Trinity answered with a Clinton Sansbury 1 yard run to make it 14-10 Station with 851 left in the half.  On Station's next possession they muffed a punt and that gave the Shamrocks the ball at the Station 22.  Trinity converted that miscue into a short FG to make it 14-13 Station with 534 remaining in the half.  Station was driving but Trinity's Robert Morrow intercepted Cutwright at the Trinity 15.  After a long drive Clinton Sansbury ran into the end zone untouched to give Trinity a 20-14 lead with 31 seconds left in the half.  The Trinity defense sacked Cutwright twice to end the half. 

Trinity received to start the second half and the drive resulted in a Zane Johnson to Lucas Sasser 18 yard TD reception to put Trinity up 27-14 early in the 3rd quarter. Trinity scored again on a three yard run by Sansbury to go up 34 to 14 with 350 left in the 3rd quarter.  Trinity recovered an on side kick at the Station 49.  Trinity punted to the Defender 2.  The 3rd quarter ended with Trinity possessing the ball on the Bryan Station 39 yard line. Trinity turned the good field position into a Jamaurion Berry 11 yard TD run to put the Rocks up 41-14.  Station came right back and scored a touchdown on another short Kalen Washington run to make it 41-20 Trinity, with 440 left in the game. 

Congrats Trinity!  Congrats Coach Cobb!

Bell County returned the opening kickoff to their own 25.  The Bobcats went for it on 4th down deep in their own territory and made the first down and went on a 75 yard drive that took up the whole 1st quarter.  Bell County scored on a one yard run by Blake Evans and Evans added the two point conversion and with 1114 left in the half Bell County leads Christian Academy of Louisville 8-0.

CAL took their first possession and went right down the field capping it off with a 1 yard Cole Hodge TD sneak/run to make the score Bell 8 CAL 7 with 908 left in the half.  Bell took the ball again and grinded it out and went for it on 4th and 8 from their own 34 only they didn't get it.  CAL took over on downs and turned into a short Cole Hodge TD run to make it 14-8 CAL with 147 left in the half.  Bell got the ball back and ran out of time grinding it out for a halftime score of Christian Academy of Louisville 14 Bell County 8.

CAL received the second half kickoff and a Cole Hodge to Justin Ruffin TD pass put CAL up 21-8 with 912 left in the 3rd.  Bell once again went to their ground and pound rushing attack and faced a 4th and 8 from their own 49 but a CAL pass interference call gave Bell at first down at the CAL 36.  On the next play Daniel Thomas took it to the house to make the score CAL 21 Bell County 16 with 330 left in the 3rd quarter.  CAL returned a short kickoff to the Bell 38.  After another Hodge to Ruffin pass to the five, Cole Hodge ran in untouched for a TD putting CAL up 28 to 16 with 227 left in the 3rd quarter.  Bell drove down to the CAL 20 yard line before fumbling the ball.  John Cobaugh scooped the ball up and went 80 yards for the TD to put CAL up 34-16 with to start the 4th quarter. After a couple changes of possession, Cole Hodge connected with Conner Hodge for a short TD pass to make it 41-16 CAL with 323 left to play and that was the final score.

Congrats Christian Academy of Louisville!  Congrats Coach Cantwell!

Boyle County received the opening kickoff and drove to the Colonel 14 before being stopped on downs.  CovCath went three and out with 628 left in the 1st quarter. Boyle scored first on a 13 yard Montavin Quisenberry run for a 6-0 Boyle County lead.  Boyle stopped CovCath once again and ran down the field ending with a Avery Bodner 1 yard power run to make it 13-0 Boyle with 829 left in the half. Next an Austin Bodner interception set Boyle County up on the Covington Catholic 27 yard line. A Boyle punt pinned CCH deep.  CovCath had to punt it right back and Quisenberry returned it 39 yards for a TD to put Boyle up 20-0.

Boyle County stopped Covington Catholic on downs at midfield to start the second half. From there Boyle marched down the field and scored a TD on a Avery Bodner 9 yard run to put Boyle up 27-0 with 714 left in the 3rd quarter.  Once again the Rebels stopped the Colonels on downs and it resulted in a Sage Dawson 9 yard touchdown run to make it Boyle County 34 Covington Catholic 0 with 40 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. A Sage Dawson to Gio Brown 32 yard TD pass finished the scoring. 41-0 Boyle, Running Clock. 

Boyle County finishes 15-0.

Congrats Boyle County! Congrats Coach Haddix!

