Playoff pairings, including BGP rankings:

District 1

Breckinridge County at #5 Owensboro 

Grayson County at Graves County 

 

District 2

Christian County at #2 South Warren 

Greenwood at #3 Bowling Green 

 

District 3

Doss at #10 Fairdale

Western at Bullitt Central

 

District 4

Atherton at #9 North Bullitt

Jeffersontown at South Oldham

 

District 5

Cooper at #4 Covington Catholic

Highlands at Conner

 

District 6

Grant County at #6 Scott County

Great Crossing at #1 Frederick Douglass

 

District 7

Collins at Madison Southern

West Jessamine at Woodford County

 

District 8

North Laurel at #7 Pulaski County

Whitley County at #8 Southwestern

 

It's officially win or go home time, following the conclusion of one of the most uneven and disjointed regular seasons in history, one that a lot of teams are happy to move on from. Some have opted out of postseason play, but for those remaining, the brass ring is there for the taking. 

It'll be a shock if the two westernmost districts aren't straight chalk in the first round, with running clocks aplenty. Owensboro, Graves County, South Warren, and Bowling Green all hammered their first round opponents in the regular season and simply have too much firepower to fall prey to first round upsets. Gavin Wimsatt, Clint McKee, Caden Veltkamp, Javy Bunton, and the rest of District 1 and 2's heavy hitters should see just enough game action to shake off any rust that may have accumulated from the layoff.

Fairdale's offense could prove too much for the rest of District 3 to contain, despite the fact that they haven't played since October 16th. Doss' only shot against the Bulldogs in the first round is to hope they can catch them flat footed after having a month off. Fairdale averaged a state best 52 points per game in the regular season, with their lowest output being 43 against Iroquois. The outcome of the other district involving Louisville teams should have a decidedly non Jefferson County flavor. Expect North Bullitt and South Oldham to easily dispatch Atherton and Jeffersontown, respectively, setting the table for a payback opportunity for the Dragons after laying a surprise goose egg against the Eagles in the regular season.

In NKY, look for Covington Catholic to shake off the LexCath loss, because losing to a ranked team on the road in the regular season is one thing, but CovCath dropping a home playoff game in the first round is something else entirely. On the other side of the bracket, don't be surprised if the Highlands and Conner rematch is a tighter contest than the running clock margin of the regular season game would suggest. The Cougars ended the Birds' season a year ago, and would love nothing more than to duplicate that feat this week. With speculation and intrigue surrounding possible changes within the program during the coming off-season, the outcome on Friday may simply come down to Highlands' mental state. Did CovCath's loss renew Highlands' vigor for another shot at the Colonels, or have they passed the point of no return on the 2020 season? Conner is hoping for the latter.

District 6 might be the most lopsided in the state, regardless of class. The Douglass/Scott County tilt that's been cancelled twice this season is all but guaranteed for next week, Covid willing. Shifting from 5A's most predictable district, to its most competitive, Madison Southern versus Collins should give the state its best look at a 4 over 1 seed "upset". The fourth seeded Titans topped the Eagles by eight points in the regular season. The other District 7 first rounder features Woodford County and West Jessamine, who are meeting for the first time this season. Each beat Collins and lost to MadSouth, but the scores dictate a slight favorite status for the Yellow Jackets.

Rounding out Class 5A, we come to District 8, where Pulaski County and Southwestern host opponents they handled by three scores each in the regular season. The Warriors waited until the fourth quarter to get separation from Whitley County on October 9th, outscoring the Colonels 20-6 in the final stanza. A four quarter battle shouldn't surprise anyone. For the second straight season, the health of Pulaski QB Drew Polston could loom large over the Maroons' postseason fortunes. A healthy Polston puts Pulaski in the driver's seat for the district title. Without him, they might have to grind out a first round win.

On 11/16/2020 at 2:00 PM, DevilMayCare said:

District 3

Western at Bullitt Central

Under the radar matchup with lots of potential craziness. Bullitt Central averages 26 ppg. and allows 43. However, the RPI was kind and they're the home team against Louisville Western. Western won two and lost two (one win was later forfeited due to an ineligible player), averaging 33 ppg. and allowing 42. Add to it, Western's coach recently resigned to take over at Evangel Christian. Calpreps says Western wins, 44-31. This one has potential for a lot of points and excitement.

First Round Recap

District 1

The rout was on early and often at Rash Stadium in Owensboro, as the Red Devils triggered a running clock in the first quarter against Breckinridge County. The 75 point final margin raised eyebrows and drew criticism, but there's only so much you can do to keep the score respectable against an opponent that's outmanned at every position. Graves County took longer to shake loose Grayson County, but a dominant third quarter by the Eagles gave them the separation needed to salt away a first round win. The trio of Clint McKee (143 yards rushing/3 TDs), John Brown (255 yards passing/3 TDs), and Mason Grant (170 yards receiving/1 TD) were too much for the Cougars to handle.

 

District 2

Warren County's heavyweights won comfortably by four scores each. Conner Cooper's five touchdown passes powered Bowling Green past Greenwood, 35-7. The Purples improved to 31-0 all-time against the Gators. A few miles away, South Warren got four scoring tosses from Caden Veltkamp in just over one half of play to put away Christian County, 36-6. The Spartans haven't lost a first round game since their inaugural season in 2011.

 

District 3

District favorite Fairdale rolled over Doss, 49-8, behind the legs of running back DeShawn Hamilton, who produced over 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bullitt Central eked out a one point win over Western, giving the Cougars a first round playoff win for the fifth straight season.

 

District 4

North Bullitt topped fifty points for the fifth time in nine games this season, smoking Atherton in the process, 54-9. South Oldham overwhelmed Jeffersontown to force a second quarter running clock. The Dragons advance to at least the second round for the ninth straight year.

