With one week remaining in the regular season, the playoffs are just around the corner. Where did the time go? Maybe it's true what my grandparents have told me over the years - the older you get, the faster time flies. We may be gearing up for the 'win or go home' portion of the season, but there are still meaningful games being played, some with playoff seeding implications, others being played for regional pride, and rivalries featuring enough fire to heat a medieval Scottish castle in the dead of winter. Week 10 saw a mixture of thrilling and telling results.

 

 

 

Scott County's three pronged backfield and a missed extra point haunt Ballard at "The Nest"

 

Unlike the teams surrounding them in the rankings, Scott County (8-1) had to dig deep to avoid a major letdown in Week 10. The Cardinals rallied from a two score deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime against visiting Ballard, before escaping with a 46-45 win. Philip Garner and Cade McKee scored rushing touchdowns in the final frame to pull the Cardinals even with the Bruins at 39, where the score remained through the end of regulation. Key moment of the game: Sandwiched between those two Scott County touchdown runs was a Ballard score that could have put them up by nine with under five minutes to go, but the extra point snap was mishandled, resulting in only a one score hole for the Cardinals. When you run the wing-t, going the length of the field can eat up a lot of clock, and airing it out is not exactly Scott County's strength, so only having to do it once, instead of twice, in a limited amount of time was huge for the Cardinals.

 

Jim McKee's guys got the ball first in OT, and quickly punched it in on a Jaxon Saylor eight yard run. Ballard needed all four downs to answer, but did so on a quarterback keeper from the 2. The Bruins opted to go for two and the win, rather than extend the game, but a holding penalty backed them up to the 13. The would-be winning pass fell incomplete on the next play, igniting a celebration on the home side. Garner, Saylor, and Bronson Brown each went well beyond the century mark as Scott County poured on 512 rushing yards. Those three were individually upstaged by Ballard's Jayden Farmer, who went off for 373 yards and three touchdowns.

 

Within the context of 5A, a big takeaway from this game is the defensive struggles this season by Scott County against quality opposition. They've faced three ranked opponents this year - Manual, Douglass, and Ballard - and have given up a substantial amount of yards and points to each. The Cardinals will host Montgomery County in two weeks in District 6's 2-3 game.

 

 

 

Defense and a critical injury trigger a Somerset stunner

 

If Pulaski County and Southwestern could steal a nickname from any college rivalry, Georgia and Georgia Tech's 'Clean, Old Fashioned Hate' might be the most appropriate candidate. It's no secret in that part of the state that the two schools and communities share a certain aversion toward one another. They've shared a district continuously since 2003, with several playoff rematches along the way, ensuring that the fire in this crosstown rivalry doesn't go out.

 

With the Warriors stumbling in Jason Foley's first season at the helm, that fire was more like a flickering candle flame at the start of Friday's festivities. But by the end of Southwestern's 15-7 overtime triumph on the Maroons' home field, it had returned to the roaring blaze that both sides were more accustomed to when the rivalry has been at its best. Both regulation touchdowns came in the first quarter, before both offenses fell silent for the remaining three frames. One of the night's biggest developments came late in the first half, when Pulaski (7-2) quarterback Drew Polston left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and never returned. Given his level of play this season, his departure was a major blow to the Maroons' offense. He accounted for most of their yardage up to that point in the game and their lone score. Jake Sloan and Tristan Cox were completely shut down, totalling just 54 yards of combined offense on twelve touches.

 

With the game gridlocked at seven all after 48 minutes, the teams headed to overtime to settle their business. Southwestern got the first possession and their first three snaps left them with a fourth and goal at the one. Whether it was a 'fortune favors the bold' approach, or simply the lack of a reliable kicking game, Foley opted to go for it on fourth down and was rewarded when running back Tanner Wright crossed the goal line. A two point conversion put the Warriors up by eight. Pulaski exhausted the first three snaps of their possession without scoring, leaving them with their own fourth and goal, do or die scenario. A pass from Kaleb Adams, in relief of injured Drew Polston, to Grant Oakes failed to connect, setting off a burst of jubilation from the Southwestern sideline.