OC received the opening kick and fumbled on the first play from scrimmage.  Mayfield turned that into a 40 yard FG to go up 3-0 to start the game.  On OC's next possession they punted and Mayfield drove right down the field to go up 10-0 on a 4 yard TD run by Jutoriaus Starks. Owensboro Catholic immediately answered with a 29 yard TD pass from Brady Atwell to Tutt Carrico. Mayfield answered back with 253 left in the 1st quarter on a long Zane Cartwright to Braden Morris pass to make it 17 to 7 Mayfield.  Early in the 2nd quarter Owensboro Catholic muffed a punt and gave Mayfield first and goal.  Jutoriaus Starks wasted no time scoring his second TD of the game with 904 left in the half to put Mayfield up 24 to 7. Owensboro Catholic went the length of the field in less than two minutes and Brady Atwell ran it in from nine yards out to make it 24-14 Mayfield with 740 left in the game. Xavier Biggers took the kickoff to the house to make it 31-14 Mayfield Cardinals. OC's next drive ended with a 64 yard punt to the Mayfield 13.  Mayfield drove the length of the field and settled for a 35 yard field goal by Lincoln Suiter. The Aces went right back down the field thanks to a Dre’Mail Carothers pass to Mitchell Sims to set up a three yard Brady Atwell TD run with 25 seconds left in the half to make the score Mayfield 34 Owensboro Catholic 21.

Mayfield started the second half on their own 37 yard line.  3 plays later Cartwright to Biggers on a 40 yard TD to put Mayfield up 40-21 after a failed 2pt conversion. Atwell connected on long pass to Tutt Carrico down to the one yard line.  On the next play Atwell ran it in to make the score 40-27 Mayfield early in the 3rd.  Mayfield answered right back with a Jutoriaus Starks TD run to make it 46-27, Mayfield Cardinals.  Four plays and 64 yards later Atwell to Tutt Carrico for another TD to make it Mayfield 46 Owensboro Catholic 34 late in the 3rd quarter.  Another Atwell to Tutt Carrico long TD pass with a great run after catch to make the score 46-41 Mayfield early in the 4th quarter. Mayfield came right back on a long Jutoriaus Starks TD run to make it 53-41. Another Atwell to Tutt Carrico pass and short TD run by Atwell made it 53-48 Mayfield with 723 left to go in the game. Good field position and the triple threat of Cartwright/Biggers/Starks was not enough as OCath stopped Mayfield on downs.  Mayfield returned the favor with a Tre Jackson sack of Atwell.  Jutoriaus Starks ran for a Mayfield first down and Mayfield is in victory formation up 53-48.

Congrats Mayfield!  Congrats Coach Morris!

Raceland received the opening kickoff and went three and out with a punt.  On Pikeville's first possession Brenden Anthony went 58 yards for a touchdown to give Pikeville a 7-0 lead with 926 left in the 1st quarter.  Raceland went right back down the field but threw an INT on a double pass intercepted by Pikeville's Sam Wright on a heads up, athletic play in the end zone.  The teams traded some possessions and the score at the end of the first quarter was 7-0. The second quarter was mostly uneventful with Raceland being stopped on downs once in the red zone.  Pikeville leads at the half 7-0.

Pikeville received the second half kickoff and both teams exchanged punts before Brenden Anthony broke loose for a 61 yard TD run, his second rushing TD of the game to put Pikeville up 14-0 with 156 left in the 3rd quarter. With 145 left in the game Brenden Anthony hit Bradyn Hall on a 27 yard TD pass to put the Panthers up 21-0 and close out the scoring.

Raceland played a solid game but made too many mistakes to beat a team the caliber of Pikeville. Pikeville came out and played Pikeville Panther football and Brenden Anthony was the difference in the Class 1A State Championship game. 

Congrats Pikeville!  Congrats Coach McNamee!

Ratings for the Championship teams.

Class 6A:
Trinity 97.24
Bryan Station 83.47

Class 5A:
Bowling Green 78.01
Cooper 71.39

Class 4A:
Boyle County 93.82
Covington Catholic 77.92

Class 3A:
Christian Academy-Louisville 82.08
Bell County 48.4

Class 2A:
Mayfield 70.93
Owensboro Catholic 70.88

Class 1A:
Pikeville 59.14
Raceland 55.38

Players Featured This Week

Daniel Thomas (RB/LB, Bell County)
Season to date: 361 carries for 3,682 yards and 53 touchdowns | 89 tackles | 1 sack | 1 scoop and score

