Time flies when you’re having fun! We have reached the halfway mark of the regular season. We’ve learned some teams are who we thought they were (cue Dennis Green) and some teams we are still waiting to find out. Here’s to the second half and the start of district play!

 

Teams 1-10

 

1. Frederick Douglass (5A, 5-0, RPI .629)

 

Last week: The Freddy D defense pitched another shutout in the 17th consecutive win over a FCPS opponent handling Henry Clay 27-0. QB Josh McClurg showed off his running abilities gaining 190 yards on 14 carries and 3 TDs. RB/S Devin Neal added 90 yards on the ground and 8 tackles defensively.

 

This week: The team up north is coming to the Farm to kick off district play and give the Broncos their toughest matchup to date. The Defense will be put to the test against the Cardinals ground game featuring RB Philip Garner (730 yards, 13TD) and Bronson Brown (364 yards, 5TD.) The winner of this one will boast home field advantage when they most likely meet again in the playoffs.

 

2. Boyle County (4A, 5-0, RPI .691)

 

Last Week: The Rebels put on an offensive clinic Friday night while soundly beating CAL 71-28. QB Reed Lanter completed 11 of 13 passes for 245 yards and 5 scores. WR Reese Smith caught 6 of those passes for 194 yards and 3 TDs and RB Andrew Sacco carries the rock 13 times for 129 yards and 3 TDs en route to 621 yards for the Boyle O. The defense did get burned a few times through the air and Chuck Smith will make a point to fix that this week in practice.

 

This week: Highlands (5A, 4-1) will pay a visit to Rebel Stadium in what should be Boyle’s toughest game of the regular season. Highlands boasts a defense prone to forcing turnovers as they have forced 18 so far this season. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win this one.

 

3. Scott County (5A, 5-0, RPI .650)

 

Last week: Scott County hosted Emmerich Manual of Indianapolis on Friday and had no issues coming away with a 52-16 victory. The Cardinals did all of their damage on the ground accumulating 333 yards and 6 TDs split up among 13 ball carriers.

 

This week: Scott County will head to Lexington to start district play against their biggest threat to a district title and also undefeated, Frederick Douglass. The Cardinals will have to find ways to score against a Defense allowing just 2.8 points per game and just 31.4 yards on the ground.

 

4. Franklin County (4A, 5-0, RPI .746)

 

Last week: The Flyers took on Woodford County out of class 5A and rolled to victory with a final score of 50-14. Franklin County is slowing climbing the rankings by throttling their last 4 opponents by a combined score of 204-46. Star QB Nick Broyles put together another nice stat line with 3 TDs passing and another 2 on the ground. Tariq Lester had 121 yards and 2 scores on 11 carries and defensively Brady Holleran racked up 14 tackles, 3 for loss and 1.5 sacks.

 

This week: Franklin County travels to Shelby County (4A, 3-2) to kick off their district play. The Rockets are a solid football team that will force the Flyers to play honest with their spread option attack. This one may be closer than expected.

 

5. Lexington Christian Academy (2A, 4-1, RPI .720)

 

Last week: LCA needed a 2 point conversion late in the game followed by a missed field goal by Lexington Catholic to come away with the 43-42 victory. It was the Jayden Barnhardt show for the Eagles as he had 200 yards and 3 TDs passing along with 142 yards and another 3 TDs on the ground. This game was a fun one to watch and I thank Prepspin for streaming it for all of us fans to watch!

 

This week: LCA will host Williamsburg (A, 4-1), a team that will put the Eagle secondary to the test. Williamsburg gave Somerset all they could handle for 3 quarters before the Jumpers eventually put the game away.

 

6. Lexington Catholic (4A, 3-2, RPI .693)

 

Last week: as just previously mentioned a missed field goal at the end of regulation led to a heartbreaking loss to LCA. Beau Allen almost mirrored Opposing QB Barnhardt as far as stats go. Allen had 232 yards and 2 TDs passing along with 142 yards and 3 scores on the ground. Leading receiver Jackson Corbett caught 11 of Allen’s passes for 121 yards.

 

This week: Lexington Catholic will look to rebound from their loss against FCPS foe, Tates Creek (6A, 2-3). This game will once again feature 2 of the Areas top QBs in Allen and Tates Creek’s Luke Duby.

 

7. Taylor County (3A, 4-1, RPI .584)

 

Last week: Taylor County went to take on 6A Simon Kenton, one of the better teams in Northern Kentucky, and did not fare too well falling 39-7. Wes Oliver had the lone score of the night as the Cardinals had only 124 yards offensively.

