article 3A Notebook: Playoff Preparation Begins

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Playoff Picture Now Set in Stone

 

After ten weeks of exciting Class 3A football the playoff brackets are set with a solitary week remaining in the regular season. On Friday, four teams wrapped up first place in their respective districts and another clinched a fourth place spot with a rivalry win. There were a few other key wins that affected district posturing.

 

This postseason will see the return of intra-district play in the first two rounds, something used only twice previously by the KHSAA, in 2006 and 2007. District championships will now be decided by the second round playoff winners instead of based on regular season district standings. The 3A Notebook will publish a comprehensive playoff preview in this spot next week so for now we'll take a look at who had significant wins this weekend.

 

Perhaps the biggest win of the weekend came when #1 DeSales pulled away from #5 Mercer County, winning 39-23, and locking down the top seed in District 4. DeSales trailed by three points in the fourth quarter before scoring 19 unanswered points to pull away from home-standing Mercer. James Johnson, who ran for 237 yards and three touchdowns, gave DeSales a 27-23 lead midway through the fourth. Jayden Scroggins, who only carried the ball three times but scored twice, then scored to give the Colts a cushion, before DeMarcus Avery returned an interception 43 yards to seal the win. DeSales will host Western Hills in the first round of the playoffs while Mercer must again tackle Christian Academy of Louisville who the Titans beat by three points in September.

 

Elizabethtown answered some questions about whether they could beat a top team with a 20-14 overtime victory over Bardstown. E'town's best two opponents prior to Friday had been 6A powers North Hardin and Central Hardin, both of whom toppled the Panthers. Elizabethtown used their defense this week to beat a Bardstown team that had won seven straight since losing on opening night.

 

"They can score and they can score in a hurry on you," Elizabethtown coach Mark Brown told the Elizabethtown News-Enterprise. "I had told my guys all week that defense was going to win the game and ours was pretty good most of the night." (PREP FOOTBALL: Panthers pounce on Tigers for OT win, district top seed | Sports | thenewsenterprise.com)

 

After Camran McNeil scored for three yards out on the second play of E'town's overtime possession, the Panthers knocked down a fourth down pass by Bardstown in the end zone to finish the game. Elizabethtown will host Thomas Nelson in the first round while Bardstown will host Larue County.

 

Belfry withstood a couple early punches from Pike County Central before cruising to a 55-14 victory. Pike Central quarterback Tyler Hunt scored on the first play of the game from 55 yards out to give the Hawks an early lead. After Belfry's Isaac Dixon scored on a long run, Pike Central scored in a more methodical method, marching 80 yards in eight plays before Hunt hit Keegan Bentley in the end zone. That would be it for the Hawks, though, as Belfry scored the next 49 points and coasted to the top seed in District 8.

 

For the Pirates, Payton Hensley ran for 122 yards and three touchdowns and Isaac Dixon and Ben Bentley also added scores on the ground. Belfry will host Floyd Central in the playoffs while Pike County Central will renew their rivalry with Lawrence County in a game that has produced several tight contests over the last few years.

 

Finally, Bell County jumped ahead of Estill County early, winning 55-12 and clinching the number one spot in District 5. London Stephney had a rushing touchdown and passing touchdown in the first half to propel the Bobcats to an early lead. In the upcoming playoffs, Bell will host Garrard County for the second time this season while with the loss Estill must travel to Rockcastle County for round one.

 

Checking in on the RPI

 

For the first time ever the KHSAA will be using a statistical calculation to determine postseason pairings and sites. The RPI, introduced in the offseason, is a way to measure a team’s strength relative to other teams, based largely on the strength of their schedules. It will be incorporated in both the third and fourth rounds after the initial two rounds of intra-district play, although calculations cease at the end of the regular season.

 

In the third round, winners of Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be paired against one another with the highest rated RPI hosting the lowest. The second-highest will host number three. The same pattern will be used for Districts 5, 6, 7, and 8. Below is a brief breakdown of teams expected to contend beyond the second round of the playoffs.

 

The first group (Districts 1-4), are rated as follows, with the top seed in each district bolded:

 

1. Paducah Tilghman (.701)

2. DeSales (.692)

3. Mercer County (.652)

4. Elizabethtown (.637)

5. Glasgow (.628)

6. Bardstown (.606)

7. Christian Academy of Louisville (.594)

8. Taylor County (.581)

 

If the top seed in each district advanced, Glasgow would travel to Paducah Tilghman and Elizabethtown to DeSales for third round play.

 

The second group (Districts 5-8), are rated as follows, with the top seed in each district bolded:

 

1. Bell County (.695)

2. Belfry (.662)

3. Ashland (.661)

4. Russell (.656)

5. Fleming County (.587)

6. Mason County (.528)

 

If the top seed in each district advanced, Fleming County would travel to Bell County and Ashland to Belfry for third round play.

 

After the third round, the final four teams remaining are paired against one another, again with the top-rated team hosting the bottom and second hosting third. Winners would then advance to the state championship game. With one week remaining in the season, not only are Class 3A teams looking to improve their own RPI status with a victory, they're also hoping for wins from their opponents, each of which boosts their own numbers as well.

