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I’m sure @Mustang will have more to say, but Brossart named Jacob Martin as head coach this morning. He has been the DC at Pendleton the past two years and was previously on the Wiggins staff at Brossart. He is a 2017 graduate.

Jacob Martin, Pendleton County Defensive Coordinator and former Brossart assistant under Coach Wiggins, has been named head coach. He graduated Brossart 2017.

Paul Wiggins of Newport or Dan Court of Boone?

Just 2 points away from a trip to the state championship and one of the biggest wins in school history and unlikeliest wins in Kentucky high school football last year. But it wasn't to be as Corbin fell to Boyle County in the state semifinals. The week before Corbin had stunned the Highlands Bluebirds at home. Corbin started the year 3-3 but quickly gained steam heading into district play and kept it the rest of the year. They rode a 7 game winning streak into the Boyle County game. 2025 Corbin was such a balanced team. On offense they were almost equal in average passing and rushing yards. Mason Salmons had 30 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. He returns. He is also the returning rushing leader as stud running back Cole Stevens is graduating. Salmons also loses his top 2 receivers in Stevens and Cam Estep. There are definitely holes to be filled but how can you not be excited when Salmons will again be taking the snaps. The Redhounds look to retain most of their tenacity and skill on the defensive side of the ball from 2025. Leading tackler Silas Mahan returns. Sacks leader Malachi Brown returns. In fact, only 2 of the top 10 tacklers are gone to graduation. With Estep and Lucas Brittain graduating they will have to rebuild some in the secondary and will look to Trey Person as their anchor. I hope Corbin can carry over all the excitement the end stages of 2025 brought them. They certainly have stars on both sides of the ball capable of being catalysts for another successful year.

The Knights ended their 2025 in one of the more thrilling playoff games as they lost to Murray 20 - 14 in overtime. They finished 10 - 3 and had one of the most remarkable regular season wins in the state this year as they took down Boyle County 17 to 7 early in the year. They only allowed 8 points to be scored on them in district play and their stout defense, which had been relatively inconsistent in 2024, absolutely smothered teams. We can expect the Knights to roll through the district again this year, but what about the bigger picture? Brady Wasik is graduating and that will be an absolutely massive blow. He was the leading passer with 1,238 yards, 16 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. He was the leading rusher 976 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was also the fourth leading tackler. Gannon Rudacille looks like the most likely option at quarterback. Eric Smith and Jack Wedding were the top options out of the backfield when it wasn't Wasik rushing the ball. They both should be back. Jonathon Harper, the leading receiver, is also back. On defense, Wedding returns representing the 2025 tackles leader for the Knights. Mark Hosinksi also returns. He led the team with 6 sacks. The secondary also appears to remain formidable as both Baird Woodall and Ethan Bradford return. Between them they had 7 interceptions. There are huge question marks offensively for the Knights, but there is little doubt they will still have one of the more dominant defenses in 3A.

What an interesting year it was for the Ashland Tomcats. They finished 7-5, taking care of business for the most part against less talented teams but never beating a solid quality team. Towards the end of the year they were blown out by Johnson Central and of course they had their season ended in a blow out loss at Highlands. I think if you look at the arc of those 3 teams specifically, Ashland failed to adapt, diversify, or hit that next gear. They did what they did all year and that was rush the ball. A lot. Defensively, they could contain teams where they had the physical advantage but they couldn't convert that into success against decently built offenses. In fact, Greenup County was the first team to really expose them defensively in my opinion. So now we turn to 2026. Cam Davis, the powerful rusher who accounted for over 80 of their 242 rushing yards per game, is graduating. Brody Simpkins should be the lead back but will also have Trevonte Taylor looking to get touches. At quarterback the Tomcats have to choose between Tanner Stutler and Justin Hughes. Stutler threw for 615 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions as a freshman. The sophomore Hughes had 484 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Even though the passing game wasn't their main squeeze, it is still noteworthy that they graduate 4 of their 5 leading receivers. The one who remains? Justin Hughes. May make that an easy decision to go with Stutler, especially with the stats in his favor. Defensively, Simpkins led the team in total tackles, nearly doubling the second leading tackler. He had 109. Luke McCoy and JJ Keyes look to be the other defensive leaders but the Tomcats have some significant shoes to fill from graduation, especially in the secondary. I think there is opportunity here for the Tomcats, but I also think there is a lot of ways this can go. Without Davis, of course they could be prone to a slide. However, their depth of possible offensive weapons may mean improvement. Or they could just simply repeat the fairly average performance they concluded with this year. 2027, if this team stays intact, is probably the year they make serious noise as really Simpkins looks to be the biggest loss after this season.