 

This result has no effect on the district standings. Pulaski still claims the one seed with Southwestern (4-5) coming in at #4, meaning these two teams will hook up again in two weeks on that very same field. That's plenty long enough to let a simmer come to a rolling boil.

 

 

 

CovCath only needs a half

 

Raise your hand if you thought Covington Catholic and Conner would be settling the 1 seed in District 5. Obviously I can't see your hands, but I doubt there are many in the air that don't also applaud the Cougars every week. With Conner's recent victory over Highlands included in a six game winning streak, there was at least a small measure of intrigue surrounding Friday's matchup in Hebron. CovCath was the overwhelming favorite going in, but Conner is no pushover and the Colonels were playing on grass for the first time this season, which should have partially negated some of CovCath's speed advantage. But after Friday, I think it's safe to say that the Colonels (10-0) enjoy playing on a natural surface.

 

They were all over Conner from the word go, leading 21-0 after one quarter and 45-7 at the half. CovCath fell just short of 500 yards in the first half, which is simply a staggering number against a ranked opponent that had been playing very solid defense this season. The Caleb Jacob to Michael Mayer connection was in peak form and the offensive line dominated Conner's front seven. This caps off a third straight unbeaten regular season for the Colonels and boosts their record to an incredible 39-1 since the start of the 2017 season. They locked up the district's one seed with this win, penciling in a first round date with Cooper and leaving Conner (7-2) to host Highlands in the 2-3 game.

 

 

 

Elsewhere in the rankings

 

- I'm not sure what the state record for consecutive shutouts is, but Frederick Douglass (8-0) is surely making a run at it. They blanked Montgomery County 56-0 to push their streak to seven straight games - and thirty quarters - without allowing a point. Statistically speaking, this defense has been historically good. Not to be outdone, the offense is averaging nearly a first down per play this season. They were at it again on Friday, totalling 385 yards on just 30 plays. Eight different Broncos got their names in the scoring column, including Isaiah Kenney, who returned an interception for a touchdown. Douglass was already assured of the one seed in District 6, meaning they'll host Great Crossing in round one.

 

- Bowling Green and South Warren walked hand in hand toward the woodshed in Week 10, with Greenwood and Christian County in tow. Upon reaching their destination, the Gators and Colonels were met with a pair of third quarter running clocks. Bowling Green maintained its mastery of Greenwood - they've never lost to them - behind a balanced offense that crept past 500 total yards. Quarterback Conner Cooper threw for 236 yards and a couple of scores in the first half. This officially seals up the top seed in District 2 for the Purples, who will welcome Christian County in the first round. South Warren's 36-0 win over the winless Colonels clinches the two seed for the Spartans, meaning a home game with third seeded Greenwood. Mason Willingham threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and Luke Burton added two TD runs of his own for SW.

 

- Owensboro (8-1) has been playing great defense this season, but they've been overshadowed, like everyone else, by Fredrick Douglass' unit. It was on display again, as the Red Devils dispatched Grayson County (6-3), 51-9. Yardage was hard to come by for the Cougars, who could only muster 13 yards against Owensboro's starters. The Red Devils rolled to a 44-3 halftime lead with Gavin Wimsatt throwing for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Treyvon Tinsley finished with a team high 113 receiving yards and Javius Taylor took a kick-off to the house as part of his three score night. Grayson County has dropped three in a row following a 6-0 start.

 

- Sawyer Depp has emerged as a reliable running threat out of the backfield for Highlands. The senior posted his second 100+ yard game in the last three weeks, as the Birds (6-4) slipped past

Cooper, 14-7. Depp accounted for both of his teams' touchdowns, the second of which was a 72 harder that broke a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter to give Highlands the winning score. Jeremiah Lee scored Cooper's only touchdown of the night, a one yard run in the first quarter to give the Jags an early lead, but that promising start couldn't be sustained. Both defenses played well, but Highlands' defense came up with three interceptions, including a Mason South pick that the Birds quickly turned into points on Depp's first TD run. Highlands now has a week off to gameplan for their first round rematch with Conner. Cooper (5-5) also has a week off before heading to Park Hills.

