When Lexington Catholic played Covington Catholic to a 39-38 result on September 6th behind an incredible Beau Allen performance (455 passing yards, 5 touchdowns), it appeared that perhaps the two-horse race in 4A might be expanded into something more. Their result at Lexington Christian two weeks later (a 43-42 loss) took some of the shine off of that, but their matchup with Boyle County last Friday was still anticipated to show whether or not there was true hope of someone besides Johnson Central to challenge Boyle County’s supremacy.

 

With apologies to Franklin County, that hope is all but extinguished now.

 

The Knights entered the game with two losses by a single point each. Boyle County dropped a season-worst 64 points on them via a running clock, winning 64-28. It would be fair to call the performance surgical. QB Reed Lanter was 24/28 for 494 yards, throwing five touchdowns. Reece Smith hauled in three of those scores, with 8 catches for 275 yards! In all, the Rebels averaged 13.13 yards per play run, racking up 617 yards of offense. In defeat, Beau Allen still threw for 385 yards and three scores, but completed less than 50% of his passes after entering the game completing just under 73%. Put another way, he had 20 incompletions in the game – he had 52 for the season (6 games) coming in. For Boyle County, it all but clinched the top seed in the district in terms of what we expect. Their closest game of the year remains their 30-0 victory over Highlands, and every other game they have played they have gained the running clock on their opponent, winning by 36 or more. At this point, it appears that no one will be able to slow them in 4A with the possible exception of Johnson Central. For Lexington Catholic, they have still yet to win two games in a row since August, though they’ll be favored to win their next two. They’ll take on a Bourbon County team this week that surprised Anderson County in a 35-34 result last Friday. It’s a good bounce back spot, but they know the challenge that will be in front of them mid-November, a likely trip back to this same Boyle County team.

 

The other blockbuster game took place a few hours westward when Madisonville-North Hopkins hosted Hopkinsville. Hopkinsville entered the game with a chance to clinch the top seed in the district after a dominant 21-6 victory over Logan County eight days prior – a Logan County team that knocked of Madisonville at the end of September. The Maroons lost that game on a last second hail mary pass, and were eager to work themselves back into the top of the district mix. Madisonville set the tone immediately, taking advantage of a bad snap in the first minute of the game to set up at the Tiger 31, and cashed in just over two minutes later with a Marquise Parker touchdown reception. On their next drive, Jeriah Hightower continued his Mr. Football candidacy (he’s up to 1,870 yards on just 186 attempts) with a 32 yard touchdown run to give Madisonville a 14-0 lead just 8 minutes into the game. That was all for the first half, but Madisonville extended the lead to 20-0 midway through the third quarter to seemingly clinch the game. The Tigers showed their resiliency, getting a Bland to Jesse touchdown three minutes later, then a Bland to Rushing touchdown as the third quarter ended to make it 20-12. That set the stage for dramatics in the final minute of the game, as Hopkinsville reached the one yard line, took a sack, got more downs on a roughing the passer penalty, and then finally saw Bland and Jesse hook up on an inside slant with less than 20 seconds left to make it 20-18. But for the third time on the night, they could not convert on the two point try, and the Maroons held on for the critical victory. Bland was 21/44 for just 200 yards on the night, though he did throw for the three scores. Hopkinsville actually outgained Madisonville 263-254, but it wasn’t enough. So that leaves us with a three way tie for the top of District 1. Barring something truly remarkable, those three teams will remain deadlocked to end the season.

 

In terms of the postseason implications of the game, Logan County is likely the biggest beneficiary. They currently hold the edge in the three-way tiebreaker, which uses the win total of the top 4 teams beaten by each team, assigning a point for each win. Games among the tied teams do not count. Logan County currently has 12 points, owing primarily to wins over Greenwood and Warren East. Those two teams are highly likely to add three more wins between now and the end of the season to push their total to at least 15. Muhlenberg County (currently 2) and Russellville (currently 1) have one likely win and three possible wins (possible being my judgment) between them. It is conceivable Logan County could get their total as high as 20 without even having to beat South Warren at the end of the season, who would likely add 8 by then – but it is highly unlikely Logan County could win that game. Both Hopkinsville and Madisonville-North Hopkins currently sit at 9 points total, but Madisonville is in the more favorable position from teams they have currently beaten. Union County gives them four points, and they’re likely to add two more with wins over Trigg County and Calloway County. Daviess County and Marshall County add two apiece, and they have three possible wins between them. Ballard Memorial’s 1 rounds out their current total, and it is possible they could add two more with their remaining opponents. In all, it’s conceivable they could get as high as 16 points from those teams. But the real x-factor is their game against Mayfield to end the year, at which point Mayfield will have 8 wins. A win there, and Madisonville is likely to win the district. That leaves Hopkinsville. They currently have only three wins that are generating points, and their fourth one over Christian County will likely stay a zero. Caldwell County has six wins, are highly likely to add a seventh, and possibly could grab an eighth against Murray. Kenwood (TN) has two wins, and I have no idea as to the likelihood of their two remaining games. Let’s say for argument’s sake they get both. With Calloway County unlikely to add to their total of one, that would leave Hopkinsville with a max total of 13 in all likelihood. Their season closer is against Paducah Tilghman – a winnable game. Paducah is likely to have seven wins at that point. That could potentially push them as high as 20 points, which might be enough to grab the district. But without beating Paducah, they’re almost certainly going to be the 3 seed and hitting the road for a tough first round game. I can’t lie – I love three-way tiebreaks because of all these scenarios. It’ll be interesting to see it play out. If you’re curious how the RPI would play it – Madisonville currently has the top RPI of .627, followed by Logan County at .606, with Hopkinsville just behind at .599.