March 11, 2024. That is the last time Danville Christian Academy lost to a regional opponent. At least until last week. Ironically, that 2024 loss was in the semifinals of the regional tournament to Somerset in triple overtime. This time it was again Somerset but in the semifinals of the All A regional. That game was one among several epic matchups this past week. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian Academy - So yes, they lost and they loss to a Somerset team that is just now finding sustained success. But no one else yet has a moving case for the top spot. They face Southwestern, Spencer County, Pulaski County and Boyle County in what is just an absolute brutal week schedule wise. Any one of those games against regional opponents could be argued as the game of the week but ultimately my interest is piqued with that Pulaski matchup. 2. Pulaski County - The Maroons fells to both North Laurel and South Laurel. They host Rockcastle County and DCA this week, both of which should be fun games. 3. Wayne County - So Somerset had the biggest single win of the week, but the Cardinals had the best string of three as they defeated Southwestern, Rockcastle County and West Jessamine. Kendall Phillips became the all time leading scorer for Wayne County during the game against West. They face McCreary Central and Madison Southern this week. 4. Somerset - The Briar Jumpers are headed to Owensboro in a couple of weeks to compete for an All A state title. For now, they have Casey County, Garrard County and another game with Somerset Christian who they just beat for the All A regional title. Aedyn Absher is one of only probably four or five players who have a legit shot at player of the year honors. He is going to leave behind quite the legacy when everything is said and done. 5. West Jessamine - The Colts are floundering a bit, going just 1 and 5 in the last six games. The win was a nice victory over Paris but they turned around and lost to upstart Wayne County at home. They face Madison Central and East Jessamine this week. 6. Boyle County - The Rebels are another team with a big win as they defeated district rival Lincoln County. They have three more district games this week as they face Garrard County, Danville, and DCA. 7. Southwestern - The Warriors fell to Wayne but defeated Letcher County Central. They face DCA, Russell County and Madison Central this week in what is certainly a difficult stretch in their schedule. 8. Rockcastle County - The Rockets defeated Lincoln County and Mercer County and fell to the Wayne County Cardinals by 4. They face Pulaski County and Knox Central this week. That game against the Maroons is their opportunity to really show the region they are a contender. 9. Lincoln County - The Patriots are down right now but never, ever out. Cash Baird is back and both he and Sawyer Robbins are generating points. However, that hasn't converted to wins in the past three games, their losing streak being contributed to by losses to Boyle County and Rockcastle County this week. They now face Danville and North Laurel. 10. Somerset Christian School - The Cougars defeated Danville to make it the to the All A regional title game but ultimately fell to Somerset. They have Somerset back on their schedule this week as well as McCreary Central. 11. East Jessamine - The Jaguars are having themselves a bit of a moment. They are 4 and 1 in their last 5 and have just defeated Garrard County in overtime. They have two district games this week against Mercer County and West Jessamine. 12. Garrard County - The Golden Lions fell to Lexington Catholic, East Jessamine and Bryan Station. They face Boyle County, Somerset, and Mercer County this week. 13. McCeary Central - The Raiders split their two games last week and face Somerset Christian and Wayne this week. 14. Danville - The Ads fell to Somerset Christian in the All A. They face district foes Lincoln County and Boyle County this week. 15. Mercer County - Unfortunately, it continues to show this schedule was built for a different roster as the Titans continue to get blown out, sometimes by some of the better teams in the state like Ballard. They face East Jessamine and Garrard County this week. 16. Burgin - The Bulldogs got a win over Trinity Christian. They face Cumberland Christian Home in the first of three games this week. 17. Casey County - The Rebels got a win over Frankfort Christian. The first of their three games this week is against red hot Somerset. 18. Trinity Christian - Casey County, Louisville Collegiate, and Dayton are all on the schedule for the Titans this week as they still seek win number one for the season. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels lost to Frankfort Christian last week.

There is a lot of jumping and falling in the rankings as this week as the teams inside the region beat up on each other and teams throughout the region also matchup with a lot of familiar faces in the neighboring 7th. That dynamic provided one of the most epic games of the year as Jeffersontown took down 7th region contender Male by 1. We also had a stellar, down-to-the wire games between WEB DuBois and Evangel Christian & WEB DuBois and Butler. The Shirley's Way Louisville Invitational Tournament ("LIT") looms large this week for a lot of the teams in the region. Rankings: 1. Butler - The Bears stay atop the rankings for now but Jeffersontown is quickly gaining ground. They lost to Ballard, blew out Doss, and squeaked by WEB DuBois in a 1 point affair in the opener of the LIT. They advance in that event and have no games outside the tournament scheduled this week. 2. Jeffersontown - The Chargers extended their winning streak out to 8 as they bested Seneca and Male, both teams near (or at) the top of the 7th region. Speaking of the 7th region, Trinity awaits the Chargers in their first round game of the LIT. That should be a fun one. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park - PRP beat Bullitt East, Western and Valley last week. They face mighty Male of the 7th region in their first game of the LIT. They have Letcher County Central on Saturday in a metro versus mountain game. 4. WEB DuBois - The Lions blew out Western and defeated Evangel Christian by 1. They are off this week as of right now as they took an early exit from the LIT after a thrilling one point defeat to the team atop these rankings, Butler. 5. Evangel Christian - The Eagles won the All A regional tournament by dispatching Holy Cross easily. They next lost in that aforementioned squeaker to WEB DuBois. They just have North Hardin this week. 6. DeSales - It was all 2A sectional play as DeSales convincingly defeated John Hardin before falling to CAL by 1. They have Bullitt East and Seneca this week. 7. Bullitt Central - The Cougars lost to Thomas Nelson by 1 in overtime. They play Anderson County and Nelson County this week. 8. Fairdale - The Bulldogs defeated Waggener but fell to St. Xavier hard in the LIT. They are off this week. 9. North Bullitt - The Eagles fell in a close one to Anderson County but blew out Southern. They face Bluegrass United, Moore and Bethlehem this week. 10. Moore - Moore defeated Newcomer Academy, lost to mighty Male, and finished the week with a win over Bullitt East. They face North Bullitt this week. 11. Bullitt East - The Chargers lost to PRP and Moore. They face DeSales this week. 12. Whitefield Academy - What an intriguing team the Wildcats are. They have been all the way at the bottom of these rankings previously. They now find themselves on a 7 game winning streak and, curiously enough, in the championship of the 7th Region All A tournament against KCD. They had 3 wins last week including a nice one over Fern Creek. Besides the All A, they also have Fort Knox this week. 13. Fern Creek - Where Whitefield had found themselves at the bottom of the rankings previously, Fern Creek had been an early season team to watch in the region. That has not panned out so far. They beat Brown but lost to Whitefield and Atherton. They have just LKY (homeschool) this week. 14. Western - Western was not competitive in games against PRP and WEB DuBois. They have Southern and Newcomer Academy this week. 15. Holy Cross - The Cougars lost the All A regional title game to Evangel Christian. They did defeat the Christian Educational Consortium. They face Southern this week. 16. Valley - The Vikings lost to Central and PRP but defeated Carroll County. They face Fort Knox, Brown and Doss on the road this week as their gym serves as host to the LIT. 17. Southern - It was just a two-point-difference that separated Southern and Iroquois as the Trojans walked out victorious. They lost their next two to LKY and North Bullitt. They face Western and Holy Cross this week. 18. Doss - The Dragons lost to Bourbon County and Butler. They face the Christian Educational Consortium, Central and Valley this week. 19. Iroquois - The Raiders lost to Southern and Shelby County. They play Francis Parker and Cornerstone Christian this week.