Cole Hodge (QB, Christian Academy of Louisville)
Season to date: 265/360 for 3,870 yards and 55 touchdowns with 7 interceptions | 587 rushing yards and 7 touchdown

Jutarious "Juju" Starks (RB/DE, Mayfield)
Season to date: 174 carries for 1,533 yards and 29 touchdowns

Avery Bodner (RB/LB, Boyle County)
Season to date: 135 carries for 1,195 yards and 20 touchdowns | 334 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns | 80 tackles | 12.5 TFL | 5 sacks | 1 interception | 2 fumbles forced and 2 recovered, including a scoop and score

William 'Tutt' Carrico (WR/DB, Owensboro Catholic)
Season to date: 84 receptions for 1,587 yards and 27 touchdowns | 2 rushing touchdowns | 98 tackles with 12 TFL | 12 turnovers created, including 6 interceptions

Evan Pitzer (QB, Covington Catholic)
Season to date: 163/226 for 2,556 yards and 32 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 636 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns

Trinity (11-3) will play in the Class 6A State Championship after defeating Frederick Douglass 14-7 in overtime. Bryan Station (11-3) will play in the Class 6A State Championship after defeating Ballard 24-21.

Trinity beat Bryan Station 36-3 in the 1st game of the season.

Trinity's last championship appearance was in 2020.

Bryan Station's last championship appearance was in 1999.

 

Road to the championship:

Trinity 52 Meade County 14

Trinity 38 Saint Xavier 14

Trinity 45 McCracken County 0

Trinity 14 Frederick Douglass 7

 

Bryan Station 43 Lafayette 0

Bryan Station 43 Tates Creek 10

Bryan Station 49 Ryle 12

Bryan Station 24 Ballard 21

 

Trinity used a dominant defense to hold Frederick Douglass to 7 points along with great play by QB Zane Johnson who threw  two touchdown passes to get the win. The recipients of those touchdown passes were WR Jeremiah Lynn and TE Jacob Castelluzzo.  Bryan Station was down to Ballard 14-3 at halftime but rallied in the second half behind the play of QB Trenton Cutwright who rushed for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown. RB Kalen Washington also had a rushing TD while WR JT Haskins had touchdown reception.

Bryan Station will have to make up a lot of ground from the first meeting to beat Trinity whose defense has dominated the playoffs and held Bryan Station to a FG in the first matchup. Can Bryan Station pull the upset or does Trinity capture their 28th state championship?

5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Cooper (12-2) vs Bowling Green (11-3)

Is it 2012 all over again?

Only 2 teams in 5A will be fortunate enough to play their 15th game of the season and it will be 2 programs clearly peaking at the right time that got them to that 15th game in the Cooper Jaguars and the Bowling Green Purples. Cooper returns to the Championship Round for the second time in program history. The Jaguars first made their 15th game season in 2012 when they traveled to WKU to meet the Bowling Green Purples. It was a hard-fought game that BG was fortunate to win 34-20. Cooper also made a terrific run in the 2014 season falling at eventual State Champion Pulaski County in the Semi-Finals.

Bowling Green has won 7 State Championships and is 8th in Kentucky in all time wins at 748.  Bowling Green will return to the Championship round on back-to-back years having earned the right to play their 15th game last season but falling to a very strong Fredrick Douglas squad 28-7.  It will also be their 8th trip to the Championship game in the last 13 seasons.

These two have only met in 2012 in the Championship game. That Cooper team was led by QB Tyler Morris, leading rusher A.J. Collins who had over 1,600 yards on the season and leading WR Aaron Morgan who had over 700 yards on the year. Their top defenders were Dustin Mitchell and Avery Bricking. Bowling Green was led by QB Devin Hayes, RB Blue Tisdale and WR Nacarius Fant (now BGs WR Coach).  Defensively, Allen Gonsalves and LB Lincoln Quick were top players for the Purples Jungle D.

This State Championship game will be the last game of the 2023 season and will be played at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field at 8pm.

KEY QUESTIONS? Which high powered offense will be the most effective? Which defense can make the big stops when it counts? Which QB will have his best game of the year? Can BG contain the D1 WRs? Can Cooper slow down BGs balanced offense? Going to be one of the best of the Championship Games IMO!

With a combined 118 seasons of football, 22 state finals appearances, and 19 state titles between the two programs, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Boyle County and Covington Catholic have never faced one another on the gridiron. This Friday that comes to an end when the 14-0 Rebels and the 14-0 Colonels will face off in the 4A championship game at Kroger Field in Lexington.

