In these weekly posts, we'll be looking at multiple sources for rankings.  I'll provide some notes/observations from individual and aggregate.  As I find additional rankings, I will add them to the sources.  If you're aware of statewide rankings, feel free to drop a link and I'll add them to the list to check!

*It's no surprise, St. X is the consensus #1. Covington Catholic is a near consensus at #2, with three of the four rankings putting them in that spot, while KYHSZ has them third. Four teams are consensus top five, with Frederick Douglass and Madison Central also ranked in the top five of every poll.

*Daviess County was ranked sixth in KYHSZ's poll, keeping them from being consensus top 5. KYHSZ ranked Bryan Station 4th, while no other rankings had them higher than 6th.

*Top ten-wise, there is a lot of overlap, as eight teams were ranked in the top ten of each. In addition to the above named teams (including Bryan Station), George Rogers Clark and Male were top ten in every poll. Boyd County appears in the top ten in two of the four, Warren Central was in two of the four, while North Laurel (KYHSZ 8), Caverna (Nation's Elite 9), Butler (KSR 9), and Montgomery County (KYHSZ 10) appeared in the top ten of one apiece.

*Butler and Warren Central had the widest disparity of rank (highest to lowest rank) of any team ranked in each poll. Butler had a maximum ranking of 9th (KSR), while Nation's Elite had them 21st. Warren Central was only slightly less variable, as they had a maximum ranking of 9th (NextUp Recruits) while Nation's Elite was also responsible for the low ranking, slotting them 20th.

*There were seven unicorns this week (team ranked by only a single outlet). Kentucky High School Sports Zone was responsible for over half of them. Great Crossing (KYHSZ 19), Covington Holy Cross (KYHSZ 21), Calloway County (KYHSZ 24), and PRP (KYHSZ 25) are ones that no one else is going with them on. NextUpRecruits had a pair: Danville Christian (NUR 22) and South Oldham (NUR 25). Nation's Elite had just one, Highlands (NE 24). KSR had none. From that group, PRP is likely to drop entirely next week as they fell on Tuesday to Manual 70-64, along with Calloway County who fell 64-63 to Graves County.

2025 SCOTT WINTER CLASSIC
December 22-23
Scott High School

DAY 1: Dec 22
DAY 2: Dec 23

FIELD:
Bluegrass United Homeschool
Campbell County High School
Cooper High School
Elder High School (Cincinnati, OH)
Newport High School
Paintsville High School
Ryle High School
Scott High School
Simon Kenton High School
Taft High School (Cincinnati, OH)
Waggener High School
Woodward High School (Cincinnati, OH)

2025 WGM Holiday Classic
December 27-30
Lexington Catholic High School

ROUND 1: Dec 27
QUARTERFINALS: Dec 28
SEMIFINALS: Dec 29
FINALS: Dec 30

TOURNAMENT FIELD:
Boyd County High School
Bryan Station High School
Caverna High School
Collins High School
Daviess County High School
Great Crossing High School
Lexington Catholic High School
Lyon County High School
Marshall County High School
McCracken County High School
North Laurel High School
North Oldham High School
Paintsville High School
Taylor County High School
West Jessamine High School
Woodford County High School

2025 KING OF THE BLUEGRASS
December 18-22
Fairdale High School

ROUND 1: Dec 18 & 19
QUARTERFINALS: Dec 20
SEMIFINALS: Dec 21
FINALS: Dec 22

TOURNAMENT FIELD:
Butler High School
Covington Catholic High School
Fairdale High School
Frederick Douglass High School
Grayson County High School
Greenville High School (Greenville, TN)
LaRue County High School
Lee High School (Huntsville, AL)
Lyon County High School
Madison Central High School
Male High School
North Laurel High School
North Oldham High School
Saint Xavier High School
Trinity High School
Warren Central High School

🏆State Championships🏆 

Evan Hampton (RB, Owensboro)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🗞️ | State title ✔️. Finals MVP ✔️. 2,000 yards ✔️.