Then that will be a huge loss, especially on defense, but also leaves that rushing question still wide open.

The Ravens ended 2025 12-2 and had one of the more prolific offenses in 5A. The only two games they were held to less than 28 were their two losses. That finale was a shutout loss to Pulaski County in the state semifinals. Not to neglect the Raven defense, Atherton had eight shutout victories. 6 of those were against JCPS schools. The other two were Central Hardin and North Bullitt. Leading rusher and offensive engine Du Zye Grundy will be graduating. He had 21 rushing touchdowns and averaged over 100 yards per game. Two quarterbacks split time for the Ravens. Rising junior (current sophomore) Lamar Sistrunk, Jr. had more efficient numbers (81.5 yards per game, 15 touchdowns, 2 interceptions), albeit slightly. Deairus Smith, a rising senior (current junior), still had great passing numbers (80.7 yards per game, 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions) as well but had slightly superior rushing stats to Sistrunk, averaging over 10 net yards per game to Sistrunk's 2.5 and 3 rushing touchdowns to 1. So not only do the Ravens need to deal with a potential QB controversy, they also need to replace Grundy. The top option? Maybe transitioning Garyon Hobbs fulltime into the backfield. He was second-leading rusher, but by a significant gap. His talents were better served as a receiver where he had 7 touchdown receptions. Hobbs is also one of two defensive leaders coming back that really standout. He had 71 total tackles and 5 interceptions as well as 3 sacks. Zai Vion Meads had 9 sacks and 72 total tackles. They will both be seniors. There are some big questions offensively but still plenty of talent there set to return. Defensively, this is set to be a very poised Raven squad.

I'm with you on the NFC. However, I think the Jags-Bills and Texans-Steelers games are going to be awesome. Patriots should get the Chargers. Texans are superior but there is something about the Steelers right now. Just enough has happened to keep them going. The only one I think I straight up fully disagree with you on is Bills-Jags. I will pick Allen over Lawrence still at this point.

Giants and Titans obviously still open. Atlanta is the best job of the four so far. And who else could potentially be today? Gannon with the Cardinals? Looks like Bowles in Tampa, McDaniels in Miami, and Glenn for the Jets all are expected to return. Gannon and then probably Pete Carroll with the Raiders are the most likely with Harbaugh as a maybe. Then you have the possibility still that Tomlin and/or McDermott could be fired after a first round playoff loss, though I believe both to be unlikely. Personally, I think the firings are done today. Which seems like a wildly low number.

The All A is going to be absolutely wild. Nicholas is probably still the safest pick but there is a world where they get upset by Calvary.

District play has begun and that helped contribute to a week that held some thrilling games. The rankings are nearly identical from last week as pretty much every team took a loss at some point. What stands out is Danville, ranked 13th, nearly knocking off their crosstown rival, number 1 Danville Christian. We also saw another thriller between district foes as Mercer bested Burgin by 2 in overtime. More fun awaits the region this week as the table is set for another batch of competitive games in what may truly be the most equal region in the state. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian Academy (8-2) - The Warriors fell to Grayson County in the Henry County Invitational title game by 5. The weekend brought a road game against rival Danville and it was a thriller. Ben Mikels scored 16 as DCA escaped on the road with a 2 point win. This was only their second game against a fellow 12th region team. The other one was against Garrard County, meaning they were both mandatory district games. The Warriors have this week off. 2. Pulaski County (10-3) - The Maroons lost two games in Tennessee before blowing out Casey County. They play South Laurel and North Laurel this week with both games being on the road. 3. West Jessamine (6-5) - The Colts are on a 4 game losing skid as they fell to Paintsville and Scott County. They are playing a tough schedule. This week they host Paris and Wayne County. 4. Southwestern (9-3) - The Warriors lost to Bell County but beat South Laurel by 4 in overtime. Jarrett Simpson had 18 points and 14 rebounds. They face Wayne County and Letcher County Central this week. 5. Lincoln County (6-5) - The Patriots beat Wayne County by 4 at Madison Central. They lost to LaRue County by 4 at home. Sawyer Robbins had 27 in the win and 23 in the loss. Cash Baird made his return against LaRue and had 10. They play Rockcastle County and Boyle County on the road this week. The Lincoln/Boyle games are usually superbly fun, competitive rock fights. 6. Wayne County (8-5) - The Cardinals fell to Lincoln County but beat Boyle County. They have Southwestern, Rockcastle County and West Jessamine this week. All 3 games should be spectacular and really show off some of the best that this region has to offer. 7. Boyle County (6-3) - The Rebels lost at home to Wayne County. They have Henry Clay and Lincoln County this week in two games that should really test how far they have come after one month of basketball. 8. Somerset (6-4) - Somerset lost to Adair County but got a nice win over Rockcastle County behind Aedyn Absher's 28 points. 9. Rockcastle County (7-7) - The Rockets ended up going 1 and 2 during their trip to Florida. They opened up 2026 with a loss to Somerset and a one point loss to Johnson County. They host Lincoln and Wayne this week before visiting Mercer. 10. Somerset Christian School (7-4) - The Cougars were off this week. They kickoff All A tournament play this week. 11. Garrard County (5-8) - The Golden Lions went 1 and 2 in their 4 Banks Classic, ending it with a heartbreaking 38-35 loss in overtime to Anderson County. They kickoff 2A Sectional play against Lexington Catholic at Harrison County before playing East Jessamine and Bryan Station. 12. McCreary County Central (6-7) - The Raiders wrapped up the East Jessamine tournament before falling to Bell County by 20 in the 2A Sectional. They play Harlan County in their next 2A Sectional game. 13. Danville (5-6) - Woulda, coulda, shoulda. The Ads almost took down number 1 DCA but ultimately fell short by 2 points. Also, what if I told you that DCA outrebound Danville 35 to 15? Will the Ads walk out of this one with new found confidence or will they be dejected by what could have been? They face Trinity Christian in the All A first round this week. 14. East Jessamine (7-7) - The Jaguars went 2 and 1 in their tournament. They then lost by 21 to Lexington Christian. They face Madison Southern and Garrard County this week. 15. Mercer County (2-11) - The Titans got a district win as they beat Burgin by 2 in overtime. They face Russell County and Rockcastle County this week. 16. Burgin (3-7) - Although they couldn't bring home the win against Mercer County, the Bulldogs did defeat Fort Knox. They face Somerset in the All A before playing district foe Trinity Christian. 17. Casey County (5-6) - The Colonels defeated Robertson County but were blown out by Pulaski County. They face Marion County and Frankfourt Christian this week. 18. Trinity Christian (0-10) - The Titans are still searching for win number 1 as they face Jackson County, Danville, Burgin, and Washington County this week. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf (0-2) - The Colonels play Frankfort Christian this week.

