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BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 7 Edition The top story line this week is the BYE Week Cometh! EIGHT (8) of the Top 10 Teams are on the BYE Week come October 11. And another 4 teams in spots 11 thru 20. So 12 of the Top 20 Teams are now on the Bye! WOW! That just seems like more than I can ever remember. But on the other hand, it is a good time to stretch your legs after 6 or 7 straight weeks of the grind! Some teams use the Bye Week better than others. What about your team? Do they usually improve or decline after the break? You tell me… Week 7 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 5A Bowling Green (4-2) 14 at 5A South Warren (6-1) 3. Terrific game at Spartan Stadium on Friday Night! BG received 3 South Warren Turnovers in the first half and still could not get on the board thanks to a fantastic South Warren defensive effort. The Spartan offense did manage to get into range for a 27 yard field goal and led Old-School Style 3-0 at the half! BG made a significant adjustment at halftime and that led to being able to keep South on their own end of the field early in the 3rd Quarter. BG then methodically moved deep into South territory late in the 3rd Quarter and JR RB Javy Bunton took the draw and scrambled into the end zone to finally put the Purples on top 7 to 3. Now into the 4th Quarter; South Warren managed to get into field goal range, but the kick was blocked and after a wild scramble, BG recovered on the South 45 yard line. BG then went to work on the clock, but South forced a 3rd and 18 from roughly the Spartan 25 yard line. Javy Bunton then took it around the left end and made about 3 Spartans miss in route to the final score of 14 to 3. Great Game! But this is only Round 1 between these 2 IMO! Much more analysis below! Week 8 Western Kentucky Games of the Week: 4A Hopkinsville (5-2) at 4A Madisonville North-Hopkins (6-1). 4A District 1 - The District that keeps on giving! The top 3 teams in this District are all worthy of representing 4A District 1 come the 3rd week of the playoffs, but only 1 will get that honor! And this game right here will help decide that as it will at least help ensure seeding for the first round of the playoffs! Madisonville comes into this one after taking a crushing home loss vs Logan County 2 weeks ago; then throttles County Mate Hopkins County Central. The Tigers come into this one after a terrific performance against a very gritty Logan County team. Hoptown now controls their destiny in this district. And with a win in this game, will become District Champs and avoid the other 2 worthy district adversaries until Week 2 of the playoffs! But if the Maroons win, then we have ourselves a fun 3-way tie and we’ll have to get our tiebreaker charts out! BIG GAME! Honorable Mention: Graves County at Grayson County and Apollo at Henderson County. Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 7 Top 10: 10) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: Win 50-22 vs 3A District Mate Adair County (2-5). The Scotties took out their South Warren near miss frustrations on the Indians, but give Adair County credit as the Indians battled admirably and played awfully well into the second quarter before Glasgow pulled away! I think both of these teams are going in the right direction for where they are presently. Also Scottie Fans, don’t make much of dropping to #10 this week. That simply has to do with turbulence above you, but I am still very high on Glasgow! Week 8: BYE WEEK. The Scotties have to feel good about where they are at this stage of the season. They are laying in the tall weeds at #10 in the BGPs 3A Poll! That’s a steal from where I’m sitting! I like Glasgow against most of those teams in front of them. Not all, but most. They should have light work to get to the 3rd Round. The new RPI ranking tool isn’t the Scotties friend as they are below all those top 10 teams, but 1. But a LOT to like if you’re a Scotties Fan! 9) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 5-2; [District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: Loss: 49-14 vs 3A DeSales (4-2). When a running team can’t run – that’s a problem! DeSales is currently the #1 Team in 3A right now for a reason and they have one of the best defenses around! That showed last Friday night as Tilghman only gained roughly 50 yards on the ground. Well below their typical output. But I would put this to you Tilghman Fans, what have you lost by this game? Yes, you took a loss on your record. Yes, the neigh-sayers can take their shots, but who cares about them. If you take this film and experience and take care of business in your district and come out ready to go in Week 3, I still believe you have the talent to make some noise beyond that! Go Tilghman! Week 8: BYE WEEK! Rest up Blue Tornado’s, but don’t sleep on Union County! Be ready for a tough game on October 18th, as that will put you in the District Driver’s Seat for sure! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 1-1] Week 7 Results: Loss: 21-6 at 4A District Rival Hopkinsville (5-2). Rough loss for the Cougars! No doubt about it! But like our good friend @TackleTrap said, I have a great deal of respect for the Cougars, who never quit even when players were going down injured throughout this game! QB Tyler Ezell and RB/LB Gary Hardy are undoubtedly the heart and soul of this team! Ezell played his heart out; got banged up and went back in any way! Hardy was carted off the field in the 3rd Quarter! There’s no question the physicality of the Madisonville and Hoptown games on the road in back to back weeks took their toll on the Cougars! Even through all that, they took the early lead and chose to play aggressively going for the 2 point conversation and just after an on-side kick. We learned in the Update threads the regular Logan kicker/punter wasn’t in Hoptown, as the young man is also a soccer player and Logan had a soccer game that night as well. Logan won that soccer game vs Butler County 11 to 1. Sure seems like the coaches could have spoken in advance to get the young man where he was most needed, but I digress. Sending a pray for Mr. Hardy to get better soon! Terrific player! Week 8: BYE WEEK! No one has earned a Bye Week more than Logan County! Getting your 2 district rivals out of the way knowing you are still in the District Race at this point has to be a good thing! But Logan County has multiple injuries and a mild schedule upcoming until they go to South Warren the last game of the year. I’d look to get those injured some time off in order to make a playoff run no matter who you face! Good luck Cougars! 7) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 6-1; [District Record 1-1] Week 7 Results: Win: 48-14 at 4A District Mate Hopkins County Central (0-7). The Storm just can’t buy a break. Arguably the worst week of the whole season to play Madisonville was likely this week, as the Maroons were surely still angry from their whisker close loss to Logan County. This game seemed more of a scrimmage than a District game, as these two teams are just at such different levels! Week 8: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - vs District Rival 4A Hopkinsville (5-2). Well 4A District 1 is down to this final game between the Big 3! If Hoptown wins, they are District Champs and get a much easier game in Round 1 of the playoffs! If the Maroons win, then it’s a 3 way tie! The attached link will take you to the KHSAA rules page. The Tie-breaker rules for the District Championship are to the right on the first page. https://khsaa.org/common_documents/handbook/competitionrules/fbcompetitionrules.pdf I simply don’t have time this week to go through that in details, but maybe one of you might. But again, if Hoptown wins, it’s a moot point. But will they? I think Madisonville is in a good spot, playing at home with a chip on their shoulder. What say you… 6) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 5-2; District Record 2-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 21-6 vs District Rival Logan County 4A (6-1). This was a very physical, hard-nosed football game. Thanks to our good friend @FSfan who brought us excellent updates for this game! Star QB Jay Bland played a whale of a game! He had success passing the ball, but it was likely his gutty, tough, physical runs that ultimately made the difference for the Hoptown offense. Concerning the Hoptown defense, LB Eric Grubb was a solid as the Rock of Gibraltar! And remember the name of the young Freshman DB Dejaun Mercer, who really stepped on the scene in a BIG way for the Tigers! You’ll see him later, but he is already near the top Tiger for INTs in a single season this year at 7! Impressive for a Freshman! Huge win for Hoptown! Week 8: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - at District Rival 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (6-1). Another HUGE District Game! When this game is complete, we should have a much clearer picture of which team will basically get a first round bye (District Champ), while the other two teams will have to play each other a second time. That’s what makes these games so big, as they are almost like playoff preseason games! I look for the Tigers to try to establish just enough of a run game to have some play action take hold prior to just lining up in the shotgun and slingin it all over the field. I think Hoptown comes in really focused in this game. Coach Clayton and staff have done a terrific job this year! I see this game as pretty even and should be one HECK of a game! Get out to support your team Tiger Fans!!! 5) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 6-1; [District Record 3-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 54-0 vs 5A Muhlenberg County (2-5). The Mustangs simply got mauled! Owensboro is playing well and a very good team. QB Gavin Wimsatt had a big game and you’ll see him and his stud WR Treyvon Tinsley (Oh, another Tinsley!) later! Their District Mates are simply not on their level, for right now at least. But that holds the Red Devils back from being able to compete with BG & South at the top of these Rankings. But that’s not to say, I don’t think O would be able to win those games because I do. If Owensboro played BG and/or South, I think they would be close competitive games, but we wouldn’t see that now until Week 3 at the earliest. Onward! Week 8: BYE WEEK. Might as well get this out of the way Red Devil Fans! But I will say that I really like how Coach Fallin got backup QB Taquan Robinson a couple series in this game! SO SMART! Nobody knows when injuries will come your way and you need to be prepared. The Red Devils coaching staff should be applauded for that! Rest up Owensboro! 4) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 45-7 at 2A District Rival Caldwell County (5-2). As our good friend @WKY_Football said, Caldwell played hard, they just didn’t have the horses to keep up with Mayfield. It feels like Mayfield was very focused this week and played a sharp, clean game. QB Jayden Stinson played really well again passing for over 200 yards on the night. Also RB Kylan Galbraith had a big game for Big Red and you’ll see him later! Mayfield clearly seems to be ramping up to me going into the Bye Week. What say you… Week 8: BYE WEEK! The Cardinals roll into the Bye Week in fine shape. Yes, I’m sure they’d like to have another shot at McCracken County, but I also think that this loss will help/has helped the Cardinals focus this season. I’m not aware of the Cardinals injury report, but don’t know of any serious losses yet this season. If I’m wrong, I’m sure our good friend @Squirrel will let us know! Looking down the road at the Cardinal schedule, a HUGE District Tilt at War Memorial Stadium sees the Murray Tigers coming in as strong as they have been in some time! That will be followed by a long drive east to Madisonville to take on rock solid Maroons squad who have deep playoff hopes as well. Madisonville is a VERY physical team. Mayfield will need to prepare for that. Finally, our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan provided us with such a cool video of Mayfield during the Graves County game and really shows what the Cardinals mean for the entire Mayfield community! It’s inspirational and I’d like to add it here as well: Access Denied Good luck Cardinals! 3) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 5-2; District Record 2-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 50-36 vs 6A District Mate Apollo (2-5). Thanks to our good friends @Brown and @redleg13 who brought us updates on this one! Early on SR RB Shane Riley for Daviess County had roughly 4 carries for 165 yards and 2 scores to give the Panthers the early lead. But he got hurt and the Mustangs regrouped and settled down and led 43-14 at the half and started the running clock at 9:37 in the 3rd quarter. The Mustang offense is playing really, really well and if their Big 3 of QB Elijah Wheat, RB Hunter Bradley, and WR Franklin Hayes stay healthy there is no reason McCracken County can’t go into Week 3 of the playoffs looking to compete for a Regional Championship! Week 8: BYE WEEK! I’ve been sayin it for a while now! McCracken County is in a good spot with the rest of their season looking for them to be the favorites in every game. Even the likely district showdown at Hendo! I would make a point to get in younger Mustangs who will be needed next year. The teams that understand this are the teams that stay at the top! If you just blow through the mop-up time, that’s on you! If you put it to good use with getting some younger guys some snaps with the Bright Friday Night Lights, things will continue to look up for Mustang Nation! Good luck Mustangs! 2) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 0-1] Week 7 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Loss: 14-3 vs 5A District Rival Bowling Green (4-2). I realize it is difficult to lose to your rivals Spartan fans, but you have no shame here! Your defense played super! And honestly, I thought your offense was ok as well, especially SO RB Kobe Martin, who I still believe will be a special RB before he’s done in a South uniform! I also felt young SO QB Mason Willingham played well in only his second varsity start in a very difficult position, as BG didn’t make it easy on him. Consider this Spartan fans, Mr. Willingham did throw 3 picks, but remember the first one gave BG the ball at their own 2 yard line, where the Spartans forced BG to punt soon after. The second, BG didn’t do anything with that possession. And the 3rd INT was in Hail Mary mode and that will happen when Joe Montana is in the pocket. However, it is also fair to say that the full measure of Caden Veltcamp’s absence was felt in this game. As I predicted last week, those 3rd and long/medium throws were just not there. If Veltcamp were in the game, it opens up more running lanes and South could likely have attacked BG up top as well. BUT, you play with who ya got! My South friends suggest Veltcamp “could” be back for the next BG game. But they also say that seems awfully aggressive for a broken wrist on your throwing hand. I agree, but we will see Week 2 of the Playoffs at El Donaldson Stadium! Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t spotlight star JR WR/DB Jantzen Dunn, who was all over the field for South in this game. He caught passes, he returned kicks and he was a stalwart on defense tripping up countless Purples who would have broken much bigger plays had it not been for his stellar efforts. Outstanding! Week 8: BYE WEEK! The Spartans can use the Bye Week to heal up, as they have some injuries that could use a week off! Good luck Spartans! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 4-2; District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Win 14-3 at 5A District Rival South Warren (6-1). The Purples have to feel good to travel to South Warren and break their 21 game win streak and also snap a 2-game losing streak to South and evening up the series record with the Spartans at 2 games each! Most Purples fans were very concerned at halftime when you are given 3 turnovers while not turning it over yourself and still find yourself losing at halftime. But such it is when you play a very good team! The BG offense can be said a Tale of 2 Halves, with the first half being mired in conservative run plays and incomplete pass plays. But halftime saw a change in QBs and IMO a change in the outcome, as BG moved the ball in the opening possession to keep South pinned in their half of the field. Add some key pass completions and QB scrambles along the way and you could tell BG had improved coming out of the locker room. In many ways, this second half was JR RB Javy Bunton’s coming out party. Many staunch Purples fans already know of Bunton’s talent, but he put it on display Friday night against arguably the best run defense in the West and had a BIG game! You will see him later! And how bout that BG Defense! They had to hold the fort the whole first half and made huge plays in the second half as well. Well done! Finally, IMO this was HUGE from a mental standpoint for the Purples, as you don’t want to lose 3 straight to South knowing you’d have to come back in 6 weeks to play them at South again! Big! Week 8: BYE WEEK! I would think Coach Spader is pleased with getting this win and this South film will be invaluable to ironing out strategy to get the next one (hopefully if you’re a BG fan)! Rest up Purples! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Owensboro Catholic (2A) (6-1) – Week 6 Results: Win 55-21 at 2A McLean County. I think McLean hoped to have a little bit better team than their 3 and 4 record would let on. Let’s see how they do down in Elkton taking on a good Todd County Central Club for the #2 spot in this district. But this is what it’s come to in the Hansel and Gretel District of 2A with OCATH being the domineering Witch! All OCATH different Day! Star QB Drew Hartz has a monster game along with his supporting cast and you’ll see them later. But wouldn’t you get the backup in and throw a few passes with him now in the weak district schedule? I’m not complaining; I’m looking out for your future Aces! Think about it… Onward! Next up: BYE WEEK! Maybe our good friend @zoneblitz2 can shed some light on the injury report for OCATH. Outside of that, it pretty business as usual for the Aces! Looking at the Aces schedule ahead, I only see routes except for possibly at home vs 6A Apollo. That game has another 81-51 feel to it to me! What say you… 12) Henderson County (6A) (5-1) - Week 7 Results: Win 42-7 at 5A Marshall County. The Colonels get back in the win column in comfortable fashion, as the fighting Marshals just aren’t that good this year. Hendo playing well right now. On to District play! Week 8: vs 6A District Mate Apollo. Interesting game here. HENDO has certainly played better this season, but with 51 points on the board vs McCracken County, even in defeat for Apollo, you have to think they are dangerous. At least with a punchers chance if everything falls into place! Still, the game being in Henderson is an advantage for the Colonels and I like them to pull this one out by a couple TDs! Good Luck Hendo! 13) Franklin Simpson (4A) (3-4) – Week 7 Results: Win 35-21 at 4A District Mate Russell County. According to our good friend’s @macdon and @FSfan, the Wildcats are dealing with many injuries, but their replacements are now starting to hit their stride! Of particular importance are the offensive and defensive lines are seeing continued improvement. Just what the doctor ordered! Next up: BYE WEEK! The Wildcats enter the Bye Week after having gotten up off the mat from 4 straight losses to start the season against medium to tough competition and are now on a 3 game win streak against low (Russellville) to medium competition. I look for the win streak to continue, but I will admit that I’m intrigued by the Wildcat games with Warren East and at a Gritty Glasgow squad. While I “think” Franklin will be the favorites in both those games, I’ll certainly be paying attention to them! Good Luck Wildcats! I still look for the Wildcats to be a dangerous team come Week 3 of the playoffs! 14) Murray (2A) (5-1) – Week 7 Results – Win 49-17 vs 2A District Mate Fort Campbell. The Tiger knocked the feathers off the Falcons yet again. It’s been a rough 2019 campaign for Fort Campbell. Star QB Hunter Utley was outstanding again, but a BIG Game is just up over the horizon. But not next week! Next up: at 2A Poor Ole’ Ballard Memorial. I’m shaking my head as I type this, as Murray could easily win this game with their JV team. I’m not trying to slap the Bombers in the face; I’m trying to tell you the disparity in these 2 teams! But hey, the Bomber earned their first win of the season last week – Yeah Bombers! Go Tigers! 15) Caldwell County (2A) (5-2) – Week 7 Results: Loss 45-7 vs District Rival 2A Mayfield. I don’t have any stats for the Tigers on this one, but just feel Mayfield jumped on the Tigers and that was pretty much it. I do think Caldwell County put up good effort. They just don’t have the horses this year to run with Mayfield. It’s that simple. But the seasons not over Tiger fans and this sets up a great game just over the horizon, but not next week! Next up: vs District Mate Ft Campbell. Poor ole’ Fort Campbell has lost all 7 games this year and yes it’s likely, make that, very likely to be 8 straight! Would be a great chance to get some younger Tigers into action in this one as the Falcons are about to get flogged again! Tigers roll! 16) Graves County (5A) (3-3) – Week 7 Results: Win 37-7 vs New District Mate Ohio County! Graves blew the doors off Ohio County more than doubling the Eagles in yardage. QB John Brown had a great game and you’ll see him later! Next week: at District Mate Grayson County. This is an interesting game! From Mayfield to Leitchfield is roughly 2.5 hours by bus one way. That’s a haul! Graves has easily played the tougher schedule by a mile and should be the more prepared team because of it. But Grayson County is coming off the Bye Week and Coach Smart is a pretty good coach. So I think this game can go either way. I’d say regardless these 2 will meet up again in the first round of the playoffs. But where will that game be played? This game should determine that and with a 5 hour round trip on the line, it’s a big deal! What say you… 17) Barren County (6A) (5-1) – Week 7 Results: BYE WEEK! The Trojans are just now empting the last bottles of Dom Perignon ’53 from the Vino cellars deep inside the Barren County Fieldhouse after their eye-popping win 19-16 at 5A Greenwood! It’s been a fun ride leavin the old broken down chassis on I-65 formerly known as 5A District 2 and fielding a new Formula 1 inspired 6A District 2 chassis! That along with a Neosporin-inspired schedule, have the Trojans riding high! But now it’s time to pay the Band! Next up: vs New District Mate 6A Central Hardin. This is probably the best Central Hardin team I can recall. They have a really talented offense with playmakers all over. On defense, they aren’t as talented. Central Hardin has played 3 6A teams this year winning on average 50-20. I look for that margin to continue here. But prove me wrong Trojans! 18) Grayson County (5A) (6-0) – Week 7 Results – BYE WEEK! Grayson County called up the Trojans to see if they had any more spirits left after enjoying their best pre-district campaign since 2012! But I’m hopeful the Cougars have used this time wisely, as likely their most important game of the season is upon them! Next up: vs. District Mate 5A Graves County! Why did I say it was Grayson’s most important game you ask? It’s because of all the remaining Cougar games, this is likely the only one still up in the air. I look for them to beat Ohio County at home and Hart County on the road, while losing to Owensboro at Rash Stadium. So here you go Cougars! It’s your opportunity to win a home playoff game right here! And as I said before, with a 5 hour round trip bus ride and getting the gate for the playoff game is a pretty Big Deal to me! Good luck! 19) Greenwood (5A) (5-2) –Week 7 Results: Win 20-14 at 5A Christian County. Big District Win for the Gators! Congratulations! While I don’t see any other District Wins for Greenwood, this win was important for momentum, as I could see Greenwood beating John Hardin even on the road in a close scrap in Week 10! Mr. Everything Reed Sloan did it all for the Gators running a punt back and running another TD in to help Greenwood avoid a winless district slate! I feel bad for Christian County, who will not likely have a winless season this year. That’s tough! Better luck next year Colonels! Next week: BYE WEEK! Getting back in the win column is more important than you think going into the Bye Week as mentally it sets the tone for the rest of your season. Yes, the coaches can yell at you and tell you to suck it up, but nothing helps more than winning! Rest up Gators! You’re going to need it! 20) Warren East (4A) (4-3) – Week 7 Results: Win 53-12 at 4A District Mate Warren Central. Welcome to the Top 20 Ra-Ra-Raiders! JR QB Nolan Ford had a super game and you’ll see him next. Also SR RB/DB Damontra Pillow had a big game to for the Raiders with nearly 100 yards rushing and 1 INT and 4 tackles on defense! Interesting team here! Could the Ra-Ra-Raiders have anything for Franklin this year? You tell me… They are dangerous! Next up: BYE WEEK! The Raiders last 3 games of the season are challenging at home vs Allen County, at Franklin Simpson and then at Daviess County! Tough slate, but that should get you ready to battle in Week 1 of the playoffs! Go Raiders! Week 7 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Dejaun Mercer – DB – Hopkinsville - 3 INTs vs Logan County! Outstanding! 2) Javy Bunton – RB – Bowling Green – 14 carries for 82 yards and 2 TDs vs South Warren! And against South Warren that’s sayin something! 3) Jantzen Dunn – WR/DB – South Warren – I don’t have specific stats yet for South, but I watched the game vs BG and IMO Dunn played a significant role in all 3 phases for South Warren and contributed on all 3 levels and that’s why he is here! Great effort! 4) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 22 for 32 for 468 yards and 7 TDs vs Ohio County! Add ultra-talented WR Hagan Edge 7 catches for 152 yards and 3 TDs and WR Braden Mundy with 6 catches for 169 yards and 2 TDs! Then there’s another Boarman for OCATH! LB Chris Boarman with 19 tackles! Outstanding! 5) Kylan Galbraith – RB – Mayfield – 17 rushes for 223 yards vs Caldwell County! 6) Gavin Wimsatt – QB – Owensboro – 11 for 19 for 185 yards and 3 TDs vs Muhlenberg County! Add talented WR Treyvon Tinsley with 3 catches for 102 yards and 2 TDs! 7) Hunter Utley - QB – Murray – 8 for 9 with 236 yards and 2 TDs vs Fort Campbell! Add talented WR Jordan Duffy with 4 catches for 101 yards and 2 TDs! 8) Nolan Ford – QB – Warren East – 10 for 14 for 148 passing yards and 3 TDs AND 14 rushes for 131 rushing yards and 1 TD vs Warren Central! Outstanding! 9) John Brown – QB – Graves County – 24 for 38 for 309 yards and 4 TDs vs Ohio County! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 7 “Teams Trending Down” Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Down – I’m not here to beat the Blue Tornado’s down. If you read their section above, you will know that. But to be fair, the DeSales game was a Big Game! It highlighted the Blue Tornado’s need to build a more balanced offense. That is a process because you have to play the players you have. BUT, to have such a powerful run game, I think Tilghman should look to enhance their play action package to help them going forward. Just a suggestion when teams stack the box on them! Good luck Tilghman! Logan County (4A) – Down – Let me start by saying I thought the Cougars gave everything they had last Thursday night and really appreciate their effort! But I also felt they were too aggressive at times with the 2 point conversion and on-side kick right out of the gate that I felt gave Hoptown a chance to a short field early in the game. Did that have to do with not having their starting kicker? You tell me… That and the poor snaps have to be corrected. That’s easy really. But the kicking game has to improve the next time Logan County sees either Hoptown or Madisonville. I hope Logan County’s injured players heal soon! Good luck Cougars! Fulton County (1A) – Down – The Pilots went to Russellville with a 5 and 1 record and looked to go up in the District race. But fate would serve up a brutal 34-31 loss. The Pilots are not here for that so much as they are for late in the 4th Quarter back to back RB passes were called with the last one being a Pick 6, which ultimately proved to be the deciding score. My point is when you have a horse as fine as RB Caleb Kimble, you ride him to the end! Teams “Trending Up” Bowling Green (5A) – Up – Excellent win Purples Nation! In my book, Bowling Green broke through several thresholds last Friday Night! Beat South for the first time since early 2017. Used Vito Tisdale on offense for the first time since the humbling loss to Owensboro in 2018 (even if it was only 2 plays – baby steps Purples Fans!). Hopefully, based upon the results Friday night, a full time QB can be named (we’ll see!). The BG defense played as well as they have all year. And the running back tandem of Javy Bunton and Jayvan Collins is really coming into their own! And as long as after playing Trinity, there aren’t more Purples in Greenview than the BG Fieldhouse, I feel really good about where this team is! Go Purples! Hopkinsville (4A) – Up – Coach Clayton has to be extremely proud of his team! Their physicality may have been the difference in the critical District win vs Logan County! With talent all over the field, this Tiger team is really playing well. They should have supreme confidence going up the Pennyrile Parkway Friday Night with the District Championship on the line! Hoptown playin as well as anyone right now! Go Tigers! Hancock County (2A) – Don’t look now but Coach Eubanks club has jumped out to a 2 and 0 record in the district! The Hornets just knocked off a good Todd County Central club 36-18 last Friday! While I don’t see the Hornets stinging the Aces, I do think they are a shoe-in for #2 in the district! The Hornets played a tough pre-district slate with now a 3 and 4 record, but I think that tough early season schedule is paying off now! Good luck Hornets! “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: 1. Ballard Memorial Bombers dropped the BIG MOMBA on Fulton City 26-8! Congrats to Coach Mark Brooks and the Bombers Players on their first win in 2019! 2. Russellville Panthers pulled out a thrilling 34-31 win against solid Fulton County on Friday Night for their first win of the season! Congrats to Coach Benton and the entire Panther Nation! They have played a very tough schedule and to their credit, never quit and battled to the end to get this critical District win! THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS – It’s that time of year, when I try to recognize teams that are currently undefeated (The Haves) and teams who have yet to win a game (The Have Nots). Concerning the Haves, I don’t think any of us realize how difficult it can be going through 6 or 7 games and winning them all, even with less difficult games, I think that should be spot-lighted! The Haves – Thru Week 7 – Only 1 left after this week (2 dropped out this week)! 5A Grayson County (6-0) – Have not played Murder’s Row, but have played very well against the team in front of them. Likelihood to stay undefeated – 5% Tough teams ahead – Graves County (Home), Owensboro (Away). Concerning the Have Nots, I admit I have a soft spot in my heart for the teams that do not win even 1 game all year long. I am not on the “everybody deserves a trophy” train. I just know the long, arduous, demanding schedule these young men endure in order to simply put on that uniform and step out onto that field to represent their school. It is one of the most noble, dedicated paths we still have left in our society. As you know, these young men are roughly committed to football year around now. After the season, and at least by the first of the year, they move to winter conditioning, followed by spring condition, spring practice, before things move into the summer with more conditioning, followed by the 7v7 scene and then your back into active football season again. So: The Have-Nots – Through Week 7 - 5A Christian County (0-7) – The Colonels are strangers to being down here and they’ve been really close in a number of games this season including last week. But they simply are too young to make the plays down the stretch at the moment. Likelihood to get a win this year – 5% It pains me to say it, but with BG, South Warren and McCracken coming up, it’s goodnight Irene I’m afraid. Better luck next year Colonels! 4A Hopkins County Central (0-7) – After falling 20-14 at Webster County, the Storm really haven’t been close since. They also play in a very tough district. Likelihood to get a win this year – 40% Teams they might beat – Calloway County (Away) - Might as well go all in Storm! 4A Calloway County (0-6) – The Lakers have competed well in 3 games and were just overmatched in 3 games. But I applaud their effort. Likelihood to get a win this year – 40% Teams they might beat – Hopkins County Central – It’s the Basement Bowl! And I’m glad someone will get a win here, but the loser with almost definitely go winless in 2019! Good luck Lakers! 4A Warren Central (0-7) - According to our good friend @All State Baseball, the Dragons have lost 42 straight games. I am speechless with that stat, as I still see the Dragons as an old rival, but maybe just in my memories now. Regardless, I am pulling for those kids to get a win! Likelihood to get a win this year – 50% Teams they might beat – Monroe County (Away) and Russellville (Home) 2A Fort Campbell (0-7) – The Falcons played Grayson County & Fort Knox well, but not well enough. But there’s still time! Likelihood to get a win this year – 50% Teams they might beat – Ballard Memorial (Home) Now that the Bombers got a win, I’m pulling for the Falcons to get one also!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 6 Edition The top story line this week is we have passed the halfway point in the season now! Time truly does fly! With that said, how have your top teams done so far? For the majority, I think it’s a mixed bag of uneven performances. A LOT of that can be attributed to new, younger guys asked to step up and be the man and maybe they are ready and maybe they aren’t! But part of the things that make our sport great is that steel sharpens steel! I mean, if you expect to continue to compete successfully as a program over a long period of time, sometimes you will have the best sword (players), but sometimes you won’t. It’s through those uneven seasons that you take lessons learned where you were defeated and strengthen yourself through that and get significantly better later on in the year! That’s what I expect with several of our teams in the West this season! Franklin Simpson is one in particular. Yes, they should have beaten Greenwood. And yes, maybe they should have stayed closer or beaten Meade County, but come the third weekend of the playoffs, I wouldn’t want to draw an experienced (maybe just experienced with guys who were on the sidelines during the past 2 championship seasons), well coached team that most have given up on besides their own fans! Going to be a great window of opportunity for many teams just like this! What about your team… Still A LOT to prove this year no matter if the first part of the season has been good or bad! Week 6 Western Kentucky Games of the Week: 4A Logan County (6-0) 26 at 4A Madisonville North-Hopkins (5-1) 24. WHAT A GAME SPORTS FANS! This is perhaps the best game of the entire football season right here! A top flight District Battle right out of the gate! According to our good friend @Figs, Madisonville Star RB Jeriah Hightower scored on a 5 yard run with 51 seconds to play putting the Maroons ahead 24-20! But the Cougars wouldn’t quit and used a hook and lateral to set up a Hail Mary pass that our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan reported the Maroons DB tried for the INT but couldn’t get it. The Logan WR caught it at the goal line and fell into the end zone earning the heart-stopping win for Logan County! Congratulations to Cougar Nation on the HUGE win! 3A Paducah Tilghman (5-1) 63 at 3A Trigg County (4-2) 21. As much as the game above was a great game, this one not so much! Trigg County has a fine team, but some critical injuries on the defensive side of the ball have really compromised the Wildcats ability to stay in games against more upper echelon teams. Case in point, the Wildcat defense has given up roughly 700 yards on the ground in the last 2 games. When that happens you typically don’t win. But I do anticipate Trigg competing for the #2 spot in the district. For Tilghman, all signs point up for the Blue Tornados! Coach Smith has his team in a great spot with a game of state-wide interest coming to Paducah next week! Go Blue Tornados! Week 7 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 5A Bowling Green (3-2) at 5A South Warren (6-0). Well here we are! A game many across the West (and State) now look forward to, especially with South Warren winning the 5A Championship last season! Many, including myself, expected the Spartans to be considerably below their championship form of the 2018 Campaign. However, a mix of young talent including a fine young QB, good RBs, a consistent defense, and arguably the top 1 or 2 OLines in the West, has South Warren saying “Why Not Back To Back”! But a critical season threatening injury to talented QB Caden Veltcamp has tempered those sentiments! The Purples come into this game uneven honestly. Handed their opponent a victory in the Rafferty’s Bowl, blew out teams they should have, but that also included a 6A McCracken County team that took down Mayfield and has been on fire ever since. They took on the #3 team in the State IMO, St Xavier, and played just as I said above – uneven. The first half seemed like they didn’t know the game started early at 6:30. By the time they regularly start, 7:00, they had made adjustments and roughly played the Tigers even. This week lightning struck and BG didn’t even get to play (there must have been only about 5 cities in the Commonwealth with rain and lightning on Friday night, but Corbin drew the short straw I guess. So where are we? Basically in a spot, where South comes in with a new QB and BG looks to make life difficult for the new Spartans signal caller! As for this game, I think anything could happen, but I now think BG is the favorite without Veltcamp on the field. South is the home team and they practice on that field, so that is always an advantage to me, but I don’t see a large point differential in this game. Am I right? You tell me… Honorable Mention: DeSales at Paducah Tilghman (This game is worthy too); Mayfield at Caldwell County; Logan County at Hopkinsville; and Trigg County at Crittenden County. Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 6 Top 10: 10) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 4-2; District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 43-0 vs Poor Ole’ Calloway County 4A (0-6). The Lakers just have a tough schedule for their roster this year. It’s that simple. For Hoptown, katty-bar the door, as points fell out of the Tigers pockets like Allied Bombs on the Axis Powers in WWII! The Tigers rolled up over 320 yards on the ground and not 1 Tiger had more than 100 yards. That tells you Coach Clayton got a lot of younger Tigers in the game, which will help them in years to come! Great strategy & shows the other inferior team you have some compassion. Week 7: THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: vs District Rival 4A Logan County (6-0). Another HUGE District Game in the BEST 4A District in the State (Top to Bottom) this year! It seems they are getting the critical games played at the beginning of District Season this year! Should be a terrific battle! During the summer Best of the West 7v7 event, these 2 squared off in one of the best games played, where Hoptown edged Logan County 34-32. That’s excellent offensive execution for those that don’t know much about 7v7 ball. Of course 7v7 isn’t what will take place next Friday night at the Stadium of Champions! I do look for some continued offensive execution and I could see a shootout develop. However, more times than not for teams that see each other regularly, the team with the best defense wins. And it usually is a lower scoring game than you expect because the teams know each other so well! I think that’s likely the case here. But it will be a HECK of a game! Get out to support your team Tiger Fans!!! 9) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 5-1; District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: Loss 21-20 vs 5A South Warren (6-0). The Scotties were so close in this game and led nearly the entire game! It certainly would have been a feather in their cap to have beaten the defending 5A State Champs, but if Glasgow can learn from this game, they will certainly be much better prepared come late November in games in which they will be challenged. From following the update threads, I would think Coach Garmon would like to have the Scotties last offensive possession back! Up 6 with the ball and 51 seconds to go is a heartbreaking way to lose a game. But the season’s not over by a long shot Scottie Fans! You have a great team and can still go a very long way! Chin up! I don’t have any stats, but QB Tanner Abernathy played a whale of a game for Glasgow! Week 7: at District Mate 3A Adair County (1-5). The Indians were a good story a few seasons back around 2015 and 2016, but in smaller communities, those teams come and go. Right now they just don’t have the braves to be able to take the fort! Scotties name the score!!! 8) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 5-1; [District Record 0-1] Week 6 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Loss: 26-24 vs 4A District Rival Logan County (6-0). The Maroons stumble out of the District Gate and take a gut-wrenching loss! But Star RB Jeriah Hightower played superbly and you will see him later! This game had a playoff flavor in late September! That’s a credit to both clubs! Chin up Maroons! If Hoptown beats Logan and you beat Hoptown, we’re back to even again! Could happen… Madisonville rolled up nearly 300 yards on the ground and SR QB Hayden Reynolds played awfully well throwing for 125 yards 2 TDs and no INTs! Week 7: at County Rival/District Mate 4A Hopkins County Central (0-6). The Storm has lost every game this season including a setback last week vs poor ole’ 2A McLean County. And the Storm haven’t beaten the Maroons since a 21-7 win way back in 2003. Since then, most of these contests have been routes with only 2 games being what you’d consider close. All that to say, this isn’t the year for the Storm to break that streak! Maroons roll!!! 7) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 5-1; [District Record 2-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 41-0 at Ohio County (2-4). Just the haves and the have nots here again sports fans! The Red Devils are just a couple notches about anybody else in their district and that’s just the plain truth. But I do wonder if the consistent easy games will hurt them in late November. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out because no district team will challenge this Owensboro team. Week 7: vs new District Mate 5A Muhlenberg County (2-4). District game #3 for the Red Devils! And District win #3 for the Red Devils! I could see Graves County and Henderson County giving O problems for a quarter or two maybe, but that’s about it for the rest of their regular season schedule! Red Devils roll with a running clock! What say you… 6) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 6-0; District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Win: 26-20 vs 4A District Rival Madisonville – North Hopkins (5-1). Epic win for the Cougars! People will be talking about this game over in Logan County for a long time! When you win in comeback fashion like this, you remember it! SR QB Tyler Ezell is just a star for the Cougars! You’ll see him later! Congratulations Cougars on taking the lead in 4A District 1! Week 7: THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: at 4A District Rival Hopkinsville (4-2). Rough District schedule for the Cougars, as they get both 4A District Rivals right out of the gate and both of them on the road! But I guess every other year you like it! Based on last week’s results, they’re ready to take on anybody you put in front of them! Cougars rolling right now! Can they pull off a sweep of the Top Teams in the District? You tell me… 5) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 5-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Win: 63-21 at 3A Trigg County (4-2). Tilghman used a traditionally strong run attack (you’ll see some of those guys later) to overpower Trigg County. The Tilghman defense continued its strong play and that was all she wrote in this one! According to our good friend @TilghmanPride, the Blue Tornados moved some guys around last week and got away from as many going both ways and that seemed to pay off for Tilghman! But will they be able to do that next week in a very big game? You tell me... Week 7: vs 3A DeSales (3-2). Terrific game right here! Great job by both schools to make it happen! This should squarely tell the Blue Tornados where they are on the state-wide 3A Map, as DeSales came in last week as the #1 rated 3A football team! Looking at the DeSales overall stats on the year, they gain 9 yards (roughly 900 on the year) on the ground vs giving up 1 yard (roughly 100 yards on the year) on the ground, while they gain 5 yards on a pass reception vs giving up 9 yards. But they have played St X and LexCath, which are both very fine teams. So it looks like which team can run the ball the best and sprinkle in a few timely passing plays will make the difference in this one! What say you… I’m pulling for the Blue Tornado’s in this one! 4) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 5-1; District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 42-0 vs 3A Fort Campbell (0-6). Another hit for the Falcons; this likely sets up two 0-8 teams playing October 25th when Ballard Memorial comes to Fort Campbell. At least 1 of those teams will get a win this year! As for the Cardinals, star QB Jayden Stinson continued his stellar play going near perfect at 9 for 10 for 251 yards and 3 TDs on the night. Mayfield dominated the Falcons gaining 400 yards to 92 for Fort Campbell. Week 7: at Old-turned New District Mate 2A Caldwell County (5-1). These two have played some competitive games over the years, but they have been more of the exception than the rule, as Mayfield has won 8 of the last 11 games and 2 of those Caldwell wins were in 2008 and 2009. The last close game between these 2 was in 2015 where Mayfield eked out a 25-24 win in Princeton. The game being in Princeton surely gives the Tigers more hope, but they are still a decided underdog here. I look for Mayfield to have too many weapons for the Tigers to be able to handle. What say you… 3) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 4-2; District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 81-51 at 6A District Mate Apollo (2-4). WHAT A SCORE! No this wasn’t a December round ball affair, but more of a high octane offensive blow-out for both teams! Both teams combined rolled up over 1,300 yards! Spectacular, especially if you love offensive football! If you’re an old wool defensive guy, you left the stadium in the first quarter! According to our good friend @backinblack2000, the Mustangs are on a 4 game road win streak. And our good friend @wrn1979 thinks Apollo has turned a corner even in defeat. I tend to think he’s right, but the proof will be in the district win column. We shall see… Week 7: vs 6A Daviess County (2-4). The Panthers did get a win last week and I’m sure that felt good, but this week driving 2.5 hours over to Paducah for what should be a very difficult matchup for Daviess won’t feel so good on that lonely bus ride back up the old WK Parkway! McCracken County is in a good spot right now with the rest of their season looking for them to be the favorites in every game. Even the likely district showdown at Hendo! Good luck Mustangs! 2) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 3-2; District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: Cancelled due to Lightning at 4A Corbin (2-2). The only other lightning cancellation I can recall was during the Great 2013 Campaign where BG drove up to Lexington Catholic and was set to play Bryan Station, but spectacular lightning prevented that game as well. Does this hurt BG? You tell me… Week 7: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - at 5A District Rival South Warren (6-0). The Rivalry between these two teams has more history before they ever played a single game than since they have been playing games. Fans of either side have said this or that about how their team was better than the other. And such it is with rivals. Since the two started actually playing each other on the field in 2017, they have only met 3 times with easily the most important game being the only playoff game in 2017 where South Warren upset BG 28-21 at El Donaldson Stadium. IMO, BG comes into this game with more weapons than South. With offensive threats TE Jordan Dingle, WR Dez Wilson, RB Javy Bunton to name 3, BG has a lot to keep a defensive coordinator up at night. After the last quarter of the Father Ryan game and the first quarter of the St Xavier game, the BG defense has been very solid. How does this game playout you ask? I will answer your riddle with one of my own: who is playing where for BG? I’m speaking about Vito Tisdale and the QBs of course, as they are certainly key for the Purples chances to win here and beyond! What say you… 1) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 6-0; District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 21-20 at Gritty 3A Glasgow (5-1). Terrific game here. The Spartans have to feel both resolve in their ability to come back after being down, but also very fortunate to be able to get this win. This was the first game without QB Caden Veltcamp and it appears the Spartans had some difficulty on offense early, but came through when it counted. On to a much bigger game! Week 7: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK – vs 5A District Rival Bowling Green (3-2). I look for South Warren’s defense to play very well in this game and do what they always try to do – Stop the Run at All Costs! And they are good at it. Thru 5 games, they have given up roughly 300 yards on the ground or 60 yards a game. Vs BG I anticipate BG will run for more than 60 but think the high water mark is likely around 100 yards at best. Last year’s game saw South rush for over 225 yards against BG! WOW, but Jacob Lacey ain’t walkin through that door! The South offensive line is at least the 2nd best line in the West, if not the best and Colt Jackson is likely the best OLineman in the West IMO. With that said, I look for them to have some success on the ground, but nowhere near 225 (St X only rushed for 122)! The South RB Kobe Martin is only a SO and has played very well this season and reminds me of a young Jamale Caruthers. Add undervalued WR/DBs Jantzen Dunn, Avrin Bell and Tomi Mustapha and the Spartans have guys who can hurt you on the outside, but without Veltcamp how do they get them the ball? That’s the question… But I know the Spartan Coaches have been planning for this game since the end of last season, as the rest of their games they can likely be ready for in a normal week. Ultimately, I think it’s a close game that could go either way defending on specifics in the game that you can’t know in advance (turnovers, injuries, penalties, use of players, etc.), which is true in any game, but none more so than when the teams are mostly even and particularly in a rivalry game. But this is only the first meeting between these two. And just like 2017, the second one in the playoffs will be much more important! Good luck Spartans! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Owensboro Catholic (2A) (5-1) – Week 6 Results: Win 48-24 at 2A Todd County Central. This is a better win than it might appear as I truly feel that the Rebels have a really good squad this year, but it also shows how OCATH is clearly above their district mates and have been for some time. Team Air Raid continued to put up big numbers and you will see talented QB Drew Hartz later. Next up: at 2A McLean County. District win #2 for the Aces right here, with 2 completely mismatched teams. It would be a good opportunity to groom a younger signal caller as Mr. Hartz will be moving on after this season! And it looks like SO Lincoln Clancy would be that guy, as he is the only other QB listed on the Aces roster. Certainly seems like a good time to get him several varsity series under his belt! Is it just me or do you really need 9 TDs… That’s a shot at last week, I admit, but isn’t it valid? 12) Henderson County (6A) (4-1) - Week 6 Results: BYE WEEK. The Colonels have been a feel good story for sure this season, as they have come out of the Preseason unranked to be a formidable contender to McCracken County in 6A District 1, which McCracken has owned ever since they were combined and the school formed. The final 2 games on the schedule will test the Colonels for sure when McCracken comes to town and they have to roll down the Audubon Parkway to Owensboro for a matchup with a really good team. But the next three weeks will serve to help you ramp up to those difficult games! Week 7: at 5A Marshall County. Should be way too much Colonel Power in this one. QB Sam Elliot and company should have a field day! Good Luck Hendo! 13) Caldwell County (2A) (5-1) – Week 6 Results: Win 57-16 at Poor Ole’ District Mate Ballard Memorial. Not much to see here over in Barlow, but I think the Bombers could have a shot on the 25th when they go to Ft Campbell, if there’s any Bombers left by then. I hope so! For Caldwell, not much of a tune up for one of the toughest games of your regular season! Next up: vs District Mate Mayfield. Caldwell, like so many teams, have not found much success against Mayfield. I think a team’s best shot vs the Cardinals is to be able to run just enough to pass most of the night. Can Caldwell do that? We shall see… Good luck Tigers! 14) Franklin Simpson (4A) (2-4) – Week 6 Results: Win 31-21 at 4A District Mate Allen County-Scottsville. This is more of a rivalry than I probably know, but with Franklin dominating within their district of late, the results of these games don’t seem in question, but a 10 point game speaks to the flavor of rivalry! Next up: at 4A New District Mate Russell County. I’m not sure these teams have ever played before. The Russell County Lakers are 4 and 2 on the year. The 4 wins are against teams you’d likely think they could beat and the 2 losses are against the best 2 teams on their schedule so far Casey County and Warren East. I look for that theme to ring true here as well with the Wildcats enduring the 1.5 hour bus ride each way to handle the Lakers comfortably! Good Luck Wildcats! 15) Murray (2A) (4-1) – Week 6 Results – BYE WEEK. This might be the most undervalued team in the West this year at #15. Why would I say that? Because after losing in demoralizing fashion to open the season (38-35) vs nearby rival 5A Graves County, the luster wore off the shiny new season as quick as a wink and many moved on from the Tigers. But since that game, which they clearly could have/should have won, they have played rock solid football, as evidenced by blowing the doors off Trigg County by 37 points in Cadiz. Does Coach Hodge’s Tigers have anything for Mayfield this year? You tell me… Next up: Vs 3A Fort Campbell. This game should be over early, as I see the Tigers running away with this one! QB Hunter Utley and company will be hard for the Falcons to hold down I’m afraid. Go Tigers! 16) Graves County (5A) (2-3) – Week 6 Results: Win 51-16 vs New District Mate Breckinridge County! I don’t know of any team happier to move into district play than Graves! This week’s district win begins a cupcake soft stretch of games (minus Owensboro) that will take them to likely #2 in the district. But the likelihood of playing beyond week 2 in the playoffs is pretty low IMO. Next week: vs New District Mate Ohio County. While Ohio County has a terrific RB, I just don’t see them making the long bus ride and sneaking out of Mayfield with a win! What say you… 17) Barren County (6A) (5-1) – Week 6 Results: Win 19-16 at 5A Greenwood. Welcome to the Top 20 Trojans! It’s been before the 1998 season since Barren County has been 5 and 1. And according to our good friend @Tkinslow, the Trojans haven’t had a winning season since 2000. Good for them! Do you think they wanted this one? Check out this twitter clip after the game: Twitter SR LB Tyler Bush had a HUGE Pick 6 that helped turn the tide for Barren. Big win for them and big loss for Greenwood! This is the first win for Barren over Greenwood since a 14-10 2013 match. Next up: BYE WEEK. Enjoy it Trojans as the Beasts of your District schedule are coming soon, including stout Central Hardin and highly ranked North Hardin. But enjoy the ride Trojans! 18) Grayson County (5A) (6-0) – Week 6 Results – Win 22-14 at Muhlenberg County! 6 and 0 Cougars! Congratulations! The Cougars haven’t been 6 and 0 since a very strong 9 and 3 2012 team opened that year 7 and 0! If the Cougars can beat Graves County they will tie that mark! We’ll see! Next up: BYE WEEK! The Cougars have to feel great about where they are and good for them! While I could see them beating Graves County in Leitchfield, there’s no way I can come up with a scenario of Grayson going into Rash Stadium and getting a win. But hey Cougar Nation, I like you in every other game! Good luck! 19) Greenwood (5A) (5-1) –Week 6 Results: Loss 19-16 vs 6A Barren County. This is a brutal loss for Greenwood! Mostly because they were up in this game and at home. Now a very challenging District schedule awaits. Next week: at 5A Christian County. The district season opens for Gator Nation is the best and likely only chance for a district win this season is this coming Friday night. Greenwood’s other district mates are BG and South Warren – OOFFF!!! The Gators have played much better than Christian County has this year, but going to Hoptown to play them is always harder than you think. Still, I believe Greenwood has proven thus far to be the better team. I’ll go Gators by 10 points! Go Gators! 20) Fulton County (1A) (5-1) – Week 6 Results: Win 20-14 at previously undefeated Greenfield, TN. First, I realize some other teams have a right to be upset to not be considered for this spot including Warren East, Crittenden County, and Union County to name 3, but I have chosen to go with what truly is a feel good story this year in the Pilots of Fulton County! Most know the Pilots have been down for some time. In fact, it’s been before 1998 since the Pilots have had this good a record. Add special RB SR Caleb Kimble as a once in a generation type back. Through 6 games, Kimble has rushed roughly 100 times for 1,000 yards. That’s pretty good for a 1A school! Next up: At 1A District Foe Russellville. This is a complete role reversal, as Russellville is typically the team in this district that comes in with the winning record and looks to smash Fulton, but it appears to be the other way around this year. In fact, I’m picking the Pilots in this District Opener even at Rhea Stadium! Go Pilots!!! Week 6 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Jeriah Hightower – RB – Madisonville-North Hopkins – 43 rushes for 301 yards and 1 TD vs Logan County! 2) Damian Lovinsky – QB – Apollo – 6 for 12 for 224 yards and 2 TDs. Add RB Harold Hogg – 25 rushes for 358 yards and 4 TDs vs McCracken County! 3) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 14 for 26 for 352 yards and 5 TDs vs Todd County Central! Add WR Hagan Edge 5 catches for 158 yards and 3 TDs! 4) Hunter Bradley – RB – McCracken County – 19 rushes for 413 yards and 7 TDs vs Apollo! 5) Tyler Ezell - QB – Logan County – 295 passing yards and 3 TDs vs Madisonville-NH! 6) Damien Ford – RB – Paducah Tilghman – 16 carries for 325 yards and 3 TDs; Jayden Freeman – 4 catches for 165 yards and 3 TDs; Tim Watkins – 10 tackles and 1 sack vs Trigg County! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 6 “Teams Trending Down” Madisonville – North Hopkins (3A) – Down – The Maroons are not here because they played poorly vs Logan County. They played a fine game. They are here because when you have the lead under a minute at home, you expect to win the game when you are the favorite. Madisonville will now need Hopkinsville to win this coming Thursday night vs Logan County. If the Tigers don’t win, then Hopkinsville and Madisonville will be playing in Week 1 of the playoffs regardless of what else happens during the regular season, which is a much tougher road than the District Champ will have! Greenwood (5A) – Down – I’m not here to beat the Gators down relentlessly :deadhorse:, but the loss to Barren County after you had the lead is very demoralizing considering you know your likely ceiling is Week 1 of the Playoffs! Teams “Trending Up” Logan County (4A) – Up – What a win Cougar Nation! Has anyone in the State done a better job at changing culture and getting the most out of their players than @CoachAdler and his staff at Logan County? I don’t think so! Another HUGE game this Thursday in Hopkinsville! But I’m sure Coach Adler won’t have any trouble keeping his players focused! Go Cougars! Barren County (6A) – Up – Coach Jackson Arnett has his team believing and playing with a purpose! That can take you a long way as we saw last Friday Night! Although I fear their district challengers will be too much, I think Barren can still have a winning season this year and that’s atypical for most Barren County clubs! Great effort Trojans!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 5 Edition The top story line this week is ¾ of the Top 20 recorded wins during Week 5! Great Job! And 3 of the 5 losses were to other Top 20 teams. The other 2 were Bowling Green falling to 6A stalwart St Xavier and Henderson County losing a close game at solid Anderson County. Overall, it was another good week for the Western Part of the State! Week 5 PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Bowling Green 5A (3-2) 14 vs St Xavier 6A (4-1) 28. St Xavier came out very strong in this game and took two opening series drives in for touchdowns. Bowling Green’s defense then seemed to recover and it remained 14-0 at the half! BG made good additional adjustments at halftime and came out strong in the second half and had a chance to tie the game at 14, but the turnovers kept mounting for the Purples and it was ultimately too much to overcome! While disappointing, I think this game can help BG down the road as hopefully mistakes made in this game are identified and corrected. Onward! Week 6 Western Kentucky Games of the Week: This week we spread out focusing on some of the best District Openers around! 4A Logan County (5-0) at 4A Madisonville North-Hopkins (5-0). A dandy right here sports fans!!! Both these teams have played so well thus far! Madisonville is the favorite and playing at home is a clear advantage. But could Logan County Stars QB Tyler Ezell and RB Gary Hardy roll up 431 toward Madisonville and come away with a vital district win right out of the gate? You tell me… 3A Paducah Tilghman (4-1) at 3A Trigg County (4-1). This is a diamond in the rough the highlanders out east would overlook! But this is likely the top District Matchup in 3A District 1 right out of the gate! The stellar skill guys from Tilghman will test ultra-talented Wildcat QB Cam Jordan. Jordan will lead his crew into this matchup hungry to prove they are worthy to be considered in the 3A playoff race! Good Luck! Honorable Mention: South Warren at Glasgow (This game is worthy too); Bowling Green at Corbin; OCATH at Todd County Central; and Crittenden County at Union County. Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 5 Top 10: 10) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 3-2; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 41-13 vs County Rival 5A Christian County (0-5). After a tough road trip last week at Henderson County, Hoptown refocused and regained the “Bragging Rights Trophy” for the first time since 2014. QB Jay Bland had a record setting game! You will see him later. Star WR Reece Jesse was double covered the entire game, which allowed others including Lane Rushing and Tyrell Gray-Lewis to have big games from the WR spot! But the bigger take away from this game was the return of the Tiger rushing attack that gained over 110 yards on the night against a County defense that prides itself for stopping the run! Week 6: vs District Mate 4A Calloway County (0-5). The hits just keep coming for the poor ole’ Lakers! They have had 2 close games and 3 blow outs. Unfortunately for Laker fans this will be another blowout loss. I don’t get any pleasure typing that. I really believe all teams should get a win. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not an “everybody gets a trophy” guy, but want to see all youngsters hard work rewarded. But it won’t be here Lakers! Tigers Roll! 9) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 5-0; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win 42-0 vs 3A Hart County (3-2). QB Tanner Abernathy and RB Nick Mitchell have big games for the Scotties as they roll to their 4th straight running clock game. But that streak will end next week. Week 6: vs 5A South Warren (5-0). Great game here for the Scotties to find out where you are really are at this point in the season! While you will not be the favorite in this game, you are capable! If you can find a way to neutralize the powerful South OLine, I think the Scotties can hang around. If not, I’m not sure. But regardless, Glasgow needs this game to prepare for the post-season! Good luck Scotties! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 5-0; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 43-6 vs 5A Greenwood (4-1). The Cougars good a good win here and seem razor sharp heading into a crucial district matchup next week. QB Tyler Ezell had a great game – you will see him later! And the Cougar Defense was rock solid only giving up 88 yards the entire night! Week 6: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK at 4A District Rival Madisonville North-Hopkins (5-0). Did anyone think just 3 seasons ago that Logan County would ever be a part of anything close to a Game of the Week! Congrats to them on turning their program around! This 2019 season is rolling right along and here were are to the District Schedule and we have a Great Game right out of the Gate! Last year the Cougars were set up in this game outgaining the Maroons by over 140 yards, but 2 big fumbles proved costly and the Maroons snuck out of Russellville with a big district win. This year the Cougars would like to return the favor. While I expect the Cougar offense to play well, I also expect the Cougar defense to be under duress with the rushing arsenal that Madisonville will unleash. And late in the game, will Logan County be able to come up with a big stop if it’s needed? You tell me… 7) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 4-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 55-17 at Daviess County (1-4). Just the haves and the have nots here! The Red Devils have the weapons to control a game like this and that’s basically what they did! I have no stats for this game, but it was a mismatch from the start. Week 6: at 5A Ohio County (2-3). District game #2 for the Red Devils! They will have to pay particular attention to hidden gem RB QDaryius Jennings, but I don’t think I have to tell the O Coaches that! Should be too much Red Devils in this one for sure! Running clock… What say you… 6) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 4-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 44-21 vs 4A Calloway County (0-5). According to our good friend @TilghmanPride, the Blue Tornados rested several injured players last week, but still managed almost 400 yards on the ground. Star Jayden Freeman had a big game and you’ll see him later. Week 6: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK at 3A Trigg County (4-1). Your district opener is always highlighted on anyone’s schedule, but when it may be at your most difficult district opponent it carries more weight I think. This will be a fascinating strategy game with Tilghman trying to impose their will on the ground while Trigg County can play the shootout game with anyone. So will the Trigg defense carry the majority of the minutes in this game if Tilghman runs the ball and Trigg scores quickly? I’m not sure, but it’s something to pay attention to. What say you… 5) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 48-7 vs 5A Graves County (1-3). No chance of a 2 game slide here, as Mayfield comes out very strong in this one. According to our good friend @Squirrel, Mayfield earned the running clock in the 2nd quarter at 41-0. Mayfield played refocused and Graves did not. Week 6: at 3A Fort Campbell (0-5). I’m not sure if Mayfield has ever lost to Fort Campbell, but I know they won’t next week! The Falcons typically pick up a win against their military counterparts Ft Knox, but the Eagles upended the Falcons to extend their difficult stretch! Mayfield rolls… 4) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 3-2; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 42-6 at 5A Marshall County (2-3). The Mustangs fresh off a memorable win against Mayfield rolled on! I don’t have stats here, but McCracken County now has their sites on starting off their district slate on a positive note! Week 6: at 6A Apollo (2-3). The Mustangs roll into the district schedule welcoming new district mate Owensboro Apollo! The Eagles have played some tough teams and are coming off a very nice win against an uneven Meade County squad. The Mustangs should be in a good spot to get out of town with a win and some fine Old Hickory Barbeque! I already feel cheated since BG didn’t get to play Owensboro this season! Oh well! Good luck to both teams! But I think the Mustangs will be too strong in this one, but it will be interesting to see how Apollo plays after a solid win! 3) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 5-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 41-7 vs 2A Ballard Memorial (0-4). The Maroons haven’t been 5 and 0 since 1993 according to 14 News out of Evansville. The next most important information for this game was reported by our good friend @Maroonman in that this game was a fill in when other/better teams scheduling didn’t material and Madisonville was left scrambling for a game. So the Poor Ole’ Bombers had to drive 2 hours each way to Madisonville. I really feel for Ballard. They have no wins this season. They have scored a total of 27 points all year. They have 25 kids on their roster and 10 or 40% of those are seniors. What about next year? You saw that Poor Ole’ Jenkins in the far eastern part of the state just packed up the program! I’d hate to see that happen to the Bombers, but it is a problem for the majority of small schools across the state and nation. Sorry to focus on this, but the game isn’t very interesting. We all knew what would happen. Moving on to a MUCH better game! Week 6: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK vs 4A Logan County (5-0). There should be no excuses from Madisonville in this one. They come in hitting on all cylinders! They have arguably the top rushing offense in the State with Jeriah Hightower in the saddle. Add to that a passing offense that really hasn’t been needed this season, but was very evident they had hit another gear when SR QB Hayden Reynolds and company surprised many by leading the opening day at the highly successful Best of the West 7v7 Tournament this July! So Madisonville has the rest of 4A in the West on notice, as I look for them to play awfully strong here. If they can dictate offense with the run and sprinkle in some Hayden Reynolds passes, they will be a very tough out! 2) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 3-2; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week - Loss: 28-14 vs 6A St Xavier (4-1). In a word, disappointed. Not in the fact BG lost the game, but more so in the first half of the ball game. I think every Purples offensive series had third down and long every time. So ineffectiveness on first and second downs really cost BG. But not more so than 4 big turnovers. You simply can’t give a very good team that many and expect to win. See some highlights here: VIDEO: Week 5 high school football highlights | Sports | bgdailynews.com Week 6: at 4A Corbin (2-2). The Redhounds were on their BYE WEEK last week, so they should be well rested when the Purples come calling next week! I got to see Corbin in the Best of the West 7v7 Tournament back in July and they had some fine players, but they seemed young as they couldn’t click in that environment, but Friday Night Lights are much different. I look for this to be a competitive game. You tell me… 1) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 5-0; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 22-8 at 4A Louisville Central (1-4). The Spartan defense played very well only giving up 88 yards on the night. The Spartan offense played well enough, but the big news out of the Spartan camp is talented SO QB Cade Veltcamp was believed to have broken his wrist and likely out at least 6 weeks. I certainly hate that for the young man if this is confirmed, who was playing well for South! It will be interesting to see who will now step into the QB slot. But the new QB will be tested right out of the gate. Week 6: at 3A Glasgow (5-0). This will be a good game, but it’s a better game for Glasgow than South. I say that because all perspectives say South should win this game. I realize when you get on the field of play that a good team is a good team. The fact is South favors a medium schedule. No problem, but own that. It will not be until October 4th when the Purples come calling that we will really know where the Spartans are. That will continue to be a game most will look forward to. Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Henderson County (6A) – Preseason Rank: Not Ranked - 2019 Record 4-1; District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Loss: 21-17 vs 4A Anderson County (3-2). I don’t have any stats on this one, but obviously was a good game. It’s tough to drive across the state and play a good team, but was a good pickup on the schedule for Hendo, as Anderson will have to travel to Henderson next year! Week 6: BYE WEEK. The BYE WEEK is undefeated and comes at a good time for the Colonels. Rest up as your near term games area very favorable. Those lead to the likely District Championship game when the Mustangs of McCracken County come calling on October 25th! Mark that one on your calendar sports fans! Good Luck Hendo! 12) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Week 5 Results: Win 68-14 vs 4A Hopkins County Central (0-5). Team Air Raid continued to put up big numbers handing poor ole’ Hopkins County Central their 5 straight loss. It was a remarkable output for the Aces offense and you will see them later! OCATH is really playing well now as they head into district play! Next up: at scrappy Todd County Central. The District Opener! This will be a terrific test for the Aces. The 2 hour bus trip down 431 should be very entertaining. The Aces rarely get tested in their district. I got a little glimpse at both these teams in the 7v7 earlier in July and I honestly think the Rebels have a punchers chance in this game at least for a while. Yes, Todd County Central is the clear underdog, but beware Aces! 13) Greenwood (5A) –Week 5 Results: Loss 43-6 at 4A Logan County. The Gators have been arguably the best “feel-good” story this season, as they have come out of nowhere to shock most people! But that fairy tale ran out of magic dust in Russellville on Friday night as the Cougars controlled play and the game as well, but chin up Gators! Next week: vs 6A Barren County. I hope the Gators lay the law down next week as the Trojans rubbed me the wrong way last year, but let’s move on! Go Gators! 14) Caldwell County (2A) – Week 5 Results: Win 50-13 vs 3A Union County. This is a good win for the Tigers! Coach McGowan’s Tigers appear to have hit their stride as the Tiger offense is playing really well right now. Too bad they are in Mayfield’s district! Next up: at Poor Ole’ District Mate Ballard Memorial. Not much to see here. Ballard is winless with dwindling numbers and Caldwell is playing good ball right now! This one’s over early! Tigers roll! 15) Franklin Simpson (4A) – Week 5 Results: Win 42-0 vs Old Foe Russellville. Not much of a game here as Russellville is still trying to put the limited pieces together. For Franklin, it has to feel good to get a win. That’s the game you play with a tough schedule and they have played a challenging schedule. Good first step Wildcats! Next up: at 4A District Mate Allen County Scottsville. The Wildcats are favored against all their district mates. That’s why they play the challenging early schedule. Because there are other VERY tough 4A teams awaiting should Franklin seek to advance beyond Week 3 of the Playoffs! Wildcats roll! 16) Murray (2A) – Week 5 Results – Win 64-27 at Trigg County. The Tigers get a very nice road win last Friday going to Cadiz and rolling up over 400 yards on the night! QB Hunter Utley had a big game with 250 passing yards and 5 TDs. RB Charvelle McCallister also had a big game. You will see him later! Next up: Vs 3A Fort Campbell. This game should be over early, as I see the Tigers running away with this one! The new playoff system hurts a team like Murray more than most, as they will be over-tested to get through the Mayfield Forest, but could take down most other 2A squads that will make it through to Week 3 of the Playoffs. Fair? You tell me… 17) Graves County (5A) –Week 5 Results: Loss 48-7 at Mayfield! Talk about walking into a Buzzsaw! Poor ole’ Eagles draw the unenviable task of facing Mayfield after a rare home loss. But they are going to have to forget it as district season is upon us. Next week: vs New District Mate Breckinridge County (3-2). Just what the doctor ordered Eagles fans, as the Fighting Tigers won’t be able to drive 3.5 hours over and put up much of a fight IMO! Eagles roll! 18) Trigg County (3A) – Week 5 Results: Loss 64-27 vs 2A Murray. I don’t have any Trigg stats here, but I think a dose of toughness was given out on Friday Night! It will be up to the Wildcats to take that medicine and get better from it. If they hang their heads, the Blue Tornados won’t let up. A test of character in Cadiz this coming Friday! Next up: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK vs Paducah Tilghman! Great Matchup sports fans! Wildcats QB Cam Jordan will have to play a special game to get this done for Trigg! But he is capable! It’s a big spotlight! Let’s see what the Wildcats have for a very solid Tilghman squad! Go Wildcats! 