It may be time to give the Devil his due. Hampton closed out his high school career on a high note, running for three touchdowns against Pulaski County to deliver Owensboro's first championship in almost forty years. He totaled 734 yards from scrimmage and twelve touchdowns combined in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds of the playoffs. The Mr. Football picture was murky to begin the season, but Hampton has done his best to make it clear as day with every churn of his legs down the stretch.

2025 Season: 173 carries for 2,018 yards and 31 touchdowns | 288 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns

Ji’Dyn Smith-Hisel (RB, Boyle County)
Miles Edge (RB/LB, Owensboro Catholic)
Jacob Savage (RB/LB, Ryle)
Wyatt Robbins (QB, Murray)
Cam O'Hara (QB, Cooper)

Pulaski County received the opening kickoff and got two first downs before being forced to punt. Tre Shemwell took the punt return 84 yards to the house to put Owensboro up 7-0 with 758 left in the first. Owensboro stopped Pulaski on their second possession and Pulaski punted. Owensboro muffed the punt and the Maroons recovered the ball at the Red Devil 22. A few plays later Pulaski RB Kasen Brock powered it in from four yards out to tie the game at 7 all with 109 in the first.

Evan Hampton broke loose for a 43 yard touchdown run to put Owensboro up 14-7 with 1119 left in the 2nd quarter. Pulaski punted back to Owensboro but the Red Devils fumbled the ball right back to Pulaski County. The Maroons muscled the ball down the field until they fumbled it on a helmet to helmet tackle. Owensboro ran the ball down the field and Evan Hampton scored on a two yard run as time expired in the half to put Owensboro up 21-7.

Owensboro started the second half on their 40 yard line and after a Hampton run to the PC 41, DeMarcus Ganaway hit Chadyn Morris for a 41 yard touchdown pass to put the Red Devils up 28-7 with 1029 to play in the 3rd quarter. Owensboro stopped Pulaski on downs at the Pulaski County 45 yard line and Ganaway completed a couple of passes to Kingston Dillard down to the 3 and Evan Hampton took it in out of the Wildcat to put Owensboro up 35-7 with 507 left in the 3rd.

There was no scoring in the 4th quarter.

Congrats Owensboro! Congrats Coach Ganaway!

Trinity received the opening kickoff and started on their 15 yard line. After two quick first downs Ashton Taylor ripped off a 51 yard run to put Trinity up 7-0 with 1111 in the first. South Warren started on their own 14 and drove the length of the field before missing a 30 yard field goal. Each team went three and out twice to end the first quarter.

After a SW punt to start the second quarter Trinity started on their 46 yard line. Trinity mixed runs and passes to move down the field and missed a 46 yard field goal with 1002 left in the half. Trinity got back on the board on Jamaurion Berry 40 yard touchdown run to put the Rocks up 13-0 with 758 left in the half. The Spartans drove to the redzone and Brennen Lowe intercepted South Warren in the endzone. The Shamrocks quickly moved down the field and scored on a 26 yard pass from Zane Johnson to Cross Watson. Next Johnson hit Kaleb Warner for a two point conversion to take a 21-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the half.

Isaiah Bridges took the second half kickoff to the house for South Warren to make it 21-7 Trinity with 1147 left in the 3rd quarter. Trinity's Cross Watson answered by returning the ensuing kick to the South Warren 44. Jamaurion Berry scored on another long run to put Trinity up 28-7 with 1115 in the 3rd. South Warren answered immediately with a 54 yard touchdown pass from Camden Page to Jake Carter to make it 28-14 Trinity with 909 left in the third quarter. Myles Howze came up with a big interception in South Warren territory with just under 6 minutes to play in the third. South Warren stepped up and stopped Trinity at the 30 yard line with 336 to play in the 3rd.

With 539 to play in the 4th Elijah Burns-Crump intercepted South Warren at the one yard line. Again the Spartan defense stopped Trinity and took over at the Trinity 49 after a Shamrock punt. There was no scoring in the 4th quarter.

