Class 2A Notebook 9/26 - Defense Defines

The Defense Never Rests

Two Touchdowns per game.

Meet any Defensive Coordinator and he will tell you that if you can allow just 14 points per game that his Defense is going to put his Offense in position to win any game and deep playoff success is a strong probability.

As the sample size for the season finally starts to grow we can get a good indication of which teams are giving their Offense a chance to win the game by simply seeing what teams are under this magic number. For some of the stronger programs such as DeSales and Mayfield will be exceptions to the rule. These are programs that have really put forth challenging schedules against elite Offensive teams. For the rest of the class, this number may be a good indicator of who is playing well entering District play.

Teams Allowing 14 Points or Below Through Week 5:

Todd County Central- 8.0

CAL- 8.2

Somerset- 9.0

Walton-Verona- 10.0

Newport- 10.75

Glasgow- 10.8

It is no surprise these teams are a combined 25-5 on the year and all but Newport and Todd Central are teams ranked among the Top 10 in the Bluegrasspreps.com Class 2A rankings.

Newport may be the most surprising name on the list. The Wildcats are 3-1 and their lone loss was a 6-2 defeat to Bishop Brossart. Last season, Newport was 2-9 and were allowing 31.75 point per game through this same stretch. It should come as no surprise that their record was also flipped at 1-3 at this time.

Newport has been anchored on the Defensive side by Jr. Safety Kaleal Davis and Sr. DL Charles Colston. Colston has been exceptional against the run thusfar and is second on the team in tackles Davis is quietly having an All-State type of season in the secondary. He not only leads the Wildcats in Tackles, but has added 3 Interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries as well. The Wildcats have a key two game stretch before entering District play against solid 1A teams in Frankfort and Bellevue. If Newport can continue to hold the line they may be a legitimate threat in a District that does not seem to be impossible to win.

Todd County Central had a historic season last year where they posted their first winning season in decades. Finishing above .500 may be a tall task with an extremely bottom heavy schedule still to come, but a 5-5 season is well within reach if they can continue to play good Defense. The Rebels will need to win 2 of 3 against Hancock County, Butler County, and McLean County. The Cougars of McLean will be the stiffest challenge of those three, but Butler and Hancock are both winnable games if Todd Central can continue to play strong enough defense to give themselves a shot if a couple breaks go their way.

For the more prominent names on the list, Defense may be the difference in a Regional Finals loss or a Semi-Finals win. Christian Academy of Louisville is not the most explosive Offense in the Class, but their Defense may very well be enough to survive two potential meetings with DeSales and give them an advantage against Mayfield's powerhouse Offense. Glasgow will never be the team who can knock off one of the top ranked 2A teams in a shootout, but their Defense could give them a fighter's chance in the West. Somerset will need their Defense to carry them in a super competitive District and it will also be their Defense that would give any chance of an upset with a potential Semi-Finals game against either CAL or DeSales.

Seperation September; Top 5 Shakeups Imminent?

The upcoming week may be the most likely to see a significant shakeup at the Top of the heap. DeSales, Mayfield, and Glasgow all have chances for statement wins against teams fully capable also of knocking them off.

Glasgow travels to defending 4A Champion Franklin-Simpson to take on the currently #2 ranked Wildcats. Franklin-Simpson enters 4-1 and as one of the top teams to beat in Southern Kentucky. Glasgow is still searching for their statement win as none of the five victories thusfar have been teams with a number currently beside their name in the Bluegrasspreps.com Rankings. Last season, Franklin-Simpson defeated Glasgow 35-19 as a heavy favorite in a game that gave a glimpse of the potential of Glasgow.

DeSales is the top ranked team and have no shortage of those statement wins. DeSales will have to ramp up their competitiveness after a pair of games where they were the superior team against Louisville Holy Cross and Fern Creek. The Colts will load up the pass for Central Lexington to take on 3A Lexington Catholic. The Knights have a dangerous Offense and a QB

more than equipped to take over a game.

