1. Johnson Central (4A, 1-0)- The Golden Eagles left little doubt against 6A Henry Clay and put a running clock up on the Generals. Johnson Central now draws one of West Virginia’s premier large schools in a rivalry that has been very competitive.

 

2. Belfry Pirates (3A, 1-0)- Belfry put on a Defensive clinic against Southwestern and Isaac Dixon decided to upgrade his Hudl highlights. Belfry now gets a tough test against one of 2A’s top teams.

 

3. Corbin Redhounds (4A, 1-0)- Corbin had a tougher go of things than expected against rival Whitley County before scoring 21 unanswered to pull it out. They will look to round into form against Notre Dame, TN.

 

4. Pikeville Panthers (1A, 1-0)- Pikeville got tested by 3A Bardstown but put their foot down in the 4th Quarter to get a nice win in the opener. Expect a capacity crowd against one West Virginia’s top 2A teams, Mingo Central.

 

5. Bell County Bobcats (3A, 1-0)- Bell County kicked off an optimistic 2019 season with a convincing win over Collins. The Bobcats will have to be on their “A-game” taking on a Knox Central team looking for their first win.

 

6. Pulaski County Maroons (5A, 0-1)- It looked good for a Half against Lexington Catholic, then Beau Allen took over and the Maroons fell short. Pulaski now must head to Monticello for a tilt with the always stout Wayne County Cardinals.

 

7. Ashland Tomcats (3A, 1-0)- Ashland gutted out a tough win over Knox Central in come from behind fashion. They should have a little easier go this week with Boyd County on the schedule.

 

8. Somerset Briarjumpers (2A, 1-0)- New field, new year, new expectations, and one great season opener against Rockcastle. Somerset and their home-field both looked sharp and they hope to keep the magic going heading to Montgomery County.

 

9. Raceland Rams (1A, 1-0)- It was not pretty, but the Rams held off the challenge of Greenup County by three points to get the first win under their belt. The rivalry tour continues with a formidable Russell team next.

 

10. Williamsburg Yellowjackets (1A, 1-0)- Jellico, Tennessee was no match for the Jackets’ air raid. Now they set their sights on a Middlesboro team that is breathing fresh breath.

 

11. Knox Central Panthers (4A, 0-1)- The Panthers gave a valiant effort but came up short against Ashland. They have a second chance for an early season statement with Bell County next.

 

12. Breathitt County Bobcats (2A, 1-0)- Breathitt showed mercy and sportsmanship against an over-matched Jenkins team. On a light schedule, perhaps one of their toughest games will be this week against 5A South Laurel.

 

13. Greenup County Musketeers (3A, 0-1)- Greenup will point to self-inflicted wounds that may have cost them an opportunity to knock off Raceland. They will look to iron those issues out in practice and will set their course for Fleming County.

 

14. Southwestern Warriors (5A, 0-1)- It was a tough night at home against Belfry as the Warriors showed that the graduation losses of their top play-makers will be a work in progress to overcome. Southwestern will travel to Berea to face Madison Southern next.

 

15. Paintsville Tigers (1A, 1-0)- Paintsville took some time to get their wheels spinning on Offense against Lawrence County, but once they did… it was full steam ahead. The Tigers will draw a real tough one at Georgetown College when they square up Beechwood.

 

Three Statement Winners:

Middlesboro Yellowjackets (2A, 1-0)- It took Coach French one week to match the win total the Jackets posted in 2018. Middlesboro’s win over 3A Garrard County proved there is a new expectation for the program.

 

Leslie County Eagles (2A, 1-0)- The buzz about Leslie County being a team to watch certainly rang true after the Eagles handled 5A Perry Central. The Eagles get an early season BYE before they have a chance to really turn heads against Williamsburg on September 6th.

 

Lynn Camp Wildcats (1A, 1-0)- After the Wildcats made noise in 2018, you could not have scripted a better start to the season than beating perennial Class 1A power Frankfort. Expect the wins to continue with Jackson County next.

 

Three Troubling Losses:

Floyd Central Jaguars (3A, 0-1)- It was a brutal trip to Manchester as the Jaguars were outclassed by the host Clay County Tigers. The good news is something will have to give as their next foe is…

 

North Laurel Jaguars (5A, 0-1)- The other East Kentucky group of Jags had lofty expectations after bringing back nearly their entire roster, unfortunately they could not hold on to a lead and took an “L” against Dunbar. Which Jaguar team will avoid the dreaded 0-2 star?

