There were no real surprises in the first round of the playoffs in the western end of the state. In fact, the brackets held to form with a few near upsets, but out of 24 first round games in this end of the state, 16 had running clocks by game’s end.

 

There should be fewer running clocks and more questions answered in the second round.

 

Class 1A

 

Mayfield and Russellville each had easy first round wins. Mayfield should have another easy week, and the Panthers should take care of business against Bethlehem although it could be closer than some predict.

 

Russellville (9-2) took care of business early, scoring the game’s first minute and going on to hammer Kentucky Country Day 55-6. The win avenged a second round loss to the Bearcats last year.

The Panthers shined on special teams, returning both a punt and blocked punt for a score.

 

Russellville travels to face Bethlehem (9-1), who crushed Fulton City 56-12 last week.

The Eagles’ lone loss was to Paris back on Oct. 4, and a win would move them into the region title game for the first time since 2006.

 

Russellville is 2-0 all-time vs. Bethlehem.

 

As expected, Mayfield (10-1) had no trouble with Caverna in the opener, holding the Colonels to -26 rushing yards and returning two interceptions for touchdowns.

 

The Cardinals will host Louisville Holy Cross (6-5), who scored two touchdowns in the game’s first two minutes and returned two blocked punts for scores in their 62-0 win over Fulton County.

 

Mayfield has never lost to Holy Cross in four career playoffs meetings, including 38-14 last year.

Look for Mayfield and Russellville to meet for a second time this year.

 

 

Class 2A

 

Both top seeds in Class 2 were dominant in their first round playoff wins.

 

Caldwell County (11-0) held Hancock County to less than 100 yards of offense in their 55-6 opening round win. Junior quarterback Elijah Sindelar completed 9-of-13 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns.

 

Union County (9-2) also put together a dominant defensive effort in their 42-7 win over Ballard Memorial, holding the Bombers to 76 total yards.

 

Jarrell Foster ran for 178 yards and two scores, and Heath O’Nan added 173 yards and a touchdown.

Union County only attempted one pass in the game.

 

The Tigers and Braves met back in August, with Caldwell County coming away with a 57-20 win.

 

Caldwell held Union to eight rushing yards in the game, with Union quarterback Davis Joiner completing just 17-of-44 passes for 276 yards.

 

On the other hand, the Union defense held Sindelar to 12-of-24 passing and picked off the Tiger quarterback twice.

 

Caldwell County was hampered by 178 penalty yards in the first contest.

 

Union County is looking to advance to the region title game for the first time since they went to the state semifinals in 2008

 

Caldwell County would be making consecutive region title appearances for the first time in school history with a win.

 

For the fourth straight season, Murray and Owensboro Catholic meet in the postseason. The Tigers won last year’s game 29-22 in double overtime, handing OCath their only loss of the season.

 

Two years ago, Murray knocked off OCath 17-14 in overtime. In 2010, the Aces handed Murray their only loss of the year, winning 29-22.

 

Indications are this year’s matchup will be another classic.

 

Murray (7-4) beat Butler County 38-12 with Dylan Boone accounting for three touchdowns – one each throwing, rushing, and with a pick six.

 

Owensboro Catholic (9-2) hammered Crittenden County 50-7 as Aces’ quarterback Houston Hartz was 18-of-21 passing for 358 yards and seven touchdowns to six different receivers.

 

Owensboro Catholic only had 81 rushing yards against the Rockets and will have to do better on the ground against Murray. However, Murray must improve their pass defense, which has been suspect at times this year.

 

Look for a Caldwell County-Owensboro Catholic showdown next week.

 

 

Class 3A

 

Both Paducah Tilghman and South Warren posted easy first round wins as their expected showdown for the region title is just a week away.

 

Tilghman (6-5) raced out to a 34-0 halftime lead over Adair County on their way to a 41-7 win.

 

D.J. Sherrill ran for 115 yards and three scores, and Darius Spivey-Nunn caught two touchdowns as the Tornado had 227 total yards and held Adair County to 88.

 

Tilghman will host Monroe County, who overcame a pair of 14-point deficits to escape with a 35-34 win over Trigg County.

 

Monroe County used a 12-play, 76-yard drive to score with 34 seconds left and then added the two-point conversion for the win. Carlton Huff rushed for 143 yards and scored the game-winner as the Falcons rushed for 295 yards in the game.

