The Sixth Region is traditionally one of the regions you want your favorite team to avoid in the State Tournament. The region's champion is almost always strong enough to compete with anyone in the state. For the past two seasons, Jeffersontown and Butler have battled it out in the regional championship game. While both the Chargers and Bears lost significant production to graduation, it would be no surprise to see either school back in the title hunt. However, they will face stiff competition: Fairdale returns all five starters, Pleasure Ridge Park is always a threat, Evangel is fresh off a 20-win season despite starting three eighth graders, and W.E.B. DuBois welcomes back Ja Rye Brown and his staggering 29 points per game. There are several mid-tier teams capable of pulling off an upset and displacing some of these top contenders. It shapes up to be an exciting year in the Sixth Region. 1. Fairdale The Bulldogs return all five starters from last year’s team. Kamari Roberts (17 PPG), Jarel Butler (16 PPG), Michael Stinnett (15 PPG), Kamarion Roberts (8 PPG), and Rakale Johnson (7 PPG) all found success as underclassmen for Coach Stinnett last season. The Bulldogs' 14-13 mark showed a somewhat inconsistent squad, but with so many young players, those growing pains made sense and could pay off this year. While Fairdale’s overall schedule last season was a little lighter than those of the region's top tier, they did go 8-2 inside the region and claimed a district championship. As hosts of the prestigious King of the Bluegrass tournament, the Bulldogs usually find out early what kind of team they have against elite competition. With the region's other top teams hit hard by graduation, the experience Fairdale gained last winter puts them in a prime position to be a major regional contender. In fact, when comparing the top teams on paper, the Bulldogs look to be in the best position to claim a regional championship come March. 2. Butler The Bears are coming off an outstanding season that saw them reach the second round at Rupp before falling to North Oldham. Region championships do not come easy in the 6th region, which makes Butler’s 27-6 record against a strong schedule even more impressive. The Bears did lose a lot of production off last year’s team. The top four scorers Adrian Wilder (15 PPG), Brandon Heath (13 PPG), Henrich Barjolo (10 PPG), and Santana Anderson (9 PPG) were all lost to graduation. However, the Bears do have four players returning that all saw significant minutes last year. Brayden Wilkins (8 PPG), Steven Tinsley (8 PPG), and two underclassmen from last season, Triston Lowery who was a freshman (5 PPG), and Justin Green who was a sophomore (4 PPG) will give Butler a good nucleus to build around. It would not be surprising to see Lowery and Green make a big jump having been such young contributors to a region championship team. Coach Geary always has the Bears at the top of the region and this will surely be the case again this season. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park The Panthers have always been at or near the top in this region. Last year was no exception as the Panthers finished with an 18-9 record and had a victory against runner-up Jtown and a close loss to eventual champion Butler. The Panthers lose two of their top scorers in Keion Gray (13 PPG) and Brendan Hardman (9 PPG). However, the cupboard is not bare. Leading scorer Neyko Jenkins (14 PPG) returns along with Armoni Cheeks (8 PPG). PRP’s historically strong team has been built on strong depth within the program. The players next in line have been waiting their turn for this opportunity. Coach Kihnley has been around PRP basketball for decades and this stability is another plus to keep the Panthers in the thick of things in the 6th region. 4. WEB DuBois The Lions are already making their mark on the 6th Region even though they are a relatively new school. Last year they played most of the better teams in the 6th Region and put together a 22-10 record. One of the region’s best players Ja Rye Brown (29 PPG) should be returning. When you have someone capable of the numbers he put up last year you have to think they will be in the thick of things come March. Brown’s play will also be complemented by Khail Ogletree (13 PPG) who also returns. Coach Alexander has done a great job building this program from scratch and this season could be the reward for the bumps and bruises a new program receives in the early years. 