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10. Pikeville (1A, 3-2)- Panthers welcome a step down in competition after taking it on the chin at Belfry. South Floyd will act as tribute. 9. Bell County (3A, 4-1)- Bobcats continue to roll along after obliterating Whitley County. Humfleet is putting up huge numbers and will use the BYE to get an oil change after going over 3000 miles. 8. Corbin (3A, 3-2)- Hounds fault valiantly but came up short against Southwestern. The final test of their 3 game gauntlet may be the toughest as they must challenge 2A powerhouse Mayfield. 7. North Laurel (5A, 5-0)- Jags remain undefeated with another good but not great performance. Luckily expect this trend to continue and Harlan County will be the next in line. 6. Paintsville (1A, 5-0)- The Tigers were not sparkling in a win over a Williamsburg team still looking to break their maiden, but it was a win nonetheless. Expect a substantial jump in competition against 4A Bourbon County who has already beat one of EKY's best. 5. Southwestern (5A, 4-1)- The Warriors survived a game Corbin team relying on their defense and big play ability. Montgomery County will be a very stiff test and the Warriors must clean up the penalties to expect to move up. 4. Ashland (4A, 4-0)- If you ever need a litmus test for Ashland look no further than the Ironton game. When Ashland is good the scoreboard against the Fighting Tigers reflect as such and this year's scoreboard was a blowout. District competition begins with Rowan. 3. Pulaski County (5A, 3-1)- Pulaski spanked Rockcastle but their defense still continues to look a little vulnerable. Thankfully their offense is in Championship form and without Damien Harris in 2015 don't expect Madison Southern to threaten. 2. Belfry (3A, 4-0)- Belfry redeemed the surprise upset from 2015 to rival Pikeville and made a statement in their win. Belfry now plays back to back out of state juggernauts beginning with the talent rich Knoxville Catholic. 1. Johnson Central (4A, 3-0)- The Golden Eagles yawned as they pounded Harlan County into the FieldTurf. Expect a lot of playing time for the JV the next couple weeks beginning with hapless Boyd County. Trending Up Allen Central (2A, 3-1)- The Runnin Rebs' Underclassmen will play football alongside South Floyd in 2016. They will do so with bragging rights after dominating the last game in the rivalry. Hazard (1A, 4-1)- Don't throw dirt on the Bulldogs just yet. Back to back quality wins have the dawgs feeling confident. Leslie County (2A, 4-0)- Competition may be "meh" but being undefeated stands on it's own merit. Eagles are a team to keep an eye on. Trending Down East Ridge (2A, 1-3)- The Warriors return to district competition wasn't supposed to go this way. Brody Johnson continues to stuff stat sheets but the Warrior's Swiss cheese defense is an issue. Harlan County (5A, 1-4)- Credit the Black Bears for having guts to schedule difficult games, but thusfar they have been outscored 183-68. Corbin (3A, 3-2)- Yes the Hounds are ranked in the Top 10..but noone exemplifies trending down any more. Back to back losses with a third highly likely and Offensive struggles amplified... Corbin is itching for their schedule to lighten up. Player of the Week QB Cole Ratliff, Hazard Ratliff came up huge in the Bulldog's hard fought win over Prestonsburg. He finished 17/22 for 180 yards and a TD... more impressively he added 104 rushing yards and 3 TD's. For good measure he added a critical Interception on Defense and 8 tackles. GAME OF THE WEEK Shelby Valley @ Prestonsburg- Both 2014 matchups were instant classics and basically shaped who won Region 4 in 2A. These are two teams still searching for a statement win led by some great individual players. Win and control your own destiny in District 8... lose and stare down the barrel of a potential road game in the First Round of the playoffs.

BluegrassPreps 2015 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 4 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, we are at the point of the season where the grind of the season has set in on most teams (especially teams that have played a decent schedule). Injuries are a part of the game. The teams that deal with them or minimize them the best are clearly ahead of the competition. And we are either at District games or 1 Week from District games. So let’s get on it! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 4: 1. South Warren 4A (5-0): Win 21-0 vs 6A North Hardin 2. Bowling Green 5A (4-1): Win 32-7 vs 4A Warren Central 3. McCracken County 6A (4-1): Win 55-20 vs Lift For Life Academy, MO 4. Mayfield 2A (4-1): Win 46-14 vs 5A Graves County 5. Owensboro 5A (4-1): Win 49-21 vs 6A Daviess County 6. Christian County 5A (4-1): Win 42-28 vs 4A Hopkinsville 7. Caldwell County 3A (4-1): Win 51-21 vs 6A Henderson County 8. Russellville 1A (5-0): Win 64-28 vs 2A Todd County Central 9. Hopkinsville 4A (4-1): Loss 42-28 vs 5A Christian County 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (3-2): Win 49-7 at 4A Madisonville North-Hopkins PurpleHaze Game of the Week (Week 3): Christian County 5A (4-1) 42 vs Hopkinsville 4A (4-1) 28. By all accounts, this game was pretty close until the second half. According to Silo11, Christian County made their long passing plays and Hopkinsville didn’t and that was the difference in the game. Both teams stopped the run game effectively. The Colonels gain the Christian County bragging rights this year! Honorable Mention: Franklin-Simpson (4A) 21 at Monroe County (2A) 14. Two good teams. FS rushed the ball effectively while Monroe turned it over 5 times. PurpleHaze Game of the Week (Week 4): DISTRICT BUSTER: Paducah Tilghman (3A) (3-2) travels to Princeton to take on District Rival Caldwell County (3A) (4-1). This will be a very HARD fought game with the likely District Crown on the line. Two of the best unheralded QBs in the west on display with Tilghman speedster Jesse Dunigan and Caldwell County’s Shane Burns lighting up the scoreboard! Honorable Mention: Murray (2A) at Russellville (1A) and Butler County (2A) at Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Rex Henderson vs Ray Zuberer III – A matchup made for a video game – Worth the price of admission! Meat N Potatoes Top 10 Version – Week 4: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): Next 10 – Last Week (LW): 10 - 2015 Record 3-2; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 49-7 at 4A Madisonville NH (1-4). SR Sayveon McEwen rushed for 138 yards and 3 TDs. QB Jesse Dunigan passed for 100 yards and 1 TD. Week 5: PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week DISTRICT BUSTER At 3A District Rival Caldwell County (4-1). 9) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 8 – LW: 5 - 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Loss: 42-28 vs 5A Christian County (4-1). See above. Hopkinsville just couldn’t capitalize on the big passing plays late in the game to hang with Christian County. This hurts most in the local super market as bragging rights were lost, but you honestly don’t lose a lot on the football field and if you can re-focus on your district games you will still be a tough out in the playoffs. Week 5: DISTRICT BUSTER vs (4A) Madisonville NH (1-4). These are the best 2 teams in this district, so you need to refocus fast Tigers! 8) Russellville (1A) – PR: Next 10 – LW: 7 - 2015 Record 5-0; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 64-28 over 2A Todd County Central (1-4). The Panthers pulled out a “Can of Techmo Bowl” on the Rebels with 560 yards rushing and 3 guys going over 100 yards. QB Jaylyn McMurray was 4 for 4 with 3 TDs. Now we begin to find out more about Russellville: Week 5: vs. 2A Murray (3-2). If you want to hang with Beechwood later in the year, you need to hang with Murray this week. 7) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 9: LW: 9 - 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 51-20 vs 6A Henderson County (1-4) As Tiger fans said, it is significant for a 3A team to beat a 6A team, even if the 6A team is down. I dare say this is the team playing the BEST ball in WKY right NOW! QB Shane Burns has come on to be a star to those paying attention in Princeton. According to Dreamkiller, he was 33-41 with 397 yards. Not a bad day’s work. PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week: DISTRICT BUSTER Week 5: vs 3A Paducah Tilghman (3-2). This one will be worth the price of admission, but you better get there early because I feel the Tiger faithful will be out in force for this one, as the game is in Princeton! 6) Christian County (5A) – PR: 6 – LW: 8 - 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 42-28 vs Hopkinsville 4A (4-1). See above. I have to admit, I have been underwhelmed by the Colonels this year. BUT for me, this is a turning point. The Colonels stayed tough and made the plays in the second half when they needed to. I think the early “uninspiring” play is likely directly due to their youth. There is no doubt they have talent. Now they get a quick district tune up before traveling up the Pennyrile and Audubon Parkways for some Old Hickory Barbeque and a District Buster meeting with the Red Devils! Week 5: vs. Marshall County 5A (1-3). 5) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4 – LW: 5 - 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 49-21 at 6A Daviess County (4-1). The Red Devils probably would have been behind on the scoreboard if emotions were tallied at the beginning of the game as Daviess County and their fans always have this game circled. And they played very well. DC tied it up in the 3rd Quarter at 21; then the Red Devils just hit another gear for 4 TDs. But give DC credit for playing tough. Owensboro just too many weapons. Week 5: OPEN Most likely Coach Fallin and staff will be travelling to Christian County for some Woodshed Barbeque and to watch the Christian County Colonels, their district rival and next opponent. 4) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 2 – LW -4 - 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win 46-14 vs 5A Graves County 6A (2-3). Graves County got a glimpse of Angry Mayfield. Mayfield gains 164 on the ground and 315 in the air. Defense only gives up 100 on ground and 100 in the air and picks off 3 passes. With their star RB injured SO Shauntrez Tyler got the call and performed well with over 100 yards and a TD. This is big Mayfield fans because injuries are part of the game. Mr. Tyler looks ready to play! Week 5: vs 3A Corbin (3-2) at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky. Get your car filled up with gas Cardinal fans and follow your team! Should be a good one! 3) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 5 - LW – 3; 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 55-20 vs Lift For Life Academy Charter, St Louis, MO (1-3). Hard to know what to make of this one! Lift dresses 21 kids and drives to McCracken for this game; is it me or does it just not seem to add up for a 1 and 3 team? Zyaire Hughes was seen on the sidelines in this game with arm in a sling. Hopefully he will be back soon. Corey Fike had a good game with more than 100 yards rushing and a couple TDs. Cash Jones was very good also. DISTRICT BUSTER: Week 5: vs. 6A Daviess County (4-1). This game will likely determine the district champion. Will DC stud receiver John Stratton be back (injured in last week’s Owensboro game)? Will MC stud Zyaire Hughes be back from injury? Tune in and find out sports fans As The Season Turns! 2) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1 – LW: 2 - 2015 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 32-7 vs 4A Warren Central (1-4). The old cross-town rivalry game goes to the Purples. Jamale Carothers was terrific as usual for BG most notably with no turnovers. The defense was also very solid limiting the Dragons to 1 score. Some are concerned or rejuvenated, depending on your druthers, about the Purples second half scoring. The fact is they scored when they needed to and that’s all you need. I was told the total # of players on the Dragon sideline was way down from days gone by. I like to beat Warren Central every time, but to me BG is better when WC is better and for Dragonfire’s and Big Black Jack’s sake I hope WC continues to battle on and improve and admire them for not dodging the Purples. Makes the angst flow! Week 5: at 6A Central Hardin (3-2). 1) South Warren (4A) – PR: 3 – LW: 1 - 2015 Record 5-0; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 21-0 vs 6A North Hardin (1-4). South Warren buses will need to up the police escort anytime they travel through Hardin County these days as the Spartans completed the Hardin County Triple Crown by a score of 88 to 15. This is a better win than it looks on paper due to the injuries South is currently dealing with, most notably is QB Ryder Litton being out. The offense obviously wasn’t clicking well, but the defense surely was. It is a sign of a great team when you can still win when you don’t have your best stuff. Now is the time to prepare for when things like injuries don’t go your way for the playoffs. DISTRICT BUSTER Week 5: vs 4A Franklin-Simpson (3-2). Jayvon Quarles Week 4 Players of the Week: 1) Johnny Drumgole – RB and S – Russellville – 214 yards on 8 carries and 3 TDs! 2) Rex Henderson – QB – Butler County – 13 for 17 with 249 passing yards and 3 TDs! 3) Sayveon McEwen – Wingback – Paducah Tilghman – 138 yards and 3 TDs! 4) Tre Fant – DB/S – Bowling Green – 1 INT vs Warren Central but it’s his 6th on the season and continues his streak of at least 1 in 4 straight games! School Records: 1) Maddie Alexander – K – Franklin Simpson – After the first string kicker went down with injury; Maddie Alexander, a 5-sport athlete and academic scholar at FS, came on and calmly drilled 3 XPs in FS victory over Monroe County on Friday marking the first points by a female for FS varsity football ever! Congratulations Maddie! 2) Jacob Rickard – DE – McLean County – Recorded 5 sacks for a school record in McLean’s win vs Hopkins County Central! Week 4 “Trending Down” Hart County (3A) – Down – Tough game vs Union County last week. Missed opportunity to continue your upswing. District play starts in 2 weeks. Time to regain momentum this week vs Larue County. Madisonville NH (4A) – Down – Seems like a long way from last year, but a 1-4 start to this year is a tough way to start the rebuilding cycle. But there is still time Maroon fans. As I still see you getting second in your district. Time to start trending up! Week 4 “Trending Up” Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Up – After a disappointing showing vs Daviess County (who is a better team than most give credit to), then a nice bounce back showing vs the Red Devils (a moral victory if there is such a thing), two powerful victories lead us to a district buster showdown with primary district rival Butler County! Allen County Scottsville (4A) – Up – The Patriots couldn’t buy a break in the early season against 3 solid teams going 0 and 3. Since then, they have taken Barren County by storm beating both Glasgow and Barren County by a combined 7 points. District play starts this weeks as the Warren Central Dragons travel to Scottsville. Can the Patriots keep it going? Union County (3A) – Up – After getting your doors blown off at Madisonville 1 week ago, the Braves traveled to Hart County and came away with a hard fought win. Keep building momentum Braves as you have a tough district that begins in 2 weeks. “Broke Their Maiden” – In horse racing, when you break your maiden, you win your first race. Well this category is for teams that don’t get as much love, but did get their first victory of the season here and I think that’s significant: (After this week, only 6 more teams in the West are winless! Let’s root for them to get a win! MOST Critical this week is Logan County who visits Hopkins County Central. Go Cougars!) Calloway County 4A (1-3) – Won 33-27 in OT vs 3A Trigg County (3-2) – Don’t tell me these kids don’t want to win. The Lakers were paced by QB Cole Stenson with almost 200 yards passing and 3 TDs. Caverna 1A (1-4) – Won 40-26 vs 2A Clinton County (3-2) – You can’t stop them; you can only hope to contain them was what the Clinton County Bulldogs were saying after this one. Way to go Caverna! Fort Campbell 3A (1-4) – Won 43-8 vs 1A Fort Knox (1-3) – After playing 4 very good teams, the Falcons saw the light at the end of the tunnel and blasted through it. Congratulations!

Thanks to Orange Leaf Crescent Springs for sponsoring the Northern Kentucky Power Rankings. We encourage everyone to patronize our sponsors, and you can visit them at 2311 Buttermilk Crossing in Crescent Springs. Feel free to bring along this premium coupon when you visit! THE RANKINGS: 10) Conner (6A / 1-1) – It’s tough to get a solid take on the strength of the Cougars after their first two games, after first trouncing a struggling 6A Boone County team 43-6 in their opener, and then following that up with a 54-0 loss to 6A powerhouse Simon Kenton this past Saturday. Conner did manage to post 200 yards of offense against Simon Kenton, but never managed to capitalize on things, and ended up being blanked on the scoreboard. With Ryle and Cooper both in their same 6A district, the Cougars will have to dig deep if they hope to get anywhere in the playoffs this fall. 9) Campbell County (6A / 0-3) – I still had Campbell County ranked in 5th place for Northern Kentucky last week, giving them the benefit of the doubt after playing East Central (IN) close in a very emotional day for many of the Camels, and then losing to an angry 5A Highlands team that was trying to rebound after an opening loss. However, after losing 19-28 this past Saturday to the 2A New Cath Thoroughbreds, I think my ranking last week was too high. Offensively, the Camels (228 yds) were within 1 yard of the Breds (229 yds) this week, but in the end, New Cath managed to turn that 1 yard advantage into a 9 point advantage. Campbell County won’t have any room to relax as they take on 6A Cooper this Friday, and then 6A Ryle the next week. 8) Newport Central Catholic (2A / 1-2) – New Cath had a rough start to the season, losing in a sloppy week one game to 4A Scott, and being shut out in a 35 point loss to the 6A Cooper Jaguars, who were on a strong roll after beating 5A Highlands in their first game of the season. This week the Breds were happy to have stud running back Jacob Smith returned to their backfield, and they appeared to have started working their way out of the early season hole they had found themselves in by beating 6A Campbell County 28-19 on Saturday. New Cath travels to Pike County this week to take on the 2-0 Belfry Pirates, the current 3A defending state champs. 7) Scott (4A / 1-0) – This is the third year straight that the Eagles have started their season out 3-0. Spending the last two seasons in 5A, Scott hasn’t fared quite so well once they have gotten into district play, but after moving down to 4A, could this season be a little different? A sloppy win over 2A New Cath in their first game, a big win over a struggling 5A Dixie Heights program in their second, and this week, an absolute shellacking of a struggling 2A Newport program. This week Scott welcomes 6A Conner to Taylor Mill for what looks to be one of the Eagle’s tougher games of the season. 6) Covington Catholic (5A / 0-3) – Cov Cath’s loss to Cincinnati St. X last week was relatively expected, and although Sycamore (OH) is no shabby team either, it’s still concerning when any team loses by 5+ touchdowns two weeks in a row. The Colonels have to be a little worried this week about their defense, and although the offense showed a little life in the second half this week against Sycamore, they didn’t manage to produce many results on the scoreboard. Coach Eviston will have the Colonels practicing hard this week as they get ready to travel south this week to take on 3A Lexington Catholic. Lex Cath is currently 1-2 coming off a loss to Johnson Central. 5) Beechwood (1A / 2-0) – The Tigers have been a little slow to start two weeks in a row now, but they have managed to get the game in control before too long both of the last two Fridays, scoring 48 points against both 2A Lloyd Memorial and 2A Somerset. Seniors Kyle Fieger and Ethan Stringer are showing that they are as capable as everyone had hoped. There are certainly arguments to be made that will both support and oppose the statement Beechwood is a better team than 5A Covington Catholic, but simply based on the Beechwood offensive performance in their games thus far, along with the 44 points teams are averaging against Cov Cath’s defense, I have to give the edge to the Tigers at the moment. Beechwood is on the road this week, playing at Ironton (OH), and then we’ll find out on September 18th whether or not I’m right about Beechwood and Cov Cath when the Tigers host the Colonels. 4) Highlands (5A / 1-2) – This is the first time since 2002 that the Bluebirds have started out a season with two losses out of their first three games, and it may be the first time they have ever had a running clock put on them in the first half of a football game. The Bluebirds can take a sigh of relief, albeit a small one, that there’s little doubting their a-typical performance this past week was in part due to the fact that they had both their starting quarterback Austin Hergott or wideout Mitchell Cain on the sideline. Highlands’ M.O. has always been steady improvement over the course of the season in order to come into the playoffs firing on all cylinders, and that certainly isn’t out of the question as of yet, but the next three weeks are going to be tough for the Bluebirds, with games against the undefeated 6A Ryle Raiders, the undefeated 6A St. Xavier Tigers, and the undefeated 6A Simon Kenton Pioneers. 3) Ryle (6A / 3-0) – The Raiders move up one spot in this week’s rankings after beating 6A Boone County 52-7 on Saturday. It’s hard to get a good read of things against a team like Boone – particularly with Ryle pulling their starters in the second quarter on Saturday, but with an overall 3-0 record, and after beating Cov Cath and Lex Cath both, Ryle isn’t looking bad at all. Their game this week against Highlands should be a decent gauge for the Raiders, and will likely decide whether or not they stay in the third spot in the NKY Power Rankings. 2) Cooper (6A / 2-1) – Should Cooper have stayed in 5A? I say yes – particularly seeing how the margin between the #1 and #2 spot in the NKY Power Rankings has widened after Cooper’s loss this week to 6A Bryan Station. Cooper has already proved that had they stayed in 5A, they would have been capable of beating some of their biggest competitors. However, this week, after losing in a 36-0 shutout to the Bryan Station Defenders, it looks like Cooper is going to have a rougher time in 6A than some had initially thought, seeing as 6A Simon Kenton already beat Bryan Station soundly in their second game this season. Cooper looks to rebound from their loss when they welcome the 6A Campbell County Camels to Union this Friday. 1) Simon Kenton (6A / 3-0) – With the exception of the weather, there wasn’t too much surprise coming out of Simon Kenton’s game this week in Hebron against 6A Conner. The Pioneers rolled to a 54 point shutout of the Cougars. Racke threw for 154 yards, including 2 touchdowns, and Powell rushed for 184 yards, including 2 touchdowns. Powell has averaged over 200 yards per game in the first three games of the season. The ‘Neers will be welcoming the 5A Dixie Colonels to Independence this Friday for what will likely be a rough night for Dixie as Simon Kenton looks for payback after the Colonels ended the Pioneers’ 2014 season in their most recent game - last November in the 6A quarterfinals. Co-Players Of The Week: Cameron Chase (Bellevue High School) Running back Cameron Chase averaged almost 7 yards per carry this week, rushing for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns in Bellevue’s game against Bishop Brossart Mustangs. Dillon Powell (Simon Kenton High School) Simon Kenton stud Dillon Powell had a great game on Saturday against Conner, rushing for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns, and receiving for another 30 yards and 1 more touchdown. Game Of The Week: Ryle (6A) vs. Highlands (5A) After two seasons of struggle, Ryle has been showing some solid steps forward in the beginning of the 2015 football season. Highlands has been somewhat the opposite, starting off 1-2 for the first time in over a decade. It will be interesting to see how each of these teams fare in this matchup – which will also be our first opportunity this season to compare performances by Highlands and Covington Catholic against a mutual opponent. Trending Up: 6A Ryle – The Raiders are 3-0, having beaten 5A Cov Cath, 3A Lex Cath, and now 6A Boone County. They have made their way back to their pre-season #3 spot in the NKY Power Rankings, and this week’s game against the 5A Highlands Bluebirds will tell us a bit more about how this Ryle program is really developing. 1A Bishop Brossart – There were a lot of rumblings about whether or not there would even be a Mustang football team this season, and after only winning eight games in the last four seasons combined, Bishop Brossart has managed to start off this season with a 3-0 record. The Mustangs host the 0-3 Trimble County Raiders this Friday. Trending Down: 5A Highlands – They may not have been at full strength this week – particularly with their starting QB sidelined to a shoulder injury – but running clocks are something the Bluebirds are used to handing their opposition, and something that rarely happens to them. Truth be told, they may not have EVER had a running clock hung on them in the first half of a football game ever. The Birds will be looking to rebound this week against 6A Ryle. Hopefully they come into the game healthy. 6A Campbell County – The Camels need to take a long look in the mirror before they go into their next two games. After a third straight loss this season, Campbell County faces a very tough 6A Cooper team this Friday, and a solid 6A Ryle team the next. They may well be facing a 0-5 start this season.