Congrats Trinity! Congrats Coach Cobb!

CAL received the opening kickoff and started on the 35. CAL went right down the field throwing and running the ball and Jeffery Vazzana nearly walked into the end zone from five yards out to give CAL a 6-0 lead with 846 in the first. Murray started at the 23 on their first possession and got into CAL territory before a sack stopped the drive. On CAL's next possession a sack and fumble resulted in CAL lining up to punt and faking it on 4th and 10 but the attempt was unsuccessful giving the Tigers the ball on the CAL 41 with 326 to play in the first quarter. On 4th down on the 33 Murray went for it but Jackson Settle intercepted the Kenyon Cunningham pass to give CAL the ball on their 44. CAL zipped down the field on a JaHyde Brown run and then a wide open touchdown pass from Jackson Burke to Stone Perkins. Burke hit Gaines Howard on a short pass for the two point conversion to put CAL up 14-0 with 48 seconds left in the first quarter.

Murray started the 2nd quarter with 2nd and 7 on their own 27 but punted on 4th down. CAL took over on their own 34. A shovel pass to Brown got CAL down to the Murray 8 and on the next play Burke hit Andrew Greene for an 8 yard TD pass to put CAL up 21-0 with 1031 left in the half. The Tigers were penalized on the kickoff return and started on the 11. Stone Perkins intercepted Cunningham and ran it back to the Murray 10 yard line and on the next play Burke hit Brown for a ten yard TD pass to put CAL up 28-0 with 656 left in the half. Murray drove the the ball to the 28 yard line of CAL as time ran out in the first half.

Murray received the ball to start the second half and gained one first down before punting the ball back to CAL. Jackson Burke threw a short pass JaHyde Brown and he took it 64 yards to the house to put CAL up 35-0 with 823 left in the 3rd quarter. The game was a running clock from this point forward. Murray went three and out on their next possession and CAL took over at midfield after another solid Murray punt. CAL passed right down the field and scored on a 10 yard Burke to Stone Perkins reception to go up 42-0 with 108 left in the 3rd.

Murray consumed the majority of the running clock 4th quarter driving the length of the field and scored on a 3 yard Gage Chapman touchdown run to make it 42-7 CAL with 233 left in the game.

Congrats CAL! Congrats Coach Cantwell!

Boyle County received the opening kickoff and ran the ball every play capped off by a Senca Driver 1 yard touchdown run out of the wildcat to put the Rebels up 7-0 with 531 to play in the first quarter.  Franklin County went three and out and after a short quick kick Boyle took over on their 48 yard line.

Once again Boyle ran the ball right at Franklin County but the drive stalled out in the red zone.  Franklin started on their 13 but couldn't move the ball and punted again giving Boyle great field position at the Franklin 29 yard line.  The Franklin County defense stepped up for a second time and stopped Boyle County at their 20 yard line.  After another three and out, and punt for Franklin, Boyle started on their own 48.  Boyle was moving the ball but a bad snap in the shotgun stopped the drive.  After a Boyle punt the Flyers took over on their 33 but the Franklin County drive stalled at midfield and they punted to the Boyle 25 with 114 left in the half.  Boyle drove to the 22 and lined up to kick a 39 yard FG but from his holder position Baylor Murphy threw a 22 yard TD pass to Seneca Driver to end the first half with Boyle up 14-0. 

The Flyers started the second half on their own 35.  On 4th and short they went for it and failed giving the ball to Boyle on the FC 38.  Boyle moved the ball down to the 6 on the running of JiDyn Smith-Hisel and then Senca Driver scored again from the Wildcat to make it 21-0 Boyle County with 632 in the 3rd quarter.  After a penalty against Boyle on the kickoff the Flyers started on the Boyle 37 yard line.  A Knox Barrett to Delano Collins pass and run moved the ball to the 27 for the Flyers.  A pass interference call moved the ball to the Boyle 14.  Next a Barrett pass to Aaron Jones moved the ball to the 2 yard line.  On 4th and goal from the 2 Darryl Yancey sacked Knox Barret to stop the Franklin County drive.  Franklin got a quick three and out and the Flyers started on the Boyle 38. 