 

 

 

Scanning the periphery

 

- On a night they'll never forget, the young men of Great Crossing won the program's first ever varsity football game. After an 0-8 start where they were outscored by a total of 348-41, the prospects of tasting victory this season were grim. Grant County, a perennially struggling program, provided the Warhawks with one last good look at a W. It actually looked like they might run away with it after going up 20-0 in the first half, but GC flatlined and the Braves stormed back to tie it up at twenty apiece. It's not always easy to wind yourself up again, but that's what Great Crossing did in the fourth quarter. With sixty-two yards between them and history, the Warhawks went to work. Kalib Perry, Peyton Harris, Bryce Hearn, and Caleb Briggs all had a significant hand in the game winning drive, with Perry finishing it off on a quarterback keeper. The defense did the rest, preserving the 28-20 win.

 

- Fueled by Dylan Moore's 236 yards and three touchdowns, East Jessamine's powerful running game continued to churn out big yardage, this time gashing Woodford County (5-4) for 350 yards, which is actually forty yards shy of their season average. The Jags beat the Yellow Jackets 48-20 to conclude a perfect district slate. East Jess (7-2) will host Collins (2-7) in round one after the Titans beat out West Jessamine (0-9) for the district's final playoff spot, and Woodford will travel to Berea to face Madison Southern (5-4).

 

 

 

GOTW For Week 11

 

Take your pick. There are five season finales featuring ranked opponents, each with its own angle.

 

Bowling Green hosts Trinity in a battle of blue bloods that haven't met since 2010. South Warren entertains Logan County in a clash of one loss contenders. Central Hardin travels to Crestwood to provide South Oldham with a much needed jolt before the playoffs, and Owensboro takes on Jekyll and Hyde Henderson County looking for a similar, last minute tuneup.

 

But the winner here is Frederick Douglass at Lexington Catholic. There are multiple storylines in play. The Broncos have yet to lose a game to a Lexington school. Douglass is 17-0 against teams from Fayette County during their three year existence. And then there's the shutout streak. Seven consecutive games and thirty straight quarters have come and gone since Tates Creek dented the scoreboard against the Broncos all the way back in Week 2, but they haven't seen a challenge quite like Beau Allen and his receiving corp in a while.

Class 5A

 

Pulaski County had perhaps the biggest story line of the week in Class 5A when they fell to rival Southwestern. The Maroons now need a win over Tates Creek if they want to be considered a viable threat to make noise. Scott County is a team firmly in that discussion but there shootout win over Ballard certainly raised eyebrows that they may be a step behind. Frederick Douglass, Bowling Green, South Warren, and South Oldham all have chances to dramatically improve their season resume and RPI rating. Owensboro seems to be a team flying under the radar and they need to handle a solid 6A Henderson County squad.

 

1. Covington Catholic -- OPEN

2. Frederick Douglass at 4A #4 Lexington Catholic

3. Scott County -- OPEN

4. Bowling Green vs. 6A #2 Trinity

5. South Warren vs. 4A #9 Logan County

6. South Oldham vs. 6A #6 Central Hardin

7. Owensboro vs. 6A #10 Henderson County

8. Highlands -- OPEN

9. Conner vs. George Rogers Clark

10. Pulaski County vs. Tates Creek

Updated 5A RPI Rankings

1. Covington Catholic .714

2. Frederick Douglass .670

3. Scott County .670

4. Owensboro .647

5. Pulaski County .627

6. South Oldham .612

7. Conner .611

8. South Warren .608

9. Highlands .593

10. East Jessamine .591

 

Projected Third Round Games

East Jessamine at Covington Catholic

Pulaski County at Frederick Douglass

South Warren at South Oldham

Fairdale at Owensboro