Most of the season in Class 3A has been spent discussing which of the top four (or maybe five) teams could win the championship. Almost all have agreed that Boyle County, Corbin, Belfry, and Central are the favorites, with Lexington Catholic leading the second wave of teams. One look at the bracket, however, shows all but Central on the eastern side. Sixth-ranked Caldwell County, #7 Paducah Tilghman, and #9 Elizabethtown are the only ranked teams in the west besides Central.

 

So is Central a sure bet to play at Kroger Field on November 30?

Central or Etown

I like Central’s defense to get them there. They have some great athletes on that team. Paducah Tilghman is playing very well right now and may have shot at beating them. I wouldn’t count Caldwell County out either.

They should roll their region. Whoever they see in the semis could give them some fits for a minute or two (especially if it's PT), but ultimately I think they're pretty darn close to a sure thing. I hope to get a chance to see them in Flatwoods in a few weeks.

I voted "no". While Central is probably the odds on favorite, we all know nothing is a foregone conclusion on Friday nights. Any one of those other teams could catch the Jackets off guard. Do I think that will happen? No.

I went with "no" simply because, to me, it felt too assuming to write off PT, Caldwell, E-town entirely.

 

And it's not that I fully think one of them will, it's just that on any given night, I think they CAN.

I feel like Paducah Tilghman is the only team with a chance to defeat them but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else did.

 

That being said I feel like Central will be in the finals.

Central hosts the Semi's, correct?

 

If so I will say there is a VERY strong chance they are in the Finals

 

Caldwell appears to be the best team in the far West, but Caldwell also has a history of losing when the games are close or if someone can win the LOS.

 

If this were last year's Etown team I would like their chances a lot. Just dont think Etown is near the level this season.

 

I agree with PurplePride that Tilghman may be the team with the best shot of beating them. If the game were at Tilghman I would consider it a toss-up, but if Tilghman has to load up the buses to sojourn to Muhammad Ali Blvd I think Central wins.

I believe Central will win 3A this year. I'm sure they are hungry after getting upset at home in the semifinals last year. I felt like Central made some tactical errors in their offensive game plan, plus Corbin played their overall best game of the year that night and were able to escape with the win. They won't let it slip away this year.

I agree with PurplePride that Tilghman may be the team with the best shot of beating them. If the game were at Tilghman I would consider it a toss-up, but if Tilghman has to load up the buses to sojourn to Muhammad Ali Blvd I think Central wins.

 

And Tilghman will have a difficult second round road game at Elizabethtown, a place that has been a house of horrors for them the last few years.

Any time something is a foregone conclusion it usually does not happen.

I wouldn’t write off Caldwell so easy. The only 3A team from the west that has beaten Caldwell the last 3 years has been ETown. If Caldwell can make it to travel to Central it just might be a game! Lot of talented players on both sides of the ball. Caldwell has 21 seniors that wants that title in 3A. Caldwell only has 2A titles and will be dropping back down in class next year.