For Boyle, this will make their fourth-straight trip to Kroger Field, with the Rebels fighting to defend their back-to-back-to-back 4A titles. Led by senior quarterback Sage Dawson, an Air Force commit, and the Rebels duo of utility-men, junior Montavin Quisenberry (1300+ yards offense, 45+ tackles) and senior Avery Bodner (1300+ yards offense, 75+ tackles), Boyle County has been favored for the 4A title in rankings from the very beginning of the season. Their road to the finals was paved with two-straight wins over undefeated 4A opponents, with a 21-14 win over 12-0 Corbin in the quarterfinals, and a 41-14 win over 13-0 Franklin County on Friday night.

For Cov Cath, this will mark the Colonels return to Kroger Field after a three year absence. The Colonels last trip to the finals came in 2019, when they made their third-straight trip to the 5A finals and brought home their program's eighth state championship with a 14-7 win over Frederick Douglass. The Colonels are led by senior quarterback Evan Pitzer, senior TE/LB Willie Rodriguez, a Kentucky commit (485 yards offense, 12 touchdowns, 40 tackles), senior RB Owen Leen (800+ yards offense, 13 TDs), senior WR/DB Braylon Miller (1000+ yards offense, 10 touchdowns), and junior LB Tate Kruer (109 tackles, 2 sacks). Covington Catholic's road to the finals was paved with a 31-0 shutout of 9-3 Johnson Central and a 22-14 win over 13-0 Paducah-Tilghman on Friday night.

Who wins this battle for the 4A title on Friday night in Lexington?

BGP 3A Rankings: CAL (#1) | Bell County (#9)

Week  Results: CAL beat Lexington Catholic | Bell County beat Hart County 

Kickoff: Saturday, December 2nd at 12:00pm

Teaser Preview: It's a little ironic that the two teams in 3A most reliant on a singular player will meet for a championship in the ultimate team sport. 

Cole Hodge has been the most productive quarterback in the state over the last two years, accounting for roughly 8,000 yards and well over 100 touchdowns. He's got a 39-3 career record as a starter. 

Daniel Thomas has packed a great career into the last fourteen games. He holds single season state records for rushing yards, touchdowns, and points scored. Thomas will be running at a CAL defense that has thoroughly shut down the #2 and #3 teams in the class over the last two weeks. 

There will be 22 players on the field at a given time, but the names Hodge and Thomas will permeate the air around Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon. 

Mountain football has a long, rich history of winning championships. Pikeville, Belfry, and Johnson Central have dominated the headlines east of I-75 over the last ten years. Bell County is hungry for the front page again. Dudley Hilton cemented his place as an all-time great long ago, but hasn't lifted the big trophy in fifteen years. This would be title #4 for the state's second winningest coach, joining 1991 and 2008 at Bell, plus his Cinderella run at Bourbon County in 1997.

CAL is looking for the fourth crown in its program's history, after wins in 2016, 2018, and last year. There will probably never be a ’Big 4’ in Louisville,  but the Centurions are establishing themselves as the most successful program in town over the last several years.

You can never count out a Hilton coached team, but given what we've witnessed in the quarter and semi-final rounds, this has a David vs. Goliath feel to it. You can believe Bell County will bring the stones with them straight from Log Mountain. 

A Thirteenth Title In The Cards For Mayfield? O-Cath May Have An Ace Up Its Sleeve...

Records: Mayfield (12-1) | O-Cath (14-0)

BGP Rankings: Mayfield (#4) | O-Cath (#3)

Semifinal Results: Mayfield beat Beechwood | O-Cath beat Somerset 

Series History: Mayfield leads 3-0 dating back to 1998

Kickoff: Friday, December 1st at 4:00pm

Teaser Preview: Do you believe in omens? Owensboro Catholic is currently in contention for the title of ”best program without a championship”. The Aces have swung and missed at the state finals four times, in 1997, 2004, 2005, and 2010.

The previous holder of that distinction was Somerset, the very team the Aces just destroyed in the semifinals. The Jumpers shed that dubious moniker in 2019 after beating….. Mayfield. 

Owensboro Catholic may not have to rely on the divine practices of the cosmos when they have Brady Atwell on their side. He's accounted for an astounding 78 touchdowns this season, while piloting an offense averaging 48 points per game. The Atwell to ‘Tutt’ Carrico connection has been one of the state's most prolific this season. The Aces have been ruthless in their efficiency, handing out running clocks to all but a few opponents. 

