With the playoffs set to get underway, let's try and rank the teams in each class.

My Top 10:

 

1. Central:

They are the champs until someone knocks them off and have been the most impressive this season.

 

2. Belfry:

Would have been more confident in them before the Johnson Central game, but they should be Central's biggest challenge. The fact that they play on turf will be very important if they can get to the Finals.

 

3. Paducah Tilghaman:

Going to go with somewhat of a swerve on numbers 2, 3, and 4. Tilghman has an impressive win over McCracken County, and no matter what sport you play them in, they usually have athletes. Like most years, Tilghman is somewhat of an unknown quantity given their geographic position and the fact that they don't have a schedule full of in-state teams.

 

4. Wayne County:

This is a team that started off scorching hot, but the talk around them seems to have cooled off some. Regardless, they are still undefeated and will be a tough out for someone. I've heard reports that their special teams play may be suspect, so that's something to keep an eye on.

 

5. Bourbon County:

Another undefeated team, I'm probably down on Bourbon County more-so than most because they haven't really played what I would consider a strong schedule. I think that the fact that they haven't played in any close games so far this year could be something that haunts them when they find themselves locked in a back and forth struggle with a team whose been through those wars and knows how to win them.

 

6. Corbin:

A tough team to gauge. The natives are restless with Jewell. Corbin should win more. Players are going to the papers and there might be controversy in the locker room. Then you hear the natives aren't restless with Jewell. It's a team that might still be coming together and whose still capable of playing much better than what they've shown. Year-to-year, Corbin is tough to predict, as some of the years they've accomplished the most in the playoffs are the years when no one expected them to be there. Maybe that holds true again this year, but you have to wonder. Short of beating Central to win State, I don't know if there's really anything that would just absolutely shock me when it comes to Corbin football in years like this. They've under-achieved so far, but there's still plenty of time left.

 

7. South Warren:

A team who was absolutely shutting teams out defensively early in the year, the buzz around the Spartan camp has somewhat softened. However, their defense is still led by Adrian Middleton, who Scout sees as a four-star recruit at the Defensive Tackle position. I'd be more impressed with them had they not had an ugly loss on the road at Daviess County.

 

8. Mason County:

Another undefeated team, but still one that hasn't shown me much in terms of scheduling and getting that signature win. They are 10-0 and I'll be interested to see how the playoff format breaks down for them, but on paper, there's nothing that jumps out at me so far in terms of tangible results.

 

9. Fort Campbell:

While some teams will undoubtedly be questioned until they prove otherwise due to their schedule, for better or worse, this isn't the case for the Falcons. They've played a brutal schedule by 3A standards, with games versus Mayfield, at Paducah Tilghman, versus McCracken County, at Caldwell County. They have a 4-6 record that is deceptive, but after being blown out by Paducah Tilghman, I wonder if rating them here is too generous.

 

10. Russell:

I'll give the (Red) Devils their due, they've played a tougher slate than most of the other teams here and have come out with a respectable record. In all honesty though, the 10 spot they've gotten is more a commentary on what the rest of the class isn't just as much as what the Red Devils are. Bell County was considered for this spot, but they aren't a typical Bell County team this year. Monroe County was another candidate, but they've been blown out in their big district games. Russell has a quality loss to 4A rival Ashland Blazer, a 28-6 loss to Mason County that's respectable enough, and a bad loss to Class A power Pikeville. That's basically how they ended up here when others didn't.

Wayne County was as close as anyone in 3A the last few years to beating Central last season. Were not really tested in the season but handled everyone they had to handle.

 

I truly think that this is Belfry year...in fact I'll be shocked if they don't win it all.

 

Central has a tougher path this season with Wayne Co and Paducah T both on the road if they want to repeat.

Let's give her a shot:

 

1. Central

2. Wayne County

3. Belfry

4. Paducah Tilghman

5. Bourbon County

6. South Warren

 

7. Mason County

8. Corbin

 

 

9. Bell County

10. Monroe County

 

 

11. Ft. Campbell

12. Trigg County

13. Pike Central

14. Lawrence County

15. Henry County

16. Garrard County

 

17. Russell

18. Breathitt County

19. Etown

 

 

20. Estill County

21. Edmonson County

22. Powell County

 

23. Lewis County

24. Magoffin County

25. Morgan County

26. Casey County

 

27. Adair County

28. Fleming County

29. Jackson County

 

30. Sheldon Clark

31. Larue County

32. Webster County

If Mason County is 8th, Russell shouldn't be sniffing the Top 10. That's not a knock on Russell, but that game could easily have been 49-6.

 

Mason should​ defeat Powell and Garrard, but Bourbon County will be a tough road to hoe.

I still like Bourbon Co. as the dark horse here. Sure, non of their games have been close in a suspect schedule, but that is not their fault. They have taken care of business every week as they should. They have a good coach who has been there before as a head coach last year and for several years at Boyle as an assistant. I feel that they will be in the semis and then it is a toss up.