19) Todd County Central (2A) – Week 5 Results: Win 57-27 vs Poor Ole’ 1A Caverna. The Rebels ambushed the Colonels early and it was over fairly quickly! I don’t have stats for the Rebels, but there was a SUPER Effort by one of the Colonels and you’ll certainly see him next! But now comes a BIG Game Rebel Fans! Next: District Foe vs 2A Owensboro Catholic. Now is your chance Rebels! The Aces are and have been the Top Dog in this District for a long while and I really think you have a punchers chance to compete here! But it will take a GREAT effort! You will need the home fan support in this one! Oh and make sure you call the refs so they show up for sure in this one! Ha! Good luck Rebels! 20) Grayson County (5A) – Week 5 Results – Win 24-12 at Breckinridge County! 5 and 0 Cougars! That has to feel good! Congratulations! The Cougars haven’t been 5 and 0 since a very strong 9 and 3 2012 team opened that year 7 and 0! If the Cougars can beat Graves County they will tie that mark! We’ll see! Next up: At Muhlenberg County. I like Grayson County to pull this one out, but it certainly could be close! Good luck! Week 5 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Drew Rhodes – QB/OLB – Caverna – 19 for 39 for 219 yards passing with 2 TDs v 1 INT! He also ran the ball 10 times for 116 yards and 2 TDs! And instead of selling popcorn he had 1 INT as well – OUTSTANDING! Add WR Zyier Yates with 7 catches for 111 and 2 TD vs Todd County Central! Great Job! 2) Jay Bland – QB – Hopkinsville – School Record 6 TD passes (218 yards) vs Christian County! 3) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 18 for 21 for 548 yards and 9 TDs vs Hopkins County Central! Add WRs Hagan Edge 6 catches for 167 yards and 3 TDs and Dre Thurston with 5 catches for 147 yards and 3 TDs! WOW! 4) Charvelle McCallister – RB – Murray – 17 rushes for 161 yards and 3 TDs vs Trigg County! 5) Tyler Ezell - QB – Logan County – 21 for 31 for 347 yards and 5 TDs vs Greenwood! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 5 “Teams Trending Down” Greenwood (5A) – Down – The Gators have had a storybook beginning to the 2019 season! There’s no doubt about that! But from afar Cinderella lost her slipper in Logan County Friday Night! But still a lot to play for Gators! District play is looming in about a week! Rise up Gators!!! Trigg County (3A) – Down – The magic the Wildcats have been hammering people with this year got transferred to the Murray sideline last Friday! Can’t win them all Wildcat fans! But you still have a good chance to control your own destiny with strong District play. Let’s see what you got Wildcats! Teams “Trending Up” Hopkinsville (4A) – Up – Hopkinsville has been all over this part of the article the last few weeks. I’m sure Tiger fans like it down here as opposed to up above any day! And when you punch your rival in the gut for the first time since 2014 has to be that much sweeter! Nice win Tigers! OCATH (2A) – Up – Coach Morris’ club has played very well this season and has dominated pretty much every team not named Owensboro! Drew Hartz is playing as well as anyone right now! It will be interesting to see if any of their typically soft district teams can put up ANY resistance? Can they? You tell me… Caldwell County (2A) – Up - The Tigers continue to play well and dedicating their season to their former Coach David Barnes has produced a talented team heading up as we go into district play! While I don’t think they can take down the Mayfield Cardinals, I do think their likely 2 games with Murray to be very competitive and highly entertaining! Good luck Tigers!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 11 & Playoff Preview Edition Concerning the top story line for this week: Defenses across the west took a back seat to offenses this week for the most part! Man, we had some BIG numbers put up this, the final week of the regular season! And you also know what that means right - the third season has arrived: Playoff Time! The time most of us cherish most, as teams prepare for the win or go home drama ahead! Looking back, we have had some terrific football this season! These playoffs seem pretty open (At least initially) with many teams in the West capable of making deep playoff runs! But does the new playoff structure hurt our Western Kentucky Teams loaded into the same district? It certainly does in 4A! But you tell me… Get your honey-do’s out of the way Sports Fans and get out and watch some playoff High School Football! Nothing like it! Week 11 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: I’ve been pretty good at picking solid, hard-hitting, close games this year and am glad I end on a Great One! 2A Mayfield (9-1) 53 at 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (8-2) 50. It was 50-Burgers all around in Madisonville on Friday night! What a Ball Game! Mayfield was up over 3 TDs at halftime, but after what I’m sure was a stern halftime encouraging speech from Coach Burgett, the Maroons came out with quite a bit of fire in the second half and stormed ahead 50 to 43 in the 4th Quarter! Mayfield then tied it up at 50. Madisonville then throws a big INT! Mayfield then takes it all the way down to the Maroons 1 yard line and chooses to kick the game winning field goal with 9 seconds on the clock! Holy Moly! Great game by both team! I look for Mayfield to play in Lexington in Week 5 of the Playoffs with this win here! No doubt in my mind! For Madisonville, all is not lost, but you did drop from a #1 seed playing a cupcake at home to being a #3 seed and going to tough Logan County. So QUITE a difference there! Rise up Maroons!!! Week 11 Top 10: 10) Tie Glasgow (3A) – PR: 12; 2019 Record (9-1) [District Record 3-0] – RPI – 0.638 : Week 11: Win 28-21 vs 4A Old Rival Franklin Simpson (5-5). GREAT game right here! At the end of 1Q – 0-0; at halftime 14-14; at the end of the 3Q 21-21! On to the 4th Q! Both teams trade TDs and then Glasgow gets a 60 yard end around run to put the ball at the Wildcats 1 yard line prior to RB Nick Mitchell running it in for the winning score! Thanks to our good friend @FSfan for the great updates in this one! I really felt Glasgow belonged in the Top 10 of this ranking at the end of the year! I also didn’t see a need for Tilghman to drop from a close road loss to a top 6 team! So I split the difference here! Playoff Snapshot: This is one of the better Scotties teams I can remember! They are deep for a 3A school, athletic and very physical on the lines! They will be a tough out! Very nice season Scotties! District Rounds: I would consider Glasgow losing in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs to be a major upset and I don’t look for that to happen. But to not prepare for Taylor County would be a mistake. Still, Glasgow with way too many weapons IMO! RPI Rounds: Glasgow’s RPI rating, if the top ranked teams advance that would put the Scotties in the 4 seed and traveling more than 3 hours one way to Paducah to take on the (#10 Tie-Mate) talented Blue Tornado’s! Purple 88 Pick: Scottie Nation will roll this early competition in my book! They will roll over to Paducah and give everything they have! I personally think this game is dead even. With that said, I look at other things, like a 3 hour bus ride, which I counterbalance with Glasgow clearly having better passing abilities. So if Glasgow can contain the Tilghman run game, I like their chances! With all that said, I look back at Glasgow nearly defeating South Warren and I will take that as my deciding factor to pick Glasgow 28-27 in the best 3A 3rd Round game! From there, I’m pulling for Glasgow all the way! Go Scotties! 10. Tie Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 7; 2019 Record 7-3 [District Record 3-0] – RPI – 0.665: Week 11: Loss 17-15 vs 4A Hopkinsville (7-3). What a game here! Defenses made some really big plays in this one! It was 15-14 Tilghman after 3 quarters and neither team could get a lot of offense going, but Hoptown managed to get to the 22 yard line of Paducah Tilghman with seconds to play and kicked a 32-yard field goal to win the game! Thanks to our good friend @TilghmanPride who gave great updates on this one! It should be noted that Tilghman started a Freshman at QB in this game, so that will keep your play calling more vanilla than most games. Jayden Freemen for Tilghman starred in this game for Tilghman and talented DE Tim Watkins was one of many who played well for the Tilghman D! Playoff Snapshot: The Blue Tornados have been really solid this year! Think about it; they have only lost to Mayfield, vs the #1 Ranked 3A School (DeSales) and now to a very good Hopkinsville squad on the road with a Freshman QB by a field goal at the buzzer. No shame there! I think Tilghman was making some marked strides in the passing game, but injuries seem to have stalled that. Now, we know they can run the ball, but it feels the highest high for Paducah seems to be known. But if you can stop that run game then it will really hamper Tilghman’s likelihood to win. Plain and simple. But I love their solid scheduling and really feel that it has set the foundation to give the Blue Tornados the chance at a significant playoff run! District Rounds (1st and 2nd Rounds): I just don’t see one of Tilghman’s District Mates coming to Paducah and beating them this year. So if they lose before Round 3, I will be very surprised. With that said, I would say Tilghman’s Floor is Week 3 of the Playoffs. RPI Rounds (3rd & 4th Rounds): Tilghman has a great RPI rating, actually second best in All of 3A! So if they can win, Tilghman will host all the way to the State Championship Game! With that said and like you read above, I think Glasgow comes calling in the 3rd Round! I think that is a razor tight game and could go either way! I picked Glasgow above due to their better passing game and playing a really solid South Warren team to a 1 point loss. Those are better accolades than Tilghman has, but Tilghman is at home and that’s a big deal and do those other things really matter! I could see the Blue Tornado’s winning that game and if they did I could see the DeSales Colts come calling again! Purple88 Pick: The Blue Tornados tomahawk Poor Ole’ Hart County, who needed an extra tank of fuel just to get over to the Purchase! They beat Trigg County to win 3A District 1 again! They play Glasgow really tough, but QB Tanner Abernathy just makes 1 more play! Terrific season though Blue Tornado’s!!! 9. McCracken County (6A) – PR: 9 (2019 Record 6-3; District Record 2-1) – RPI .572 - Week 11 Results – Win 19-14 vs 5A Christian County (0-10). The Mustangs eke out a surprisingly tight game vs winless Christian County (although I’d say Christian County is likely the best 0-10 team I know of – for what that’s worth)! Thanks to our good friend @00Rocket28 who reported star RB Hunter Bradley suffered a bad ankle injury where the game was stopped and Bradley was carted off the field. I am certainly sad to here this news so close to the playoffs, as Mr. Bradley is a VERY talented young man! This led to statements of the Mustangs “lost a lot of wind in their sails”! So it will have to be “next man up” for the Mustangs with more doses of Wheat to Hayes in my book! Playoff Snapshot: The Mustangs had put themselves in position to ramp up for a good playoff run, but I’m not liking this “losing wind” tone here! And don’t look now but Round 1 just got A LOT more interesting in Paducah!!! District Rounds – The Mustangs have owned 6A District 1 since they became a school. But if Bradley can’t go and knowing you’re going to get a double team on Hayes all night, I get more and more concerned all the time as the Apollo Eagles could be the most improved team in the West in the second half of the year! Get through that game and Hendo or Daviess will give you a game as well. Without Bradley, is McCracken still the favorite in this District? You tell me… RPI Rounds – McCracken County’s RPI rating is 7th best in 6A, which is pretty good, if they could get past district foes, you would be on the road if no upsets occur against potentially the Male Bulldogs. That’s not good. Purple88 Pick: Understanding that I have no idea if Bradley can play or not, in making this decision I am going with the upset, as I think Apollo, as long as they can weather the bus ride over (and this ain’t the first rodeo for @coachhawk) I think they have the team that can compete here and pull the upset. It’s that simple. Will they get upset and will Bradley play? I don’t know, but I’m putting this game on Upset Alert Right Now! 8. Henderson County (6A) – PR: Not Ranked (NR) (2019 Record 7-3) [District Record 3-1) – RPI 0.561 - Week 11 Results: Loss 22-16 at 5A Owensboro! Henderson kept battling in this game! Whenever you go to Rash Stadium it will be a tough game, but the Colonels kept coming and were up by 1 point after 3 quarters. But the Red Devil defense is one of the best units around this season and Hendo just couldn’t muster anything in the second half and Owensboro did most of their damage on the ground and ran the final TD in within the 4th quarter! Good effort and good game to prepare you for the playoffs Hendo! Go Colonels! Playoff Snapshot: Of all the teams in the West, I have missed most on Henderson County this season. I didn’t even have them ranked in the Top 20 in the Pre-Season and they have REALLY battled to be where they are now. Truth be told; they should have also beaten Anderson County and Daviess County. So I think they could easily be 9 and 1 and another fortunate bounce or two and dare I say 10 and 0! The holidays are coming, so the Colonel Fans can make wishes too! District Rounds: (Rounds 1 & 2) – These games are going to be a battle. There is no doubt about that. You lost in OT to a rugged and solid Daviess County squad before, but that was in Daviess County. Now with revenge on your side and playing at home, I like Hendo to move on to Round 2. From there, I’ve picked Apollo in the upset. If that were to play out, it would be another good game. And if McCracken ends up winning Round 1, Hendo drives and it would be another battle for sure. RPI Rounds: 6A District 1 is low RPI Man on the Totem Pole this year and whoever makes it out of the 2nd Round of the Playoffs will have to travel and that’s not a good spot IMO. Purple88 Pick: My gut tells me Hendo still has quite a bit left in the tank and I think they take care of both Daviess County and the winner of McCracken County and Apollo. But from there, I don’t like their chances against the likes of Male, Manual/St X, and North Hardin or Central Hardin. But hey, this has been a ground breaking year for Henderson County IMO. They finally beat the McCracken County beasts in the regular season and now have another home playoff game! Those are big building blocks to me. And should you get to Round 3, you have a punchers chance so punch away Colonels! Go Colonels!!! 7. Logan County (4A) – PR: 10 - 2019 Record 8-2; [District Record 3-1] – RPI 0.565 - Week 11 Results: Loss 53-6 at 5A South Warren (9-1). Just wasn’t meant to be Cougar fans! You simply played a better team last Friday night. South’s defense just will not give up rush yards to most teams. They have a very talented secondary and it puts a ton of pressure on your offense. So you tend to gamble and most of the time you lose on those and then add a couple defensive scores/set up scores for South and its 53 to 6. Head up Cougars, as there isn’t anyone that resembles South Warren to face anytime soon! I have just heard that Star QB Tyler Ezell is likely not to play in the game this upcoming Friday! I am truly sorry to hear this! This young man has been a staple in the Cougars return to prominence and an absolute Warrior on the football field! Sincere thoughts go to him as he hopefully recuperates soon! District Rounds – 4A District 1 is one of the toughest districts around! These games are going to be real battles! Madisonville comes to Logan County where a rematch of the best 2-minute drill of the season was conducted by Logan County that allowed them to score basically on the final play to steal this regular season matchup on the road 26-24! Look, this game WAS simply a toss-up. I think Madisonville has the revenge factor going for them and now if Ezell can’t go, I just don’t see how they beat a very good Madisonville team! What say you? RPI Rounds – Logan County’s RPI rating is down around 7, so should the Cougars get through they will be on the road with likely opponents being Franklin Simpson, Franklin County or Shelby County. Purple88 Pick: I really like this Logan County team and Coach Adler! And Star QB Ezell and RB Gary Hart have been generational players for Logan County. I hate to see this run come to an end when they are both not on the field! With that said, I am picking Madisonville in the first round and would pick Hopkinsville in the second. That’s not to say the Cougars can’t win, but for me they won’t be favored! But prove me wrong Cougars and GREAT work again this year! Go Logan County! 6. Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6 - 2019 Record 7-3; [District Record 3-1] – RPI 0.602 - Week 11 Result: Win 17-15 vs 3A Paducah Tilghman (7-3). Terrific game for both teams to get them playoff ready! Back when Hoptown was Team Cupcake, they had a better record but I didn’t feel very strongly for them to have the pedigree to move forward against tough teams in the playoffs. That’s not the case this season and this game speaks to that. This is a very sound Tilghman squad and Hoptown had to play sound football to win and they did that! Coach Clayton has done a super job since returning to his hometown! The Tiger defense was the star of this game and they are a formidable unit! Playoff Snapshot: Just a difficult district with 2 other capable, worthy teams to battle yet again! Except Hoptown will only have to battle one thanks to beating Tilghman! The Tigers can easily go a long way, but the journey (after Round 1) will be filled with peril throughout. Should be a heck of a show! The Tiger defense is underrated and their offense has a good balance that they are still working on. Don’t discard this Tigers team! District Rounds: With Hopkinsville’s win and Logan County and Madisonville’s losses, Christmas has come early for the Tigers as they earn the #1 seed and stay away from the other 2 top District teams and can simply wait for week 2 as I’m giving them a pass against poor ole’ Calloway County. They will have to play very well to get that second round win, but they will clearly be the fresher team and play at home, so you have to like their chances! RPI Rounds: Hoptown’s RPI rating is about 6th and they would have a good chance to host the likes of Louisville Moore, Franklin County or Franklin Simpson. I like that opportunity for Hoptown if they can earn it! Purple88 Pick: I think this Hoptown team is sitting in a “preferred” spot. I mean most coaches would select to be in Hoptown’s spot! With that said, the second round will be an absolute battle! I like Hoptown’s chances a lot and think they are the favorite right now in their district, but it’s not by much! From there, I would like the Tigers in the 3rd Round, but it would be hard to pick them against Boyle County or Johnson Central. But we all know what Franklin Simpson was able to do to those perceptions, so go take your best shot Tigers – I’m pulling for you!!! 5) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 5; 2019 Record 8-2; [District Record 3-1] – RPI 0.598 - Week 11: WESTERN KENTUCKY – GAME OF THE WEEK: Loss 53-50 vs 2A Mayfield (9-1). It’s tough to lose a game when you score 50 points in a football game, but what a shootout! The Maroons’ losses have both been tough, stinging losses against 2 very fine teams by a total of 5 points! While there is not shame there whatsoever, in order to advance deep in the playoffs as I know Madisonville wants to, they are going to have to start making plays in the 4th Quarter to make that happen. But will they? You tell me… Playoff Snapshot: After I saw the Maroons beat my Purples in the Hoptown 7v7 tournament this summer, I have really felt this was their year. I still feel this way, but not nearly as boldly now. To have the top RB (and by association the best OLine) in the State and SR QB Hayden Reynolds is one of the most undervalued QB in the State. And this hidden offensive balance can continue to pay off for the Maroons! But they play in the District of Death so anything can happen, but if I have a gun to my head, Madisonville moves onto Round 2 of the Playoffs, but from there? I’m not sold on that! District Rounds: This matchup with Logan County would have been one of the most competitive games in Rounds 1 in the entire State! But I think without Ezell at QB for Logan County, I look for Madisonville to control this game and move on to Hopkinsville! I am leaning with Hopkinsville due to their Bye and playing at home in Round 2. RPI Rounds: Madisonville’s RPI is 7th in 4A! If they could make it to the 3rd round, I like their chances a lot in that game! That would likely be the end of the road, but I look for this Madisonville team to be a very tough out so keep fighting Maroons! Purple88 Pick: I just think Madisonville will use the revenge angle well and come out with a solid win at Logan County. Travel to Hoptown the next week and just run out of gas in the second half. If you look at the Big 3 and games they have played against each other, all but Madisonville lost the second of back to back games, but that was likely due to consequences associated with being out of the district race. I am going with Hoptown in this 2nd round rematch by a very close margin! Prove me wrong Maroons! 4) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 8; 2019 Record 9-1; [District Record 5-0] – RPI 0.663 - Week 11: Win 22-16 vs Old Rival 6A Henderson County (7-3). Red Devils get a hard fought home win to prepare them for the playoffs! Thanks to our good friend @Brown who gave great reports of this game! QB Gavin Wimsatt was the star on offense with his legs instead of his arm and produce yet another weapon for the Red Devils. But truth be told though, without Imonte Owsley, this team will go as far as their defense takes them. And don’t look now, but Star All-State LB Austin Gough is back in the Red Devils lineup and led the team with 13 tackles last Friday vs Henderson County! That’s significant in my book! Owensboro could go a long way! Let’s take a look below! Playoff Snapshot: Owensboro may have found the Old Nebraska Corn Huskers route to the National Championship/State Championship under Tom Osborne, where they didn’t play any really tough teams and would up at the end every year. I look for Owensboro to dominate their District for at least the next 3 years before potential realignment throws kinks for all back in the mix. And they look as they will stay clear of 5A District 2 for that foreseeable future as well. So if I asked Coach Fallin if he would take a road game at a talented team with a trip to the State Finals on the line every year, what do you think he would say? I know I’d take that in a heartbeat! What say you Red Devil fans!!! District Rounds: NEXT… Really, I think Graves County can hang around for a couple quarters, but that’s it, as that game will be at Rash Stadium this time. To win at Rash Stadium in the playoffs is a VERY difficult task. I’ll go one further… If Owensboro loses in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs this year, I will walk to the winning coach’s office from Louisville to shake his hand! Moving on… RPI Rounds: Owensboro’s RPI Rating is a sterling 4th place! That’s awesome! That means they will likely get Louisville Fairdale in the first round at Rash Stadium and from there – likely a trip to either Frederic Douglass or Covington Catholic. Purple88 Pick: Owensboro blows the doors off 5A District 1! They then HAMMER Fairdale or my sneaky feeling is that Bullitt Central might sneak in there and upset Fairdale, but it won’t matter to the Red Devils as they roll here! They then travel to play a fine team on the road in the State Semi-Finals. At that point, lay it on the line Red Devils you have nothing to lose and I’ll be cheering for you!!! Best of luck! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 1; 2019 Record 9-1; [District Record 3-0] – RPI 0.753 - WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - Week 11: Win 53-50 at 4A Madisonville – North Hopkins (8-2). Not many teams can give up over 500 yards offense to a team 2 classifications above you along with 50 points and still come out with the win on the road no-less! But then you wouldn’t know much about the Mayfield Cardinals that I honestly would like to see play either my Purples or South Warren to get a good feel of where those teams are compared to these Cardinals! Those would be great games for the West! But I am fine pulling for all here! Playoff Snapshot: Some would say here that Mayfield needs to ratchet up the defense and make some adjustments and etc and while there may actually be some truth to that, my first statement above trumps all that! This ain’t Coach Morris’s first rodeo and I am now more convinced than ever that Mayfield is definitely better right now than earlier in the year and will be headed to Lexington to play either Somerset or LCA in what should be a barnburner for the 2A State Championship!!! District Rounds: Mayfield has rolled over their District since Sherman Marched to the Sea! In Week 1, Big Red could use their Freshman Team to get the win. In the 2nd round game, if you come out in business-like fashion at War Memorial, it will be over quick. But don’t let Caldwell County hang around, as they will be playing for their old coach and will play hard. Still shouldn’t be near enough in the end! Cardinals roll!!! RPI Rounds: Mayfield’s RPI rating is a dazzling 2nd place in 2A, which means they will stay at home as long as they win all the way to the Championship Game! Mayfield could play the likes of OCATH or Edmonson County in Round 3 and maybe a Beechwood or Breathitt County in Round 4. Mayfield “may” want to pull for Somerset in their Round 2 rematch with LCA, as if the Briar Jumpers win that game, Mayfield would have the top RPI and likely avoid Beechwood in Round 4, unless you just want to play Beechwood again. Purple88 Pick: I think Mayfield goes to Lexington is the bottom line. I think the first and second round games are running clocks. I think the OCath game will not be a running clock, but I think Mayfield wins decisively! They would then likely either rekindle the old fire with Beechwood or welcome Breathitt County who would max out all Frequent Flyer mileage for the entire Eastern part of the state just to get a few area codes over to the left back of the state (Come on man…)! From there, I think the Cardinals face the Somerset/LCA winner in what should be an outright classic football game! I’ll be pulling for you Cardinals!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 3; 2019 Record 9-1; [District Record 2-1] – RPI 0.611 - Week 11: Win 53-6 vs 4A Logan County (8-2). Spartans completely control this game with their defense stepping up and putting their offense with great field position when Logan County felt they needed to gamble to try to create scoring opportunities! That doesn’t work well against South. They are too well schooled and disciplined for that to work and pride themselves on making teams one-dimensional and that’s exactly what happened last Friday! South playing better each week now and clearly ramping up to the playoffs after their only loss of the year! As always, South Warren will be a tough out! Playoff Snapshot: What about QB Caden Veltcamp and his potential status to return this year from a throwing hand broken wrist? I simply don’t know, but still feel that is VERY aggressive to try to have him back for the BG game in 2 weeks. We shall see. Even with that, I think young backup QB Mason Willingham has done awfully well to be thrown into the mix with no summer ball or preseason work to run the South offense as he has. Young RB Kobe Martin is a load and there isn’t a more versatile player in the West than Jantzen Dunn! South will be a tough out! District Rounds: South rolls Greenwood! It’s that simple! The Spartans then travel across town to take on the Purples again for the right to move on deeper in the playoffs. It’s a toss-up game honestly as many rivalry games are. While I am biased (so take that into account), I think South will make adjustment from the first game and try to do a better job of locking down the Purples run game, which was a big deal in the regular season game! For South on offense, they will have to do something to get the ball down field more. If they can’t do that, it will put a ton of pressure on the Spartan D to completely keep BG out of the end zone! It will be another great atmosphere at El Donaldson Stadium! Another fine season for the Spartans! RPI Rounds: South Warren’s RPI rating is a respectable 6th place, which means if South makes it to the 3rd Round they will likely travel to a surging South Oldham team. From there it would be to either Frederic Douglass or Covington Catholic, which would both be very tough games for sure! Purple88 Pick: South Warren puts a running clock on Greenwood. They travel to BG and put up a tremendous fight, but just don’t have enough this year to beat BG, but it’s a very close game! And if I’m wrong, I like South in a very close game at South Oldham. But that would be the end of the road for the Spartans at that point! Good luck Spartans!!! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 2; 2019 Record 6-3; [District Record 3-0] – RPI 0.554 - Week 11 Results: Loss 49-21 vs 6A Powerhouse Trinity (9-1). Nothin like getting crushed your last game before going into the playoffs! I know Trinity is good! I’ve watched them play twice in person this year, but the timing of this game is a problem. I don’t have a problem with playing Trinity, but move it to Week 1 and switch your Week 1 opponent to Week 10. You need to be ramping up for the playoffs now, not picking up the splinters left behind by gettin your doors blown off! Rebound Purples! I kept BG at #1 because no other team in the West could beat Trinity either. Could another team in the West keep it closer than 4 TDs, well that’s debatable, but I don’t see a line forming to sign up for playing the Shamrocks!!! I have to say this: 2019 will be the year I look back on for the Purples and I will recall the year “Without Vito Tisdale” and yes I know he played some offense against Trinity, but the Trinity game in A LOT of ways is like the Warren Central Indiana game last year. Wrong team, but more so wrong spot (right before the South Warren game last season). And for the neighsayers, I know it is difficult for BG to schedule. Let me say clearly again, I am NOT against playing Trinity, but I am against playing them in Week 10. Back to Vito, BG should not have lost against Father Ryan period. Truthfully, what do you think St X thought when they heard Vito would not be playing offense against them this year after he carried BG to their best win of 2018 against X. I’m not aiming to cause problems here, but I am aiming to paint the white elephant pink again! What if Michael Mayer, Covington Catholic’s star, who is going to Notre Dame, only played LB, do you think they would be as good as also having him play Tight End? What about Reece Smith at Boyle County who will play D1 ball? Do you think Boyle County would be as good as they are with Reece Smith only playing DB? I think those answers are clear. And I’m sure there is a reason why Vito isn’t playing offense to an effective measure, but without saying it or communicating it in some way I’m not sure how else to vent! Am I off base, I have been before, but don’t feel so now! Playoff Snapshot: Simply put, the Purples have a good chance to play into the RPI rounds of the playoffs. I think JR RB Javy Bunton has played tremendous football for the Purples along with their offensive line. Take out the Trinity game and I like what QB Conner Cooper has/had been ramping up for (this playoff season). The Purples defense has overall played really well this year with MUCH better line play and a secondary that started poorly but has really come on of late until both corners got hurt last Friday. I don’t look for either to play this Friday, but hopeful for the South game! And here again, it will all come down to the South Warren game. And maybe for both teams, the winner of this playoff game will have a good season, while the other has a really sour taste in their mouth all winter and summer long. Such it is with a rivalry. District Rounds – BG smashes a gritty 0-10 Christian County team that is really young and by this point in the year beat down! On to South Warren! I just think BG is a little better this season than South; mostly because of the backup QB for South. But if BG can continue to run the ball like they did in the first game, that will be bad news for South Warren and I do look for the Purples to move on in a tight, hard fought ball game! RPI Rounds – Bowling Green’s RPI rating is 13th best in 5A. BG clearly didn’t get the RPI is important to pay attention to notice, but that is likely because BG schedules way YONDER higher caliber competition, perhaps to a fault. While I enjoy playing good competition, is playing X & T & a Tennessee team in the same season a winning formula if you value home games in the 3rd and 4th round of the playoffs? Number 13 in 5A says no. But I am very likely not giving light that MANY other teams that BG would schedule won’t schedule them. I’m not going to call out names for detention, but there are many. I’m merely stating now is the time to re-evaluate your scheduling objectives and more so the TIMING of those better opponents to strategically set yourself up in the future for the best position possible for later playoff round success. Purple88 Pick: BG handles Christian County with low problems. They then face a very good South Warren squad with revenge on their mind, as BG gave them their only loss of the season! This will be a tight, hard-hitting matchup, but again I just feel BG comes out on top, as I think they have the better team, but not by much. From there, they travel to a surging South Oldham team. I won’t stop now, I like BG in that game as well, but it will be tight as well (no free lunch in the RPI zone on the road)! But the end draws full circle with a trip to Frederic Douglass or Covington Catholic. I hope I’m wrong! But no shame there! While I’ve presented some tough love above, it is with the intent to improve things strategically instead of simply throwing mud! I’ll allow the politicians to do that! Go Purples!!! Next 10 - 12 Thru 20 – 12) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; 2019 Record 5-5; [District Record 3-0] – RPI 0.464 - Week 11 Results: Loss 28-21 at 3A Old Rival Glasgow (9-1). Terrific game here! As Franklin fought the whole way, but Glasgow just made more plays in the 4th Quarter; it’s that simple. In a lot of ways, I think this Franklin team is the product of the aftermath of back to back championship seasons where a few injuries intermixed along with just being a young team took over this trajectory for their season along with a brutal opening 4 game schedule. With all that said, I like where Franklin sits for the future! Good luck Wildcats! Playoff Snapshot: Franklin Simpson is still the top team in the 4A District 2 and will be again next year. This is a young team that should continue to improve over time. But this year getting to the 3rd round of the playoffs and giving it your best shot appears to be the ceiling. What say you? Purple88 Pick: Franklin only beat surprising Russell County by 14 points, but that was over by Lake Cumberland. At Rhea Stadium, I expect a more convincing outcome. In the second round, I ‘m not sure who wins the AC-Scottsville vs Warren East game, as Warren East should have competed better in that first matchup. Regardless, I don’t see either of them winning in Franklin. Then the Wildcats would have to travel to Franklin County or the 4A District 1 Survivor (Hopkinsville, Madisonville, or Logan County). While I don’t like Franklin in any of those matchups, if it’s the 4A District 1 winner they will likely be beat up by the time you get there and if so just give it your best shot! You have nothing to lose Wildcats! Best of luck! 13) Caldwell County (2A) – PR: 16; 2019 Record (8-2) [District Record 2-1] – RPI 0.691: Week 11 Results: Win 56-54 vs 3A Rival Trigg County (6-4). The old 139 Bowl Rivalry certainly did not disappoint this season with the Tigers having just enough to outlast a proud Trigg County squad! Good effort by both teams! Star QB Russ Beshear and Star RB DeEric Hollowell played awfully well for Caldwell and you’ll see them later along with a commendable effort by Star QB Camron Jordan from Trigg County! Caldwell County has played very well this year in light of the tremendous loss of Coach David Barnes! I know they have played their hearts out this season! Playoff Snapshot: The Tigers will start the playoffs from their friendly home field vs a rugged Murray squad they beat barely earlier in the year. With Star QB Hunter Utley likely done for the year, I think Caldwell is set up to go to Mayfield for another try! Give it your best shot Tigers!!! Purple88 Pick: I like Caldwell by 3 TDs vs a wounded Murray squad. I think Caldwell is playing well right now. I see them going to Mayfield and playing as hard as they can, but it’s just not enough. No shame there! Good luck Tigers!!! 