Sayre blasts Fairview in the opening round of the playoffs to remain unbeaten undefeated with a 63-0 win. Paris got a comfortable 35-21 win over Frankfort. Frankfort added a late score to make it a 14 point win. This could be the toughest opponent Sayre has faced this season. We thought Bethlehem would give Sayre a test in the last week of the regular season but Sayre destroyed them.  Paris was the favorite last year coming into this matchup. This year Sayre is the favorite. 
 

Who wins this 2nd round Class 1A matchup? Does Sayre continue its dominance? Does Paris avenge last years playoff loss?

Picks:

1A:
TP94: Ludlow
Calpreps: Newport
Massey: Ludlow

3A:
TP94: Adair Co.
Calpreps: Union Co
Massey: Union Co.

4A:
TP94: Allen Co. Scottsville
Calpreps: Allen Co. Scottsville
Massey: Bardstown

6A:
TP94: Ryle
Calpreps: Ryle
Massey: St. X

Ryle (9-2) will host Saint Xavier (7-4) after beating Pleasure Ridge Park 39-0. St. X is coming off a 48-13 win over Simon Kenton. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

St. X beat Ryle 31-24 back on 10/4 at St. X.

In the previous meeting Ryle had trouble stopping the St. X passing attack with St. X QB Mason Trimble throwing 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB/WR Marlon Harbin ran for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns. St. X RB. Manny Gray returned from injury against Simon Kenton and led in rushing with 124 yards and 1 touchdown. With Manny Gray now playing Marlon Harbin can play more reps at WR. The defense is led by LB Karsten Busch who has 56 tackles with 12 for a loss and 7 sacks.
 

The St. X defense against Ryle struggled to stop Ryle QB Nathan Verax who threw for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns and also ran for 71 yards and 1 touchdown. RB Jacob Savage had 53 yards rushing and 41 receiving and 2 touchdown receptions. WR Dylan Lee had 137 yards receiving. The defense was led by LB Kai Workman with 13 tackles and LB Jacob Savage with 12.

 

St. X is 5-0 against Ryle since 2009 and this looks like could be another competitive game where Ryle will have a chance at breaking the St. X win streak especially playing at home. Unfortunately, one of these teams that are championship contenders will be ending their season. Will it be the Tigers or the Raiders with the early exit from the playoffs?

Round 1 Headlines
• Johnson Walks The Scotties
• Bailey Bombs 💣 The Maroons
• Silence Is Deafening In Corbin 

First Team All-Watchlist
Jarren Johnson (Union County, QB)
A stocky, tazmanian devil of a runner, assailing you with power, speed, and determination in equal measure. 

When Glasgow stopped his momentum dead, he summoned a second wind to twist and turn over the goal line.

Johnson ran roughshod over the Scotties, featuring one run in particular that saw as many as 8-9 would-be tacklers get a hand or two on him, but unable to bring him down until 40 yards were behind them.

Forty may also number the broken tackles he accrued throughout the night, as Glasgow lunged, swatted, and bear hugged, often to no avail.

He amassed 323 yards of offense, 241 of which were gained doing what he does best, taking matters into his own hands, or more appropriately, feet.

Those feet have covered almost 4,000 yards the last two seasons. 

We saw a singular force of nature power his team to the 3A finals last year… is a similar narrative being written for Johnson?

Season to date: 160 carries for 1,848 and 34 TDs | 403 passing yards and 4 TDs | 31 tackles | 1 INT

Second Team All-Watchlist
Deuce Bailey (Bowling Green, QB)
Season to date: 163/242 for 2,585 yards and 37 TDs with 7 INTs | 271 rushing yards and 2 TDs

Third Team All-Watchlist 
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Season to date: 171/221 for 2,935 yards and 33 TDs with 3 INTs | 293 rushing yards and 10 TDs

1. Ashland Tomcats – 23-11 last season, 16th region champions - The Tomcats are seeking to pull of something not done since Clark County did from 1946 -1952, and that is win the 16th region for the 7th consecutive season. With Liberty University commit Zander Carter returning, there is a lot of reason to have optimism and he is hardly the only player returning. This team returns the top three leading scorers including Braxton Jennings and Tyson LaLonde. Point guard Cam Davis returns and he has shown the ability to run the offense and make plays. Last season Ashland played Lyon County in the first round of the state tournament, having them down seven points midway through the fourth quarter. Lyon County would come back to pull off a two point win. Despite having some close games, nobody gave Lyon County the challenge that the Tomcats did and they hope to get another shot at Rupp Arena this season. Coach Ryan Bonner has won two regional titles as Ashland's head coach and he has set Ashland up with one of the toughest regular season schedules in Kentucky.