BluegrassPreps 2015 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 2 Edition - 09/06/15 Concerning the top story line for this week, I’ve decided to recognize a well-known BGP’er, who absolutely loved Prep football in the Western part of the state and lost his lengthy health battle in this past off-season (March 2015). However, I don’t want to slight Mr. Jayvon Quarles in doing so. Mr. Quarles was a recent respected player for his beloved Hopkinsville Tigers and the Players of the Week will now be known as the Jayvon Quarles Players of the Week. The game of the week will now be known as the PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week. I know of no other, who combined a love for playing the game, researching the history of the game and supporting all others who do the same as Michael “Bulldog” Drake (aka. PurpleHaze). He was a friend to BGP and to so many on this site and the entire Western part of the State. Jayvon Quarles – Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Mayfield 2A (3-0) 37 at Paducah Tilghman 3A (1-2) 14: This game was fairly close early, but mostly due to Mayfield turnovers producing short fields for Paducah, which to their credit they capitalized upon, but then it was all Mayfield. It seems the Cardinal OLine continues to make strides. Honorable Mention: Glasgow at Barren County – Glasgow gets a big game from QB Dessi Austin and takes back the Barren County Bowl with a 35-15 win against the Barren County Trojans! Inaugural PurpleHaze Game of the Week: Owensboro 5A (3-0) at Bowling Green 5A (2-1) – This game is one I know PurpleHaze LOVED! It features 2 teams in the Top 4 of this ranking and 2 of the best 5A teams period. How will Owensboro’s young QB fare against a typically solid defense? How will the Purples rebound from a beating by St X? Honorable Mention: McCracken County at Mayfield; Hopkinsville at Murray; Central Hardin at South Warren Week 2 Top 10: 10) Graves County (5A) – Preseason Rank (PR): Next 10 – Last Week (LW): Next 10 - 2015 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 39-14 at 2A Murray (2-1). Coach Gregory and the Eagles are at it again. This time in Murray. Putting up 246 yards in the air and 140 on the ground in a game that was not close. Week 3: SWING GAME vs. 3A Paducah Tilghman (1-2). 9) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 9: LW: Next 10 - 2015 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 49-35 vs 6A North Hardin (1-2) Welcome Back Tigers! Interesting game. Caldwell is outgained 294 yards to North Hardin’s 469 yards. But Caldwell’s average starting line of scrimmage was the North Hardin 46. Dee Cain scores 2 late TDs to give the Tigers the win! Week 3: At 1A Crittenden County (3-0). 8) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 5 - Last Week (LW) – 10; 2015 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 54-14 over 4A Madisonville North-Hopkins (0-3). Nothing like a down 4A squad to make you feel good about yourself! With the Paducah Tilghman loss in the rear view mirrors, the Mustangs come to their next BIG obstacle, namely the Mayfield Cardinals. It was a classic one-point overtime game last year. I see no different for a close hard fought game this year. Week 3: At 2A Mayfield (3-0). 7) Christian County (5A) – PR: 6 – LW: 9 - 2015 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 28-14 vs Henderson County 6A (1-2). Air Raid Christian County moved closer to ground and pound Christian County against Henderson County in this All Colonel Bowl. When it counted, Christian went to the ground with 4 rushing TDs. Can they keep it up? No worries this week. Week 3: vs. 3A Fort Campbell (0-3). 6) Russellville (1A) – PR: Next 10 – LW: 8 - 2015 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 52-42 over 2A Butler County (2-1). Solid road win vs a very decent Butler County squad. Panthers rushing machine grinds out 339 yards with Josh Bigbee’s 191 yards and TD leading the way. Russellville found 2 more players this week to swell the #s played to 21. I predict it continues to swell against intra-county rival, but lowly, 4A Logan County: Week 3: vs. 4A Logan County (0-3). 5) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 8 – LW: 6 - 2015 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 50-7 vs 3A Fort Campbell (0-3). Jalen Johnson continues to star for the Tigers. The Sophomore QB passed for 160 yards and 3 TDs and ran for 2 more. This team is good, but the next 2 games on the schedule are their toughest and we’ll see what they are made of. Week 3: At Murray (2-1). 4) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1 – LW: 1 - 2015 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Loss: 45-19 At 6A St Xavier (2-0). Humble Pie Ingredients: Give up 99 yard opening kickoff return, Add 1 punt return for TD, Mix in 3 fumbles and 1 interception. St X was the better team in every way last week. The schedule is unkind as the toughest stretch of the season is back to back with the Owensboro Red Devils coming to town for the first home game of the season. Week 3: PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week - Vs 5A Owensboro (3-0). 3) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4 – LW: 4 - 2015 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 35-28 over 2A Intra-City Rival Owensboro Catholic (1-2). Good game. Ray Zuberer and company were back from an off week last week vs Daviess County and tested the Red Devils. Owensboro’s offense was very balanced with 150 yards rushing and 132 passing yards. However, some Red Devil fans weren’t “real” happy with this one, but 3-0 is 3-0. Big test comes next week with the trip down the Old Green River Parkway to BG to face the Purples (2-1). Week 3: PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week - Vs 5A Owensboro (3-0). 2) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 2 – LW -3 - 2015 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 37-14 AT 3A Paducah Tilghman (1-2). First big test; PASS. Reports say this one wasn’t nearly as close as the score might suggest. See above for more. Cardinal Fans, I considered you for the #1 slot, but basically you have one solid win and two “Ho-Hummers” just like South Warren. Test #2 Next Week but this will be on Mayfield’s Home Turf! Week 3: Vs. 6A McCracken County (2-1). 1) South Warren (4A) – PR: 3 – LW: 2 - 2015 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 43-7 at 5A Greenwood (2-1). Greenwood is better this year than last (IMO), but still a long ways away from this kind of challenge. QB Ryder Litton is the gas that makes the Spartans go. He scored 2 early rushing TDs and otherwise managed the game very well. On to a Big Test next week with a tough and gritty Central Hardin squad making the trip down I-65. Week 3: Home vs. 6A Central Hardin (2-1). Jayvon Quarles Week 2 Players of the Week: 1) John Mark Boarman – SR MLB and RB – Owensboro Catholic – after a 19 tackle performance against Daviess County; Mr. Boarman backs it up against the Red Devils with 16 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 receiving TD! Thanks to Nathaniel Bryan for these: 2) Glasgow QB Dessi Austin (248 yards passing and 4 TDs) and WR Ben Hughes (3 TDs)! 3) Taco Wilson (GREAT Name!) QB Trigg County – 4 TDs over Caverna. 4) Berneil Cecil – RB – Elizabethtown – 241 yards, 4 TDs on 8 carries! Week 2 “Trending Down” Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Down – After a terrific opening victory against McCracken County, the schedule is starting to take its toll on the Blue Tornado. Two or 3 more tough games on the schedule at least. Will they be ready for district action or too pooped to pop? Murray (2A) – Down – At home vs a supposedly average Graves County team produces a dude game. Everybody loses, but can they bounce back next week? BIG game when the Hopkinsville Tigers come to town. Week 2 “Trending Up” Graves County (5A) – Up – After losing on the road at Hopkinsville at the Stadium of Champions (may not be such a bad loss IMO), the Eagles have come back with 2 convincing wins including last week at Murray. Huge SWING game against the Blue Tornados next week! Elizabethtown (3A) – Up – Seem to be the Anti-Paducah Tilghman squad from a scheduling standpoint. Yes, they’ve dominated 3 games, but what does that mean against that competition. Should be interesting when the battle tested North Hardin Trojans come calling next week. Crittenden County (1A) – Up – The Rockets keep battling. They have 3 convincing wins against mediocre teams at best, but wins are wins and now comes the second largest challenge of the entire 2015 season when the Caldwell County Tigers travel to Marion, Kentucky.

Thanks to Orange Leaf Crescent Springs for sponsoring the Northern Kentucky Power Rankings. We encourage everyone to patronize our sponsors, and you can visit them at 2311 Buttermilk Crossing in Crescent Springs. Feel free to bring along this premium coupon when you visit! THE RANKINGS: 10) Lloyd Memorial (2A / 4-1) – The Juggernauts hosted 3A Garrard County this Friday, and sent the Golden Lions back to Lancaster with a 54-26 loss. That’s another solid performance out of Lloyd, who will be looking to un-seat district rival Newport Catholic once the playoffs roll around. The Juggs offense put up a solid 450 total yards, but the defense still showed a need to improve up front, allowing the Golden Lions 337 yards rushing. Lloyd hosts the 6A Conner Cougars on Friday. 9) Newport Central Catholic (2A / 2-4) – Losing to a 6A team isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a 2A team, but when you lose to them while still besting their offensive yardage by over 130 yards of your own, it’s got to sting. The Breds were handed a 21-17 loss on Friday by the 6A Conner Cougars, and they drop one spot in the NKY rankings this week. New Cath is entering their bye week, and will return on October 9th when they take on the 2A Holy Cross Indians in their first district matuchup. 8) Scott (4A / 5-1) – Scott thumped the 4A Mason County Royals on the road this past Friday, winning 43-7 in Maysville without gaining a single yard in the air. With five different ball carriers running the ball in on Friday, the Eagles are showing they still have diversity on O, albeit without much passing game to speak of. That puts Scott at 1-0 in district play, and their next district matchup will take place on Friday when they host the 4A Harrison County Thorobreds. 7) Conner (6A / 4-1) – Even though the 2A New Cath Thoroughbreds beat Conner in offensive yardage stats, the Cougars still came away from Newport with a win, beating the Breds 21-17. Looking at their record, Conner is sitting pretty at 4-1, but things may change once district play begins for the Cougars. They have very solid 6A Ryle and 6A Cooper teams to play, and will have to best both them both order to advance in 6A once the playoffs roll around. Conner takes on 2A Lloyd Memorial at Lloyd on Friday. 6) Beechwood (1A / 4-1) – Beechwood’s offense decided to make a statement on Friday…and 619 total yards and 55 points stated very clearly that the Tigers offense is pushing towards Bowling Green. Still, halfway through their season, Beechwood has a few wrinkles to iron out on defense. But with an offensive performance like they had this past Friday against 2A Holy Cross (Cov), things are continuing to look up for the Tigers as they continue in the hunt for their 12th state title. 5) Highlands (5A / 1-5) – There’s no doubting that Highlands has reached a certain level of frustration at this point in the season, and last Friday was no different. The Birds had a rough night in Independence, losing 42-3 to the 6A Simon Kenton Pioneers. In spite of 240 yards on offense, Highlands only mustered a single field goal kicked in the first half of the game. The Bluebirds are undoubtedly welcoming this week off before entering district play against 5A Dixie Heights on October 9th. 4) Covington Catholic (5A / 1-5) – Cov Cath was handed their fifth loss of the season on Saturday by the DeSales (OH) Stallions. Fortunately for the Colonels, they managed to show some signs of improvement, even through the loss. Cov Cath actually bested DeSales 276 to 148 when it came to total yards on offense. However, with all 3 of the Stallions’ first half touchdowns coming on Colonels turnovers, there is a lot for Cov Cath to work on as they enter their bye week and prepare for district play. Cov Cath’s next game is on October 10th against the 5A Grant County Braves. 3) Cooper (6A / 4-2) – Without a Ryle game to compare performances this week, it’s really tough to say that Cooper is ‘behind’ the Raiders in the rankings, but at very least, the margin between #2 and #3 is razor thin. This comes after the Jags shut out the 3A Lexington Catholic Knights this past week 28-0…almost exactly one month after Ryle beat Lex Cath 31-24. A lot can change in a month, so the two teams are keeping their same rankings from last week, but any questions about which team is better should be answered when Cooper and Ryle play on October 9th. Cooper plays 5A Dixie Heights Rebels this Friday. 2) Ryle (6A / 5-0) – The Raiders had the week off this past week, and will be traveling to Winchester to take on the winless 6A George Rogers Clark Cardinals. 1) Simon Kenton (6A / 6-0) – Simon Kenton’s dominance over their competition continued this past week, as the Pioneers beat 5A Highlands 42-3, really pulling away from the Birds in the second half. Surprisingly enough, even with 42 points on the scoreboard and 400 yards of offense in the stats ledger, this was, in fact, a “below average” game for the ‘Neers, who have been averaging 49 points and 445 yards per game thus far in the regular season. It’s bye week for Simon Kenton, and they’ll return to action on October 9th when they play 6A Boone County on the road. Co-Players Of The Week: Kyle Fieger (Beechwood) Fieger went 13-15 passing for 283 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brett Slusher (Beechwood) Slusher had 8 catches for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus another 52 yards on the ground. Ethan Stringer (Beechwood) Stringer averaged 8.5 yards per carry, rushing for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. Game Of The Week: Bishop Brossart (1A) vs. Ludlow (1A) 1A Ludlow may have lost to 1A Williamsburg on Friday, but their team is certainly on the upswing this season. I will be a big game for the Panthers this week as they take on the undefeated 1A Bishop Brossart Mustangs in Ludlow. Trending Up: 1A Bishop Brossart – After their football team almost closed up shop last year, the Mustangs are undefeated in the first half of their season, beating Nicholas County this past Friday. Brossart will take on the 1A Ludlow Panthers on Friday in the biggest test for the Mustangs yet this season. 4A Scott – The Eagles are 5-1, and have a real shot of running the table on their district this year in what looks to be the best Scott football season on record. After beating district competitor Mason County on Friday, they Eagles will be taking on Harrison County in their second district matchup this Friday. Trending Down: 2A Newport – Things are looking really rough for the Newport Wildcats right now. Adding another loss to their record on Friday wasn’t much of a help. Newport heads into a very tough road game against the 1A Beechwood Tigers on Friday. 6A Boone County – The Rebels are struggling in a real way right now. At 0-6, Boone County won’t have anyone letting up on them this season as they prepare for 6A district play before wrapping up their regular season against the 5A Highlands Bluebirds. The Rebels have the undefeated 6A Simon Kenton Pioneers this week.

10. Corbin (3A, 4-3)- Redhounds got a much needed rest and now turn their focus on a massive EKY matchup. 9. Pikeville (1A, 5-2)- With the District locked up the Panthers continue to gear down for a playoff run. Expect Pikeville to coast until the Regional Finals. 8. Bell County (3A, 6-1)- The Bobcats are playing good football and went on the road to beat a solid larger classification Tennessee school. More on them further down. 7. North Laurel (5A, 8-0)- As expected the Jags continue to cruise along and an undefeated regular season is imminent. Will the lack of a test though hurt them come November? 6. Southwestern (5A, 6-1)- Warriors are cooking, making short work of South Laurel, and only an over matched Lincoln County team stands between them and "Bedlam: Kentucky Edition". 5. Paintsville (1A, 8-0)- The Tigers made another statement by crushing a ranked Fairview team on the road and get a well timed BYE this week before a massive game next week. 4. Belfry (3A, 6-1)- The good news for Belfry? They all but locked up their District by beating a pretty solid Lawrence County team. The bad news? Belfry is regressing and playing borderline embarrassing football. If Belfry can protect the football they should coast through the next two weeks. 3. Ashland (4A, 7-0)- Tomcats have kind of been playing down to their competition as they endure the doldrums of District play. Greenup is a tricky team and the Tomcats will have to get their heads right and make sure they aren't staring ahead. 2. Johnson Central (4A, 6-0)- The Golden Eagles can attest to that fact as Greenup made them a little uncomfortable at times before JC opened up to a convincing win. The boys from Paintsville will have one last snooze fest against Rowan County before closing the season with their two stiffest tests. 1. Pulaski County (5A, 6-1)- There are few teams in Kentucky playing better ball than Pulaski County. The Maroons are rockin and rollin on both sides of the ball and welcome South Laurel in a game their reserves should see lots of minutes. TRENDING UP West Carter- Statement win for the Comets as they force a 3-way tie in their District by dismantling Fleming County on the road 43-0. Powell County is West's best friend right now as the Pirates help their tiebreaker with every win. Shelby Valley- The Wildcats suffered a reality check in Week 0, but are ROLLING winning 6 straight. Leslie County comes to Robinson Creek with a District Title on the line. Wayne County- Look out for the Cards! The winners of four straight they basically took the 4A District 6 title by beating Knox Central 35-24. TRENDING DOWN Fairview- Losers of 4 of their last 6 they essentially fall to last place in their three team District. With Raceland next will the Eagles confidence take another hit? Montgomery County- Back to back losses now has the Indians spiraling. A defense that had allowed only 55 points total through their first 5 games has allowed 88 in the past two weeks. Perry Central- The wheels have officially fallen off or the Commodores. Five straight losses and North Laurel up next. An inaugural 3-7 season is looking likely for Coach Larkey. PLAYER OF THE WEEK QB Luke Woods, Whitley County Woods was dynamic in the Colonel's 54-20 win over Perry Central. Woods was 4/8 passing for 101 yards and a TD... but it was on the ground that he went ballistic. The Quarterback scrambled for 314 yards on just 16 carries and added another 3 scores. GAME OF THE WEEK #10 Corbin @ #8 Bell County Two historic rivals with a lot riding on the line. The winner takes the District 8 Title, but more importantly sets themselves up for home field advantage in the Regional Championship in case of a rematch. District 7 in 3A is not especially strong, but with Powell County the clear top team a win makes sure of a lighter path until Round 3. The Redhounds should be well rested and a little more battle tested, but Bell County is red hot. The Bobcats are rolling offensively averaging over 42 points per game during their current 5 game winning streak.

Thanks to Orange Leaf Crescent Springs for sponsoring the Northern Kentucky Power Rankings. We encourage everyone to patronize our sponsors, and you can visit them at 2311 Buttermilk Crossing in Crescent Springs. Feel free to bring along this premium coupon when you visit! THE RANKINGS: 10) Newport Central Catholic (2A / 3-4) – New Cath showed more signs of struggle this week in their win over 2A Holy Cross. The game was neck and neck through three quarters of play, and the Breds struggled to find much rhythm. Jacob Smith did pull off a solid 193 yards rushing this week, but the fact remains, New Cath’s reliance on Smith will only get them so far, as evidenced by their 3-2 record with Smith in the backfield, and 3-4 record overall. New Cath will be fighting it out with 2A Lloyd Memorial this week in their second district matchup of the season. 9) Lloyd Memorial (2A / 5-2) – This week the Juggernauts added their name to the list of teams that have thumped 2A Newport this season, winning 42-7 on Friday. Lloyd has proven several times over that they mean business on the gridiron, and their near 500 yards on offense this week goes to show they are doing everything they can to make a run at the 2A playoffs this season. With 2A Newport Catholic appearing as their biggest opponent in district competition, the Juggs are going horse-hunting this Friday when they take on New Cath on the road. 7T) Conner (6A / 6-1) – Conner hosted 6A Campbell County this past Friday, and sent the Camels home with a loss. The Camels have had an obvious struggle this season, and the Cougars held them right at their season average 14 points, while putting up 36 points of their own for the win. With such a close game played on Sept. 11th between Conner and 4A Scott it’s still incredibly hard to put a point on which team should be ranked higher, so with a solid performance by Conner this week and no game played by Scott, I’ve got to put the two teams as a tie. Conner takes on 6A Ryle on the road this week. 7T) Scott (4A / 6-1) – No action this week. The Eagles are sitting at 6-1, and will be taking on the 4A Bourbon County Colonels at home on Friday. Bourbon County is 3-3. 6) Beechwood (1A / 6-1) – Beechwood rolled to their sixth win of the season, beating their 1A district competitor Bellevue Tigers 49-0 on the road. With the better part of 500 offensive yards, Beechwood is continuing to flex their muscles, and are building steam as they approach the playoffs. The Tigers will welcome the 1A Ludlow Panthers to Ft. Mitchell on Friday. 5) Highlands (5A / 2-5) – The Bluebirds left David Cecil Memorial Stadium with a solid 42-7 victory over 5A Dixie Heights on Friday. Nonetheless, there were quite a few eyebrows raised on Friday night when Highlands walked into the locker room at halftime only leading 7-0 after struggling to move the ball in the first two quarters. They clearly got their game together in the second half, but the Birds will have some work to do to prepare for the rival 5A Covington Catholic Colonels who will be trying to get their first win against Highlands since 2006. 4) Covington Catholic (5A / 2-5) – Cov Cath ticked off their second win of the season this week against the 5A Grant County Braves in a Saturday game in Park Hills. Cov Cath rushed for over 240 yards, and passed for another 180 yards in a 47-9 victory over the Braves. One new development for the Colonels this week was the addition of Cam Pitzer to Cov Cath’s offense. Pitzer brought some new life to the Colonels’ struggling receiving game, with 5 catches and 2 touchdown receptions. Cov Cath takes on their arch-rivals this Saturday when they play the 5A Highlands Bluebirds in Park Hills. 3) Ryle (6A / 6-1) – Ryle was handed their first loss of the season this past Friday, and there’s no denying that there must be some disappointed Raider fans this week seeing as not only was it a district loss, but it also was suffered at the hands of their hometown rival, 6A Cooper. The game was highly debated in the days leading up to Friday night, but the Raiders struggled to get their usual passing game moving against the Cooper defense, and they struggled with the Jaguar passing game in turn. The Raiders look to bounce back this week against 6A Conner. 2) Cooper (6A / 6-2) – Cooper has proved live and in person that they are the best team in Union, KY this year. Even after star running back Torrey Cordell-Armstrong left injured only moments into the game, the Jags were able to press forward with 220 yards in the air and another 74 on the ground. Cooper also held 6A Ryle’s high powered passing game to only 132 yards, and 58 yards on the ground. Junior receiver Dante Hendrix caught for 153 yards and 1 touchdown in the 27-21 win over the Raiders. Cooper plays at 6A Boone County on Friday. 1) Simon Kenton (6A / 7-0) – Simon Kenton played a far inferior 6A Boone County team this week in their first district matchup, and many folks seemed a bit surprised at the 37-13 final score. However, with the score at 30-0 less than 13 minutes into the game, the Pioneers started switching in their backups. The Pioneers had 9 different offensive players with their hands on the ball on Friday totaling for over 300 yards on offense, and 18 different defensive players with tackles, and allowing less than 150 yards on defense. Simon Kenton will have their second and final district game this week against 6A Campbell County. Game Of The Week: Covington Catholic (5A) vs. Highlands (5A) This rivalry may not impress many, with Highlands having won every game between these two since 2006, but to the folks in Park Hills and Ft. Thomas, this is often THE matchup of the regular season, regardless of records coming into the game. There’s no denying that both of these teams have struggled thus far this season, but there are many people wondering if this is finally going to be the game that Cov Cath is going to get over the recent hump. Kickoff is at 1:00pm on Saturday in Park Hills. Trending Up: 1A Beechwood – The Tigers are rolling, and are looking more and more like Bowling Green is in their future. 2A Lloyd Memorial – Lloyd is starting to flex their muscles, and they’re looking like they’re going to have their team warmed up and ready right on schedule for the playoffs. Trending Down: 4A Holmes – The Bulldogs are having a very, very difficult season this year, and lost their 5th game of the season this week to 4A Bourbon County. 6A Ryle – They played tough this week, but Ryle drops a spot in the rankings this week after losing to 6A district rival Cooper.