 

This week: Casey County comes to Campbellsville to open district play. The Rebels are riding a 2 game win streak and will be looking to pull the upset.

 

8. Mercer County (3A, 4-1, RPI .710)

 

Last week: Mercer wanted to move on from the loss the week prior to Boyle and move on they did. The Titans romped to a 64-0 route of Garrard County. RB Malachi Yulee only had 2 carries but he made them both count taking them for scores and covering 108 yards. Defensively Bryson Yeast led the way with 16 tackles.

 

This week: Mercer will look to start district play 1-0 when they travel to Louisville to take on CAL. CAL is coming off of a beat down from Boyle and 2 consecutive losses for the first time in years.

 

9. LaRue County (3A, 3-2, RPI .547)

 

Last Week: LaRue rolled to a comfortable 54-20 win over Nelson County. All of the damage was done on the ground as LaRue rushed for 393 yards and 8 TDs.

 

This week: LaRue will travel to Bardstown (4-1) to take on a very solid Tiger squad as well as kickoff district play. Bardstown has reeled off 4 straight wins after a season opening loss to Pikeville, the current top team in Class A.

 

10. Campbellsville (A, 3-2, RPI .540)

 

Last week: Campbellsville was able to rest some of its ailing starters in a 43-24 win over Green County. QB Arren Hash threw for 229 yards and 3 TDs. Reggie Thomas led the ground attack with 91 yards and a score while Blase Wheatley led all receivers with 102 yards and 2 TDs.

 

This week: Fort Knox (1-4) will come to Campbellsville for the beginning of district play for both teams. Fort Knox beat Fort Campbell 19-10 last week to secure their first victory of the season.

 

Teams 11-15

 

11. Anderson County (4A, 3-2, RPI .637)

 

Last week: The Bearcats rebounded from back to back losses to beat previously undefeated Henderson County 21-17. RB Zach Labhart led the scoring with 3 rushing TDs.

 

This week: Lincoln County (4A, 3-2) is the next team up for Anderson. Both teams have matching 3-2 records and have lost some games that left people scratching their heads. This game is one that I expect to be a close one.

 

12. East Jessamine (5A, 3-2, RPI .606)

 

Last week: East Jessamine coasted to a 43-7 win over Great Crossing. The Jaguar ground game was led by Valdon Miles who had 143 yards and 3 TDs. Dylan Moore added another 106 yards as well.

 

This week: East Jessamine will begin distract play by traveling across the county to play rival , West Jessamine (0-5). When it comes to rivalry games you can toss records out the window. East will need to show up ready to take care of business if they intend to move to 4-2.

 

13. Henry Clay (6A, 0-4, RPI .425)

 

Last week: Henry Clay was unable to get their first win of the season this past Friday falling to Frederick Douglass 27-0. The Devils are going to have to start finding wins if they want to continue to see their name on this list. Their schedule has been tough and are getting the benefit of the doubt for that.

 

This week: The schedule doesn’t let up as Henry Clay will travel to undefeated Central Hardin (6A, 4-0). The Devils defense will be tested once again as Central Hardin is averaging near 500 yards per game.

 

14. George Rogers Clark (6A, 2-2, RPI .392)

 

Last week: GRC was unable to overcome a 5A Southwestern team losing by a final score of 29-20. RB Azariah Israel didn’t have the record night he had the game before but still had a very respectable 141 yards and 2 scores on 21 carries.

 

This week: Ballard (6A, 2-3) out of Louisville comes to town. Don’t be fooled by Ballards losing record as they have played a tough schedule and have played every game on the road. This one will be an uphill battle for GRC from the get go.

 

15. Tates Creek (6A, 2-3, RPI .474)

 

Last week: Tates Creek defeated FCPS foe, Bryan Station by a score of 33-27. QB Luke Duby led Creek with 220 yards passing and 3 scores. Miles Thomas was Duby’s leading target with 4 receptions for 77 yards and 2 TDs.

 

This week: Tates Creek will have the opportunity to show that they are better than their record shows when they take on Lexington Catholic. Beau Allen and company will give the Tates Creek secondary their toughest test of the season so far.

