The headlines and chatter are mostly fueled by the perennial winners. That goes for here at BGP, the newspapers, and social media. The "little guys" have to fight for every thread, write-up, mention, or tag they can get. Sometimes you have to scroll a while, and even if you find the underdogs, they elicit little more than a passing glance before moving on.

This thread is reserved for the teams of which little was forecast this season, but have made waves - well, more like ripples - by defying those expectations. 

Here are the first four that come to mind:

Jeffersontown - The Chargers had won one of their last twenty games coming into this season and have a 32% winning percentage over the last thirty years. They're currently 7-0 and winning with defense, allowing 11 points per game. It's a season that would make alum Chuck Smith proud.

 

Betsy Layne - This year's 6-0 mark is the best start in school history. The Bobcats have the second highest scoring margin in 2A after Owensboro Catholic. They beat Prestonsburg by three scores a couple of weeks ago, the second ever win over their county rival and first since 1986. All-time program winning percentage of 28%.

 

Atherton - Another cellar dweller from Louisville, the Ravens won 14% of their games in the 90s, 00s, and 10s. Things have picked up in the last few years with 13 combined wins in '21 and '22 and a 6-1 mark this season. I'm cheating a little here, because Atherton's success this year hasn't come completely out of the blue, but their history is so dreary, you'd think Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Raven about them. Arguably the worst program in the state during the thirty year period mentioned above.

 

Grayson County - The #1 scoring defense in 5A belongs to the 6-1 Cougars. They allowed 26 points in their lone loss, but no one else has cracked double digits. And they're not scraping by, either. Their current five game win streak has come by an average score of 34-6. 

 

Those are my picks. Who else deserves some pub that we never see making headlines or popping up in the rankings?

10 minutes ago, DevilMayCare said:

It's a season that would make alum Chuck Smith proud.

Speaking of the man, himself... Did anyone else here know that Chuck Smith has never worn a watch in his life? He decides what time it is on his own. 

You took care of the four names I would think of. But, as far as exceeding expectations, I would go with these two:

Caverna (First District win since 2015*)

Rockcastle County (6-1 with a win over Bell County)

 

*I think

I like this thread.

Coach Nino White at Atherton is a great, young coach.  He gets the most out of what he has & players respond well to him.  He spent a lot of time working with the KY Future Stars as well.

36 minutes ago, Unrivaled97 said:

Coach Nino White at Atherton is a great, young coach.  He gets the most out of what he has & players respond well to him.  He spent a lot of time working with the KY Future Stars as well.

He must be to have been at Atherton since 2019 and have a winning record there. 

Webster County, although losing this last week by 1 point to Hancock County, still sit at 5-2 on the season after only winning 19 games the previous 12 seasons combined, or 1.58 wins per season. 

Shoutout Nino White and the A Train at Atherton. #KnowAGuyWhenYouSeeOne

I was coming here to say a quick word about Webster County too. They could finish 7-3 with wins over McLean and Ft. Campbell. The Trojans have some good talent this year and won't be losing a whole lot for next season either. 

Hart County. 

Nick Sizemore's Jackson County Generals are 5-2, fresh off a 49-6 win over Jenkins. The Generals had lost 18 of 19 coming into the 2023 campaign. 

Hancock Co lost 16 seniors last year.  Current record 5-2; young team only 2 Seniors playing this year.

@Hornet34I was impressed with Hancock early in the season when JH played week 1. Is the big RB back from injury? Hope so, he was an impressive physical back! Hancock is a hard working and very physical football team. Good luck the rest of the way!

Thanks good luck to you guys as well!  Unfortunately he is out for the season.   

Atherton should continue to improve each year. Its a very good school and as Catholic school tuition rises and the admissions to magnet schools in JCPS embrace different criteria Atherton's talent pool should grow. T