In 2015, BluegrassPreps is excited to roll out weekly football Power Rankings for each of the regions around the state. With each week's Power Rankings, we will be looking to rank the top ten teams in each region - regardless of class - against the other teams in their region. Throughout the season, we will be accounting for the results of all the games throughout the region, including the strength of each opponent played, points scored, points allowed, along with several other statistics on each side of the ball. We will also be featuring a highlighted "Game Of The Week", and moving forward, will be re-capping the previous games of the week, as well as highlighting regional "Big Risers" and "Big Droppers" as various teams improve their performance and other teams fall back. The BGP Power Rankings will also feature a "Player Of The Week". 10. Shelby Valley (2A)- The Wildcats were the surprise of the 2A Playoffs reaching the Semi’s and return over 4000 yards of offense and over 50 TD’s. Can they keep the momentum stepping up against Franklin County? 9. Bell County (3A)- The Bobcats have size and strength along with quality experience. Will 2015 be the year they breakthrough for another Regional Title after a bit of a drought by their fan's standards? If so they first need to end a 2 game losing streak to rival Middlesboro. 8. Russell (3A)- The Red Devils made a strong surge to reach the 3A Semi-Finals and are ahead of schedule for Maynard’s master plan. Will the Devils be able to fill the holes left at LB? 7. Corbin (3A)-The Redhounds feel they were a miracle play away from pushing to a 3A Title appearance. Expectations are high and the feeling is realignment has been good to the Hounds. What will year two under Coach Haddix bring? 6. Raceland (1A)- Keep an eye on the Rams. The early favorite in 1A out of the East looks to finally get over the hump in 2015 and find their way to Bowling Green. It all starts with West Carter. 5. Ashland (4A)- The Tomcats have the dynamic Quinton Baker and plenty of experience, but can they put a rough 2014 in their rear view? 4. Southwestern (5A)- The Warriors may have been an injury away from making a push toward the 5A Title. Do they have enough firepower to challenge their county rival? We will get a good judgement off the bat with a meeting against Harlan County. 3. Johnson Central (4A)- The Golden Eagles breathe fresh air in the new 4A alignment and start the season as one of the early favorites. The Eagles are heavy in experience and return some of their top playmakers. 2. Belfry (3A)- The Defending 3A Champs are loaded on Defense and return 7 offensive starters. The dilemma is replacing Austin Hatfield and Keaton Taylor who basically accounted for all the Pirate offense in the 3A Championship game. 1. Pulaski County (5A)- Maroons return a Mr. Football frontrunner in Riley Hall and all his favorite weapons as they enter as defending 5A Champs. The road has became a lot tougher though and it begins against Jeffersonville, IN. Game of the Week: Middlesboro @ Bell County- What’s better than two fierce Intra-County Rivals going to war in the Regular Season? How about opening the season! Bell looks to break a two game losing streak to the Yellowjackets.

In 2015, BluegrassPreps is excited to roll out weekly football Power Rankings for each of the regions around the state. With each week's Power Rankings, we will be looking to rank the top ten teams in each region - regardless of class - against the other teams in their region. Throughout the season, we will be accounting for the results of all the games throughout the region, including the strength of each opponent played, points scored, points allowed, along with several other statistics on each side of the ball. Additionally, we will be highlighting a "Game Of The Week", and moving forward, will be re-capping the previous games of the week, as well as highlighting regional "Big Risers" and "Big Droppers" as various teams improve their performance and other teams fall back. Also look for a featured "Player Of The Week". Are you ready for some football? Put your cowboy hat on and come out WEST: Preseason Top 10: 10) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – [2014 Record 10-2; District Record 4-0] The Aces return the State’s 2014 Top Producing Passer. JR QB Ray Zuberer recorded 3,661 yards (305 yds/gm) with 56 TDs and 13 INTs. Stud WR Jansen Riney is gone, but Sr WR Shamari Moore looks to pick up the slack. The 2A West bracket is much more difficult with the addition of Mayfield. Plus, a potential playoff rematch with Murray would be away this season. Still OCath is the class of 2A District 2 and if the defense can find some answers, they should travel to Murray the second week of the playoffs looking for revenge. Week 0 vs. Louisville Holy Cross at Home at 8pm. 9) Caldwell County (3A) – [2014 Record 11-2; District Record 3-0] Tough to replace Mr. Sindelar (D1 QB second in state with 3,609 yards – 278 yds/gm with 49 TDs – now playing for Purdue), but Dee Cain is a terrific player (just signed with WKU!!!) that should get the ball a lot his senior year after catching 37 balls for 718 yards, 8 TDs and running for 211 yards and 8 TDs on a team that spread the ball around to say the least. SO Caleb Perkins may get the call at QB if Coach Barnes doesn’t see the need to call Cain’s # first. The defense has several key players back but others will need to step up if the Tigers want to make a deep run in the playoffs. Week 0 August 21 at home vs. Christian County at 7PM. 8) Hopkinsville (4A) – [2014 Record 4-8; District Record 3-1] The Tiger’s record would have been much better had they not had to forfeit 3 games, but they were clearly better than this record shows. Moving down to 4A, Madisonville seems to be the only foe in their way for the district championship. Talent has never been Hoptown’s problem. Back to lead the way in 2015 are 2 QBs that played quality minutes last season. SR Jalen Johnson is a dual-threat leftie that’s probably a better athlete than QB. SR Tyler Graham is less athletic, but very savvy, surprisingly tough to bring down, and very smart when called to run the option. When Madisonville comes to the Stadium of Champions on Oct. 2, the district title should be on the line. Week 0 at Graves County at 7PM. 7) Murray (2A) – [2014 Record 9-5; District Record 2-1] The Tigers are always a tough out, as evidenced by a close 14-7 Semi-Final playoff loss at Desales last fall. Overshadowed by their former 1A neighbors, Mayfield comes back into their district for the first time since 2006 – YEAH!!! Key contributors Keshon Love (RB/LB) and Johnathon Curd (MLB) are gone, but team leader SR QB Desjahvonni Miles (spelling test to follow) (1,094 rush yards, 20 TDs; 1,331 pass yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs) wants to make a statement his senior year. Duke signee Tre Hornbuckle is back to anchor a defense that returns 3 players with 100+ tackles from 2014. They will all be needed in an upgraded 2A West Bracket. Week 0 the West Greene, TN Buffalo’s come calling at 7PM on the Murray High campus. 6) Christian County (5A) – [2014 Record 4-8; District Record 2-2] The 8 losses were to teams with a combined record of 80-27. Kolbe Langhi is a 6’5” QB who started every game as a Freshman for the Colonels last year. The Big Leftie had 2,338 yards, 24 TDs and 14 INTs. He is joined by the 2014 KY #3 WR SO Keyron Catlett with 61 catches 1,241 yds and 12 TDs. Ultra-versatile SO Ziyon Kenner (43 catches and 7 TDs) forms a great Young Gun Trio. Several key defenders return, but maybe it’s a good thing they all don’t because the Colonels gave up over 31 pts per game last year. Their offense will improve with the experience gained last season for sure. But Colonels fans get a little nervous if they have to score 5 TDs every game to beat quality opponents. Week 0 August 21 at Caldwell County at 7PM. 5) McCracken County (6A) – [2014 Record 9-2; District Record 3-0] The Mustangs are hard to know where to put honestly. On the one hand, returning is ultra-athlete, 6A District 1 Player of the Year, Zyaire Hughes (1,135 yards passing, 8TDs, 8 INTs; 585 yards rushing, 11 TDs; 573 yards receiving, 5 TDs), who has signed with UK. Mr. Hughes played QB for much of last season, but things really started to click when JR Cash Jones (Best Name in the West!) took over that spot and allowed Hughes to play elsewhere. JR DLine Quamea Jones and SR LB Davarious Jones are back to anchor the defense. On the other hand, 2 of the top 3 producing RBs are gone along with the top receiver, and the two other linebackers. Available Mustang talent appears plentiful (from afar) so filling the referenced holes seems doable. But McCracken lost the 13th winningest coach (Jack Haskins - like him or not) in KY history to retirement and hired Mr. Shawn Jackson who has little head coaching experience. Many have questioned some of the play calls from last year’s Manual playoff game. Anticipate the magnifying glass to be over Coach Jackson most of the season. Ultimately, I think McCracken County is a good to very good team and will have a very good season and record this year. Will they be able to compete with any Louisville Old Super District team in the playoffs? Simply No. Week 0 at Home vs. Paducah Tilghman – August 22, 2015 at 7PM. 4) Owensboro (5A) – [2014 Record 12-3; District Record 3-0; Class 4A State Runner-Up] The Red Devils did what most didn’t think they could do – reach the 4A State Championship game and initially control the State Championship game against the Highland Bluebirds. Unfortunately, they just ran out of gas, but that doesn’t diminish a terrific last year for Coach Joe Prince and under-heralded QB Nick Locher. Also, remember that ESPN Top 10 last play against North Oldham to go to WKU!!! Other than Locher, most key members of last year’s team are back for the move up to Class 5A. Key starters returning include 2014 All-State Honorable Mention RB TJ James (1,283 yards and 18 TDs) and Monster LB Gekove Gardner (led the team with 88 tackles). SR Jahil Barret is an ultra-versatile receiver, runner and defender, who makes an impact on big games (my favorite Red Devil). I had the Red Devils higher initially, as I know they have talent. Who will be their QB? And how will new, first-time Head Coach Jay Fallin handle things if adversity comes? Those two things were big enough questions to drop them here in the Preseason. The schedule is challenging, but they can move up especially with a successful trip to Bowling Green on September 11. Week 0 at Warren Central on August 21 at 7PM. 3) South Warren (4A) – [2014 Record 13-1; District Record 4-0] Coach Brandon Smith became Spartan Head Coach in the 2013 season. Since that time he has methodically guided his Spartans to a 24-3 record. Last year’s Semi-Final effort, at always tough Louisville Central, was timely to give those coming back in 2015 valuable playoff experience as the Spartans return just about everyone except Stud RB Julius Allen who will be missed. Ultra-versatile Austin McElwain will likely be called to carry the ball more this year in addition to improving on his 68 tackles and 4 INTs from last year. Also look for SR Devante Colton to once again anchor the 2014 fifth ranked defensive squad (9.6 pts given a game). And finally, JR QB Ryder Litten was exceptional last season (rushing for 1,152 yds. on 155 carries and 23 TDs while passing for 1,460 yards and 17 TDs with 4 INTs). Moving up to 4A will challenge South. Just what they need. We will find out plenty in one of the best games in the State on August 22 when John Hardin meets the Spartans at the Rafferty’s Bowl at WKU. Just the spot where the Spartans would like to end their season! Week 0 vs. John Hardin – August 22, 2015 - Rafferty’s Bowl 5PM at WKU. 2) Mayfield (2A) – [2014 Record 14-1; District Record 3-0; Class 1A State Champions] Coach Joe Morris’ team is the model of consistency. Six straight State Championship games. Four Titles. That’s POWER! The move to 2A has already caused controversy with Desales Colt’s fans or did Jason Frakes do that? Mayfield always has star players and this year is no different with JR RB Trajon Bright (12th in the State last year in scoring at 13 points/game with 234 carries 1,885 yards and 31 TDs while also chipping in with 48 tackles) and JR QB Landon Arnett (114 completions on 186 attempts for 1,984 yards, 23 TDs and 5 INTs). Several contributors are gone on both sides of the ball, but Mayfield has proven their system can plug other capable guys in and keep rolling. An example for 2015 could be SR WR Michael Walker to get a shot at filling the void left behind by departed Stud WR Marshall Bacon. It worked ok last year when only 3 starters returned on each side of the ball and they still won the State Championship. The usual suspects are on the schedule, but that potential Black Friday match-up with DeSales is what most want to see. Week 0 August 21 at Fort Campbell at 7PM. 1) Bowling Green (5A) – [2014 Record 11-2; District Record 4-0] Go ahead call me a homer! However, since 2010, BG is 55 and 2 with the two losses coming by a combined 8 points. That’s powerful! Most BG fans think BG let one slip last year (no disrespect to a memorable Graves County team – see below) and therefore, I think the hunger factor to book end this season with a second trip to WKU is very high! Gone are 3 studs on the defensive line and QB Campbell Gott. Back are 5 starters on offense highlighted by one of the better 1-2 punches in the state at RB with JR Jamele Carothers (1,033 yards and 16 TDs) and SR Jacob Yates (862 yards and 8 TDs). 2 starters return on the offensive line highlighted by 3 year starter and WKU signee Jordan Meredith. At WR, ultra-athletic Deangelo Wilson will be featured and I am hearing Tre Boards (stalwart CB/S with 5 INTs last year) may get some looks at the other WR spot this season. Look for Dane Drobocky to have a breakout year at TE. Concerning QB, JR Clark Payne (6’2” 170 lbs.) gets the call. I am told Mr. Payne is a very accurate passer, maybe the best at BG since Trent Stillman. When BG gets tested during tough games throughout the season and playoffs, I fully anticipate every team to load the box and force Clark Payne to make plays. BG just got back from the Dalton, GA Southeastern 7v7 Tournament (32 teams across the southeast and good competition). BG went 4-3 on the first day putting them in the championship bracket. They lost twice in that bracket to teams that either went to the final or semi-final of the whole tournament. I am told Payne competed well. I’m just glad he is getting quality snaps in July against good competition, which should bode well for the future, as the progression of the young QB (experience and confidence-wise) may be the key for the Purples in the playoffs. On defense, Coach Spader will have to work his magic with 3 new starters on the D-line. I am hearing promising words about several young (experience-wise) D-lineman, especially JR DeCarlo Halcomb and SR John James. Also, LB Joe McIntyre (125 tackles) will be sorely missed. Look for SR Jake Bush to step into the lead LB position. Schedule highlights, beside a visit from Owensboro, include a trip to Louisville to face the St. Xavier Tigers. McCracken County comes to El Donaldson Stadium to finish off the regular season. Week 0 vs. Monroe County – August 22, 2015 - Rafferty’s Bowl 8PM at WKU. Next 10 - Teams on the Brink (Not in particular order): Adair County (3A) – See Below. Daviess County (6A) - JR Adam Bouchard was a 2014 Top 10 producing QB with 2,509 yards and 24 TDs. 6’4” SR WR John Stratton was the 2014 #9 producing WR. The Panthers can score, but giving up 80 more points than you scored last season is concerning to say the least. Not to mention hiring a new head coach with no head coaching experience. (I know everyone deserves a chance, but when was the last time Daviess County had a QB invited to the Elite 11 camp in Columbus, OH?) Time is of the essence for Daviess County. Franklin-Simpson (4A) – Lost starting QB and RB from a terrific 2014 campaign. Coach Preston has the Wildcats going in the right direction. Will JR QB Jackson Caudill step up to the challenge of upgraded district challengers? Graves County (5A) – Class 5A State Runner-ups (see below); Even though many are gone from the 2014 team, 2-way stud Dakota Dixon is back to lead the Eagles for his Senior season. Two QBs (JR Conner McKee and SO Tristian Bonnstetter) that played some last season are back too. Henderson County (6A) – As the Carter Family goes, so goes the Colonels. SR QB and MLB Richard rushed for 151 yards, 8 TDs and passed for 1,478 yards, 13 TDs and 8 INTs. Brother Kobe was the #6 WR in the state last year with 71 catches, 1,054 yards and 11 TDs. Then there’s Damion 1,178 rushing yards and 10 TDs. But unfortunately, the ceiling is the same as it’s been in as long as I can remember. Madisonville NH (4A) – Super season in 2014, unfortunately the heart and soul of that team graduated. Still think they can make a run into the Top 10 and get 2nd in the district, but hard to see a deep run in the playoffs. Paducah Tilghman (3A) – 3A District 1 Player of the Year and 1,000 yard rusher Djaun Sherrill is gone, but SR QB Jessie Dunigan returns to lead the charge in Coach Rogers second season. A win again county foe McCracken County in Week 0 would be HUGE! Russellville (1A) – The old 1A Beasts are gone. Can the Panthers get over the hump this year? Josh Bigbee (800+ yards 8 TDs) and Johnny Drumgole (700+ yds, 10 TDs) will try to prove Bac2369 right for a very good season and playoff run. Warren Central (4A) – Toughest consecutive 5 game stretch in the West, maybe the State (Owensboro, @McCracken County, John Hardin, @Meade County, @Bowling Green –WOW!) Talent is available, but is there a captain to guide the ship? Warren East (4A) - The bad news Mr. Everything - Eli Brown will now be suiting up for UK on Saturdays in Lexington. The good news SO RB Sensation Willie Reynolds (1,373 yards on 169 carries in 10 games!) will still be suiting up for the Raiders. Another plus - new Coach Justin Chaffin, who is an East alum with deep area roots, is a Great hire for WE. Another minus – their district is considerably more difficult with the addition of Warren Central and South Warren. Game of the Week – Week 0: Paducah Tilghman at McCracken County 8/22/15 @7PM I LOVE the South Warren vs. John Hardin game (I plan to attend), but rivalry games to start the season is the way to get the season started right! Paducah Tilghman Coach Rodgers wants to show progress this season - taking bragging rights and a 2-1 series lead in the intra-county series will sure help get things off and rolling! For McCracken County, Coach Jackson wants a win to get his first group of Mustangs going in the right direction early in the 2015 campaign. Pre-Season “Big Droppers” Graves County (5A) – Down – This is as much a curtain call salute for Cody Crider (2,566 rush yards and 31 TDs AND 86 Tackles!!!) and at least 8 other quality 2014 SRs than a current roster downer. Did anyone else do more for their team last year than arguably the best player (Crider) to ever play for the Eagles? They won playoff games at BG and at John Hardin in back to back weeks. Went farther in the playoffs than any Eagles team EVER! I just can’t fathom how this year’s team can reach the same heights. Grayson Co (5A) – Down – The Cougars had a terrific year in 2014 going 9-3. The 3 losses were @Desales and twice to John Hardin. No shame there. But QB Talon Gray and top WR Taylor Wright graduated. This season they move over into Bowling Green’s district. YEAH!!! While the early season schedule looks manageable, their new district games will really challenge them. Pre-Season “Big Risers” Monroe County (2A) – Up – Did any Kentucky team have more injuries than Monroe County last year? Our friend tsyoung7 reports as many as 19 contributing players were injured for significant time last season. Fear not, as it’s a new season! And the Falcons drop to 2A, which is usually terrific news, except the west bracket of 2A is loaded! But Monroe only got 2 wins last year, so the ceiling for this year is high comparatively. Are they the Graves County of 2015? Adair County (3A) – Up – Everybody is back on offense including JR QB Chase Melton who passed for 1,024 yards, 14 TDs and 3INTs; and rushed for 841 yards and 14 TDs. Most are back on defense! South Warren is gone to 4A! Is this the best Adair County Team Ever? Very manageable schedule. Paducah Tilghman would have to come to Columbia this year if there were a playoff rematch!