On the first play of the 4th quarter Franklin County went for it on 4th and 20 from the Boyle 48 but the pass was incomplete.  Boyle went right down the field and JiDyn Smith-Hisel ran it in from 23 yards out to give Boyle County a 28-0 lead with 807 left to play. Boyle stopped Franklin on downs at the 50 yard line with 553 left in the game.  On the next play JiDyn Smith-Hisel ran it 50 yards for another Boyle TD to go up 34-0 with 541 left to play. 

Congrats Boyle County!  Congrats Coach Haddix!

Owensboro Catholic received the opening kickoff and went three and out. LCA started on their own 34 and several Daven Hood runs along with two Tyler King receptions resulted in a Daven Hood 2 yard run with 514 in the first quarter to put LCA up 7-0. OCath went three and out again on their second possession. LCA raced right back down the field with another great catch by Tyler King and the running of Daven Hood. Nash Whelan snuck it in from two yards out to give LCA a 13-0 lead late in the first after a missed extra point. Owensboro Catholic got one first down and then punted again to LCA with 48 seconds left in the first quarter.

Lexington Christian Academy started the 2nd quarter with a first down at midfield but their drive stalled and they had to punt. Owensboro Catholic marched down the field running and throwing with a nice Luke Thomas reception and run to the LCA 15. The drive ended in a Sam Pearson interception of Dremail Carothers at the 5 yard line. After a quick three and out for LCA, OC started on the Eagles' 27 yard line and quickly scored a touchdown on a five yard pass from Dremail Carothers to Xavier Maddox to make it 13-7 LCA with 520 left in the half. LCA answered right back with some Hood runs, a 29 yard pass to Sam Pearson and a 18 yard run for TD by Nash Whelan for a 20-7 lead with 339 left in the half. Owensboro Catholic raced back down the field on the arm of Carothers and scored on a five yard TD pass from Carothers to Cameron Woodward with 150 left in the first half to make it Lexington Christian Academy 20 Owensboro Catholic 14. LCA attempted a 37 yard fg to end the half. The kick bounced off the left upright and was no good. The halftime score was Christian Academy 20 Owensboro Catholic 14.

LCA received the second half kickoff and went right down the field on the arm and legs of QB Nash Whelan. Whelan capped off the drive with a 35 yard touchdown pass to a wide open Sam Pearson to put the Eagles up 27-14 with 739 left in the 3rd quarter. OCath went three and out on their next possession and LCA started on the OC 41 yard line. The Eagles marched back down the field but fumbled on the 10 yard line giving the ball back to OCath with 435 left in the 3rd. Owensboro Catholic drove nearly the length of the field until Daven Hood intercepted Dremail Carothers in the end zone near the end of the 3rd quarter.

The rest of the summary is in the game thread.

Congrats Lexington Christian Academy! Congrats Coach Watkins!

Raceland received the opening kickoff and punted. Kentucky Country Day punted right back and Raceland started on the 1 after the punt but punted right back to KCD. The Bearcats started on the Raceland 49 and the first quarter ended 0-0 with KCD driving.

Kentucky Country Day started the 2nd quarter off moving the ball down the field on some tough runs by Deion Davidson and with 1028 left in the first half Caden Long got the ball across the goal line to put the Bearcats up 7-0. Raceland received the kickoff and drove the length of the field and kicked a FG as time ran out to make it 7-3, KCD at the half.

KCD received the second half kickoff and moved the ball some before a perfect Caden Long pass and an incredible Miller Bates catch set the Bearcats up at the one yard line of Raceland. Two plays later Parker Rudolph ran it in to put Kentucky Country Day up 14-3 with 912 left in the 3rd quarter. Both teams went three and out and then Raceland took over on their own 19 yard line. The Rams mixed passes and runs to and scored on a Jacob Waller to Parker Ison TD pass to make it 14-10 KCD with 147 left in the 3rd.

