DevilMayCare

That's a brief recap of last week's events. Nearly a third of our undefeated teams fell: Bethlehem, Danville, Dayton, Glasgow, and Paintsville. Most of them were blown out. The Remaining Unbeatens 💯% Ashland Blazer 😼 Beechwood 🐯 CAL 🇸🇯 Frederick Douglass 🐎 LaRue County 🇭🇳 Middlesboro 🐝 Paducah Tilghman 🌪️ Pulaski County 🏴‍☠️ Rockcastle County 🚀 Sayre ⚔️ West Jessamine 🐎 ================================== Looking ahead to Week 10: Ashland tangles with its greatest nemesis of the 21st century. Johnson Central is down, but this game has long been a high mental hurdle for the Tomcats. If JC is going to get up for anyone on the schedule, it's Ashland. LaRue hosts Hart County, quick hitting practitioners of deception. The Raiders beat the Hawks by three scores last year. Pulaski visits the Reservation to do battle with Southwestern. The Maroons will be heavy favorites, but they were last year, too. The Warriors made them sweat out a ten point win. Rockcastle hosts Knox Central, a team that's rolling, offensively, averaging nearly 50 ppg during a current five game win streak. Sayre travels to Eminence, who's allowing just four points per game during its own five game streak, albeit against questionable competition.

Pulaski County 🏴‍☠️ vs. Southwestern 🏹 Records/Rankings 🏴‍☠️ | 8-0, 5A #1 🏹 | 2-6 🗞 | Reservation for two. The Warriors are mired in their second three game skid of the season, but will rally the troops to defend their sacred ground against the top ranked and arch-rival Maroons. Pulaski is building steam after ascending to the top of the polls with a road win at South Warren. They brushed aside both Laurel County schools to clear the way for one of the more intense rivalries you'll find. 📖 | Southwestern leads the all-time series 22-19. Heavily favored Pulaski prevailed last year, but had its hands full with the Warriors. The old adage that you can “throw the records out” in a rivalry game applied that night. Will it again this week?

North 🇸🇱 (3-4) vs. South 🇾🇪 (7-2) 🗞️ | One county. One town. Two teams. The 37th engagement of the Laurel County Civil War is upon us. North has had the upper hand over the last decade and a half, winning fourteen of the last sixteen. NL’s strength of schedule is far superior, but John Hines, who was 14-2 against the Jags at Pulaski, has breathed life into the southside of London. 📖 | The history books show a 21-15 lead for North Laurel all-time. North’s defense muzzled South’s offense last year, allowing negative rushing yards and forcing three turnovers as the Jags prevailed.

Hart County 🇨🇮 vs. LaRue County 🇸🇻 Records/Rankings 🇨🇮 | 6-2 🇸🇻 | 8-0, 3A #6 🗞 | KY’s darling, circa ‘’23-’24, meets this year's Cinderella hopeful. The Raiders haven't changed much since their 25-2 mark 2-3 years ago. They're fueled by the state's #2 ground game, looking to stain LaRue’s spotless record. The Hawks punished Glasgow on the ground last week in a breakthrough performance, but are generally one of the more balanced teams in 3A. The shoe is on the other foot for Hart County as they seek to clip the Hawks’ talons. 📖 | The history books show a 6-5 edge in favor of LaRue County since 1998. Hart County piled up 540 yards and picked off the Hawks three times en route to a 48-29 win a year ago.

Male 🟣🟡 vs. Bullitt East 🔴🟡 Records/Rankings 🟣🟡 | 5-3, 6A #7 🔴🟡 | 6-2, 6A #10 🗞 | The rivalry that spawned history in Mt. Washington. The legend of BEast is rooted in the series between the Chargers and Bulldogs. It began with a regular season upset and culminated in a historic conquest in Lexington four years ago. Bullitt East hasn't flown that close to the sun since and Male isn't vintage Male at the moment. Strange times are afoot in the Dawg pound. No Chris Wolfe, no state championship expectations. This would be their first win over a team with a winning record. What was once a sure thing on the schedule has evolved into a tooth and nail fight for respect. 📖 | The history books show an 8-2 lead in the all-time series for Male. The Dawgs barely had a pulse before rallying from a two score deficit in the second half to win by three last year.

Madison Central 🏹 vs. Bryan Station 🟢🟡 Records/Rankings 🏹 | 7-1, 6A #4 🟢🟡 | 4-4, 6A #8 🗞 | There are bounce back wins and then there is whatever the Indians did to GRC following their lone setback against Frederick Douglass. Madison Central never punted, scoring a touchdown on all nine possessions last week. Station is doing Station things, playing its best ball following the customary rocky start. The Defenders made Douglass work for four quarters in defeat. 📖 | The history books show a 16-13 all-time lead for Bryan Station. The Indians got 150 yards and three touchdowns from Corinthian Barnes, plus three interceptions and a pick-six to handle the Defenders last year, 43-14.

Owensboro 🔱 vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins 🇶🇦 Records/Rankings 🔱 | 6-2, 5A #4 🇶🇦 | 7-1, 5A #9 🗞 | Both teams are unbeaten in the district, meaning the trophy lands at the feet of the winner here. Owensboro is getting its health in order, which spells trouble for everyone in its path as they begin their push for a repeat. Sandidge will run like the devil is chasing him. Whether that's behind the line of scrimmage or forty yards downfield, remains to be seen. He's been a high impact player this season, but hasn't left much of an impression on the Devils before. 📍 | Rash Stadium, where the Red Devils are 55-8 since 2018. Only the likes of CAL, St. X, O-Cath, and Bowling Green have left victorious. 📖 | The history books show a 56-15-4 all-time lead for Owensboro. Ganaway cooked Madisonville's defense for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns in a 61-7 thrashing last year.

Still undefeated against fellow Fayette County schools.

Final. Pikeville puts boot to behind, handing Paintsville its first loss, 42-6. That's eleven straight for Pikeville over the Tigers and 37 of the last 42.

Goal line stand by Pulaski to preserve the shutout. Still 36-0. 4:00 remaining

Final. The Indians destroy GRC, scoring a touchdown on all nine possessions.

Paintsville took a kick back for a touchdown, but not before Pikeville reached the running clock threshold. 35-6 Panthers 8:30 3Q

Run the clock. ⏰️ 36-0 Pulaski 4:00 3Q

Halftime 21-0 Pikeville