BluegrassPreps 2015 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 3 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, I am admittedly long-winded on these rankings and I realize folks have busy lives and don’t have time every week to get through all the items listed in this thread, so I’ve decided to provide a “Popcorn N Coke Version” and “Meat & Potatoes Version” so you can get what you want and move on in the time available to you. Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 3: 1. South Warren 4A (4-0): Win 24-3 vs 6A Central Hardin 2. Bowling Green 5A (3-1): Win 17-14 vs 5A Owensboro 3. McCracken County 6A (3-1): Win 37-31 OT at 2A Mayfield 4. Mayfield 2A (3-1): Loss 37-31 OT vs 6A McCracken County 5. Owensboro 5A (3-1): Loss 17-14 at 5A Bowling Green 6. Hopkinsville 4A (4-0): Win 21-13 at 2A Murray 7. Russellville 1A (4-0): Win 41-6 vs 4A Logan County 8. Christian County 5A (3-1): Win 46-0 vs 3A Fort Campbell 9. Caldwell County 3A (3-1): Win 53-6 vs 1A Crittenden County 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (2-2): Win 49-29 at 5A Graves County Inaugural PurpleHaze Game of the Week (Week 3): Bowling Green 5A (3-1) 17 vs. Owensboro 5A (3-1) 14 – This game was not pretty for the casual fan, as both defenses really showed up and caused at least 7 turnovers. Both teams offensively left A LOT to be desired, but that is mostly due to the Best 2 defenses in 5A making plays and being well coached. These two teams should meet again in November with MUCH more on the line. PurpleHaze Game of the Week (Week 4): Hopkinsville 4A (4-0) at Christian County 5A (3-1). Intra-county rivalries are the best because the communities talk them up all year long. No different in Christian County. This is a big game for both schools and the entire area get up for. Which team has the best defense? It may come down to that. Honorable Mention: Warren Central at Bowling Green; Owensboro at Daviess County; Graves County at Mayfield; Franklin-Simpson at Monroe County Meat N Potatoes Top 10 Version – Week 3: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): Next 10 – Last Week (LW): Next 10 - 2015 Record 2-2; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 49-29 at 5A Graves County (2-2). Graves never was in this game. The score speaks for itself with Tilghman being up 34-7 at one point. You can’t say Tilghman isn’t battle tested. If they can stay relatively healthy I would not want to play them in the playoffs. Week 4: At 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (1-3). 9) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 9: LW: 9 - 2015 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 53-6 vs 1A Crittenden County (3-1) Tigers traveled to Marion and carried a Big Stick! As good as QB Shane Burns was (14 for 21 with 197 yards and 3 TDs), the Tigers D were the real stars in this one limiting the Rockets to about 60 yards in total offense! Week 4: At 6A Henderson County (1-3). 8) Christian County (5A) – PR: 6 – LW: 7 - 2015 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 46-0 vs Fort Campbell 3A (0-3). Air Raid Christian County kept it on the ground this week against overmatched Fort Campbell. Kolbe Langhi was 7 for 8 127 yards and 2 TDs. No cupcakes this week! PurpleHaze Game of the Week - Week 4: vs. 4A Hopkinsville (4-0). This should be a Dandy! Bragging rights and momentum are on the line! 7) Russellville (1A) – PR: Next 10 – LW: 6 - 2015 Record 4-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 41-6 over Intra-county rival 4A Logan County (0-4). Another rivalry win for the Panthers! Over 300 yards on the ground with Josh Bigbee leading the way with 177 yards on “6” carries and 3 TDs. But honestly, I’d take the JV squad of every Top 10 team against Logan County: Week 4: vs. 2A Todd County Central (1-3). Murray comes to town in 2 weeks! 6) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 8 – LW: 5 - 2015 Record 4-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 21-13 vs 2A Murray (2-2). According to Silo11, Hopkinsville QB Jalen Johnson passed on 4th and 4 from the Murray 35 for a TD with 3 minutes to go in the game to make it the final score, but Murray drove down on their final possession only to be turned back. Toughest remaining game on the schedule is next week and is the PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week: At arch-rival 5A Christian County (3-1). 5) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4 – LW: 3 - 2015 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Loss: 17-14 at 5A Bowling Green (3-1). See above for more. At least 1 Red Devil fan won’t like this spot, but in this poll if you lose you drop. Will this game help Owensboro for the playoffs? You better believe it! The good: you have one of the best defenses in the State. The bad: you turned the ball over 5 times. The ugly or really the missed opportunity: You only lose by 3 on the road, but you really could have won this game and exercised some Purple Demons and been in a better place mentally for the playoffs. Nobody else should challenge O the rest of the regular season IMO. Week 4 vs. Intra-County 6A Cinderella Daviess County (4-0). 4) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 2 – LW -2 - 2015 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Loss: 37-31 OT vs McCracken County 6A (3-1). It’s tough when you are listed as a 2A school and you play a 6A school toe to toe and lose by 6 in OT and fall in this poll, but Mayfield isn’t just any school or any program. They are one that can compete with at least 90% of all schools in this state. This is the type game that will really help them deep into the playoffs. Coach Morris will use this game to tweak some things as we move toward District play. Week 4: vs. 5A Graves County (2-2). 3) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 5 - LW – 8; 2015 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 37-31 OT at Mayfield 2A (3-1). Sometimes when you hit a home run you’re helped by the speed of the pitch. This applies to a second straight very close OT win against the marquee program in the area, which ended their 7 YEAR home winning streak. Coach Jackson has his Mustangs moving in the right direction. Detractors will say “yeah that’s against a 2A school, let them try that with Trinity or St X”. Not saying they’re king of the mountain, as this is only their 3rd Season as a school. It takes time. The Mustangs have good athletes and are starting to believe in themselves again after spitting the bit against Tilghman. Next up is Lift For Life Academy from St Louis, MO. They are ranked 280th in MO and McCracken is listed as their toughest opponent according to MaxPreps. I think the Mustangs cruise in this one prior to district play. Week 4: vs. Lift For Life Academy (1-2). 2) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1 – LW: 4 - 2015 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 17-14 vs 5A Owensboro (3-1). The good: You won the game. The bad: You gave up 2 more fumbles that killed drives. The ugly: No points in the second half. Let’s call a spade a spade; Owensboro has the best defense BG will see this season (no offense St X) and held BG below their normal output. But Coach Wallace switched former starting TE Dane Drobocky to outside linebacker and he was all over the field for the Purple D as they made the plays necessary to win the game. The schedule switches to one of the oldest foes BG has as the Warren Central Dragons come across town for another visit, but this time no District implications are involved. Week 4: vs 4A Warren Central (1-3). 1) South Warren (4A) – PR: 3 – LW: 1 - 2015 Record 4-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 24-3 vs 6A Central Hardin (2-2). Central Hardin is a tough smash mouth football team that loves to ground and pound. This took its toll on both teams as multiple significant players were noticeably injured. Most notably was QB Ryder Litton, who banged up his ankle. South’s special teams showed up in a big way taking the opening kickoff to the house. That’s all they really needed as their stout defense continued to impress. I would imagine Coach Smith would try to get the second string QB some series if he can, as he will need his leader 100% with district play just around the corner. Week 4: At 6A North Hardin (1-3). Jayvon Quarles Week 3 Players of the Week: 1) Joshua Bigbee – RB and CB – Russellville – 177 yards on 6 carries and 3 TDs! 2) Shane Burns – QB – Caldwell County – 14 for 21 with 197 passing yards and 3 TDs! 3) Jay Becherer – Free Safety – Elizabethtown – 15 tackles! 4) Shymez Brabson – WR – Adair County – 5 catches, 100 yards and 3 TDs! Disclaimer: I did not have access to MANY team’s individual stats to this weeks game at this post due to non-posting on the KHSAA website. So not intending to slight anyone. Week 3 “Trending Down” Graves County (5A) – Down – Tough swing game for the Eagles, but were soundly beaten by Paducah Tilghman. Now the schedule is unkind with a trip to angry 2A Mayfield next. Franklin-Simpson (4A) – Down – Second straight loss at home vs a supposedly average Greenwood team equals a downward trend. Next week at 2A Monroe, who plays bigger than their 2A moniker. Can the Wildcats rebound and gain some momentum going into district play? Week 3 “Trending Up” Elizabethtown (3A) – Up – Well here we are again! Solid win against North Hardin. Panther fans, I considered ETown for the 10th spot, but couldn’t pull the trigger this week as I compared the Panther opponent record of 3 and 13 vs Tilghman opponent record of 10-6. Yes Tilghman has 2 losses, but they just went to 5A Graves County (a team on the rise and #10 last week) and thumped them 49-29. And looked at Russellville’s marks as well, but their opponents are 5 and 11. Outstanding season thus far though and you are on the brink of the Top 10. Monroe County (2A) – Up – The Falcons have really been coming on after facing Bowling Green to open the season. Three straight wins has Monroe riding high with district play just around the corner. The Franklin-Simpson Wildcats come to Tompkinsville for a key matchup prior to district play. Daviess County (6A) – Up - The Panthers are 4-0 for the first time since before 1998. They have an excellent offensive team and their defense has improved significantly. The Panthers look to make some noise in district play, which begins after next week’s road trip across town to play the Owensboro Red Devils. “Broke Their Maiden” – In horse racing, when you break your maiden, you win your first race. Well this is a new category for teams that don’t get as much love, but did get their first victory of the season here and I think that’s significant: (Not sure this category will stick around, but we’ll see!) Warren Central 4A (1-3) – Won 38-6 at 6A Meade County (2-2) – The Dragons are the Best 1-3 team in the state! They have played every game on the road with a brutal schedule and now travel to arch rival Bowling Green with pride on the line. Allen County-Scottsville 4A (1-3) – Won 26-20 vs 2A Glasgow (2-2) – The Patriots get in the win column against the Scotties. Happy for the kids that put in the time to get to experience a W!

10. Raceland (1A, 2-1)- The Rams eeked a win vs. Greenup and continue to search for offensive consistency. They must travel to take on a strong Lucasville Valley, OH team. 9. North Laurel (5A, 4-0)- The Jags continue to overwhelm weaker competition making short work of Mason County 40-0. Lincoln County should helps the Jags ease to 5-0. 8. Corbin (3A, 3-1)- The Hounds began their three game test and thusfar the test has not been kind. Danville exposed the Redhound offense. A tough matchup with Southwestern will be key to the trajectory of the Corbin season. 7. Pikeville (1A, 3-1)- Pikeville crushed Sheldon Clark and now must set their sights on the bigger price from that same 3A District. 6. Paintsville (1A, 4-0)- After trailing 3-0 the Tigers dominated Ridgeview, VA. The Tigers are clicking in all facets and should be able to handle Williamsburg. 5. Southwestern (5A, 3-1)- Mercer County stood little chance and the Warriors have an opportunity for a statement win against Corbin. The big question mark now is "How did they lose to Bourbon County?" The Colonels are now reeling after the win and it makes you wonder if Southwestern's success is the measure of a weak region of football in Southern Kentucky. 4. Ashland (4A, 3-0)- Tomcats put a hurting on the ailing Red Devils of Russell and now few doubt that Ashland is not drastically improved since last year. Ironton, OH is always a tough rivalry game and a win will be critical to maintaining momentum. 3. Pulaski County (5A, 2-1)- As expected Russell County was little resistance. Rockcastle County will be a nice step up from last week, but still will be a team with little to no chance of pulling the upset. 2. Belfry (3A, 3-0)- Pirates got tested and passed against a gritty 2A Powerhouse in NewCath. Pirates should have all hands on deck after some suspensions and injuries this week against Pikeville. 1. Johnson Central (4A, 2-0)- The Eagles opponent fell through but there is little doubt the quality of product on the field over on Paint Creek. Harlan County comes calling and the Balck Bears will most likely leave as the Black & Blue Bears. TRENDING UP Shelby Valley- After a Week 0 disaster and some key injuries the Wildcats are returning to form with three straight wins. A key BYE will set them up for a rematch with Pburg with huge implications. Rowan County- How bout them Vikings? The often maligned squad from Morehead are off to a 3-1 start. Harlan Independent- The Green Dagons improve to 3-0 and a 5-0 start looks imminent. TRENDING DOWN Somerset- The Briar Jumpers have been hovering on the fringe of being a Top 10 team in 2A but a loss to a "down" Hazard team was bad form. Breathitt County- The Bobcats got crushed by Pburg and drop to 0-3. Are they the weakest team in KY expected to win their District? Pineville- The Mountain Lions were riding a high and had a chance to make a statement for their 1A chances against Paris. Instead the Greyhounds ran wild. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Luke Jacobs, Knott Central- The Patriots continue their improvement tour and lit the scoreboard up for 50 points in their win vs. South Floyd. Jacobs was vital to the success gaining 188 All-Purpose yards and scoring 5 TD's GAME OF THE WEEK #7 Pikeville @ #2 Belfry The Panthers stunned Belfry in 2014 and ended a 13 year drought against their rivals. Both teams enter this game looking to make a statement. A Belfry win will erase the upset of the previous year and continue to build momentum during the toughest 3 game stretch of any team in EKY. Pikeville still has the bad taste of Paintsville in their mouth and would like this win to spring board them into District play. A sidenote to watch is Pikeville HB Daric Pugh. Pugh was the only RB to eclipse the 100 yard mark last season and through three games this year as well.

BluegrassPreps 2015 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 6 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week: What is the meaning of District? D – District games matter most! I – Is October the Month that means the most in preparing for the playoffs? S – Schedules – does a tough early schedule prepare teams best for the playoffs or just yield a boat load of injuries that are a liability in District play and beyond? T – Try to gain better team chemistry and home field advantage for the playoffs! R – Refocus, as it’s a new season; the most important season so far! I – Ill Will! – District foe/rival games have bragging rights and major playoff implications on the line! C – Consistency – what all teams are striving for this time of year. T – Too Many Blowouts! How can teams so close in proximity be so far apart on the grid iron? Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 6: 1. Bowling Green 5A (6-1): Win 56-13 vs 5A Grayson County 2. South Warren 4A (6-0): OPEN 3. McCracken County 6A (6-1): Win 63-14 vs 6A Ohio County 4. Owensboro 5A (5-1): Win 49-24 vs 5A Christian County 5. Mayfield 2A (6-1): Win 17-7 vs 2A Murray 6. Caldwell County 3A (6-1): Win 40-14 at 3A Union County 7. Hopkinsville 4A (5-1): Win 45-14 vs 4A Madisonville NH 8. Owensboro Catholic 2A (5-2): Win 41-0 at 2A McLean County 9. Elizabethtown (3A) (7-0): Win 49-7 vs 3A Hart County 10. Christian County 5A (5-2): Loss 49-24 at 5A Owensboro PurpleHaze Games of the Week (Week 5): Mayfield (2A) 17 vs Murray (2A) 7: On the stat sheet Murray beat Mayfield. Too bad the stat sheet includes fumbles and interceptions. Murray had 5 of them. Murray dominated the stat sheet on Mayfield in the first half, but a mistake leads to a short field very late in the 2nd Quarter, which Mayfield capitalized on and it was tied at 7 at half. That was HUGE for Mayfield. The Cardinals then changed RBs to Kevin Caldwell and the young man had a great half to help Mayfield get the critical district win! Christian County (5A) 24 at Owensboro (5A) 49: As TackleTrap said, the Colonels had opportunities to gain momentum in this one, but just couldn’t get it done. Owensboro has many weapons who can capitalize in a flash. Give the Colonels credit as they never gave up. But when you give up 363 yards on the ground, it is going to be hard to beat Owensboro, especially at home. If Owensboro can clean up a few penalties and concentration turnovers their ceiling is really high! PurpleHaze Game of the Week (Week 6): Well gentlemen after a banner crop of Games of the Week in 2015 including 2 last week, our well has run dry. Due to MANY OPEN weeks this week, watered down district blood-baths, and just overly inconsequential games, I have decided to focus on making lemonade out of Week 6 lemons. My focus turned to what should be the closest matchup I could find in terms of producing a good game. Plus this is a great opportunity to highlight a couple teams that most don’t know anything about. Therefore Hart County 3A (5-2) vs Edmonson County 3A (4-3) it is. District foes in the hart of the I-65 Corridor (see what I did there :clap:). Both coming off tough district losses to teams they really aren’t supposed to beat. But against each other it appears to be a pretty even contest with the winner likely getting the #3 spot in the district. They are both in the Etown & Adair County District. Meat N Potatoes Top 10 Version – Week 6: 10) Christian County (5A) – PR: 6 – LW: 6 - 2015 Record 5-2; District Record 1-1] Purplehaze Western Kentucky Co-Game of the Week 6 Results: Loss: 49-24 at Owensboro 5A (5-1). See above. When you visit Rash Stadium in October on a cold rainy Friday and you rush for 52 yards for the game, it’s going to be tough to win. But your remaining district games are very winnable and I expect Christian to win both of them. So the #2 spot in the District is looking good for the Colonels. Week 7: vs Owensboro Apollo 5A (2-4). 9) Elizabethtown (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): Not Ranked – Last Week (LW): 10 - 2015 Record 7-0; District Record 2-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 49-7 vs 3A District Foe Hart County (5-2). Unfortunately for Hart County one of their key senior leaders went down with a season ending injury last week. I’m not saying he allows Hart to win this game, but it didn’t help. 4 turnovers didn’t help Hart either. For Etown, they rushed for almost 400 yards on the night and look to be in Great shape going into their OPEN week. Week 7: OPEN. But the most anticipated game of the regular season is on deck as the Panthers gear up to go to Columbia lookin to scalp the Indians of Adair County. Big District Matchup in 2 weeks! 8) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 10 – LW: 9 - 2015 Record 5-2; District Record 2-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 41-0 at 2A McLean County (4-2) Ray Zuberer has a pedestrian 19 for 29 for 335 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. Biggest problem for OCath going forward will be playing lackluster teams knowing the Murray’s and Mayfields are lurking out there in the playoffs. Can OCath stay mentally tough and disciplined on the practice field to prepare them for November? This will test the coaching staff for sure. Week 7: vs (2A) Hancock County (0-7). Take it easy on ‘em Aces! 7) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 8 – LW: 8 - 2015 Record 5-1; District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win 45-14 vs 4A Madisonville NH (1-6). Some Tiger fans reported that Madisonville Coach Burgett stated some less flattering things about Hopkinsville QB Jalen Johnson on his recent radio show. I can’t say if he did or didn’t, but I’m hoping this sparks the fire for a new rivalry for Class 4 District 1, as it needs it badly. Stats for this one were not available at the time of this posting. But Jalen Johnson had a great game and pretty much took over late to shut the door on the Maroons. No other district hurdles for the Tigers. Same dilemma as OCath above going forward. Week 7: At (4A) Logan County (0-6). How many point you want Tigers? Doesn’t make me happy to say that as I’d like the Cougars to pick up a win before the end of the season, but not this week! 6) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 9: LW: 7 - 2015 Record 6-1; District Record 2-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 40-14 at 3A Union County (4-2) No Dee Cain; No problem for the Tigers! QB Shane Burns and RB Javonte Riley both had big games with the Tigers D showing up big in this one. This score is a little deceiving as it wasn’t a blowout the whole game, but really wasn’t in question either. Union County is a good team; not great team. One to keep your eye on next year for sure. As Emmett said, the team that draws Union County in the first round better be ready to play. Week 7: At reeling 3A District foe Trigg County (2-5). I like Caldwell big in this one! 5) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 2 – LW -4 - 2015 Record 6-1; District Record 1-0] Purplehaze Western Kentucky Co-Game of the Week: Week 6 Results: Win 17-7 vs 2A Murray (4-3). See Above. Look, Murray is a good team. They’d cut off their right arm to beat Mayfield. They played arguably their best half of football of the season and still can’t beat Mayfield. Focused Cardinal fans may bristle at this, but all this happened, you didn’t have your best player and maybe a couple others; you made great second half adjustments and got the job done. You can’t play your A game every week. Murray will beat A LOT of 2A teams; maybe all but 2. Week 7: OPEN. Much welcomed open week to get the wounded healed up! Then 2 cupcakes before a WHOA NELLY (as Keith Jackson would say) DANDY with Caldwell County! 4) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4 – LW: 5 - 2015 Record 5-1; District Record 1-0] Purplehaze Western Kentucky Co-Game of the Week: Week 6 Results: Win: 49-24 vs Christian County 5A (5-2). See above. The biggest outcome of this one for Owensboro going forward is the terrible news that potential All-State LB Gekove Gardner sustained a significant knee injury; maybe season ending. This young man has been outstanding this season, and had 8 tackles before he was injured this Friday. I hate this for Red Devil fans as this is the worst part of High School sports. The season is not lost obviously as very talented players remain. And with Owensboro’s upcoming schedule, I don’t see them missing Mr. Gardner until late into the playoffs. Best of luck Mr. Gardner on a speedy recovery. Week 7: vs. 5A Marshall County (1-5). How many points you want Red Devils? No problem in this one! 3) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 5 - LW – 3; 2015 Record 6-1; District Record 2-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 63-14 vs District Foe 6A Ohio County (4-3). McCracken is playing well, as I don’t even think QB Cash Jones played in this game. Zyaire Hughes was very good; as was the Mustangs D. But calling a spade a spade; District competition is unchallenging. And I was pretty close to this score saying “Look for scores in the 65 to 14 range”. Can Henderson County spoil this score prediction this week? We shall see! Week 7: vs. District foe 6A Henderson County (3-4). 2) South Warren (4A) – PR: 3 – LW: 2 - 2015 Record 6-0; District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: OPEN. If I’m playing armchair Spartan Football, my primary goal is to work QB Ryder Litten back into the offense slowly, as no remaining district opponent (save Warren Central for a half) will put up much of a challenge. Then wildcard Pope John Paul II, TN comes to Warren County. The Pontiff is 2-5 on the season, but plays a murder’s row schedule, so it’s hard to get a read on His Holiness. Regardless, things look bright for an undefeated regular season in Spartan-land. Week 7: at 4A District Foe Warren East (1-6). 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1 – LW: 1 - 2015 Record 6-1; District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 56-13 vs 5A District Foe Grayson County (2-5). I think BG had Fall Break on their mind in the 1st Quarter as stupid penalties were common and BG only scored 14 points. Tre Fant and Deangelo Wilson changed that in a big way; each contributing 3 TDs. Both BG QBs had success throwing the ball. Only the JV and Freshman team D got scored on. So it looks like BG goes to Fall Break pretty happy. Week 7: OPEN Jayvon Quarles Week 6 Players of the Week: 1) Elizabethtown – Dual backs – Dalonza Cates 147 yards and 2 TDs and Bernil Cecil 119 yards and 1 TD vs Hart County! 2) Tre Fant – Bowling Green – in the second quarter alone ran a punt back for a TD (35 yards); Pick 6 for about 40 yards; and caught a 24 yard TD pass – Nice Quarter! 3) Owensboro – Dual backs – Landon Boards 150 yards and 3TDs and TJ James with 206 yards and 1 TD vs Christian County! 4) John Mark Boarman – Owensboro Catholic – MLB – with 23 tackles vs McLean County! Get that man a scholarship! Week 6 “Trending Down” Marshall County (5A) – Down – In one of the more football fertile belts in the entire State of Kentucky, poor Marshall County is on a downward trend. 1 and 5 on the year. I looked back at their past records and teams and they seem to have had decent teams in 2010 to 2012, but not recently. How come? Lot of kids (5A). Not as many coming out or what? Shouldn’t be THIS bad. Barren County (5A) – Down – Coach Griffith’s Trojans won their first 2 games of the season. Bad thing is that’s the only wins they have. They are on a 5 game losing streak heading to 6 after their next game at BG. I would call the Grayson County game a toss-up and they should be able to squeak past Edmonson County to finish it out, but that would be a record of 3 and 6 (not including the Grayson Co game). Tough times on the Cumberland Parkway! Week 6 “Trending Up” Adair County (3A) – Up – Since at least 1998, if ever, the Indians have never been 7-0. They have a HUGE district game coming up in 2 weeks. But win or lose against Etown, the whole Adair County community has to be excited for and proud of this Indians team! Greenwood (5A) – Up – It’s been since 2012 since the Gators have been 6 and 1. They will be 7 and 1 when they host Bowling Green on October 23rd. They haven’t beaten the Purples, so I’d assume second in the district for them. But that’s a fine accomplishment! And don’t count them out in the first round of the playoffs either! “Broke Their Maiden” – In horse racing, when you break your maiden, you win your first race. Well this category is for teams that don’t get as much love, but did get their first victory of the season here and I think that’s significant: (After this week, only 3 more teams in the West are winless! Let’s root for them to get a win! Well, we’ve killed the motor! After 3 strong weeks of at least 3 teams a week getting their first win, we’re finding it most difficult for our last 3 contestants to find that elusive win and it doesn’t look good this week either: 1. Logan County vs Hopkinsville – Chance to break maiden – 1% 2. Hancock County at OCath – Chance to break maiden – 1% 3. Fulton County vs OPEN – Chance Not to Lose – 50%. Joking 11 Through 15 – Thought we dabble a little down here this week: 11) Russellville 1A (6-1) – Simply the best 1A squad in the West – by a lot! 12) Adair County 3A (7-0) – Best Indians team ever? Why not! 13) Paducah Tilghman 3A (4-3) – Played a killer schedule; Always got a punchers chance! 14) Murray 2A (4-3) – Had it! Couldn’t close the deal! Maybe if you suck on some lemons like Stonewall Jackson did going into battle it’ll help in the playoffs. 15) Tie – Daviess County 6A (4-2) – Sure would have been nice to have beaten McCracken going into your bye week. Oh well, 2nd in district appears to be your ceiling. Franklin Simpson 4A (4-3) – HUGE comeback win in one of the best games this week against OLD district foe Warren Central. Means they don’t face South Warren until later in playoffs, so good for them.