 

Teams 16-20

 

16. Lincoln County (4A, 3-2, RPI .531) last week, W 42-14 vs South Laurel. This week @ 4A Anderson County

17. Madison Southern (5A, 2-3, RPI .416) Last week, L 56-34 vs Pulaski County. This week vs 5A Collins.

18. Woodford County (5A, 3-2, RPI .559) Last week, L 50-14 vs Franklin County. This week BYE

19. Danville (2A, 1-4, RPI .490) Last week, L 30-29 vs Hazard. This week @ 4A Wayne County

20. Washington County (2A, 3-2, RPI .675) Last week W 56-20 vs Marion County. This week vs 2A Thomas Nelson

 

Teams on the rise

 

1. LCA- don’t look now but the Eagles have moved into the top 5 coming off of their thrilling victory over Lexington Catholic.

2. Franklin County- after the first game of the season Franklin County has been on a war path demolishing every opponent on their path on the way to the number 4 slot in this weeks rankings.

 

Teams on the decline

 

1. Henry Clay- the Blue Devils have had a daunting schedule to start the season but at some point you have to win some of those games if you want to earn some respect.

2. Russell County- after a 3-0 start the Lakers have lost their last two games and are no longer in the top 20.

 

Players of the week

 

1. WR Reese Smith, Boyle County- 6 receptions 194 yards 3 touchdowns

2. WR Amirion Joyce, Bourbon County- 7 receptions 223 yards 2 touchdowns

3. QB Jayden Barnhardt, LCA- 15/23 200 yards 3 touchdowns, 24 carries 126 yards 3 touchdowns.

4. WR Javonte Wright, Washington County- 6 receptions 161 yards 2 touchdowns

 

Last Weeks Game of the Week

 

Boyle County 71 CAL 28

 

This is the second consecutive game I’ve chosen that did not turn out as good as expected. CAL had zero answers for the Boyle offense that racked up over 600 yards on the night.

 

This weeks Game of the Week

 

The choice here is the obvious one.

 

CKY #1 Frederick Douglass vs CKY #3 Scott County

 

These teams have battled for the district crown since the inception of Frederick Douglass. This year seems to be more of the same. Who will have the leg up in the district race and hold home field advantage should these teams meet again in the playoffs.

My prediction for the top three next week:

 

1. Boyle County

2. Scott County

3. Frederick Douglass

My prediction for the top three next week:

 

1. Boyle County

2. Scott County

3. Frederick Douglass

 

Very much a possibility! Tonight will have a big say in how the top 3 looks for next week.

WDanville,

Very nice article!

 

Boyle County Fans, I have a couple questions for you as someone who just doesn't know all that much about your fine program:

 

1. How many state championships have they won?

2. When did Chuck Smith become head coach?

3. How many of those State championships came while he was head coach.

 

Thank you!

WDanville,

Very nice article!

 

Boyle County Fans, I have a couple questions for you as someone who just doesn't know all that much about your fine program:

 

1. How many state championships have they won? Boyle County has 8 state championships.

2. When did Chuck Smith become head coach? 1992-2004 & 2014-Present.

3. How many of those State championships came while he was head coach. Chuck has won 6 state championships during his tenures at Boyle County including 5 straight state championships.

 

Thank you!

 

You’re welcome!

You’re welcome!

 

Pretty impressive!

Very interesting how Coach Smith served for 12 years; stepped away for 10 and now been back for going on 6. That's very atypical.

The 5 straight championships is pretty special too!

 

I'm not sure any 4A team can beat Boyle County this year. I know Johnson Central will try, but I think Madisonville could possibly give you a game, but I wouldn't say win.

Pretty impressive!

Very interesting how Coach Smith served for 12 years; stepped away for 10 and now been back for going on 6. That's very atypical.

The 5 straight championships is pretty special too!

 

I'm not sure any 4A team can beat Boyle County this year. I know Johnson Central will try, but I think Madisonville could possibly give you a game, but I wouldn't say win.

 

Chuck Smith accepted a linebackers coaching job at the University of Kentucky in 2004 coaching many of UK’s best linebackers ever. Wesley Woodyard & Danny Trevathan to name a few.

 

Boyle County won 5 straight championships from 1999-2003 and went to 6 straight state championships losing to Highlands in 2004. Chuck Smith won coach of the year four different times.

 

Chuck Smith built this program and when he came back in 2014 I couldn’t even begin to explain how excited everyone in Boyle County was. It’s hard to replace a coaching legend like Larry French, who won 2 state championships at Boyle County, except when it’s Chuck Smith.

Great Work West...