Purple88

Great game here! Good luck @coachhawk!

That's uncalled for.

Great game! Great writeup @FSfan! Thought this was a good year for Franklin! Good luck next year too!

I think this is fair to say as an O fan, but it's taken BG from last year to last Friday to get their defensive group where they need to be. They lost 8 guys off that State Runner up team and it takes awhile to move the pieces around to work. I think the same thing is true for Owensboro. They had to move some things around and now they are working.

Owensboro (8-4) at Atherton (11-1) I had this Atherton write-up already ready to go (I thought they would be playing BG), so I’m going for it here! The Red Devils HOT off an amazing win over South Warren travel east to Louisville to take on the upstart Ravens of Atherton. This will be the first meeting between the 2 teams. Atherton has not gotten a lot of publicity this year, but anytime you're still playing with an 11 and 1 record is doing something right. Again, I didn’t know very much about Atherton and perhaps you don’t either. Let’s change that. Atherton Information In 5A, only Highlands can match Atherton’s win total of 11 on the season. Impressive. The Ravens are led by Coach Anthony White, who is a true hidden gem for the great work he is doing at Atherton. In his 5th season since taking over in 2019, the Ravens have been steadily building, going: 5-6 in 2019; 1-5 in the dreadful Covid year of 2020; 6-6 in 2021; 7-5 in 2022 and now 10-1 in 2023! That is a wonderful job at a place most don’t expect it. These 11 wins this season is the most in school history. This Regional Final game is the FIRST in school history. AND they have earned the right to HOST that game. That is a BIG deal to me. Otherwise, they would have to travel to Owensboro’s Rash Stadium. Ask South how hard it is to play there. Again, just an outstanding job by Coach Smith, his staff and players. Let’s get to the team and players! The Ravens have rushed for just over twice as many yards as they have passed for (2,269 to 1,062). Two QBs (both JRs) have played this season with QuaShawn Thompson having more luck and production with 646 yards and 8 TDs on 39 total completions. JR RB Michael Curry has just over 750 yards and 14 TDs on the season. At WR, SR Sincere Smith (Great Name!) leads the team with 24 catches nearly 400 yards and 3 TDs. Atherton doesn’t have a lot of defensive stats, but regarding interceptions SR DB TraVon Willis leads the team with an impressive 4 INTs including 1 Pick 6. The Ravens hang their hat on defense as seen by a complete 21-0 win last Friday vs Butler. Only 2 teams ALL SEASON have scored 14 or more on Atherton (KCD the first game of the year and their only loss 31-20 and vs Oldham Co – a game they won 34-24). Owensboro Information The Red Devils shocked most in the State earning a convincing 53-22 home win vs stout South Warren. Most wrote off Owensboro after a very tough road district loss to Madisonville on October 20, but give Coach Fallon, staff and players credit for circling the wagons and playing perhaps their best football of the year right now. Most Owensboro insiders know this is a young team with talent, but inexperienced talent. Well, those who played Friday night are already way yonder better than they were starting the season. When you play Christian Academy of Louisville, Bowling Green, Owensboro Catholic in your non-district schedule, you are testing yourself early and giving yourself time to work through adversity. The Red Devils have done just that. And here they are again knockin on the Regional Championship Door. Owensboro had 305 rushing yards vs South Warren! I still can’t get over that stat with star RB Evan Hampton with over 200 himself with 3 TDs on the night. He’s a special player. QB Trevor Delacey continues to improve going 8 for 12 for 139 yards and 1 TD, but WAY more importantly ZERO INTs. HUGE! This was important, but equally so was the much-maligned Red Devil defense that easily gave their best performance of the season against a tough South opponent holding South Warren to only 22 points; their lowest of the season by a full TD. HUGE! For Owensboro, their biggest challenge to me is overlooking this Atherton squad. The coaches won’t but the players? We’ll see. Game Information This game will be played at Atherton High School Football Field. It is a neat campus with the stadium at the bottom of the hill from the school. Really neat walking down to it. Have taken lacrosse teams here in the past. It is a grass surface. Going to be an entertaining game! Who wins and why?