 

District 5

CovCath shook off some rust to begin its quest for a repeat, handling Cooper 36-8. Caleb Jacob and Ethan Reardon hooked up four times for over a hundred yards and sophomore Zion Mason made a splash in his varsity debut with a pick six for the Colonels. In a far cry from their first encounter, Highlands had to gut out a 27-16 win over Conner. Quarterback Charlie Noon's legs saved the day for the Birds. Included in his 191 rushing yards was a 56 yard touchdown run, his third of the day, that gave Highlands a two score cushion with three minutes left to play. The Birds were the only 5A road team to win in the first round.

 

District 6

The Broncos and Cardinals posted matching 62 spots against Great Crossing and Grant County, respectively. Douglass got three combined defensive and special teams scores against Crossing, but also got a fight out of the feisty Warhawks. Kalib Perry, a top linebacker prospect, started at quarterback in place of injured Jake Broughton, and ran for over 200 yards and three touchdowns to help his team hang around until late in the first half. Scott County ran over Grant County from the word go, piling up over 300 yards rushing on nearly thirteen yards a pop. Running back Jeremy Hamilton found the end zone on four of his six carries.

 

District 7

In a game with 4 over 1 seed upset potential, Madison Southern instead kept Collins at arms length in a three score win after falling to the Titans in the regular season. Woodford County pushed all the right buttons offensively against West Jessamine, racing to a 54-28 win over the Colts.

 

District 8

Pulaski County showcased great offensive balance (230 passing yards/243 rushing) and an aggressive defense (3 turnovers/12 TFL) to handle North Laurel, 33-12. Southwestern was more one dimensional, utilizing a devastatingly effective rushing attack to control Whitley County in a 42-15 victory. Five different Warriors ran for at least 45 yards to comprise the bulk of nearly four hundred total rushing yards on the night.

District Championship Recap

District 1

Owensboro 28 Graves County 21

Graves County took the fight to Owensboro, but was unable to overcome some special teams breakdowns and the Red Devils' superior athletes. A blocked punt late in the first half, followed shortly by a highlight reel one handed touchdown grab by Treyvon Tinsley, and a kickoff return score to open the second half provided a two score burst of momentum for the Red Devils. Owensboro played far from a clean game, turning the ball over four times, including two deep in Graves territory. Clint McKee was also problematic for the Red Devils, tallying over 200 yards rushing and a pair of scores on an incredible 45 carries. For Owensboro's sake, they'd better hope they got the turnover bug out of their system going forward.

 

District 2

Bowling Green 41 South Warren 24

With two great defenses squaring off after a 10-7 score in game one, not many could have predicted a 41 point night from the Purples. But then again, no one could have predicted a catastrophic wave of turnovers for South Warren. A great team like Bowling Green is hard enough to beat even when you play a clean game, but when you throw in seven turnovers, you're fighting an uphill battle largely of your own making. A strong second half performance by the Purples helped open up a one point halftime lead and the Cooper to Burwash connection provided fireworks for BG with two long touchdown hookups. With the thrust of a flag pole at midfield, Bowling Green brought an emphatic conclusion to its rival's season. 

 

District 3

Fairdale 28 Bullitt Central 7

The Bulldogs continued their unbeaten 2020 campaign with a three score victory over Bullitt Central to claim their second straight district championship. DeShawn Hamilton provided most of the offense with 137 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Fairdale's offense never took flight the way it did in Week 3 when they hung 74 on the Cougars, but the defense picked up the slack, only allowing seven points (as opposed to 34 in the first game) and picking off Bullitt Central three times.

 

District 4

North Bullitt 19 South Oldham 7

South Oldham dented the scoreboard first, but couldn't persevere in the face of special teams mistakes and turnovers against the Eagles. North Bullitt got a blocked punt recovery for a score and Cole Durbin put six more on the board following a bad punt snap to help slay the Dragons once and for all this season. Both of Durbin's touchdown runs followed South Oldham miscues.

 

District 5

Covington Catholic 38 Highlands 21

Trailing in the third quarter, CovCath ripped off four unanswered scores (all on the ground, courtesy of Caleb Jacob) to gain separation from their chief rival.  Coming into this season, Jacob was known far more for his arm than his legs, but his lower body has been his greatest asset this season and that proved true again against Highlands. He scored five rushing touchdowns to help engineer a fifth straight district championship for the Colonels and send the Birds flying into an off-season full of uncertainty.

 

District 6

Frederick Douglass 39 Scott County 21

The Broncos rode big nights from Darius Neal, Dekel Crowdus, and Samuel Cornett to top the Cardinals for their second district title in a row. Neal turned in a career night with over 200 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. It was a fairly clean game from Scott County's side, but the Broncos were simply the superior football team. Douglass turned a six point lead late in the first half into a 26 point lead a few minutes into the third quarter, and that was all she wrote.

 

District 7

Madison Southern 23 Woodford County 21

MadSouth edged the Yellowjackets on a 40 yard field goal with ten seconds remaining to claim its fifth district title in the last six years. After scoring late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles went for two, down 21-20. The conversion failed, but Madison Southern recovered the ensuing onside kick to help set up the eventual game winning kick and keep their season alive.

 

District 8

Southwestern 35 Pulaski County 14

The Warriors used a 21 point fourth quarter to get some much needed breathing room and salt away rival Pulaski County on the Maroons' home field. Three Southwestern backs ran for over a hundred yards to spearhead a potent ground game that troubled Pulaski County all night.

Quarterfinal Matchups

Fairdale at Owensboro

North Bullitt at Bowling Green

Madison Southern at Covington Catholic

Frederick Douglass at Southwestern

The champion of 5A is a 4 team race between Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington Catholic and Frederick Douglass in my opinion.