2. Boyd County – 27-7 last season, 16th region runner up - The Lions have won 5 of the last 8 against the Tomcats in the last two seasons, including the 64th district championship both times, but have come up short in both meetings in the regional championship. They’re looking to take it to another level this year and have the personnel to dethrone the Tomcats. Three of the top four scorers return in Jacob Spurlock, Cole Hicks, and Rhett Holbrook and the three have plenty of varsity experience. Coach Randy Anderson brings experience to the helm having achieved his 500th win last season and is no stranger to making it to Rupp Arena.

All Region First Team
Ty Price – Butler County – 29 ppg – Player of the Year
Jonathan Moss – Daviess County – 17.1 ppg
Luke Beickman – Owensboro Catholic – 20.6 ppg
Jack Logsdon – Grayson County – 19.4 ppg & 6.9 rpg
Keaton Hughes – Owensboro – 16.2 ppg & 10.3 rpg
Lawson Rice – Butler County – 18 ppg & 10.7 rpg (WKU Commit – out with injury)

2nd Team
Gunnar Revelett – Muhlenberg County – 19.1 ppg
DeAaron Watkins – Daviess County – 12.4 ppg & 6.4 rpg
Briar Griffin – Butler County – 11.3 ppg & Defensive Player of the Year
Spencer Langdon – Grayson County – 16.5 ppg
Mercer Rogers – Breckinridge County – 15 ppg

Other top returning players
Michael Acton – Owensboro – 9.8 ppg
Brody Armstrong - Grayson Co - 12.2 ppg
Jace Sommers - Muhlenberg Co - 13.4 ppg
Luke Jarboe – Apollo – 12.7 ppg
Landon Henning – Apollo – 6.9 ppg & 7.3 rpg
Tate Powers - Apollo - 10.3 ppg
Solly Smith - Owensboro Catholic - 9.8 ppg
Hayden Shouse – Meade – 13.1 ppg & 6.4 rpg
Alex Madden – Hancock Co – 11.3 ppg & 9.3 rpg

Boyle County 109.10
Owensboro Catholic 98.85
Cooper 96.10
Paducah Tilghman 94.90
Ryle 94.51
Trinity 93.99
Franklin County 92.36
Highlands 92.11
Frederick Douglass 91.70
St. Xavier 90.48
Christian Academy - Lou. 89.46
Male 88.23
Bowling Green 87.90
Manual 86.76
Ashland Blazer 86.60
Corbin 85.92
Lexington Christian Academy 85.86
Covington Catholic 83.77
South Warren 82.39
Woodford County 80.39

The 13th Region. What a ride we had last season. Harlan County was the clear favorite all season in the region, but almost got upset in the first round of region by South Laurel. Then they came from behind against Clay County in another thriller before beating the Redhounds in the region finals. The close games may have been what the Black Bears needed as they rode that momentum onto the State Finals behind monster games from Trent Noah who is now playing for The University of Kentucky. 

Where do we go from here now? Trent Noah is gone. The region runner ups, the Redhounds lost three key senior pieces for them, none likely more important than their heartbeat Zander Curry. Clay County graduated Elijah Bundy and Hayden Harris, two of their big pieces. South Laurel didn’t lose a lot to graduation, and Bell County lost no one to graduation. Will North Laurel come back to relevance since the Reed Shepherd days? Can Whitley and Knox Central both make any noise? 

As far as transfers go, Harlan County has picked up Trent Cole from Harlan Independent. Landon Dezarn is now with Clay County from Jackson County. Cam Puckett is at Pineville from Berea. Kaiden McQueen is at North Laurel from South Laurel. Corbin has added a couple West Virginia kids that should also help on the basketball team barring eligibility. That is all the transfers I’ve seen in the transfer thread, if someone knows more feel free to add them in! 