5. Evangel Coach Miller probably had one of the youngest teams in the Jefferson County area last year. In 2025-2026, the Eagles started three eighth graders: Tyson Darko (14 PPG), Golden Dotson (12 PPG), and Myles Johnson (11 PPG). Aristophane Olima (14 PPG) also returns to Coach Miller’s squad. However, Dotson is not on the roster on Arbiter at the time of this writing, which would be a blow to the Eagles' hopes this season. The Eagles finished with a 20-10 record last year. It looked like they scaled back their schedule just a little with such a young squad, but they still remained competitive against some solid teams. Assuming all players other than Dotson return, this is still a team to watch. With a veteran coach and young players who more than got their feet wet last year, Evangel looks like a team that can make a deep run. Depth could be a problem for such a small school, but Evangel has to be considered one of the teams at the top of Region 6. 6. Jeffersontown The Chargers are used to being at the top of this region. Two years ago they were region champs and upset St. Xavier in the Sweet Sixteen. Last year they lost a slugfest to Butler in the region championship game 38-35. Once teams get used to being at the top it soon becomes the expectation. J-town did lose their two leading scorers in Dayvonne Harrison (16 PPG), and Damere Clark (12 PPG). Larron Westmorland averaged 10 PPG as a junior last year, but he is not listed on their Arbiter roster at the time of this writing. Davion Glenn (7 PPG) is the only returning player in terms of production from last year’s team. I am sure they have some players waiting in the wings for their turn but will have to prove it to get back to the top of the region. 7. Bullitt Central The Cougars built a nice resume last season compiling a 22-9 record. The schedule was a little lighter than the teams at the top of the 6th region but winning breeds confidence and with the return of three of their top players from last year, the Cougars cannot be overlooked. A.J Lee (16 PPG) has been playing varsity minutes since he was a freshman. He has always been a threat from downtown but last year he expanded his game by attacking off the dribble and setting up teammates. Jayden Kearney (15 PPG) and Noah Eubanks (11 PPG) both were key contributors last year as sophomores. BC relies on the 3 point shot when things are going well. When they are hot, they could beat anyone on a given night. However, on nights when the 3-ball isn’t falling they might suffer a head scratching loss. 8. Bullitt East The Chargers had a somewhat uncharacteristic season last year as they finished under .500 for the first time in several years and also missed the region tournament. Based on returning production those struggles could continue this season as they lost 4 of the top 5 scorers from last season including Connor Stinnett who averaged 18 PPG. The only returning player that provided major production last season is Samuel Bates (12 PPG). Sometimes having an off year can be great motivation for the players returning and that is the first step to turning things around. Time will tell if the Chargers can get back toward the top of the region. 9. North Bullitt The Eagles were another 6th region team that posted 20 wins last year finishing up at 20-9. Nolan Bott (18 PPG) is returning and was North Bullitt’s leading scorer last year as a sophomore. As a heady guard that elevates his teammates, he is the perfect anchor for the 26-27 Eagles. The Eagles did lose three starters to graduation so there are holes to fill. Cade Cruise (6 PPG) should be one player who can make a jump his senior year to help support Bott. 10. DeSales The Colts had a nice season last year posting a 21-10 record. I am sure 6th region opponents were glad to see Cameron Bischoff (23 PPG) graduate last spring. Bischoff took his 124 made three point shots with him when he left, which will be impossible to replace. The Colts will rely on Isacc Delling (10 PPG), and Kaden Childs (9 PPG) to make up some of the scoring that Bischoff provided. The Colts always play hard and could pull a few upsets before the year is out. 11. Fern Creek The Tigers were on the struggle bus for most of last year finishing up with a 10-18 record. The outlook might be more positive for the Tigers this season as they return 4 of their best 5 scorers from last season. The Tigers will count on Jesiah Flippins (8 PPG), Francky Ngindu (7 PPG), Kalep Taylor (6 PPG) and ADarius Pegues who averaged 8 PPG despite playing in only 14 games, to help them climb the ladder in the 6th Region. With this experience and scoring to lean on the Tigers are primed for a bounce back year in 26-27. 