14. Daviess County (6A) – PR: 18 - 2019 Record 5-5; [District Record 3-1] – RPI 0.513 - Week 11 Results: Win 28-27 vs 4A Warren East (4-6)! I don’t know much about this game other than the offensive yards was nearly even. It appears the game was settled due to the kicking game/extra points or going for 2 for the win. Regardless, this is a good win for a solid Daviess County squad as I think Warren East is a better team than most give credit to. Very solid season for the Panthers, as their OT win vs Henderson stands out nearly as much as Hendo’s win over McCracken County, so good for the Panthers! Playoff Snapshot: I would think Henderson County has revenge on their mind, as it was losing to Daviess County that dropped them out of first place for the District Championship! I think Daviess is flying below the radar and they have some good players, but I just can’t pick them at Henderson County in the first round! Purple88 Pick: One and done for the Panthers, but you had a solid season Daviess! Good luck Panthers!!! 15. Apollo (6A) – PR: 14 - 2019 Record 4-6; [District Record 3-1] – RPI 0.467- Week 11 Results: Win 56-35 at 2A Owensboro Catholic (8-2). The Eagles just refuse to fold! They have played a difficult schedule this season for sure! They started out pretty uneven as several players just trying to get accustomed to things, but you look at their District performance and they have been in all those games! And now with the “upset” of OCATH come in guns a-blazin! Don’t discount this team! Playoff Snapshot: Well sports fans, Apollo will come out of the Playoff gate and travel to the #1 seed McCracken County Mustangs, whom they haven’t beaten ever to my knowledge. But if Star RB Hunter Bradley can’t go for McCracken County, I really feel that puts Apollo in reach of this win! Star RB Harold Hogg is the most undervalued RB in the West and he will be a BIG factor in this game! Should Apollo move on from Round 1, I see Henderson County at the next stop. I think Apollo would love that chance to get another swing at Hendo and from the regular season score of 20-13 Henderson, I think Apollo has the opportunity to turn the tide here! From there, I don’t see any more 4-leaf clovers floatin down the Western Kentucky Parkway, but hey that would be a HECK of a way to go out Eagles! Purple88 Pick: I’m not backing up now, and I’ll take Apollo in a BIG Round 1 Upset! Write it down! In the second Round, I’d love to pick Apollo, but am afraid it will take a lot out of the tank to get that Round 1 win and will say Hendo trips up the Eagles by a late TD. But prove me wrong Eagles! 16) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 15; 2019 Record 8-2 [District Record 4-0] – RPI 0.645 : Week 11 Results: Loss 56-35 vs 6A Local Rival Apollo (4-6)! Aces played very well in this game for about 3 Quarters! Thanks to our good friend @chuckit who reported on this game and described the major turning point in the game was a turnover in the 3rd Quarter where OCATH was set to take it into the end zone and tie the game up at 28, but it never materialized and Apollo rolled from there! This will happen from time to time Aces when you play teams 4 classifications above you! But you have to give credit to OCATH for scheduling tough games because that’s the only way you can ramp up if you want to battle Mayfield, which we all know is a tough task. Chin up Aces! Playoff Snapshot: The Aces have competed really well this season and even though they took it on the chin last Friday they are the best team in their district by a mile! From there, it’s likely a road game at Mayfield or the Somerset/LCA winner. That’s tough! Purple88 Pick: Running clock vs 2A District 2. Travel to any one of the 3 I mentioned above and play as hard as you can, but it just isn’t enough. No shame there! Tremendous season for the Aces and QB Drew Hartz will be sorely missed next season! No shame there Aces! Great Season! 17. Graves County (5A) – PR: 11 - 2019 Record 6-4 – RPI - : Week 11 Results: Win 21-28 at 6A Marshall County (3-7). Eagles have had a good year so far and I think they are the second best team in their district! No super impressive with only a 7 point win against lowly Marshall County, but no blood, no foul here! Good luck in the playoffs Eagles!!! Playoff Snapshot: I look for Graves County to hold up their end of the bargain and own the 2nd spot in 5A District 1. I think they are clearly better than Grayson County and will prove that on Friday and head to Owensboro looking to prove something. Purple88 Pick: The Eagles have played a little bit better than I would have thought going into this season. And with that said, I like them rather easily over Grayson County in Round 1. But then you travel to Owensboro and that’s a completely different matchup. I just don’t see how you’ll be able to make enough offensive plays to win that game! And that should be all she wrote for Graves County, but not a bad season at all – above 500 record and winning a playoff home game is a good accomplishment! Go Eagles! 18. Murray (2A) – PR: 13 - (2019 Record 7-3) [District Record 1-2] – RPI 0.626: Week 11 Results: Win 35-0 at 1A Fulton County (6-4). Tigers outgain the Pilots roughly 300 yards to 100 and firmly control this game. But as our good friend @BadaBing has told us before, this scheduling won’t change their playoff makeup in a positive light. But hey, a wins a win! Enjoy it Tigers!!! Playoff Snapshot: A season that started with such promise has turned South pretty quickly with the untimely loss of Star QB Hunter Utley. Without Utley to direct the Tiger attack, I don’t see them getting by a solid Caldwell County team in Princeton. And even if they did, it would be an early exit at War Memorial Stadium if truth be told. Chin up Tigers! Purple88 Pick: It’s one and done this playoff season for the Tigers IMO! Sorry Murray, but better luck next season! 19. Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 20 (2019 Record 8-2) – RPI 0.625 - Week 11 Results: Win: 49-22 vs 3A Todd County Central (6-4). Crittenden shut down a fairly strong Rebel rushing attack with one of their own. RB/DB Xander Tabor had a big night and you’ll see him below. Good win to ramp up for the Rockets!!! Playoff Snapshot: The Rockets are in control of 1A District 1 and that shouldn’t change this playoff season! But don’t discount a dangerous Russellville squad! Purple88 Pick: I like the Rockets to go to the 3rd Round of the playoffs. From there it looks like they would be on the road to either Louisville Holy Cross (who I say play Paducah Tilghman earlier this year) or Kentucky County Day. Those would be difficult games for the Rockets, more so in distance than opponent IMO. Go give it your best shot Rockets! I’m pulling for you! 20. Allen County-Scottsville (4A) – PR: NR - (2019 Record 4-6) – RPI 0.452 - Week 11 Results: Win 49-32 vs 2A Monroe County (5-5). I don’t have any information here, but am happy for the Patriots to still be invited to the Top 20 Party! Good luck going forward! Playoff Snapshot: If ACS could beat Warren East again, that would be a really good season in my book. But I just don’t think they will. But heck, I didn’t think they could in the regular season and the Patriots won pretty easily. Let’s see this time! Purple88 Pick: I just think Warren East is a better team. Prove me wrong again Patriots! WEEK 11 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK*: 1) Harold Hogg – RB – Apollo – rushed for 332 yards and 6 TDs vs OCATH (his former team)!!! That puts Hogg with over 2,000 yards on the season! Outstanding! 2) Xander Tabor – RB/DB – Crittenden County – 198 all-purpose yards with 2 rushing TDs and a 42 yard Pick 6 return vs Todd County Central! 3) Cameron Jordan – QB – Trigg County – 25 – 37 for 423 yards and 4 TDs, plus 19 carries for 60 yards and 3 more TDs vs Rival Caldwell County! Add WR Kion Thompson with 7 catches for 211 yards and 2 TDs! 4) Jeriah Hightower – RB – Madisonville – North Hopkins – 27 carries for 190 yards and 3 TDs vs Mayfield! 5) Russ Beshear – QB/LB – Caldwell County – 11-16 for 181 yards and 2 TDs vs 2 INTs; add 8 carries for 39 yards and 2 more TDs; and finally add 10 tackles on defense with 2 of those tackles for loss and 1 sack (MERCY!) vs Trigg County! Add Star RB DeEric Hollowell with 22 carries for 292 yards and 4 TDs! 6) Gavin Wimsatt – QB – Owensboro – 16 carries for 149 yards and 3 TDs vs Henderson County! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Congratulations to all the young men who have had a spot on this list throughout the season! Great Work!!! Week 11 – Teams Trending Down Bowling Green (5A) – Down – No free lunch here! You aren’t ramping up into the playoffs with a 4 TD loss. It’s that simple. I realize its Trinity they played. But if you want the glory that goes with the opportunity to achieve a win, then you have to stomach the anguish of getting your lunch money stripped from you and told to like it! Regroup Purples! Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Down – Maybe the Aces just ran out of gas? I’m not sure, but it’s not a good look for a team that I know would not beat Mayfield to win on your field. It just sets the ceiling at a 3rd round trip to the end of the road! Week 11 – Teams Trending Up Mayfield (2A) – Up – To go on the road and to take the best shot of a Top 10 team 2 classifications above you and still win is VERY impressive! Cardinals rolling… Glasgow (3A) – Up – I’m just really impressed with the job Coach Garmon and company have done with this Scotties team! They can go a long way! 2019 Western Kentucky Regular Season - All West Team QB – Jaden Stinson, Mayfield QB – Drew Hartz, Owensboro Catholic QB – Tyler Ezell, Logan County RB – Jeriah Hightower – Madisonville – North Hopkins RB – Hunter Bradley – McCracken County WR – Franklin Hayes, McCracken County WR – Reece Jesse, Hopkinsville WR – Kade Neely, Mayfield WR – Jayden Freeman, Paducah Tilghman OL – Colt Jackson, South Warren OL – Logan Weedman, Apollo DL – Blake Moody, Madisonville – North Hopkins DL – Joseph Henry, Daviess County DL – Terrion Thompson, Bowling Green DL – Yovani Sales, Owensboro LB – Gary Hardy, Logan County LB – Erik Grubbs, Hoptown LB – Cody Goatley, Graves County DB – Dejaun Mercer, Hopkinsville DB – Jaiden Jackson, Murray S – Jantzen Dunn, South Warren S – Vito Tisdale, Bowling Green K – Cole Hollingsworth, Franklin Simpson P – Eli Burwash, Bowling Green Coach – Josh Boston, Henderson County Honorary Coach – David Barnes, Caldwell County Farewell: End of the Road! It’s been a Long Road, but I hope you have found it as fun as I have! Even if you don’t agree with my rankings, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our teams out West! We have A LOT to be thankful for in having good football teams in the West! Now get out there and support your team(s) in person! It’s a great time of year! Good luck to your teams this playoff season and hope to see ya next year!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 9 Edition The top story line this week reflects the stellar play of our Top 11 squads in the West! All 11 (save the Hopkinsville BYE) won in very convincing fashion (save Glasgow, who played a very worthy District Foe)! But for Spots 12 through 20, most found unfavorable results with 6 of those 9 taking losses, albeit against very sound competition! But some great games and surprise results for us to discuss for sure! So let’s get to it… Week 9 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 2A Caldwell County (7-2) 42 at 2A Murray (6-2) 40. One of the best games of the year right here in terms of competitiveness and never giving up! Which describes Former Caldwell County Coach David Barnes to a Tee! Murray came out fired up for Homecoming Night at Ty Holland Stadium and led Caldwell 17-0. But Caldwell rallied and led 35-34 in the 4th Quarter. Caldwell scored again to take a 42-34 lead. But Murray wouldn’t fold either and staged a terrific final drive and scored late in the 4th Quarter. They set up for the 2-point conversion, but Star QB Hunter Utley’s pass was batted down in the end zone ending a whale of ball game! Great effort by both teams! Also, WPSD Local 6 out of Paducah does an awesome job of providing highlights for all things Purchase Area Football and provides highlights for this game and many other WKY games this week. The following is a link to that telecast: 1

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 8 Edition The top story line this week continues to be the impact of the BYE Week with only 1 game impacting 2 Top 10 teams was played this week! And only 6 teams and 5 games were played in spots 11 through 20, so let’s just say it was a light week overall! But this is a clear indicator that the push to finish the year strong is now upon us! Most teams have big district games still to go! So let’s get ready… Week 8 Western Kentucky Games of the Week: 4A Hopkinsville (5-3) 18 at 4A Madisonville North-Hopkins (7-1) 20. The last big battle between the Big 3 within 4A District 1 did not disappoint! Madisonville dominated the first half leading 14-0 behind stellar running from Star RB Jeriah Hightower! And into the first part of the 3rd Quarter, the Maroons added 6 more points on with a punt returned for a TD by Gunner Dameron! But Hoptown would not quit, as we have seen this entire year! The Tigers started to make plays mostly in their passing game where they rolled up 200 yards on the night! Additionally JR WR Lane Rushing really broke out in this game to give the Tigers very formidable WRs on both sides of the field joining Star Reece Jesse! Hoptown would come all the way back to get to 18-20 with a 2 point conversion try. But that attempt was unsuccessful and the Maroons escaped with a critical win to set up a 3 way tie atop the best 4A District Top to Bottom! Week 9 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 2A Caldwell County (6-2) at 2A Murray (6-1). Terrific game over on the left bank of the state! The winner of this game pretty much wraps up the 2 seed in the district, while Murray still gets to take their shot against Mayfield, and even if Murray loses at Mayfield it’s the winner of this game that will determine home field for that critical first round game of the playoffs! In this battle of Tigers, Caldwell County QB Russ Beshear has played well throwing for over 800 yards on the season with 12 TDs vs 6 INTs and RB DeEric Hollowell has rushed for over 700 yards and 12 TDs on the year! For Murray, QB Hunter Utley has passed for nearly 2,000 yards and 27 TDs vs 3 INTs and WR Tommy Waldrop has 43 catches for over 700 yards and 11 TDs on the year! So this should be a terrific game! Good luck to both teams! Honorable Mention: Dyer Co TN at McCracken County, Owensboro at Graves County, Taylor County at Glasgow, Crittenden County at Fulton County, Henderson County at Daviess County, Hancock County at OCATH, Union County at Paducah Tilghman, and Allen County-Scottsville at Warren East. Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 8 Top 10: 10) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 1-0] Week 8 Results: BYE Week. The Scotties headed into the Bye Week in great shape and were a whisker from being undefeated. Still very promising season ahead for Glasgow. As you take a look at their schedule, all 3 are games Glasgow will compete in and likely should win at least the first 2. The last game of the year vs Franklin Simpson is a terrific game we’ll keep our sights on! Week 9: vs 3A District Mate Taylor County (6-1). These teams have equal records coming into the break. Looking at the teams they have lost to, South Warren barely beat Glasgow 21-20 and 6A Simon Kenton beat Taylor up in NKY 39-7. I think South is stronger than Simon Kenton IMO and I like the Scotties in this game, but not by more than 2 TDs. And it could be much closer. What say you… 9) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 5-2; [District Record 1-0] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK. Tilghman can certainly use this down time to prepare for the final push of the season. Focus on the District Championship is now paramount! Good luck Blue Tornados! Week 9: vs 3A District mate Union County (4-2). With a win here, Tilghman is almost assured a District Title with only one remaining District game at Poor Ole’ Webster County! So this is a Big Game! I look for Tilghman to try to get back on their rushing game and try to wear down the Braves to get that job done! While I like Tilghman by 3 TDs, I would not overlook an always scrappy Union County team, as they remind me of a Graves County Roman candle kinda team that seems to have one good spark left in them but you don’t know when it’s coming out! But I still have confidence in Tilghman in this one! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 1-1] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! The Cougars are banged up! With very physical tough games back to back to Madisonville and Hoptown, the Bye Week came at just the right time. Now with the vastly easier part of their district schedule to complete, they should be able to play some younger Cougars while continuing to heal some critical starters. I still don’t know the status of star RB/LB Gary Hardy. Could someone provide an update? It would be appreciated! Rest/Heal up Cougars! Week 9: vs 4A District Mate Hopkins County Central (0-8)! After losing the Basement Bowl this week to Calloway County, the Storm now face an almost assured winless season. I get no pleasure typing that, as I have compassion for the Storm players just like anyone else’s team. Better luck next year Storm! With that said, Cougars roll!!! 7) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 5-3; District Record 2-1] Week 8 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Loss: 20-18 at District Rival 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (7-1). Great effort Tigers! Yes, I know you wanted to win this game, but when your starting kick got injured that put you on a much more unstable course and it turned out to be critical because Hoptown had to go for the 2 point conversion after all 3 TDs. They did not convert on any of those 3 and that turned out to be the difference! Still Star QB Jay Bland, RB Jayden Dillard and WR Reece Jesse all played really well. But to me the emergence of WR Lane Rushing on the other side of the field when Jesse was getting double teams all night that propelled Hoptown back into this game! Great effort and you’ll see them later! Week 9: BYE WEEK! Bye Weeks can be awesome tools for a football team when combined with a proper timing element. Well that’s certainly the case for the Tigers! After 2 drop down – drag out cage matches against Logan County and now Madisonville, the Tigers have certainly earned the off week! And great scheduling to put the BYE here as well! It should set the Tigers up well to ramp up into Week 1 of the playoffs! As District Champs? You tell me… 6) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 7-1; [District Record 2-1] Week 8 Results: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK - Win: 20-18 vs District Rival 4A Hopkinsville (5-3). Great Win Maroons! You controlled the first 2.5 Quarter of this game with another fine effort from Star RB Jeriah Hightower! You will see him later. I should point out that Mr. Hightower is the State’s Leading Rusher and ranked 3rd in the country with 1,723 yards coming into this game! Outstanding! But the Maroons D played tough when they had to, especially on all 3 2 point conversion attempts! BIG, BIG Win for Madisonville! Now with a 3 way tie at the top, it will come down to the tie-breaker system that might not be settled until the last week of the season! Week 9: at 4A District Mate Calloway County (1-6). The Lakers are ridin high with their first win of the year over fellow district basement dweller Hopkins County Central. Good for Calloway County! Plus, it is a long bus ride from Madisonville to Calloway County, but when it’s all said and done, Madisonville is a very good team this year and Calloway County is not and that will ultimately describe the final score in this one somewhere in the vicinity of 46-8 Maroons. 5) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 6-1; [District Record 3-0] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! The Red Devils cruised into the Bye Week as smooth as Kentucky Lake on a fine crisp Fall Morning! No worries here! The Red Devils seem to have gotten most of their injuries (albeit important ones) out of the way early this year! The remaining Owensboro schedule displays an always gritty Graves County team, upstart Grayson County, along with old foe Hendo, who has played really well this season. But I’d honestly be shocked if Owensboro had a lot of problems against any of these teams, but you just never know and that’s why you play the game! Good luck Red Devils! Week 9: at 5A District Mate Graves County (3-4). Maybe an interesting game for a while! It’s a 2.5 hour drive over to Mayfield from Owensboro, so that could definitely have an effect early. But I just think the Red Devils have too many weapons that Graves just won’t be able to account for. But I am looking forward to seeing how QB Gavin Wimsatt performs in this game. Will be interesting to note. Good luck Red Devils! 4) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 1-0] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK. Mayfield strolls into the Bye Week in really good shape. They have 2 district games left. One is a walk in the park (against poor ole’ Ballard Memorial) and one will be challenging IMO (vs Murray). Then a final trip east to a big, physical Madisonville team that will certainly test the Cardinal’s metal, especially on defense as the Madisonville rushing attack may be the best in the West, if not the State! With all that said, you have IMO the most experienced Coaching Staff in the West and that will surely guide you through this stretch of games. This should set the Cardinals up looking to host games at War Memorial Stadium deep into the playoffs! Your enemy will almost certainly be injuries as you will have to give your all in the Murray and Madisonville games! Week 9: vs 2A District Mate Ballard Memorial (1-6). I’d certainly dress all the Freshman team for this game. As they could certainly perform in this game. Also, who will take over when QB Jayden Stinson graduates? This is the game to get him a few series of Friday Night Lights! Rest up Cardinals! 3) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 5-2; District Record 2-0] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! Similar to their Purchase Area rivals above, the Mustangs stroll into the Bye Week playing really well and already have 2 district wins under their belt! McCracken seems to have limited injuries at this time, but I’m sure some nagging injuries persist. Great week to get back to full health! The Mustangs final 3 games include the likely District Championship at Henderson County on October 25th. That one should be a great game as both these teams have played well this season. The last game of the year sees a beleaguered Christian County team come to town winless. So the Mustangs could see a desperate team November 1, but still McCracken is clearly the class of that game. Onward to an interesting game! Week 9: vs Dyer County (Newburn), TN (6-1). The Choctaws will roll into Paducah with confidence, as they have won every game this season with ease (save a 27-24 win against Clarksville, TN). Their lone loss was to Henry County, TN who checks into MaxPreps National Ranking around 1,000. They are somewhat closely graded to North Hardin at 860. So this should be a good game to see where the Mustangs are at in this latter part of the season! This game also sets the stage for their huge district showdown in Henderson the week after. Good Luck Mustangs! I’ll be pulling for you against the Choctaws!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 6-1; District Record 0-1] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! The Spartans were dealt their first loss of the season in Week 7. So, in many ways the BYE Week has come at a good time for South so they can refocus for the final 3 games of the season and hopefully get some valued Spartans healthy! With that said, the Final 3 games of the season (at Greenwood and at Christian County and home vs Logan County) should line up in your favor, especially the first 2 games. The Logan County game in the final week of the season is interesting, as do you manage some of your ailing personnel that week, as you likely won’t need that game going into the playoffs. We shall see how Coach Smith handles it! Week 9: at 5A District Mate Greenwood (5-2)! The Gators have only beaten the Spartans once. A 17-16 OT Thriller at Greenwood back in 2016. If memory serves me correctly, the Spartans had some injury issues in that one as well! Does this game have a chance to be the Gators second win in this series? I don’t know, but the longer the Gators hang around, the longer they will believe they can win! The Spartans need to shake off Week 7 and come out strong here to prevent a closer than comfortable game; it’s as simple as that! Good luck Spartans! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 4-2; District Record 1-0] Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! The Purples had to have a good Bye Week after getting the Spartan Monkey off their backs! Yes, it’s just one game, but it means a lot toward district play and it means a lot in the community. The Purples remaining games represents 2 valleys and 1 peak! BG will face district foes Christian County (winless) and Greenwood (have never beaten BG in more than 25 tries) and represent the valleys, while the final game of the season sees the vaunted Trinity Shamrocks drive down I-65 to battle the Purples and they clearly represent the peak! BG should handle their district foes with no problem. But the Shamrocks are a completely different animal. If BG couldn’t beat St X, how can BG beat a team St X lost to 35-3? You tell me… Week 9: vs 5A District Mate Christian County (0-7). This matchup has been a really big one in Western Kentucky in the near recent past! But Kolbi Langhi and Cory Trice ain’t walkin through that door! The Colonels are simply young this year and have competed well in several games, but just couldn’t close the deal. I certainly don’t think they close it at El Donaldson Stadium either! Purples roll!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Owensboro Catholic (2A) (6-1) – Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! The Aces are playing awfully well pulling into their Bye Week! Star QB Drew Hartz is playing as well as anyone in the State IMO. It doesn’t hurt to be playing a soft district schedule, but that’s not the Aces fault. You play who remains on your schedule! For the Aces, they finish up district play with homes games vs a decent Hancock County team and a struggling Butler County team. They finish the year at home vs nearby rival 6A Apollo, who has clearly been improving of late. The district games likely get out of hand quickly, but the game with Apollo could see it closer for a while. But I still think the Aces pull away from the Eagles late in that game! Good luck Aces! Next up: vs 2A Hancock County. I think the Hornets are a decent 2A team that have improved come District play. The problem is the Aces are destroying their district and ultimately think the Hornets get swatted in this one! Go Aces! 12) Henderson County (6A) (5-1) - Week 8 Results: Win 20-13 vs 6A Apollo. Thanks to our good friends @wrn1979 and @Brown for bringing us the updates in this District battle! Apollo led 7-0 at the half while just missing a FG attempt close to the end of the first half. Henderson County tied it up about mid-way through the 3rd Quarter, but then word started trickling in for some unscrupulous play suggesting late hits and ripping Apollo helmets off committed by the Colonels players! I assume this to be the case unless someone saw it differently. That is definitely troubling to hear. Is there some bad blood between Apollo and Hendo or just a hard hitting District Game that got a little out of hand? You tell me… Week 9: at 6A District Mate Daviess County. News Flash Colonels! You better get more than 1 guy on Panther Star RB Shane Riley! This young man is a force on the football field, but he’s been hurt of late. But he is a game changer. If Hendo can control Mr. Riley, I like them in this game by about 14 points! Good Luck Hendo! 13) Franklin Simpson (4A) (3-4) – Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK. Well, I’m sure you’d like more wins in this first half of the year Wildcat Fans, but as we’ve discussed injuries and younger Wildcats need time to get their footing on the varsity field. The good news is it sounds like that is the case, especially along the line of scrimmage. Looking at the final 3 games of the Wildcats season show Warren Central and Warren East at home and then a very interesting road trip on the final week of the season at surging old rival Glasgow. I think the Wildcats will be too much in their District games, but to overlook Warren East would be a mistake! The Glasgow game is intriguing on a number of levels and we’ll discuss those later! Next up: vs 4A District Mate Warren Central! The Dragons haven’t won a game in a long time and the bottom line is that they won’t win here either. But their final 2 games, I do give Central a chance in both! Good Luck Dragons! For Franklin, this game would be great to make sure any younger Wildcats you want to bring up for a shot at varsity ball this year and next are ready to play on the 18th! Good luck Wildcats!!! 14) Murray (2A) (6-1) – Week 8 Results – Win 54-6 vs 2A District Mate and Poor Ole’ Ballard Memorial. Just 2 teams at different levels, but hey Bombers, you did beat Fulton City last week! Murray in a really big way! I hope the Tigers got some cubs in this game. Star QB Hunter Utley and undervalued WR Tommy Waldrop were huge in this game and you’ll see them later! Not much else to see really. Next up: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK vs 2A District Mate Caldwell County. This should be a really entertaining game! I respect Caldwell’s program quite a bit but just feel Murray is the better team this year with likely the better lines. Plus playing at home will be an advantage IMO. Am I wrong? You tell me… Go Tigers! 15) Caldwell County (2A) (6-2) – Week 8 Results: Win 40-0 vs District Mate 2A Fort Campbell. Cheer up Falcons! You are finally on the BYE Week with Ballard Memorial coming to call on the 25th! This is your shot! Don’t miss! For Caldwell County, they were razor sharp as one should be against a lesser opponent! I don’t have any stats for this one, but a good team beats a really struggling team is the theme here! A Big game is upon you now! Rise up Tigers! Next up: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - at District Mate Murray. Important game right here Tigers Fans! This game will likely determine who hosts the Round 1 playoff rematch between these 2. So, if you’d like to host a playoff game, and I’m sure you would, give it all you got at Murray! You’re going to have to stop/neutralize stellar QB Hunter Utley, who can be a dual threat QB. It won’t be easy. Good luck Tigers! 16) Graves County (5A) (4-3) – Week 8 Results: Win 21-10 at New District Mate Grayson County! Graves with a big District Statement win here as they knock Grayson County from the unbeaten ranks! The Eagles rushing attack was in full swing and really dictated this game as Graves County rolled up almost 290 yards on the ground! 2 Eagles RBs each had over 100 yards rushing and you’ll see them later! Also the Eagles defense came to play by limiting Grayson County to only 59 yards total offense on the night! That’s stout work there! Nice win and it sheds quite a bit of light on where Grayson County really is as well. Next week: vs District Mate Owensboro. Graves County is playing well right now and they will host this game, which I do think is an advantage. This game has a chance to be close early as Owensboro will be driving 2.5 hours over into the Purchase Area. But I just think Owensboro has better athletes across the board and especially on defense. The Red Devil D has been terrific of late. QB John Brown has his work cut out for him! Good luck Eagles! 17) Greenwood (5A) (5-2) –Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! The Gators got to rest up after a strong opening 7 games to the 2019 season! Their opening win vs Franklin Simpson is still one of the more surprising of the entire season to date. Yes, you likely should have held on to beat Barren County. But still much promise in the Gator camp! Onward! Next week: vs 5A District Mate South Warren! The Gators upset South back in the 2016 campaign for their only win vs the Spartans! Could this be the second? In order for that to happened, you’d think star Reed Sloan would have to be involved to some degree, as he pulled Greenwood through last week vs Christian County. Also, can the Gator D Line hold up against a fine South OLine? That may be the difference in the game right there! It’ll be a tough game for sure, but at least South won’t be coming into it flying high and missing a couple key pieces of their team. Good luck Gators! 18) Warren East (4A) (4-3) – Week 8 Results: BYE WEEK! Raider Nation has done pretty well this year! Their only losses are to South Warren, Logan County and a 22-13 setback to Greenwood. Those are all teams above you in these rankings! What about from here on out? Only 1 of 3 remaining opponents are above you in these rankings (Franklin Simpson). While I don’t think you’ll beat Franklin, especially away, I can see you beating Allen County-Scottsville and even a physical Daviess County team on the road. But you will need to shore up your defense prior to that last one, as you gave up over 300 yards rushing to Greenwood! Good Luck Raiders! 19) Barren County (6A) (5-2) – Week 8 Results: Loss 38-0 vs New District Mate 6A Central Hardin. This loss doesn’t surprise me and shouldn’t any Trojan fan that knows it’s going to take time to compete near the top of 6A District 2! Also know Trojan Fans that this year is one of the absolute top years for both Central Hardin and North Hardin so maybe you’ll have a shot not so far down the road! Best of Luck! Next up: vs New District Mate 6A North Hardin. Well Trojan fans, at least you get the 2 toughest district teams at home this year! Problem is they are both way too tough for you this season. But chin up, as you are headed up overall and if you can compete with Meade County things would definitely be rosier going into the 2020 season! Good Luck Trojans! 20) Crittenden County (1A) (5-2) – Week 8 Results – Win 54-0 vs. Poor Ole’ Caverna! Trying to find clarity with this #20 spot is like trying to get free HBO back in the day with the wavy lines rollin across your screen from time to time! But it makes it fun too, as we get to highlight a number of very solid team across our Great Region of the State! I feel bad for Caverna to ride 3 hours over to Marion to get crushed! Sorry, I just do. Not taking anything away from a fine Rockets club here, as they did what they were supposed to do! Many Rockets play well and you’ll see some of them below! Next up: at 1A District Mate Fulton County! This could be a very interesting game. While I fully expect Crittenden to win, this is one of the best Fulton County teams I can recall and Caleb Kimble is a very fine runner. Problem is Crittenden knows this and will load the box and make it very tough on the Pilots! Still hoping for a good one here! Good luck Rockets! Week 8 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Jeriah Hightower – RB – Madisonville – 27 carries for 132 yards and 1 TD vs Hopkinsville! 2) Jay Bland – QB – Hopkinsville – 21-44 for 200 yards and 3 TDs vs 1 INT vs Madisonville! Add WR Lane Rushing with 7 catches for 97 yards and 1 TD and WR Reece Jesse with 6 catches for 58 yards and 2 TDs! 3) Hunter Utley – QB – Murray – 10 for 15 for 312 yards and 6 TDs! Add star WR Tommy Waldrop with 5 catches for 241 yards and 4 TDs vs Ballard Memorial! 4) Clint McKee – RB – Graves County – 27 carries for 167 yards and 1 TD! And Cody Goatley – RB – 15 carries for 114 yards and 1 TD at Grayson County! 5) Hunter Jones – QB – Crittenden County – 10 for 13 for 201 yards and 2 TDs! Add star RB Xander Tabor who rushed only 5 times for 117 yards and 2 TDs vs Caverna! 6) Trenton Brown – RB – Breckinridge County – 6 rushes for 86 yards and 3 TDs vs Nelson County! 7) John Foster – QB – Calloway County – 10 for 17 for 176 yards and 4 TDs vs 1 INT! Add RB Jacob Watters with 15 carries for 238 yards and 4 TDs vs Hopkins County Central! 8) Adrian Stringer – QB – Hopkins County Central – 33 for 60 for 487 yards passing and 3 TDs vs 2 INTs! Add WR Blaisin Moore who caught 14 passes for 247 yards. He didn’t have any TDs, but he did make an INT playing defense! Outstanding effort vs Calloway County! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 8 “Teams Trending Down” Hopkinsville (4A) – Down – When you play in a great district, you can easily be up one minute and down the next! Such is the case with Hopkinsville. Let me be clear that Hoptown isn’t here because they played poorly. To the contrary, they are here because they had a ticket to basically a first round bye if they could have harnessed this game. But it wasn’t meant to be. But Hoptown’s effort was commendable! Sometimes players get hurt and you have to adjust and play with those you have. And such was the case with the Tigers last Friday Night! Still a lot to play for! Good Luck Tigers! Grayson County (4A) – Down – I’m not here to pile on the Cougars! But I will point out the obvious that we all knew your schedule was suspect. And I think that showed on Friday Night. I’m not sure they beat Graves County if they had a more difficult schedule or not. But when the first time you are really tested all year is 3 games into your District Slate, maybe you need to reconsider this scheduling thing… Am I right? You tell me… But good luck the rest of the way Cougars! Teams “Trending Up” Madisonville (4A) – Up – HUGE Win Maroons! You rode your stud RB in the first half and held on in the second half against a worthy opponent! The breaks seemed to finally go your way at the end of a game for once and I’m sure you’re pleased with that! Still a lot to play for if you expect to go beyond the second round of the playoffs! Very nice work Maroons! Graves County (5A) – Up – Coach Kemp has to be extremely proud of his team! They could have easily come in soft in this game and let Grayson County hang around and keep it closer than the score turned out to be. But when you only give up 60 yards on the night, you are playing sound defensive football! That has to be very encouraging if you’re a Graves County fan! But do they have anything for the Red Devils? You tell me… Good luck Eagles! “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: Basement Bowl - 4A Calloway County (1-6) defeats 4A District Mate Hopkins County Central (0-7) 69-35 – What an epic battle; as both teams laid it on the line! You have to admire young kids desire to get the win in a game like this one! As you can see some of the fine efforts highlighted in the Players of the Week category above, you know this game was played with great passion and great determination and makes high school football the great game it is! Congratulations to Coach Champion and Laker Nation!