In the third quarter Raceland forced another three and out and took over on their own 20 after a KCD punt. The Rams lined up and started running the ball right at KCD culminating in Landen Stiltner TD run. The extra point hit the right upright to make it 16 to 14 Raceland midway through the 4th quarter.

KCD's Tyler Wilson returned the kickoff to Bearcat 48 and then Deion Davidson came down with a huge catch at the Raceland 23 yard line. Two plays later Davidson broke a tackle and ran it in to put Kentucky Country Day up 20-16 with 330 left in the game. The two point conversion failed. The Rams started their next drive on the 12 yard line and mixed passes and runs advancing to the Kentucky Country Day 39 where KCD stopped Raceland on 4th and short with 39 seconds left to play.

Congrats Kentucky Country Day! Congrats Coach Jones.

State Semifinal Round 

Evan Hampton (RB, Owensboro)
Miles Edge (RB/LB, Owensboro Catholic)
Kaleb Evans (QB, Lloyd Memorial)
Marlon Harbin III (ATH, Saint Xavier)
Mason Trimble (QB, Saint Xavier)
Kaleb Miller (RB, Bell County)
Wyatt Robbins (QB, Murray)

Trending Up 📈
Ji'Dyn Smith-Hisel (RB, Boyle County)
🗞️ | Someone from Boyle always seems to pop up at some point every year. Smith-Hisel is a longshot, but the last two weeks have made him impossible to ignore. He broke Rees McShara’s school record with 440 yards rushing in a rout of Covington Catholic. Last week saw another 163 and two scores as the Rebels squeaked by Corbin in a thriller. He's thrown his name into the hat, let's see if he can pull a rabbit out of it.

Class 6A
Trinity 106.44
South Warren 89.98

Class 5A
Owensboro 77.79
Pulaski County 71.01

Class 4A
Boyle County 83.72
Franklin County 64.33

Class 3A
Christian Academy - Lou. 92.11
Murray 59.15

Class 2A
Lexington Christian 67.8
Owensboro Catholic 67.5

Class 1A
Raceland 55.77
KY Country Day 52.5

BREAKING NEWS:

Chris Wolfe has stepped down as the head football coach at Male High School. He won 165 games and 2 state championships in 16 seasons.

From Courier-Journal article:

"Wolfe recently completed 27 years of teaching, which is the first year full retirement benefits are available. He wouldn’t rule out coaching again."

Corbin is an incredibly proud program, but their win over Highlands was a rather stunning upset.  Maybe not so much that Corbin won, but how dominant they looked on their way to a 35-21 victory.  Their win streak reached seven with the upset, and they're into the state semifinals for the second straight year.  They will look to advance to their first state final since 2022.  Across the field will be a familiar playoff foe and nemesis - the top ranked Boyle County Rebels.  Boyle County hosted Covington Catholic, who beat them in shocking fashion last year.  For three quarters, the game was touch and go, with Boyle up 20-14.  Then, the floodgates opened.  TWENTY NINE unanswered points later, the clock was running and Boyle County won 49-14.  Boyle County is back in the semifinals after a year away, and will be seeking their sixth state title appearance in the past seven years.

During the Riherds era these teams have met five times, with the last four coming in the playoffs.  Boyle County has won four of those five meetings, falling in the 2018 3A playoffs, but getting the better of Corbin in the 3A finals in 2017, the 4A finals in 2022, and in the third round in 2023 (which frankly may as well have been the finals).  

Boyle County is #1 in the class, while Corbin is #7.  The Rebels have the look of an unstoppable freight train, but Corbin just shocked the state with their last win.  Can they do it again? Or are we back to Boyle County visiting their home away from home at Kroger Field?