 

Rockastle County Rockets (3A, 0-1)- Another team who was hoping to wipe the slate clean was Rockcastle, but despite their optimism the Rockets came crashing back to earth as Somerset simply dismembered them in all phases. They continue their Southern Kentucky swing against Casey County in a winnable game.

 

Player of the Week:

RB/LB Dalton Meade, Shelby Valley- Meade was superb in a very impressive season opening victory over 5A Letcher Central. Meade posted 373 yards on 28 carries and scored 4 TD’s. Just for a cherry on top he also added three 2-point conversions and 7 solo tackles.

 

Game of the Week:

#11 4A Knox Central @ #5 3A Bell County- The Bobcats welcome Knox Central to Log Mountain in a huge game for both teams. Bell County knows this may be one of their best opportunity for a statement non-District win, meanwhile Knox Central has already taken a loss and with several difficult games remaining, will look to secure an opportunity for major RPI points down the road.

Nice Work ATL... very comprehensive...

Solid list and great synopsis. Keep an eye on Ashland though. Even though I'm a fan I keep my thoughts as unbiased as possible and they really surprised me in the opening week. If Gregg can remain consistent they're likely a top 5 team on this list.

I feel like Russell could be on the list of top 15 soon. It could be argued that they could be on it now.

I feel like Russell could be on the list of top 15 soon. It could be argued that they could be on it now.

 

I feel like they could be in that 13-15 range. Just like I mentioned with Ashland, time will tell the story on that. It's really hard to sort teams outside of the top ten or so though. Most in that 11-15 range are nearly equal on any given night.

Russell has a chance to make somewhat of a statement if they can beat Raceland.

Russell has a chance to make somewhat of a statement if they can beat Raceland.

 

They do. Raceland has some things to work on themselves as well though. I'm not exactly sure where Raceland is at right now after watching last night's game. I feel like they will be fine as the season goes on, they have a solid team but aren't near their potential yet, imo. A Russell win would still be big, but I'm not sure it would be a big statement in week 1.

They do. Raceland has some things to work on themselves as well though. I'm not exactly sure where Raceland is at right now after watching last night's game. I feel like they will be fine as the season goes on, they have a solid team but aren't near their potential yet, imo. A Russell win would still be big, but I'm not sure it would be a big statement in week 1.

 

I didn't say it would be a big statement, that was why I said somewhat but Raceland is at #9 on this list. A big Statement would be a Russell beating Ashland. Not that I'm saying Russell will beat Ashland. That is why they play the games.

I didn't say it would be a big statement, that was why I said somewhat but Raceland is at #9 on this list. A big Statement would be a Russell beating Ashland. Not that I'm saying Russell will beat Ashland. That is why they play the games.

 

I'm not disagreeing with ya. We're actually thinking along the same lines. From this weekends games I feel like Raceland, Greenup and Russell may be on an equal playing field for now though. Raceland has the best chance to make the most of it though, imo. Ashland appears to be a bit better than expected though. If Gregg can keep consistent numbers with Fridays game throughout the season they will be better than most expect.

I feel like Russell could be on the list of top 15 soon. It could be argued that they could be on it now.

 

Last week they were at #18 in the initial Pre-Season Top 25, I feel confident saying they would be a step higher than that and a win against raceland would definitely make it hard to keep them out of the Top 15.

Solid list and great synopsis. Keep an eye on Ashland though. Even though I'm a fan I keep my thoughts as unbiased as possible and they really surprised me in the opening week. If Gregg can remain consistent they're likely a top 5 team on this list.

 

Let's not get it lost that Knox Central was a 4A Semi-Finalist last year. Ashland definitely looks like a solid Top 10 team.

 

That back to back stretch of Ohio teams has my interest piqued. Ironton should be a little better than the past few years, but Wheelersburg will be perhaps Ashland's toughest regular season challenge (or until they play Spring Valley to end the season).

Let's not get it lost that Knox Central was a 4A Semi-Finalist last year. Ashland definitely looks like a solid Top 10 team.

 

That back to back stretch of Ohio teams has my interest piqued. Ironton should be a little better than the past few years, but Wheelersburg will be perhaps Ashland's toughest regular season challenge (or until they play Spring Valley to end the season).

 

Wheelersburg will likely be the best team Ashland see's all season minus the playoffs. Ashlands line play will play a big role in their season and they look to be really solid in that area.