If outscoring your first four opponents 159-14 isn't firing on all cylinders, then I don't know what is. And that's exactly where Beechwood is right now. At 4-0, the Tigers have already taken down teams in 1A, 2A, 5A and 6A. This week they take the short trip down to Park Hills for another 5A competitor in Covington Catholic.

Cov Cath is sitting with a 3-1 record, with three straight wins over Pikeville, Lex Cath, and Dixie Heights. Their only loss came in Week 1 when the Colonels lost their home opener to Elder (OH).

Game Questions all answered in this thread:
1. Just how good is this Beechwood defense?
2. What will the Covington Catholic offensive game plan be?
3. Can Mitchell Berger do a Michael Mayer on the Colonels?
4. Will the Colonels defense fill the box and force the Tigers to throw the ball?

Class 1A
1. Pikeville vs. 3A #5 Belfry
2. Raceland vs 2A West Carter
3. Newport Central Catholic at 2A Covington Holy Cross 

Class 2A
1. Beechwood at 5A #7 Covington Catholic 
2. Mayfield at 4A Calloway County
3. Lexington Christian Academy at 4A #3 Lexington Catholic

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. 2A #4 Owensboro Catholic
2. Paducah Tilghman at 5A #3 South Warren
3. Glasgow at Hart County

Class 4A
1. Boyle County at 5A #5 Bowling Green
2. Corbin at 2A #7 Somerset
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 2A #3 Lexington Christian Academy

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass at 6A Henry Clay 
2. Woodford County at 4A #8 Franklin County 
3. South Warren vs. 3A #2 Paducah Tilghman 

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier at Elder (OH)
2. Trinity vs. #5 Male
3. Manual vs La Salle (OH)

First ratings of 2022 season. Most teams have three games and some less. Out of state games don't count so Trinity doesn't have rating yet but will after Male game. Ratings use margin of victory/loss against strength of schedule of teams played. There is no cap on point margin so a team could run the score up on weak opponents and artificially have better rating than how good they really are, but as more games are played should average out.

Beechwood Bros Bomb The Briar Patch

Antonio Robinson Jr. joining the Tigers was like adding special sauce to an already mouth watering burger (sp?). He compliments (condiments?) Mitchell Berger's steak with a little South Florida sizzle. Listen people, I know the jokes and puns are going to get old real quick, but they practically write themselves.

There was nothing funny about what the two did to Somerset's defense in Week 3. Berger battered the Jumpers for 256 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns, while Robinson generated some electricity on a short catch and long run, plus an explosive punt return that was unfortunately called back. The touchdown that stood was a thing of beauty, as he shook a couple of defenders in tight quarters before swiftly tightroping the sideline 62 yards for the score. Meanwhile, Berger was painting his own masterpiece that began with a 30 yard touchdown run on Beechwood's opening possession. The highlight of his night was a catch and run covering 61 yards that was punctuated by Berger bowling over a helpless would-be tackler at the goal line. All together, the duo scored from 25, 30, 59, 61, and 62 yards, plus Robinson's 71 yard penalized punt return touchdown. The lightning bolt capabilities of Robinson, paired with Berger's relentless tenacity and all-around skill set, give the Tigers 2A's most fearsome offensive 1-2 punch.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville -- OPEN
2. Raceland at 5A Highlands
3. Newport Central Catholic at 2A #9 Walton Verona

Class 2A
1. Beechwood vs. 6A Simon Kenton
2. Lexington Christian Academy vs. 3A #2 Christian Academy-Louisville
3. Mayfield at 6A McCracken County

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman -- OPEN
2. Christian Academy-Louisville at 2A #2 Lexington Christian Academy 
3. Glasgow vs. 4A Allen County-Scottsville

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 6A Henderson County
2. Corbin vs. 5A #7 Pulaski County
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 6A Pleasure Ridge Park

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. 6A Dunbar
2. Owensboro at 2A #4 Owensboro Catholic
3. South Warren at Gibson Southern (IN)

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier -- OPEN
2. Trinity at La Salle (OH)
3. Manual vs. 4A Valley

Goodin? More Like Great'n!

