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

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

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville
2. Lexington Catholic 
3. Central 

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

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

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

'Title Town' Tussle Meets The Hype

The chance they wouldn't deliver was slim. The talent, too abundant. The nerves, too steady. The stage beckoned and they heeded the call. They, of course, referring to the headline makers at Boyle County and Lexington Christian Academy.

No one inspires more captions or pulls a crowd this year like Cutter Boley. The future Wildcat's heights are hard to reach, both literally and figuratively. He stands a minimum 6'5" and delivers spirals no other quarterback in the state can equal. But if there's a chink in the armor, it's his nagging propensity to turn the ball over.

We saw the highs and lows of his arm talent early on with his first two pass attempts. His first was a forty yard rope, placed where only his receiver could catch it. The combination of accuracy and velocity that emphasizes why he's such a coveted prospect. The second pass killed a promising opening drive as he sailed a throw that was tipped and picked.

In the five losses Boley has suffered at LCA, he's thrown nearly as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns (11).

When he was on target, real estate was coming in bunches. He finished with 406 yards, his fourth career game of 400+, but it was a 50/50 split on touchdowns and interceptions (3 apiece).

Going through the threads from the Highlands/CovCath rivalry it reads to me like there are a lot of Highlands folks who are unhappy with the coaching and culture of the Highlands football team. At least a lot of the Highands folks on here seem to feel that way, anyway. Comments about player attitudes and behavior, a mess of personal fouls on Friday including one that was apparently called on Sphire himself, player discipline on the field.

I've always heard it takes a new coach 3 years to get his system in place. This is year 3 for Bob Sphire at Highlands. Is his system in place?

Obviously the natives are restless after losing to Cov. But is this year do or die for Sphire with the Bluebirds? What is the bare minimum for Highlands fans to feel like he's done "enough" to make them happy come the end of this season? Is his seat hot right now? With a former player as his AD, can his seat really even get all that hot?

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

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

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville 
2. Lexington Catholic 
3. Central 
4. Bell County 
5. Lloyd Memorial 

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

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

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

Cardinals make the trip to McWright Field to renew the second oldest rivalry in the state. Mayfield has won 17 in a row over the Big Blue Tornado, and the desperation at PT to end this streak is nearly palpable. What do you say? Will the streak finally come to an end this year? 

Can these two deliver a game worthy of the names on the front of the jerseys? The previous six meetings have been lesser than the sum of their parts. The winning margins in the series have been 31, 28, 43, 22, 17, and last year's 39 point Pikeville romp. For as great as both programs are, the games haven't exactly been time capsule material, but there's a good chance that changes this year. LCA has gone toe to toe with the top ranked teams in 4A and 5A, proving they can punch well above their weight class. Pikeville just wrestled a grizzly bear and not only lived to tell about it, but they have the head mounted on their wall. The Eagles got blown out in Pikeville last year with Blake Birchfield running wild. Cutter Boley threw for over 400 yards and three scores, but was picked off three times in defeat, closely mirroring his numbers from the loss to Boyle County. 

Bowling Green (0-1) at Owensboro (0-1)

Well it certainly was an eventful opening week to the season for both these teams.  But unfortunately for both, they both come into this game with 0-1 records.  I felt both played very well vs what may be the 2A and 3A state champions.  Onward!

This will be the 83rd meeting between these 2 old rivals.  For BG, Owensboro is its most played opponent all time with BG leading the razor thin all time series 41-39-2.  Interesting of note is the rivalry dates back to the 1932 season according to BGHS records compiled by my friends the late, great PurpleHaze and @DragonFire.  In that 1932 game, BG pulled out a 14-13 win typical of the closeness of the series.  However, according to the historical Owensboro records there is a listing on October 16, 1915 where Owensboro defeated “Bowling Green” 55-0; then defeated “Bowling Green College” in 1916 6-0.  So depending on which side of the aisle you sit, you have a way to say you won the first game of this series!