To deliver a title to Owensboro, they'll have to beat back the Cards, Kentucky's small school war horse competing in their 26th championship game. O-Cath isn't actually the highest scoring team here. Mayfield does them a point better, averaging 49 per contest. Zane Cartwright and 'Juju' Starks provide the counter to the Aces duo. 

Mayfield's path to Lexington has been decidedly more treacherous. The Cards have welcomed 2A's #1 and #2 ranked teams to town and buried them in the hallowed graveyard of War Memorial. It's a fate the Aces will not have to suffer, as the championship will be decided on the turf at Kroger Field. Mayfield will bring a shovel anyway, just in case.

The Class 1A stars have aligned and we are set for a rematch from last years Class 1A title game and this years regular season matchup between Pikeville and Raceland.

These two teams have been the best two teams in the class this year and no one else expected anything else less than these two teams to meet again.

Pikeville will bring its power running game in this one with big Brendan Anthony leading the way. You add several other playmakers in Tayvian Boykins and Jeb Wilkerson. The Pikeville defense is led by freshman linebacker Jeremiah Anderson and Junior Brendan Anthony who have accounted for over 200 tackles on the season.

Raceland will also bring its ground and pound running game lead by Noah Wallace, Jaxon Heighton, and Quarterback Logan Lundy. Lundy will have two stud Parker’s to throw too in Parker Fannin and Parker Ison. 
The Raceland defense will also be lead by Noah Wallace, Jaxon Heighton, and Cameron Bell who have accounted for over 200 tackles as well. 
 

The 11-2 Pikeville Panthers offenses comes into this game averaging just over 30 points per game, and defensively giving up close to 12 points per game.

The 11-3 Raceland Rams offenses comes into this game averaging just over 34 points per game, and defensively giving up just over 16 points per game.

Who wins the Class 1A State Championship? Does Pikeville get revenge from the regular season loss and get that 3 peat? Does Raceland beat Pikeville again with Brendan Anthony and prove it didn’t matter if he played or not?

Players Featured This Week

Daniel Thomas (RB/LB, Bell County)
Season to date: 320 carries for 3,446 yards and 49 touchdowns | 82 tackles | 1 sack | 1 scoop and score

Brady Hensley (RB, Lexington Christian Academy)
Season to date: 235 carries for 2,408 yards and 43 touchdowns | 213 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns

Cutter Boley (QB, Lexington Christian Academy)
Season to date: 172/268 for 2,187 yards and 24 touchdowns with 9 interceptions | 5 rushing touchdowns

Cole Hodge (QB, Christian Academy of Louisville)
Season to date: 239/329 for 3,542 yards and 52 touchdowns with 7 interceptions | 505 rushing yards and 5 touchdown

Jackson Wasik (QB, Lexington Catholic)
Season to date: 173/262 for 2,698 yards and 30 touchdowns with 2 interceptions | 264 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns

Brody Benke (QB, Highlands)
Season to date: 109/167 for 1,773 yards and 26 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 1,128 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns | 208 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns

Evan Pitzer (QB, Covington Catholic)
Season to date: 155/213 for 2,508 yards and 32 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 513 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns

Jutarious "Juju" Starks (RB/DE, Mayfield)
Season to date: 147 carries for 1,313 yards and 26 touchdowns ne Cartwright (QB, Mayfield)

Season to date: 126/174 for 2,130 yards and 31 touchdowns with 2 interceptions | 158 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns

Class 6A:
Trinity 97.00
Frederick Douglass 87.14
Bryan Station 83.27
Ballard 71.71

Class 5A:
Highlands 81.94
Bowling Green 76.28
Cooper 69.98
Owensboro 66.75

Class 4A:
Boyle County 93.42
Covington Catholic 77.55
Paducah Tilghman 70.97
Franklin County 68.70

Class 3A:
Christian Academy-Lou. 79.75
Lexington Catholic 69.38
Bell County 48.42
Hart County 46.81

Class 2A:
Mayfield 70.80
Owensboro Catholic 70.51
Beechwood 67.12
Somerset 44.82

Class 1A:
Pikeville 59.38
Raceland 53.71
Campbellsville 48.28
KY Country Day 40.10

Campbellsville (11-1) comes into the semifinals with one of the top 10 rushers in 1A, Daniel Forbis, with his 990 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 10 games played, for an average of 9.9 yards per carry. They also have one of the top 10 passers in QB Kace Eastridge, who has gone 75 for 133 (56.4%) passing for 1493 yards and 16 touchdowns, and a top 10 scorer in Forbis, who has 15 touchdowns rushing and 2 receiving. The Eagles' offense have tallied 1882 yards passing and 2287 yards rushing in their 12 games this season, with an average of 350 yards of offense per game.  Linebacker Deondre Weathers is tied for 9th place, statewide, for sacks with 11, and Daniel Forbis also tallies 5 sacks of his own at linebacker.