Okay, I admit that was a bad joke and a little too 'on the nose'. I would normally see myself out right now, but I have to finish this thing first. I do have a serious question to pose: Do we have another Joe Humphreys in the making here? It's still too early to tell and the pace Humphreys set last year was as torrid as we've ever seen. Kenyon Goodin has yet to drop seven touchdowns on anyone like the former Daviess County star did three times last year, but it's coming. You can feel it. Goodin possesses a similar skill set to Humphreys and they both served/serve as the catalyst for virtually everything that happens in their respective offenses. He played a hand in six scores in Week 1 and notched five more in the Titans' 48-14 win over Bullitt Central to go with 314 yards of total offense. Given the frequent, quarterback-centric nature of Collins' offense in the past, this could be the beginning of a special ride.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville at #7 Paintsville
2. Raceland vs. 4A Rowan County
3. Hazard at 2A Breathitt County

Class 2A
1. Beechwood at #9 Somerset
2. Lexington Christian Academy vs. 3A #4 Belfry
3. Mayfield vs. 3A #1 Paducah Tilghman

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman at 2A #3 Mayfield
2. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. 5A Bullitt Central
3. Glasgow at 2A Monroe County

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 2A #7 Danville
2. Johnson Central at 5A North Laurel
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 5A #9 Covington Catholic

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. 6A Lafayette 
2. Owensboro vs. 6A Daviess County 
3. South Warren -- OPEN 

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier at #5 Male
2. Trinity vs. Center Grove (IN)
3. Manual at North Hardin

We hear this a lot from school officials who are concerned that a video stream will negatively affect the host schools’ funds. I actually dealt with this argument for radio, too, in the 1990s from a Louisville high school athletic director who required us to pay a fee to cover a football game on WRSL. Thankfully, the rest of the state understands the importance of small town radio coverage.

Now, we are dealing with an uneven acceptance of live video coverage by host schools. While the KHSAA controls postseason events, host schools control regular season games, and the access we can offer the public is controlled by them.

The value of an enduring first impression takes time to measure, but two players in particular got an early jump on the competition in Week 1. District mates Kenyon Goodin and Jacob Jones got their seasons off on the best foot possible, leading their teams to victory with scintillating individual performances. Collins' Goodin picked up where he left off last year, when he "discreetly" amassed 3,500 yards of offense and 52 touchdowns. He totalled 431 yards and six touchdowns against Shelby County, with upper and lower body working to maximum effect.

Not to be outdone, Jones displayed his own considerable dual threat skill set to the tune of 527 yards and six combined scores. The son of UK great Pookie Jones, who holds an offer from the Cats, raced past Bourbon County defenders for 342 rushing yards. Goodin's output was nothing we haven't seen from him before, but Jones has entered a new statistical stratosphere, one that now has him squarely on the Mr. Football radar. For the time being, it heightens the anticipation of their head to head meeting in the penultimate week of the regular season.

Class 1A
1. Pikeville vs. 5A #9 Covington Catholic (8/27)
2. Raceland vs. 3A Russell (8/27)
3. Hazard vs. 4A Harlan County 

Class 2A
1. Beechwood vs. 1A #4 Paintsville
2. Lexington Christian Academy vs. 3A Mercer County (at Boyle County)
3. Mayfield vs. 4A #10 Hopkinsville

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman vs. 5A Graves County
2. Christian Academy-Louisville vs. 5A North Bullitt
3. Glasgow vs. 1A Russellville

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. 6A #10 Bryan Station
2. Johnson Central vs. 6A Fern Creek at Lexington Catholic
3. Lexington Catholic vs. 6A Henry Clay

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass at 6A Tates Creek 
2. Owensboro vs. 6A Apollo
3. South Warren at Hendersonville (TN)

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier vs. 4A #6 Central
2. Trinity at Moeller (OH)
3. Male at 6A #8 Ballard

Class 1A
1. Pikeville at 4A #6 Corbin
2. Raceland vs. 3A Ashland at Wheelersburg (OH) (8/20)
3. Hazard vs. 2A #6 Middlesboro  vs. 6A Campbell County at Thomas More University

Class 2A
1. Beechwood at 5A Fairdale (8/20)
2. Lexington Christian Academy at 6A #6 Madison Central
3. Mayfield at 5A Graves County

Class 3A
1. Paducah Tilghman vs. 6A McCracken County 
2. Christian Academy-Louisville at 5A South Oldham 
3. Belfry vs. 5A #10 Pulaski County 

Class 4A
1. Boyle County vs. Madison Consolidated (IN) at Mercer County (8/20)
2. Johnson Central at 6A Lafayette
3. Franklin County vs. 5A Scott County at Great Crossing

Class 5A
1. Frederick Douglass vs. 6A #5 Bryan Station 
2. Owensboro at 6A #1 St. Xavier 
3. Woodford County vs. 3A LaRue County 

Class 6A
1. Saint Xavier vs. 5A #2 Owensboro 
2. Trinity at Carmel (IN) 
3. Male at Floyd Central (IN) 

Few things in Kentucky high school football are as absolute as Louisville owning the big school state championship. A quarter century of T/X/H dominance has bred cynicism and perhaps a measure of apathy in regards to the yearly outcome of our largest classification. We're confident we "know" how it's going to end, but that doesn't mean we can't take pleasure in the journey.