 

Other games of note:

#2 Johnson Central just continues to roll along, moving to 7-0 with a 49-6 win over Perry County Central. With the departure of Ashland from the district, this part of the schedule does not provide much resistance for the Golden Eagles, and at this point it looks like they are not likely to face any difficulties until the state semifinals at the earliest. The word I’d use for the performance in games like this is efficient. Riley Preece threw three passes – completed three passes. Two of them were touchdowns. Devin Johnson rushed twice for 93 yards total. Both rushes were touchdowns.

 

#6 Corbin jumped out to a two score lead in the first quarter over Knox Central, but led just 14-7 at halftime. No worries, the Redhounds grinded out 24 points in a row to take a 38-7 lead before Knox tacked on a pair of scores to make the score a respectable 38-21 final. Dakota Patterson hauled in five catches for 100 yards and a score, with Nick Yeager rushing 18 times for 129 yards and a score. Corbin had some rough luck with a bye week and a cancelation causing a three week hole in their schedule, but appear to have settled back in. They visit Lincoln County this Friday before a likely district-deciding battle with Wayne County on October 25th. #7 Wayne County won their fourth in a row 55-21 over that Lincoln County team last Friday behind Braedon Sloan’s 362 yards rushing on just 23 attempts with five touchdowns. Sloan is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season.

 

#10 Central fell behind twice in the opening half against Waggener, trailing 6-0 just two minutes into the game after a 54 yard Sickles touchdown pass to Allen, and again midway through the second quarter at 14-6 when Sickles found Coleman for a 10 yard score. But the Yellowjackets followed that score with a 13 play, 64 yard drive that consumed the rest of the half, capped by a Duncan 1 yard score as time expired in the half, tying the game at 14 all. A Mucker three yard score gave them the lead for good six minutes into the third, and Bush had a scoop and score to clinch the game five minutes into the fourth, giving Central the 26-14 victory. As usual, defense ruled the day for Central. The two touchdown passes were two of only three completions for Waggener, and the Yellowjackets held them to 178 yards of offense while forcing three turnovers. Central will tune up with North Oldham this week before their big showdown with Franklin County on October 25th.

 

RPI Update

 

Right now, your projected region finals using solely RPI would be:

Warren East at Franklin County

Moore at Madisonville-North Hopkins

Scott at Boyle County

Wayne County at Johnson Central

 

Projected state semifinals would be:

Johnson Central at Franklin County

Madisonville-North Hopkins at Boyle County

 

Upcoming Game of the Week

 

After a few weeks with very high-drama options, this week is a bit of a letdown. A lot of the top 10 features games that are likely not even going to be contests. The game that figures to be the most potentially intriguing is Waggener at #3 Franklin County. Waggener saw their five game winning streak snapped in their loss at Central, unable to overcome the tough Central defense. Still, it was a competitive 26-14 game. Franklin County is one of three remaining unbeaten teams, and has been unchallenged since their unexpectedly close 35-28 result against East Jessamine to open the year. They have their game against Central the next week, so there is the danger of getting caught looking forward in play as well. At the very least, this game should give us a good read on what to expect in that crucial matchup on the 25th.

Great read!

Man I don't know how you done it but that was some good reading and give you a good look into 4A.

You really outdone yourself my friend! Excellent job.

When Lexington Catholic played Covington Catholic to a 39-38 result on September 6th behind an incredible Beau Allen performance (455 passing yards, 5 touchdowns), it appeared that perhaps the two-horse race in 4A might be expanded into something more. Their result at Lexington Christian two weeks later (a 43-42 loss) took some of the shine off of that, but their matchup with Boyle County last Friday was still anticipated to show whether or not there was true hope of someone besides Johnson Central to challenge Boyle County’s supremacy.

 

With apologies to Franklin County, that hope is all but extinguished now.

