This week was the week we finalized all the district seedings in 4A – well, outside of District 1 at least. Most notably, there were three districts that would be decided with head to head matchups for the outright #1 seed, two of which featured a pair of top ten teams.

 

#5 Corbin entered their game with #6 Wayne County with several things appearing in their favor. They were the home team, the higher-ranked team, and they hadn’t lost a district game in six years – 27 straight district wins. But as I noted last week, they felt a bit like the underdog despite that. Wayne County had the longer winning streak, the better record, and had seemed to have less trouble with their fellow district teams. A steady, pouring rain greeted the two teams, and neither were able to get anything going in the first quarter. Wayne County struck first on a Radilla field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and the back and forth that would last the rest of the night began. The Cardinals made the lead stand up for almost 8 minutes before Cameron Combs found Jake Steely for a 79 yard touchdown to give Corbin a 7-3 lead they’d take to half. Halfway through the third quarter stud RB Braedon Sloan put Wayne County back ahead 9-7, but the try was no good. That allowed Corbin to go back ahead 10-9 with a field goal, taking that lead into the fourth. Combs pushed the lead to 16-9 with a one yard rush, but the try was missed. That set the stage for a wild final minute. First, Brody Weaver found Carson Simpson for a 22 yard touchdown pass to make it 16-15 Corbin with 53 seconds left. Wayne County decided to play for the win, going for two – but the Redhounds stood strong and the try failed. With the game seemingly sealed, Wayne County lined up for an onside kick, and improbably, recovered it with 51 seconds left. After moving swiftly downfield, Radilla put through his second field goal of the game to give the Cardinals an 18-16 win, ending Corbin’s district reign – at least until they likely meet in the second round. Braedon Sloan had 207 yards on 38 rushes to lead the Cardinals in the win. Cameron Combs and Jacob Steely drove the offense for Corbin. Combs was efficient, completing only 5 of his 10 pass attempts, but thanks in part to the long touchdown completion, he put up 165 yards on those completions. Steely hauled in four catches for 149 yards. The result means Wayne County will host Lincoln County when the first round begins in two weeks - who they knocked off 55-21 on the road two weeks ago – while Corbin gets the more difficult task in taking on a Knox Central team they beat 38-21.

 

Meanwhile, in Louisville, the #10 Central Yellow Jackets were looking to close out their regular season with a five game winning streak and a #1 seed as they hosted the undefeated #3 Franklin County Flyers. The Flyers came into the game averaging 45.625 PPG, while Central had allowed only 106 points all season – an average of 11.77 PPG. It was a true matchup of strength against strength, and ultimately, the defense won out with only 394 yards of offense combined between the teams, even though that didn’t lead to the team known for their defense winning. Central started fast, using only two plays and 31 seconds to cover 54 yards, capped by a Mucker 12 yard run to put Central up 6-0. The PAT failed, an even that would prove significant. That was all the scoring for the first quarter, but the Flyers would find paydirt when they started at the Central 15 yard line three minutes into the second quarter. The “drive” lasted 3 plays and 49 seconds, as Nick Broyles found Braedyn Tracy for a 15 yard score, putting the Flyers ahead for what would ultimately be for good, 7-6. As time expired on the half, Broyles found Fred Farrier for a 28 yard score and it was 14-6 at the half. That was the score entering the fourth quarter as neither team could move the ball in the third. A Deondre Howard interception set up Central for their final scoring drive, as the Yellow Jackets would use 10 plays to drive from their own 45, with Hathaway punching in for a 1 yard score at the 5:21 mark of the fourth quarter. Mucker would attempt a rush for the game-tying two point attempt – necessitated by the earlier PAT miss – but it was no good. After forcing a stop, Central’s last chance was ended by a Gavin Hurst INT, and Franklin County’s undefeated season carried on. The Flyers are used to a lot more points and yardage, but were led by Broyles’ 129 passing yards on 11 completions. Fred Farrier was his top target with 5 catches for 67 yards. Central actually outgained Franklin County, led by Dayshawn Mucker’s 137 yards on 33 attempts, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. It was the sixth time this year that Central was held to 14 points or less – they’re just 1-5 in those games. Franklin County will host Waggener in two weeks for the first round of the playoffs. Franklin County defeated them 37-20 on October 18th. Meanwhile Central will host Shelby County, which clinched the #3 seed with a 34-26 defeat of Waggener on Friday. Central survived a tough test on the road at Shelby County on October 4th, with their 14-0 win being the one win out of the six games of 14 points or under I mentioned above.

 