The big school division was given a rare reprieve from Trinity's relentless pursuit of championship hardware last year. Rebuilding years are few and far between for the Rocks, but last year qualifies. They still reached the semifinals, but were handily dispatched by Male, capping T's first losing season since 1995. You have to go back nearly that far to find a time when Trinity went more than one year between state championships. You read that right… the Shamrocks haven't gone more than one season without a title in over twenty years. 

Pikeville has been the alpha dog of 1A under the current alignment and the foundation beneath its feet shows no signs of cracking. They'll enter this season as the top ranked team in the class again and just scrimmaged Johnson Central to a virtual tie. The Panthers haven't been this hot since Hillard Howard was patrolling the sidelines. But that lofty position carries with it a target on their back and several hunters will be taking aim this year. Let's do a fly-by of five potential contenders - or are they pretenders? - to Pikeville this season.

Every year, long before the schedules are released, you can point to certain games that have a "must see" quality. They're typically rivalry games that we see every season, but I'm moving away from the usual suspects. Below are six games from the 2022 docket that involve schools that have either never met or don't hook up often. Something fresh, although one of the games featured below was one of last year's high points of opening weekend and should be again. There's a hook for each game that should draw in viewers, listeners, and BGP browsers from Pikeville to Paducah. 

As the 2022 season draws near, it's time to sink our teeth into what's become our annual peak at the top contenders for Kentucky's most prestigious individual award, Mr. Football.

But first, a quick recap of last season: This time last year, it looked like a two horse race between 2020 Mr. Football Cam Hergott and Gavin Wimsatt. After Owensboro's star signal caller noped out on the remainder of the season in favor of early enrollment at Rutgers, all eyes were fixed on Hergott as the favorite to repeat. He put together a stellar season and was joined in the conversation by several others along the way, including Jack Sivori and the uber productive Joe Humphreys. But when the dust settled, it was Isaac Dixon who emerged with the prize on the heels of a turf tearing, legend making performance in the 3A State Finals.

Looking ahead: This year's field is as wide open as we've seen in a while. At this juncture, there appears to be no clear favorite, which could make for numerous twists and turns on the road to crowning this year's winner. Some names you may already know, while others may take time to come into focus.

I'll be doing my Top 30 countdown again this year of Kentucky High School Football Teams.

Football season starts in 30 days so I'll be counting down 1 team per day from #30 leading up to the start of the season.

I just couldn't resist getting something started for the NKY Girls soccer season on BGP.  We are 12 days away from the Soccerama games hosted at Beechwood Friday, Aug 5th and 6th.  Therefore, I have decided instead of revealing my Preseason Top 10 all at once I would mimic what Teeroy does on the Football Forum and give you a slow burn to my Top 10.

KRS 156.070 (2)(h)
Any student who transfers enrollment from a district of residence to a nonresident district under KRS 157.350(4)(b) shall be ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics for one (1) calendar year from the date of the transfer.

Congratulations to the St. Xavier Tigers, your 2022 Kentucky State Baseball Champions. 

Crooked numbers in the 3rd and 5th innings propel the Tigers to the program's 9th state title, more than any other school in state history. Ben Purnell had a big night at the dish with a pair of doubles and 4 RBIs. Jake Gregor (4 IP, 5H, 1 R) and Ben Tedesco (3 IP, 2 H) combined to pitch a great ballgame to compliment the two big offensive innings.

Commissioner Tackett was given time on the agenda for today's Board of Control meeting to discuss the results of the KHSAA's annual survey to member schools about currently sanctioned sports/state championships, and the addition of new sanctioned sports/state championships. Here are some of the highlights of that particular discussion...

2022 All BluegrassPreps.com Boys Basketball Team

Continuing its tradition of leadership in Kentucky high school sports information, news, and discussion, BluegrassPreps.com announces its eleventh annual All-BluegrassPreps.com Boys Basketball Team.

BluegrassPreps.com honors the state's top 10 players, with emphasis on building a true team. The All-BluegrassPreps.com team recognizes 10 players whose versatility and all-around contributions to their respective teams sets them apart.

"The Carter G Woodson Academy is the single biggest athletic advantage in the state. It is housed at Douglass and just makes it so much easier to get the talent in there."

Agree or Disagree?

I am presently working on a project with the Frazier Museum that will be opening later in the year. They have ask me to help them with a list of the biggest rivalries in high school sports in Kentucky....like Male vs Manual. The history of the "good old fashion, down to earth clean hate" is important. New rivalries are also important. As a long time follower of high school sports, I have given them a few names but we would like to expand our list.

It is my understanding that they will interview people and possibly display uniforms from those schools. Please list those teams that just "make you sick" when you lose. Please give some history of this rivalry.

Turner Buttry was named Mr. Basketball tonight. He is the second Bowling Green Purple to be named Mr. Basketball, after Josh Carrier who won in 2001.