 

The Knights entered the game with two losses by a single point each. Boyle County dropped a season-worst 64 points on them via a running clock, winning 64-28. It would be fair to call the performance surgical. QB Reed Lanter was 24/28 for 494 yards, throwing five touchdowns. Reece Smith hauled in three of those scores, with 8 catches for 275 yards! In all, the Rebels averaged 13.13 yards per play run, racking up 617 yards of offense. In defeat, Beau Allen still threw for 385 yards and three scores, but completed less than 50% of his passes after entering the game completing just under 73%. Put another way, he had 20 incompletions in the game – he had 52 for the season (6 games) coming in. For Boyle County, it all but clinched the top seed in the district in terms of what we expect. Their closest game of the year remains their 30-0 victory over Highlands, and every other game they have played they have gained the running clock on their opponent, winning by 36 or more. At this point, it appears that no one will be able to slow them in 4A with the possible exception of Johnson Central. For Lexington Catholic, they have still yet to win two games in a row since August, though they’ll be favored to win their next two. They’ll take on a Bourbon County team this week that surprised Anderson County in a 35-34 result last Friday. It’s a good bounce back spot, but they know the challenge that will be in front of them mid-November, a likely trip back to this same Boyle County team.

 

The other blockbuster game took place a few hours westward when Madisonville-North Hopkins hosted Hopkinsville. Hopkinsville entered the game with a chance to clinch the top seed in the district after a dominant 21-6 victory over Logan County eight days prior – a Logan County team that knocked of Madisonville at the end of September. The Maroons lost that game on a last second hail mary pass, and were eager to work themselves back into the top of the district mix. Madisonville set the tone immediately, taking advantage of a bad snap in the first minute of the game to set up at the Tiger 31, and cashed in just over two minutes later with a Marquise Parker touchdown reception. On their next drive, Jeriah Hightower continued his Mr. Football candidacy (he’s up to 1,870 yards on just 186 attempts) with a 32 yard touchdown run to give Madisonville a 14-0 lead just 8 minutes into the game. That was all for the first half, but Madisonville extended the lead to 20-0 midway through the third quarter to seemingly clinch the game. The Tigers showed their resiliency, getting a Bland to Jesse touchdown three minutes later, then a Bland to Rushing touchdown as the third quarter ended to make it 20-12. That set the stage for dramatics in the final minute of the game, as Hopkinsville reached the one yard line, took a sack, got more downs on a roughing the passer penalty, and then finally saw Bland and Jesse hook up on an inside slant with less than 20 seconds left to make it 20-18. But for the third time on the night, they could not convert on the two point try, and the Maroons held on for the critical victory. Bland was 21/44 for just 200 yards on the night, though he did throw for the three scores. Hopkinsville actually outgained Madisonville 263-254, but it wasn’t enough. So that leaves us with a three way tie for the top of District 1. Barring something truly remarkable, those three teams will remain deadlocked to end the season.

 

In terms of the postseason implications of the game, Logan County is likely the biggest beneficiary. They currently hold the edge in the three-way tiebreaker, which uses the win total of the top 4 teams beaten by each team, assigning a point for each win. Games among the tied teams do not count. Logan County currently has 12 points, owing primarily to wins over Greenwood and Warren East. Those two teams are highly likely to add three more wins between now and the end of the season to push their total to at least 15. Muhlenberg County (currently 2) and Russellville (currently 1) have one likely win and three possible wins (possible being my judgment) between them. It is conceivable Logan County could get their total as high as 20 without even having to beat South Warren at the end of the season, who would likely add 8 by then – but it is highly unlikely Logan County could win that game. Both Hopkinsville and Madisonville-North Hopkins currently sit at 9 points total, but Madisonville is in the more favorable position from teams they have currently beaten. Union County gives them four points, and they’re likely to add two more with wins over Trigg County and Calloway County. Daviess County and Marshall County add two apiece, and they have three possible wins between them. Ballard Memorial’s 1 rounds out their current total, and it is possible they could add two more with their remaining opponents. In all, it’s conceivable they could get as high as 16 points from those teams. But the real x-factor is their game against Mayfield to end the year, at which point Mayfield will have 8 wins. A win there, and Madisonville is likely to win the district. That leaves Hopkinsville. They currently have only three wins that are generating points, and their fourth one over Christian County will likely stay a zero. Caldwell County has six wins, are highly likely to add a seventh, and possibly could grab an eighth against Murray. Kenwood (TN) has two wins, and I have no idea as to the likelihood of their two remaining games. Let’s say for argument’s sake they get both. With Calloway County unlikely to add to their total of one, that would leave Hopkinsville with a max total of 13 in all likelihood. Their season closer is against Paducah Tilghman – a winnable game. Paducah is likely to have seven wins at that point. That could potentially push them as high as 20 points, which might be enough to grab the district. But without beating Paducah, they’re almost certainly going to be the 3 seed and hitting the road for a tough first round game. I can’t lie – I love three-way tiebreaks because of all these scenarios. It’ll be interesting to see it play out. If you’re curious how the RPI would play it – Madisonville currently has the top RPI of .627, followed by Logan County at .606, with Hopkinsville just behind at .599.