10. Corbin (3A, 4-3)- Redhounds pummel hapless Jackson County and move to a BYE. The path to Pineville gets a little more anxious. 9. Pikeville (1A, 5-2)- Panthers secure a huge 56-28 win over District rival Hazard and all but lock up the District Title. The next few weeks should allow for rest before a playoff push. 8. Bell County (3A, 5-1)- Bobcats continue to push forward after their early season spill against 3A's best team. Bobcats get one last challenge to gear up for Corbin travelling to a solid Campbell County, TN team. 7. North Laurel (5A, 7-0)- Jags just continue to win by pounding Whitley County 36-8. The most promising news for North Laurel is their defense is starting to improve to meet their offense. Up next is a reeling Letcher Central team. 6. Southwestern (5A, 5-1)- The Warriors return back to action against a struggling South Laurel team. Southwestern will look to keep the injury report clean as they draw toward the big matchup with their County Rivals. 5. Paintsville (1A, 7-0)- Another dominating win over a higher classification team as they dismantle 3A Pike Central 56-7. Though Paintsville's District may be only three teams, all three are ranked in the 1A Top 10. This week comes Fairview in a must win game. 4. Belfry (3A, 5-1)- Belfry stepped up to challenge the best of West Virginia in a school almost three times their size and found they were not ready for the leap. Cabell Midland put a 49-7 beatdown on Belfry that the Pirates have to quickly put behind them with a huge District Game against Lawrence County. 3. Ashland (4A, 6-0)- The Tomcats' biggest obstacle Friday was Mother Nature as they grinded out a 26-6 win in the Boyd County Mudpit. East Carter should provide little resistance as both they and Johnson Central blaze paths to their destiny. 2. Johnson Central (4A, 5-0)- Golden Eagles are the victim of lack of competition. They continue to be super impressive but are just not getting opportunities to flex their muscle. Greenup isn't a top flight team, but should at least force the Golden Eagles to put in a solid days' work. 1. Pulaski County (5A, 5-1)- Pulaski was super impressive in vanquishing 6A Henry Clay 43-0 and as such take over the new #1 spot. Lincoln County should not threaten the Maroons. Trending Up Fleming County (3A, 4-2)- Upsets are all well and good, but win you upset someone and take control of your own destiny it is even more impressive. Fleming's take down of Russell sets them up for a District Title this week against West Carter Raceland (1A, 5-2)- Rams got a little divine intervention to survive against Lawrence County but they will take the quality win. Raceland is HOT and ready to push for a District Title. Powell County (3A, 3-3)- Back to back wins over Estill County and Morgan County has Powell facing Breathitt with the chance for a District Title and some school history. Trending Down Mason County (4A, 0-6)- Life after Buchanan has been tough in Maysville as they lose their 6th Straight. Letcher Central (5A, 3-3)- The Cougars had visions of District Titles behind the running of Jaylyn Williams in August. Now they just want to make the playoffs. Pike Central (3A, 2-4)- After pushing Bell County and a couple wins things were looking up for Pike Central. The 56-7 beatdown to Paintsville has the boys from Buckley's Creek staring down the barrel of a losing season. Player of the Week RB Isaac Harrison, Powell County In a crucial District win against Morgan County, Harrison rushed for 208 yards on 25 carries and added 3 TD's. GAME OF THE WEEK Lawrence County @ Belfry Both teams must get their heads right after brutally disappointing losses from different viewpoints. Belfry had the rare distinction of seeing their team get dismantled by someone who was just simply better. Lawrence County was a simple dive play away from a huge win against a ranked opponent until a fumble came free. With most likely the 3A District 6 Championship on the line, the team who rebounds the best will reign supreme.

1) Trinity High School (2-0, defeated Brentwood Academy 31-13) – While not as convincing of a victory as the week before against Ensworth, still a solid victory over a traditional Tennessee power. The real test for who is #1 will be in two weeks against Male. Next week, Lafayette 2) Male High School (2-0, defeated Ballard 45-7) – Some will say after such a victory over a Louisville Area Top Ten would justify being #1 . They may be correct and in two weeks the Bulldogs will be able to prove that as they welcome the Shamrocks but for next week, Male has what many would believe is a stress free game against Fairdale. 3) St. Xavier High School (1-0, defeated Henry Clay 40-13) – St. X needed a game to get the Simon Kenton scrimmage out of their memory and get a decent win. Next week the Xavierans get to prove they deserve a top 3 ranking when they take on Bowling Green who has been a very painful thorn in St. X’s side in past years. 4) St. Francis DeSales (2-0, Defeated Butler 49-13) – Said it last week, will say it agains this week,DeSales being DeSales they win and they win convincingly. Next week they will face Ballard and will be favored but not heavily favored. 5) DuPont Manual High School (2-0, Defeated Fern Creek 28-18) Manual gets a respectable win against Fern Creek. Next week will play Seneca and be highly favored in the match up. 6) Christian Academy of Louisville (1-1, Defeated Eastern 42-7) – with a respectable loss to 6A, NKY power Simon Kenton and pounding Louisville 6A Eastern, CAL is looking respectable. Next week the take on Central who is struggling at the moment. 7) Ballard (1-1, defeated by Male 45-7) – This was the game of the week but certainly did not turn out that way. Ballard is still ranked 7th due to their performance against Oldham Co. and when you get further down this ranking, teams start getting really shaky. Next week they face the strong Colts. DeSales will be favored so if Ballard could pull off the upset, the loss to Male starts looking more like a good team just played awful. If Ballard loses again, the team that looked strong entering the season will look very average. 8) Pleasure Ridge Park (2-0, Defeated Meade Count 35-0) – Two back to back strong wins put PRP in the top ten. Next week should be another blow out against Doss. 9) Spencer County (2-0, Defeated Nelson County 55-26) – With another strong win, Spencer County moves up a spot. Next week they will take on East Jessamine. 10) Central Hardin (1-1, Defeated Paducah Tilghman 48-25) – Central Hardin’s opening season loss kept them out of the ranking but the sound win over PT got them the 10th spot. John Hardin is nipping at their heels to be ranked. Next week they take on Bullitt East. Big Riser(s) – Goes to PRP. Will be interesting how they do when they face the stiffer competition in their schedule. Big Dropper(s) – Would have to go to Meade Co and Central. While out of the Top Ten, neither are out for good and could find their way back in. Game of the Week – St. X versus Bowling Green. This game always generates quite a bit of discussion on BGP so we all cannot wait for that game.

10) Newport Central Catholic (2A / 0-1) – The Thoroughbreds came out sloppy and flat in their season opener last week, losing to Scott 7-8. New Cath struggled on offense, with stud running back Jacob Smith out, and junior QB Patrick Henschen struggling to find his receivers. Their defense was their definite strength in their first game, but as everyone knows, it’s offense that wins games. The Breds face a major challenge this week taking on the Cooper Jaguars this Friday. The Jags will be riding high coming off their huge win over Highlands last Friday. New Cath needs to have all their big players, and will have to bring their A-game to win this week. 9) Dixie Heights (5A /0-0) – The Colonels have yet to open their regular season, but their scrimmage against 1A Beechwood seems to have validated some suspicions about how well the defending 6A runners up will perform after losing many of last year’s starters to graduation. It’s still hard to gauge the Dixie’s offense, as they were without their starting quarterback for the scrimmage. If they are still starting a backup quarterback this week against Scott, the Colonels may be looking at a particularly tough game against the Eagles this Friday in Edgewood. 8) Scott (4A / 1-0) – Their first game this past Friday may not have been the prettiest of performances, but after eking out a 8-7 victory against New Cath, the Eagles are taking the win for what it is, and they are moving forward to prepare themselves to take on Dixie Heights as the Colonels open up their season this week. It should be a good test for this Scott team to see how they continue to develop, and to build on any shortcomings they identified after their first big test this past weekend. 7) Beechwood (1A / 0-0) – The Tigers won’t be opening their season until this Friday, but they’re already moving up in the polls. With the way they handled 6A Dixie Heights in their final pre-season scrimmage, along with a not-so-stellar performance by New Cath in their own season opener, Beechwood has climbed two rungs from their #9 spot in the BGP Pre-Season Power Rankings. The Tigers will start their season on Friday in Erlanger against the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts. 6) Campbell County (6A / 0-1) – The Camels had a rough week, beginning with the passing of a recent graduate and football standout, Mitch Kramer. With many of the players taking time out of their day on game day to attend Kramer’s funeral, it was undoubtedly a challenging day for them even without their game against East Central (Indiana) Trojans. The Trojans controlled most of the game this past Friday, but from all reports, the Camels never packed it in, punching in two late-game touchdowns in the 4th quarter to pull within three points of East Central. The Camels will be heading to Ft. Thomas to take on Highlands this Friday. 5) Covington Catholic (5A / 0-1) – Coming into their game against Ryle with a new coaching staff, a new quarterback, a completely new offensive scheme and playbook, and a couple of missing starters, it was hard to say what the Colonels would do. Although they came up short on the win, losing 28-35, they still traded touchdowns with the Raiders for most of the game. It would appear that the development of the defensive backfield will be one of the big missions for Cov Cath. The Colonels go to UC’s Nippert Stadium this Friday to take on a very highly touted Cincinnati St. Xavier team. 4) Ryle (6A / 1-0) – There were many who wondered what Ryle was going to look like this season. After a couple of seasons that had many questioning the Raiders, there was a lot of talk about what Coach Engler would be able to get this year out of his D1 quarterback, Tanner Morgan, and his senior star running back, Collin England. The Raiders managed to take it to the Cov Cath Colonels, posting over 450 yards passing, and walking away with a hard fought 35-28 victory. Ryle travels to Lex Cath this Friday to take on the Knights in the Traditional Bank Bluegrass Bowl. 3) Cooper (6A / 1-0) – Cooper’s biggest question coming into the season was how things would look in the quarterback position for the Jaguars. Nathan Brown’s opening pass – a 72 yard touchdown – seems to have answered that question. At 5’8”, Cordell-Armstrong is a punchy little running back, but his 2 touchdowns and nearly 200 yards rushing against Highlands prove that Cooper is going to be the real deal in 6A this year. Cooper travels to Newport this week to play New Cath on Friday. 2) Highlands (5A / 0-1) – There were a lot of eyebrows raised around Greater Cincinnati and around much of the state of Kentucky this past Friday night after Highlands had their first loss to a Northern Kentucky football program in five years. What may be more concerning for the Bluebirds is the fact that almost half of their 13 points from the loss to Cooper was scored by special teams. Look for Highlands to come out angry and with a purpose this Friday against Campbell County in Ft. Thomas. 1) Simon Kenton (6A / 1-0) – By all appearances, Simon Kenton is coming out strong this season, and has improved on last year’s team. After a very nice showing in their scrimmage at Louisville St. Xavier (6A), and a romping win this past Friday over Christian Academy-Louisville (2A), the ‘Neers will be looking strong and confident as they welcome the Bryan Station Defenders (6A) to Independence this week. Player Of The Week: Torey Cordell-Armstrong (Cooper High School) Running back Cordell-Armstrong showed that he is a major cog in the Cooper machine this past week, running for 189 yards, and scoring 3 touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 37-13 victory over 5A powerhouse Highlands. Game Of The Week: Covington Holy Cross (2A) vs. Walton-Verona (2A) After a tough 1-10 season last year, the Holy Cross Indians celebrated a solid first week win against cross-town rival, Holmes. The Indians will be looking to build on their first taste at success this season when they take the field on Friday. Walton-Verona took one on the chin in their season opener against the Lloyd Memorial. The Bearcats trounced Holy Cross last season when they met in the first round of the 2A playoffs, and will be looking to correct some mistakes on Friday after their Week 0 loss to the Juggernauts. Trending Up: 6A Cooper proved that they are here to stay as a Northern Kentucky Power with their convincing victory over 5A defending champs, the Highlands Bluebirds. 2A Covington Holy Cross is working to climb back to their championship form from earlier this decade. The Indians beat 4A Holmes this past week. Trending Down: 2A Newport Central Catholic wasn’t looking too great this last week when they lost 7-8 to Scott High School in a sloppy game this past Friday. Hopefully returning starter Jacob Smith will bring some fire back to the Breds’ offense. 5A Highlands surprised many folks around the state when they opened up their 2015 season by losing 13-37 to the 6A Cooper Jaguars. The loss marks the first time the Bluebirds have been beaten by a Northern Kentucky team since 2010. Highlands will undoubtedly be making some adjustments as they prepare for the remainder of a very tough schedule this season.

BluegrassPreps 2015 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – August 23, 2015 Edition Well I hope you had a great opening weekend to the 2015 High School football season and hope you got to go see some of your favorite teams lace ‘em up one more time! We’ve gone from I think this and that to I saw this and that from THIS year’s squads. The top story line this week is the tragic loss of Mr. Jayvon Quarles, Senior LB and FB for the Hopkinsville Tigers. In following the game and teams that we love, a truly devastating loss of life puts things in crystal clear perspective. In honor of Mr. Quarles and the entire Hopkinsville community, the Western Kentucky Game of the Week will now be known as the Jayvon Quarles – Western Kentucky Game of the Week. Week 0 Game of the Week: Paducah Tilghman at McCracken County – Paducah Tilghman 21 – McCracken County 7: Well the Blue Tornado’s sent me a message that they are pretty darn good this early in the season. Jesse Dunigan was likely the best player on the field and scored all the PT TDs. The Blue Tornados outgained McCracken 289 to 210 and out-rushed them 208 to 113. That rushing advantage led to a 34 minute time of possession for the 48 minute game. Paducah Tilghman claims bragging rights for the second time in the young 3 game series with their intra-county rivals! Back to the drawing boards for the Mustangs. Jayvon Quarles - Week 1 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Bowling Green (5A) (1-0) at Christian County (5A) (1-0) at the Stadium of Champions in Hopkinsville next Saturday night August 29, 2015 at 5:30 pm. Will the Colonels “Young Guns” out duel the Purples? This is a matchup of 2 Top 10 Teams in the West Honorable Mention: Caldwell County (3A) (0-1) at Franklin Simpson (4A) (1-0) – Caldwell doesn’t want to start the season 0-2. Franklin Simpson is out to improve off a solid win last week. August 23, 2015 Top 10: 10) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 46-13 over 1A Louisville Holy Cross (0-1). Ray Zuberer is off and running again in 2015 with 6 TDs in the FIRST HALF and 7 all together to completely overwhelm LHC. Week 1: At Home vs. 6A Daviess County (1-0). 9) Franklin Simpson (4A) – Preseason Rank: Next 10 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 23-14 over Portland, TN (0-1). Welcome to the Top 10 Wildcats! According to Macdon, FS gained 379 yards on the ground to take control of this re-kindled border battle. SO Saul Brady had 123 yards on 11 carries to lead the way. Week 1: At Home vs. 3A Caldwell County (0-1). 8) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 48-21 over 5A Graves County (0-1). A tip of the hat to the entire Tiger football team and coaches. To lose a team member in maybe the most tragic way you can, so close to the start of the season, plus you miss your scrimmage and still recover enough to come out and defeat a game Graves County squad says a lot about your character. Week 1: At Home (Stadium of Champions) vs West Creek, TN (0-1). 7) Murray (2A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 49-3 over West Green, TN (0-1). SR QB Desjahvonni Miles didn’t disappoint in his final season opener with a couple long TD runs and a few nice TD passes. Running clock almost at halftime. 2A WEST is LOADED! Week 1: Home against 4A Calloway County (0-1). 6) Christian County (5A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 23-21 over 3A Caldwell County (0-1). Not exactly what I was expecting from the Colonels, but that’s why you play. Christian County amassed 227 yards on the ground and only 56 in the air. Still, to go to Caldwell County, a team I still think is a pretty good team, and win is impressive for a young team. Week 1: Jayvon Quarles Western Kentucky Game of the Week: At Home vs 5A Bowling Green (1-0). Could be the first of two 2015 meetings between these old foes. Can the Colonels bring out the air raid sirens against the Purples? 5) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: Next 10 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 21-7 over 6A McCracken County (0-1). Well Tilghman fans, I didn’t give you much love in the Pre-Season putting you in the Next 10 range of teams. But this win to me does more than just put you at 1 and 0. You go to 2-1 in this locally important rivalry. You dominate a 6A team at the line of scrimmage and gain a 34 to 14 minute advantage in time of possession. Your senior quarterback not only should lead you; he did lead you! He scored every TD and was the general on the field. Look out 3A – This was a statement win for the Tornados and Coach Rodgers. Week 1: At 6A Central Hardin (0-1). This should be a great game as Tilghman has the momentum and CH is stinging a bit from a classic bowl battle vs Boyle County, but will rebound. 4) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 4 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 29-7 over 4A Warren Central (0-1). According to the Riherds KHSAA website, Owensboro had 214 yards on the ground and held WC to 18 yards for the game! They passed for 84 yards and gave up 5 yards! WELL, the defense seems to be in mid-season form. TJ James didn’t disappoint with over 100 yards and 3 TDs. Stout team. Week 1: Home against 4A Madisonville North Hopkins (0-1). 3) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 42-0 over 3A Fort Campbell (0-1). Authorities at Ft Campbell may still be sending drones over Toothpick and Rookie57’s houses as a part of their clearance screening this past weekend! JR RB Trajon Bright is already a star, but he will continue to shine this year. Mayfield’s offense was very balanced with 136 yards on the ground and 190 in the air. Don’t shoot me Mayfield fans – see #1 script as to these ranking modifications. Week 1: At 5A Marshall County (0-0). 2) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 44-7 over 2A Monroe County (0-1). Well I’ve gone from homer to in exile this week “dropping” the Purples to #2 . BG looked very good in their scrimmage at 6A Louisville Manual and looked even better in their Rafferty’s Bowl win last night. Clark Payne (JR QB) was terrific and extremely accurate going 10-13 completing passes to 6 different receivers. JR Jamale Carruthers was fantastic rushing for 124 yards on 8 carries and 2 TDs. Defense was sound and really happy for JR kicker Lee Ramsey with a 37 yard field goal. Can’t remember the last time BG had a field goal. Don’t shoot me Purple fans – see #1 script as to these ranking modifications. Week 1: At #6 5A Christian County (1-0). This is the Jayvon Quarles Western Kentucky Game of the Week featuring 2 Top 10 Western Kentucky squads. 1) South Warren (4A) – 2015 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 0 Results: Win: 43-12 over 4A John Hardin (0-1). I was fortunate to see this Rafferty’s Bowl game and was my first time seeing the Spartans in person. This team is extremely well coached. Their offense is balanced and has multiple playmakers. Their defense was even more impressive in their pursuit of the ball and have a true Freshman starting at nose tackle. SR Devante Colton is really good. He is likely one of the top 5 middle linebackers in the state and could be a top 10 power rusher in the state as well. JR QB Ryder Litten was very deceptive. He can run it and pass it and puts a ton of pressure on the defense. I have a lot of respect for the John Hardin program and expected this game to be won by South Warren by 14 to 17 points, but the 31 points even at this early stage of the season shows me this team can go all the way. Purple and Cardinal fans be mad at me if you will, but this win was better than either of the other wins this week. Week 1: At 5A Owensboro Apollo (1-0). Week 0 Players of the Week: 1) Ray Zuberer – QB - Owensboro Catholic – 6 first half TDs and 7 for the game! 2) Jesse Dunigan – QB – Paducah Tilghman – scored all 3 TDs for the Blue Tornado’s against their 6A neighbors. 3) Ryder Litten – QB – South Warren – passed for TDs and ran for TDs and kept the John Hardin Bulldog defense guessing all night. 4) Jamale Carruthers – RB – Bowling Green – 124 yards on 8 carries and 2 TDs Week 0 “Big Droppers” McCracken County (6A) – Down – Well back to the ole drawing board for the Mustangs. Losing to your 3A intra-county rivals on your field to start off the season is tough. This is supposed to be a Top 10 6A club. They can be and I expect they will be later in the year, but they aren’t close right now. Warren East (4A) – Down – It’s not that they lost to Greenwood who is a decent 5A school; it’s that they lost by 30 to a 5A school that got schooled in their scrimmage a week earlier to a 2A school. Hard to figure even though East has a new coach. Week 0 “Big Risers” Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Up – Heads up 3A – the Blue Tornado’s are much better than I gave them credit for. HUGE win to start the season! Adair County (3A) – Up – BIG win over neighbor Taylor County 28-6! Nice work Indians! Dark horse in the making. Russellville (1A) – Up – Beat 3A Trigg County 48-19 to get the season off in the right direction. This team is on the cusp of the Top 10. Best 1A team in the West!