Week 11 Headlines
• Douglass Gets Hard Boyled
• The Purple Spirit Is Willing And Able

First Team All-Watchlist
Demauriah Brown (Boyle County, ATH)
Season to date: 94 carries for 1,040 yards and 12 TDs | 2 receiving TDs | 24 tackles | 1 INT 
Highlights: vs. Douglass

Second Team All-Watchlist
Montavin Quisenberry (Boyle County, ATH)
Season to date: 56 carries for 584 yards and 10 TDs | 42 catches for 673 yards and 11 TDs | 2 passing TDs | 1 KR TD | 28 Tackles | 3 INTs 

Third Team All-Watchlist 
Deuce Bailey (Bowling Green, QB)

Honorable Mention
Connor Hodge (Christian Academy of Louisville, ATH)
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)
Brenden Anthony (Pikeville, RB/LB)
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB)
Brock Coffman (Sayre, ATH)
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Jarren Johnson (Union County, ATH)
Tyson Sammons (Greenup County, QB/S)

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Sayre
3. Raceland
4. Kentucky Country Day

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Lexington Christian
3. Beechwood
4. Mayfield

Class 3A
1. Central
2. Christian Academy-Louisville
3. Belfry
4. Hart County

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin

Class 5A
1. Cooper
2. Highlands
3. South Warren
4. Bowling Green

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. Manual
3. Male
4. Saint Xavier

Boyle County 108.89
Owensboro Catholic 98.10
Ryle 96.72
Cooper 96.05
Paducah Tilghman 95.31
Trinity 94.68
St. Xavier 93.22
Highlands 91.98
Franklin County 91.78
Frederick Douglass 91.56
Male 91.42
Christian Academy - Lou. 88.07
Ashland Blazer 86.32
Covington Catholic 86.01
Bowling Green 85.88
Lexington Christian Academy 85.68
Corbin 85.45
Manual 83.99
Woodford County 81.93
South Warren 80.93

Week 10 Headlines
• A healthy Anthony proves hazardous 
• Pennington a chip off the old block
• Atwell climbs the ladder

First Team All-Watchlist
Brenden Anthony (Pikeville, RB/LB)

Second Team All-Watchlist
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB)

Third Team All-Watchlist 
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)

Honorable Mention
Montavin Quisenberry (Boyle County, ATH)
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
Deuce Bailey (Bowling Green, QB)
Brock Coffman (Sayre, ATH)
Jack James (Paducah Tilghman, QB)
Connor Hodge (Christian Academy of Louisville, ATH)
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB)
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)

The Old Rivalry

Male (8-1) will host Manual (8-1) after beating Bullitt East 30-20. Manual is coming off a 42-14 win over Meade County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Last year, Male won 30-23. 

Male against Bullitt East had to lean on their Mr. Football candidates WR/QB Antonio Harris and OL Issac Sowells with the absence of scoring leader RB Chayce Burton due to injury and will have to do the same this week against Manual unless RB Chayce Burton can return but that seems doubtful without knowing the extent of his injury. Male was also beat up on the O-line and had to play some D-lineman on the O-Line to cover for those injuries. Male on defense has been led this season by LB Solomon Conley who has 46 tackles with 5 for a loss and 1 sack. 

Manual against Meade County rushed for 122 yards led by Aidan Blakey who had 47 of those with 1 touchdown on the ground. Manual had 181 yards passing with QB Kaden Mack throwing 152 of those and Aidan Blakey leading the receivers with 41 yards plus a touchdown. Starting RB Gerian Traynor was not listed on the stat report so not sure what his status is for this week's game. The defense held the good Meade County passing attack to only 99 yards through the air and also limited Meade County to 86 yards rushing. The defense this season has been led by DE Cameron Jessee who has 35 tackles and leads the team in sacks with 5 plus leads in tackles for a loss with 15. 