Pikeville (10-2) comes into the semifinals with a QB Isaac Duty behind center. Duty has averaged just over 100 yards passing per game, going 92 for 136 passing for 1088 yards and 12 touchdowns. Their offense is somewhat run-oriented, with 1816 yards gained on the ground this season to 1290 yards gained by air, and RB Brenden Anthony has done the largest share of the work on the ground, with 637 yards rushing for 10 touchdowns in 9 games played. Jeb Wilkerson is the top receiver this season for the Panthers, with 354 yards and 3 touchdowns receiving, while utility man Tayvian Boykins has over 200 receiving yards and 450 rushing yards for 6 touchdowns this year. On defense, freshman Jeremiah Anderson leads the team and is the top tackler among the remaining four 1A teams with his 9.4 tackles per game and 94 total tackles. Deonte Stevens and Brendan Anthony are second and third in tackles, with 78 and 76 tackles, respectively.

Will Campbellsville keep things rolling for a first-ever trip to the state finals, or will Pikeville be heading home from Campbellsville to prepare for an eleventh appearance in the championship game?

After two rounds against one another in the 1987 & 1988 AAA Finals, the Blue Tornado and the Colonels definitely needed a cooling-off period before taking on one another on the football field again. It was unclear at the time how long that cooling-off period would need to be, but apparently 35 years is the answer. After 35 years - 12,774 days, to be exact - Paducah Tilghman and Covington Catholic will once again meet on the gridiron for a third time in Park Hills on Friday night.

With all four semifinalist teams in 4A football heading into Friday's games with an undefeated record, this is all you could hope for out of a semifinal matchup. Junior quarterback Jack James leads the Blue Tornado's air-assault offense with a phenomenal 3,951 yards passing this season. The Blue Tornado competition has blown away their opponents this season with 5,873 yards of total offense this season, while their defense has allowed a mere 2,414 yards to their opponents.

Covington Catholic also heads into the semifinal matchup on Friday with an undefeated 13-0 record. The Colonel offense continues to bring their balanced attack, almost exactly 50/50 run-to-pass. Senior quarterback Evan Pitzer has thrown for 2,508 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Up front, the Colonels' offensive line is anchored by junior Andrew Huber, senior JP Sullivan, senior Ben Reeves, junior Mason Dietz, and senior Seth Jones who have paved the way for Cov Cath's 2,474 rushing yards this season.

Marquee wins for each team this season:
Paducah Tilghman's 35-28 win over 2A Mayfield at home on September 1st.
Covington Catholic's 35-21 win over 5A Highlands in Fort Thomas on August 25th.

Who wins this battle on Friday night and punches their ticket to Kroger Field on December 1st?

Knights and Centurions Cross Swords In Crusade For 3A Crown

Records: LexCath (9-4) | CAL (12-1)

BGP 3A Rankings: LexCath (#2) | CAL (#1)

Round 3 Results: LexCath beat Rockcastle County | CAL beat Central

Series History: First ever meeting 

Teaser Preview: Quarterback is a constant of any championship equation. In that regard, CAL and Lexington Catholic are a cut above the rest of 3A.

Cole Hodge and Jackson Wasik have hovered around the Mr. Football conversation to varying degrees. The numbers are beginning to pile up for both. They've combined for over 7,000 yards of total offense and 94 touchdowns.

A CAL offense that already relies heavily on Hodge, may be even more dependent upon him if leading rusher Jeffrey Vazzana is unable to go. Vazzana exited the Central game and finished the night on crutches.

The optics around the Centurions and Knights couldn't be better after demolishing Central and Rockcastle County, respectively. Their bodies of work install CAL as the clear favorite at home, but Lexington Catholic's confidence has steadily built to a season high over the last seven weeks. They're peaking at the right time.

All due respect to the counties of Hart and Bell… on paper, this is the championship game. 

The Jaguars and Birds face off for the second time this year; this time with a lot more at stake. In the first matchup we saw a dominating performance by the Birds to start but then it turned into a shootout with the Birds holding on for the win. It will be interesting to see the adjustments the Birds make defensively to combat the Jags passing attack. 

It's awesome to be practicing on Thanksgiving again!