 

Sophomore Lincoln Arnett threw for 186 yards and added 45 on the ground.

 

Tilghman looks to avenge last year’s 28-20 loss to Monroe in the second round.

 

On the other side of the bracket, South Warren (10-1) was their usual dominant defensive self in their 49-7 win over Webster County, holding the Trojans to just 64 yards rushing. For the season, the Spartans give up just 53 yards and 3.2 points a game.

 

Jay Eblen ran for three scores and passed for two more in the win.

 

Sparty will face a Fort Campbell squad they beat 24-7 last year.

 

The Falcons (5-6) were impressive in a 48-7 opening round win over Edmonson County, rolling up 465 yards of offense.

 

Triston Luke ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns, and Christian Berry added 93 yards and a score.

 

It will be interesting to see if South Warren can contain the Falcon running backs, especially when Fort Campbell inserts Jonathon Jethroe at quarterback.

 

 

Class 4A

 

Owensboro (8-3) rolled to a 48-6 first round win over Breckinridge County as quarterback Nick Loucher ran for two touchdowns and threw for three more.

 

The Red Devil defense also held Breckinridge County to -17 yards on the ground.

 

They will face a Warren East team that welcomed one player back and lost another key player for the season.

 

The Raiders (7-4) beat Calloway County in the opener as quarterback Austin Pagel returned from an injury that sidelined him since the first game of the season.

 

However, running back Eli Brown is likely done for the year with a knee injury.

 

Warren East knocked off Owensboro 14-7 last year on their way to the state semifinals. The Red Devils are gunning for their first region title berth since 2008.

 

Franklin-Simpson (7-4) carries a five-game winning streak into their home game with Madisonville this week. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 220-35 during the streak.

 

The Wildcats hammered Hopkins County Central 50-0, holding the Storm to 20 yards of offense.

 

Quarterback Colton Hurt completed 6-of-7 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns, and Isaiah Hall added 94 yards rushing and a score.

 

Meanwhile, Madisonville won a first round game for the third straight year for the first time in school history. The Maroons (6-5) got three touchdowns from Ryan Bowman as they hammered Allen County-Scottsville 52-28.

 

 

Class 5A

 

Bowling Green has won 40 straight games. The last team to beat them was Christian County in 2010. The teams square off again in Bowing Green Friday. The Colonels (5-6) would need a titanic effort to beat the Purples on their home field.

 

Christian County did just enough to beat Barren County in a first round game 26-12 last week. Meanwhile, the Purples (10-0) were busy hammering Apollo 49-7.

 

Christian County is hoping a tough schedule down the stretch will prepare them for Bowling Green.

 

Graves County (9-2) had a tougher than expected game with Greenwood, before pulling away 56-42. Cody Crider rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 1,700 yards and 22 TDs for the season.

 

Peyton Puckett added 197 passing yards and two more scores.

 

Graves will host Warren Central, who is coached by former Eagles head man Mike Rogers.

 

The Dragons (6-5) got three rushing and one receiving touchdown from Rondell Green in their 48-10 first round win over Hopkinsville.

 

Graves County has never advanced to the region title game, and they are 0-6 all-time vs. Warren Central in the postseason.

 

 

Class 6A

 

McCracken County (9-2) made quick work of winless Boone County in the first round, jumping out to a 42-0 halftime lead and coasting to a 55-10 win.

 

While the offense gets most of the pub for the Mustangs, it was their defense that limited Boone County to five rushing yards in the game.

 

Jordan Troutman rushed for 140 yards on just nine carries and two scores for the Mustangs.

 

McCracken County will host Central Hardin (10-1), who buried Daviess County 48-0 in the first round behind a balanced offense and a defense that held the Panthers to 103 total yards.

 

Central Hardin advanced to the region championship game in both 1991 and 1997 but have won just three of 10 playoff games in the past 16 years.

 

When Henderson County (9-2) and Meade County (9-2) meet in Brandenburg, it may come down to who scores first. Henderson allows just 19 points a game (16 if you take away the loss to McCracken County), and Meade gives up just 9.3 points.

 

Richard Carter threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns for Henderson in their 55-13 win over Muhlenberg County.

 

Meade County has won five straight games and will be looking to reach their first region title game since 2007.

That's 4 pretty even 6a teams. All 4 capable of winning the region.