Ask any champion in any sport, individual or team - New England Patriots, Alabama football, Michael Phelps, Floyd Mayweather Jr. - they'll probably all tell you that it's much easier being the hunter as opposed to the hunted.

 

Once you reach the top of the mountain, everyone wants a piece of you. You'll get every opponent's best shot. You're no longer just another face in the crowd. No longer just another contender. The crown's on your head. The belt's around your waist. The bullseye's on your back.

 

For the first time ever, Christian Academy-Louisville is about to find out what that feels like. The reigning 2A champs begin their quest for another title this coming Friday night on their home turf against the 8th ranked team in the BGP class 5A rankings, the South Oldham Dragons.

 

No one can accuse CAL of easing their way into the 2017 season. Understand this... the Dragons are no pushover. Coach Jamie Reed has quietly built a perennial top 10 5A program in Crestwood. South Oldham is coming off their most successful season ever - 12 wins and a state semifinal birth.

 

QB Drew Zaubi - with an offer from Morehead State - returns after a strong Junior campaign to lead a Dragons offense that will look to breathe fire on it's opponents this year. RB/SB Payden George, FB Keaton Martin, and WRs Drake Silcox and Ja'Martez Beaudoin will try to help their QB stretch CAL's defense and put points on the board.

 

Centurions Coach Stefan Lefors will counter with the considerable talents of, among others, QB Austin Carr, OL/DL Nick Olsofka, and of course WR/DB/KR Milton Wright - arguably the most coveted recruit in Kentucky. The ultra-talented Wright will command South Oldham's full attention in all three phases of the game.

 

A key battle in deciding the outcome of this game will be South Oldham's OL vs. the DL of CAL. Zaubi no longer has the protection of 6'6", 290 lb Graham Ashkettle, who has moved on to the collegiate ranks at Eastern Kentucky University. Conversely, the Centurions must find a pass rush to offset the loss of current Minnesota Golden Gopher Jacob Paulson, a dominating presence on a championship defense a year ago.

 

What will be the outcome in this clash of top 10 teams? Will CAL get off to a strong start in it's pursuit of another championship, or will South Oldham nab what might be the biggest win in school history and, in the process, announce itself as a major title contender in 5A?

 

*I'll be doing a weekly "Game of the Week" thread for 2A this season. I will select a marquee game involving at least one team from this class and provide a small, but more in depth preview. This is my first. Enjoy.*

Great overview DMC! I was fortunate enough to see both South Oldham and CAL scrimmages this week. I believe you are correct -- this game will come down to line play.

South's OL played fairly well vs Butler with four new starters. They were able to open a few holes and Zaubi did have time to throw. However, the holes were nothing like last season and Zaubi did have to scramble some. This week they should get 3 year starting RT Brett Basham back. That would help.

CAl's front seven last year was the dominating force of that championship team defense. With Paulson, Purvis, Lagestee, Young, Babin and Sparrow gone the replacements have big shoes to fill. They looked good against Bullitt Central but I would not call them dominating yet -- Bullitt Central had very little passing game and looked a little overmatched this early in the season. Nick Olsafka returns on the DL and Chase Lanham is a very good player. Milton Wright at safety can cover a few sins as well! How well the DL comes together against South's OL will be fun to watch.

South's receivers (SR Drake Silcox and SO Ethan Bednarczyk) will have to get open and give Zaubi some targets to take pressure off the running game. Look for SO JT Benson (RB/SB) to show what he can do along with Martin and George.

CAL has Milton Wright and that says a lot. QB Carr always has him to throw to and I expect CAL to find ways to get Wright the ball in space. It appeared CAL was trying several different RBs -- interesting to see who gets the nod. The OL looked good and gave them some good holes to run through.

I look for a very good game and this one could go to the end and who has the ball last.

RUN DMC,

 

This is GREAT Stuff! Enjoyed the Read! Will be watching the Dragons this season!

 

Good luck Bobcat!

Awesome info

 

I expect Keaton Martin to have a huge year for South Oldham... but this is one of those games for both teams that could set the tone for the rest of the season

I know it is probably on BGP somewhere but can someone post a link here to where the game will be broadcast on the web.

RUN DMC,

 

This is GREAT Stuff! Enjoyed the Read! Will be watching the Dragons this season!

 

Good luck Bobcat!

 

Thanks Purple! I am expecting a pretty good game on Friday. Good luck to BG and hopefully we will get to meet up at a game later this year.

Should be an awesome game; I'm sorry I'm going to miss this one. Two really top-tier QBs featured by these offenses...I'm eager to see if Keaton Martin of South picks up with the insane production he had last year as a part-time starting freshman... I agree with the comments above in regards to the "big battle" - CAL DL vs. South OL, but it may well be that the opposite battle - South DL vs. CAL OL - will be just as important. The lines both have some question marks that must be answered, and we may learn a lot from this matchup in week 1. Which team gets the most pressure up front? That could simply tell the tale. I really think that this could be very high-scoring affair - if so, a spectator's delight to open the season.

 

Coaches - we would be remiss if we didn't mention the two coaches in this thread. Stefan Lefors has created one of the most disciplined, well-oiled machines around. No surprise that they won 2A last year - and that could serve as a harbinger of many trips to come! And what Jamie Reed has done at South Oldham - a school that had had a few really good teams, but had never created consistent tradition - is truly impressive. He's basically created a football community in Crestwood that hadn't been there before and a set of expectations that bodes well. South is on the longest run of winning seasons in school history, and is fresh off the winningest season in school history (12 wins). Two great coaches - two great guys, in fact - and a great chess match.

 

Wild cards - The South sophomore class. Last year's freshmen were mostly little-used, except for a few exceptions, such as Martin at FB and John Downing in the defensive backfield. But these guys are all sophomores now, will spend a lot more time on the field - and were absolutely beasts in middle school, where they played for the state title two years ago. How will that translate to production as sophomores on the varsity? Are these up-and-coming stars (I think we know the answer when considering Martin) or are they still a year away from major contributions. We'll know soon as they will be asked to contribute a lot of snaps for the Dragons.

 

FootballBobcat....the CAL broadcasters will be doing this game...good folks; they do a great job. Unfortunately, I do not have their link handy. :-(

 

Pegasus will pick up South next week vs. class 5A #4 Doss. The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

 

The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

South Oldham could win this game. Either this is a great starting game for both teams. Shame I wont be able to make it.

CAL wins no clue on the score but Wright is the Truth

 

Wild cards - The South sophomore class. Last year's freshmen were mostly little-used, except for a few exceptions, such as Martin at FB and John Downing in the defensive backfield. But these guys are all sophomores now, will spend a lot more time on the field - and were absolutely beasts in middle school, where they played for the state title two years ago. How will that translate to production as sophomores on the varsity? Are these up-and-coming stars (I think we know the answer when considering Martin) or are they still a year away from major contributions. We'll know soon as they will be asked to contribute a lot of snaps for the Dragons.

 

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That is a special group of sophomores. Downing at safety, JT Benson at DB/SB, Love at DT, Bednarczyk at WR and Martin at FB. They are very good athletes who are used to winning. There are a few others like Garrison, Chester and Lalli who will see the field tonight, get valuable experience and should be good contributors. Should be a fun night.