The headliner of the week will be Mayfield squaring up 3A Corbin at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee. This series has been some kind of special the past three years with Mayfield taking two of three games, but every single one being extremely competitive. This may very well be the best team Corbin has fielded during this time, and for Mayfield they hope they may be able to look back and say the same for themselves. Corbin defeated Beechwood previously and will be the best Defensive team the Cardinals have faced so far. If DeSales struggles with Lexington Catholic this game could be enough for Mayfield to jump back into the cat-bird seat in Class 2A as we head down the stretch.

LCA= Left Challenge with Answers

It was not looking good LCA after last week. The Eagles were 2-2 on the season with a pair of lopsided losses to 1A Pikeville and 3A Lexington Catholic. When LCA traveled up I-75 to square off with Walton-Verona the game took the feel of a watershed type of moment, and after a 38-21 victory the Eagles' hopes of still being a factor in the District race seem alive and well.

Although defeating the unanimous favorite to win District 5 on the road is impressive enough, it was some of the comparative scores that further instilled hope. Pikeville had been an early season buzzsaw but had their first chance to legitimize how good they were against 3A powerhouse Belfry, the Panthers lost the game but proved their mettle and with it proved that LCA's Week 2 loss was against a very good team. The Eagles opened the year by defeating 3A Waggener 34-20 and most questioned how impressive that win was. Waggener won three straight following that loss in impressive fashion entering a meeting with Danville. Waggener gave Danville all they wanted before falling 30-21, but the competitive game further proved that the gap in District play for LCA was not as broad as anticipated. LCA also defeated Vincennes-Lincoln, IN in a shootout. Lincoln followed up that loss with back to back victories and appear to be an quality win.

With momentum from the win and a young Offense beginning to find it's form, it is very important for the Eagles to keep momentum moving forward. LCA welcomes Kentucky Country Day and Middlesboro the next two games and if they can continue to chop wood it should put them at 5-2 and solidly in the Top 10 entering a critical game against Somerset on October 12th following a well timed BYE week. The Eagles are well positioned to make a move, but it will be vital for them to progress consistently during the next 4 weeks leading up to that battle.

Around the State:

EKY

Shelby Valley is beginning to look like the team the rest of District 8 is chasing. As Leslie County and Prestonsburg continue to remain winless, the Wildcats are starting to rack up wins against lesser competition. Seth Johnson put up an eye popping 380 rushing yards on 14 carries (27+ yards per carry) as the Wildcats moved to 4-1.

NKY

We discussed what Newport and Walton-Verona did this week, but it was Newport Central Catholic who once again drew the toughest foe. The Thoroughbreds were no match for CAL. The Centurions avenged last year's shocking upset with a 31-0 win. For NCC the road remains bumpy as 6A Conner is next with a 3-1 record. Newport Central Catholic always schedules tough but as their confidence is wavering and injuries are occurring, one has to wonder if they have competed themselves into a hole entering District Play.

CKY

Washington County did themselves no favors with a loss to 4A Marion County. The Knight were 0-4 entering the game and considered a non-factor in Class 4A. The Commanders will most certainly rebound against 1A Caverna, but with 3A Western Hills waiting before District play it is looking more and more likely that Washington County will be a team destined to remain outside the Top 10.

WKY

Owensboro Catholic may be the hottest team in Class 2A right now. The Aces have put behind their underwhelming start of the season to stake their claim as the best team in the Owensboro Metro area. Catholic rode the strong shoulders of Vonn Williams to 239 rushing yards and 2 TD's in their 33-30 win over previously ranked 5A Apollo. Between victories over Apollo and Owensboro, coupled with their lone loss (Daviess County) being avenged in blowout fashion with Owensboro's 42-14 win against Daviess, it appears the mythical claim of being the best team in the Western Kentucky river city is Catholic's for the taking.