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

Boyle County 107.58
St. Xavier 100.67
Trinity 97.55
Ryle 96.70
Male 95.96
Paducah Tilghman 95.46
Cooper 95.38
Christian Academy Louisville 92.33
Frederick Douglass 92.03
Owensboro Catholic 90.04
Highlands 88.56
Franklin County 87.90
Bowling Green 87.78
Lexington Christian Academy 85.32
Ashland Blazer 84.77
Corbin 83.58
Woodford County 82.97
Covington Catholic 82.20
Manual 82.08
Owensboro 80.57

Week 6 Headlines
• KHSAA Passing Records, the King James Version
• Q leaves LexCath in his rear view 
• Manual struck down by a “Hodge”-podge

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

Second Team All-Watchlist
Montavin Quisenberry (Boyle County, ATH)

Third Team All-Watchlist
Connor Hodge (Christian Academy of Louisville, ATH)

Honorable Mention
Cortez Stone (Central, RB)
Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE)
Clay Hayden (Beechwood, QB)
Deuce Bailey (Bowling Green, QB)
Luke Pennington (Sayre, QB)
Brock Coffman (Sayre, ATH)
Kade Elam (Corbin, QB)
Bryce Button (South Warren, QB)

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

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. Lexington Catholic
5. Hart County

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. Woodford County

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

The ratings use avg. margin of victory applied to avg. strength of schedule played. There is a cap of 40 pts on margin of victory for teams that have ratings within 40 points of each other, so teams don't benefit from running up the score. Also, teams that play an opponent that is over 40 pts less in the ratings will not be hurt by running clock or putting reserves in. This part is a little subjective but looking at the scores is pretty easy to identify.

Boyle County 107.30
Paducah Tilghman 98.95
Trinity 97.96
St. Xavier 97.91
Male 96.04
Cooper 95.15
Ryle 94.97
Frederick Douglass 93.38
Owensboro Catholic 88.66
Christian Academy - Louisville 87.97
Bowling Green 87.91
Franklin County 87.62
Highlands 87.57
Manual 84.46
Lexington Christian 84.00
Woodford County 82.68
Covington Catholic 82.09
Corbin 81.96
Great Crossing 81.92
Ashland Blazer 81.58

Manual (5-0) will host Christian Academy-Louisville (3-2) after defeating South Warren 35-7. CAL is coming off a 28-24 loss to Ryle.

Last year, CAL won 54-36.

Manual against South Warren had a big performance out of QB Kaden Mack who passed for 163 yds and two touchdowns plus rushed for 41 yards. WR Willis Nofsinger had 148 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. The defense had a great game holding South Warren to 1 touchdown and was led by Cameron Jessee who had 5 tackles with 3 of them for a loss.

CAL against Ryle had a 24-7 lead before giving up 21 pts to lose a close game and was led by QB Connor Hodge who passed for 227 yards plus rushed for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This looks like should be a competitive game but Manual comes in flying high with the good win over South Warren, and CAL will be looking to rebound from a tough loss where they have to think they let the win get away from them. Does Manual avenge last year's loss and move to 6-0 or does CAL get back in the win column after two losses to two very good teams?

Trinity (4-1) and Saint Xavier (2-2) will meet in their annual rivalry game at L&N Cardinal Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 8:00 PM. Trinity is coming off a 24-21 win over Male, and St. X is coming off a 17-15 loss to Elder (OH).

Both teams have a common opponent in Male this season with Trinity beating Male 24-21, and St. X losing to Male in OT 35-34.

Last year, Trinity beat St. X twice with a 38-14 win in the 6A playoffs and a 45-10 regular season win.

Trinity against Male was led by RB Jamaurion Berry who had 96 yards rushing and 1 TD. QB Zane Johnson ran for the pivotal winning TD competing the comeback after being down 21-6. WR Jason Hagan led with 95 yards receiving. Kicker Carson Hilbert had big game where he hit 3/4 of field goals. The defense held the powerful Male offense to 21 points and forced 4 turnovers.

St. X against Elder was led by QB Mason Trimble who threw for 240 yards. WR/RB Marlon Harbin had 60 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving. Both times near the goal line QB Thomas Andriole was brought in to run and he scored both of St. X's TD's running. The St. X defense held Elder to all their 2 touchdowns in the first half but couldn't stop the Elder passing game in the final minute of the game which resulted in the game winning FG by Elder as time expired.

 

Based on the common opponent of Male, this looks like could be a competitive game. Both of St. X losses have been by a combined 3 pts. With Trinity winning in dominating fashion last year it would be hard to pick against the Shamrocks unless you are a Tiger backer. Trinity will be looking to come out strong after how the Male game started out and St. X will chomping at the bit to break their two game losing streak plus avenge last year's losses. Do the Shamrocks get the win extending their streak over the Tigers or do the Tigers get a much needed win?