Not a whole lot shaken up in the 6th this week as the post-Christmas events wrapped up and a few standalone games happened Saturday. Several of the public schools had weeks off leading into the first week back to class. Butler is still riding high with Pleasure Ridge Park, Jeffersontown and red hot Evangel Christian right below them. Evangel Christian may have the best player in the region and he is only a junior. With them and WEB DuBois being competitive, this region is more open than one could have imagined at the start of the season. Rankings: 1. Butler - Henrich Barjolo and Adrian Wilder both scored 15 as the Bears left Missouri with a win over Capital City (MO). They host Ballard and Doss this week. 2. Pleasure Ridge Park - PRP beat Atherton by 3 as Neyko Jenkins scored 21. They have 3 games against regional foes this week as they play Valley, Bullitt East, and Western. 3. Jeffersontown - The Chargers beat Henry Clay to take home the presitigious Ashland Invitational title. Dayvonne Harrison had 21 in the win. They play Seneca and Male this week. 4. Evangel Christian - The Eagles had an amazing week as they beat Scott and Holy Cross (Covington) at Bellevue and then beat Corbin on the road in double overtime. Pablo Molima had 28 points and 18 rebounds in the win over Holy Cross, a squad that is near the top of the 9th region. They face Holy Cross of Louisville this week before engaging in what is the game of the week between regional opponents. The Eagles will host WEB DuBois in a game that may very well tell us which of these squads can be a contender. 5. WEB DuBois - The Lions closed out the Cumberland Falls Invitational with a win over Barbourville but a loss to Corbin. Ja Rye Brown is averaging over 30 points per game. They travel to Western before they square off with Evangel Christian, another road opponent. Remember, the Lions don't have a home game scheduled until the end of this month. That game against Evangel will feature both Brown and Pablo Molima, two players who are just having absolutely stellar seasons so far. 6. DeSales - The Colts were blown out on the road by South Oldham. They kickoff the 2A Sectionals this week. 7. Bullitt Central - The Cougars beat Spencer County by 7. They travel to play Thomas Nelson this week. 8. Fairdale - Fairdale is on a 5 game skid as they went winless in Tennessee then returned back to Kentucky where they lost to Caverna at Grayson County. They play Waggener and Taylor County this week. 9. Bullitt East - The Chargers beat Greenup County and lost to Russell County on the last day of East Jessamine's tournament. They then beat Madisonville-North Hopkins at Grayson County Saturday. They play PRP and Moore this week. 10. North Bullitt - The Eagles were winless in their trip to Tennessee but got a nice win upon their return. They beat Elizabethtown by 15 at home. They face Anderson County and Southern this week. 11. Fern Creek - The Tigers won their last game in Central Hardin over Green County by 4. Francky Ngindu had 16 points and 10 rebounds. They play Brown, Whitefield Academy and Atherton this week. 12. Western - After being off since December 21st, the Warriors play WEB DuBois, PRP and Iroquois this week. 13. Southern - The Trojans were winless at Central Hardin in 3 games, dropping their finale to Central. They have Iroquois, LKY, and North Bullitt this week. 14. Holy Cross - The Cougars were blown out by Shelby County as they left Henry County winless over 3 games. They were able to get a close win over Portland Christian at home. 15. Moore - Moore resumes play this week against Newcomer Academy. They then have Male and Bullitt East. 16. Valley - The Vikings have Central, Carroll County, and PRP this week after being idle this past week. 17. Whitefield Academy - The Wildcats are on a four game winning streak, their last game being a blowout victory over Iroquois. Noah Towler had 27 points. They play the Christian Educational Consortium and Fern Creek this week. 18. Doss - The Dragons lost to Lewis County last week. They face Taylor County and Butler this week. 19. Iroquois - The Raiders got a win over MHG Prep, their second of the year. They also lost to Whitefield Academy that same day. Both games were at home They play Southern, Western, and Shelby County this week.

Also, an amendment to the games this week - I got the date of the DCA/Danville game off by 1 day. They play Friday in one of the first games of 2026.

