Bluegrasspreps' Eastern Kentucky Power Rankings 10-26

1. Johnson Central Golden Eagles (4A, 9-0)- The Eagles are flying high and flying far. They polished off Letcher Central in another running clock performance and now set their sights on fellow EKY titan Belfry.

2. Bell County Bobcats (3A, 9-0)- The Bobcats continue their dominance by crushing Estill County and now just need to defeat Harlan County and hope their RPI holds up as the 1-seed in the East.

3. Pikeville Panthers (1A, 9-0)- The Panthers get the win via forfeit over Jenkins and now stand only a win against stout Ridgeview, Virginia away from a flawless regular season.

4. Belfry Pirates (3A, 6-2)- Belfry flexed their muscles against Pike Central to lock up the 1-seed in their District and now set their sights on Johnson Central. The Pirates need a big win as they still lag behind in the RPI after two losses.

5. Ashland Tomcats (3A, 8-1)- Ashland put a hurting on nose-diving Greenup County and know the first two rounds at least will be at Putnam. Spring Valley may be a must-win due to the RPI's weight on out of state teams, but it won't be easy.

6. Somerset Briarjumpers (2A, 8-1)- Somerset bounced back against Washington County and now have only a big showdown for Southern Kentucky bragging rights remaining. A win against Corbin and the Briarjumpers will certainly be viewed as the cream of the crop in the Lake Cumberland area.

7. Wayne County Cardinals (4A, 7-1)- The Cardinals pulled out a thriller by stunning Corbin late and with it claimed the District's top seed. North Laurel is all that is standing in their way as Wayne County hopes to make big noise in Class 4A.

8. Corbin Redhounds (4A, 5-3)- Corbin certainly thought they had it safe and secure but Wayne County's late kick recover and clutch conversion brought the Hounds down. Somerset will be a tough game to rebound in.

9. Breathitt County Bobcats (2A, 9-0)- Another week, another romp. Breathitt is tearing through their District like a hurricane and now need to maintain form against a Pike Central team smarting from a tough loss.

10. Russell Red Devils (3A, 7-2)- Russell didn't let the hangover of their loss to Ashland stop them as they took care of business against East Carter. They stick with their carter County theme as they look to take down red-hot West Carter next.

11. Paintsville Tigers (1A, 7-2)- Paintsville got the big win over a tough Raceland team and now look for an RPI statement with top-ranked 2A Lexington Christian up next. Trying to avoid Pikeville until the State Finals could be vital.

12. Pulaski County Maroons (5A, 8-1)- It was a tough loss in more than one way as Pulaski fell to rival Southwestern. Not only does losing to your rival smart, but losing their QB to injury may have hurt the most big picture. Can they rally against Tates Creek.

13. Raceland Rams (1A, 5-4)- It's been a tough schedule and a tough go for the Rams with four losses all to teams already featured in these rankings. The Rams should be able to end on a high note against hard-luck Lawrence County.

14. Hazard Bulldogs (1A, 6-3)- Hazard got back on track after losing to Pikeville to pummel Phelps. The Bulldogs look to pick up momentum heading into November against Whitley County.

15. Whitley County Colonels (5A, 6-3)- Whitley County didn't exactly make a statement with a two score victory over South Laurel, but they do keep moving the ball forward and with a big injury at Pulaski County looming they may be able to make a move if they can beat Hazard.

Three Big Wins:

Southwestern Warriors (5A, 4-5)- It has been a season that didn't meet expectations for the Warriors, but no matter the outcome beating your rival has to feel good. The Warriors wrap up with a winnable game against 6A Madison Central.

Clay County Tigers (4A, 6-3)- With Clay County's win over Magoffin County they lock up at worst a winning regular season. If they can defeat Green County as expected they guarantee a winning season which has not be a common occurrence in Manchester in recent years.

Middlesboro Yellowjackets (2A, 7-2)- Speaking of winning seasons, that is exactly what the Yellowjackets have clinched as Coach French's re-brand of Middlesboro pushes on. The Yellowjackets close with Martin County and may have an 8-win season coming.

Three More for Fun:

Fleming County Panthers (3A, 7-2)- Fleming has been lingering in the "just outside" category all season and after polishing off Lewis County they need only finish off Harrison County to potentially secure a Top 20 finish.

Lawrence County Bulldogs (3A, 4-5)- Lawrence County needed a good showing against Floyd Central and they got it. This allows them to avoid a disappointing 4-seed and also avoid the path of Belfry in the 1st Round.

Shelby Valley Wildcats (2A, 8-2)- The Wildcats get BYE to end the season, so their regular season work is done. Can they dig down and make corrections to knock off West Carter in two weeks?

Player of the Week:

QB Noah Parkey, Rockcastle County- The Rockets needed a win against Garrard County in the worst way and Parkey helped ensure that happened with an almost flawless performance. He complete all but one of his twelve pass attempts for 180 yards and 3 TD's, he also carried the run game with 134 yards on 12 carries and another score.

Game of the Week:

#1 Johnson Central Golden Eagles at #4 Belfry Pirates- This rivalry has not lacked for emotion or big games, but with the RPI changes new life has been breathed into this series. Both teams still have some work to do toward securing their best possible playoff scenarios and a win in this game would be vital for either as both teams enter with a hefty ratings boost.