St. X (10-3) will host Trinity (11-2) at 5:00 pm Friday. St. X is coming off a 31-14 win over Male and Trinity is coming off a 64-27 win over Madison Central. 

Previous meeting: Trinity 35 St. X 24.

Trinity is undefeated against Kentucky teams and has two close losses to the Ohio powers Moeller (OH) and St. Xavier (OH). Trinity's high-powered offense is led by QB Zane Johnson who in the first meeting against St. X threw 283 yards and 3 touchdowns. His targets in that game were Kaleb Warner who had 104 yards receiving, Jason Hagan 62 yards receiving plus two touchdowns, and Jayce Duvall with 50 yards receiving. The Trinity defense was led by AJ. Hughes with 7 tackles and a sack. Luke Vize also had 6 tackles. Trinity also jumped out early on St. X blocking a punt and scoring a TD.

St. X in the previous meeting was led by QB Mason Trimble who threw 104 yards and 2 touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown. Marlon Harbin and Lucas Shelton each scored a touchdown receiving. The defense was led by Karsten Busch with 12 tackles with two for a loss and 1 sack. Luka Bentz also had 9 tackles.

Trinity is ranked #1 in Kentucky for good reason and the TP94 power ratings show Trinity better by 12 pts. St. X can't have a special team's error getting a punt blocked and spotting Trinity an easy touchdown like in the first meeting. St. X will also need to do a better job slowing the passing attack of Trinity which won't be easy. The Trinity defense will also have to improve after giving up 27 points to Madison Central. I expect this game to sell out with St. X's stadium holding 6,000 and should be a good game. Who wins in this big rivalry and gets a trip to Kroger field in the championship? 

Class 6A:
Trinity 104.45
St. Xavier 91.33
South Warren 89.73
Ryle 76.56

Class 5A:
Woodford County 78.71
Owensboro 75.02
Pulaski County 69.87
Atherton 68.95

Class 4A:
Boyle County 84.67
Paducah Tilghman 75.13
Corbin 72.21
Franklin County 62.93

Class 3A:
Christian Academy - Lou. 91.76
Bell County 63.25
Murray 59.2
Lloyd Memorial 51.44

Class 2A:
Beechwood 72.18
Belfry 68.08
Lexington Christian 67.39
Owensboro Catholic 67.03

Class 1A:
Pikeville 56.77
Raceland 55.09
Campbellsville 51.84
KY Country Day 51.14

Regional Championship Round 

Evan Hampton (RB, Owensboro)
Marlon Harbin III (ATH, Saint Xavier)
Mason Trimble (QB, Saint Xavier)
Wyatt Robbins (QB, Murray)
Kaleb Evans (QB, Lloyd Memorial)
Kaleb Miller (RB, Bell County)
Cash Harney (QB, Covington Catholic) 
Kris Hughes (ATH, Somerset)
Jacob Savage (RB/LB, Ryle)

Trending Up 📈
Miles Edge (RB/LB, Owensboro Catholic)
🗞️ | Pound for pound one of the state's best football players. Edge waited patiently while the offense revolved around Brady Atwell. He's now a featured component of another deep playoff push by the Aces. Edge ran for 153 yards and three scores against Somerset while anchoring the defense with sixteen tackles.
Season so far: 145 carries for 1,065 yards and 18 touchdowns | 391 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns | 95 tackles | 13.5 TFL | 4.5 sacks | 3 forced fumbles

Good morning, Sports' Fans!  It is that time of year, Thanksgiving is on the Horizon, and as soon as we get through this upcoming Holiday weekend, the High School Basketball season is upon us!  We lost a ton of amazing seniors from last season in Girls' Hoops, so while there will be some commonalities in our Top 10, there is also a great deal of movement.  A reminder to those that may be new to this content, this is a NKY Poll each week, not a 9th Region poll, so please judge that accordingly.  This will be our last Poll until Monday, December 8th, the Monday following the first week of action, so we have plenty of time for you to tell me how wrong this is and why!  Here we go....