This region is starting to sort itself into tiers. Butler, PRP, and Jeffersontown are the contenders in this region. JTown is starting to look like the team we expected, while PRP is showing some vulnerabilities, but these three teams are in a group of their own, at least for the moment. The next tier of teams include squads that look to eventually land themselves in that top group. WEB DuBois, Evangel Christian, DeSales, and Fairdale all have some good wins so far and have enough talent to compete with the contenders above them. From there, we have a larger group in the middle of teams that aren't really contenders but are good enough for "any given night" kind of wins. There is then another "sandwich group before it plummets to the basement. Rankings: 1. Butler - The Bears ended up with a 2 and 2 record in the King of the Bluegrass and currently have a 1 and 1 record out in Jefferson City, Missouri. They lost both of those KOB losses by 3 points. The team they lost to yesterday in Missouri by 15, Principia, is the MaxPreps top-rated team in that state. So while they may be taking a loss here and there, they are really preparing themselves for a strong postseason run when the time comes. I really believe this team could win a state title. That said, they could also lose in the regional tournament to any of the next 5 or 6 teams. The Bears have one more game in Missouri and are off the rest of the week. 2. Pleasure Ridge Park - The Panthers lost to Manual in their last game in the Mac's Holiday Classic and lost in their opening game of the Taylor County Farm Bureau event at Campbellsville to Beechwood. They finished up in Campbellsville with two blowout wins over Cumberland County and Pendleton County. They host Atherton Friday. 3. Jeffersontown - The Chargers are closer everyday to passing PRP, a team that beat them earlier in the year. However, their schedule isn't the strongest ever assembled and that, especially paired with the fact they don't play top-ranked Butler in the regular season, will make it hard for them to reclaim the top spot. The rebuttal to my criticism of their schedule is that they are currently one win away from winning the Ashland Invitational and they have Male looming in the near future. But if you put their schedule next to Butler's, there is a huge discrepancy in difficulty. The Chargers look to win the AIT today with a win over Henry Clay and extend their winning streak to six. 4. WEB DuBois - The 9 and 2 Lions are on a six game winning streak and have scored 100 points in back-to-back games. Ja Rye Brown scored 40 in their blowout win over Jelico (TN) in the opening game of Corbin's Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament. They play Barbourville in round 2. 5. Evangel Christian - The Eagles are another team on a winning streak with theirs being at 6 like WEB DuBois'. Evangel Christian won all three games at the BSN Borderline Classic at Whitley County and are off to a good start at Bellevue's Swauger Holiday Classic as they picked up a four point win over Newport. Myles Johnson had 16 points in that win. They play Scott and Holy Cross (Covington) in that even and face Corbin on the road this weekend. That Holy Cross game tomorrow is setup to be absolutely spectacular. 6. DeSales - The Colts are 10-2 with their only blemishes this year being a loss to LaRue County and that still stunning overtime loss to North Bullitt. They went undefeated in both their pre-Christmas event at Carroll County and their post-Christmas event at Henderson County, meaning they are on a 5 game winning streak. They travel to South Oldham Saturday. 7. Fairdale - The Bulldogs are 3-5 but are playing just a brutal schedule. They are currently in Tennessee and lost their first game by 19 to Olympia (FL). After returning from out of state play, they will travel to Grayson County Saturday to face off with Caverna. 8. Bullitt Central - The Cougars blew out Gallatin County in their last game in Carroll County's event. After Christmas, they played in Logan County's event, losing to Raceland but beating two Tennessee teams. They face Spencer County at home Saturday. 9. Bullitt East - The Chargers fell in both their games in Somerset's pre-Christmas event. They travel back to the 12th region where they participate in East Jessamine's tournament. They open with Western Hills. They travel Saturday to Grayson County to play Madisonville-North Hopkins. 10. North Bullitt - The Eagles are 6-1 with that only blemish being that brutal blow out loss to Bullitt Central a couple weeks ago. They beat Seneca last week and are in Tennessee this week before hosting Elizabethtown Saturday. 11. Fern Creek - The Tigers are 4 and 7. Fortunately, they just ended their four game skid with a win over Southern. That win happened in the second round of the Planet Fitness Holiday Tournament at Central Hardin. They play Green County there today for their finale. 12. Western - Western was off last week and is still off this week. 13. Southern - The Trojans are on a four game skid. They look to recover in their final game at Central Hardin as they face Central. 14. Holy Cross - The Cougars are 0-2 at the Henry County Invitational so far and look to escape the event with a win over Shelby County. 15. Moore - Moore only has 1 win on the year and does not play again until the 5th. 16. Valley - Valley went winless at McLean County last week in three games. They resume play next week. 17. Doss - Doss is 1 and 1 in Bath County's Dan Swartz Classic so far, beating the host team and losing to West Carter. They finish with Lewis County. 18. Iroquois - The Raiders are 0-2 so far in Estill County's Railroad Classic. They play Breathitt County there today. They then host a classic Saturday where they face MHP Prep Academy. 19. Whitefield Academy - The Wildcats won both of their games in the Ray Zeller Classic at their gym. They play Eminence at Iroquois Saturday.