 

Week 5 Headlines
• Alexander Takes The Fight To Warhawks
• A Rolling Stone Faster Than A Speeding Bullitt 
• Male's Heart And “Sowells”

First Team All-Watchlist
Austin Alexander (Cooper, DE/TE)
It took a minute to get his teeth into the game, but once he did, Alexander picked the bones clean. In fact, his whole season was in need of a spark on the offensive side of the ball. Mission accomplished, as he caught nine passes for 165 yards and three scores in a primetime match-up with Great Crossing. Each of his three touchdown grabs demonstrated a different dimension of his offensive skill set.
#1 - Crisp route running and run after catch while evading multiple tacklers.
#2 - Torching a DB and catching the ball in stride on a go route.
#3 - Channeling his inner power forward and posting up his man to high point the football.
All that from a 240+ pound future ACC edge rusher, who by the way, complimented his offense with a handful of tackles, including a couple for loss.
Season to date: 15 tackles | 4 sacks | 21 catches for 334 yards and 4 TDs 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brady Atwell (Owensboro Catholic, QB)

For all the physical tools in his possession, Atwell's greatest attribute might be his indomitable will. He wills the ball into tight windows; No one makes dangerous throws look safer (see below). He wills his legs to game sealing touchdowns; Moving the sticks to milk the clock is for commoners, he's going 58 to the house when everyone in the place knows who's got the ball. Atwell posted nearly 400 yards of offense (290 passing/104 rushing) and six touchdowns to damn the Devils again, concluding his career against Owensboro at 3-0. He also became O-Cath's all-time leader in completions and passing yards.

Boyle County 105.7
Paducah Tilghman 99.23
Trinity 95.54
St. Xavier 95.03
Male 93.08
Ryle 92.69
Frederick Douglass 91.97
Cooper 89.18
Franklin County 88.24
Owensboro Catholic 87.69
Corbin 87.38
Bowling Green 86.65
Lexington Christian Academy 86.22
Christian Academy - Lou. 85.9
Highlands 83.71
Great Crossing 83.19
South Warren 80.95
Covington Catholic 80.22
Woodford County 79.74
Manual 79.14

vs. 

All time: Corbin 1-0    Last season: Corbin 6 Frederick Douglass 0

 

The Corbin Redhounds (3-0) one of the top teams in not only 4A but the state of Kentucky. Travel up 75 and come to Lexington to "The Farm" to take on the Frederick Douglass Broncos (2-2) this Friday at 7:30pm. There game last year at Corbin was one of the best games in the state last year with Corbin winning 6-0 with Douglass throwing an incomplete pass in the endzone on the last play of the game for the tie. 

Corbin's game this past Friday was cancelled due to safety concerns. The Broncos got back in the win column with a running clock (50-14) win over Tates Creek. The Broncos were in a rare two game losing streak with losses to Trinity 23-13 and an OT loss at Manual 35-28. They had an impressive win to start the season a 35-13 win over Bowling Green. The Redhounds have won their 3 games over Pikeville, North Hardin, and Lexington Catholic by a combined score of 130-56. This should be another great game in Lexington.
 

Corbin's offense is led by senior quarterback Kade Elam. He has in 3 games put up some of the best numbers in the state he is 61/68 for 841 yards and 8 touchdowns. His last game vs. Lex. Cath. he was 23 for 24. He has also rushed for over 80 yards a 4 TD's. Their rushing game is led by junior running back Cole Stevens who has rushed for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns. Elam's favorite target is junior WR Cam Estep who has over 275 yards receiving and two touchdowns. On defense the Redhounds may not be quite as good as last year but they are still plenty good! They have held Pikeville to 7 points and some of the numbers put up by North Hardin and Lexington Catholic were against reserves.

The Broncos are led on offense by junior quarterback Jaxon Strautman who has been coming into his own. The Broncos also have running back Peyton Smith back from a knee injury suffered in a preseason scrimmage. The EKU signee had a touchdown another running back Pharo Watts had 2 rushing touchdowns Aveion Chenault had an 80+ yard kickoff return for his 7th touchdown of the season. I would give you some individual stats for the Broncos, but they have yet to post the stats from the Tates Creek game. I look for this to be another good game between these two great football programs and more offense than last year's game. I think the Broncos have a good shot if they can control Elam and the Redhounds offense I think the Broncos stable of running backs will prevail but I would not be surprised either way who wins this one. Best of luck to both teams! 

The game can be seen on the NFHS Network and on Glicod Sports. Best of luck to both teams!

Trinity (3-1) will host Male (3-0). Trinity is coming off a 35-23 win over Carmel (IN). Male is coming off an open week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.

Last year, Male won 37-20.

Trinity was led by RB Jamaurion Berry against Carmel with 3 touchdowns. WR Jeremiah Lynn also had 2 touchdowns. QB Zane Johnson was 15-23 with 242 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. 

The Trinity defense held Carmel to field goals on 3 of their drives which was pivotal in getting the win.

Male had an open week, but they are led by the duo of RB Chayce Burton who has 8 touchdowns on the season and Antonio Harris who has played QB and WR and has 6 touchdowns on the season. QB Jordan Williams has 203 yards passing and 4 touchdowns this season. 

On defense, Male is led by LB Solomon Conley who has 18 tackles on the season. They also sometimes bring in OL Isaac Sowells to the d-line where he has 9 tackles and two sacks.

 

This is the 6A game of the week with Trinity ranked #1 and Male #2. The winner of this game will be the team that makes the most stops on defense as both offenses will be hard to stop. Male has won the last 4 meetings so do they make it 5 in a row or does Trinity break the streak and get the win?