They played every season from 2007 to 2018 (12 straight years); 1985 to 2000 (16 straight years); and 1932 to 1973 (42 straight years).  Most remember BGs long streak of wins (14 straight) from 2009 to 2018 (includes playoff games), but most don’t remember Owensboro’s streak of 15 straight wins from 1956 to 1971 (includes bypassing a few ties in that time).  The game BG broke that Owensboro 15 game win streak in 1972 – a 14-13 win for the Purples. 

With due respect to one of the state's premier rivalries happening up north, I see this as the game of the week for Week 2 for the rest of the Commonwealth.

The #1 team in 4A, pursuing a fourth consecutive state championship versus a top 2A contender - and in the opinion of some, the true #1 of that class - that just toppled the #1 team in 5A.

The star power on the field may be unmatched the rest of the season.

Players Featured This Week

Brady Hensley (RB/DB, Lexington Christian Academy)
Season to date: 30 carries for 402 yards and 5 touchdowns | 87 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns

Cutter Boley (Lexington Christian Academy)
Season to date: 22/35 for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns and 1 interception

Avery Bodner (RB/DB, Boyle County)
Season to date: 10 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown | 5 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown | 5 tackles 

Sage Dawson (QB/DB, Boyle County)
Season to date: 14/23 for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns 

Brody Benke (QB, Highlands)
Season to date: 12/17 for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception | 111 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns | 42 receiving yards and a touchdown 

Jackson Wasik (QB, Lexington Catholic)
Season to date: 26/40 for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception 

Cole Hodge (QB, Christian Academy of Louisville)
Season to date: 25/35 for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception | 37 rushing yards and 1 touchdown

Shaun Boykins (WR, North Hardin)
Season to date: 14 receptions for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns | 1 kick return touchdown

1. Pikeville 
2. Raceland 
3. Campbellsville 
4. Kentucky Country Day 
5. Middlesboro 

1. Beechwood 
2. Lexington Christian Academy 
3. Mayfield 
4. Owensboro Catholic 
5. Shelby Valley 

1. Christian Academy-Louisville 
2. Lexington Catholic 
3. Central 
4. Belfry 
5. Bell County 

1. Boyle County 
2. Corbin 
3. Covington Catholic 
4. Johnson Central 
5. Ashland 

1. Bowling Green 
2. Scott County 
3. Highlands  
4. Cooper 
5. Owensboro 

1. Trinity 
2. Male 
3. Saint Xavier 
4. Frederick Douglass 
5. Bullitt East 

Covington Catholic travels to The Fort. Who wins? What matchups are looking forward to seeing?

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

Class 2A
1. Beechwood 
2. Mayfield 
3. Lexington Christian Academy 

Class 3A
1. Christian Academy-Louisville 
2. Central 
3. Lexington Catholic 

Class 4A
1. Boyle County 
2. Corbin 
3. Covington Catholic 

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green 
2. Scott County 
3. Woodford 

Class 6A
1. Frederick Douglass 
2. Male
3. Bryan Station 

Everyone has their own criteria for a "must see" game, and the biggest rivalries - T vs. X and CovCath vs. Highlands, to name a couple - are woven into the fabric of football season around these parts. This will focus more on the matchups we either don't see often, have never seen before, or eagerly await the sequel to from last year.

Over the course of a season, most games only matter to the locals, but some of the picks here will transcend regional borders.. 

Christian Academy Quarterbacks Break First From The Gate To Headline The State's Mr. Football Field

Faith is an institutional cornerstone of the Christian Academies in Louisville and Lexington. While fostering faith in God may serve as the ultimate mission at CAL and LCA, the sermons delivered inside the walls of the watchlist serve another purpose. And as their congregations convene under the Friday night lights, coaches Doug Charles and Hunter Cantwell will rest their faith in the divine talents of Cutter Boley and Cole Hodge, respectively. 