12. Holy Cross The Cougars have seen hard times as far as their won-lost record in basketball the last couple years. However, the tide is turning for the boys from Dixie Highway as all five starters return from last year’s 8-18 squad. Carter Hutchinson averaged over 16 PPG last season as just a sophomore. Chris Rumbaugh (13 PPG) and Isaac Carnes (12 PPG) will be counted on to boost Cougar fortunes in 26-27. As a freshman Adin Cardokovic (6 PPG) earned valuable varsity minutes that will pay dividends this season. Teams with returning experience like this usually are much improved and I expect Holy Cross to follow that logic and to push past the .500 mark this year. 13. Moore The Mustangs struggled last year and finished the year with an 11-18 record. Things looked promising for the future, as leading scorer C.J. Sweeney put up huge numbers as a freshman. However, NextUpRecruits on X reported that Sweeney is transferring to Spire Academy. Sweeney remains listed on Moore’s Arbiter roster at the time of this writing, so fans will have to wait and see how this turns out. The Mustangs also return Dexter McAtee (9 PPG), who logged heavy minutes as a sophomore. Expect a big jump from McAtee this season to help offset the loss of Moore's other three graduating starters. 14. Western The Warriors struggled most of last season, finishing with an 8-17 record. Four of the top six scorers from last year were seniors, so the concern for continued tough times is certainly there. However, the two main producers were just sophomores last season. Jonah Brady (13 PPG) and Kameron Weaver (7 PPG) will return and could provide the pieces necessary to climb out of the bottom of the 6th Region. It is not uncommon for young players like this to produce significantly more after getting valuable varsity time the previous year. 15. Valley The Vikings made major improvements last year going from one win in 24-25 to fifteen wins last year. While almost all of those wins came against smaller schools, with the exception of a late-season win over Fern Creek, tasting success is a crucial stepping stone when rebuilding. This is exactly the right way to get this storied program back on track. Some more good news is the top three scorers from last year are scheduled to return for the Vikings. Kyleel Foreman (14 PPG), My Leek Hayes (10 PPG), and Dominic Foreman (7 PPG) will all be back in the purple and gold. The Vikings’ schedule is tougher this year, meaning the win-loss record may not reflect it but this will be a better team than last year. 16. Southern The Trojans had a difficult season last year as the final record was 7-20. All the victories came against the teams fighting to stay off the bottom floor of the 6th Region. Southern only averaged 47 points per game last year, so when you look at returning and graduating production it is hard to determine the outlook for the coming season. The Trojans do return Cassius Pearce (6 PPG) and Kamdin Mays (4 PPG) who were among the top 4 scorers from last year. Perhaps controlling tempo was the plan last season. We will see how the Trojans play this season. 17. Whitefield Academy The Wildcats had struggled in recent years but that was not the case in 25-26. A 18-13 record showed great improvement. While the schedule was mostly against smaller schools they did post wins over North Bullitt, Holy Cross, and Western Hills. Unfortunately, Whitefield will have to replace Coach David Bryant who did a nice job with this team, and their leading scorer Jaxon Morris (19 PPG). The Wildcats will hope to continue their upward trend with a new coach in Colton Talley and returning players Noah Towler (11 PPG), and Kyler Swift (9 PPG). The Class A Region will be in play for the Wildcats. Interestingly, Whitefield competes in the 7th region for that tournament classification. That should be a very competitive tournament with all the teams equally balanced. 18. Doss Long gone are the days of Leon Mudd having Doss at the top of the 6th Region almost every year. The last few years Doss has been near the bottom of the region. The Dragons did not report stats for 19 of the 26 games they played last season, so it is hard to judge what production they have returning. They do hope to improve on a 5-21 record from last year. They have a new coach in Norman Ellis, who hopes to bring better days to the Dragons. 19. Iroquois The Raiders had a difficult season last year finishing up with a 4-25 record. They do return 3 of their top 5 leading scorers from last year. Emmanuel Agama (12 PPG), Kaydence Varner (9 PPG), and Paul Rose (5 PPG) hope to lead the Raiders to better fortunes in 2026-2027. Agama and Varner were just sophomores last year so another year of maturity, coupled with the experience they gained last year should allow the Raiders to show significant improvement.