Decidedly less-heralded was the final winner-take-all head to head matchup between Scott and Holmes. Scott entered as a team that had flown under the radar while putting up a quietly impressive 6-2 record entering the game, and had rolled through district play with an average margin of victory of nearly 27 points per game. Holmes had enjoyed a more modest 13.67 margin, and had just the week before survived an 8-7 result against a Harrison County team Scott had dominated. I made no bones about it last week who I thought was going to win this one, but that’s why they play the games. Scott’s Quincy Perrin and Holmes’ Tayquan Calloway were the stars of the early going, as Perrin had a pair of touchdowns including a 57 yarder, while Calloway was impressive on both sides of the ball, sprinting for a 51 yard score and then hauling in a 71 yard pick-six. The two teams traded blows in the first half, with Holmes holding a narrow 16-14 advantage at the break, before Scott took the lead 22-16 to open the third. And at that point, Holmes seized complete control of the game. The Bulldogs posted 28 points in a row over the next quarter and a half to take a 44-22 lead with just 5 minutes remaining in the game. They were almost all big plays, as Calloway scored on an 82 yard run, Tyelon Tate hauled in a 97 yard back-breaking score from Quantez Calloway, and Demario Foster gave Holmes their second pick-six of the night with a 22 yard INT return. Scott managed to battle to a 44-36 margin after a touchdown pass, onside kick, and Perrin run, but after a failed attempt on another onside kick, Tayquan Calloway iced the win for Holmes with a 37 yard touchdown run. Tayquan Calloway finished with what may be the top performance in the state for the week, with 203 yards on 14 rushing attempts and three scores, in addition to his 71 yard pick-six, and another INT for good measure. Scott got standout performances from Quincy Perrin (203 yards on 25 rushes, 3 TDs), Cameron Patterson (180 yards on 6 receptions, 1 TD), and Gus Howlett (16/35, 324 yards, 2 TDs), but it ultimately was not enough. For Holmes, it gave them their first top seed since 2010, though they’ll tangle with the same Harrison County team they had just survived. Scott will match up with Rowan County, who they beat 54-28 in the last week of September.

 

Other games of Note:

-#1 Boyle County and #2 Johnson Central both made it official in blowout victories, scoring the top seed in their district via a 53-13 win over Bourbon County and 48-0 win over Letcher County Central, respectively. There still hasn’t been a single 4A team that has shown they can play with these two.

 

-#8 Hopkinsville and #9 Logan County also locked in the three-way tiebreak in District 1 with their 55-13 win over Hopkins County Central and 46-7 win over Calloway County, respectively. Logan County still maintains the tiebreak lead with 14 points, and unless Madisonville-North Hopkins beats Mayfield or Hopkinsville beats Paducah Tilghman, they will likely get the coveted #1 seed. Madisonville can probably grab that top seed with their win, but Hopkinsville would probably still need help from Kenwood (TN) to be able to overtake Logan County. In one week, we’ll know.

 

-Franklin-Simpson clinched their spot atop District 2 with a thoroughly dominating 48-21 win over Warren East. The Wildcats have now won five in a row, which was expected after their tough early schedule. The win over Warren East is probably their most impressive yet, as they posted 435 yards of offense, with 381 on the ground. The Wildcats are getting healthier, but they still will face an uphill climb back to the state finals.

 

Upcoming Game of the Week

Everyone is playing out of class this week, and in the top 10, we have an impressive six games against teams that are ranked from other classes. #2 Johnson Central against 3A #2 Belfry has the marquee rankings, but this feels like another year where Johnson Central should have the game in hand. The first meeting between #4 Lexington Catholic and 5A #2 Frederick Douglass should be a big ticket, even if it feels likely that Frederick Douglass will likely have the win. At the very least Lexington Catholic should be able to put an end to the astounding seven game scoreless streak Frederick Douglass has put on their opponents. All of the matchups between District 1 teams and their opponents carry great significance thanks to the tiebreaker, as #9 Logan County visits 5A #5 South Warren, #7 Madisonville-North Hopkins hosts 2A #3 Mayfield, and #8 Hopkinsville hosts 3A #10 Paducah Tilghman. It is that last one that I am going with this week for the GotW. The Tigers badly need a win to have a realistic shot at hosting a playoff game, possibly working themselves into the top spot. Of the three games featuring District 1 teams, I consider this the most realistic shot at a win, though none are favored. But add to that, these two are rivals on a historic scale. We’re talking decades worth of games. The old Western Kentucky Conference rivals aren’t in the same district or even class as they were for some many years, so it is nice to see a game of importance between the two, even if it is mostly on Hopkinsville’s side. The Tigers knocked off Tilghman 16-9 two years ago, but the Blue Tornado came back in a big way last year with a 47-13 win.

Class 4A

 

Two statement games lived up to their billing. Wayne County stunned Corbin on the road with a dramatic victory. Franklin County kept their unbeaten season alive by edging past Central in a true defensive slug fest. This week the games feature teams from other classes, but there should still be major drama to unfold. Johnson Central has been locked in cruise control but will stretch their legs against Eastern Kentucky small-school titan Belfry. Lexington Catholic doesn't want to be considered the third best team in their city, but Frederick Douglass will be a very tall task. Madisonville, Hopkinsville, and Logan County have a three-way tie to settle and all have key games to go toward that result against three ranked foes. Corbin desperately needs a rebound but will have a tough challenge against Somerset.

 

1. Boyle County at 5A Madison Southern

2. Johnson Central at 3A #2 Belfry

3. Franklin County at 5A Great Crossing

4. Lexington Catholic vs. 5A #2 Frederick Douglass

5. Wayne County at 5A North Laurel

6. Corbin vs. 2A #2 Somerset

7. Madisonville-North Hopkins vs. 2A #3 Mayfield

8. Hopkinsville vs. 3A #10 Paducah Tilghman

9. Logan County at 5A #5 South Warren

10. Central -- OPEN

It’s unfortunate that with the format of our current RPI system, JC may not be rewarded as they should be. Even if they are to go on the road and beat a tough team like Belfry.

 

Even with that said, I still prefer this system to the old format. The KHSAA has a long way to go in figuring this rating system out, but it’s a step in the right direction IMO.