1.  Simon Kenton (Region 8 / District 32) -- Head Coach Jeff Stowers.  Simon Kenton brings back nearly all of their contributors from last season and look poised to have another great year led by Thomas More commit, Brynli Pernell.  They have a very aggressive schedule again this year, but there is so much continuity in their roster and coaching staff, it is hard to see them doing anything but continuing to get better.  Their opening week sees them go to Assumption, to Ryle (see you there), and playing Louisville Mercy at Dixie in the Hoops 4 Harvest event (see you there).  We'll know a fair amount about the Lady Neers right out of the gate.

2.  Cooper (Region 9 / District 33) -- Head Coach Christian Prohaska.  While she certainly has an amazing coaching background, and knows the area as a Boone County alum, Coach Prohaska is still a bit of a question mark for the Lady Jags, at least at this point.  When you replace the best NKY Girls' Basketball coach since Nell Fookes, the pressure and expectations are sky-high.  On the court, they lose Zene Thompson, so the majority of their contributors return, and they certainly expect to again represent the 9th at the Sweet 16!  They are led by the best player in NKY, Haylee Noel, and they have a lot of depth around her.  They open their season by hosting DuPont Manual, and then play Lawrence Central at Dixie in the Hoops 4 Harvest event.

The ratings use avg. margin of victory/loss applied to strength of schedule played with a cap of 35 pts for avg. margin. Only playoff teams left are listed.

Trinity 104.24
St. Xavier 92.25
South Warren 89.86
Frederick Douglass 77.8
Ryle 76.65
Madison Central 72.74
Male 64.92
Henderson County 40.04

Highlands 82.56
Boyle County 80.64
Covington Catholic 80.07
Paducah Tilghman 74.98
Corbin 68.11
Franklin County 62.73
Logan County 60.61
North Oldham 47.87

Round 2

Cam O'Hara (QB, Cooper)
Mason Trimble (QB, Saint Xavier)
Cash Harney (QB, Covington Catholic)
Jacob Savage (RB/LB, Ryle)
Kaleb Evans (QB, Lloyd Memorial)
Wyatt Robbins (QB, Murray)
Kaleb Miller (RB, Bell County)
Colin Daniels (QB, North Oldham)
Maddox O'Neal (QB, McCracken County)

Trending Up 📈
Kris Hughes (ATH, Somerset)
🗞️ | The watchlist’s ignorance has gone on long enough. Hughes has been on a season-long tear, rushing for a hundred yards or more ten games in a row, including 272 and four touchdowns to sink the Admirals. He now leads the state in rushing yards, with 2,000 in his sights.

Season so far: 57/96 (59%) for 970 yards and 10 touchdowns with 2 interceptions | 198 carries for 1,956 yards and 36 touchdowns | 36 tackles | 1 interception 

It was an easy advance for Corbin to reach the region final round for the seventh straight year, dropping Lincoln County 47-14, in what is likely the last home game they'll have this year thanks to an inferior RPI to most teams that remain.  It was the sixth straight win for the Redhounds, who will be seeking a state semifinal appearance for the second straight year.  They'll make the long trip to Highlands, who similarly had no trouble in a 45-7 win over top ten Ashland - the Bluebirds continued their playoff mastery over Ashland, having defeated them four times previously during the Riherds era. Only one team in Kentucky has beaten Highlands this year - that being #1 Boyle County by a single point, on the road.  Highlands is looking for their third straight trip to the state semifinals, although the previous two came in 5A.

I don't know how often these teams have played otherwise, but this is the second playoff meeting, with the first coming back in 1962, a 10-0 win for Corbin.  These teams have not often been near each other in terms of class - just seven years ago Corbin was in 3A and Highlands in 5A. 

Highlands enters the game ranked #2 by BluegrassPreps, while Corbin enters at #7.  This is a marquee matchup between two storied programs.  Corbin has not won a road playoff game since 2017, falling in their last seven attempts in road + neutral postseason games.  Highlands has won 11 games in a row at home.  Will that disparity help carry the day?