There wasn't much action last week as Monday wrapped up the pre-Christmas events and the post Christmas events didn't really get going until yesterday. This week, especially early on, features some interesting tournaments and showcases before New Years hits. There was no movement in the rankings whatsoever. However, I think the gulf between the top two and the rest of the region is growing. Danville Christian, though a weaker schedule than last year probably, is rolling through their competition. Pulaski County is not putting off juggernaut vibes, but they are winning and their scoring is incredibly balanced. They are exceptionally consistent and reliable. Teams 3 through at least 9 are capable of beating them but the Maroons have showcased a consistency that surpasses these other teams and it isn't really close if you truly look at it. Again, not saying there is a talent gap or they are unbeatable; just pointing out that they have converted effort into wins better than any team in the region other than DCA at this point. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian (7-1) - The Warriors started the Henry County Invitational with two blowout wins over Holy Cross (Louisville) and Henry County. They face a very impressive Grayson County team in the championship game who will certainly be their toughest opponent since Warren Central, their lone loss of the year. After a few days off from game play they travel across town to face rival Danville. 2. Pulaski County (9-2) - The Maroons won both their games in the Jeremy A. Bartley Classic at Somerset. They beat Powell County by double-digits and more narrowly escaped with a win against Bullitt East. Carson Fraley and Tanner Absher both had 16 points against Bullitt East. Pulaski has just one game this week, a road contest Friday at Casey County. 3. West Jessamine (6-3) - Luk Tut had a double-double while 3 other players also scored in double figures to get the Colts the big win over Southwestern. However, the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic has not been kind to West so far as they have lost both games: the opener to Bryan Station and the second game a blowout loss to Great Crossing. They play Paintsville today and host Scott County Friday. 4. Southwestern (7-3) - The Warriors took two losses last week as they fell to West Jessamine and lost in the opening game of Bell County's Redmond Auto Group Holiday Classic. They play host Bell County today. 5. Lincoln County (5-4) - The Patriots are 1 and 1 in the Richmond Car and Truck Center Holiday Classic as they beat Madison Southern by 3 and fell to Hamilton (OH) in a blowout. They are still without Baird. Sawyer Robbins scored 24 in the win but was held to 7 in the loss. They play Wayne County in the tournament today and face LaRue County this weekend. 6. Boyle County (6-2) - Boyle was off last week and they are off this week until they face Wayne County in a regular game on Saturday. 7. Wayne County (7-5) - The Cardinals blew out Lafayette in the last game at Sayre last week before the break. They are now participating in Madison Central's event where they beat Tates Creek by 3 in the opening game before being blown out by the host squad. They face Lincoln County in the final game today. They then travel to Boyle County Saturday. Those two games probably represent the two most interesting games of the week as far as the region is concerned. 8. Somerset (5-3) - Did the Briarjumpers finally turn the corner for good at their holiday event? They did go 2 and 0, defeating both Bullitt East and Powell County. Both games were thrilling to the end as Somerset won the first game by 2 and the second game by 1 in overtime. Aedyn Absher had 55 total points in the event. Somerset now travels to Adair County and Rockcastle County for standalone road contests this week. 9. Rockcastle County (5-4) - No reports out of Florida yet for their current event, but the Rockets did get what was probably their best win of the year so far in the last game of South Laurel's event on Monday. They took down Corbin in overtime by 3 behind Kylar Goodin's 21 points. They have Somerset and Johnson Central this weekend after they return from Florida. 10. Somerset Christian School (7-4) - The Cougars lost in a competitive first game to Elizabethtown in the Bethlehem Christmas Classic. In the second game, they got a quality win over Muhlenberg County. They have no games this week. 11. Garrard County (4-6) - The Golden Lions fell at home in a close one to Nelson County. They host the 4 Banks Classic this week. 12. McCreary Central (4-5) - The Raiders were off last week. They are a participant in East Jessamine's tournament. They face Madisonville-North Hopkins this afternoon in the opening round. 13. Danville (4-5) - The Ads were off last week. They face Frankfort tonight and rival DCA on Saturday. 14. East Jessamine (5-5) - Is that signs of life from the Jaguars? This was a team that could be dwelling in the basement. However, they are now squarely in this group of teams right below the top ten that are hovering around .500. They got a quality win over Harlan last week with Carter Wolfe and Micah Anglin both scoring 21. They host their tournament starting today and face Greenup County in their opening round game. 15. Mercer County (1-9) - There are clearly 5 non-competitive teams in the 12th. It is still surprising to see the Titans among them. They are playing in the difficult tournament at Madison Central and have lost both games so far. They have Madison Southern today. This should be an easier game but if you look at the results of both squads, it may still be ugly for the Titans. 16. Burgin (2-6) - The Bulldogs were off last week but host their own holiday tournament this week. 17. Casey County (4-5) - Casey had one game last week, a blowout loss to Model. They host Robertson County and Pulaski County this week. 18. Trinity Christian (0-9) - The Titans are still winless and I'll be honest, I don't know if I see a win on their schedule the rest of the year. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf (0-2) - The Colonels are still off from game play. They return to action January 6th.

It will be interesting to see what those results are today. Another good measuring stick for the region.