Lexington / Central Kentucky Top 10 Power Rankings - Preseason Traditionally when one thinks of Central Kentucky high school football the discussion was usually around the smaller schools of the area. 2A Danville and 3A Boyle County alone can dominate the conversation. And these two teams will continue to be topics of conversation in 2015 as Danville builds upon an 8 and 4 record last year. Boyle County was 11 and 2 in Chuck Smiths first year of his return as the head coach of Boyle County. Smith will have a lots of seniors on this year’s team lead by QB Josiah Robbins. Smith came to close to running the table last year. This year’s team, now in class 3A could reach the top of this ranking with an undefeated season. Also moving to the 3A class are the Lexington Catholic Knights. With two state championships and four consecutive Region titles the Knights have shown they will be part of any Central Kentucky football discussion. The Knights are coached by UK football alumni Mark Perry. Perry is in his second year with the Knights. The Knights were 10 and 4 last year and got to the KHSAA semi-finals for a fourth year in a row. Jaylen Jones returns to give the Knights a strong ground attack and Legend Brumbaugh takes over QB duties. On top end of the class scale is 6A the ever present Scott County under coach Jim McKee. The Cardinals won it all two years ago and had a strong run in 2014, losing to eventual 6A Champion Meade County by only 3 in the playoffs. But the Cardinals may not rule the Central Kentucky region roost in 2015. Coach Eric Shaw at Lafayette has been building a top program at Lafayette and 2015 starts out with Shaw’s Generals as the top team. Winners of the UK 7-on-7 tournament and loaded with well-recruited linemen the Generals seem to have all key elements. Also, the Henry Clay Blue Devils come in with a strong team. The Blue Devils, under long time coach Samuel Simpson, were in the final game at UK with Lafayette, thus showing they have play makers returning on a team that lost to Meade County in the playoffs last by only 4 points. Leading the Blue Devil defense is UK commit Davonte Robinson. Of the 1A schools in the region Paris and Frankfort are constant contenders and have strong football traditions. The Frankfort Panthers under coach Craig Foley were 10 and 3 in 2014. The Paris Greyhounds under coach Brian Washington were 10 and 2 in 2014. And in the upper-mid size schools 5A Franklin County and Anderson County are always in the mix. The Anderson County Bearcats under coach Mark Peach were 10 and 3 in 2014. The Franklin County Flyers under coach Chris Tracy were 8 and 3. These two neighboring county schools should be in the mix again in 2015. Rounding out the intimal top 10 are 1A Frankfort and Paris. Small but powerful teams who play well above their class in the region. There a few schools to keep track of that could easily break into the Top 10. Bryan Station has had a good run in 2014 but did graduate a number of seniors last year. Garrard County had a great run in 2014 in the 3A class but will have to face Boyle and Lexington Catholic this year. And Bourbon County went 9 and 4 in 2014. Bourbon starting quarterback will be Clay Bolin – brother of Kyle Bolin. And Bourbon could make another strong run. Their schedule does not contain many power schools and makes it hard to compare them, at least at this stage. Paul Lawrence Dunbar also could be a factor in the competitive 6A class under coach Paul Rains. Hopefully the coaching carousal at Dunbar has stopped at Rains can leverage the stability as some of his in-city peers have done. Mercer County is under new coach David Buchanan in 2015 and has work to do to improve on last year’s 2 and 9 record. The region is home to some national level college recruits. Most notably, Drake Jackson at Woodford County. Top national players are great to have but they still need a team around them. Woodford County could crack this list but they will have to make a lot progress over last year’s 1 and 9 record. Lexington / Central Kentucky Pre-Season Top 10 Ranking #1 – Lafayette Generals (6A) Games to watch: September 4 – Trinity; September 18 – Scott County; September 25 – Henry Clay; October 2 – Bryan Station #2 – Henry Clay Blue Devils (6A) Games to watch: August 28 - St. X; September 25 - Lafayette; October 9 – Scott County; October 23 – Bryan Station #3 – Scott County Cardinals (6A) Games to watch: September 4 – Highlands; September 11 – Elder (OH); September 18 – Lafayette; October 9 – Henry Clay; October 16 – Bryan Station #4 – Lexington Catholic Knights (3A) Games to watch: August 28 – Ryle; September 11 – Covington Catholic; October 16 – Boyle County; October 23 – Garrard County #5 – Boyle County Rebels (3A) Games to watch: August 22 – Central Hardin; September 4 – Danville; September 11 – Anderson County; October 9 – Garrard County; October 16 – Lexington Catholic #6 – Anderson County Bearcats (5A) Games to watch: September 11 – Boyle County; September 18 – Franklin County #7 – Franklin County Flyers (5A) Games to watch: September 11 – Frankfort; September 18 – Anderson County #8 – Frankfort Panthers (1A) Games to watch: August 22 – Paris; September 11 – Franklin County; October 30 – Danville #9 – Danville Admirals (2A) Games to Watch: September 4 – Boyle County; October 30 – Frankfort #10 – Paris Greyhounds (1A) Games to watch: August 22 – Frankfort Week 0 Game of the Week 3A Boyle County vs. 6A Central Hardin August 22, 6 p.m. At Mercer County Chuck Smith and the Rebels face a top notch, top class opponent to open the season in the Little Ceaser’s Fort Harrod Bowl at Mercer County.

Just for fun... Now that all of the BGP pre-season power rankings for all of the 5 regions have been released, anyone care to take a stab at combining them into one master-list? Top 25 teams or so? EASTERN KENTUCKY 1) Pulaski County (5A) 2) Belfry (3A) 3) Johnson Central (4A) 4) Southwestern (5A) 5) Ashland (4A) 6) Raceland (1A) 7) Corbin (3A) 8) Russell (3A) 9) Bell County (3A) 10) Shelby Valley (2A) NORTHERN KENTUCKY 1) Highlands (5A) 2) Simon Kenton (6A) 3)Ryle (6A) 4) Dixie Heights (5A) 5) Cooper (6A) 6) Covington Catholic (5A) 7) Campbell County (6A) 8) Newport Central Catholic (2A) 9) Beechood (1A) 10) Scott (4A) WESTERN KENTUCKY 1) Bowling Green (5A) 2) Mayfield (2A) 3) South Warren (4A) 4) Owensboro (5A) 5) McCracken County (6A) 6) Christian County (5A) 7) Murray (2A) 8) Hopkinsville (4A) 9) Caldwell County (3A) 10) Owensboro Catholic (2A) LEXINGTON / CENTRAL KENTUCKY 1) Henry Clay (6A) 2) Scott County (6A) 3) Lafayette (6A) 4) Lexington Catholic (3A) 5) Boyle County (3A) 6) Anderson County (5A) 7) Franklin County (5A) 8) Frankfort (1A) 9) Danville (2A) 10) Paris (1A) LOUISVILLE AREA 1) Trinity (6A) 2) Male (6A) 3) St. Xavier (6A) 4) Ballard (6A) 5) St. Francis DeSales (2A) 6) Christian Academy of Louisville (2A) 7) DuPont Manual (6A) 8) Central (3A) 9) Butler (6A) 10) North Hardin (6A)

1) Trinity High School - I argued with myself about number one and number two for days. I finally settled on Trinity because well, they're Trinity and over the past decade and a half have shown the ability to come back on top numerous times so until proven wrong, they will enter the preseason in this poll as the top ranked team. 2) Male High School - Number one and two could easily be flip flopped due to the immense talent Male has. Recent UofL signee Wakefield is incredible and could be a deciding factor in close games for the Bulldogs. Male was ranked #2 because in the past several years, they have also had incredible talent but have not been able to break through the state championship threshold just yet and how they have such a "raw" offensive line coming back which could muffle their very talented skill players. If anyone wants to argue with the author's placement of one and two, said author would not fight back much, the #1 and #2 teams could easily be flip flopped. 3) Saint Xavier High School - St. X rounds out the usual Big 3 and justifiably so, outside of any 6A team other than Trinity or Male, X would be favored against that team and with most of the high schools throughout the state also. X's big question mark is the new Offensive Coordinator. Appears to be a good hire but will adopting the new system this first year cause some indigestion? Hard to say which is part of the reason Pre Season polls need to be taken with a grain of salt, too much unknown. 4) Ballard High School - The Bruins appear to have supplanted Manual High School as the best team in Louisville not named Trinity, X or Male, though #5 and #6 may argue that. They are a formidable opponent but not quite on the level of the Big 3, hence the #4 ranking. 5) Saint Francis DeSales High School - After decades of falling enrollment and falling prestige of its football program, the Louisville Southend all boys Catholic High School is making an impressive resurgence thanks much to the Colt's President/Head Master (forget his official title) Doug Strothman. This mentioned resurgence has brought back to back state championship trophies to the Colts and has firmly placed DeSales as a solid program in Louisville. 6) Christian Academy of Louisville - The Centurions can make a decent argument that they are even with DeSales in that CAL beat DeSales the past two season in the regular season. Because DeSales was able to regroup after each loss and avenge themselves in the state tournament on the path to their state championships, Desales gets a SLIGHT bump over the Centurions but the author will note that the difference between these two schools is miniscule and they could flip flop very easily early in the season. 7) DuPont Manual High School - Over the past decade and a half, the Crimsons/Rams (are they ever going to make up their mind which is their mascot?) have probably felt like the girl who was always the Bride's Maid but never the Bride when it came to the state tournament. Season after season the Rams would field strong teams but they could never combine back to back wins over the Big Three in the state tournament to make it to the State Finals knowing full well they probably were better than the team the Big #3 would face in the Finals. This still seems to be the case except that they have been leap frogged by the Ballard Bruins. The realignment of districts and regions in Louisville may help the Rams since their schedule and therefore their path in the state tournament will not be so brutal. Only time will tell but for now, this poll will rank them at #7 . 8) Central High School - A decade or so ago, the Yellow Jackets blasted to the scene, winning state championships and taking games against St. X down to the wire which not too many years earlier would have been 20+ point losses. Central is still a quality team and will remain a contender in their class but they don't shine quite as bright as a few years ago so they will be ranked at #8 till they can show what they have against quality opponents. 9) Butler Traditional High School - Here is where ranking Louisville area teams starts getting really tough. The school from this point and below do not get much press and tend to be very inconsistent from year to year so the author will admit, ranking Butler has more to do with their history of being a solid team year after year. 10) John Hardin High School - Similar to #9 , the author of this ranking was really stretching for a team to wrap up the Top Ten and picked the Bulldogs due to they also being a consistently solid team. There may be other non Jefferson County School who have an argument to be ranked (Martha Layne Collins?, Meade Co.?) but it is difficult to tell at this point. These last two rankings are definitely the shakiest and could easily change after week one. Opening Scrimmage of the Week - St. Xavier versus Simon Kenton

1) Trinity High School (defeated Ensworth TN 45-0) – While the Ensworth team Trinity beat was not as historically strong as previous year’s teams, it is still Ensworth. So Trinity winning in such convincing fashion will keep the Rocks ranked number one. Next week, Brentwood TN 2) Male High School (defeated Floyd Central IN 41-0) – Many will say a victory over a Southern IN school is not that impressive but 41-0 is pretty impressive so Male stays #2 . Next week Ballard. This game will test how good these two top five Louisville teams are. 3) St. Xavier High School (Idle) – While X did not play in the opening week, they are still stinging in the “loss” to Simon Kenton in the scrimmage the week before. How much should a scrimmage be a factor????? Next week X plays Lexington Henry Clay and hard to call the first game of the season a must win but it could be to get the Simon Kenton monkey off their back and get some momentum going into the season. 4) Ballard (defeated Oldham Co. 54-0) – This author took some heat ranking the boys from Ballard as high as he did in the opening ranking but Ballard accepted that challenge by easily beating Oldham County. Next week is a huge challenge for them as that welcome Male to the Bruins home. 5) St. Francis DeSales (Defeated Fairdale 42-6) – DeSales being DeSales they win and they win convincingly. Next week will be a little more of a challenge against the 6A Butler Bears. 6) DuPont Manual High School (Defeated Central 28-10) Manual gets the victory over fellow Top Ten team Central and rises one step. The Crimsons should stay undefeated when they visit Fern Creek next week. 7) Christian Academy of Louisville (Lost to Simon Kenton 50-23) – CAL drops only one spot from their loss due to the respectable defeat coming from NKY 6A team Simon Kenton. CAL was winning a decent part of this game but SK’s numbers took over the game. CAL will face another 6A team next week in Eastern High School. 8) Meade County High School (Defeated Butler – 21-19) – Meade Co is the newest member of the top ten after defeating former top ten team Butler. Meade hopes to prove they deserve their new ranking next week when they visit PRP. 9) Central High School (Lost to DuPont Manual 28-10) – On the surface it would appear Central should have dropped more than one spot but because their loss was to a top ten team and the fact that no real strength is showing up elsewhere in the Louisville Area, they will stay at number 9. Next week Central will take on Knox Central. 10) Spencer County? (Defeated Bardstown 48-14) – The author of this Top Ten was grasping at straws at this point to find someone to fill the 10 spot. Numerous other teams could possibly fill it also. The author took heat in the opening ranking for leaving out Central Hardin but they lost to Boyle Co so hard to justify entering a Top Ten on a loss. Will have to see how Spencer does next week against Nelson County. Big Riser(s) – I think this award would have to go to Meade Co for entering the Top Ten at #8 . Big Droppers – Would have to go to Butler and John Hardin who’s losses dropped them out of the ranking overall. Game of the Week – Would have to be Male versus Ballard. Many say Male has an argument for being #1 over Trinity and a convincing win would support that argument and Ballard is tired of looking at the Big Three plus Manual for the past decade or more and a victory would put them in the mix of the 6A elite. Player of the Week – Trinity’s Jailen Reed who was the star of Trinity’s routing of Ensworth, TN.

