1A Notebook 9/25 - Taking Down the Big Schools

The ranked teams in 1A all took on schools from the bigger school classes and fared very well. Williamsburg was the only top 10 1A team to suffer a loss. Leading the winners was #1 ranked Pikeville who shocked 3A #2 Belfry with a 22-21 come from behind win. In this week's notebook we will review last week's games, take a look at the week ahead and we will put the spotlight on some top performing players and teams as we hit the halfway mark to the season.

Last Week

1. Pikeville - The shocker of the week was the Pikeville Panthers traveling to one of the toughest home fields in Kentucky high school football and hanging a loss on 3A #2 Belfry, 22-21. Pikeville was down 14-0 in the first half and then down in the third quarter 21-8. The Panthers kept battling and worked their way into the lead in the fourth quarter. From there it was up to the Pikeville defense to secure the victory. They were up to the challenge as they stopped two later Belfry drives and got the win. This was just the second Pikeville win in 19 games against Belfry, the previous Pikeville win coming in 2014. The key offensive connection in the game for Pikeville was So. QB Isaac McNamee to Sr. WR Seth Pugh for two touchdown passes. Pikeville actually was outgained in the game by over 100 yards by Belfry but 3 turnovers by Belfry to none by Pikeville made the difference on the scoreboard.

Number 2 Paintsville, #4 Raceland and #9 Crittenden County all used their bye week this week.

3. Williamsburg – Williamsburg rolled in their first four games against lesser competition but they stepped it up on the schedule in game five as they took on 2A #1 Somerset. Somerset has been rolling and Williamsburg wasn’t able to blunt their roll, falling to the Briar Jumpers 41-13. Williamsburg was in this game trailing only 14-13 at halftime. However, Somerset poured it on in the second half with 27 unanswered points. Williamsburg QB Dalton Ponder racked up just under 300 yards passing and threw 2 touchdown passes, but he also threw 3 interceptions to offset those numbers. WR Caleb Rose caught 8 of Ponder’s passes for 181 yards and both touchdown catches. The Williamsburg defense was steam rolled for 300 yards passing and 309 yards rushing by Somerset. As good as Somerset is, giving up 609 yards of offense is a red flag that Williamsburg Coach Jerry Herron needs to pay attention to if the Yellow Jackets are going to make a title run.

5. Campbellsville – Nothing to see here as the Eagles took care of business with a 43-24 win over 2A Green County. Green County was just what Campbellsville needed after two tough losses to quality opponents the last two weeks. The main note from this game is Campbellsville star Malachi Corley sat this game out. Corley’s teammates filled in the missing production with QB Arren Hash throwing for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns, RB Reggie Thomas gaining 91 yards and a score on 13 carries and WR Blase Wheatley catching 4 passes for 102 yards and 2 scores.

6. Newport Central Catholic – The Thoroughbreds continued their series with their former 2A district rival Covington Holy Cross and breezed to 50-14 win. This game was over before the fans settled into their seats with a running clock going early in the second quarter. QB Paul Kremer was extremely efficient going 10 of 11 for 284 yards with half of his completions resulting in pay dirt in the end zone.

7. Hazard – The shine may be off beating Danville this year. The Admirals entered this game with a 1-3 record, although that record come. Still, a victory over one of the top historic programs in Kentucky is a good thing. Danville would not let Hazard get away as they kept hanging tough. It looked like the Admirals were going to get the win when Hazard fumbled the ball near the goal line with just 14 seconds to go. But the Bulldogs recovered the fumble in the end zone to pull out the win.

8. Kentucky Country Day – Kentucky Country Day stayed undefeated with a 47-8 win over 5A Iroquois. This was two weeks in a row that the Bearcats logged a running clock win over a 5A school. The schedule does not hold much of a challenge for Kentucky Country Day till perhaps their last game of the year against Eminence. Although, we should not overlook the undefeated Berea Pirates.

10. Louisville Holy Cross – The Cougars joined the party of 1A school wins over bigger schools with a 17-8 victory over 4A Moore. Moore only has one win on the season. RB Luke Davis rushed 21 times for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Friday Night Lineup

The game of the week in 1A will be #2 Paintsville traveling to play #7 Hazard. Hazard will need to take a major step forward to get the win against Paintsville.

Williamsburg follows up last week’s thrashing by Somerset with just as difficult challenge in the form of 2A #3 Lexington Christian. The Yellow Jackets will welcome district play in two weeks after facing the 2A gauntlet of last week and this Friday.

The third game featuring ranked opponents is #5 Newport Central Catholic facing 2A #10 Newport in a cross town showdown.

Below is this week’s schedule for the current top 10.

1. Pikeville at 3A Lawrence County

2. Paintsville at #7 Hazard

3. Raceland vs. Portsmouth West (OH)

4. Williamsburg at 2A #3 Lexington Christian Academy

5. Newport Central Catholic at 2A #10 Newport

6. Campbellsville vs. Fort Knox

7. Hazard vs. #2 Paintsville

8. Kentucky Country Day vs. 6A Southern

9. Crittenden County at 3A Union County

10. Louisville Holy Cross at Providence (IN)

1A Player Spotlight

Leading Rusher – Caleb Kimble of Fulton County is leading 1A in rushing with 963 yards on 83 carries, an average of 11.6 yards per carry. Kimble also has the most rushing touchdowns in 1A at 14.

Leading Passer – Williamsburg’s Dalton Ponder is following up last year’s outstanding season with an even better one. He is far ahead of his fellow 1A quarterbacks with 1,478 yards passing. Ponder is connecting on 62.6% of his passes and has 15 touchdowns versus 4 interceptions.

Leading Receivers – As might be expected, Ponder’s prolific passing has to be caught by someone. His top target Caleb Rose leads 1A with 590 yards receiving. The top pass catcher is Bellevue’s Gunner Barnes with 24 receptions.

You can see all of the statistical leaders in 1A at the KHSAA’s website. Here is the link:

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