As pre-season hype goes, a Mr. Football resumé is as strong as a player's junior campaign and collegiate prospects. Hodge holds the advantage in the former. Boley, the latter. But both ace every test with flying colors.

The KHSAA's recent decision to shelve the option of playing up in class led to a few comments in the realignment thread about teams that would/could have won championships in higher classes. It got me thinking about champion vs. champion encounters in the regular season where the smaller school wins and both teams go on to win their respective class.

- The first such occurrence that immediately came to mind was '98 Highlands taking its first step toward immortality by besting eventual 4A champ Male in a Week 1 bowl game. 

- Defense and special teams won the day for Danville in 2017, as the winners of class 2A eked out a 10-7 win over 3A champ Boyle County on a field goal inside the final minute. 

- Belfry has been involved in three such occurrences during its run as 3A kingpin: They emerged victorious over 4A champion Johnson Central in an epic 2016 battle for the ages. Both rolled to state titles a few weeks later. On the losing end, Pikeville edged the Pirates by a point in 2019 and worked them over by four scores in 2021 on their way to a pair of 1A titles while Belfry would regroup to win 3A each time. 

Inspired by the Quisenberry recruiting thread. 

The "Who Ya With?" crowd will back their man. Others say it's up for debate. So let's have one. For what it's worth, the Rivals recruiting service has Quisenberry #1 in Kentucky for the class of '25. 

247Sports has Austin Alexander #1, followed by Central's Cortez Stone, then Quisenberry, his Boyle County teammate Brock Driver, and FD's Aveion Chenault as its top five.

Prospect rankings alone won't settle this. You have to take into account on-field production and impact, level of competition, and the always important eye test. 

Here's a quick rundown of the three players in contention that are highly rated by both major recruiting outfits: 

Montavin Quisenberry (ATH, Boyle County)
Austin Alexander (Edge/TE, Cooper)
Cortez Stone (RB, Lou. Central)
Someone else?

Which teams have indoor training facilities? Does your team practice no matter what the weather?

2023 All BluegrassPreps.com Boys Basketball Team

Continuing our tradition of leadership in Kentucky high school sports information, news, and discussion, BluegrassPreps.com announces its 12th annual (and final) 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.

Evan Ipsaro, Covington Catholic
Jacob Meyer, Covington Holy Cross
Teagan Moore, Owen County
Jerone Morton, George Rogers Clark
Trent Noah, Harlan County
Travis Perry, Lyon County
Reece Potter, Lexington Catholic
Reed Sheppard, North Laurel
Gabe Sisk, Ballard
Chappelle Whitney, Warren Central

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Reed Sheppard, North Laurel

Final. Congrats to the Dragons of Warren Central on a great season. The finish the season at 35-1 and winning 27 straight.

Reed Sheppard Named 2023 Kentucky Mr. Basketball

Career: 3,704 points (22.5 ppg) 1,045 rebounds (6.4 rebs/gm)

Senior: 773 pts, 22.1 ppg; 303 rebs; 48.7% fg; 39.5% 3pt; 88.6% ft
Junior: 856 pts, 25.2 ppg; 233 rebs; 53.7% fg; 38.2% 3pt; 89.4% ft
Sophomore: 843 pts, 30.1 ppg; 199 rebs; 55.8% fg; 40.9% 3pt; 88.0% ft
Freshman: 660 pts, 20.6 ppg; 167 rebs; 50.4% fg; 33.6% 3pt; 77.5% ft
8th Grade: 572 pts, 16.3 ppg; 143 rebs; 47.9% fg; 34.7% 3pt; 76.4% ft

2022 Kentucky Gatorade Player Of The Year (Junior)

Final the Valkyries win their 3rd straight championship. They finish the season at 34-3 and were undefeated against Kentucky teams and yet according to RPI they were the 2nd best team in their region. Go figure. Congrats to Sacred Heart a heck of team!

𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗦 𝗝𝗔𝗬 𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠

The Beechwood Independent Schools is very pleased to announce, with both great pride and optimism, that Jay Volker has been selected to serve as the next head coach of the storied Tigers football program. For the past two seasons, Volker served in the same role on the sidelines at Talawanda High School in Oxford, Ohio, after successful stints as an assistant in the greater Cincinnati area. In nearly a half century of football in Fort Mitchell, Volker will be only the fourth head coach to oversee the Beechwood program, taking the torch from Bernie Barre (1975-1990), Mike Yeagle (1991-2005), and Noel Rash, who wore the visor for seventeen seasons (2006-2022) and retired from coaching in February. All told, the Tigers won 17 KHSAA state championships under Barre, Yeagle and Rash and have established a tradition of excellence both on and off the gridiron.

“I am excited, honored, and incredibly humbled to be the next head coach at Beechwood, because it is a top-tier school both athletically and academically,” said Volker. “You look back at nearly fifty years of Beechwood football, and three head coaches have been here. They’ve thrived and loved it. It tells you all you need to know about how special this place is and I can’t wait to get started.”

1.  Cooper (33rd District) -- they lose 39.4% of their points from this season and 40.4% of their rebounds.  They graduate Kay Friehofer, Whitney Lind, and Yamilet Rondon-Rivera.

2.  Notre Dame (35th District) -- they lose 32.4% of their points and 11.9% of their rebounds.  They graduate Noelle Hubert.

3.  Holy Cross (35th District) -- they lose 41.6% of their points and 33.5% of their rebounds.  They graduate Aleah Arlinghaus, Sarah Bottom, Nejai Lewis, and Elizabeth McCoy.

4.  Ryle (33rd District) -- they lose 43.1% of their points and 31.3% of their rebounds.  They graduate Emerson Fong, Anna Gregory, Abby Holtman, Austin Johnson, and Meredith Snider.

5.  Highlands (36th District) -- they lose 13.7% of their points and 12.6% of their rebounds.  They graduate Alyssa Harris.

6.  NewCath (36th District) -- they lose 7.2% of their points and 18.9% of their rebounds.  They graduate Natalie Haigis and Joelle Kinnett.

7.  Simon Kenton (32nd District) -- they lose 18.1% of their points and 25.3% of their rebounds.  They graduate Belle Bach, Edyn Chenot, Joyce Cooper, and Emilee Eggleston.

8.  Conner (33rd District) -- they lose 44.3% of their points and 52.8% of their rebounds.  They graduate Elaina Keller, Breanna Maidens, Emily McGraw, Juliet Strange, and Kelsee Simpson.

9.  Dixie (34th District) -- they lose 47.4% of their points and 27.9% of their rebounds.  They graduate Samantha Berman and Ella Steczynski.

10. St. Henry (34th District) -- they lose 21.1% of their points and 22.2% of their rebounds.  They graduate Jadyn Danbury and Chilota Iloegbunam.

Welcome to the Final Top 10 of the year for Northern Kentucky Girls' High School basketball -- this area has seldom been better than it is this year (3 of the top 10 teams in KY by nearly every ranking service)!!  It has been a pleasure covering the girls' hoops in the area and trying to fairly rank them (and their nearest chasers) each week, and I appreciate those of you that have read along with us.  I also want to thank @Runcible Owlwho often posts games before I can get to them, and I'm incredibly thankful for him doing that!  Thanks R.O.!!

With all of that said, the post-season has arrived, so below you'll find our FINAL Top 10, along with the 4 "others", as well as how they enter the post-season and what they have coming up.  Hopefully we see many of these teams over the next several weeks!  Good luck to everyone in the post-season, stay healthy, have fun, and stay focused on your task at hand even as your AAU coaches are pestering you about upcoming practices and tournaments.  😎

1. Warren Central
2. Lexington Catholic
3. North Oldham
4. Frederick Douglass
5. George Rogers Clark
6. Lyon County
7. Great Crossing
8. Covington Catholic
9. Ballard
10. Trinity