BluegrassPreps 2016 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Preseason Edition In 2016, we go for Round 2 of the BluegrassPreps weekly football Power Rankings for each of the regions around the state. With each week's Power Rankings, we will be looking to rank the top ten teams in each region - regardless of class - against the other teams in their region. Throughout the season, we will be accounting for the results of all the games throughout the region, including the strength of each opponent played, points scored, points allowed, along with several other statistics on each side of the ball. Additionally, we will be highlighting a "Game of the Week", and moving forward, will be re-capping the previous game(s) of the week, as well as highlighting regional "Big Risers" and "Big Droppers" as various teams improve their performance and other teams fall back. Also look for a featured "Player(s) Of The Week". In the Preseason, I’m pretty amped up SO: Are you ready for some football? Put your cowboy hat on and come out WEST: Preseason Top 10: 10) Greenwood (5A) – [2015 Record 9-3] The Gators had a great season last year only losing to South Warren, Owensboro and BG. No shame there. JR QB Jackson Adams (District 2 Player of the Year; SKY Conference 1st Team QB) is the engine that makes the Gator’s go. As a sophomore (1,677 yards, 24 TDs, young man averaged 2TDs a game!), Adams is ALREADY the all-time leading rusher in Gator history. Impressive. It will be interesting to see how super-talented athlete transfer (from Warren East) Willie Reynolds gels with his new team. Chemistry issues? You tell me. The Gators are well coached and should be a solid 2nd in their district and host another playoff game this year. Schedule Highlight: September 9 at home vs Franklin Simpson. It is unlikely the Gators get it done in Week 1 vs South Warren, but getting on a 2 game losing streak in the early stages of the season is something Coach Seabolt will try to avoid vs a quality opponent in a similar area of the Power Rankings. Week 0 at 4A Allen County-Scottsville at 7pm. 9) Hopkinsville (4A) – [2015 Record 10-2] If you recall, the Tiger’s started the 2015 season with the heaviest of hearts when Jayvon Quarles (SR LB/FB) was tragically killed in a pre-practice accident at their practice facility. Hoptown rallied admirably for their fallen comrade winning 10 games and losing a tough playoff game to the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats in OT. JR QB Jalen Johnson is one of the top QBs/athletes in the West. Most of the skill guys and majority of the lineman are back. Athletes never seem to be in short supply in Hopkinsville. My issue with Hoptown has always been their schedule. This year isn’t much different. Outside of a very interesting game right out of the shoot against gritty 5A Graves County, not much meat on the bone besides the annual grudge match vs 5A Christian County. A 6-week stretch of overmatched teams isn’t my preferred prescription for preparing for better playoff competition. Schedule Highlight: Week 0 vs Graves County (5A) at the Stadium of Champions in Hopkinsville, KY 5:30PM. Big game for both teams. Winner gets momentum very early in the season. 8) Franklin Simpson (4A) – [2015 Record 8-5] Tough to replace departed SRs Isiah Hall and Nick Groves who combined at the RB/DB spot to produce almost 2,000 yards rushing, 20 TDs and 50 tackles. SR QB Jackson Caudill will be called on to lead the Wildcats Wing T offense. Will Coach Preston add a passing wrinkle? We shall see. Quick note that after Coach Preston’s first season at FS in 2012, the Wildcats have won at least 8 games every season since. Impressive! Look for ultra-talented RB/DB Saul Brady to break out this year above his SO year production of over 1,000 yards rushing, 9 TDs and 77 tackles. Top lineman SR Cole Kirby is a D1 prospect getting looks from Power 5 conferences. The Wildcats should improve on their 8-5 2015 record, but they play in arguably the toughest 4A District. I see them a solid 2nd in the district and get the top team in Franklin this year for one of the highlights of the entire 4A regular season schedule. Schedule Highlight: August 26 at Caldwell County (3A). Big game for both teams. If the Wildcats can pull it off, they should go into their much anticipated match with South Warren undefeated. Week 0 August 19 at home vs. Portland, TN at 7PM. 7) Owensboro (5A) – [2015 Record 11-2] The Red Devils were a VERY formidable squad in 2015 only losing twice to BG. 16 seniors depart from a very strong senior class that finished up on Frederica Street with a 41 and 14 record. 7 of those SRs signed LOI to continue playing football. Great Careers! MOST notable losses are some monsters along the DLine, WR/S Keshawn Walker, ultra-versatile TE/LB Tavion Board, the LB I think they missed most (due to injury) Gekove Gardner, and my favorite Red Devil Jahlil Barret (WR/DB/Kick Returner), who was a breakaway threat any time he touched the ball. Back to lead the charge in 2016 is speedy SR RB Landon Board, who gained over 1,800 yards and 21 TDs last season. SR QB Zach Gross played well last year in most games and will need to be at his best for the Red Devils to challenge in their tough district, arguably the best in 5A top to bottom. SR LB Malik Munday stepped in for Gekove Gardner last year and should be a Red Devil D leader. Schedule Highlight: September 2 vs. cross town rival Owensboro Catholic - will be an important early benchmark for Coach Fallin, entering his second season as Head Coach. Both teams were stronger on paper last year, but this is important for the younger Red Devils confidence (not to mention City bragging rights) as the competition will only increase after this game. Will we see heralded Frosh Imonte Owsley this early? We shall see. Lots of good young Red Devils in the program, but are they too young for the 2016 season? Week 0 vs 4A Warren Central at home (Rash Stadium) at 7PM. 6) Caldwell County (3A) – [2015 Record 10-3] 2015 was a great year for Coach Barnes’ Tigers, but I know it ended sooner than their liking. 16 seniors are gone from last year’s squad, most notably WKU signee Dee Cain, who did it all for the Tigers on both sides of the ball. Also gone are stellar WRs Elijah Anderson and Josh Young and several OLinemen. Trevor Davis is another big name on defense that will be sorely missed. Never fear Tiger fans! As you have one of the best JR QBs returning in Shane Burns who threw for over 3,000 yards and 34 TDs. One of his main targets this year will be SR Javonte Riley who is a real handful with over 1,000 yards and 13 TDs on the ground along with 5 more through the air. According to our good friend @TackleTrap, “the defense returns 9 starters” anchored by two 100+ tackle producers in LBs Kylan Gray and Hunter VanHoose. One of the things I like most about the Tigers is they are not afraid to schedule anybody. They have 1 4A, 1 5A and 2 6A opponents on their non-district schedule, not to mention the Mayfield Cardinals, who are no regular 2A squad, rounding out the regular season. Schedule Highlight: Week 0 August 20 vs. 5A Christian County at the Stadium of Champions at 8pm. First game right out of the gate. Big game for both teams to establish momentum. I think the Tigers have what it takes to get to BG this year, but getting better every week heading toward their district matchups will be key. 5) Christian County (5A) – [2015 Record 8-4] Only lost to John Hardin, Owensboro and BG last year. All very good teams. The Colonels 2015 roster I reviewed didn’t have 1 SR. Can that be right? I don’t think so. Regardless, the Colonels have been grooming this group that will be 2016 upper classmen for at least 2 seasons. JR Kolbe Langhi is the 6’5” QB and D1 prospect who has started every game since his freshman year. The Big Leftie had 2,386 yards, 22 TDs and only 7 INTs in 2015. He is joined by WKU signee SR WR Keyron Catlett with 62 catches 797 yds and 7 TDs. RB Ziyon Kenner decided to transfer to BG for his JR year, which will provide RB Trequan Taylor (600 yards rushing and 7 TDs) with ample opportunity to break out his SR year. The sometimes maligned Colonel defense of days gone by have some fine players returning led by WKU signee SR DB Kenneth Major. They will be called upon in a hurray as the Colonels start the season off with a bang by hosting very tough Caldwell County followed by a trip to BG for some Chaney’s Dairy Barn ice cream (Well maybe after the game!). Christian plays in IMO the toughest 5A District with Owensboro and Graves County. This is Christian’s year, as they get both those teams at home. The time is now Colonel fans! Make an effort to go to the Wood Shed for some great barbeque before the game and come out and support your team! Schedule Highlight: Week 0 August 20 vs 3A Caldwell County at the Stadium of Champions at 8pm. 4) McCracken County (6A) – [2015 Record 10-3] The Mustangs continue to be hard to know where to put honestly. Entering their 4th varsity season, they lose 15 SRs including exceptional talent Zyaire Hughes and lineman Wells Perdom who will be helping the KY Wildcats on Saturdays this fall. SR QB Cash Jones (10 rushing TDs with 2,319 yards in the air and 29 TDs vs 7 INTs) will be called on to lead the 2016 campaign. SR WRs Daniel Tyce and Darren Woods each had 10 TDs last year with SR RB Corey Fike in the backfield hoping to expand on his 670 yards and 4 TDs. SR DLine Quamea Jones and SR DB Kyle Garner with 4 INTs are back to anchor the defense. Talent appears plentiful from afar. How about team chemistry? I think Coach Jackson may owe The Clash royalty fees for his use of “Should I Stay or Should I Go” this off season. If this fence is mended, they have some nice pieces to work with to improve on last season’s Regional Final loss to gritty Central Hardin. Schedule Highlight: Outplayed at home last season against City rival 3A Paducah Tilghman; 2016 offers a rare opportunity to give the Blue Tornado’s shiny new, high-flying Head Coach Kurt Barber his first loss conversely similar to last year’s game. The district is yours for the taking, but take it now as Henderson County is likely to improve in the coming years. Week 0 at arch-rival 3A Paducah Tilghman – August 20, 2016 at 7PM. 3) South Warren (4A) – [2015 Record 15-0] First, congratulations to Coach Smith and the Spartans for as complete an inaugural state championship season as I can recall. Few speak about how truly difficult it is to go 15 and 0. Special Season! The Spartans were easily the best team in 4A last year, so what do they lose personnel wise? 19 seniors depart from the best team South Warren has ever fielded, including All-BGPs Austin McElwain (ATH) and Jacob Wilde (DLine). Our good friend and ever-knowledgeable @DragonFire added this from a nearby thread concerning talent returning for South’s 2016 campaign ”South Warren returns three starters on both sides of the ball from their two deep chart, and one of those is overlapping (CJ Hayes). Every single one of their offensive linemen is gone, including starting TE Chase Japp, and they also lose two backups from the two deep. They return backups at Center, RG, RT, and TE, with both the RG (Jacob Lacey) and TE (Haynes) currently starting on the defensive line. They'll either go both ways - something no starting lineman was asked to do (though they did rotate in some) - or they'll be using someone else rather than the current stated backup. The entire linebacking corps will be replaced with only Chris Sheppard returning from their backups. Hayes is the only returning player from the secondary. In all, five backups from the two deep also return, and one of those (Thrasher) is also a backup on the offensive line, which is where I expect he would actually play since he's backing up current starter Jacob Lacey on the defensive line. Or, he'll shift over to the other DT position.” Great insight… Well Purple88, they lose ALL that production, why do you have them at #3? I’m glad you asked. First, who comes back: SR QB Ryder Litten (846 rushing yards with 16 TDs; 1,285 passing yards with 19 TDs vs 12 INTs) will be a clear leader on this team. Kayron Namvong (1,243 yards and 11 TDs) should be the capable lead back this fall. CJ Hayes is a terrific D1 athlete (committed to Purdue University) that can line up most anywhere on the field and contribute and Coach Smith will likely ask much of him this season. SO Jacob Lacey is one of the better DLineman in the entire state and will anchor the defense this season. Zach Haynes is another gifted player, especially on defense as he recently committed to Ball State University. Second, their JV and freshman teams were both undefeated last season and those kids are good and have waited their turn. Now is it! Finally, Coach Smith is no dummy. He has carefully, meticulously guided this program from day 1, most notably from a scheduling standpoint. South’s schedule will not win awards at the All BGPs Schedule Days, but it is intended to develop players, build confidence and win State Championships. But, such a schedule is open to evaluation within these Power Rankings. Schedule Highlight: September 2, 2016 at 5A Greenwood. This is the first game of the season the Spartans will face any real resistance and it is on the road. Will be a good early test for Sparty! Ultimately, I am pulling for the Spartans to win out this year too and make it to the first BG District Game with a BIG Winning Streak on the line….. not that that 2017 game will need any more hype!!! Week 0 vs. Monroe County (2A) – August 20, 2016 - Rafferty’s Bowl 5PM at WKU. 2) Mayfield (2A) – [2015 Record 14-1] As I said in a previous post, for the “6 seasons from 2010 thru 2015, Mayfield has lost a total of 4 games. 3 of those are to larger class schools (and 2 of those in OT). 5 State Titles and lost to Hazard in the 2011 (1A) State Championship game”. Coach Joe Morris’ team continues to be the model of consistency. Will they make it 5 Straight is the question! 16 SRs depart from the well-oiled machine; most notably K Sidney Herndon, who was a real weapon for Big Red and WR/DB Lane Kennemore who did everything but park cars and sell popcorn. Mayfield returns a lot; most notably SR QB Landon Arnett and Mr. Football Candidate SR RB Trajon Bright both behind a very solid returning OLine. On defense, all 3 starting LBs return and they are good ones led by SR Kincer Arnett. The DLine and secondary “also look to be well stocked”, according to our good friend @Toothpick. Sorry but my stats source doesn’t have 2015 Mayfield season stats so if Mayfield fans want to add them, please do. So Mayfield will be looking to integrate some new WRs and a kicker but other than that it seems business as usual for the 12 Time State Champions! Well I know they are good Purple88, but how can you put them above other higher class schools on this Power Ranking list? Well, I’m glad you asked. First, having a higher classification # doesn’t mean you’re a better football team, it means you have more kids (male kids that is) at your school. I honestly think that Mayfield is the Best Program in the State “Pound for Pound”. Yes, there are others I would put above them if # of players is not an issue, but VERY few. Second, Mayfield doesn’t take a week off. What do I mean by this? They ALWAYS schedule up for their out of district competition. Every week for “at least” the past 6 seasons they play out of district schools that are larger than them. This and a great coaching staff IMO has galvanized this program for success. And finally, they are a more complete team returning than any above. Add the return of OCoordinator Steven Hatchell (back from a stint in South Carolina) to an already terrific offense/offensive scheme and you are loaded and looking for your 5th Straight State Championship. Schedule Highlight: September 9 at 6A McCracken County. The Mustangs have had Mayfield’s # the last 2 seasons, but just barely, winning both games in OT by a combined 8 points. This year’s game is sure to entertain all Purchase Area Fans. Week 0 August 19 at home vs 3A Fort Campbell at 7PM. 1) Bowling Green (5A) – [2015 Record 14-1] And here come the Purples! The defending 5A State Champions are 69 and 3 since 2010. 18 SRs graduate, most notably ultra-talented S/RB/Punt Returner Tre Fant, RB/Wildcat Jacob Yates, and WKU signee OLine Jordan Meredith. Not to mention the entire starting back 7 on D (including talented LBs Jake Bush and Andrew Spader). What’s to like? On offense, look out! 16 of the 22 2-deep chart guys are back, most notable include 2015 All-BGP, 2016 Mr. Football Candidate and recent Navy signee SR RB Jamale Carothers (1,341 yds rushing and 20 TDs with 719 yds receiving with 6 TDs). SR QB Clark Payne is clearly undervalued across the state, all the while completing over 65% of his passes last season gaining 2,560 yards and 32 TDs vs 7 INTs. SR WR, 1st Team AP All-State Deangelo Wilson gained 982 yards with 16 TDs last season. Two starters are gone on the OLine, but SR OT Chazz Tooley should step in as the leader of the OLine with MANY other experienced guys looking for a shot to play. SR TE Garrett Strickler is very solid both blocking and receiving and with the likely addition of SR 6’6” basketball star Kyran Jones to the slot/TE – it would seem the sky’s the limit for the BG offense. I almost forgot Christmas came early for the Purples in 2016 when ultra-talented JR RB/WR Ziyon Kenner (formerly of Christian County) transferred to BG. Young man can really run as I saw first-hand in Dalton, GA. I do have to say here that I feel for the Colonels in this deal though, but you play the cards you’re dealt! Let’s talk BG D! The leader of the 2016 edition of “Jungle D” is SR, 2015 5A State Championship Game MVP, All BGP Team, and 1st Team AP All-State DE Dalan Cofer. Also returning to the DLine (strength of this year’s defense) are SR starters Decarlo Halcomb and Christian Hotchkiss. Look for JR Jason Beason and SR Jhamir White to step into the lead LB roles. The secondary will be anchored by SR DB/S Tyler Stahl. Look for Frosh DB Vito Tisdale to step in quickly as a shutdown corner. Finally, SR K Lee Ramsey has only been getting better and should shine in his senior season. It can’t go without saying that BG is blessed (as are all of these Top 10 teams) with an outstanding Head Coach (Kevin Wallace) and talented coaching staff. Schedule Highlight: September 2, 2016 at home vs 6A St Xavier. St X put it on the Purples last fall in Louisville. With the X SR QB signing with Cincinnati and expecting a big year in their own right, it shapes up to be a very entertaining game! Week 0 vs. Old Rival 4A John Hardin – August 20, 2016 - Rafferty’s Bowl 8PM at WKU. The Bulldogs are always well coached and have a talented roster this year. Look for your standard tough game between these two. Good Enough to Make the Top 10 This Season: Russellville (1A) – SR QB/DB Jaylyn McMurray and SR RB/DB Johnny Drumgole lead the Panthers for a highly anticipated season. Solid O and D Lines are forecast. This team is well-coached and should be hungry to make it all the way to BG this year. 2A Butler County, 2A Murray and 4A Franklin-Simpson look to be the toughest teams on the Panther’s 2016 schedule. Best 1A squad in the West by a lot! Owensboro Catholic (2A) - Losing studs like QB Ray Zuberer, WR Shamari Moore and tackling machine John Mark Boarman will take time to overcome. But Coach John Edge has done a flat out terrific job off W Parrish Avenue. Look for young athletes to fill in the gaps, but how long will that take to gel? Still OCath is the class of 2A District 2 and I think they will be a very tough team come playoff time with the real potential for home field during most of the playoffs. Butler County (2A) – Low The King Approaches! SR QB/DB “King” Rex Henderson (897 yds rushing with 19 TDs, over 3,000 yds passing 31 TDs, on D he had 5 INTs and 21 tackles) is likely the best player in the state few know about. He has some help in SRs WR Blake Graham, LB Dillon Brosnan, and JR Ty Smith. The road is always tough in 2A West with OCath and Mayfield being the primary local road blocks. Graves County (5A) – Stud RB Dakota Dixon graduated, but QB Ryan Mathis (372 yds rushing with 2 TDs. 1,716 yds passing with 15 TDs vs 16 INTs) will only get better in his SO campaign. Look for JR WR Trevor Grant (35 catches, 11 TDs) to improve and SR LB Brennen Culp to lead the Eagle D. 7 and 3 to 5 and 5 seems the Eagles range this year. 7 and 3 and you’re knocking on the Top 10 door wanting in; 5 and 5 and you’re busing tables and thankful to be on the second page of this list. Top 20 Tier: Henderson County (6A) – New Coach Josh Boston is a former Colonels player who will bring much needed enthusiasm and effort to the Colonel program coming off a 4-7 2015 campaign that loses 21 SRs, most notably RB Damion Carter (over 1,500 yds rushing and 25 TDs). Henderson only had 4 TD passes all last season. One would think that has to improve to make Coach Boston’s first season a success. Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Team Casino brings in high profile alum Kurt Barber as new Head Coach. It will be the Blue Tornado’s 3rd Head Coach in 4 years. Lots of enthusiasm and talented players is a good combination down off Washington Street, but you can roll the dice on predicting how this season will turn out for the revered program with the 4th most All-Time wins in the Commonwealth. Allen County-Scottsville (4A) – Coach Brad Hood has been at ACS since 2006. Not many programs have such stability and I applaud the ACS administration for showing loyalty in our current day and age of instant gratification. Since that time, the Patriots earned a trip to the 2010 4A State Championship game and played respectably in a 21-14 loss to perennial power Boyle County. The 6 wins in 2015 were the most since that 2010 campaign. They really came on my radar when they beat a solid Franklin-Simpson squad last season in district play. This is a team to watch out for in the very tough 4A District 2. Adair County (3A) – See Below. Murray (2A) – See Below. Glasgow (2A) – LB Stephen Franklin is getting multiple D1 looks. Graduation wasn’t devastating for the Scotties as most contributors are back. I can see them making a strong run to the 2nd week of the playoffs. But just beat Barren County and it’s a good year, right! Other Western Kentucky Notes: Daviess County (6A) – SR QB Adam Bouchard is a very nice high school QB, but the lion share of his help graduated. Time was of the essence, but I feel that ship has sailed. But hey, you did get a nice cross-town win against OCath out of the deal! Logan County (4A) – On a 33 game losing streak! I am going ALL-IN on September 23rd at home vs Hopkins County Central! Although our good friend @Racer89 says they have a shot to beat Todd County Central later in the year as well. I agree! Fulton County (1A) – On an 18 game losing streak! I am going ALL-IN for the Pilots (great nickname!) on September 2 at cross-town arch-rival Fulton City. Todd County Central (2A) – Team Soap Opera kept the TV viewership high over the off-season with the new AD and coach search committee declining all applied candidates only to reveal the selection of the acting Todd County Middle School Principal as Head Coach. Soap Opera directors didn’t feel that story line had enough ZING, so they made the Middle School Principal a member of the search committee… AND the husband of the AD. As The World Turns…. In Todd County. Trigg County (3A) – All Name Team – QB/DB Tyreke “Taco” Wilson returns for his senior season. Love that name! Game of the Week – Week 0: #6 Caldwell County at #5 Christian County 8/20/15 @8PM I LOVE the Paducah Tilghman vs McCracken County game, but highlighted that one last year. This game is critical for both teams who each have high aspirations for the 2016 season. Last year Christian County won a nail-bitter 23-21 with Caldwell missing a late field goal, I believe. I expect a similar hard fought contest with both teams desperate to start 1-0 with Caldwell returning home to face 4A Franklin Simpson and the Colonels traveling to BG for a matchup with the Purples the following week. Pre-Season “Big Droppers” Murray (2A) – Down – QB Desjahvonni Miles and Duke Signee DE Trey Hornbuckle were the heart and soul of an always scrappy; no quit team. Remember that 2015 Mayfield game! They aren’t the only ones gone, however. SR RB/LB Andrew Pajor is a really nice player, but he will need help. But I just don’t see it and I look for the Tigers to take a step back this year. Not a huge step, but a step none-the-less. Adair County (3A) – Down – This is really a curtain call for the 2015 Indian squad that went 10 and 2. Arguably the best Indian’s team ever. The 2016 squad lose 13 seniors from last year. All the good players aren’t gone however, but the 2016 squad will have to integrate new Head Coach Clay Stephens, who comes to Columbia “drip-dry” off an internal washing machine ride along Morgantown Road thanks to the Warren Central/WCBE Admin folks. Do I expect a poor year for the Indians? No, just not as good as last year. Pre-Season “Big Risers” Russellville (1A) – Up – Time is of the essence Panther Fans! Climbing to the summit of High School Football takes talent, good coaching, planning, dedication, and luck. Russellville is on that climb. Could this be the year Panther fans? It seems 4 of the 5 ingredients mentioned have assembled along West 9th Street this year. Add a little of the other ingredient and Look Out 1A! Butler County (2A) – Up – In 3 seasons at Butler County High School, Rex Henderson has rushed for 1,450 yards and 32 TDs, passed for 5,109 yards and 50 TDs, made 79 tackles and intercepted 10 passes on defense. There’s not many Bears in the Butler County woods that can do that. This young man is a true talent and deserves all he gets. They will face the usual 2A West gauntlet, but think they have a real shot against a reorganizing OCath this year. The King’s Court is soon to be in session! ALL WEST – Pre-Season Team (22 Players Total, plus Coach) QB – Kolbe Langhi, Christian County RB – Trajon Bright, Mayfield RB – Jamale Carothers, Bowling Green WR – Keyron Catlett, Christian County WR – Deangelo Wilson, Bowling Green WR/TE – CJ Hayes, South Warren OL – Cole Kirby, Franklin Simpson OL – Chazz Tooley, Bowling Green DL – Jacob Lacey, South Warren DL – Dalen Cofer, Bowling Green DL – Quamea Jones, McCracken County LB - Malik Munday, Owensboro LB – Kincer Arnett, Mayfield LB – Stephen Franklin, Glasgow DB – Kenneth Major, Christian County DB – Saul Brady, Franklin Simpson ATH – Rex Henderson, Butler County ATH – Ryder Litten, South Warren ATH – Javonte Riley, Caldwell County ATH – Jalen Johnson, Hopkinsville ATH – Johnny Drumgole, Russellville K – Madison Alexander, Franklin Simpson (only girl I know playing varsity HS ball!) Coach – John Myers, Russellville It’s going to be a GREAT YEAR sports fans! What do you think/like/dislike? Pitch all together? What would you change & why?

Thanks to Northern Kentucky Family & Cosmetic Dentistry - "Making Northern Kentucky Smile" for sponsoring our 2016 Northern Kentucky Power Rankings! We encourage everyone to patronize all of our sponsors, and you can visit Northern Kentucky Family & Cosmetic Dentistry at 2047 Centennial Boulevard in Independence, KY. Returning for 2016, BluegrassPreps is excited to again roll out weekly football Power Rankings for each of the regions around the state. With each week's Power Rankings, we will be looking to rank the top ten teams in each region - regardless of class - against the other teams in their region. Throughout the season, we will be accounting for the results of all the games throughout the region, including the strength of each opponent played, points scored, points allowed, along with several other statistics on each side of the ball. We will also be featuring a highlighted "Game Of The Week", and moving forward, will be re-capping the previous games of the week, as well as highlighting regional "Big Risers" and "Big Droppers" as various teams improve their performance and other teams fall back. The BGP Power Rankings will also feature a "Player Of The Week". THE RANKINGS: 10) Conner (6A) – Conner is probably the biggest overall question mark on the top 10. They finished up the 2015 season with a respectable 8-4 record, but the only fellow 6A program they were only able to put up wins on was a struggling Campbell County program. They also struggled against smaller teams on more than one occasion. This year Coach Trosper needs to find a new starting QB among the spots vacated by 19 graduated seniors from last season. The Cougars do have the benefit of a widespread combination of players returning across the board, but they are still left with an equal number of positions to fill. It’s tough to judge how the 2016 season will go for Conner at this point, but the general sniff-test says that there will be some positive strides made in Hebron this year. 9) Beechwood (1A) – Beechwood had an incredibly solid season in 2015, making their way to the 1A finals with only a single loss, suffered at the hands of 5A Covington Catholic. Coach Noel Rash will have his hands full this season, having to replace graduated senior standouts Kyle Fieger, Brett Slusher, and Ethan Stringer. There is a lot that remains to be seen for the Tigers this season, having to replace over half of their starters on both sides of the ball. Junior quarterback Brayden Burch is likely to get the nod as starter in 2016, and Aiden Justice, Logan Castleman, and Eddie Erdman look to be big names in Ft. Mitchell this upcoming season. 8) Newport Central Catholic (2A) – Not everyone expected New Cath to make it to the finals last year, especially after starting off their season to a 2-4 record, but the Breds were able to put things together when it mattered, only falling short to the Mayfield Cardinals by 10 points in the 2A championship game. This season they will have senior Patrick Henschen back at QB, but Coach Wagner is faced with a difficult task in finding an appropriate replacement to offensive workhorse Jacob Smith. Defensively, the line and linebacking corps will both be question marks, with many starters to be determined. Look for Austin Neff, Job Freppon and Kurtis Sutkamp to be leaders on the defensive team. 7) Dixie Heights (5A) – Coach Brossart has shown that he can make things happen at Dixie. It was only two seasons ago that he led the Colonels to the 6A state finals, finishing as runners up. Last year proved to be a struggle for Dixie though, after having graduated a very talented class of seniors. After fighting their way through a 3-8 season last year with a team built on young starters, the Colonels are going to come out swinging with virtually a full team of returning starters. Senior Noah Smedley will likely be leading the offensive charge at QB, with Winton Woods (OH) transfer Giante Hicks coming in to support at wide receiver. Seniors Cameron Barrett, Austin Rice, and Logan Robinson will be leading the defensive team for Dixie. 6) Scott (4A) – Coach Dan Woolley helped bring a lot of excitement to Taylor Mill in 2015. He led the Scott Eagles to the best season in their program’s history, finishing off with a 10-3 record. They will undoubtedly be looking to build on their successes this season and trying to lengthen their run in the playoffs. Relying equally on their returning senior and junior starters this season, and with many additional juniors and sophomores coming into the 2016 with significant playing time under their belts, things are looking good at Scott. The Eagles will be counting themselves amongst teams looking to find a new starting quarterback after losing Danny Fitzgerald to graduation. You can expect to see a big season offensively from both Nelson Perrin and Mi’rell Englemon. 5) Covington Catholic (5A) – In Coach Eddie Eviston’s second year as head coach he will certainly be looking to improve on the 0-4 start to last year’s season. The only change to their schedule this year will be replacing last season’s Cincy St. X game with a game against Oak Hills (OH). The big question for the Colonels program remains “Will this year be the year you beat Highlands?” Returning quarterback AJ Mayer will look to do just that, leading an offense that relies on a solid receiver corps, RB Casey McGinness, and line anchored by seniors Dylan Silbernagel and D1 recruit Hunter Ziegelmeyer. Defensively they will be looking to replace starters on the line, in the linebacking corps, and in the backfield, and will be turning to Alex Shelton, Kameron Butler, and Anthony Best for leadership. The Colonels look to be stronger than last year, but will still have to beat the Highlands Bluebirds in the 3rd round of the playoffs in order to make it to Bowling Green. 4) Highlands (5A) – The 2015 season didn’t exactly stand out as one of Highlands’ best years, with six losses on the season including three to other Northern Kentucky teams (Cooper, Ryle and Simon Kenton). However, to say that Highlands was “bad” last year would be completely inaccurate. Highlands shrugged off their rough start last year, visibly improving week to week throughout the season. This season the Birds will be looking to carry over their development from last year as they face a repeat of their regular season schedule. QB is one of the only skill positions Highlands will be replacing on either side of the ball, with Sr. Brady Gosney likely to be appearing under center. Replacing starters lost to graduation on the OL and DL will be their other challenge this season, but Coach Weinrich and the Highlands coaching staff are undoubtedly on top of things. Look to see Highlands make a deep playoff run this season, and potentially an appearance in the 5A championship game. 3) Cooper (6A) – Cooper was a surprise to many last season, but not so much to those inside the Jaguar football team. This year looks to be another solid year for the Jags with D1 recruit Dante Hendrix and Jaden Jackson returning to the offensive side of the ball for their senior years. However, Coach Borchers is tasked with developing a new starting quarterback this season. Their offensive line should be solid, but after losing their OL coach in the off season it will be interesting to see what kind of changes are made to play at the offensive line of scrimmage. The defensive skills positions look solid for the Jaguars, with Hendrix once again featured as a standout, but their D-line will be a big question mark going into the 2016 season, as well as some of their linebacking corps. 2) Ryle (6A) – Ryle had a few hiccups in their 2015 season, finishing 3rd in the NKY power rankings. With star quarterback Tanner Morgan, RB Jake Chisolm and WR Bryce Ashley all returning on offense, there isn’t much doubt about their offensive skill positions. Most of their 2016 OL saw significant starting time over the course of the season last year, and will bring a solid front to the Raider offense. On defense, similarly, there are numerous skills players returning, and senior middle linebacker Jackson High will lead their defensive charge. Coach Engler has a lot to work with at Ryle this season, and Ryle will be one of the toughest teams to beat amongst the NKY programs. 1) Simon Kenton (6A) – There’s no doubt that Simon Kenton was the top Northern Kentucky football program in 2015. They were the only NKY team to go 10-0 in the regular season, and had their season ended in the state semifinals to the 6A runners up, Lafayette. With third year starter Cameron Racke returning under center for his senior year, and Sr. Dylan Hampton in the backfield, there are high expectations for the Pioneer offense this year. The bigger task for Jeff Marksberry and the rest of the SK coaching staff will be replacing over half of their defensive starters for the 2016 season. However, with a solid group moving up from the undefeated 2015 junior varsity squad, there is a lot for the coaches to work with as they near the opening kickoff of the 2016 season. Simon Kenton is once again the team to beat in Northern Kentucky. Honorable Mention: Campbell County, Holy Cross Week 0 Game Of The Week: Scott (4A) vs. Newport Central Catholic (2A) The Eagles travel to Newport to take on the Thoroughbreds. Last year this game was decided by 1 point, with Scott eking out an 8-7 victory. It will be interesting to see how the two programs have developed over the subsequent months as they start things off at 7:00pm on Saturday, August 20th.