 

Other games of note:

#2 Johnson Central just continues to roll along, moving to 7-0 with a 49-6 win over Perry County Central. With the departure of Ashland from the district, this part of the schedule does not provide much resistance for the Golden Eagles, and at this point it looks like they are not likely to face any difficulties until the state semifinals at the earliest. The word I’d use for the performance in games like this is efficient. Riley Preece threw three passes – completed three passes. Two of them were touchdowns. Devin Johnson rushed twice for 93 yards total. Both rushes were touchdowns.

 

#6 Corbin jumped out to a two score lead in the first quarter over Knox Central, but led just 14-7 at halftime. No worries, the Redhounds grinded out 24 points in a row to take a 38-7 lead before Knox tacked on a pair of scores to make the score a respectable 38-21 final. Dakota Patterson hauled in five catches for 100 yards and a score, with Nick Yeager rushing 18 times for 129 yards and a score. Corbin had some rough luck with a bye week and a cancelation causing a three week hole in their schedule, but appear to have settled back in. They visit Lincoln County this Friday before a likely district-deciding battle with Wayne County on October 25th. #7 Wayne County won their fourth in a row 55-21 over that Lincoln County team last Friday behind Braedon Sloan’s 362 yards rushing on just 23 attempts with five touchdowns. Sloan is averaging 13.5 yards per carry this season.

 

#10 Central fell behind twice in the opening half against Waggener, trailing 6-0 just two minutes into the game after a 54 yard Sickles touchdown pass to Allen, and again midway through the second quarter at 14-6 when Sickles found Coleman for a 10 yard score. But the Yellowjackets followed that score with a 13 play, 64 yard drive that consumed the rest of the half, capped by a Duncan 1 yard score as time expired in the half, tying the game at 14 all. A Mucker three yard score gave them the lead for good six minutes into the third, and Bush had a scoop and score to clinch the game five minutes into the fourth, giving Central the 26-14 victory. As usual, defense ruled the day for Central. The two touchdown passes were two of only three completions for Waggener, and the Yellowjackets held them to 178 yards of offense while forcing three turnovers. Central will tune up with North Oldham this week before their big showdown with Franklin County on October 25th.

 

RPI Update

 

Right now, your projected region finals using solely RPI would be:

Warren East at Franklin County

Moore at Madisonville-North Hopkins

Scott at Boyle County

Wayne County at Johnson Central

 

Projected state semifinals would be:

Johnson Central at Franklin County

Madisonville-North Hopkins at Boyle County

 

Upcoming Game of the Week

 

After a few weeks with very high-drama options, this week is a bit of a letdown. A lot of the top 10 features games that are likely not even going to be contests. The game that figures to be the most potentially intriguing is Waggener at #3 Franklin County. Waggener saw their five game winning streak snapped in their loss at Central, unable to overcome the tough Central defense. Still, it was a competitive 26-14 game. Franklin County is one of three remaining unbeaten teams, and has been unchallenged since their unexpectedly close 35-28 result against East Jessamine to open the year. They have their game against Central the next week, so there is the danger of getting caught looking forward in play as well. At the very least, this game should give us a good read on what to expect in that crucial matchup on the 25th.

 

 

Looking at District 1, Logan has a great shot to get the 1, but need help. Madisonville HAS to beat Mayfield & Hoptown HAS to beat Paducah to have a chance at the 1 seed.. I think Hopkinsville takes down PT but the Madisonville/Mayfield game will make Madisonville either the 1 or the 3.. Exciting times in district 1

 

Looking at schedules for Logan

Greenwood-

Losses- BG, SW

Toss-Up- @ John Hardin

 

Warren East

Losses- FS

Win- ACS

Toss Up- @Daviess County

 

Russellville

Wins- Caverna

Losses- Crittenden County

Toss-Up- Warren Central

 

Muhlenberg County

Losses- Breckinridge, Graves

Toss-Up- Ballard Memorial

 

Madisonville Schedule

They beat Mayfield & it’s their district. Lose and they are probably looking at the #3 seed because I think Hopkinsville beats PT at the end of the regular season.

 

Union County

Wins- Calloway

Loss- PT

Toss-Up- Trigg

 

Daviess

Toss-Up- Warren East, Apollo

Losses- Hendo

 

Marshall County

Toss-Up- Apollo, Harrison County

Loss- GraveS

 

Hopkinsville

Must beat Paducah to be in contention for #1 Seed. Bottom line.

 

Those that know more about the teams/districts above can probably give insight on who may win/lose. I’m just guessing by feel/matchup.