The 6th is turning into one of the more brutal regions as they teams continue to beat up on each other and, for the ones at the top, seek out stellar teams from across the state to play. The King of the Bluegrass presented a fun challenge for two of the contenders and that event closes out on Monday. There is no movement in the rankings at the top and a little movement at the very bottom. However, 6 through 13 saw huge fluctuation. That includes all 3 Bullitt County teams beating up on each other. Rankings: 1. Butler - The Bears did not have anyone score above 12 in their 3 point opening round loss to Frederick Douglass in the King of the Bluegrass. That was, and remains, their only loss of the year. They have gone on to get two wins in the event and face Warren Central 3:00 PM on Monday. They travel to Jefferson City, Missouri after Christmas in what I have to consider as one of the more random holiday tournament locations I have seen. 2. Pleasure Ridge Park - The Panthers have one their first two games of the Mac's Holiday Classic on their home court. They finish with Manual today. They travel to Campbellsville the day after Christmas to take on Beechwood. Neyko Jenkins is averaging right at 16 points per game through 6. 3. Jeffersontown - The Chargers had a home blowout win over Moore and a much closer road win at Collins. Dayvonne Harrison went 13 of 14 from the charity stripe against Moore, totaling 21 points. The legendary AIT in Ashland awaits Jeffersontown after Christmas. They will open with Hopkinsville. 4. Fairdale - The Bulldogs have gone below .500 for the moment but they are competing with some of the best in the state. They took Madison Central to overtime in their second game of the King of the Bluegrass, eventually losing by 6. Kamari Roberts had 39 in that game. Their run in the KOB is done. They travel to Tennessee after Christmas for an event out of state. 5. WEB DuBois - The Lions are 8-2 so far and off to a really nice start. They have yet to play a fellow 6th region team and won't do so until January 6th. They won 5 games last week including wins over Manual and Taft (OH). Ja Rye Brown is averaging over 28 points per game and scored 36 against Taft as well as the homeschool team they played the game before. They play in the Cumberland Falls Invitational in Corbin starting Sunday. 6. Evangel Christian - Aristophane "Pablo" Molima highlights this rebuild effort Evangel Christian has undertaken. He scored 26 points in their 88 to 83 win over LCA. He is making noise nationally at the power forward position and is just a junior. His contributing teammates include three 8th graders. It will be fun to watch Evangel this year as the season progresses, but we may be talking about them as a state contender next year. They finish Monday at Whitley County and play in Bellevue's Swauger Classic this weekend. 7. DeSales - The Colts dropped a heartbreaking 2 point overtime loss to North Bullitt before heading to Carrolton for Carroll County's event. There they got a big win over a solid Ryle team out of the 9th region. The difference? Cameron Bischoff had just 15 against North Bullitt and 27 against Ryle. He is certainly the offensive engine for DeSales. They finish up in Carroll County before Christmas and head to Henderson County for an event there this weekend. 8. Bullitt Central - The Cougars are 6-1 and just defeated North Bullitt by 20. Their only loss is to Bullitt East. They play in the Carroll County Christmas Classic this week before Christmas and take on Raceland at Logan County after Christmas. 9. Bullitt East - The Chargers weren't able to compete with Butler and I don't know if they will ever rise past the bottom of the top ten. They play Somerset and Pulaski County in Somerset before Christmas and go back to the 12th region after Christmas to play in East Jessamine's tournament. 10. North Bullitt - A win over DeSales and a blowout loss to Bullitt Central made it quite the yo-yo week for the Eagles. That Bullitt Central loss is their only one on the year but it was ugly. They only managed to score 28. They host Shawnee before the quick holiday break and then head out of state to play three games at Rocky Top Sports World. 11. Fern Creek - The Tigers have Rick Mata who is averaging a double-double and they also have Jeromey Harmon averaging over 12 points a game. What they don't have is any outside shooting. They are 16 of 86 from 3 which equates to right above 18 percent. JD Flippins is 2 of 25 from deep. They play Dixie Heights and Lloyd Memorial in Carroll County before Christmas and then after the holiday travel to Central Hardin for their tournament. 12. Southern - The Trojans got a nice 2 point win over Shelby County. Like Fern Creek, they head to Central Hardin after Christmas. 13. Western - This is where things drop off. Western lost both games last week after the 8 day layoff. They are off until January 6th, so an even longer layoff. Their first two games in January are WEB DuBois and PRP. Those should really gauge if there is any chance of noise this year from the Warriors. 14. Holy Cross - The Cougars were blown out by Evangel Christian and then blew out Newcomer Academy. They play at Bardstown Tuesday and then in the Henry County Invitational this weekend. 15. Moore - Moore is 1 and 9 and their only win is over Valley. They have been competitive in some games and haven't shied away from top level competition, but the results are the same. Their only game of the week is against Lawrence County. 16. Valley - Valley has 3 wins in a row as they beat Shawnee, Brown and Portland Christian. They play McClean County this week. 17. Doss - The Dragons got win number 1 for the year as they beat Collegiate. They face Bath County on the road this week. 18. Iroquois - The Raiders are still winless. They play Estill County on the road this week. 19. Whitefield Academy - The Wildcats beat Highland Latin. Trinity Christian is their last opponent in December as they host them tonight.