Returning for 2016, BluegrassPreps.com is excited to again roll out weekly football Power Rankings for each of the regions around the state. With each week's Power Rankings, we will be looking to rank the top ten teams in each region - regardless of class - against the other teams in their region. Throughout the season, we will be accounting for the results of all the games throughout the region, including the strength of each opponent played, points scored, points allowed, along with several other statistics on each side of the ball. We will also be featuring a highlighted "Game of The Week", and moving forward, will be re-capping the previous games of the week, as well as highlighting regional "Big Risers" and "Big Droppers" as various teams improve their performance and other teams fall back. The BGP Power Rankings will also feature a "Player of The Week". To kick off the season for EKY we will do the Pre-Season Top 15, through the course of the season we will only show the Top 10. Without further ado here is the first power rankings of 2016! 15. Rockcastle County Rockets (4A, 5-7)- Rockets have to navigate the toughest District in EKY but have loads of experience back. Expect Brent Lovell to have a big year as a Junior. 14. Hazard Bulldogs (1A, 10-3)- Hazard has probably the most experience returning of the EKY 1A teams and should close the gap set by Paintsville and Pikeville some. 13. Russell Red Devils (3A, 8-4)- Nick Conley is a superb back and Russell has some nice pieces, but their hopes hinge on the play of a QB and line play that has to improve. 12. Raceland Rams (1A, 7-5)- Rams started to find their footing on the mountain late after a bit of a disappointing season. Paintsville is their #1 focus. 11. Ashland Tomcats (4A, 9-3)- Tomcats were among the best in EKY throughout 2015 but lose a pair of D-1 players and their talented underclassman RB was also dismissed. Going to be a tough row to handle in a solid region. 10. Knox Central Panthers (4A, 8-5)- Knox Central will be tested early and often with a brutal schedule but the Panthers should be able to compete with most anyone. QB Jaxon Stewart is one to keep an eye on as well as ATH Jermel Carton. 9. Paintsville Tigers (1A, 13-1)- 2015 was a pinnacle type season for the resurgent Tiger program as they spent most of the year ranked at the top of their class and as a legit Title Contender. An untimely injury to Kash Daniel couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient moment. With a solid core returning led by Kent Phelps and Tyrese Allen expect the Tigers to once again be in the 1A Title picture. 8. North Laurel Jaguars (5A, 11-2)- The Jags made a ton of head-way in 2015 before a valiant effort fell short against Pulaski County. They must replace one of the State’s most prolific backs in Steven Nelson, but QB Cole McWhorter should have a big time year. 7. Pikeville Panthers (1A, 13-2)- The Panthers were the Kings of 1A and did so in impressive manner. They must replace RB Daric Pugh and his absurd stat line and some other key contributors, but the pantry is far from bare. QB Wyatt Battaile completely changed Pikeville’s trajectory as a sophomore and will be one of the better QB’s in all of Kentucky. Blake Charles will also be a major force. 6. Pulaski County Maroons (5A, 13-2)- Pulaski was a fixture toward the top of these rankings and fell just a bit short in the 5A Title Game to a loaded Bowling Green squad. The Maroons were hit very hard by graduation including QB Riley Hall and his legendary career. WR Jake Johnson returns and should finish as Kentucky’s All-Time leading receiver, but will Pulaski have enough left to make another deep push? 5. Southwestern Warriors (5A, 8-4)- Southwestern had high hopes in 2015 but were brought to reality by some familiar faces. Rival Pulaski County busted them 52-6 and then former District Mate North Laurel ended their season in the 2nd Round. Coach French’s team though is looking for the last laugh in 2016 as they return the most talent of the trio by far led by RB Patric Edwards, DE Floyd Fannin, QB Brandon Pruitt, and LB Chuck Burton. Can Southwestern finally get over the hump in 2016? 4. Wayne County Cardinals (4A, 11-3)- Coach Shawn Thompson is becoming the master of the slow burn. Thompson used a young team and brought them along over the course of a few seasons to nearly win a State Title in 2013 and in 2016 has another crop of Seniors he is expecting to do something similar with. After a heartbreaking loss to Johnson Central in the Semi’s the Cardinals are loaded for bear with nearly every Offensive playmaker back and a veteran Defense essentially intact. 3. Corbin Redhounds (3A, 9-5)- It wasn’t pretty for Corbin through the regular season. The Hounds struggled with youth and O-Line play and fumbled their way (literally) to a 6-4 season with several close losses. Coach Haddix’s bunch though improved leaps and bounds and QB Cameron Sizemore thrived once the ball actually was hiked into his hands and they parlayed this into a Semi-Finals push. The Hounds return the farm and then some. With only DL Harley Lambert being a major loss expect Corbin to be a Top 5 team in 3A and show a major upward swing on Offense. 2. Johnson Central Golden Eagles (4A, 12-2)- When Johnson Central survived a pair of deep playoff scares by Scott and Wayne County a collective sigh could be heard from Paintsville as they made their first State Championship appearance in School History. The Eagles return a strong contingent from that team within upwards of 8 starters back including the dynamic Geordan Blanton and DL stalwart Dawson Stalker. The Eagles once again have the pieces to make a deep run, but may find an overall improved Class 4A an even tougher path. 1. Belfry Pirates (3A, 14-1)- It would be easy to extoll the virtues of the 3 time defending 3A Champs who return 9 starters each way including 4 players with Division 1 Offers and several more players with “All-State” already listed by their name. With that said I will keep it short and sweet, Belfry has the chance to plant their flag as the single best team to ever come out of Eastern Kentucky and in the process be one of the best “small school” teams in KY history as well. Will it happen? Lots of football to be played and you have to wonder if they have peaked… but one thing you can count on, the Pirates are BIG, FAST, EXPERIENCED, and just PAINFULLY LOADED. Game of the Week: Hazard @ Pineville- The Mountain Lions have one of the best gamers in EKY in QB Tuck Woolum returning at the healm. Woolum is very effective both running and throwing but will he have enough juice to upset a Hazard team littered with experience?

Bluegrasspreps.com is excited to provide Regional Power Rankings for the entire state by breaking the state into five regions: Eastern Kentucky, Central Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky and the Louisville Area. The Power Rankings will overview which teams are at the top in their region, regardless of class. The weight of wins and loses are subjective to the quality of the opponents and the team's performance. This means all wins or losses will not be seen as equal. In addition to the Top 10 in each region, the Power Rankings will include: two Big Risers of the week that are moving up but have not yet made it into the Top 10, two Big Droppers of the week that have dropped further away from the Top 10, the Game of the Week that you won't want to miss reading about, and the Player of the Week for each region. Below is the Pre-Season Edition of the Louisville Area Power Rankings! 1. Trinity (6A State Champions, 15-0) The Shamrocks will be looking for their third consecutive 6A State Championship as they head into the 2018 season. The Rocks graduated QB Nick Bohn and WR Rondale Moore, but do return their two leading rushers from 2017, Luke McGuire and Gereimah Smith. Senior DE and Stanford commit Stephen Herron will anchor the Rocks defense again this season, and look to lead them back to another state title. 2. St. Xavier (6A Runner Up, 12-3) The Tigers fell to their arch rivals in the 6A Championship in December, but the story around this program is the change at the top of the ladder, with the hiring of former Bowling Green Coach Kevin Wallace. With years of success at BG, Wallace looks to utilize the talent and depth at St. X, and look for a difference in the Tigers’ offense in the coming season. Returning four seniors to a stingy defense from a year ago will make St. X a problem on defense again in 2018. 3. Male (6A Third Round, 9-3) After a disappointing second round exit from the 2017 playoffs, the Bulldogs will look to re-establish their spot in Louisville’s “Big 3.” With senior RB Henry Vestal who rushed for over 1,000 yards a season ago returning, look for Male to use him to open up their passing game. They also return three veteran defenders who accounted for over 200 tackles last season, in Joe Kuerzi, Dallas Douglass and Jack Lucas. 4. Christian Academy - Louisville (2A Semifinals, 11-3) Coming off a hard fought loss to Mayfield in the 2A Semifinals a year ago, The Centurions are once again loaded on the offensive side of the ball, even with the departure of their QB from a year ago, Austin Carr. CAL returns Brandt Babin (Soph., 736 rushing yards), Harrison Zimmerer (Jr., 388 rushing yards), and Milton Wright (Sr., 346 rushing, 685 receiving yards). The Centurions will also be very solid on defense, with Austin Collins, Luke Paulson, and Jake Taylor chasing down ball carriers. If Coach LeFors can find a replacement for Carr, watch out for CAL. 5. DeSales (2A Third Round, 12-1) The Colts were dominant for the majority of the 2017 campaign, but eventually lost to their crosstown rivals, CAL, in the third round of the 2A playoffs. They return senior QB Aaron Pfaadt who did a great job in 2017 distributing the wealth around to his teammates, and the Colts will look to him to lead them again in 2018. 6. Elizabethtown (3A Semifinals, 12-2) The Panthers had an impressive showing in 2017, falling only to CAL, and eventual 3A State Champion, Boyle County. The question for E-town will be how they will replace the offense produced by graduating seniors Jay Becherer, Tyler Durbin and Jey Gregory. If the Panthers can do so, look for them to be a force again in 3A. 7. Central (3A Semifinals, 11-3) With only three losses in 2017, two of which came by two local 6A schools, the Yellow Jackets look to post another impressive run in 2018. Returning offensive leaders Mykah Williams and Ukrari Baker will pave the way for Central this season. 8. Collins (4A Semifinals, 11-3) The Titans fell just one game short of playing for a 4A State Championship in 2017, and will have the task of replacing the dynamic JR Lucas’ 3,700 yards. Leading WR Sicari Toole returns for his senior season, and will look to lead the Titan offense. 9. Central Hardin (6A Semifinals, 10-4) Coming off a deep playoff run in 2017, the Bruins will return senior QB Jacob Hobbs and RB Josh Volentine to a team that lost in the 6A Semifinals to eventual champion, Trinity. Can Central Hardin build off last year and make another run to the title? 10. South Oldham (5A Second Round, 10-2) The Dragons posted an impressive 10-game winning streak during the 2017 season, but fell to eventual 5A State Champion Covington Catholic in the playoffs. They return RB Keaton Martin who will likely be the focus of the Dragon offense in 2018. Game of the Week: Week 1 6A St. Xavier vs. 2A DeSales Both teams coming off disappointing end to their 2017 season will be looking to make a statement early with this incredible Week 1 matchup. The Tigers will travel eight miles to take on the Colts in what will surely be the best game in the region on opening weekend. Players to Watch #7 Stephen Herron, DE, Trinity #42 Anthony Moretti, RB, Saint Xavier #6 Henry Vestal, RB, Male #3 Milton Wright, WR, Christian Academy - Louisville #18 Aaron Pfaadt, QB, DeSales #4 Joseph Becherer, LB, Elizabethtown #9 Mykah Williams, RB, Central #1 Sicari Toole, WR, Collins #5 Josh Volentine, RB, Central Hardin #21 Keaton Martin, RB, South Oldham Key Regular Season Match-Ups 6A Trinity vs. 6A Male 9/7/18 6A Trinity vs. 6A St. Xavier 9/28/18 6A St. Xavier vs. 2A DeSales 8/17/18 6A St. Xavier vs. 6A Male 10/12/18 2A DeSales vs. 2A Christian Academy - Louisville 10/5/18 3A Elizabethtown vs. 2A Christian Academy - Louisville 9/7/18 3A Central vs. 6A St. Xavier 9/14/18 4A Collins vs. 3A Boyle County 9/14/18 6A Central Hardin vs. 2A Christian Academy - Louisville 8/31/18 5A South Oldham vs. 2A Christian Academy - Louisville 8/17/18

1) 5A Covington Catholic (3-0) – Despite weather forcing the game to be played over the course of two days, Covington Catholic rolled through their 3rd win of the season, beating 6A Cooper (1-2) by a score of 54-7. RB Casey McGinness led the offense, rushing for 176yds and 2 TDs, while receiving for another 47yds and 1 TD. Casey both tied the school's record for career rushing TDs during the game this week, and set the new record at 46 TDs. QB Caleb Jacob went 10-13 passing for 154yds and 3 TDs. Defensively, they Colonels were able to tackle the Jags for a loss 6 times, and juniors Jack Raisbeck & Michael Thelen led the team with 4 tackles each. The Colonels will face their toughest challenge yet this season in the OH-DII Kings Knights (2-0). The Knights held Cov Cath to their smallest margin of victory last season. 2) 6A Simon Kenton (3-0) – Simon Kenton is still in the undefeated category after beating 6A Conner (1-1) in one of the numerous two-day football contests around NKY. The game was postponed on Friday night just before the half with the Neers leading 18-13, and Simon Kenton held on to their lead, finishing the game 31-13 on Saturday. QB Caleb Farfsing carried the offense once again, passing for all 22 of the team's yards in the air, and rushing for 120 or the team's 163yds on the ground. Farfsing and RB Jon Sergent both rushed for TDs, and Sergent also ran back a kick for another Pioneer TD. Christian Seger had 7 points on one field goal and 4 PATs, while the remaining 6 points came on a fumble recover for TD by senior defensive lineman JJ Courtney. LB Clay Cogswell once again led the defense in tackles, with 9 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles in the game. Simon Kenton has 5A Dixie Heights (0-3) this week. 3) 5A Highlands (2-1) – The Birds had their first loss of the season on Friday, electing to end their game against 6A Scott County (3-0) with about 3 minutes to go in the 1st half after lighning stopped the game play. The Birds's concession made for a 28-7 loss to the Cardinals. Highlands' offense only mustered 22yds total offense in the first half, compared to Scott County's 248yds of total offense. The Bluebirds' points came via a Brycen Huddleston 83yd kickoff return for touchdown, capped off by a Nick Bowman PAT. This week Highlands will head to Union to take on 6A Ryle (1-2). 4) 1A Beechwood (2-0) – The Tigers showed up big on Friday, despite only having just over one quarter of play in their game against the 2A Somerset Briar Jumpers (2-1). Beechwood led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter with 2 rushing TDs by Logan Castleman and a 50yd punt return by WR/CB John Odom. Odom also added the final TD in the second quarter on a 23yd reception. QB Cam Hergott was 4-4 passing for 125yds and 1 TD, and Castleman rushed for 101yds on 12 carries good for 2 TDs. The game was called with about 8:30 to go in the second quarter due to lightning. Beechwood will head to Whitley County this week to take on 3A Corbin (3-0). 5) 6A Campbell County (2-1) – The Camels rattled off a quick 2 TDs and 1 FG in the first quarter against 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-2) on Friday, and then followed that up with a second quarter touchdown to make it 24-0 Campbell County before the game was called off in the second quarter due to lightning. AB Andrew Helton passed for 168yds and 2 TDs, and added in another 38yds rushing, while RB Grant Jolly ran for 58yds and 1 TD. Kicker Peyton Anderson scored the remaining points for the Camels on the first quarter 29yd field goal and 3 PATs. Campbell County will host the 6A Cooper Jaguars (1-2) on Friday. 6) 6A Ryle (1-2) – The Raiders notched their first win of the 2018 season by beating 6A Boone County (0-2) in yet another two-day affair for Northern Kentucky football. The game was posponed at halftime on Friday with Ryle off to a slow 13-0 lead, and they picked up steam on Saturday evening, finishing off the Rebels in a 41-13 victory. Junior QB Keegan Stanken went 14-20 passing for 321yds and 3 TDs in his first official start. RB Kyle England rushed 11 times for 115yds and 1 TD, and WR Elijah Cusick had 164yds and 1 TD on 4 receptions. Senior DB Dylan Green led the defensive attack with an impressive 15 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Ryle will be hosting 5A Highlands (2-1) this week. 7) 6A Conner (1-1) – Cooper started off strong against 6A Simon Kenton (3-0) on Friday, nearly going blow for blow with the Pioneers up until the game was postponed with a score of 18-13 in Simon Kenton's favor just before the half. The game resumed on Saturday, and the Neers pulled away, handing the Cougars a 31-13 loss. QB Jared Hicks went 11-19 passing for 132 yards and 1 TD reception to WR Emmanuel Merkel. Kicker Teddy Schul had all the remaining points for Conner, with 1 PAT and 2 FGs. On the defensive side, senior LB Clayton Boyd led the defense with 8 solo tackles, 4 tackles for losses including 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. The Cougars will take on 4A Scott (2-1) this week. 8) 6A Cooper (1-2) – It wasn't just a bad night for the Jags on Friday, it was a bad morning on Saturday as well as Cooper lost 54-7 to 5A Covington Catholic (3-0). Cooper was trailing 27-0 when the game was suspended less than 2 minutes into the second quarter on Friday, and by halftime it was 48-0. The Jags' lone TD came on a 34yd pass from Jeremiah Lee to Mikey Armour late in the third quarter. Cooper had a total 119yds of offense on Friday, with 112 of those yards coming in the air. QB Jeremiah Lee was 8-19 with 122yds and 1 TD. Jayden Maynard led the receiving corps with 66yds on 5 receptions. Defensively, DL Michael Attabary, LB Ethan Bosway, and DB Joe Poage led the charge with 6 tackles a piece. Cooper will be heading across the Licking River this week to take on the 6A Campbell County Camels (2-1). 9) 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-2) – New Cath didn't have the showing they had hoped for against 6A Campbell County (2-1) on Friday. This was one of the many games called off due to weather, with the Breds falling 24-0 to the Camels in less than 2 quarters of play. New Cath had stud RB/LB Kyle Kelly back in action following a week off due to an injury suffered in their first game of the season, but they were still no match for Campbell County, who posted 276yds total offense in the game, compared to the Breds' -1yd total offense. No further stats have been posted by New Cath, but they will be taking on 3A Belfry (1-1) this week down in Pike County. 10) 2A Walton-Verona (3-0) – The Bearcats remain as one of four teams in the NKY Power Rankings top ten to have stayed undefeated thus far in 2018. This week Walton-Verona blanked 4A Holmes (0-2) in a 48-0 victory. The Bearcats have struggled to find their passing game thus far, only passing 3 times for 29 total yards against Holmes, and a net 153yds in the air in their first 3 games this season. Fullback Micah Alford led the Bearcats' rushing attack on Friday with 106yds, tailback Tyler Schrader had 98yds and 2 TDs, RB Peyton Smith had 64yds and 3 TDs, and RB Dawson Catlett had another 46yds and 1 TD. Offensively, Walton-Verona compiled 323 of their total 352yds of offense on the ground. Dawson Catlett led the defense at DE with 8 tackles and 2 sacks. The Bearcats will play 2A Covington Holy Cross (0-3) this week. TRENDING UP: 2A Newport (Previously Un-Ranked) – The Wilcats, who remain un-ranked, are currently celebrating their first 2-0 start to the season since 1999. Newport had a 33-0 victory over 2A Owen County (0-3) in their game on Friday, which was called at halftime due to weather. TRENDING DOWN: 6A Cooper (Previously #7) – The Jaguars fell to #8 in the NKY Power Rankings after a 54-7 loss to 5A Covington Catholic (3-0). GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP: WEEK 2 1A Beechwood vs. 2A Somerset Somerset came into the game ranked #6 in 2A, but failed to impress in their abbreviated game against 1A Beechwood (2-0) on Friday. In less than a quarter and a half of game play, the Tigers played a very unwelcoming host to the Briar Jumpers, sending the Jumpers home on the losing end of a 28-0 shutout. The Tigers offense combined for 227 total yards in the game, compared to the Jumpers 14 total yards of offense. GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 3 5A Highlands vs. 6A Ryle 5A Highlands (2-1) appeared to come out strong in their first two games of the season, beating both teams by more than 3 TDs, but their 28-7 loss to 6A Scott County (3-0) this past Friday made it apparent that the Birds definitely still have work to do. 6A Ryle (1-2) hasn't looked their best yet this season, but appeared to really come to life in the second half of their 41-13 win over 6A Boone County (0-2) this past weekend. This game has the makings to be a real battle between these two teams. PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WEEK 1 DB Dylan Green (6A Ryle) – Dylan led the Raiders in tackles over the course of their two-day contest against 6A Boone County (0-2), with 15 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.