1. Beechwood- Yes, the Tigers lose a lot from their State Championship squad. Yes, they lose the tandem of Davis and Burch that accounted for almost all their Offense. With that said, the Tigers were on a whole new level in 1A and though the gap will close, expect them to still be the team to beat.

 

2. Raceland- The Rams peaked at the right time and finally got over the hump to reach the Finals after numerous solid teams. Raceland definitely has enough pieces back to be a serious threat to be even better.

 

3. Pikeville- Chris McNamee rolled the dice and and took his lumps at times playing perhaps one of his youngest teams ever. Pikeville's youth improved week after week and Pikeville came shockingly close to reaching the Finals. Expect Pikeville to take another big step forward.

 

4. Hazard- The Bulldogs were bit hard by the injury bug in 2017, yet still found a way to stay in the thick of things until a Regional Final exit to Pikeville. Bailey Blair and Reese Fletcher return and will be a solid foundation.

 

5. Paintsville- The Tigers seemed to be in the cat bird seat but once against the State Finals found a way to avoid Coach Chirico. Paintsville lost several key contributors and will have to fight to stay at the top in a loaded East.

The Junior and senior class at Beechwood is very strong. Return most of the offense and defensive lines and a 4 year starter at safety. QB will be a question mark but running game will be very solid. Every starter on d-line will be at least 6’3 and +215. Adam Derry is 6’3” 270.

Edited May 15, 20188 yr by Bwtigerpaw

That's a pretty strong top 5 for 1A. I think there's a sharp line under Paintsville, though, where you'll see a significant drop-off after those five teams. I'm okay with Raceland at #2, but Pikeville has a strong case for that spot. They basically played Raceland even last year and they return pretty much everybody.

1. Beechwood- Yes, the Tigers lose a lot from their State Championship squad. Yes, they lose the tandem of Davis and Burch that accounted for almost all their Offense. With that said, the Tigers were on a whole new level in 1A and though the gap will close, expect them to still be the team to beat.

 

2. Raceland- The Rams peaked at the right time and finally got over the hump to reach the Finals after numerous solid teams. Raceland definitely has enough pieces back to be a serious threat to be even better.

 

3. Pikeville- Chris McNamee rolled the dice and and took his lumps at times playing perhaps one of his youngest teams ever. Pikeville's youth improved week after week and Pikeville came shockingly close to reaching the Finals. Expect Pikeville to take another big step forward.

 

4. Hazard- The Bulldogs were bit hard by the injury bug in 2017, yet still found a way to stay in the thick of things until a Regional Final exit to Pikeville. Bailey Blair and Reese Fletcher return and will be a solid foundation.

 

5. Paintsville- The Tigers seemed to be in the cat bird seat but once against the State Finals found a way to avoid Coach Chirico. Paintsville lost several key contributors and will have to fight to stay at the top in a loaded East.

 

Very solid top 5. I myself would switch Raceland and Pikeville. It’s no disrespect to Raceland but Pikeville only lost 2 seniors last season and one of those didn’t even play a snap. I think Raceland just has a few more holes to fill than Pikeville. To many I also want to point out that I’m not a Pikeville supporter but given an honest opinion. Raceland is definitely a strong 3rd in my opinion with the two head monsters returning. They also have what could be a 3 headed monster if used. They do have a few holes on defense to fill but I think they will do it.

 

Hazard is a solid 4 with a solid senior and junior class returning and only losing like 3 starters on offense and 4 on defense.

 

Paintsville is at the 5 spot because they return less than Hazard but as always the east in 1A will be tough..

 

The team everyone needs to keep an eye on is Crittenden County. I’ve got my eye on you!!

Is the West side of the bracket in 1A just really bad or what.

Is the West side of the bracket in 1A just really bad or what.

 

The team everyone needs to keep an eye on is Crittenden County. I’ve got my eye on you!!

 

Well, Beechwood is in the "west" so that makes it pretty good. In reality though, the east is much better than the west. However, I too think Crittenden County can be solid. Campbellsville returns a very good quarterback but I'm not sure what else. Their numbers were pretty low. I always expect Russellville to be a solid - it will be interesting to see how they respond to a new coach. How does Kentucky Country Day come back from all of their losses? Louisville Holy Cross is always good but never good enough. Does that change this year? Is Frankfort back? Can Bethlehem improve? There are just a ton of questions on that side of the bracket.

1A is definitely very stout in the top 4-5 teams. However, I do agree there is a sharp cut off.

Campbellsville returns 9 starters on offense and 9 starters on defense from their Region Championship team from a year ago... With some new additions from out of the hallways, I would expect the Eagles to be very strong again next year. Cant wait for it to get started..

Campbellsville returns 9 starters on offense and 9 starters on defense from their Region Championship team from a year ago... With some new additions from out of the hallways, I would expect the Eagles to be very strong again next year. Cant wait for it to get started..

 

Campbellsville is a team to watch. Their young QB has a lot of potential.

1) Beechwood

2/3) Pikeville

2/3) Raceland

4) Hazard

5) Paintsville

 

I wouldn't be surprised at seeing Campbellsville in this mix later in to the season.

Hash, the QB, will be a sophomore this year, and a year older.. 4 our 5 o-lineman return and Plenty at the skill spot.. However, the strength of schedule is the same (#4 in Class A) and staying healthy with 25 players is key... But, the Great Thing about this group is, they are not satisfied...

Who's the next talented QB for Russell?

Who's the next talented QB for Russell?

 

You mean Russellville?

Very solid top 5. I myself would switch Raceland and Pikeville. It’s no disrespect to Raceland but Pikeville only lost 2 seniors last season and one of those didn’t even play a snap. I think Raceland just has a few more holes to fill than Pikeville. To many I also want to point out that I’m not a Pikeville supporter but given an honest opinion. Raceland is definitely a strong 3rd in my opinion with the two head monsters returning. They also have what could be a 3 headed monster if used. They do have a few holes on defense to fill but I think they will do it.

 

Hazard is a solid 4 with a solid senior and junior class returning and only losing like 3 starters on offense and 4 on defense.

 

Paintsville is at the 5 spot because they return less than Hazard but as always the east in 1A will be tough..

 

The team everyone needs to keep an eye on is Crittenden County. I’ve got my eye on you!!

 

Did the RB Smith kid graduate ?

Did the RB Smith kid graduate ?

 

Yep. But he was basically gone last year due to a ACL year the 3rd game of the season.