Since 1998, Male holds a 21-8 advantage over Manual with Manual's last win in 2020. Male leads the overall series 89-45-6. The first meeting was in 1893 making this the oldest rivalry in Kentucky. With Male's injuries it will be tough to keep the win streak going against a very good Manual team. Manual gave up over 250 yards passing against CAL and St. X so Antonio Harris will be tough for Manual to contain. This looks like a competitive game for the two old rivals who will both want to win this game bad to keep "The Barrell" trophy.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Sayre
3. Raceland
4. Kentucky Country Day
5. Campbellsville

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Lexington Christian
3. Beechwood
4. Mayfield
5. Murray

Class 3A
1. Central
2. Christian Academy-Louisville
3. Belfry
4. Hart County
5. Lexington Catholic

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin
5. Covington Catholic

Class 5A
1. Cooper
2. Highlands
3. South Warren
4. Bowling Green
5. Woodford County

Class 6A
1. Male
2. Trinity
3. Manual
4. Saint Xavier
5. Ryle

• Fade Campbellsville.... the Eagles fell to a worthy KCD squad, unable to hold up their end of a potential battle of unbeatens with Hart County.
• C'ville now gets to play the role of spoiler, as the Raiders seek a second straight undefeated regular season.
• Paducah Tilghman, Franklin County, Owensboro Catholic, and Sayre are also in position to secure a repeat of last year's 10-0 marks.
• Prestonsburg needs a win over its strongest opponent yet to lock down its first 10-0 record since 2009, and the third in program history.
• Boyle County is seeking an incredible fifth unbeaten regular season in the last seven years, but the Rebels will face a stiff challenge in one of Week 11's marquee games.

The Preseason Top 25 Players (no order):

Pulaski County - Seth Farmer, Carson Fraley, Zak Anderson
DCA - Titus Boyd, Lual Ayiei, Geu Ateny
Wayne County - Kendall Phillips
Rockcastle County - Walker Craig (still deserving of the distinction, even if injured)
Mercer County - Trevor Ellis
Somerset - Aedyn Absher
Lincoln County - Braden Fugate, Cash Baird, Sawyer Robbins
East Jessamine - Miyo Jones
Boyle County - Demauriah Brown, Seneca Driver, Guy Turner
Southwestern - Zachary Hutchinson, Antajuan Dumphord, Jarrett Simpson
Trinity Christian - Alan Coffman
McCreary County - Peyton Higginbotham
Danville - Trevarion Paige
Garrard County - Jayden Noe
West Jessamine - Gavin Murphy

Top 25

Boyle County 109.08
Owensboro Catholic 97.62
Ryle 96.71
Cooper 95.87
Paducah Tilghman 94.95
Trinity 93.86
Male 93.10
St. Xavier 93.00
Franklin County 92.03
Highlands 91.89
Frederick Douglass 90.21
Christian Academy 87.87
Ashland Blazer 86.90
Bowling Green 85.99
Lexington Christian 85.76
Corbin 84.84
Covington Catholic 84.69
Manual 84.01
Woodford County 81.33
South Warren 81.01

Week 8 Headlines
• Central's Stepping Stone To #1
• The Deadliest B.B. Gun In The West
• James Continues To Play Add-On

First Team All-Watchlist
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
The scene was feast for the football mind…. Two of the state's premier players jockeying for position in the race for Mr. Football, set against the backdrop of Louisville's middleweight kings vying for a #1 ranking.

Cortez Stone seized the opportunity like no one since Quisenberry against St. Ed's, getting the better of CAL and Connor Hodge at seemingly every turn. He beat Hodge to the punch at his own game, lighting the fuse with a halfback pass for a 43 yard touchdown, the night's first score and Stone's second touchdown pass of the season.

His feet followed suit, accounting for 145 yards and three first half touchdowns, all part of a barrage that floored the two-time reigning champions. It was a flurry from which they would not recover. 

Stone takes a big step forward in Mr. Football contention and Central grabs the top spot in the 3A polls, a place they used to call home.

Season to date: 114 carries for 1,233 yards and 19 TDs | 2 passing TDs

Second Team All-Watchlist
Bryce Button (South Warren, QB)

Third Team All-Watchlist
Jack James (Paducah Tilghman, QB)

Honorable Mention
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB)
Zack McCoart (Johnson Central, RB)
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB)
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Jeremiah Jones (Murray, ATH)

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre
4. Raceland
5. Newport Central Catholic
6. Hazard

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Lexington Christian
3. Beechwood
4. Mayfield
5. Murray

Class 3A
1. Central
2. Christian Academy-Louisville
3. Belfry
4. Hart County
5. Lexington Catholic

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin
5. Covington Catholic
6. Ashland
7. Johnson Central
8. North Oldham
9. Allen County-Scottsville
10. Bardstown

