10th Region: Week 1

One thing you can say for certain, the 10^th region has never been boring. With a sudden coach resignation, rumors of a legend returning and then quickly quashed, lions and tigers oh my. It was quite a week in the 10^th, and I don’t expect every week to be this wild. But who knows? In a world where St Patrick and Augusta are playing district opponents awfully close, and the Camels and Cardinals gave us another thriller, there’s a reason this region is always the talk of the site.

1.) GRC ?|| Coach Cook’s Cardinals proved me wrong about how quickly a team can gel. Ryder Akins looked like he was born in Winchester the way he, Montz Gay, Jaylyn Johnson and Malachi Ashford played together. They took care of business in both 10^th region games this week. Dispatching the Bluejackets and crushing the Camels in succession. Followed by a tough loss to a solid Daviess County team. 

2.) Campbell?|| The top of the mountain is the goal for the dromedaries, and this week, they were thrown off the mountain by the redbirds. That won’t be the end of it, though, for Brent Sowder's squad. They bounced back nicely with a win over Calvary, and a 2-1 record to start the season is right where they want to be. Lucas Anthrop has 19 attempts from beyond the arc this year and is making 42% of them. Definitely a team that will be primed for a run in the region. 

3.) MoCo (? 1) ?|| Did anything happen in Mt Sterling this week? I can’t quite recall… Regardless of the off-court drama taking place, the Indians had only one game on the schedule this week, playing in the Tim Davis Classic in Campbellsville. They topped Wayne County 71-69. If not for distractions, I would have expected more out of the Indians, and we all patiently wait to see if Austin Sears makes an appearance on the roster. That will really change things here in the 10^th. 

4.) Bourbon Co (? 1 )?|| The Colonels had two strong showings this week, and one minor letdown. Beating Harrison County 47-43 and Heritage (Florence) 85-61. The Garrard game isn’t necessarily a letdown, GC is a strong squad, but most expected Bourbon to play better on Saturday. Bourbon has only one game this week, but it’s a big one, taking on the Blue Jackets from Nicholas Co tonight in Paris. That will tell us a lot about both squads.

5.) Scott (? 1) ?|| The Eagles, without last year's leading scorer in Aaron Hampton, still got off to a hot 2-0 start. They beat Cincinnati Trailblazers 83-43 and NewCath 60-46. Coach Fromeyer's boys are playing hard and eager to prove themselves again this week as they welcome Fleming County, then a tough Beechwood squad, before heading to Boone County Friday night.

6.) Nicholas Co. (⬇️ 3) ??|| I admit, I placed too much stock in what the Bluejackets had returning. I thought their length and experience would cause problems for the Cardinals, and boy, I was wrong. I still think highly of this squad, and was impressed with their win over Rowan County, but they may not be ready for the big-time 10^th region ball yet. This week will be a meat grinder. At Bourbon, hosting Mason, heading to Augusta, then heading to LCA. We will find out a lot about the makeup of the boys from Carlisle this week. 

7.) Mason Co. ?|| For the Royals, it was an inauspicious start. A loss to what seems to be a down Rowan County team, followed by an absolute net torcher against in-district foe Augusta. Coach Kirk and the Royals lost a significant amount of scoring from last year, so putting up 92 against anyone has to feel good. If Paris or Pendleton had shown much last week, the Royals might have bumped down a little, but for now, they stay solid at 7. 

8.) Paris ?|| The Greyhounds didn’t reveal much this week to the world, with only one game against Madison Southern on the schedule. But that loss showed us that William Straight and Guy Turner can fill it up. Both scored 17 points, and Zarion Snowden and Braylon Francis both found their way into the double digits. This week will tell us more about Paris, as they travel to Frankfort, then host Tates Creek and then travel to Maysville to play Augusta in the Mike Murphy Classic.

9.) Pendleton (? 1) ?|| Mason Monroe’s squad gave Lloyd Memorial all they wanted and then some, and then turned around and took care of business against a solid Holmes squad. Going 1-1 to open the season against 9^th region foes is no small feat, and the Wildcats are off to a good start. Looking forward to seeing more of Keeton and O’Hara, who both had 20 in the Lloyd game.  

10.) Brossart (? 1) ?|| The season started off well with a Holy War win over the Vikings from Crescent Springs. Brossart asserted dominance early and often against Villa. Then a trip to Lexington got the better of them as Sayre came away 66-59. A second trip to Lexington in as many days probably had the horses rattled, as they took LCA to the wire, but came up short 72-66. This week is a 3-game in 4-day gauntlet as they welcome Grant County, then head to New Richmond (OH) and then host the Beechwood Tigers. Look for some resilience this week from the Mustangs.

11.) Harrison Co. (Down 2) ? The Thorobreds did not get off to an ideal start, losing all three games this week to Bourbon, Frankfort and Grant. But each loss was by single digits, and it’s plenty early in the season. If Landon Kinney keeps averaging almost 10 boards a game, look for the Thorobreds not to go quietly into the night.  They’ll look to rebound this week against Fleming County and get back on the right track.

12.) Calvary Christian ?|| The team in red and yellow should call this week 1 successful. Wins over Milford Christian Academy and Trimble County were both solid, and they played tough even though outmanned against Campbell County. Luke Getsy, Collin Dusty and Matt Ayyildiz all put up double digits in both wins, and we’ll see more and more from them this season. 

13.) Augusta ?|| An enigmatic week for the Panthers. They wallop Robertson County as expected, then surprise Mason County with a track meet in the field house, then perhaps came in a little overconfident to St Pat but pull out the win. This week sees the Panthers facing Nicholas, Bracken and Paris, three must-see 10^th region matchups that will reveal a lot about what the team on the river has in store.

14.) Bracken ?‍❄️|| The Polar Bears are warming up, feeling good with a 2-0 start to the season. Wins over St Patrick and Cincinnati Trailblazers have to have some confidence brimming in Brooksville. Teegan Feldhaus and Kyler Burton are leading the way in scoring, and Bracken might make some noise this year. A busy week for the blue and white, as they see Menifee, Robertson, Augusta and RULH in the next 6 days.

15.) St Pat (? 1) ✝️|| It’s fair to say that the 39^th district won’t be taking St Patrick as lightly as they have in the past. The return of coach Lex Turner appears to have ignited some fight in the Saints. Both Bracken County and Augusta came away with wins, but, for whatever moral victories are worth, it has been a long long time since St Patrick lost to those two by single digits. Robertson County heads to Maysville on Wednesday, and then a trip to Frankfort Christian could see the Saints at .500 for the first time in a long time. 

16.) Robertson (⬇️ 1) ?|| Brandon lost to brother Jason’s Augusta, and his team fought hard against the Greendevils. St Patrick, Bracken County, and Wellspring Guardians all on the schedule this week as Coach looks to get one in the left-hand column.