Fairdale (7-5) at Bowling Green (9-3) The Bulldogs will roll down I-65 to face Bowling Green in the Regional Final Round of the 5A Playoffs. This will be the first ever meeting between these teams. It’s an interesting matchup on paper because most (including myself) don’t know very much about the Bulldogs. Let’s change that. Fairdale Information The Bulldogs have beaten Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Iroquois, Butler, Doss, North Bullitt and Grayson County while falling to Fern Creek, Eastern, Spencer County, Collins and Atherton. They have 48 kids on the roster including 9 Freshmen. According to the KHSAA page, 21 players have played in at least 5 games. Seems thin to me. Fairdale runs the ball roughly 3 times to every pass. And has just north of 2,200 yards on the season vs just north of 700 passing yards on the year. Fairdale’s top QB is SR Jerrel Mason who has played in 8 games on the year going 40 for 77 for 604 yards 4 TDs vs 7 INTs. The Bulldogs boast 2 JR RBs with over 100 carries each on the season including Xavier Burkes with over 900 yards on the season and 11 TDs and his running mate Leedrick Washington with over 750 yards and 11 TDs. The leading Bulldog WR is JR Malik Battle with 20 catches for 273 yards and 2 TDs. The Bulldogs are led by Head Coach Louis Dover in his 8th season leading the charge in southwest Jefferson County. Defensively, Fairdale is led by SR DT Maki Duncan with an impressive 72 tackles including 7 tackles for loss and 1 sack. That’s a lot for a DT. Also, JR DB Kwame Anderson has an impressive 6 INTs on the year including 1 pick 6. The Bulldogs lost in the Regional Final last season 36-0 at Owensboro. Bowling Green Information The Purples come into this Regional Final having exercised some 2014 demons of a tough loss 9 years ago to the Graves County Eagles. The Purples scored on their first 6 possessions and never looked back in a complete 51-3 win over Graves County. BG had 315 yards offense vs 72 for Graves County. 7 Purples plus the kicker scored. IMO, this was the most complete game BG has played all year and they appear to be peaking at the right time. But it’s survive and advance now and the Bulldogs are on deck. Game Information The game will be played at Bowling Green High School Stadium and will be streamed here: - Sporting Times (stfanclub.com) The Purples have a clear strength of schedule advantage in the leadup to the game, but that doesn’t score TDs. I know Fairdale will be pretty amped up and ready to go. BG will need to match that intensity in order to come out victorious in this matchup. Who wins this game and why?

This game REALLY surprised me. Just didn't know what you were going to get from either team this year it seems. Big Congratulations for McCracken. I'm sure Henderson is pretty down this morning. Better luck next year.

All you can do is win the ones in front of you. Tilghman is doing that. They are dangerous going forward. Good luck Blue Tornados!

So you are saying Highlands, BG, Southwestern and Atherton win. If that plays out, I believe Atherton visits Highlands and Southwestern would return the favor to BG (they played at Southwestern in the semi-finals last season).

Thanks GC! Go Hart County!

It's a shame LCA/Mayfield in Round 3, guess it's a similar thing to Corbin at Boyle Round 3.

After tonight, I'm not sure you can tell. Except the Highlands game will definitely be a blowout.

GREAT Win for Hart County! Glasgow gave them a run, but Hart hung in there and now move on. Has Hart County ever been to the Regional Final Round?

Congratulations Cooper! Just a HUGE Win! Not totally shocked at the extra-cirriculars with SC. The scrimmage with BG in August was a little chippy when it shouldn't have been.

100% Yes. His best win at Owensboro IMO.

How bout them Red Devils! I'm really happy for my guys @Brown and @Devils Fan! That's one to celebrate! To me, this is easily Coach Fallon's best win. I know others will say the Semi win vs Douglas or even the 2018 get off my back win vs BG, but this is a young team with multiple starters out; who the State saw lose at Madisonville and cast them off. I knew they had a Punchers Chance, but I didn't think they could pull it all the way out. Well not only did they pull it all the way out; they nearly put a running clock on South at the end of the game. Then you look at 250 yards rushing for O. Are you kidding me? South builds their defense around stopping the run. What happened there? I don't know. But looking at @Brownlist of who scored for O reminded me that this team has A LOT of guys that can make plays. People forget that. That Madisonville game was a make or break after that tough loss. Congrats to Coach Fallon, Red Devils and Fans. Good luck going forward (except if you meet my team - LAUGHING!)🤣

All Purples tonight. Om to the Third Round.

BG 51 Grabes County 3 ALL Purples Final

Halftime BG 44 Graves 3

Personal foul BG for Graves first first down of game. Great catch by Woodward by Graves. Well done. Another good catch by Woodward. Pick 6 by Wick Dotson BG 44 Graves 3 Run the Clock. 4:22 2Q Get the JV Ready.

Graves 3 and out. Punts. BG at Graves 40. couple nice passes and 4th and goal at the 5 BG to go. Bailey runs it in. TD Going for 2 and running clock. No good BG 37 Graves 3 7:16 to go 2Q

Fumble Graves. Recovered by BG at Graves 9 Huddleston to the 4 Flag on Graves Half the distance TD Huddleston BG 31 Graves 3 11:04 2Q

End of 1Q 3rd and 8Graves on their 18. BG 24 Graves 3

Nice return by Big see to the Graves 46 2play drive. Run Huddleston and pass to Smith TD BG BG 24 Graves 3 16 seconds in 1 Q

Graves to attempt 34 yard make that 29 yard FG. Is good. BG 17 Graves 3 56 seconds 1 Q