Class 5A
1. Cooper
2. Highlands
3. South Warren
4. Bowling Green
5. Woodford County

Class 6A
1. Male
2. Manual
3. Trinity
4. Saint Xavier
5. Ryle
6. Frederick Douglass

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre
4. Raceland
5. Newport Central Catholic

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Lexington Christian
3. Beechwood
4. Mayfield
5. Murray

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Central
3. Belfry
4. Hart County
5. Lexington Catholic

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin
5. Covington Catholic

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. Cooper
3. Highlands
4. South Warren
5. Scott County

Class 6A
1. Male
2. Manual
3. Trinity
4. Saint Xavier
5. Ryle

6A TP94 Power Ratings

St. Xavier 96.464
Ryle 96.459
Male 95.01
Trinity 94.84
Frederick Douglass 91.39
Manual 84.36
Madison Central 78.61
Bryan Station 78.11
Great Crossing 76.56
Fern Creek 66.55
Ballard 65.82
Oldham County 63.49
Bullitt East 63.09
Henderson County 62.92
North Hardin 61.05
George Rogers Clark 60.77
Simon Kenton 59.13
Campbell County 55.29
McCracken County 54.58
Barren County 52.74
Meade County 51.16
Tates Creek 48.34
Central Hardin 42.65
Lafayette 37.06
Pleasure Ridge Park 36.47
Paul Dunbar 35.97
Daviess County 29.88
Eastern 29.30
Henry Clay 28.48
Warren Central 21.76
Christian County 11.27
Southern 10.94

The Supermen

Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE)
Easily identifiable as one of the best players on the field, but the consistency in production hasn't been there. Isaiah Johnson is far and away Cooper's top receiver and Ryker Campbell is arguably their defensive MVP so far.
Season to date: 27 tackles | 6 sacks | 27 catches for 453 yards and 6 TDs
Stock: 📥

Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)
It was unreasonable to expect him to keep pace with his astronomical junior season, so the numbers are down from where they were at this point a year ago. Which says a lot about last year, because he's been outstanding again.
Season To Date: 106/163 for 1,720 yards and 25 TDs with 4 INTs | 303 rushing yards and 8 TDs
Stock: ↔️

Martels Carter Jr. (Paducah Tilghman, ATH)
He's fallen off the pace due to a reduced role, though it has nothing to do with his capabilities. In all likelihood, he's being saved for the gauntlet of 4A's postseason. #wenotme
Season to date: 18 reception for 163 yards and 3 TDs | 1 KR TD | 3 INTs | 1 fumble forced and 1 recovered
Stock: 📥

Boyle County 107.78
St. Xavier 101.72
Trinity 97.60
Ryle 96.62
Male 95.86
Cooper 95.84
Paducah Tilghman 95.44
Christian Academy - Louisville 92.85
Frederick Douglass 92.71
Franklin County 90.47
Highlands 90.35
Owensboro Catholic 88.91
Ashland Blazer 87.37
Bowling Green 86.55
Lexington Christian Academy 85.44
Covington Catholic 83.14
Corbin 82.55
Manual 81.39
Woodford County 80.14
South Warren 78.23

Week 6 Headlines
• All Gas, No Brakes In Paintsville 
• Harris Turns It On Again

First Team All-Watchlist
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Season to date: 109/149 for 1,694 yards and 17 TDs with 2 INTs | 260 rushing yards and 9 TDs 

Second Team All-Watchlist
Zack McCoart (Johnson Central, RB)
Season to date: 140 carries for 1,479 yards and 18 TDs 

Third Team All-Watchlist
Antonio Harris (Male, ATH)
Harris is the state's undisputed big play, big game receiver so far this season. He posted season

Honorable Mention
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB)
Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE)
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB)
Brock Coffman (Sayre, ATH)

Class 1A
1. Pikeville
2. Campbellsville
3. Sayre
4. Raceland

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Lexington Christian
3. Beechwood
4. Mayfield  
5. Murray   

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Central
3. Belfry
4. Hart County
5. Lexington Catholic

Class 4A
1. Boyle County
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Franklin County
4. Corbin
5. Covington Catholic

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. Cooper
3. Highlands

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier
2. Male
3. Trinity