There isn't a whole lot of movement in the rankings this week, although we did have plenty of exciting games. The region is starting to reach that point where I think we can clearly divide it into tiers and even rank within those tiers pretty clearly. However, it is important to note that the difference between teams 1 and 8 and everyone in between is not vast. It is an incredibly equal region. And even when you get to teams 9 through 13, all of them are capable of an "any given night" kind of win over anyone else. So when you view these rankings, you can view them as: the contenders (1 through 5/6); the potential contenders (5/6 through 8); the darkhorses (9 through 13); and everyone else. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian Academy (5-1) - DCA took care of business at Bracken County as they defeated both the hosting Polar Bears (by a wide margin) and squeaked out a 3 point win over Dixie Heights. That Dixie team is a good and solid 9th region team but definitely not state contender level by any means. DCA got a low scoring 3 point win on the second day of a classic on the road. It is interesting to me that even though DCA has been able to reach the 70s and 80s, their two most competitive games against solid competition have been in the 40s. As we know, that has been their recipe for success over the last few years but also leaves a team vulnerable to an upset more than most. The Warriors play in the Henry County Invitational starting Saturday. 2. Pulaski County (7-2) - The Maroons defeated Rockcastle and Somerset, each by 10. The Maroons don't have a lot of depth but they do feature a balancing scoring attack. For example, in the win over the Rockets only 5 players scored. However, four of them had double figures and the fifth had 8. (Also a fun scoring note from that game - Blake Fraley went 5 of 7 from 3 and Tanner Absher went 4 of 5, meaning the two of them combined to go 9 of 12 from deep.) Pulaski has two games this week at Somerset in the Jeremy A. Bartley Winter Classic, playing Powell County Monday and Bullitt East on Tuesday. 3. West Jessamine (5-1) - The Colts defeated Lincoln County and Garrard County this past week, though that win over the Golden Lions was a little too close for comfort. Luk Tut had 19 points in the 4 point win as well as 10 rebounds. Gavin Murphy was held to just 5 points. The Colts host Southwestern in the in-region game of the week before taking a break. They resume play this weekend in the White, Greer, & Maggard at Lexington Catholic where they start with Bryan Station. 4. Southwestern (7-1) - The Warriors defeated Somerset Christian and McCreary Central, each by 10. Zachary Hutchinson is averaging 21.8 points per game. Jarrett Simpson and Wyatt Stevenson join him with double digit scoring averages. Simpson also averages 9 rebounds per game. They play in the Redmond Auto Holiday Classic in Bell County after Christmas but have to deal with the number four Colts of West Jessamine before they step away for the holidays. 5. Lincoln County (4-3) - The Patriots have a near .500 record but have shown they can compete at a top level in the region and aren't afraid of stellar teams from across the state. Cash Baird has been out with injury, meaning that 5 point win over Collins behind Sawyer Robbins' 29 points is that much more impressive. They are off until the weekend when they play in the Richmond Car and Truck Center Holiday Classic, starting with host Madison Central. It is nice to see the Patriots get a win without Baird but they are going to need him back if they went any kind of sustained success. 6. Boyle County (6-2) - It was a fine trip to Berea for the Rebels as they return home with 3 wins, including an overtime win against Russell County. Even more impressive, they were dealing with sickness throughout the event. That included Seneca Driver who was able to return and perform in the finale against Magoffin where he scored 12 alongside Harper Webb's 14. They are now off until January 3rd. 7. Wayne County (5-4) - The Cardinals finish up at the Republic Bank - Sayre School Lankster Classic at Sayre on Monday against Lafayette. They lost in a rockfight to host Sayre in the opening round before recovering with a blowout win over Kentucky Country Day. Earlier in the week they had a 7 point win at South Laurel behind Kendall Phillips' 25 points and Seth Farmer's 21. They play in Madison Central's post-Christmas event after the mid-week break. 8. Somerset (3-3) - The Briar Jumpers blew out Casey County and showed their potential in a close loss to Pulaski County. Kole Grundy had 17 points in the loss and Aedyn Absher was held to 8. They host the Jeremy A. Bartley Winter Classic before breaking for the holidays. 9. Rockcastle County (4-4) - It is Walker Craig's senior year, the return trip after being off a year with injury. It has not been a storybook start to it as the Rockets strive to reach consistency. But the effort is there. The growth is there. They are putting in the work. They finish up at South Laurel on Monday where they have defeated Harlan and lost to Russell over the weekend. They are then off until January 2nd where they have the second game against Somerset. That will be a huge measuring stick in terms of growth and the trajectory of this squad. 10. Somerset Christian (6-3) - The Cougars fell to Southwestern by 10 before splitting their two games in Owensboro. Baker, Marcum, and Hensley are the nexus for almost all scoring for SCS and are all three seniors. This Cougar team will take a serious step backwards next year, as is the cycle for small schools. Why bring this up now? Because they are about to embark on a part of the schedule they have the momentary luxury of competing in as they take Elizabethtown and Muhlenberg County in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic this weekend. It might be a while before they are back in an event of this caliber. The All A is looming in the distance, quickly approaching. DCA is obviously the most likely team to win but, as we discussed earlier, anything can happen in a rock fight in the 40s. The Cougars are definitely testing themselves now in preparation for that chance. 11. Garrard County (4-5) - The Golden Lions have Montgomery, Caldwell and Grubbs all averaging double figure points. Ryan Noe and Mason Agee were big contributors on Saturday with a road win over Estill County as they both scored 11. Garrard hosts Nelson County Monday and hosts the 4 Banks Classic this weekend. 12. McCreary Central (4-5) - The Raiders fell in their most recent game by 10 to Pulaski County. Peyton Higginbotham is averaging over 20 points per game. McCreary plays in East Jessamine's holiday tournament this weekend where they open up with Madisonville-North Hopkins. They have a chance at winning this event given the field. 13. Danville (4-5) - The Ads picked up a win over Western Hills in the Capital City Classic. Landon Reed went 6 of 10 from 3 and finished with 25 points. Danville is now off until January 2nd when they play rival DCA. 14. East Jessamine (4-5) - East picked up their best win of the year so far, an overtime victory against Mason County at South Laurel. No, it isn't a Mason County team of old that will compete for their region, but they are a solid program nonetheless and the type of team that East has not defeated recently. They finish at South Laurel Monday against Harlan and host their own tournament after the short holiday break. 15. Mercer County (1-7) - The Titans not only went winless in Berea over 3 games, they really never competed. It has been a brutal December for Mercer. They play in Madison Central's event after Christmas so it doesn't get any easier. 16. Burgin (2-4) - Burgin was unable to get the district win over East Jessamine. They are also off this week altogether. 17. Casey County (4-5) - Owen Willoughby is up over 17 points per game. Casey has one game this week, a Monday night home game against Model. 18. Trinity Christian (0-7) - The winless Titans have one game left in December, a home game Monday night against Whitefield Academy from the 6th region. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf (0-2) - The Colonels fell to the Wellspring Guardians. Dakota Cox had 15. They are off until January 6th.

In the long run, maybe, as this region has a lot of teams that could potentially claim those spots. But right now it’s DCA, Pulaksi, and West above the rest. The results support that.

What would you list as the main weaknesses that DCA can improve upon? My thought was that they just aren't very deep and are going to struggle if teams either run on them or are able to get consistently open outside shots against them.

There is a chance of that, for sure. I think they are clearly 3rd right now behind DCA and Pulaski. I don't know how much DCA has left between their ceiling and where they currently are. I think Pulaski and West have room to grow.

West Jessamine has a really good shot at being in the regional semifinals. Outside of them, it is the worst I can ever remember this district being.