BluegrassPreps' 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 10 Edition The top story line this week reflects the peaks and valleys of the regular season games! And then there are games that you tend to remember and reference at different times over the year! We had one of them this week! We also had demonstrated what our good friend @Brown reported a couple weeks ago, in that the depth of good teams in the West this year is deeper than it has been in some time IMO. We will expand on that further below! And we’re off… Week 10 Western Kentucky Games of the Week: DISTRICT BUSTERS! 6A McCracken County (6-3) 28 at 6A Henderson County (7-2) 33! 6A District 1 was given a seismic jolt last Friday night with Henderson, Kentucky at its epicenter! This was another terrific game in the West between 2 very solid teams, both well prepared and both played very hard with talented players making big plays for both. The interesting piece for me, is that McCracken County has to make the drive over the WKY Parkway and up the Pennyrile and basically came out flat. Did that have to do with the bus ride… You tell me! The teams played on the same field with the same weather conditions, but it clearly took the Mustangs a couple quarters to get going! But give McCracken County credit for not quitting as they came back and led late in this game. But on this night the Colonels would not be denied, even as a go ahead field goal was blocked with 3 minutes to go in the game. And the Colonels defense rose up and stopped the Mustangs on 4th and 1 with about a minute to go in the game. HUGE! Then on 4th and 10 they connect on a HUGE pass play to get to the 9 yard line, which set up the go ahead pass completion for the go-ahead TD and I’m sure pandemonium in Henderson, KY! Awesome Win Colonels! The first EVER district loss for McCracken County! This sets up a 3 way tie at the top of 6A District 1, which won’t be settled until after next Friday! Heck of a game!!! One I will reference for a long time… 2A Murray (6-3) 6 at 2A Mayfield (8-1) 41. 2A District 1 still comes through War Memorial Stadium and it’s not really close right now! Mayfield got 2 defensive scores and Star QB Stinson hit one of his favorite receiver Neely a couple times for Bomb TDs and that was really all she wrote!!! Also, our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan reported Star Murray QB Hunter Utley was injured in the first half and never returned. I certainly hope the young man is ok and can return this season! Mayfield is just on another level than their nearby 2A competition, but what about their nearby 4A competition? We shall talk about it below! Cardinals roll!!! Week 11 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 2A Mayfield (8-1) at 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (8-1). I had a ton of great games to choose from this week, but ultimately decided to highlight this one as it promises to be an out-right classic! A disciplined Mayfield squad travels east to a rough and powerful Madisonville squad, who still needs some RPI points! Who will come out on top of this great end of season game? Mayfield’s defensive unit will be significantly tested in this game, as Madisonville can throw it and also has the top RB in the State! For Madisonville, their defense will have to come to play as well, as Mayfield isn’t like any other team. They beat Hopkinsville earlier in the year and Hoptown played Madisonville extremely close at Madisonville. So there you go for teams that have played similar opponents! More below! Honorable Mention: Trinity at Bowling Green; Logan County at South Warren; Franklin Simpson at Glasgow; Paducah Tilghman at Hopkinsville; Henderson County at Owensboro; Apollo at OCATH; Warren East at Daviess County and Todd County Central at Crittenden County! Great games here! If you stay at home on this Friday Night – it’s on you! Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 10 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 7-2; [District Record 3-0] Week 10 Results: Win 52-0 vs 3A District mate & Poor Ole’ Webster County (3-6). Tilghman’s drop is simply the casualty of high power ranking game causing ripples around the Top 10 and the fact that sometimes those hit when you’re playing poor ole’ Webster County and you just have nothing to push back with this week! Still nothing wrong in Blue Tornado land! And they appear from afar to be ramping up and storming into Round 3 of the playoffs! Go Blue Tornados! Week 11: at 4A Hopkinsville (6-3). I really like Tilghman’s schedule this year! This is a terrific matchup to end the regular season and ramp you up into the playoffs win or lose. Tilghman controls their district and allows them to have the freedom to schedule Hoptown and a team like Desales, who gave Tilghman plenty to work on since early October! This should be a terrific game! Hoptown has a fine defense and it will be tested with the Tilghman’s speed. But can Tilghman cover the Hoptown receivers? I think that’s my biggest question mark in this game and the answer to it will go a long way in determining the outcome of this one! Good Luck Tilghman!!! 9) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 6-3; District Record 2-1] Week 10 Results: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - Loss 33-28 at Henderson County (7-2)! This loss is like a coin flip! Heads says we traveled a significant route on a crappy weather night and played a fired up team where we didn’t play well early; never quit and came back to take the lead only to have it slip away in the end. Hey it happens when you play a good district team on the road! Tis true… Tails says this is a HUGE loss from the standpoint you went in with a firm command on the District Title as always and now you are in the washing machine still awaiting to see how the spin cycle (tiebreaker) plays out! Not to mention the mental side of things, which is undervalued here. Let me say this clearly: McCracken County has NEVER lost to a district opponent EVER! Let that sink in. Now that’s gone and maybe the District Title too! This is also true! But keep fighting Mustangs as I still think you are the best team in this District! Prove me right… Week 11: vs 5A Christian County (0-9)! A couple years ago this would have been a great matchup, but County is really down right now and will go winless for the first time since before 1998! Wow! I’m hoping Coach Clark can continue to develop depth he might be able to go to sooner or later! Good Luck Mustangs! 8) Henderson County (6A) (7-2) - Week 10 Results: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - Win 33-28 vs 6A District Rival McCracken County! Keep the Pony Keg’s comin!!! Life is good at Henderson County! As our good friend @Brown rightfully said: this Hendo team could easily be 9 and O! Let that sink in!!! They landed at a clearly uneven Anderson County team and lost by 4 and just couldn’t make the plays late at Daviess County, but make no mistake that Coach Josh Boston has done an OUTSTANDING Job resurrecting the ship over in Henderson! They are knocking on the door of their first District Title since 2012 and possibly hosting at least 2 playoff games! BIG DEAL! Great Work Colonels! Week 11: at 5A Old Foe Owensboro. The Colonels travel across the Audubon Parkway for another battle with the Owensboro Red Devils! These 2 have been playing for a long time! I like that they both fit this game in as I know it helps both teams! And with Hendo losing their Indiana games next season they need these games more than ever! While I think Henderson can stay in this game a while; I look for Owensboro to break it open in the second half with the defense setting the tone and the Red Devil offense up in good shape to control this game. What say you… 7) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 8-1; District Record 3-1] Week 10 Results: Win 46-7 vs 4A District Mate Calloway County (1-8)! Just a really good team overwhelming a very medium team. The Cougars rolled up over 500 yards offense! Many Cougars play well and you will see a bunch of them later! Cougars roll! Week 11: at 5A South Warren (8-1)! Terrific game right here! This game doesn’t mean a lot to South as they already have the #2 District Seed wrapped up, but the Cougars could sure use the RPI points from a big win here! Do I think Logan County can win this game? Sure, but it will be very difficult, as the South Defense is always good. But IMO, Logan sets up nicely in its pass first schemes that will give South fits. But expect a 4th Quarter game when you travel to South Warren! Good luck Cougars!!! 6) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 6-3; District Record 3-1] Week 10 Results: Win 53-13 at District Mate 4A Poor Ole’ Hopkins County Central (0-10). Farewell Storm! I hope you have a good off season and get a win in 2020! For the Tigers, they put a 50 Burger on the Storm in what was more like a glorified scrimmage that pressure packed District Tilt! Onward to a Good One! Week 11: vs 3A Paducah Tilghman! Terrific game here! Tilghman is a running team; Hoptown is primarily a passing team with Jay Bland at QB. So who wins? I’d say the defenses will dictate how this one goes! Get out to the Stadium of Champions Sports Fans and cheer on your home team!!! 5) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 8-1; [District Record 3-1] Week 10 Results: BYE WEEK! The Maroons are a 2-minute drill away from a perfect season now pulling into the Bye Week. It’s been a grind to get here, so I’m sure the down time will prove advantageous and allow Madisonville to recharge their batteries and come out hard and fast! Good luck Maroons and Onward! Week 11: vs Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK vs Stalwart 2A Mayfield (8-1)! I couldn’t easily find if these 2 have ever played against each other before. If I were to guess, I would guess it would have had to have been back in the day due to the difference in current classifications! But let me know if you have info on this! As for the game, I look for a very tough hard hitting game in the land along the Pennyrile! I look for Madisonville to try to establish the run. If they can, it will put Mayfield in a tough spot on that side of the ball. If you are the Madisonville defense, think Hopkinsville with Hot Sauce because Mayfield will come at you with a lot of different weapons on offense! I think this will be a Dandy! Good luck to both teams and no injuries, as I expect both these teams to go deep in the playoffs this year! Good luck Maroons! 4) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 8-1; [District Record 5-0] Week 10 Results: Win 51-9 vs 5A District Mate Grayson County (6-3)! Red Devils roll up over 350 yards on the night and the stellar O Defense held Grayson County to only 85 yards on the night! Impressive! Red Devils playing very well. Playing a light schedule does instill confidence, which I see in this Red Devil group, but what happens the first time the get punched in the mouth early (which hasn’t happened since August)! You tell me... Week 11: vs 6A Old Foe Henderson County (6-3). I could see this game close for a while and even a half, but in the end Owensboro just has too many weapons for the Colonels to account for. It’s that simple! But this game doesn’t mean very much for the Red Devils, so I look for Coach Fallin to continue to build depth and get some younger Red Devils some more snaps! Would be a good idea because the Red Devils know more than most about injuries and next man up! Good Luck Red Devils!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 8-1; District Record 3-0] Week 10 Results: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - Win 63-6 vs 2A District Mate Murray (6-3). Another game at War Memorial Stadium and another win at War Memorial Stadium! The supposed weaker than normal Cardinal defense was spurred on by Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night”! Stud QB Jaden Stinson and crew were very sharp on this night and send notice to every 2A team this side of I-75 that you have to come to Mayfield if you want to advance to Round 4 of the playoffs! Onward! Week 11: WESTERN KENTUCKY - GAME OF THE WEEK at 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (8-1). Terrific game here! This is the first time since 2006 that Mayfield hasn’t played Caldwell County the last game of the regular season! Wow! Talk about consistency! But this is a clear step up for Mayfield, no offense to our Caldwell County faithful! Madisonville will really test Mayfield at the line of scrimmage and their depth. I look for this game to be very physical and hard fought! About an hour and a half ride east for Big Red Nation to come support their team! And I look for a big Mayfield presence here! Why? That’s what they do! Good luck Cardinals – this one will be tough!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 8-1; District Record 2-1] Week 10 Results: Win 36-0 at 5A District Mate Christian County (0-9)! Stellar SO RB Kobe Martin rushes for 110 yards and the South Warren defense playing really well holding County to less than 100 yards offense on the night! Great effort on a crappy night! Week 11: vs 4A Logan County (8-1)! This is a fascinating game here! South doesn’t need this game, but they play to win and don’t necessarily want to take another loss going into the playoffs. Logan County could really use the RPI points a won would give them. They are set up IMO just right with their throw first mentality with Star QB Tyler Ezell to make hay against a good South defense! How would you plan for this one if you were the Coach? I think it will be a really interesting one to follow. South is the favorite IMO, but not by as much as you might think with QB Veltcamp still out! So what’s your take on this one? You tell me… 1) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 6-2; District Record 3-0] Week 10 Results: Win 39-0 vs 5A District Mate Greenwood (5-4)! As our good friend @bernies said, Conner Cooper starting at QB just opens things up for the Purples! And open things up he certainly did, leading BG to a 25-0 lead at half and 39-0 lead at the end of the 3rd Quarter! Purples playing well and they need to be to have any shot at keeping it close next week, but I look for BG to play hard and to the end and take their best shot! Go BG! Week 11: vs 6A Juggernaut Trinity (7-2)! The Rocks come to BG for the first time since a 14-12 Trinity win back in 2010! Great showing by the Purples considering BG has never beaten Trinity! And if I’m honest, I just don’t think they will this year either, although I’m still pulling for them to do so! I’m honestly hoping to keep playing Trinity after next year because I honestly believe BG can play with Trinity after next season! Between then and now… Well, let’s just say the Purples will need to play their absolute best to have a shot in the game! Never say die Purples! Go BG! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 8-1; District Record 3-0] Week 10 Results: Win 21-14 at 3A District Mate Casey County (4-5). Don’t look now but the Scotties are 8 and 1 – that’s a heck of a record! Scotties have played awfully well this year! The Scotties rushing attack played well and that controlled the clock for Glasgow who likely got a better game from Casey due to the rain. Week 11: vs Old Foe 4A Franklin Simpson. These 2 have played many times back in the day, but the Scotties have lost the last 5 games to Franklin dating back to a Glasgow win in 2007! Since this game is in Glasgow, I think they have a real chance to break that streak! In fact, I’m picking the Scotties in a really tight game! From there, Glasgow gets to sit at home for the first 2 weeks of the playoffs in games I like their chances in. But beware because an unfocused effort vs Taylor County would be bad news! Go Scotties!!! 12) Owensboro Catholic (2A) (8-1) – Week 10 Results: Win 63-24 vs 2A Butler County (1-8)! The Aces are just way yonder too much for Poor Ole’ Butler County! Drew Hartz is simply amazing and his stat line this week could be his most impressive considering the wet night! Aces Roll! Next up: vs 6A County Rival Apollo. This should be a terrific game! Just when you think Apollo should take a downward turn, they play their hearts out and take Daviess to the wire and likely shoulda/coulda won their game last week! While the Aces are pretty much hitting on all cylinders and have been since they left Rash Stadium back in September! It would be a Major Upset for OCATH not to make it to at least the 3rd round of the playoffs. From there, well we shall see… Carry on Aces!!! 13) Franklin Simpson (4A) (5-4) – Week 10 Results: Win 48-21 vs 4A District Mate Warren East. This was a much tougher game than the score implies, but such is a good hard fought district game! I have no stats for this one, but the Wildcats played much better in the second half. They will need a more focused effort next week against a much better opponent. Onward Wildcats! Next up: at 3A Old Foe Glasgow! Just a dandy of a game right here! Both teams playing really well! This game will really test the Franklin defense as it hasn’t been in quite a while (probably the 4th game of the season). Tanner Abernathy and company will present quite a challenge for Franklin. But this is what you need Wildcat fans, as the 3rd round of the playoffs could very likely be a team of Glasgow or better. Ramp up Wildcats!!! 14) Caldwell County (2A) (7-2) – Week 10 Results: BYE WEEK! The Tigers have to be sky high with this Bye Week getting some guys some needed rest/healing time, while sewing up the #2 spot in the District and a well-earned home playoff game!!! That’s always a big deal in my book! But the next game is the one you want to keep bragging rights when you walk into Hancock’s Neighborhood Market over off Commerce Street in Cadiz!!! Tell me that’s not a Big Deal!!! Next up: 139 Bowl at Nearby Rival 3A Trigg! This will be a hard hitting game as both teams want to win this game that means more than you know over in this part of the state! Trigg County started like a house-a-fire starting off the season. They were hit by the injury bug and really haven’t been able to get back to where they were earlier in the year! Caldwell is coming in HOT with a huge District win at Murray! I look for the Tigers to win this one, but don’t think Trigg won’t be playing hard all the way to the end! Good luck Tigers! 15) Daviess County (6A) (4-5) - Week 10 Results: Win 49-45 at 6A District Mate Apollo! This was a great game that Apollo led for most of the night! But Daviess just kept coming and never quit. Both teams combined had over 800 yards rushing! Neither team really stopped the other most of the night on the ground. You will see some Panthers later! Week 11: vs 4A Warren East. The Panthers are sitting in a good spot right now. The Ra-Ra-Raiders come into this one after a solid effort down in Franklin last week. I look for the Raiders to play tough, but Daviess County has a better weapon IMO in Star RB Shane Riley! But don’t underestimate East as they have some athletes who I think can give Daviess problems, but probably not enough to win. Prove me right Panthers!!! 16) Murray (2A) (6-3) – Week 10 Results – WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK – Loss 41-6 vs 2A District Rival Mayfield. More than the District loss is the likely loss of Star QB Hunter Utley to what may be a season ending wrist/hand injury! I hate that for the Tigers. But Murray just couldn’t get anything going in this one as evidence by Utley’s 4 for 14 line before he left the game and it was downhill from there! Next up: at 1A Fulton County. Great timing for Murray, but just like our good friend @BadaBing said, Murray needs to schedule some stronger competition before most are going to really take them seriously. Hey, I’m a big fan of Star RB Caleb Kimble and a revamped Pilots squad, but is this game really going to get Murray prepared for the first 2 games of the playoffs if they make it that far? You tell me… It just feels like the writing is on the wall for the Tigers this year! Ramp up Tigers! 17) Graves County (5A) (5-4) – Week 10 Results: Win 49-8 at 5A District Mate Muhlenberg County! Route! About 350 yards vs 130 yards for the Mustangs! QB John Brown and RB Clint McKee both play well for the Eagles who are playing well right now! On to the next victim… Next week: at 6A Marshall County. Is it round ball season yet Marshall Fans! Don’t worry; it soon will be! But can’t wait to watch my man Zion Harmon! Go Marshalls! Back to the business at hand; Eagles roll… 18) Greenwood (5A) (5-4) –Week 10 Results: Loss 36-0 vs 5A District Mate Bowling Green! You could see this one coming Gators fans! Purples playing really well right now. No shame there. Greenwood continues to play really hard, but with 2 stalwart programs in their district are the Gators looking at realignment and 2023 for change for them to be able to compete again in the playoffs? You tell me… Next week: at 4A John Hardin! Awe yes, the Bulldogs! Many old battles reverberate through my mind (2012 Playoffs is tops!!! BG wins on a hook and lateral when it wasn't a common thing and Nacarius Fant caught the 2 point conversion to steal one from the Bulldogs!) whenever I think about playing John Hardin! John Hardin just lost at home vs a 4-5 Spencer County club. I like the Gators in this one! Good luck Gators! 19) Crittenden County (1A) (7-2) – Week 10 Results – Win 21-14 vs. 1A District Mate Russellville! Good hard fought game here! The Rockets used a steady diet of Xander Tabor and Caden McAllister to keep control of the game, but Russellville has improved since the start of the season and they came to play and kept fighting to the end! But give the Rocket defense credit as they held when they needed it most! Nice work Rockets! Next up: vs 2A Todd County Central! A lot earlier in the year I would have felt this would be a tight game, but not now. The Rebels just look as lost as General George McClelland for the Union Army. I say the Rockets blast off in a big way in this one and really ramp up for the playoffs! Don’t look now but the Rockets seem a lock to make it to the 3rd Round of the playoffs! Do they have anything beyond Round 2? You tell me… Good luck Rockets! 20) Allen County-Scottsville (4A) (3-6) – Week 10 Results: Win 34-28 vs 4A District Mate Russell County! Sorry I don’t have any stats for this one. Maybe our good friend @DragonFire can fill us in, but no worries if you don’t know either! But the Patriots ensured a home playoff game! Congrats to them! That’s a big achievement with a 3 and 6 record! Next up: vs 2A Monroe County. This game feels a little like the old Rock-em’ – Sock-em’ fighters, where Allen County is the Red guy and Monroe is the Blue guy. Take your best shot guys! I got next!!! Good Luck Patriots! Week 10 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 13 for 13 (YES, that is PERFECTION!) for 225 yards and 5 TDs vs Hancock County. Add WR Hagan Edge with 5 catches for 1145 and 3 TDs! 2) Tyler Ezell – QB – Logan County – 13-30 for 193 yards and 6 TDs vs 2 INT vs Calloway County! Add RB Gary Hardy with 9 carries for 151 yards. Add WR Anthony Woodard with 6 catches for 152 yards and 5 TDs (WOW) and DB Brayton Baptiste with 2 INTs with one a 99 yard pick 6! Outstanding! 3) Jaden Stinson – QB – Mayfield – 11 for 19 for 245 yards and 3 TDs vs Murray! Add Star WR Kade Neely with 5 catches for 179 yards and all 3 Stinson TDs! 4) Gavin Wimsatt – QB – Owensboro – 9 for 17 for 236 yards and 3 TDs vs 1 INT vs Grayson County! 5) Shane Riley – RB – Daviess County – 26 carries for 257 yards and 2 TDs vs Apollo! Add RB Bryan Parm with 9 carries for 168 yards and 3 TDs! 6) Xander Tabor – RB – Crittenden County – 218 yards rushing vs Russellville! 7) Nolan Ford – QB – Warren East – 11 carries for 100 yard and 3 TDs vs Franklin-Simpson! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 10 “Teams Trending Down” McCracken County (6A) – Down – Everybody will take a loss now and again – right! It’s just that after a 25 game regular season district streak – when you do lose it is shocking! I felt the Mustangs were a comfortable 14 point favorite on the road. You easily had the 3 best players on the field from afar, yet Hendo just came out harder in the beginning of the game and took you a long time get going. You did get going, but I’m sure the power that be would really like that 4th and 1 back late in the game when the ball didn’t go to Star RB Bradley. But if you learn for that mistake (in my eyes anyway) and you use it to regroup and win in Week 2 of the playoff and get deep in that 3rd round game and know who to give the ball to in that game and win it… Then that is paying your dues right there Mustang fans! It’s a long road and sometimes you have to pay the toll! You paid it Friday night Mustangs! Onward! Murray (2A) – Down – The Tigers follow up a disappointing home loss to Caldwell County on Homecoming with a disappointing showing at War Memorial Stadium against stalwart Mayfield. But more so troubling is the fact that Star QB and Senior QB Hunter Utley is likely out for the season with a hand injury. Certainly hate that the young man was hurt and best wishes on his recovery. But what now Tigers? You have a winnable game vs Fulton County this week and then have to travel to Caldwell County again without your star QB. Are you done this year? Show me what you got Tigers!!! Teams “Trending Up” Henderson County (4A) – Up – The Colonels pulled out one of the most memorable wins of the season! And even though they lost their lead late in the game and were on the heels of stumbling last week at Daviess County, they came through and made some HUGE plays (4th and 10 inside a minute and converted the final TD from the 9 yard line!)! I am very happy for Coach Boston and company has they have worked very hard for this and it’s paying off for them. Onward Colonels! Daviess County (6A) – Up – Another Big Win for the Panthers! Even though Apollo played really, really well for the most of the game, the Panthers just would not give up and kept coming and finally overtook the Eagles with a late TD and really solidified their playoff chances (at least for the first 2 rounds). Very nice work Panthers! WESTERN KENTUCKY BULLETS: - Fort Campbell 28-0 over Ballard Memorial – Great Job Falcons! Congratulations on getting your first win of the season! - Edmonson County 13-0 over Clinton County – The Wildcats wouldn’t be denied and pulled out the shutout win and secured the District Title! Congratulations!!! - McLean County 34-13 over Hancock County – McLean County earns the First Round of the Playoffs Home Game! Great achievement! - Monroe County 35-12 over Warren Central – Congrats Monroe! Dragons, it’s getting late in the game! Only 1 more chance for a win this season and it’s against a Russellville Panthers squad that is playing their best ball right now! Good Luck Dragons! Disclaimer: My last Edition of the Year: Week 11 and Playoff Preview will likely be a day later than I typically post due to going to a lacrosse tournament with my daughter next weekend in Chicago! I hope I don’t get snowed in! Have a Great Week!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 2 Edition The top story line this week is chalk! Of the top 12 teams ranked last week, all won last week, but four. Graves County had a bye week. Hopkinsville and McCracken County both had losses to teams they were expected to lose to. And Owensboro took a very tough 10-8 home loss to gritty Evansville Central. It was a terrific week overall for the top teams in WKY! Disclaimer: I have attended 6 high school games the first 2 weekends. I’ve never done that before. It was a lot of fun though! Great competition in the early season! Western Kentucky Spotlight: Caverna Colonels – First Win in 37 Games! Huge win for the Colonels over Shawnee last Friday 51-0! The Colonels let the flood gates open since they hadn't won a game on the field since beating Fort Knox on October 16, 2015, a streak that spanned 37 games (their loss to Green County on August 24, 2018 was later credited as a win to the Colonels after Green used an ineligible player, but does that really count for the players?). It is a great thing when long losing streaks are broken! Way to go Colonels!!! Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week RECAP: Mayfield (2A) (2-0) 27 at Hopkinsville (4A) (1-1) 22 at the Stadium of Champions. Fantastic football game sports fans! Mayfield hit 3 big pass plays and 1 pick 6 and it was just enough. The Tigers battled really hard and made Mayfield earn every bit of it. Good showing for both teams, as both teams will learn from this one!!! WESTSIDER - Week 3 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: (Disclaimer 2: Westsider was a friend to this website and all sports in Western Kentucky. This is mentioned in honor of his memory as he loved this rivalry!) Mayfield 2A (2-0) travels to Paducah Tilghman 3A (2-0): I expect this OLD Rivalry to be extremely hard hitting and well played on both sides. Bragging rights at the local grocery store are on the line in the Purchase Area! The last time Tilghman beat Mayfield was back in 2005 (18-15 at Tilghman). I got to see the Blue Tornado’s this past week in Louisville and they are dangerous. They have solid lines and Damian Ford and Jayden Freeman can both take it to the house every time they touch the ball. Mayfield got a scare at Hoptown. I’m sure they will be focused this week in practice! Get out to the stadium early sports fans!!! Honorable Mention: Owensboro Catholic at Owensboro; Franklin Simpson at South Warren, Logan County at Warren East, McCracken County at Graves County, Caldwell County at Hopkinsville – Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 2 Top 10: 10) Graves County (5A) – Preseason Rank: 11 - 2019 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: BYE WEEK. Again, not a fan coming off a great emotion filled win against a fine Murray Tiger squad and then sitting out the next week, but play the schedule you got! Week 3: vs. McCracken County (0-2). The Mustangs are likely one of the best 0 and 2 teams out there. That may seem like a backhanded compliment, but I think they are a good team and I also think they will be fired up to play. You’ve been warned Eagles!!! 9) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 0-2; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Loss: 42-14 vs Bowling Green 5A (1-1). I don’t have any stats for this game, but know that in the first quarter the Mustangs were forcing 3 and outs and taking it to the Purples. Franklin Hayes is a terrific football player for the Mustangs and he played really well last Friday. McCracken had the ball in the red zone several time later in the game but simply couldn’t make the plays late. That is disheartening but I like the effort they came with. Big game next week! Week 3: at 5A Graves County (1-0). The ragged Mustangs travel across the Purchase Area to take on a rusty Graves County team that will not have played for 14 days when you meet them. Important game for the Mustangs. Good luck Mustangs! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 2-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 59-0 over 5A Muhlenberg County (0-2). Poor ole’ Muhlenberg County with flogging #2! Many play well for the Cougars and you will see one of them later! Week 3: at 4A scrappy Warren East (1-1). This is an interesting game as East is a dangerous team with some dangerous players. Yes, they were flattened by South, but a lot of people will be flattened by South. East flattened Russellville. So this should be a very entertaining game. Logan County would like to get this win to continue their nice momentum in this early part of the year. 7) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 1-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 2 Results: Loss: 10-8 vs Evansville Central, IN (1-1). No stats, but you can see the highlights here: Touchdown Live Game of the Week: Central at Owensboro Very good game! Just came up short on the final 2 point conversion! No time to rest now. Week 3: vs City Rival 2A Owensboro Catholic (2-0). This is always an intense game and I think the injuries Owensboro has sustained make this matchup within the Aces reach. With that said, if the Red Devils starters, most importantly the OL and DL guys step up, they should win this game. Who ya got? 6) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 2-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 50-21 vs 1A Louisville Holy Cross (1-1) at Louisville Central in the middle game of the Central BSN Bowl. I got to make this one and meet our good friend @TilghmanPride! Always great to put a name with a face considering the inherent knowledge of all our BGP guys. The Blue Tornados are a talented and dangerous team. RB Damien Ford and WR Jayden Freeman are really dangerous when they touch the ball. Ford took the opening kickoff to the house! And Freeman just ran by people for as long as I could take it on a hot afternoon! They also passed ok, but think it will be a different animal next Friday night! Week 3: WESTSIDER Western Kentucky Game of the Week vs 2A Mayfield (2-0). This game still means a lot over in the Purchase Area and I bet you didn’t know that it means a lot to the nation as well. How so? According to the MaxPreps TOP 50 All-Time Winningest High School Football Programs (Top 5

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 3 Edition The top story line this week is consistency in the Top 12 in the early season! Of the top 12 teams ranked last week, all won last week, but two and both of those played other teams in the Top 12! Paducah Tilghman lost to top ranked Mayfield and #10 Graves County lost at home to an explosive McCracken County squad. It was a terrific week overall for the top teams in WKY! WESTSIDER - Week 3 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: (Disclaimer 2: Westsider was a friend to this website and all sports in Western Kentucky. This is mentioned in honor of his memory as he loved this rivalry!) Mayfield 2A (3-0) 38 at Paducah Tilghman 3A (2-1) 20: Good first half by both teams and Mayfield led 21-14 at the half. Then Mayfield makes their adjustments and only give up 6 points in the second half while they put 17 on the board. But a very good game none the less. So the Mayfield win streak continues on to 14 years. Interesting to note that according to our good friend @Squirrel, the all-time record between these two teams is Mayfield 50-46 and 10 ties. Great rivalry still! For me personally, it is my Bowling Green vs Owensboro rivalry as they have played a long time (ironically, except this year). The attachment is WPSD out of Paducah who does a great job covering high school sports in the Purchase Area: 9/6 Gridiron Glory - Part 1 | | WPSD Local 6 Week 4 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: There are several pretty good games to choose from. I am going with 2 very solid teams that don’t get as much of the spotlight as they might deserve. So this week’s game of the week is: 2A Caldwell County (2-1) at 1A Crittenden County (3-0). These teams have a very good history even though Caldwell has had the better of things of late. With Caldwell dropping down to 2A this season and Crittenden having one of the larger 1A rosters in the state, could this the year the Rockets blast off and leave the Tigers in their dust? You tell me… Honorable Mention: McCracken County at Mayfield; Owensboro at Apollo, Franklin Simpson at Battle Ground Academy, TN; Paducah Tilghman at Graves County, and Logan County going across town to take on arch-rival Russellville. Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 3 Top 10: 10) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win 57-14 vs Monroe County (1-2). I don’t have stats for this game, but know Seniors Nick Mitchell and QB Tanner Abernathy led the way against Monroe County. The Scotties have a combined 148-27 through the first 3 wins this season! I see nothing stopping them until a very matchup with 5A South Warren on September 27! Here are some highlights: Football Friday Night: Monroe County Falcons vs Glasgow Scotties Week 4: at 4A Allen County Scottsville (0-3). Allen County has played 3 pretty good teams, but I don’t look for them to be able to stop the Nick Mitchell Show! Good luck to both teams! 9) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 1-2; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 65-26 at 5A Graves County (1-1). JR RB Hunter Bradley had a huge game in this one and you will see him later! BIG win for the Mustangs to change momentum for them. It’s tough to go to Mayfield anyway, but to go there with a 0-3 record is certainly harder! Week 4: at 2A Mayfield (3-0). The Mustangs are the only team to come into War Memorial Stadium and get a win since 2008 against Mayfield. Let that sink in a while! The Mustangs won at Mayfield back in 2015 in OT. That Mustang team only lost to Tilghman, Bowling Green and Central Hardin that year. Could this version of the Mustangs pull off that rare feat? Anything is possible, but to be honest their defense just isn’t in a position to challenge Mayfield at this time IMO. I’ve been wrong before though. And 65 points last week is impressive regardless of opponent. Good luck Mustangs! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 35-17 at 4A scrappy Warren East (1-2). This is a good win for the Cougars! The gained roughly 180 yards on the ground and 280 through the air. Stalwarts Tyler Ezell and RB Gary Hardy play well, but I’ve selected another Cougar for later on. Week 4: at Old Rival 1A Russellville (0-3). This is a rivalry game and not too long ago Russellville dominated it. But the past couple years have been the exact opposite once Coach Adler got to Logan County. I don’t see any way Russellville wins this game. Just too many solid weapons for the Cougars! Cougars continue to gain momentum when most of the 4A talk is on other rivals, could Logan County shock some people this year? You tell me… 7) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 2-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 36-7 vs Owensboro Catholic (2-1). No stats, but this game was dictated in the trenches with Owensboro fairly dominant in those areas. Add that to OCath missing some opportunities early to get more points on the scoreboard and a 4 TD game is what you get! Owensboro still has some very fine athletes. They just don’t have those top end ones anymore this season, but several others are getting opportunities to step up and last Friday they got it done! Week 4: at City Rival 6A Apollo (1-2). These two have had good games over the years with Apollo winning a memorable game back in 2017 with a really stout team. This year even with the brutal injuries the Red Devils have sustained, they seem to be playing markedly better than Apollo at this point in the season. Although, the Eagles have some nice pieces to work with and Coach Hawkins is a good coach, I just don’t see the Eagles getting the win here! In fact, the Red Devils start what should be a pretty easy stretch of games for them. What say you… 6) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 2-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Loss: 38-20 vs 2A Mayfield (3-0). Even in defeat Blue Tornado fans, you have to be encouraged with this outcome. Yes losing to your historic rival sucks and the 14 game losing streak is one that will stay in your craw until it goes away! BUT, you were only down 28-20 in the second half. Yes, I’m playing the moral victory card. Fact is, you can still make significant strides in your district and 3A! Carry on! Week 4: at 5A Graves County (1-1). Of all teams this year, I’ve likely given Graves County the most brushoff. Meaning I just didn’t feel coming into this season that they would set up to have a decent year. Am I wrong? Help prove me right Blue Tornados! 5) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 42-14 vs 2A Caldwell County (2-1). Hopkinsville continued it good play of late with a commanding victory on Friday night. QB Jay Bland, RB Jatorian Dillard and WR Reece Jesse for quite an offensive force to be reckoned with! You will see them later! All this and I don’t believe the Tigers defensive leader LB Eric Grubbs is back from injury yet! Week 4: at 6A Henderson County (3-0). Terrific Matchup here! Hoptown travels up the Pennyrile Parkway to take on an undefeated Colonels team that has been tested by 2 pretty solid Evansville, IN teams. While I applaud that work by Hendo, I don’t think they’ve seen anywhere near the level of athleticism they will see this Friday night! Plan to make the trip Tiger Fans and support your team! 4) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 3-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 52-15 vs 6A Daviess County (0-3). The Maroons rolled in their home opener and never gave Daviess County any chance in this one! Star RB Jeriah Hightower had a tremendous game and you’ll see him later! Madisonville seems to be hitting on all cylinders with the defense only giving up 21 points in 3 games (albeit not to a murders row)! Here’s some highlights: Touchdown Live Week 3: Daviess County vs Madisonville Week 4: at 5A Christian County (0-3). The Colonels are certainly down this year and with the Maroons flying so high, it would be a real upset to see anything other than a dominating Maroon win here! 3) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 56-0 at 4A Old Foe Warren Central (0-3). As expected, BG won this game with no doubt. But I am most encouraged with some early personnel positioning, which clearly will help the Purples down the road! Add to that the defense is play very well at the moment, as evidenced to holding Central (who put up 42 points the week before) to 0 points and seeing McCracken County put up 65 this week, when they only scored 14 on BG! Well done defense! Week 4: vs 6A Pleasure Ridge Park (1-2). PRP is way down from their team that beat BG 35-21 up in Louisville back in 2017. I could easily see PRP only winning 1 more game all season (Western). With that said, I look for the Purples to be ramping up getting ready for a very tough stretch of games that starts with 6A St Xavier on September 20, 2019. 2) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 41-14 vs 4A Franklin Simpson (0-3). The Spartans didn’t come out very strong in this game. But they made solid adjustments at halftime and didn’t allow Franklin to score after the break. Again, the Spartans OLine was a huge factor in this game allow QB Caden Veltcamp plenty of time select his offensive option. I don’t have any stats, but again if you don’t have an OL or DL that can challenge Souths, you are going to be in for a long day. Week 4: vs. 4A Warren Central (0-3). This game will be as lopsided as Central’s last, but I think they will start to move into a stretch of games where they can compete and I hope they get a win! Spartans Big!!! 1) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 38-20 at 3A Paducah Tilghman (2-1). In the video above, if you watch it all, you will see Coach Joe Morris speaking about this game where he confirms what we though. Mayfield used a focused week of practice to get ready for this game and then came out and executed accordingly. Give Tilghman credit for competing, but Mayfield’s halftime defensive adjustments and consistent offensive effort won the day for their 14th straight win in this series! Great work from the Mayfield Cardinals, but none-more-so than outstanding SR QB Jayden Stinson! Week 4: vs 6A McCracken County (1-2). The Mustangs of McCracken County come calling next week on the heels of their best performance of the year putting up 65 point on Graves County! I look for the Mustangs to be able to move the ball early, but what about after the Mayfield adjustments? It will become more difficult. The difference is likely the Mayfield offense who should be hard to stop again! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Greenwood (5A) –Week 3 Results: Win 22-19 vs Allen County-Scottsville. The Gators just keep chomping! While this one suggests they have come down to earth a bit, when you earn a win on Friday Night that beats the alternative! Greenwood hasn’t started a season 3 and 0 since 2016! Great work! Here are some highlights: Football Friday Night: Allen County-Scottsville vs Greenwood Next week: vs 4A Warren East. Greenwood has a good chance to go 4 and 0! 12) Graves County (5A) –Week 3 Results: Loss 65-26 vs McCracken County! Looks like the Graves County defense didn’t get the message to show up Friday night, as McCracken County gained over 440 yards on the ground! Next week: vs 3A Paducah Tilghman! If McCracken County can rush for 440, how many can the high powered running backs for Tilghman earn? We’ll see… 13) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Week 3 Results: Loss 36-7 at 5A Owensboro. Team Air Raid was brought back to earth thanks to the a couple things. First QB Drew Hartz didn’t throw a pass. SO WR Braden Munday stepped under center for the Aces and gave it his all, but that’s a tough spot to be in. Second, the Red Devil defense flexed their muscles and along with their OLine controlled this game. But I’m not down on the Aces, but would like to know that status of Mr. Hartz! Next up: A trip across the river to take on South Spenser, Indiana (0-3). This is probably what the doctor ordered as I see the Aces winning big in this one! 14) Franklin Simpson (4A) – Week 3 Results: Loss 41-14 vs 5A South Warren. I think Franklin put in another good effort here. It’s simply South Warren is a fine football team and they have a heck of an offensive line to bolster their attack and likely just wore the Wildcats down! The good news for the Wildcats is they won’t face another team like these first 3 after next week! Unfortunately, you have to travel to face a very tough opponent next week. Next up: at Battle Ground Academy, TN. The undefeated Wildcats will host Franklin’s Wildcats. BGA is ranked #12 in Tennessee and around 600 in the nation according to MaxPreps! But all is not lost in the world of 4A. The Wildcats are still the favorite in their district and that should get them to the 3rd round of the playoffs. Beyond that, they have to improve quite a bit from here, but I know they can! Hang in Wildcats! 15) Caldwell County (3A) – Week 3 Results: Loss 42-14 at 4A Hopkinsville. Cheer up Caldwell fans, Hopkinsville is a really good team this year. Their level of athleticism is very hard to match up with. Shake it off and keep going! Next up: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK: at 1A Crittenden County. This has been a good matchup over the years and Crittenden County could be catching the Tigers at a good time for them. Caldwell will have to play very well to come home with a win! Should be a great game! 16) Trigg County (3A) – Week 3 Results: Wildcats drained the Lakers on Friday Night – Trigg County 57 Calloway County 7. Complete mismatch in this game! SR QB Cameron Jordan had a game for the ages! You will see his stats below! Through the first 3 weeks Trigg has scored 148 vs only 21. That’s getting out of the gate in style! After next week, they will hit the teeth of their schedule where they host a very solid Murray team and then start with district Stalwart Paducah Tilghman in what should be two lively games! Next up: over to Barlow for a matchup with the Bomber of Ballard Memorial (0-2)! I look for the Cam Jordan arsenal to continue to be unleased next week! Go Wildcats! 17) Crittenden County (1A) – Week 3 Results – Win 50-6 at Ballard Memorial. The Rockets earned the running clock early in the second quarter, as this one was over early. Next up: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK: vs 2A Caldwell County (2-1). This will be the home opener for the Rockets and I predict a big crowd on Friday Night. It will be needed as Caldwell County will easily be the most difficult opponent Crittenden has played this season. But should be a great game! 18) Henderson County (6A) – Week 3 Results – 26-14 Win vs Christian County. Terrific Win for Hendo! They led 20-7 at halftime and never looked back! Solid season for Henderson thus far. Here are some highlights: Touchdown Live Week 3: Christian County vs Henderson County Next up: Home vs 4A Hopkinsville. This will be a HUGE step up in speed and athleticism for Hendo, but that will be good for them to get tested before district play starts! Good luck! 19) Murray (2A) – Week 3 Results – Win 58-7 vs Marshall County. Tigers roll all over the Marshalls! QB Hunter Utley had a monster game and you’ll see him in just a minute! Murray playing strong ball this year! Next up: At 3A Union County (2-1). This Union County team is dangerous and playing in Morganfield should set up a good test for Murray! I like Murry by a TD in this game!!! 20) Todd County Central (2A) – Week 3 Results: Win 51-27 vs 2A Fort Campbell. The Rebels finally get back on the field again after a bizarre No Referee game last week that is still “under administrative review”. Strong RB JaTwan Graham likely had a big game on Friday night! Next: vs 4A Hopkins County Central. This game should be to the Rebels liking! I like Todd County Central by at least 2 TDs in this one! Week 3 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Cameron Jordan – QB – Trigg County – 12 for 18 for 246 yards and 4 TDs; Plus 15 rushes for 99 yards and 2 more TDs! Great Job! 2) Hunter Bradley – RB – McCracken County – 28 rushes for 328 yards and 5 TDs vs Graves County! 3) Anthony Woodard – WR – Logan County – 8 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs vs Warren East! 4) Jay Bland – QB – Hopkinsville – 17 for 27 for 264 yards and 4 TDs vs Caldwell County! Add ultra-talented WR Reece Jesse who had 12 catches for 210 yards and 3 TDs! 5) Hunter Utley - QB – Murray – 19 for 21 for 280 yards and 6 TDs vs Marshall County! 6) Jeriah Hightower – RB – Madisonville NH - 18 carries for 284 yards and 5 TDs vs Daviess County! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 3 “Teams Trending Down” Graves County (5A) – Down – It was really the score in this one for me. Graves lost 65-26 at home to McCracken County. We didn’t have a ton of losses at the top this week so the Eagles end up here! What can they do against Tilghman if the Mustangs rolled up over 400 yards rushing? You tell me… Apollo (6A) – Down – Not trying to kick a team when they are down, but it’s been a tough couple weeks for the Eagles. And the schedule turns from bad to worse at least for the next month! Wow! Chin up Eagles! Teams “Trending Up” Butler County (2A) – Up – The Bears have been in hibernation since the King Rex Henderson days which ended back in 2016. And believe it or not, they hadn’t won a single game since. That is until last Friday Night when Butler County stopped Russellville 20-15 to end a 2 season long drought! And as tradition would have it; the Bears were led by another Henderson! SO QB Jagger Henderson completed 9 of 14 passes for 145 yards and 2 critical TDs! Way to go Bears! McCracken County (6A) – Up – The Graves County win was a critical one for the Mustangs as going to War Memorial Stadium (Mayfield’s home stadium) being 0 and 3 is a poor idea! But after getting beat by 4 vs Tilghman and 4 TDs by BG, this was an early gut check call for Coach Clark’s team! And to put up 65 points against a 5A club that wanted/needed the win every bit as much as you did speaks volumes! Nice work Mustangs! Trigg County (3A) – Up – Through 3 games the Wildcats star SR QB Cameron Jordan has passed for over 500 yards and 7 TDs and rushed for over 300 yards and another 8 TDs on the year! While their schedule is due to ratchet up after next week, these Wildcats have come out impressively in 2019!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 4 Edition The top story line this week is the opposite of the opening 2 Fridays of the season! The first 2 weeks have been chalk with higher ranked teams, specifically the Top 12, all winning! But this week the #1 and #5 teams were beaten by the #9 and #18 teams! SO, that’s a big deal! And the results of that can be felt throughout the Top 20! Week 4 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 2A Caldwell County (3-1) 36 at 1A Crittenden County (3-1) 14. An enormous crowd gathered for the home opener for the Rockets! But those home town fans never got going as Caldwell County used great field position to score 5 unanswered first half TDs before the Rockets knew what hit them! Great effort for Caldwell County! Crittenden just couldn’t get it going at all on Friday night! Disclaimer: I have always held this distinction for Week 3 for the Bowling Green vs Owensboro game. With the classification realignment, that’s not possible at this time. So I’d like to focus on another significant Bowling Green game that I know our good friend PurpleHaze would have loved. I know of no other, who combined a love for playing the game, watching the game, researching the history of the game and supporting all others who do the same with the zeal that my friend Michael “Bulldog” Drake (aka. PurpleHaze) did. He was a friend to BGP and to so many on this site and the entire Western part of the State. This week we honor his memory here, as he absolutely loved this game! Also want to make sure this year that @MrsPurpleHaze knows about it as well! Week 5 PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Bowling Green 5A (3-1) vs St Xavier 6A (3-1). I know both of these teams would have liked to have been 4 and 0 going into this game. But the game has a way of humbling you. And I firmly believe that it’s how you assimilate the information from any loss that put good teams on the road to being great! The team that wins this game will be in the right frame of mind going forward and the one that losses will be on gut-check watch, as St X will face arch-rival Trinity and BG will travel to Corbin before traveling to South Warren! Wow! The season is officially serious now! Honorable Mention: South Warren at Louisville Central; Hopkinsville at Christian County; Greenwood at Logan County; Graves County at Mayfield; Murray at Trigg County. Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 4 Top 10: 10) Henderson County (6A) – Preseason Rank: Not Ranked - 2019 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 28-13 vs 4A Hopkinsville (3-1). Our good friend @Brown was spot on with his assessment of Henderson County and called a close win this week! Henderson County pulled off a huge Homecoming win to start 4 and 0 for the first time since 2005. Coach Boston has done an outstanding job with this squad. They had 2 secondary starters out with injury and rotated multiple players in to keep them fresh to chase star WR Jesse. This was huge as Hoptown threw for a record 44 times on Friday. QB Sam Elliot was super and WR Edmond Brooks had a big game for the Colonel offense. Just a big win! Week 5: at 4A Anderson County (2-2). Long bus ride for the Colonels (3 hours). Anderson was projected to have a good season and opened with 2 wins but followed that up with 2 losses. So hoping the Colonels can get to 5 and 0! Good Luck Hendo! 9) Glasgow (3A) – Preseason Rank: 12 - 2019 Record 4-0; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win 50-7 at Allen County-Scottsville (0-4). Thanks to our good friend @Tkinslow who reported on this game that went to a running clock with about 7 minutes left to go in the 4th Quarter. Glasgow’s offense is scary good. Their defense if good to, but largely untested. Week 5: vs 3A Hart County (3-1). Hart County lost to Monroe by 18 points. Glasgow just beat Monroe County by 43 points! This game is at Glasgow. The Ra-Ra-Raiders are in for some pain on Friday Night! But no injuries I hope! Scotties Roll! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 4-0; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 55-28 at 1A Rival Russellville (0-4). This rivalry matchup came down to rushing the ball. Logan County could and did roll up nearly 360 yards on the ground, while Russellville could not and only earned around 10 yards on the night! Wow. Stalwarts Tyler Ezell and RB Gary Hardy play well as usual for Logan County. Week 5: vs surprising 5A Greenwood (4-0). This is a sneaky good game right here. Before the season I would have said Logan County rolls in this game, but now I think Greenwood has earned a punchers chance in this game. And while I fully expect Logan County to win at home, Greenwood has surprised me every step of the way this year! Will that continue? You tell me… 7) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 3-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 46-0 vs Owensboro Apollo (1-3). No stats, but I feel bad for Apollo as the schedule seems very daunting for them. For the Red Devils, this is a dangerous team. They have plenty of athletes and should be well rested come Week 3 of the Playoffs. Do they have the offense then to win a game of that magnitude? I’m not sure, but their talented young QB gets from now till then to gain more game experience, which is the only thing he needs. But I clearly think the better team’s defenses will load the box on O and make the young QB beat them. This team will continue to improve. Should they be higher up this list? You tell me… But you can’t hit a nail with melba toast and drive into a tough piece of wood… Week 5: at County Rival 6A Daviess County (1-3). Daviess County should have given the Red Devils a game last year. Now with all the talent that departed Panther Nation, I just don’t see any way Daviess gets a win in this game without significant turnovers. What say you… 6) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 3-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 34-13 at 5A Graves County (1-2). Paducah Tilghman just did what they do and that’s run the football effectively! They had over 370 yards on the ground. The passing game continues to be a work in progress, but adding an additional QB who you can go to if needed is surely a good thing. This game had some reportedly crazy aspects concerning the referees, who seemly didn’t know what to call on several occasions resulting in large breaks between plays. Is this a result of not having enough quality referee to start with? I think so. Week 5: vs 4A Calloway County (0-4). Poor ole’ Lakers; just can’t seem to get a break! And now, here comes the Blue Tornados. Just too many weapons for Paducah in this one! Tilghman rolls! 5) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Loss: 45-35 vs 6A McCracken County (1-3). Whoa Nelly – Sports fans! This one surprises many, except a few die-hard Mustang fans! WPSD out of Paducah does a really good job covering football out west; here’s some video of this game and the Paducah vs Graves game too! 9/13 Gridiron Glory - Part 1 | | WPSD Local 6 Some of the holes that Mayfield fans have been hinting out we seen last Friday night. Can they be fixed? I think so! It’s not all doom and gloom Cardinal fans as you are 80 and 2 at home since the start of the 2009 season! WOW! Time to refocus! Week 5: vs 5A Graves County (1-2). Mayfield hasn’t lost to Graves County since a 28-12 setback in 2008. Look for that streak to continue! It’s as simple as that. 4) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 2-2; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 45-35 at 2A Mayfield (3-1). What a win Mustang Fans! I love how McCracken County opens with a play action bomb the first play of the game resulting in a TD! You can’t go to Mayfield and come out with rudimentary offense and defense and expect to win. That hasn’t worked 80 times out of 82! But this week SR QB Elijah Wheat to SR WR Franklin Hayes was a combination Coach Clark and the Mustangs had to feel confident in and they used it to their advantage! I’ve said it before that over in the Purchase Area (the area roughly west of Interstate 24 in the Western Part of the State) classification numbers don’t mean as much. That’s primarily because Mayfield has ruled the roost with an iron fist for decades! McCracken County has been the only team to win at Mayfield in roughly 11 years! Impressive (for both really)! Week 5: at 5A Marshall County (2-2). With their 3 toughest games of the non-district regular season behind them, the Mustangs should be able gain significant traction here and ramp up to the district season! This is a solid team and they are still the favorite in 6A District 1. But the Mustang at Henderson County game is my leading contender for Game of the Week in the West on October 25, 2019! Great Job & Good luck Mustangs! 3) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 4-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 25-15 at gritty 5A Christian County (0-4). SR QB Hayden Reynolds and SR RB Jeriah Hightower with 264 yards and 2 TDs both play well. When you play Christian County this year, it is a defense first, second and third approach. So 25 points is roughly what they average giving up on the season. Two teams headed in the opposite direction I’m afraid. As our good friend @macdon said: It’s Madisonville’s year! Week 5: vs 2A Ballard Memorial (0-3). Need to switch this game out Maroons. You’re above this one for sure! With that said, the Bombers are really going to get bombed in this one!!! Great game for the Maroons to get the guys who will be called to lead this team next year A LOT of snaps next Friday! 2) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 3-1; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 56-0 vs 6A Pleasure Ridge Park (1-3). PRP beat BG in 2017 in a game they led start to finish. But that PRP team is LONG gone! The one that showed up at the El left flattened! BG playing well right now and it is needed, but some of that is a reflection of the competition. QB Conner Cooper, RB Javy Bunton and WRs Dez Wilson and Jordan Dingle lead the offense, while S Vito Tisdale and DT Terrion Thompson lead the defense! Now the real work begins! Week 5: PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week vs 6A St Xavier (3-1). These teams have played some memorable games over the years, but maybe none more memorable they last year when long time BG Coach Kevin Wallace steps down at BG and accepts the Head Coaching position at St Xavier. That game showed X outplaying BG in the first half and leading the Purples. But BG used a steady diet of Vito Tisdale running the ball to come back to tie St X and push it to overtime. BG held X in the opening OT possession and kicked a FG to win 24-21. I’m honestly not sure what to expect in this game other than a hard hitting well-played game where BG tests the X secondary and X tries to establish the run. Will Vito get a shot to carry the ball? Who wins? You tell me… 1) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 4-0; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 53-14 vs 4A Warren Central (0-4). Another game; another Spartans win! The Spartans have a very solid team, but how good are they? Will we know before they play BG? I don’t think so. I don’t have any stats for this one, but it’s clear the Spartans dominated this game. I hope now the Dragons can get to a part of their season to get win! Good luck Dragons! Week 5: at 4A Louisville Central (1-3). The Yellow Jackets play anybody! They aren’t scared to schedule anyone. They have only played Jefferson County 6A teams this year, except for the sacrificial lamb Iroquois. So South won’t intimidate Central. These 2 have played in the relatively recent past with Central knocking South out of the 2014 4A State Semifinals 16 to 14! I look for South to win, but not win big! What say you? Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 2-2; District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Loss: 28-13 at 6A Henderson County (3-1). I didn’t foresee this outcome plain and simple. But if you’re a Hoptown fan, it’s better to know it now than in a district game. The score doesn’t tell the whole tale of this one. Hoptown entered the Red Zone 3 times on Friday and came away with no points! That’s Huge! Additionally, Hoptown ran the ball 8 times and passed it 45 times. That seems extra unbalanced to me. You don’t have to be a power run team, but need some running attack against the better teams on your schedule. Rise up Tigers! Week 5: at Rival 5A Christian County (0-4). Not too long ago Christian County was the favorite in this great Western Kentucky Rivalry! Now Hoptown is! And while I know Christian County will play their best game, Hoptowns top shelf athletes should be the difference! But make no mistake, this is Christian County’s Super Bowl this season right now! So Hoptown needs to refocus and play their best game Friday Night as County will come to play! Plan to show up Tiger Fans and support your team! 12) Greenwood (5A) –Week 4 Results: Win 22-13 vs 4A Warren East. The Gators just keep chomping! The Gators rolled up over 370 yards on the night to take care of the Ra-Ra-Raiders! RB Reed Sloan is have a great season for Greenwood! You’ll see him later! Greenwood hasn’t started a season 4 and 0 since 2012! Great work! Here are some highlights: Football Friday Night: Greenwood vs Warren East Next week: at 4A Logan County. Greenwood will have their work cut out for them is this battle of undefeated team! Good luck! 13) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Week 4 Results: Loss 36-7 at 5A Owensboro. Team Air Raid busted back out last Friday north of the Ohio River! QB Drew Hartz played great again throwing TDs to 4 different WRs. You will see him later! And Christopher Boarman continues a long line of tradition excelling in the Aces defensive ranks with 17 tackles including 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks on the night! Next up: A home game vs lowly Hopkins County Central before the district opener at surprising Todd County Central in what should be a very entertaining game! 14) Graves County (5A) –Week 4 Results: Loss 34-13 vs Paducah Tilghman! The Eagle defense just doesn’t have the feathers this year to stop many high powered offenses. McCracken gained over 440 yards on the ground while Tilghman rolled up over 370 yards on the ground. And now isn’t the best week to be traveling to Mayfield! Very unlikely to get that win, but the seas will calm down considerably once district play starts, except for Owensboro, who appears from afar to be beyond Graves County’s reach! Chin up Eagles! 15) Caldwell County (3A) – Week 4 Results: Win 36-14 at 1A Crittenden County. The Tigers drove up to Marion and took a very big home crowd out of the game from the beginning! QB Russ Beshear, RB DeEric Hollowell and the rest of the Tiger offense have played awfully well this season! They are a really solid team! Next up: a crappy Union County squad comes calling. This should be a good game. I expect Caldwell to win, but only by about a TD. This will be a good primer game before district play starts in 2 weeks! 16) Trigg County (3A) – Week 4 Results: Win 46-8 at 2A Ballard Memorial. I don’t have any stats here, but feel the Wildcats continued their impressive journey this 2019 season! NOW it gets interesting! New up: The Murray Tiger come to Cadiz! This will be a terrific game as both these teams have had terrific starts to the season! The one who can get this win will set their district slate up on a high note! Go Wildcats! 17) Franklin Simpson (4A) – Week 4 Results: Loss 35-16 at Tennessee Power Battle Ground Academy. I think Franklin put in another good effort here. Franklin Fans, I don’t think there are 16 better teams than you in the West, but due to the turmoil this week, this is just the where your ping pong ball ended in this week’s draft. And 0 and 4 is 0 and 4 even against very solid teams! Better Days ahead! Next up: vs Old Rival Russellville. As our good friend @macdon stated that this will be the first time Franklin and Russellville will play where they are both winless. But it’s clear to me that Franklin will get their first win this coming Friday night! Hang in Wildcats! 18) Murray (2A) – Week 4 Results – Win 21-7 at Union County. This is a good win as Union County is no pushover up in Morganfield! No Stats, but QB Hunter Utley and squad are off to a great start in 2019! Next up: At 3A Trigg County. This will be a great game to tell us where each team is! Both will be heading into district play after this game! I’m not sure who the favorite is. You tell me… 19) Todd County Central (2A) – Week 4 Results: Win 60-34 vs 4A Hopkins County Central. The Rebels rolled up 60 points mostly on the ground and overwhelmed the Storm! Next: vs 1A Caverna. Poor Ole’ Caverna does come into this game with a win to their credit, which isn’t something they could always say! This game sets up the district clash with District Favorite Owensboro Catholic! Good luck Rebels! 20) Grayson County (5A) – Week 4 Results – Win 22-14 at Fort Campbell! Welcome to the Top 20 Cougars!!! Grayson County is 4 and 0 this year! Congratulations on that accomplishment to Coach Smart and team! They have not played a challenging schedule but have won the games in front of them. They are in the 5A district with Owensboro and other than the Red Devils should have a good chance to beat the rest. Good luck! Next up: at 5A Breckinridge County. The Fighting Tigers are 3 and 1 so this district opener for the Cougars will be telling. I like Grayson County to pull this one out! Good luck! Week 4 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Sam Elliott – QB – Henderson County – 211 yards passing with 2 TDs! Add WR Edmond Brooks with 5 catches for 115 and 1 TD vs Hoptown! Great Job! 2) Reed Sloan – RB – Greenwood – 18 rushes for 206 yards and 2 TDs, plus 1 catch for 28 yards and another TD vs Warren East! 3) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 14 for 22 for 279 yards and 4 TDs vs South Spencer, IN! 4) Adrian Stringer – QB – Hopkins County Central – 28 for 46 for 436 yards and 5 TDs vs Todd County Central! Add undervalued WR Blasin Moore who had 12 catches for 237 yards and all 5 Storm TDs! 5) Tyler Ezell - QB – Logan County – 12 for 16 for 126 yards and 4 TDs vs Russellville! 6) Jayden Freeman – RB – Paducah Tilghman - 19 carries for 280 yards and 4 TDs vs Graves County! Add standout LB Anton Jones with a team leading 12 tackles! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 4 “Teams Trending Down” Mayfield (2A) – Down – Look – everybody is “allowed” to lose. But when you are 80 and 1 at home in roughly 11 years, when you do lose it is shocking. Does Mayfield need to make some adjustments? Sure. Are they still the favorite in 2A? Yes, I think so, but others may not fear them as much now. Just the mental part of the game! Mayfield has one of the best coaching staffs in the state and I look for them to run the table in their remaining home games and head into the playoffs very strong as usual! Hopkinsville (4A) – Down – The Tigers were flying pretty high coming into the Henderson County game. But this loss spotlighted the fact that Hoptown is having trouble running the ball. So now teams are loading the box and doubling Reece Jesse and saying beat us with this defensive package. Now it is Hoptown’s turn to add adjustments/wrinkles to move forward. With the rivalry game with Christian County coming up, a defensive battle is brewing! Good luck Tigers! Teams “Trending Up” McCracken County (6A) – Up – I love the positive vibe Coach Clark keeps within this team. And I love the aggressive offensive strategy they play with. It merits repeat that they are the only team in 82 Mayfield home games to come away with a win. In the far Western part of the state, that holds great significance! The Mustangs are now set up to start rolling with a district championship as their usual goal! Go Mustangs!!! Henderson County (6A) – Up – Coach Boston has done a really nice job over in Henderson revamping this team that has had success on the non-Jefferson County 6A perspective. I think that is really admirable! To win by 2 TDs vs a team that likely is more athletic than you are and to do so when you are missing 2 secondary starters if remarkable! The Colonels should have significant momentum now to head into their district slate of games looking to challenge for a District Championship! Good Luck Colonels!

BluegrassPreps 2019 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 1 Edition Well I hope you had a great opening weekend to the 2019 Kentucky High School football season and hope you got to go see some of your favorite team’s 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 Perfect Weather! I can’t remember a year where the weather was this good on opening weekend! If you didn’t go out to a game this weekend, it’s on you because it was great events and the 3 games I saw were packed! Well the great (and leveling) thing about August is that it brings a completely NEW season and circumstances to ALL teams. And as we saw this weekend, ALL our teams have changed, but the anticipation for next week remains, whether you are looking to make big time adjustments and get your first win or to build on your Week 1 success! The season is Officially Underway! Get out to a game this week sports fans! Disclaimer: I went to 3 games (Manual v Central, South Warren v Butler and BG vs Father Ryan), smoked 30 lbs. of pulled pork, flipped 100 burgers and 80 hot dogs at my daughter Lacrosse Picnic! So that necessitates a bullet round this week. You will get targeted info and we’ll move on! Week 1 Games of the Week: CAN I PICK’EM OR WHAT!!! #7 Paducah Tilghman 47 at #9 McCracken County 43 - This was a terrific game with Tilghman going up 2 early scores only to see McCracken get it really going in the 2nd quarter and lead at the break. But as last season’s game produced a dominant run game for Tilghman, the Blue Tornados ramped up the rushing and outlasted their county neighbors in a great way to start the season for Tilghman. Even though McCracken didn’t win this game, I am still very encouraged by their effort. Remember they were stomped last year 35-6. They had much more fire this year! Good for them! Great game to both teams!!! #11 Graves County (5A) 38 at #13 Murray (2A) 35 – What a ballgame! Murray battled back late in this game after being down the whole second half and had the ball inside the Graves County 1 yard line with 3 minutes to go. And on 3rd and goal, the RB fumbled the ball. Graves recovered and that finished the terrific ball game. These are 2 teams to keep an eye on. But just a classic Purchase Area battle! Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Mayfield (2A) (1-0) at Hopkinsville (4A) (1-0) at the Stadium of Champions next Friday Night. Dynamite game right here sports fans! The Mayfield Cardinals got out of the 2019 gates in fine fashion disposing of the TN vaunted Lausanne Collegiate squad from Memphis last Friday night. They will now trek over to Hoptown for a battle with the confident Tigers. Hoptown erased some scrimmage irregularities and won at Kenwood TN by 2 scores. The ball will be in the air a lot I’m predicting Friday Night! Mayfield will travel well in this one! Pick up some Woodshed Barbeque is you have time!!! Honorable Mention: Owensboro vs Evansville Central, Indiana and Bowling Green at McCracken County – Great games here folks! Week 1 Top 10: 10) Graves County (5A) – Preseason Rank: 11 - 2019 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 38-35 vs 2A Murray (0-1). So it doesn’t hurt to have a little luck! Murray fumbled late in the 4th quarter inside the Graves County 1 yard line with the game at 38 Graves to 35 Murray! Bend but don’t break Eagles! I thought this would be a great game and it was. Great win to start the year Eagles! And QB John Brown, is a player to join Cody Goatley! You’ll see Mr. Brown later! Week 2: BYE Week. Not a fan coming off a great emotion filled win and then sitting out the next week, but hey you can come see my Purples play your next opponent McCracken County this Friday night! 9) McCracken County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2019 Record 0-1; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Loss: 47-43 vs County Rival 3A Paducah Tilghman (1-0). I chose to keep McCracken still on #9 this week due to the fact they have improved IMO from last year and played Tilghman, who is a tough opponent well, even in defeat. Add that to the fact there is a lot of turmoil in the polls this week. No McCracken stats, but I’m impressed by this effort and score for the Mustangs! Week 2: vs Bowling Green (0-1). Well the Purples limp down 68-80 after suffering an opening week loss to Father Ryan. I’d say they would upset by that. But McCracken put up 43 points last week and BG only put up 21. Will be in interesting game! If I can schedule some work around the Purchase next week, I may try to sneak down for the game. Good luck Mustangs! I like Coach Clark’s team! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 10 - 2019 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 55-20 over 2A Butler County (0-1). Poor ole’ Butler County never saw what hit them! And unfortunately for them, Rex Henderson ain’t walkin through that door! Logan County came out and did what they needed to do in order to check the box for this one. Many play well for the Cougars and you will see some of them later! Week 2: vs 5A Muhlenberg County (0-1). The car Muhlenberg County is drivin after getting tomahawked vs Trigg County 40-0 looks like the car John Candy and Steve Martin drove in Planes, Trains & Automobiles! Another week another meat grinder for the Mustangs!!! 7) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2019 Record 1-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 42-0 over 5A Breckinridge County (0-1). Really good team against a team that won’t make the playoffs. Comin right down the middle of the road with that one! No stats, but not sure you need them here. Week 2: vs Evansville Central, IN (0-1). The Bears went on the road last Friday to Terra Haute South Vigo and came home with a loss 28-12. So the Bears will want to turn things around in Owensboro on Friday. This will be a big test for O I think. Let’s see what you got Red Devils! Let’s Go O! Beat the Hoosiers!!! 6) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2019 Record 1-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 47-43 at 6A McCracken County (0-1). Every year you start the season with a new team and you think you know what will happen but until you get it done with the new guys you really don’t know. I’m sure there was some of that for the Blue Tornados, but I was impressed with how they took McCracken’s punch in the 2nd Quarter and responded by handling McCracken in the second half largely on their potent ground game! RB Damian Ford had a big night! You’ll see him later. Week 2: vs Holy Cross (Louisville) at Louisville Central as part of the Central BSN Bowl. This should be an entertaining game. Tilghman will have to make the 4+ hour trip over to Louisville to play a team from Louisville who trucked poor ole’ Green County 37-ZIP! While I think it could be a good game, I think Tilghman wears the Cougars down and their speed will be the difference in the game. 5) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2019 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 35-21 vs Kenwood, TN (0-1). I don’t have much on this game, but think this is a solid win for the Tigers after struggling in the Todd County Central scrimmage. Big Test Coming… Week 2: Western Kentucky Game of the Week: vs 2A Power Mayfield (1-0). A very tough opponent for the Tigers here, but that’s why you play! Suit up and give it your best Hoptown! Good luck Tigers! 4) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2019 Record 1-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 41-0 at 3A Union County (0-1). Madisonville has lost to Union County two straight years in head-scratching fashion. But not this year! The Maroons drove up Route 56 and took care of business this year! What did surprise me – you ask? Of the 540 yards Madisonville rolled up, 380 were passing yards! While this doesn’t totally surprise me considering I saw them in the Hoptown 7v7 and they were awesome Day 1, I’ve always associated Madisonville as a run team. If you now add this TOUGH passing component into their offense – LOOK OUT! Oh and Union County only earned 114 yards on the night! I see ya Maroons!!! If Union County was a tougher team I would have moved you to 3! Week 2: at 6A Marshall County (1-0). The Marshalls blew the doors off poor ole’ Ballard Memorial last week. But the Maroons are another animal. I look for Madisonville to take a couple series to get going due to the 1.5 hour bus ride over, but once they get it going Marshall County won’t be able to stop them. 3) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2019 Record 0-1; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Loss: 24-21 vs Father Ryan, TN (1-0). Well that sucked Purples fans. I want to open by saying I think Father Ryan is a good football team. Their Oline was big and rugged. Their RB played very well and their QB will be playing at a Power 5 School in a couple years, but BG should not have lost this game IMO. A combination of things doomed the Purples including COSTLY penalties (especially personal foul penalties – those have to stop), poor first half play calling and an inability to get off the field on defense on 3rd down in the second half. I am going to say this once and be done. As our good friend @Kilowatt59 mentioned earlier, I just don’t understand Vito Tisdale’s utilization in this game. He was kind of an afterthought of “where’s Vito at”? I do NOT know everything that goes on behind the scenes, but I know one of the highest recruited athletes (Alabama and Clemson have given this young man a football scholarship if you were wondering what caliber we are speaking about) BG has ever had should touch the ball more than 1 punt return in a game where BG needed offense. I’m not asking for a steady diet. I’m asking for more of the Tre Fant approach for those of you who might recall how that stud athlete was used on offense by BG. I will ask you, if Vito Tisdale does not play offense last year at St Xavier, does BG have a chance to win that game? Very simple question. I’ll move on. I will say that I thought Sophomore QB Spencer Newman played his heart out. The young QB didn’t expect to be in this position, but played with a punchers mentality the whole night and threw a nice deep ball, scrambled well when asked to and gave BG a chance. The only INT he threw was the WRs fault IMO as it hit his hands from where I could see. So I’m encouraged there. Defensively, BG got beat by 2 bombs the first half and then a long 3rd down pass in the second setting up the winning FG. BGs ceiling can still be high, but it can also be a door stop. Much work to do! Onward. Week 2: at 6A McCracken County (0-1). This should be interesting to see how BG comes through practice this week then drives 2.5 hours over to Paducah to take on a dangerous McCracken County team. Is it Friday yet? 2) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2019 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 33-20 vs 6A Butler (0-1). South Warren looked good in their opening act of the 2019 season. Their skill guys and defense were good, but to me their best unit is easily their talented offensive line. Every time South had a 3rd or 4th and short they handed the ball off to one of two young but talented SO RBs to lumber behind a big OL that wore the Butler front 7 down. South will be a tough out in the playoffs and their schedule is very serviceable now. All good for the Spartans! Week 2: Play the Opening Act at the German American Bank Bowl at WKU vs 4A Warren East (1-0). This game is Friday August 30 at 6 pm. I think Nolan Ford is a terrific QB for Warren East, but just can’t see how they will be able to stop the South OLine or run vs South. 1) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2019 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 45-22 vs Lausanne Collegiate, (Memphis) TN (0-1). Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan for providing updates during this one! Mayfield takes control early with a precision passing game and Lausanne had no answer. And Mayfield also had 3 rushing TDs. Kade Neely is a special player you will see him later. Week 2: Western Kentucky GAME OF THE WEEK! at 4A Hopkinsville (1-0). Mayfield will come into this game pretty darn confident, but obviously are too well coached to take the Tigers lightly. Hopkinsville can cause Mayfield some problems early, but I look for the Cardinal coaches to make the adjustments needed to win the game by about 14 to 21 points. Plan to make the drive over to Hoptown Cardinal Fans!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Glasgow (3A) –Week 1 Results: Win 35-13! It’s the Nick Mitchell Show in Glasgow! SR RB put up 161 yards and 4 TDs to lead Glasgow over Larue County! Nice win! Next week: At Russellville = 2-0 Glasgow! 12) Greenwood (5A) –Week 1 Results: Win 28-21 vs Franklin Simpson. I’ve been wrong many times predicting football games, but the degree to which I would have bet this game would have went the other way is enormous! I had to look at the score about 4 times before I felt close to be willing to believe it. But hey – Good for Greenwood! I hope the Gators use this momentum to have a great season! Next week: vs Warren Central, who scored 56 points! Am I in the twilight zone!!! 13) Franklin Simpson (4A) – Week 1 Results: Loss 28-14 at 5A Greenwood. Everybody has a bad game. But I wouldn’t have picked this in a million years. This loss doesn’t mean you’re done Wildcats, but you need to do some soul searching. That’s in order! Your back at Shadetree Stadium next week, which is good, but a usually rugged Meade County squad comes to town. No rest this week! 14) Apollo (5A) – Week 1 Results: Win 66-56 over 4A Warren Central. I wasn’t sure who would get the controller last as the Nintendo game reached epic levels, but Coach Hawkins squad gets it done! Could the Dragons be rising?! I hope so. Now a trip for the Eagles over to emotionally drained Caldwell County. 15) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Week 1 Results: Win 68-27 vs 5A Ohio County. Team Air Raid buzzed the Eagles. No stats, but good start for the Aces! Next up: a trip across town to a wounded 6A Daviess County team that got mauled last week at Central Hardin. 16) Caldwell County (3A) – Week 1 Results: Emotional and Hard Fought Win 19-14 vs 5A Christian County. Caldwell County found the way through the emotional waters to get the win on a night they remembered their late Coach and 2 players. Wow! Condolences Tigers! Next up: The Apollo Eagles come calling. Should be a great game! 17) Trigg County (3A) – Week 1 Results: Wildcats knock the saddles clean off the poor ole Mustangs from Muhlenberg County 40-0! Next up: The Fort Campbell Falcons fly over to Cadiz for a match! I love Trigg in this game! Go Wildcats! 18) Crittenden County (1A) – Week 1 Results – Win 43-14 vs Fort Campbell. The Rockets cast changes but the results stay the same. Way to kick off the year Rockets! Next up: A trip over to Webster County who is now 1-0 also! Good luck Rockets! 19) Henderson County (6A) – Week 1 Results – Win 20-7 vs Evansville Reitz, IN. Good win right here Colonels and welcome aboard Colonel Fans! Next up: At Evansville North, IN. Let’s go Colonels! Beat the Hoosiers!!! 20. Todd County Central - Week 1 Results - Win 21-20 vs Calloway County. Good tough win for the Rebels! This team has some guys... Next up: at Ft Knox. Rebels have a great shot at 2 and 0! Go Rebs Go!!! Week 1 Players of the Week: *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Hayden Reynolds – QB – Madisonville North Hopkins – 331 passing yards with 4 TDs vs Union County – Add WR Deljaun Johnson with 9 catches 278 yards and 3 TDs! Outstanding! 2) Tyler Ezell – QB – Logan County – 211 yards and 3 TDs vs Butler County! Gary Hardy – RB – Logan County – 6 carries for 110 and 2 TDs! 3) John Brown – QB – Graves County – 371 yards and 4 TDs vs Murray! 4) Harold Hogg - RB – Apollo – 192 yards and 3 TDs! 5) Damian Ford – RB – Paducah Tilghman – 234 yards rushing and 4 TDs! 6) Nolan Ford – QB – Warren East – 6 for 12 for 126 yards and 3 TDs; Add 5 carries for 63 yards and 2 more TDs vs Russellville! 7) Caleb Kimble – RB – Fulton County Pilots – 229 rushing yards and 3 TDs in the Pilots big win over Gleason, TN! 8) Mason Wilson – QB – Webster County – 200 passing yards and 2 TDs vs Hopkins County Central! GREAT WORK GENTLEMEN!!! Week 1 “Teams Trending Down” Franklin Simpson (4A) – Down – Reports I received suggest many players playing both ways and fatigue a severe factor. The Friday Night Lights are bright for the young kids. Regroup Wildcats! A long way to go! Bowling Green (5A) – Down – Purples don’t get a pass here because I’m a Purples Fan! Simply put they played below their talent level and significant adjustments are needed. Was this the wakeup call the Purples needed? You tell me… Teams “Trending Up” Fulton County Pilots (1A) – Up – You can’t stop the Pilots! You can only hope to contain them!!! I bet the grape juice was flowing in the Pilots locker room after their big win on Friday night!!! Way to represent the State Pilots!!! Best of luck on your 42-14 beat down of Gleason, TN! I’ve got my eye on you when you travel to South Fulton TN next week Pilots! Let’s go Pilots!!! Caldwell County (2A) – Up – After many grey days in Princeton attending to very difficult issues, the Tigers finally took the 2019 field and battled a quality Christian County team and earned a very hard fought 19-14 win! Happy for the Tiger Community for getting this win to help console the bigger issues! Hang in Tiger Faithful!!!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Preseason Edition In 2018, we head into our Fourth Season of BluegrassPreps weekly high school football Power Rankings for each of the regions around the state. With each week's Power Rankings, we will be looking to rank (at least) 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(s) of the Week", and moving forward, will be re-capping the previous game(s) of the week, as well as highlighting regional "Teams Trending Up" and "Teams Trending Down" 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 head out WEST: Western Kentucky 2017 Spotlight: Franklin Simpson – The 2017 Wildcats brought the Big Hardware back to Franklin after getting a little revenge from the 2016 Title game loss both against Johnson Central. Most did not give the Wildcats a chance after losing in 2016 and not adding any substantial star power. But that turned out to be unwise thinking, as the Wildcats got on a roll not losing after September 15th! BIG Congratulations to Coach Preston, the Franklin Simpson Wildcats and their fans! Logan County – NO TEAM; NO TEAM has ever had a greater reversal of course than last season’s Logan County Cougars. Logan County broke a 42 game losing streak with a win in Week 10 of the 2016 Season vs Todd County Central. They followed that win with an 11 game win streak in 2017. AMAZING! The First Undefeated Regular Season Football Team in Logan County HISTORY!!!! What an Amazing Feat! Congratulations Coach Adler and Cougar Nation!!! 2018 Preseason Top 10: 10) Caldwell County (3A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 10-3) I think I missed more on the Tigers than I missed on any other team last season. I just didn’t think they would overcome the loss of Star QB Shane Burns, who decided to focus on baseball instead of playing his senior season. But I underestimated QB Joby Jaggers (204-297 for 2,422 yards and 28 TDs vs 10 INTs) and the Tiger offense. Not this year! The Tigers lost a closer than the score indicates game to 5A Christian County (27-10) to start last season. They then marched off 8 straight wins before falling to the Mayfield Cardinals the last game of the regular season. No shame there! Crushed Hart County and convincingly defeated a game Larue County squad before they finished the season on a down note with a thumping provided by a stellar Elizabethtown squad. Surprisingly terrific season Tigers! 2018 Outlook: On offense, this is the year Tiger Fans! Your QB, Stud RB Jameer Riley (139 rushes for 716 and 9 TDs; plus 48 catches for 474 yards and 5 TDs), and top 2 WRs return. On defense though, you lose some standout LBs including your ALL TIME Leading Tackler Hunter Vanhouser. Stud DB Trel Riley (8 INTs) and SR LB Caleb Burden (100 tackles) return to lead the way. But for Caldwell to go as far as they want to, Coach Barnes will have to find some answers on defense. Schedule Highlight: Caldwell County has put together one of the toughest schedules pound for pound in the West considering they are a 3A squad. Out of district opponents include 5A Christian County, 5A Graves County, 4A Hopkinsville, 1A Crittenden County (very strong this season), 6A Henderson County, and 2A Mayfield – WOW!!! They ran this schedule last season only losing 2 games. If they do that again, I think they will be in good shape going into the playoffs. Watch Week 3 when Hopkinsville comes calling – will be a fantastic game! Week 1 at 5A Christian County – August 17, 2018 at 7PM. HUGE Game Tiger Nation – Get out and support your team!!! 9) Madisonville-North Hopkins (4A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 7-5) The Maroons had a solid 2017. Although I would expect they planned to beat the upstart 3A Union County Braves. Add that to the District loss to Cinderella Logan County, which began to bump Madisonville toward very tough early playoff opponents. This played out in Week 2 of the playoffs losing at 4A Champion Franklin Simpson. I don’t think Madisonville loses a lot to graduation from this past year. So Team Ground N Pound will be punishing opponents once again this season! 2018 Outlook: The Maroons return 9 on offense and 7 on defense! Of the 5 guys on defense that had 50 or more tackles last season only 1 graduated. With that said, they have terrific athletes returning including 2 1,000 yard rushers in JR RB Jariah Hightower (233 rushes for 1,528 yards and 15 TDs) and SR RB Aaron Miller (109 rushes for 958 yards and 12 TDs). And at least 2 of their better OLinemen return in JR Blake Moody (6’4” 265) and SR Roberto Cruz (6’6” 300) – WOW! So if you are a DLinemen lining up against these guys this season, you better eat your Wheaties! The Maroon D will be led by Stud DB SR James Gilbert (5 INTs, 3 Fumble Recoveries and 56 tackles from your DB is pretty dang good) and JR LB Krey Cunningham. The Maroons are in a tough District. Can Madisonville improve their district record this season? You tell me… I think they are going to be hard to stop! Will make that District an all-out war! Schedule Highlight: I think the Maroons schedule is pretty solid to help them improve. They play 5A Old Foe Owensboro, 5A Christian County, and a scrappy 3A Union County squad to counter-balance 5A Marshall County, 3A Fort Knox, and 2A Murray. Last season you lost all the tough ones and beat the ones you were supposed to. That sounds like you’re being challenged to me and getting some wins to keep morale up. One of the most important games I’ll be watching this season is Week 4 when Union County comes calling for an encore of last season. Want to take a step forward this season Maroon Nation? You should focus on beating the Braves and use that momentum to make a statement in your district! Good Luck! Week 1 August 17 at Old Foe 5A Owensboro at 7pm. 8) Logan County (4A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 11-1) The Cougars pulled off one of the most impressive, remarkable, and unexpected runs I can ever remember in KY High School Football. Bringing the school their first undefeated regular season ever. The Cougars extended their wins into the first round of the playoffs. But when the Hopkinsville Tigers came calling a second time, it appeared they simply ran out of gas and couldn’t muster the same magic they had unleashed in previous weeks. Still a very Magical Season! 2018 Outlook: Cinderella only loses a few seniors according to our good friend @Mpb77. They return offensive stars: JR QB Tyler Ezell (rushed for 600 yards and 10 TDs and passed for over 1,600 yards for 19 TDs but 11 INTs), JR RB Gary Hardy (205 rushes for 1,261 yards and 9 TDs), and Top WR SR Dontavius Blann (28 catches for 366 yards and 7 TDs). On defense, SR DL Cade McKinnis is one of the best DLineman you have never heard of and he anchors a stout Cougar D that only gave up 16 points per game last season. It’s going to be a FUN season for Cougar Nation!!! Schedule Highlight: Looking at the schedule; there’s not a lot of meat on the bone when you look at the non-district group of 2A Butler County, 6A Muhlenberg County, 4A Breckinridge County, 2A McLean County, and 2A Todd County Central. But your district is so tough and having just come off a 42 game losing streak, I understand having some “less challenging” games. I would strive to add another challenging game or 2 in the future if you want to be a consistent 4A threat though. I didn’t put the Backyard Brawl with Russellville in that group due to the fact Russellville is typically very good and always a tough game. I look for the Cougars to have the upper hand again this season vs Russellville. Week 1 vs 2A Butler County – August 17, 2018 at 7PM. Can you say 1 and 0 boys and girls… 7) Daviess County (6A) – 2017 Recap: [2017 Record 7-6] The Panthers came out of the gate last season like a 1974 Ford Pinto on 3 cylinders. They lost 5 of their first 8 games, but they got a season changing victory against Owensboro in Week 5. The first win vs their cross-town adversary since David Barnes (now of Caldwell County Fame) was Head Coach back in 2004. That game IMO turned the tides for the Panthers. They steadily began to improve, although they did take tough District losses to McCracken County and Henderson County. They kept fighting and traveled back to McCracken County and avenged an earlier defeat in a fantastic playoff win before bowing out to a solid Central Hardin squad. No significant offensive skill players graduate. But the defense loses some outright studs in DLineman Shae Carwile and Drew Cockrell. Add at least 5 more significant contributors to that list. But solid year for the Panthers! 2018 Outlook: Daviess County has some of the best offensive skill guys you have never heard of. Most have heard of the best WR in the State (IMO) Marquel Tinsley (76 catches for 1,447 yards and 22 TDs; plus 4 INTs on defense – WOW!), but fewer know of his SR QB Joseph Cambron (236-421 for 4,078 yards and 49 TDs vs. 11 INTs). SR RB Landon Newman rushed 140 times last season for 939 yards and 13 TDs and caught 35 passes for 535 yards and 6 TDs. I haven’t even told you of perhaps the brightest hidden gem of them all – SR WR/DB Blake Baker (caught 50 passes for 1,029 yards and 15 TDs, picked off 5 INTs, scooped up 3 fumble recoveries and made 109 tackles for the Panthers defense. That, my friends, is getting it done!!!). With 4 of 5 OLinemen returning, if Coach Brannon can get the front 7 of the defense to hold up, this is a team to watch! They have big time big play potential! Schedule Highlight: I look for Daviess County to be the Top Dog in 6A District 1 this season, but they will have to unseat McCracken County for it. The McCracken County game is in Owensboro this year, which bodes well for Panther Nation. Week 1 August 17 vs 2A Owensboro Catholic at 7pm. This is an important game to start the season. Daviess County lost a tough one to the Aces last season 31-33 in a barnburner! It’s your year Panther Fans; come out and support your team! 6) Hopkinsville (4A) – 2017 Recap: [2017 Record 6-7] The Tigers likely encountered more obstacles in 2017 than any other team in the State of Kentucky. They were forced to switch coaches near the beginning of last season; they significantly upgraded their schedule adding the likes of Mayfield, South Warren and Caldwell County; and they had to endure and try to overcome the tragic death of teammate EJ Austin, who was an up and coming talented young man, mid-season. As a result of ALL of this, the Tigers lost 6 of their first 7 games. They turned it around and won 5 straight including road playoff wins at scrappy Warren East and the Logan County Magicians before falling at the eventual 4A Champs (Franklin Simpson). I know the coaching staff and Tiger faithful are ready to use last season as a spring board for the 2018 season. 2018 Outlook: The Tigers return 8 on offense and 5 on defense from a team that peaked right at the end of the season. After watching a competitive 7v7 match, I look for JR QB Jay Bland (2017 – 113-257 for 2,148 yards and 22 TDs vs 10 INTs) to have a big season, especially considering 4 OLinemen return. He must cut down on the INTs, as he threw 3 in the game I mentioned above vs Graves County. But he is young and improving and that was July with only experience to gain. He has a strong arm and blessed with good young receivers to throw to. He “may” be able to add another game-changer should Christian County transfer WR Ellis Dunn be ruled eligible (I’m told this is still a moving process so it will take some time to settle). Finally, SR RB JaTorion Dillard is back from a season ending ACL injury he sustained in the pre-season last year. If he can stay healthy, he is a tremendous player. Defensively, the Tigers lost their 2 most productive players (LB Andrew Kind and LB Jakevis Bryant) to graduation, so younger Tigers will have to plug the gaps here. They looked athletic and fast in the back 7 of their 7v7 squad, so the tools are there. If the young linebackers can find their way, I look for Hoptown to compete for the right to go to the Grocery Bag in Lexington and represent the West in 4A! Schedule Highlight: Hopkinsville has a difficult schedule. I think that is a good thing. Even though they didn’t have a sparkling record last year, no one wanted to play them when they got rolling. Out of the gate this season, they start with South Warren and Mayfield (I just keep seeing the old Animal House scene “Thank you Sir, May I have another” when I think of playing those 2 back to back). I don’t expect Hoptown to win either of those games, but I expect them to compete and keep it close. That means the 3rd game of the season against Caldwell County in Princeton will be HUGE! The Tigers really need that one to build some confidence with the annual grudge match with Christian County the following week. Tough early sledding for the Tigers. Week 1 vs South Warren (5A) at the Stadium of Champions in Hopkinsville, KY 7:00PM. Great Test & Big Game for both teams. Winner gets momentum very early in the season. Get out to the Wood Shed Restaurant for some great barbeque Tiger Nation and then out to the Stadium of Champions to support your team! It’s going to be a great season! 5) Franklin Simpson (4A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 12-3) As mentioned above, Franklin Simpson climbed the 4A hill in 2017 and stood alone at the top when it was all said and done! Outstanding and Congratulations! The Wildcat offense was hard to handle last year rushing for more than 5,000 yards as a team with 3 rushers gaining over 1,100 yards each! The defense was also very effective as is highlighted by containing a high octane Johnson Central offense to only 21 points in the championship game! One for the record books Wildcat fans! With all good things, there comes a time to pay the band and that takes place in the form of graduation. Saul Brady, who seemed to play for 6 years not 4, along with QB Rylan Thomas and one stud OLineman are the major losses on offense. The Wildcat D lose 3 stalwarts in DLineman Dion Pearson, leading tackler LB Cade Harvey (141 tackles) and LB James Baker. They will be very hard to replace, but don’t count Coach Preston out! 2018 Outlook: Hard to improve on a Championship season, but why not go back to back? Two of the 3 1,000 yard rushers return in Tre Bass and Carlos McKinney. I look for Bass to be one of the leading rushers in the State this season as several key pieces of the Wildcat OLine return led by Stud SR OG Jack Randolph. Leading WR Javon Covington (29 catches for 501 yards and 9 TDs) also returns and is a real momentum changing weapon on the outside. But who is going to throw him the ball? We shall see, and that is one of my biggest concerns for the Wildcats this season. That and the reconstruction of the defense. More inexperienced players like DL Trevon Goodnight, LB Conner Rodgers, and S Gavin Finch will be called on to carry more of the defensive load this season. Going to be a fun ride in Wildcat Land this season! Schedule Highlight: The games that catch my eye for Franklin are 3A Etown (but they lost a LOT of seniors from last season), 2A Glasgow and 1A Russellville (old rivals). But Franklin should clearly be above these three schools. That leaves a home game against super tough 5A South Warren on August 31st as the clear gem to circle on the schedule this year. Don’t forget about the Green Wave from 6A Meade County either. Know the Wildcats had a bad taste after last season’s defeat and would like to settle the score this season. Week 1 August 17 at Elizabethtown at 7PM. AWESOME GAME right out of the gate right here! Gas up the car Wildcat Fans! Head up I-65 and support your team!!! 4) Owensboro (5A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 4-7) Tough year for the Red & Black in 2017 – no doubt about it. Not since 2004 (Joe Prince’s second season as Head Coach) has Owensboro only won 4 games. As brilliant as moving to the veer was IMO in 2016, I felt it had a straight-jacket effect on the Red Devil offense in 2017. But I hear the Ides of Change are upon us (more below). Several strong Red Devils are lost to graduation including stalwart lineman Jackson Burke and super tough runner Josh Cowherd. 2018 Outlook: Word on the street is Owensboro will change back to some type of spread or more conventional offense and possibly or some say likely be led by former Owensboro Catholic Star QB Will Warren, who went through a drama plagued end of his era at Owensboro Catholic. But the QB reigns will not just be handed over to Warren, as SR Zeke Brown was the QB last year and is a stand out athlete in his own right, but will he be better used elsewhere? You tell me. Of course, the most valuable Red Devil is JR RB/S Imonte Owsley. It’s getting serious now Red Devil fans, as a talent like Owsley doesn’t come along often. He is a junior now and it’s time to make hay while the sun shines! Owsley only touched the ball 71 times last season. He’s going to need it in his hands more in my opinion to get the Red Devils where they want to go in 2018. On defense, the Red Devils are led by strongman DT Diamond Glover, SO LB Austin Gough and SR S Aerion Phillips. Schedule Highlights: September 28 vs. 5A District 1 Rival Christian County at the Stadium of Champions has been a terrific rivalry the past couple of seasons and I look for this one to be an important piece of the 5A District 1 puzzle this year. I know Owensboro fans want to get the Purple monkey off their backs and they will get their chance in Week 4 at Rash Stadium when the Purples come calling once again. Week 1 vs old-rival 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins at Rash Stadium at 7PM. 3) Mayfield (2A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 13-2) Mayfield continues to be Team Consistency losing only 8 games from 2010 through the 2017 season (that’s 8 full seasons!!!). The Cardinals got back to the State Championship game after a 1 year hiatus after going a noteworthy 8 straight times prior to last year! Add 5 State Championships collected during that timeframe confirming your position as a fixture among all WKY football programs. I’m sure they were disappointed not bringing the big hardware back to the Purchase Area last season but Danville was simply stacked with veteran players, who lost in the 2016 State Championship game (to CAL), and Mayfield had a younger, less experienced squad. Still a Great Run in 2017 Cardinal Fans! Mayfield lost some absolute studs in standouts OL Trevor Terrell (among a few other very solid OLineman) and RB/LB Kyle Hurt, who was the heart and soul of last year’s squad. Add another LB and a couple WRs to the graduation list. However, Mayfield expects to reload every year. But when only 14 players played at least 9 games for your 2017 squad, ALL are important! 2018 Outlook: The Cardinals return 5 offensive and 6 defensive starters from a year ago. And according to our good friend @twenty4seven, Mayfield will be “STACKED” this year at the skill positions. Look for JR QB Jaden Stinson (116-183 for 2,007 yards, 24 TDs vs only 5 INTs all season) to lead the offensive charge for the Cardinals this season. And he will have a plethora of options to hand or throw the ball to lead by SR RB/WR Trey Matthews (rushed 110 times for 1,009 yards and 11 TDs; caught 34 passes for 600 yards and 11 TDs). Also look for SR WR Conner Guthrie and JR RB Travon Halliburton to expand on their production from last season. As mentioned, several talented OLinemen graduate, but look for SR Barrett Hendley to be a force for Mayfield on the OLine this season. The defense is where it becomes somewhat a work in progress. But don’t put DE in that category as Mayfield will have IMO the best DE combo in 2A (and maybe beyond). SR Brady Smith and SR Quorterrius Cherry are outstanding and get after you in a hurry! Coach Morris is a master at revamping a defense and team for that matter. He will have to tweak a couple areas for sure. But if those tweaks work and those units gel, LOOK OUT 2A! Schedule Highlight: The Cardinals don’t take a week off, as they always schedule tough competition! Games of note this season include the border war right out of the gate with Union City, TN, and the awesome cross-state game vs Corbin (likely to be played at Lindsey Wilson College this year)! I noticed where Corbin played awfully well down in Dalton, GA during 7v7 this July coming in second place in the whole tournament! Impressive! Should be a great game! I may try to make it to this one this year!!! Make plans Cardinal fans to caravan over to Central KY to watch your team!!! It will be a great game and a great season! Week 1 August 17 at home vs. Union City, TN at 7:30PM. I always pull for Kentucky schools vs non-Kentucky schools! Let’s go Mayfield!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – 2017 Recap: [2017 Record 11-3] The Spartans came out of the 5A gate like gangbusters! Won 7 straight before losing a tough one on the road to a good Ravenwood TN squad (10-3 2017 Record) before getting their doors blown off at BG during the regular season. But to their credit rallied and went on to undefeated Christian County the second week of the playoffs and left with a full head of steam handing County their only loss of the season. Had a great week of practice and went back to El Donaldson Stadium and played IMO their best game of the season and upended BG in the 3rd Week of the playoffs 28-21. BIG DEAL HERE!!! Then hosted the Covington Catholic Colonels, the team of destiny in 5A last season. Now here me out; I honestly think South had a chance in this game. Not to win it, per se, but to keep it under a running clock. First possession of the second half, QB Spurrier hits a “wide open” receiver and he drops it. Very easily could have been a TD and a 21-14 score. Instead they got running clocked soon thereafter. But still a Great opening 5A campaign for the Spartans! The Spartans lose some outstanding football players to graduation including WR Greg Byrd, WR Marcus Elmore, S Tryce Jackson, a real weapon in K Alex Cohron, and the sparkplug that was RB Christian Wynn (176 carries for over 900 yards and 14 TDs) will be sorely missed. But all is not lost in Spartan-land. Of the 17 Spartans who played at least 10 games last season 9 return. Led by their best player SR DT/OL and Notre Dame Signee Jacob Lacey. The young man is simply an outstanding football player that has commanded at least a double team since he was a freshman. Also back is talented SR QB Gavin Spurrier (175-286 for 2,509 yards and 21 TDs vs. 8 INTs, plus 7 rushing scores), who was a pleasant addition to the Spartans 2017 squad adding a stable passing component. SR WR/S Clayton Bush (a recent WKU commit) will look to add to his 37 catches from 2017. Don’t forget about one of the most undervalued players you will find in the State in SR LB/OL Pete Cross (If he came off the field in the second BG game I did not see it). This is a solid group no question, but MANY young Spartans will need to step up into the shoes left vacated. I’ll have my eyes most focused on the RB position as Christian Wynn was simply spectacular last season. BIG shoes to fill! 2018 Outlook: So what do I expect from South Warren in 2018 you ask… much more of the same with continued focus on better performance in the bigger games on their schedule. Coach Smith is an outstanding coach and does tremendous work with his staff getting his team prepared to win every week. South is easily one of the top two teams in the district and most likely the western part of the State in 5A, but will their tendency to play key players both ways catch up with them in the big games? You tell me… 5A Districts 1 and 2 are usually 2 of the toughest in the state. I look for that to continue this season. The first (note I’m expecting 2 meetings again this season) meeting this season with BG will be HUGE as it likely determines who will go to Rash Stadium (Owensboro) Week 2 of the playoffs. I think not playing Owensboro early could be beneficial for 1 of these 2. We shall see. Schedule Highlight: Remember the days of criticizing South Warren’s schedule. Not anymore. Really like the makeup of their schedule with 4A State Champion Franklin Simpson on the road with 6A steady Central Hardin and solid Ravenwood (TN) coming to Nashville Road. But is it time to add a tougher game to this schedule? You tell me… The easy Highlight will be when Bowling Green comes calling on October 19th for what should account for the District Championship being on the line. But I would offer the game with Ravenwood, TN as also very important as it sets up the BG game. The Spartans couldn’t get out of the fog last year down in Brentwood and I think it really hurt their confidence going into the first BG game. Week 1 at 4A Hopkinsville – August 17, 2018 at 7PM. With Hoptown – I think they started to put it together at the end of last season and with a stacked lineup, they will be entertaining to watch. For South Warren – how will the newbies acclimate to the bright Friday night lights? I’d say there will be some adjustments needed. But I look for South Warren to be very strong and look to go deep into the playoffs. 1) Bowling Green (5A) – And here come the Purples! 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 10-3) 2017 was a good season for the Purples. All 10 wins were convincing against mostly solid teams they were supposed to beat. Got bulldozed (literally) by 6A State Runner-up Saint Xavier (by 14 points) and fell in a hole up at senior-laden 6A Pleasure Ridge Park in the first quarter and simply couldn’t recover. Came in overconfident (IMO) against a determined, capable South Warren squad and took a disheartening playoff loss on home soil. I’m sure the returning Purples have not forgotten (or been allowed to forget) that. Salty, sour taste in their mouths all off-season for sure! Many talented Purples depart to graduation, most notably WR/KR Zion Kenner, WR Nash Hightower, LB Jason Beason, RB Dazhon Blakey, Stud LB Justice Dingle (109 tackles)(who will be dressing for the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech this fall) and DL/OLB Devan Jackson (who was a force last year). All 21 seniors will be missed, as they played extremely well for BG for multiple seasons. Coaching Change: Not since the fall of 1996 have the Purples had to await the coming of a new Head Football Coach. But that was sort of planned, as Kevin Wallace was part of Dan Haley’s staff prior to his ascending to the Head Coach position. Well history has a way of repeating itself, as the New BG Head Football Coach, Mark Spader, has served as Defensive Coordinator since 2010. I want to take this opportunity to thank Coach Wallace for elevating the BG Football Program and wish him nothing but the best at Saint Xavier (Well - except for Week 3 of course – HA!). I also think Coach Spader will do an outstanding job as Purples Head Coach! Best of Luck! I’m pulling for you! 2018 Outlook: BG was fortunate to retain the services of Offensive Coordinator Kyle McGraw, who worked extensively with Coach Wallace on the offensive side of the ball for a number of years. The good fortune continued with the addition of Coach Chris Seabolt, former Greenwood Head Coach, as Offensive Line Coach. With the graduation losses mentioned above, focus will shift to QB Beau Buchanan, who enters his senior year campaign coming off an outstanding junior year (162-251 for 2,287 yards, 25 TDs vs. only 3 INTs). The Purples backfield will be filled by several this fall including SR Jamil Smith, who missed all of last season with an ACL injury, JR Jayvon Collins, a bowling ball back tough to bring down, SR Michael Carter, a big physical runner, and JR Vito Tisdale (a 4-Star athlete who will likely play safety in college). On the outside, the Purples WRs will be inexperienced but very talented. Elvin Fofanah, Jordan Dingle, Ivan Drobosky, and Greenwood transfer Zack Brassell all have tight end height and sure hands. Look for the Purples to incorporate the Tight End this season more than in years past. The offensive line returns 3 talented players led by 4-year standout Sam Vitale. On the defensive side of the ball, Coach Spader promoted Secondary Coach Demont Franklin to Co-Defensive Coordinator. Coach Franklin will try to focus on stopping the run this season. Two of 3 DLineman return led by SR Durrell Grey. The linebackers were hit hard last season with 3 graduating, but Jason Beason was only able to play 1.5 quarters of the opening game of the season due to an injury, so SR Ethan Klein has significant experience as a starting linebacker. The OLBs are really good ones in Miles Smith and Evan Spader. The secondary is led by SR S Davis Tomblinson and CB Vito Tisdale, who typically shuts down half the field. BGs kicking game is better than I can ever remember. JR Dalton Major recently won the Top Prospect Kicking Camp and SO Eli Burwash is a very formidable punter. Schedule Highlights: Wow Nellie!!! The Purples don’t take the slow lane this season as they already had 3 talented 6A schools jammed at the front of their schedule, but with Barren County heading out of the district faster than a one-legged duck in hurricane season, they add the mighty Warren Central Warriors from Indianapolis, IN! The Warriors are picked by many to finish the year ranked in the Top 10 in the Nation! Oh and this game will be played at Warren Central the week before the South Warren Game! I am all for this game as long as BG doesn’t sustain significant injuries. The most important game IMO is the Week 2 home game vs. PRP. BG has never beaten PRP in 2 previous tries and with a tough road trip to Saint Xavier the following week, negative mental mind frames could take shape. Will be a fascinating season for the Purples! Week 1 vs. 6A Central Hardin – Saturday August 18, 2018 - Rafferty’s Bowl 8PM at WKU. Got to see the Bruins in July at the Central Hardin 7v7 and they had some fine athletes. So I’m looking forward to a tough game at the Rafferty’s Bowl! Good Enough to Make the Top 10 This Season: 11) Christian County (5A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 11-1) What a GREAT Season Colonel Fans!!! Undefeated regular seasons don’t grow on trees and I believe I’m correct in that it was Christian County’s first undefeated regular season squad! Outstanding! Christian County fans will remember last year for a long time. The Colonels were led by 4 year starter QB Kolbe Langhi who rushed the ball 100 times and completed 123 passes last season accounting for 21 TDs. That’s a lot to replace on its own. Add Purdue-signee and ultra-talented S Corey Trice, who changed games by himself last season (at Owensboro to name one) along with stud WR JaQuon Long and you have A LOT of production to replace! 2018 Outlook: Well boys, it sure feels like Christian County is the biggest teeter-totter team in the West this year. You can make a case for them being down just by the talent lost from last season’s graduation, which is the biggest reason they are down this far. But you can also make a case for them to rally around their 28 seniors and develop an “Us vs The World” mentality and play inspired physical football, which puts them in the top 4 of the Region! So what can we guestimate from this? I anticipate County will be more ground and pound this season and rely on a stout defense to carry them. I’m not the only one to carry that sentiment, as it’s clear several WRs including Stud Ellis Dunn have already transferred to Hopkinsville. Our good friend @Matt Holiday fan, also reports that 2 OLinemen, including what would have been their best returning OLineman, have transferred to a TN Prep School. Add that to former offensive coordinator Rusty Goble resigning at the first of the year and you have a lot of work to do to rebuild for the 2018 season. So can County still be good this season? Absolutely! Coach Lovelace is an excellent coach and their new QB SO Donte Abren is a super athlete, but the unknowns for this team are VERY high this season compared to previous years. So you could see the Colonels move up into the Top 10 or fall out of the Top 20; either could happen! Schedule Highlight: Difficult schedule and difficult district ahead for Christian County! I look for the backyard brawl with Hopkinsville to be very important for County. While I don’t expect them to win the game at this point, I do expect them to compete. Let’s see what they got!!! Week 1 August 17 vs. 3A Caldwell County at the Stadium of Champions (8pm). Tough opener right here! 12) Glasgow (2A) – 2017 Recap: [2017 Record 10-4] Glasgow had a fantastic 2017 season. They competed every week with close losses to 4A Allen County Scottsville, 4A Champion Franklin Simpson, and super tough 3A Elizabethtown. They ultimately met their demise against the Danville Admirals, who were the team of destiny last year in 2A. But still a terrific year Scotties! They lose one of their talented QBs from last season in Dalvin Smith and stud RB/LB Sielverio Rescontellio (690 yards rushing with 9 TDs and a team leading 73 tackles on defense – Solid!). 