3A Christian Academy of Louisville (5-0) at 5A Bowling Green (2-3)

Since the Covid 2020 Season, Christian Academy of Louisville (CAL) has won as many State Championships as anyone in the State of Kentucky.  Over that same timeframe, Bowling Green has won 2 State Championships and 1 Runner Up so they are not chopped liver.  But the teams are trending in different directions at the moment.  CAL is at least the 2^nd best team in Kentucky and BG is trying to regain their perch as one of the better teams in 5A.

CAL Coach Hunter Cantwell, in his 8^th Season as the head coach taking over for Stephan LeFors in 2019, has done an outstanding job leading the Centurions to 4 straight 3A State Championships. And they came into this season as the prohibitive favorite to win 3A again this season with no clear end in sight.  I will also say it's great to have studs on your team, but it's completely a different matter to be able to develop those studs while they are there and I think Coach Cantwell has done an underrated job with that.

Bowling Green was on a great run through the 2024 5A State Championship, but 2025 and 2026 have been and are challenging.  Coach Mark Spader, in his 9^th Season since taking over for Kevin Wallace in 2018, has also done an outstanding job leading the Purples to 3 Titles and 1 Runner up bid in the last 5 seasons, but it's fair to say these past 2 seasons have been challenging for BG.

Both teams play a difficult slate of opponents and why we find ourselves on the verge of a non-district battle in Bowling Green this Friday night.

Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions Information - (TP94 Ranking - 110.5)

The Centurions are in 3A but they don't play like it as they are on an incredible roll at the moment with most regarding them as a Top 2 team in the entire State of Kentucky.  And they have earned that with their impressive run through the first part of this season taking down Pikeville, Owensboro, LCA, Ryle and Central Hardin.  But the most impressive piece of that for me is that CAL has only given up 21 points ALL SEASON (and ALL vs LCA).  Wowza!!!

The Centurions have great players falling out of their pockets.  I personally don't think JR QB Jackson Burke gets as much publicity as he deserves.  He was 8 for 8 for roughly 200 yards and 4 TDs vs struggling Central Hardin.  The publicity rightfully goes to (by some experts account) the #1 DLineman in the country JR Kellan Hall and stud WR and UofL recruit JaHyde Brown, who was unguardable vs Central Hardin (6 catches for 160 yards and 4 TDs and that doesn't even count his special teams TDs). 

I say the publicity part because I haven't even mentioned star 2-way player and Indiana commit Garyon Hobbs.  He barely gets mentioned in circles I've listened to, but this kid is a star. 

Bowling Green Purples Information - (TP94 Ranking - 61.98)

This isn't the 2024 Purples.  BG went on the road and played a really good Barren County team last night and fought to the end and outlasted the Trojans 27-19.  That is clearly on the plus side.  On the minus side, BG was down 13-6 at halftime giving up more points to BC in any game since 1986.  That's 40 years.  Just the facts. 

SO QB Anthony Davis played well again, but it was SR RB Nick Graham who played inspired football for BG and without his effort, BG doesn't come home with a win vs BC.  Plain and simple.  The strong SO class continues to get more experience as they are all over the field now.  It will take BGs best effort on Friday and that is the biggest understatement I'll make all year long.

Game Preview

The Purples are a BIG underdog in this game; it's roughly 50 points in the TP94 ratings.  But BG played their best game of 2025 all year (with a worse record at the time) at CAL and if not for Burke to Brown combination again BG would have won that game.  I hope they can put that effort together again this year at home. 

I can conceivably see CAL putting a running clock on every team they will play for the rest of the entire season, but will they in this game?  I'm hoping not but I'm not feeling good at all about this game if I'm honest.

Who wins this game?

CAL has embarrassed some tradition rich programs this season most notably Owensboro who I think is better than BG. Could BG get clocked and have a embarrassing loss like Owensboro.

I would be surprised if it is not a first half running clock.

CAL with running clock win.

CAL wins by a bunch and quickly. They are just that good this season.