Gather round everyone, there's a good chance this is the best game in the entire state this week....

Covington Catholic reached the region final round for the third straight year - having not failed to reach it in all their years since dropping to 4A following the 2022 season - in dramatic fashion.  They traveled to undefeated Johnson Central, fell behind 14-0 early, 29-28 late, but pulled ahead for a 36-29 win that was in doubt until knocking down a JC pass on 4th down from the just outside the Covington Catholic 10 as time expired.  It was the fifth straight win for Covington Catholic, with their only loss to a 4A opponent coming in late game heroics to Highlands at the start of October.  They'll meet Boyle County, the top RPI team in 4A, who advanced with considerably less difficulty in a 42-0 decision over Wayne County on Thursday.  It was the second shutout of the season for the Rebels, who have not allowed more than 14 points since September 12th (eight straight games).  That September 12th win over Highlands was the first game of what is now a nine game winning streak.

This is the third straight year these two have met in the playoffs, the only meetings between the squads in the Riherds era.  The 2023 meeting came in the state finals, a dud of a game where Boyle County romped to a 41-0 win.  Last year's meeting was an incredible classic, as Covington Catholic ended a 30 game Rebel winning streak in a 31-28 decision that put out the presumptive champions. This is a highly anticipated rematch.

Boyle County enters as the #1 team in 4A while Covington Catholic is #3.  Boyle County is a monster at home - that playoff loss last year to Covington Catholic is one of only two losses they've suffered at home since late August of 2021.  Can Covington Catholic pull it off again, and continue a march to a potential dream Highlands-Covington Catholic final? Or will the Rebels strike back, and march on the road to their fifth state title in six years?

Cam O'Hara (QB, Cooper)
Cash Harney (QB, Covington Catholic)
Mason Trimble (QB, Saint Xavier)
Marlon Harbin III (ATH, Saint Xavier)
Kaleb Evans (QB, Lloyd Memorial)
Lucas Tompkins (WR/DB, North Oldham)
Evan Hampton (RB, Owensboro)
Kain Patton (ATH, Prestonsburg)
Colin Daniels (QB, North Oldham)
Markezz Hightower (RB, Madisonville-North Hopkins)

‼️Milestones‼️
Keagan Maher (RB, Cooper)
🗞️ | Quiet, but always there when called upon. Throughout his career, Maher has been consistent to the point of disappearing into the background of Cooper's ascension. He made himself small to fit through narrow creases, churned his legs to grind hard yards, and served as O'Hara's release valve. Last week's 104 yards against South Oldham makes nine games of 100+ yards this year and 4,000 yards for his career. He's got three consecutive seasons of 1,500+ yards from scrimmage and 20+ touchdowns. The week-to-week, year-to-year repetition has made him essential when future generations dig through the annals of Cooper lore. 
Season so far: 201 carries for 1,390 yards and 21 touchdowns | 308 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns

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Luke Fetherolf (QB, Lawrence County)
🗞️ | The chief engineer of LC’s offensive machine was in a zone seldom seen against McCreary Central. He completed all seven attempts for 365 yards and four scores, plus another 51 yards on the ground and a touchdown. That's 52 yards per pass attempt and completion. He's connecting at a near 80% clip with 18 TDs/0 turnovers over his last five games.
Season so far: 103/133 (77%) for 2,141 yards and 26 touchdowns with 4 interceptions | 541 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns

On Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m., the #2 seed in 1A District 3 Newport Wildcats (7-4) visit the #1 seed in 1A District 4 Covington Holy Cross Indians (11-0).  This is the second round of the playoffs.  The game will be played at Scott High School.

Common Opponents:

Ludlow - Newport won 47-7
Ludlow - Holy Cross won 43-6

Bellevue - Newport won 6-0
Bellevue - Holy Cross won 29-6

Dayton - Newport won 52-14
Dayton - Holy Cross won 54-6

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