6A Notebook (9/24): The Halfway Point

6A Halfway point

We are now at the halfway point of the regular season as most teams have played 5 games with 5 more to go. We now have a good grasp of the 6A landscape. We have a clear cut #1 and #2 teams in Trinity and Male. After Male’s 20-17 double OT win, Male has overtaken the #1 spot but also leaves the possibility of a re-match where Trinity could possibly win. #3 St. Xavier has defended their #3 ranking after beating 5A power #6 Bowling Green on the road. #4 North Hardin has good wins over #9 Ballard and 3A #6 Elizabethtown and is still undefeated. #5 Manual has gone 3-1 against a tough early schedule with their lone loss coming to 5A #3 Scott County. #6 Central Hardin has worked their way up in rankings behind a strong offense averaging over 50 points a game. #7 Butler has rebounded from their 0-2 start winning their last 3 with a win over #8 Fern Creek. #8 Fern Creek is 3-2 and played 4 ranked teams with wins over #9 Ballard and 4A #9 Central. #9 Ballard is 2-3 but have played 4 ranked teams including a close loss to #4 North Hardin. #10 McCracken County has returned to the rankings after winning 3 straight including a win at 2A #2 Mayfield.

Some other teams that have played well but are just outside the top 10 are Ryle, Simon Kenton, Henderson County, Bullitt East, and Oldham County, and would like to play their way into the top 10 over the last half of the regular season.

The RPI has now started to be tabulated on the the KHSAA scoreboard page.

The Top 10:

1. Male .755

2. North Hardin .670

3. Trinity .641

4. Central Hardin .618

5. Manual .618

6. St. Xavier .617

7. Ryle .611

8. Henderson County .588

9. McCracken County .574

10. Ballard .553

Games of the week:

#2 Trinity vs. #3 St. Xavier at Cardinal Stadium at 8:00

Trinity looks to regroup after a close loss in double overtime to #1 Male and to avenge last year’s loss to St. Xavier. St. Xavier would like to get a win and capture the #2 ranking. Last year the crowd was estimated at 18,500 and with warm weather forecasted there should be a good turnout, especially for the sea of tailgaters before the game. St. X will face a stiff defense that held a powerful Male offense to 7 points in regulation last Friday. If the St. X offense has multiple 3 and out series their defense will wear down allowing Trinity’s offense to control the game. Regardless of who wins it’s always a fun game with the big time atmosphere.

#1 Male vs. #7 Butler

Male hosts Butler to determine the king of the Jefferson County traditional public schools. Butler has played well as of late but there is a large disparity between #1 and #7 in the 6A rankings. Male could overlook Butler after their big win over Trinity but it’s not likely. Male likely wins this game big.