 

Outside Looking In

 

With all of the talk of playoffs and positioning, seven teams in Class 3A failed to qualify for the postseason. Lewis County has gone the longest without making the postseason having last participated in 2013. The winless Lions will travel to Fairview in the season finale hoping to snap their nine-game losing streak.

 

Magoffin County and Nelson County will each be without playoff football for the fifth consecutive year. Magoffin County won their district in 2014 and lost a heartbreak to Lawrence County in the second round but haven't qualified for the postseason since. Nelson County also made their last appearance in 2014 and is mired in a 19-game losing streak.

 

Henry County and Jackson County will miss the postseason for a second straight season. Henry has been bitten by bad luck all season, having lost four games by eight points or less. Meanwhile, Jackson County started the campaign 2-2 before sputtering to five straight losses.

 

Finally, after making the playoffs and giving a solid first round showing for themselves in 2018, both Hart County and McCreary Central will stay home in 2019. Hart County struggled to score in the second half of the season but has a chance to finish strong with an upset of Grayson County in their last regular season game. McCreary Central lost eight straight to start the season but can hopefully build on a 21-20 road win at Jackson County last weekend.

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Around the Rankings

 

#3 Ashland used 250 yards rushing and three touchdown passes from Jake Gregg to rout Greenup County, 38-7. The Tomcats will travel to Spring Valley (WV) this weekend for their fourth out-of-state matchup of the season.

 

#7 Russell used a strong defensive effort to turn back East Carter, 31-7. It was the lowest point total of the season for the Raiders, who will travel to Russell again in two weeks for the first round of the playoffs.

 

#8 Christian Academy of Louisville tossed their third shutout of the season, but first since August, whipping Western Hills, 41-0. Quarterback Anthony Sabatino passed for two scores and ran for one more in the win.

 

#10 Paducah Tilghman started slow but kicked into high gear in the second quarter on the way to a 52-0 win over Webster County. The Blue Tornado will host the Trojans again in two weeks.

 

Extra Points

 

Rockcastle County won their third straight game and fifth in six tries, romping over Garrard County in the rain, 42-6. Noah Parkey was 11-of-12 for 180 yards and three scores while also rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown.

 

Trigg County used 143 yards rushing and two scores from Cade Bleidt to hammer Union County, 33-7. They'll meet again in two weeks as Trigg County will host a playoff game for the first time since 2014.

 

Thomas Nelson broke into the win column for the first time this season in beating Nelson County, 40-7. Five Generals had rushing touchdowns on the night, led by Aiden Henley's 104 yards and a score.

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Three to See

(Each week the 3A Notebook will preview the three best games featuring Class 3A teams for the coming week)

 

1. Paducah Tilghman at Hopkinsville. Two traditional western Kentucky powers square off in a game that could have huge playoff implications even if they're both in different classes. Tilghman is atop the RPI ratings in Class 3A and a win could assure the Tornado of home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, Hopkinsville is locked in a three-way tie with Madisonville and Logan County in Class 4A - District 1 a could use the seven points a win over Paducah Tilghman would provide in the tiebreaker.

 

2. Johnson Central at Belfry. Back across the state two eastern powers tangle in their annual season ender. This matchup has been hard to gauge over the years with both coaching staffs often choosing to rest injured starters for expected deep postseason runs. Johnson Central is ranked second in Class 4A but has lost three of their last four meetings with Belfry.

 

3. Franklin-Simpson at Glasgow. Defending Class 4A state champion Franklin-Simpson had a rough go of it early in the season but has righted the ship with five straight wins. Glasgow is 8-1 but has struggled in consecutive weeks to beat Taylor County and Casey County.

 

Just One More

(Tired of the same teams every week? Want to go off the beaten path for a 3A game this Friday night? Each week we'll look at an under-the-radar matchup to watch in Class 3A)

 

Russell at West Carter. One of our old favorites from Class 3A, West Carter has moved down to Class 2A but continued to win, clinching the top seed in District 8 and looking to win their first district crown since 2015. Russell and West Carter have played for twenty straight seasons with the Red Devils winning each meeting.

[Coltcity]

Another excellent report. No matter the argument about the new RPI seeding (no system is perfect) this should be a very exciting post season!

Edited October 28, 2019 by theguru
Rule 13

[theguru]

Class 3A

 

DeSales earned a big win over Mercer County, but in the process the Titans certainly made many people believers. Belfry got a huge RPI boost this week after defeating Pike Central and now look for their second straight leap if they can upset powerhouse rival Johnson Central. Ashland is also in RPI purgatory as a stout Spring Valley, WV team is almost a "must win" situation. Elizabethtown pulled out a tough victory in extra time over Bardstown, they now must keep their focus against a ranked Lloyd Memorial team.

 

1. DeSales at 6A Meade County

2. Belfry vs. 4A #2 Johnson Central

3. Ashland at Spring Valley (WV)

4. Bell County vs. 4A Harlan County

5. Mercer County at 5A West Jessamine

6. Elizabethtown at 2A #9 Lloyd Memorial

7. Russell at 2A West Carter

8. Christian Academy of Louisville vs. 5A Bullitt Central

9. Bardstown vs. 4A Anderson County

10. Paducah Tilghman at 4A #8 Hopkinsville

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