Last week provided a lot of excitement leading up to this week’s State Semifinals. With two of last week’s games being decided by a total of 10 points, as well as a couple of upsets, one thing we have learned this season is that team’s 2-10 are all pretty even. Bowling Green, Fern Creek, South Oldham and Pulaski County have all advanced to the State Semifinals and will fight it out this week for a chance to play in the State Championship game in Bowling Green.

 

Region 1 Championship

 

Owensboro looked to keep this one within a touchdown at the half until the Purples took the wind out of the Red Devils sails with a hook and ladder to Caruthers for a touchdown on a 3rd and long with around one minute left in the first half. That score put the Purples up 28-14 at the half and they never looked back, going on to win the game 50-21 with another running clock. The Red Devils were able to play the game the way they wanted, rushing the ball for an impressive 276 yards but that still wasn’t enough to keep it close against what may be the best Bowling Green team in history. Yeah, I said it, this is a special group of Purples.

 

Region 2 Championship

 

Region two featured one of the close games as well as an upset as mentioned earlier. Covington Catholic was considered the second best team in the class for the latter half of the season, apparently someone forgot to tell that to Fern Creek as they knocked off the Colonels 35-28. The Colonels actually outgained the Tigers in this one with 376 yards coming from a perfectly balanced attack, but in the end the Tigers ground game proved to be too much as they rushed for 304 yards. The Tigers only attempted two passes in this one and failed to complete either, but that didn’t matter as Kyree Hawkins and Devon Blincoe combined for 283 yards and four touchdowns to get the Tigers the victory.

 

Region 3 Championship

 

What a game this was! Most expected this game to be a close one, potentially coming down to the final horn. However in the fourth quarter it looked as if North Bullitt was going to pull ahead as they led by 14 midway through the final stanza. A Dragon’s touchdown at the 5:15 mark pulled them to within a touchdown and momentum began to shift in their favor after another quick touchdown tied the game with a few minutes left to play. After a failed fourth down conversion by North Bullitt, the Dragons got the ball back due to the turnover on downs with a couple of minutes left to play. The Dragons worked their way down to the 1 yard line and kicked the game winning field goal with 4 seconds remaining. This one was a classic come from behind playoff win. Congrats to the Dragon’s for accumulating the most wins in school history and earning your second State Semifinals appearance.

 

Region 4 Championship

 

Some things always seem to stay the same. Southwestern has been playing great ball the latter half of the season and it was looking like this was their year to dethrone cross county rival Pulaski County. But alas, the Maroons are are the champs once again. This one was just a three point game early in the fourth quarter, however Pulaski County outscored the Warriors 14-3 in the final minutes of the game, sealing the deal. Pulaski County’s balanced attack and big play ability managed nearly 400 yards of total offense against a really good defensive squad. That was the difference in this one, some will say that there is a mental aspect that had an effect in this game, but that’s not the case. Pulaski County just has some big time play maker’s that will score in a pinch if they get loose.

 

This Week’s Games

 

Finally we are here and then there were four. I can’t really say finally as I wish football season played on throughout the winter, but you get the point. In the preseason poll, BGP pollsters had Bowling Green and Fern Creek ranked first and second. While Pulaski County and South Oldam came in at seventh and eighth.

That makes for interesting conversation as this week the preseason #1 and the preseason #2 face off in Louisville for a chance to reach the carpet in Bowling Green. Equally exciting, the preseason #7 Pulaski County and #8 South Oldham also get that opportunity in Somerset . It’s not likely that anyone in 5A beats Bowling Green this season, but this week the Tigers of Fern Creek get a shot at them at home. They are the only team to get a shot at Bowling Green at home in the playoffs and they are very similar to Greenwood, however I would give them an edge in athleticism. Will that be enough to pull off the upset, or will the Purples once again say that you’re not going to line up and run against this team and expect to win?

 

South Oldham at Pulaski County is an intriguing game. Two teams that I really didn’t expect to be in this position at this point in the season, but they have proven myself and some others wrong. Expect this one to be another nail biter with a potential come from behind win, much like last week’s game between South Oldham and North Bullitt. If any of the South Oldham fans are superstitious you would be looking for me to predict a loss for you this week. So I’m holding off on predictions this week as I don’t want to jinx any of the team’s playing.

Great overview JD. This is going to be a fun weekend of football. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!