2018 Outlook: The Scotties have one of the best linemen in the state in SR Tanner Bowles, who recently committed to Alabama (doesn’t get much better than that!). You notice I mentioned above one of their talented QBs graduated, but the good news in Scottie-land is that JR QB Tanner Abernathy (passed for just over 1,000 yards with 14 TDs vs only 3 INTs) will return. The Scottie backfield will likely see a lot of SR RB Dontavis Oates and JR Nick Mitchell, who both contributed last season. WRs with the second and third most receptions from last year return in JR Jaden Franklin and SR Kris Horn. Glasgow’s defense will be led by SR LB Andrew Carter, but who will fill the shoes of Rescontellio’s 73 tackles from last season? Schedule Highlight: Nothing says “Get the season started out on the right foot” like playing 6 of your first 7 games at home. Well that’s exactly what Glasgow has engineered for this season. September 7 vs Allen County Scottsville and September 14 vs Warren East will tell us a lot about Glasgow this season. They split those games last season. Both are 4A teams, but if you expect to compete with the Big Boys of 2A, these are games you need to win. Week 1 August 17 vs 1A Russellville at 8pm in the Scottie Bowl. I look for this to be a scrappy game with Russellville coming to compete and start the season off strong, but look for Glasgow to pull away in the second half. 13) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 8-5) If I had a Team Soap Opera last season it had to be the Aces. Stellar QB Will Warren sustains what most reports describe as a concussion in the 4th game of the season. He is replaced with stellar QB Drew Hartz the next game and the next thing reported is that Will Warren is done at OCath. WOW! It didn’t end there with long time Coach John Edge moving across the river to coach South Spenser, Indiana. Guess who the Aces play 4th game of this season? You got it – South Spencer! Should be a hard hitting game!!! The Aces don’t lose any offensive skill guys and looked good in the Central Hardin 7on7. But they lose Stud LBs Nick Blair and Josh Sloan. 2018 Outlook: Hopefully the Drama will fade away for the Aces as talented JR QB Drew Hartz (117-198 for 1,805 and 26 TDs vs. 8 INTs in only 9 games), SR RB Vonn Williams (166 carries for 906 yards and 16 TDs), and Standout WR Nick Mills (68 catches for 968 yards and 14 TDs) make the Aces LOADED on offense. Coach Jason Morris will have to lean on SR LB Sam Harrington to lead the charge on that side of the ball. If the lines can just hold their own, the Aces can go a long way this season. Schedule Highlight: The Aces can’t afford to play a weak non-district schedule with the weakness of their own district and to their credit they don’t. The Aces will play a gauntlet of tough upper classification teams including: 6A Daviess County, 5A Apollo, 5A Owensboro and go to 5A South Warren. If you want a chance to beat Mayfield in the playoffs you have to play good teams to get ready for it. As long as the Aces avoid the injury bug, I give them a shot at home. It may be a punchers shot, but that’s all you need sometimes. Week 1 August 17 at County Rival 6A Daviess County at 7pm. 14) McCracken County (6A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 7-5) The Mustangs had a somewhat uneven 2017 season opening with an OT win vs. 3A City Rival Paducah Tilghman (Tilghman missed the XP in OT is how they won – just spouting the facts!). They went on to lose the next 4 games to pretty good teams and considering the graduation losses they had and adding a new Head Coach (and I really like Coach Clark and wish him well) you suspected some setbacks. They went on to roll their district in usual fashion. Then hosted Daviess County the second week of the playoffs and were outgained by the Panthers 511 yards to 318, which produced a 32-21 season ending setback. 2018 Outlook: I’d say it’s mostly positive news in the Mustangs camp this summer, as you don’t have to teach a brand new system. Players for the most part understand what is expected of them. I think all too often, we as fans (especially of the more established programs) take this component for granted. The Mustangs return 5 on offense and 6 on defense. Of those lost on offense the biggest void will be replacing Star RB TaeShawn Allen who did it all for the Mustangs last year. That task will likely be assigned to JR Franklin Hayes. SR QB Elijah Wheat had a good season last year, but will need to cut down on the INTs to lead the Mustangs to higher ground. Add that to only 2 returning starters on both the OLine and DLine. What about depth? You tell me… I do not look for McCracken County to win their district this year (I think they have won the district every year since they were incorporated if I remember correctly), as I feel it is Daviess County’s year. Prove me wrong Mustangs… Schedule Highlight: The Graves County game will once again be a pivotal, tough and physical game for McCracken County. This game is in a tough stretch for the Mustangs and to avoid another 4 game losing streak this may be the game to reverse those tides. This loss would be double trouble with the Mayfield Cardinals coming to call the following week. OOOFFFF!!! Week 1 at arch-rival 3A Paducah Tilghman – August 18, 2018 at 7PM. I love rivalry games and to start the season off with one is BOLD! Good luck Mustangs! 15) Graves County (5A) – 2017 Recap: (2017 Record 6-5) 2017 was a topsy-turvy year for the Eagles. Although they will fight you from the water cooler till you get back on the bus, they just couldn’t put it together in certain games, but specifically in their district last season in order to get them out of the eye of the South Warren Spartans first round of the playoffs, which is a tough spot for sure. Graduation hits the Eagles especially hard with State Stalwart WR Trevor Grant and his 65 catches with over 1,200 yards and 17 TDs graduating. But behind the scenes, the Eagles also lose 3 of their top 4 tacklers and 2 of their top 3 running backs. That’s a tough skill hit to take! 2018 Outlook: The good news is that 4 year contributor and Stephan LaFors QB Camp Invitee Ryan Mathis is back and appears healthy to lead the charge for the Eagles. But who will help him? Certainly Cody Goatley will. Goatley backed up Mathis when he was injured last season gaining over 200 yards on the ground with 9TDs (also tack on 58 tackles for Mr. Goatley). The rest of the unit will be relatively unproven with the top returning rusher gaining below 100 yards on the season and the top returning WR gaining nowhere near a third of Grant’s contributions. So Coach Gregory has his work cut out for him this season. Schedule Highlight: The Eagles have a challenging schedule and challenging district, especially this season where they have to travel to Owensboro and Christian County (remember that fight at the end of last year’s game? I bet both teams have not forgotten it and will be ready for a physical game this season). If the Eagles want to take a step forward this season, I think Week 2 at home vs 3A Caldwell County is a good place to start. Week 1 vs 2A Murray. Top 20 Tier: 16) Apollo (5A) – (2017 Record 7-4) Tremendous season for the Eagles last year! I especially recall the EPIC, last second victory the Eagles snatched on home soil vs Owensboro. Very impressive! But the season ending defeat to Greenwood at home was disappointing. Some absolute Studs depart Tamarack Road via graduation led by the heart and soul of last year’s team the Peters Brothers (WR Peyton (48 catches for 724 yards and 10 TDs) and DB Presley with a team leading 84 tackles). And there’s a new sheriff in town to lead the charge. Coach Philip Hawkins comes over from Louisville Doss High School where he built a contending team where he didn’t find one when he got there. This will be a challenge for sure, but I’m a Coach Hawk fan and am pulling for him and the Eagles! I watched them compete in the Central Hardin 7on7 and was overall pleasantly surprised. They had grit and never stopped fighting, which allowed them to get all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament. But 7v7 is not Friday Night Football and there will be big challenges ahead. But considering 7 offensive and 6 defensive starters return, led by talented SR RB Mariano McKenzie, the Eagles could make their tough District race even more interesting. Week 5 vs Owensboro Catholic is a Big Game leading into District play! The Eagles need momentum heading into a very difficult stretch of District games. Week 1 August 17 at 6A Muhlenberg County at 7pm. 17) Crittenden County (1A) – (2017 Record 8-5) Don’t let the 17 fool you Rockets Fans, I am high on you this season! The Rockets are led by a very strong group of seniors including QB Hunter Boone (171-298 for 2,603 yards and 32 TDs vs. 16 INTs), RB Devin Nesbitt (189 carries for 1,289 yards and 24 TDs) and Stud WR Ethan Dossett (70 catches for 1,273 and 13 TDs). The defense lost their leader from last season (DL Adam Beavers), but return a strong group led by SR Sean OLeary and Tyler Boone. I like the Rockets schedule as it will challenge them and get them ready to play Russellville toward the end of the season and beyond. That is a road game and will be difficult to win, but you beat them last season at home so confidence shouldn’t be a problem. I think Crittenden County can go a long way this year. Campbellsville and then Beechwood would be down the road, but a lot of football between here and there. Good luck Rockets!!! 18) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – (2017 Record 5-7) First and foremost, I want to send a sincere wish for continuing improvement for Coach Duncan’s health. Coach Duncan was forced to resign within the past couple of weeks and I can’t imagine the full circle hardships this has caused for Coach Duncan and the Blue Tornado Program! I wish you all the best. Tilghman will have to pick up the pieces. The biggest piece to pick up is their stacked schedule! Very difficult! The strength of these opponents makes me think there is a chance the Blue Tornados could start the year 0 and 6. They obviously could win a few of those as well, which would have significant value for their ranking here; so maybe I’m rollin the dice by placing them here. They will look to get out of the gate at home this year against a McCracken County team that only beat them by a point last season. This puts a lot of pressure on that opening game! That game will be VERY emotional and VERY hard fought. Will be interesting! Tilghman loses 2 of their top 3 rushers from last season. They do return ultra-talented SR Makel Askew to lead the charge on offense while SR LB Colbe Crim will lead the Defense. The starters for this team will be good players, but as always I think depth will be a factor, especially in the big games. Beat McCracken County and A LOT of positives will come from that! 19) Union County (3A) – (2017 Record 8-5) Coach Derek Johns has really done a super job up in Morganfield in his 2 seasons at the helm! The Braves really came into their own last season coming out of the gate with 5 straight wins including an eye-opening win vs 4A Madisonville. The town packed the stadium for a matchup with Caldwell County and even though they haven’t climbed to those heights yet, it is inspiring to know they have the community’s support! They lose some Big Time contributors to graduation including QB Jacob Winters, RB Christopher Bledsoe, and WR James Hutchinson. It will be a rebuild on that side of the ball, but the defense should be stout! Good luck Braves! 20) Henderson County (6A) – (2017 Record 5-7) I know 5 and 7 isn’t the top of the hill Colonel Fans, but you realize you were 3 and 8 in 2016. It takes time to rebuild. And I am still a fan of Coach Josh Boston. Some of your losses (Christian County and Gipson Southern, IN) were still inspiring as you played well in those games. Much of your success this season will rest on the strong shoulders of SR QB Skip Patterson. It will be difficult, as everyone knows this and will key on him. I still think you can at least equal this record in 2018. It should be noted that you did win a home playoff game last season. Something that hasn’t happened since the 2013 Season. Small steps Colonels… small steps! Looking for some Traction: 21) Allen County – Scottsville (4A) – (2017 Record 7-4) The Patriots lost some outstanding seniors off a solid 2017 squad. None will be more difficult to replace than stalwart, heart and soul QB Chase Wilson, who passed for nearly 2,700 yards and 15 TDs last season. Add to that your top 2 tacklers graduate. So I think it will take Coach Hood (Super Coach by the way!) a while to sort things out this season. 22) Monroe County (2A) – (2017 Record 9-4) The Falcons are a terrific small county team supported by a passionate fan base that loves their team. That passion was exemplified by their graduating 2017 SR Team Leader Ty Mink. That title will be passed on to their new SR Leader Braden Murphy, who stars on both sides of the ball. The Falcons beat all the teams they were supposed to last year and lost to the ones they were not supposed to beat. No shame there! I expect Coach Billy Joe Murphy’s 2nd season in Tompkinsville to be on par with the 2017 team. Circle the game with tough Campbellsville Falcon Fans as if you can get that one you should be able to get 8 wins this year. How many teams would like to say that!!! 23) Warren East (4A) – (2017 Record 6-5) The Raiders were very competitive in 2017 and if they could have found a way to pull out 2 back to back 1 point losses mid-season that 6 and 5 record turns into a much more flashy 8 and 3 record. 2018 will be a rebuilding year for Raider Power as some outright Studs graduate including QB Dwayne Cook, RB Trevor Naftel, and Super-talented WR Caleb Huskey. Add to that the 2 key stalwarts of the 2017 defense Greg Barnes and Isaiah Board depart. So Coach Griffith will have his work cut out. The Raiders do return standouts SR RB Thomas Maxey and young SO QB Nolan Ford to head the 2018 charge. 24) Russellville (1A) – (2017 Record 7-5) Of the 5 guys that did it all for Russellville last season (they each ran the ball and played on defense) only 2 return this season. Stud SR QB/LB Jacob Naylor and SR Edward Barber will be the heart and soul of the Panther attack this season. New Coach Mikie Benton will have to figure out the rest. Maybe they will let the former Panther star and UK player suit up this season! Russellville has a very difficult schedule with 2A Glasgow and 4A Franklin Simpson to name 2 quality opponents that are likely out of Russellville’s league this season. Seems like a lot of automatic loses (mentioned above) combined with some automatic wins (the Fultons) until they get to the most important game of the year when District-mate Crittenden County comes calling. The Panthers will have to play their best game to have a chance in this one IMO. Show me what you got Panthers! 25) Warren Central (4A) – (2017 Record 0-11) I placed the Dragons here as I really want to see them improve and get a win. They haven’t had a fair shake and it’s not the kids fault. Back to football. I wanted to mention the graduation of ultra-talented Stud RB/LB DJ Tyner, who was an absolute load on both sides of the ball. Wish him well moving on. The roster numbers on the Riherds page went from 43 in 2017 to 31 in 2018. That’s obviously the wrong way and hope Coach Taylor can find some more guys to come out this season. Monroe County on August 31 might be their most winnable game in 2018. Good Luck Dragons! Disturbing Western Kentucky Notes/Trends: Fulton County and Fulton City (1A) – If you do NOT include victories over each other or Fulton City’s odd 3 wins over Jackson Preparatory School from 2011-2013 (by a combined score of 124 to 24) it has been nearly 10 years since Fulton City beat Todd County Central in the Fall of 2009 and 7 seasons since Fulton County beat now defunct Reidland High School. Our good friend @gchs_uk9 reported only 45 boys attend Fulton City High School, while only about 80 boys attend Fulton County High School. There are 17 players on the Fulton City 2018 Roster. There are only 22 non-seniors on the 2017 Fulton County Roster. Sad situation! I don’t expect Fulton City can support a football team much longer. And it may not be much longer for Fulton County either… Caverna (1A) – Caverna only has 24 players on their 2018 roster and hasn’t won a game since knocking off Fort Knox and Clinton County in 2015. Breckinridge County (4A) – The Fighting Tigers did not win a game last season and haven’t won more than 3 games in a season since they went 11 and 2 in the 2000 Season. In the 2017 Season, 50 players were on the roster. At the beginning of the 2018 season only 34 players are listed on the roster. That’s a 32% reduction in 1 season! I suppose there have always been the Have’s and the Have Nots, but I am concerned for the longevity of the sport at smaller schools outside the Big City lights. Note that Trimble County (2A) cancelled their entire 2018 Football Season. There are more things at play here than just football, but this is still a significant negative undertaking to the game we love. I don’t look for this to be the last of those undertakings unfortunately. Games of the Week – Week 1: #2 South Warren at #6 Hopkinsville 8/17/18 @7PM - This game is probably more important to Hopkinsville. Not necessarily to win the game but to play well. I expect South Warren to win the game, but I think Hopkinsville has a punchers chance. I just don’t think the Tigers can handle the South Warren defensive line and that will be the difference. Should be a great atmosphere though! Get out and support your teams!!! #12 Owensboro Catholic (2A) at #7 Daviess County (6A) 8/17/18 @7PM – This is a dandy of a game! Big momentum game for each school and also a big local rivalry game. Supermarket pride is on the line!!! Last season OCath pulled out a Big 33-31 victory against the Panthers! I’m sure Daviess is looking for revenge this season on home soil. Get out and support your teams!!! Pre-Season “Teams Trending Downward” Greenwood (5A) – Down – This is really a curtain call for the best football player in Greenwood history QB Jackson Adams. Adams carried the ball 707 times for 5,405 yards and 67 TDs over his 4 year career at Greenwood. He attained the All-Time Leading Rusher mark his Sophomore Year! Outstanding Player! Greenwood will be replacing not only their best player but also their head coach. Best of luck to new Greenwood Head Coach William Howard. Christian County (5A) – Down – The Colonels had a Great Ride last season earning their first undefeated regular season. But they lose their 4-Year Starter at QB and many other contributing seniors off a stellar 11 and 1 squad. I’m not predicting doom and gloom, but the Colonels won’t get near 11 and 1 this season. Pre-Season “Teams Trending Upward” Hopkinsville (4A) – Up – When you switch head coaches so late in the offseason, it just takes time to get going again. Add that to the fact that Hopkinsville went from being Team Cupcake in their crazy easy schedule to having one of the more difficult schedules in 4A. Playing quality opponents has a way of preparing you for the playoff challenges you hope to get the opportunity to face. I look for Hopkinsville to be very tough this year. If WR Ellis Dunn, does in fact, suit up for the Tigers, “Look Out” as I think he is a Big Piece to make them a team that can compete with Franklin Simpson and get a shot at the Grocery Bag in Lexington come December. Daviess County (6A) – Up – Coach Matt Brannon has some Big Time Players this season! If they can come out of the gate stronger this year, they should be able to use that momentum to win their district and make a deep playoff run until they get to the Jefferson County Beasts. It should be a really fun year for Panther Nation!!! Owensboro (5A) – Up – Red Devil Nation as a whole was pretty upset with the 4 and 7 season last year. But if the rumors are true with the new more pass oriented offense, then they will be much better than 4 and 7 this season. The Red Devils have the talent to win their difficult District and compete with Bowling Green and South Warren. Imonte Owsley is a special talent. He is a junior. Time is of the essence Red Devil Fans!!! ALL WEST – PRE-SEASON TEAM QB – Joey Cambron, Daviess County QB – Beau Buchanan, Bowling Green RB – Tre Bass, Franklin Simpson RB – Vonn Williams – Owensboro Catholic WR – Marquel Tinsley, Daviess County WR – Ethan Dossett, Crittenden County WR – Nick Mills, Owensboro Catholic WR – Ellis Dunn, Hopkinsville OL – Tanner Bowles, Glasgow OL – Sam Vitale, Bowling Green OL – Blake Moody, Madisonville – North Hopkins DL – Jacob Lacey, South Warren DL – Diamond Glover, Owensboro DL – Cade McKinnis, Logan County LB – Pete Cross, South Warren LB – Jacob Naylor, Russellville DB – Blake Baker, Daviess County DB – Trel Riley, Caldwell County S – Clayton Bush, South Warren S – Imonte Owsley, Owensboro Athlete – Vito Tisdale, Bowling Green Athlete – Trey Matthews, Mayfield K – Micah Haley, Mayfield Coach – Doug Preston, Franklin Simpson (I could put MANY coaches here and would not be wrong as we have MANY strong Coaches in our region, but Coach Preston & Staff earned a State Championship last season and I think he deserves to be here – Outstanding Job Coach Preston!) It’s going to be a GREAT YEAR sports fans! What do you think/like/dislike? Pitch all together? What would you change & why?

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 3 Edition Mother Nature decided to show up Friday night! Many games were impacted whether delayed or raining during the game. So some modifications were in order! The top story line this week is emotion! It seems A LOT of games this week were emotional games with plenty of story lines to go around! When these young men ride a wave of emotion, they can forge outcomes that are not expected by us gurus! But that’s a big piece of why we love the game! WESTSIDER - Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Paducah Tilghman 3A (2-1) 27 AT Mayfield 2A (3-0) 51: This one started off with a BANG as Tilghman speedster Malachi Kirby returns the opening kick to the House 15 seconds into the game!!! WOW! But Mayfield recovers as usual and starts to dictate alternating scores. A blistering pace is exemplified with a long TD run for Tilghman as the 1st quarter clock strikes zero with a 28-27 Mayfield score! Problem for Tilghman is Mayfield would go on to score 3 more TDs while you could not find the end zone again! Good game to show where each team is early on in the season. More below! South Warren (5A) (3-0) 36 AT (4A) Franklin Simpson (2-0) 14. This score is a bit misleading. South put a running clock on Franklin AT Franklin with about 3:30 to go in the first half at 36-0! South doesn’t play many starters after the half where Franklin scored a couple mop-up TDs! The common theme for me for South is they use their stout D to set the table for the offense and/or just freakin score themselves. I am convinced they are the best defensive squad right now at turning you over and either putting the offense in great position or takin it to the house! For Franklin, my advice is just forget everything about this game. Burn the tape; regroup; come out and beat the crap out of Greenwood! It is the Week 3 Edition and that means we are on the cusp of Bowling Green playing Owensboro. So the game of the week this week is known as the PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week. I know of no other, who combined a love for playing the game, watching the game, researching the history of the game and supporting all others who do the same with the zeal that my friend Michael “Bulldog” Drake (aka. PurpleHaze) did. He was a friend to BGP and to so many on this site and the entire Western part of the State. This week we honor his memory here, as he absolutely loved this game! Also want to make sure this year that @MrsPurpleHaze knows about it as well! Week 4 PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Bowling Green 5A (3-0) At Owensboro 5A (2-1). Well I admit, I thought we could see a 3 and 0 team playing a 2 and 1 team, but if that played out, I thought it would be reversed. But that’s why you play the game! So, these old Rivals come into this one in different spots! The Red Devils “looked lost” coming down the stretch last week against a very solid 2A OCATH rival. While BG, shook off a lethargic first half to pull of an emotion filled battle in Louisville at 6A St Xavier! Owensboro has not beaten BG since winning at BG in the playoffs 28-21 on November 21, 2008. So to say Owensboro is hungry is an understatement! Owensboro is a MUCH different team than last season changing their offensive structure from veer to spread. And why not, when you have a fantastic QB that landed in your lap like SR QB Will Warren (formerly of OCATH fame). BG should be ready to travel up the old Green River Parkway one more time looking to go 4 and 0! See more below! Honorable Mention: Christian County at Hopkinsville; Russellville at Logan County; Graves County at Paducah Tilghman; Crittenden County at Caldwell County; Allen County–Scottsville at Glasgow; and Union County at Madisonville NH - Try to make it out to one of these great games! (Disclaimer: Christmas came early for spots 4 through 8 this week due to Owensboro’s demise. Merry Christmas!) Week 3 Top 10: 10) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 4; Last Week (LW): 4 - 2018 Record 2-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Loss: 45-32 at 2A City Rival Owensboro Catholic (1-2). WOW! Did not see this one coming sports fans! Know Red Devil fans don’t like this degree of fall, but truth be told you do not deserve to be ranked ahead of OCATH for sure. From where OCATH was, this is your landing spot this week. Owensboro trailed 14-13 at the half and powered out to a 32-21 lead with over 6 minutes to go 3rd Quarter, but it was all Aces from there as they outscored the Red Devils 31-19 in the second half. Disheartening way to lose to a City Rival. You will hear about that all year long. Regroup Red Devils! And Quick! Week 4: PURPLEHAZE GAME OF THE WEEK vs 5A Old Rival Bowling Green (3-0). I know Red Devil fans are ready to get that Purple Monkey off your back. And I thought Owensboro would be ripe to do just that this week, but with the results from last week IMO it is much less likely. But that’s why we play the game as kids with emotion mean anything can happen! The good news Red Devil fans is that not since the 2014 QB Nick Locher led Red Devils has there been this much variability on offense, which clearly seems to have been the Red Devils Achilles heel the past couple years. BUT should still be a SUPER game! I think both teams will be ready to go! I think Owensboro kinda thought they would be able to out-athlete the Aces; I don’t think they will be in that mind frame this week! Rash Stadium is a great place to watch a game! Looking forward to it; along with the Old Hickory Barbeque!!! Red Devil fans, your team will NEED you in this one. Get out to see the game Red Devil fans!! 9) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 15; 2018 Record 1-2: Week 3 Results: Win 45-32 vs 5A Owensboro (2-1). Well OCath fans, I asked you to hang in there. I sure hope you have because WOW! This is one of the most surprising scores for me from the entire state this season! Was there a better player on the field last week than QB Drew Hartz? You tell me… You will see his stats below! Standout RB Vonn Williams also played very well with 17 carries for 137 yards and 3 TDs. And the Aces defense likely played the best half of the season last Friday night at Steele Stadium! Week 4 vs South Spencer, IN (0-3). The emotional roller coaster rolls on for the Aces as former Aces coach John Edge crosses the Ohio River with his winless Rebels squad to take on his old team. I think the Aces have their best week of practice this week and put a running clock on the Rebels! You heard it here first!!! 8) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 9 - 2018 Record 2-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 29-15 at 2A Murray (1-2). Don’t know a ton on this one. But the biggest stat I could find was that the Maroons outgained Murray roughly 500 yards to 200 yards. Seems like a much bigger disparity than the gap in the final score. Thank Owensboro for being able to move up this week. Week 4: Vs 3A Union County (2-0). This is a game I’ve had circled since the preseason for a couple reasons. Last year Union County beat Madisonville 28-14, which really surprised me. The Maroons had a fair season from that point forward. If they want to improve off last season this is the game Maroon fans! Good luck! 7) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 3-0; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 46-0 over Poor Ole’ 4A Breckenridge County (1-2). The Cougars outgained Poor Ole’ Breckinridge County roughly 350 to 100 yards. QB Tyler Ezell was very efficient on the night. RB Gary Hardy rushes for roughly 125 yards. And the Cougar defense pitches another shutout. This team reminds me of the old Nebraska Cornhuskers teams that had relatively easy early schedules, but figures to be a factor at the end of the year. It puts a lot of pressure on your players though to be able to rise to the occasion in the playoffs when that isn’t the norm asked of them during the majority of games of the season. Still like this team though! Week 4: vs 1A Rival Russellville (2-1). Another great Western Kentucky Rivalry here! I just get the feel that Logan County is at a different level than the Panthers right not, but I do expect the first half to be close! 6) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 7 - 2018 Record 2-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 20-18 vs 4A John Hardin (1-2). Panthers storm out to a 20 to zip lead then put it in cruise control! Problem is John Hardin stowed away in the back of the bus and nearly came all the way back to compete for the win. Great news for Daviess as Star WR Marquel Tinsley is miraculously back one week after dislocating his shoulder. Wow! Don’t think I’ve ever heard of that short of recovery time for such an injury. More good news for Daviess is their defense really stepped up this week! Week 4: at 2A Hancock County (2-1). Should be WAY TOO much Panthers in this one! Looking for Daviess ShowTime offense to get going again! 5) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 6 - 2018 Record 1-2; District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 35-20 at 3A Caldwell County (1-2). Hoptown won’t have to worry about a 0 and 4 start this season, as the Tigers played opportunistic football forcing 4 Caldwell County Red Zone Turnovers! DB Erick Grubbs started the turnover parade by intercepting Caldwell QB Joby Jaggers in the end zone on Caldwell’s first possession. Ultra-talented Ellis Dunn is now playing both ways and contributed significantly with 2 TD catches and added a key forced fumble to preserve the win for Hopkinsville! Week 4: Grudge Match vs 5A Christian County (1-2). You can throw out a lot of conventional wisdom for these type games as there will be A LOT of emotion on the field Friday night. It reminds me the first time Christian County played Bowling Green after Zion Kenner transferred to BG. I know that was a tough game for Kenner and County. So with Ellis Dunn now on a Tiger, this game will be amped up even more! I expect the Stadium of Champions to be rockin this Friday night! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 2-1; District Record 0-0] Week 3 GAME OF THE WEEK Results: Loss: 36-14 vs 5A South Warren (3-0). Well Wildcat Fans the GOOD part of last week’s game is that Owensboro’s loss was metrically worse than your and you get to advance in the rankings even though you got smoked on the field. Plus you won’t play another team like the Spartans all year! Hallelujah! The BAD part of last week’s game is that the points you scored were scored on the Spartan second team defense. The UGLY part of last week’s game is a running clock was placed on you at home late in the second quarter. But again Wildcat Fans just forget about this one and move on because no 4A team is like this Spartan club. Week 4: Vs 5A Greenwood (1-2) at 7pm. I think it’s going to be a long night for the Gators!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 3-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 WESTSIDER - GAME OF THE WEEK Results: Win: 51-27 over 3A Paducah Tilghman (2-1). Cardinal fans may have been a little nervous after the first quarter with only a 1 point lead, but then the Cardinals went on to unleash 23 straight points to get a comfortable victory in the old rivalry. Thanks to our good friend @55RedDog for providing some stats for the Cardinals. You will see some of those below! Cardinals looking as good as anyone right now, especially the Cardinal defense. Week 4: At 6A McCracken County (1-2). Not too long ago this was expected to be a very tight game. As historically, several recent outcomes have been decided in overtime. The only thing settled in overtime this coming week is where to go celebrate the Cardinal Victory! Just teams on different levels at the moment! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 3-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 GAME OF THE WEEK Results: Win: 36-14 vs 4A Franklin Simpson (2-1). Another game another flogging/running clock by South Warren! QB Gavin Spurrier and company played well on offense; you will see his numbers later. But the key to this team to me is the tone set by the defense. I have said this before and I will say it again; I don’t think there is another team in the State that turns you over more than South and no one makes you pay for that turnover like South does. Case in point, JR DE Isaac Young scoops up a Wildcat fumble at the 8:23 mark of the first quarter and takes it to the house! That play sparked the Spartans; deflated the Wildcats and it was on to the running clock from there! Week 4: Vs 6A Central Hardin (1-2). This is a good team here for South to match up with. They have very good offensive and defensive lines and should test South in that regard. Still I look for South to roll in this game! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 3-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Win: 24-21 (OT) At 6A St Xavier (0-2). I have to admit; I couldn’t stop smiling after this game. What a win! On the other hand, my heart went out to Coach Wallace who as I watched him walk off the field could sense his pain. For BG, the first half was one to forget. Many missed opportunities again. But give the Purples credit for regrouping in the outfield grass of the State Champions baseball field (that’s where BG walked to at halftime!). And when they came out in the second half, they took the fight to the Tigers. JR Vito Tisdale was sensational against a defense that had 2 weeks to prepare for him. You’ll see his stats below. QB Beau Buchanon showed great leadership making key throws to keep the chains moving for BG. BIG Win! Week 4: PURPLEHAZE GAME OF THE WEEK - At 5A Owensboro (2-1). This is one of the games I look forward to every year! It is always a tough, hard fought affair. This year will be no different. I think both offenses will play well. But which defense will come up the biggest in this game? That could be the question. Vito Tisdale and Imonte Owsley have been leading their teams and playing against one another since at least the 7th grade. Both are really special athletes that only come around very seldom. Will one of these players make the difference? You tell me… My good friend PURPLEHAZE always would tell me – “You’re already down 7 to nothing when you walk into Rash Stadium”!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 12 - 2018 Record (3-0): Week 3 Results: Win 37-0 vs Poor Ole’ Ft Campbell (0-3). I don’t have any stats on this one, but don’t really need any as the Scotties are a good football team and Ft Campbell is still looking for their first win and if they don’t get one in the next 3 weeks (Murray, Fort Knox or Trigg County) they won’t get one all year – Rise up Falcons!!! I’m sure Glasgow dominated from start to finish. On to a game where they will be tested. Week 4 vs 4A Allen County Scottsville (3-0). This should be an interesting game! The Patriots are the one team I have likely left out of the Top 20 that have a grip to be in there. Maybe that changes! But Adair County, Barren County and Greenwood aren’t exactly Murder’s Row!!! I look for the Scotties to win this game handily; let’s see if they do! 12) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 10 - 2018 Record (1-2): Week 3 Results: Loss 35-20 vs 4A Hopkinsville (1-2). Tough home opening loss for Caldwell County! But as I mentioned above 4 Red Zone Turnovers doomed the Tigers! I don’t have any stats on this one, but sets up a critical game vs a good team next week! Week 4: Vs 1A Crittenden County (2-0). Don’t let the 1A moniker fool you Tiger Fans as this Rockets team is very good. Hopkinsville had success passing last week and I look for Crittenden County to have success this week as well, but can Caldwell cut down on the turnovers? That’s the real question to me. Good Luck Tigers! 13) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 18 - (2018 Record 2-1) Week 3 Results: Win 28-7 vs 5A Christian County (1-2). Based upon the Christian County Stat Sheet, it appears that talented QB Donte Abrens likely was injured in this game as he had only 1 rushing stat and no pass attempts. Add that to the fact that Christian County only scored on an 88 yard fumble recovery scoop 6 by DB LRay Coleman and it appears Henderson County dominated this game. From the Hendo point of view – not my problem – win and advance! For the Christian County perspective, see below! Week 4: AT Gipson Southern (Fort Branch) IN (3-0). Gipson Southern is ranked about 1,000 points better than the Colonels in the MaxPreps National Rankings and have CRUSHED their first 3 opponents by a combined 184 to 7 score – Goodness! I wonder if Woody Hayes is coaching the Titans! It’s on the road in Hoosier-land so Hendo is going to need to be focused in order to pull this one out! Good luck Colonels – I’m pulling for you! 14) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – PR: 18; LW: 13 - 2018 Record 2-1: Week 3 WESTSIDER GAME OF THE WEEK Results: Loss 51-27 at 2A Mayfield (3-0). Tilghman came out on fire in this one with a Kick 6 to open the game and hung with the Cardinals in the first quarter. But Mayfield made quality adjustments and kept the Blue Tornados out of the endzone after that. Tilghman is a team on the rise. Take this game in stride and humble yourself. Because there are only 2 or 3 3A teams IMO that stand out as clearly above Tilghman this year! Keep going – this can be a special year for you! Week 4: Vs Graves County (1-2). This game can go 1 of 2 ways IMO. 1 – Tilghman’s ground game just pushes Graves off the field. Or 2 – Graves regains some form and makes a game of it! Don’t take ‘em lightly Blue Tornados! 15) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 14 - (2018 Record 3-0): Week 3 Results: Win 21-18 vs 2A McLean County (2-1). Eagles Fans I’m prepared for the hate mail you will be sending me for dropping you a spot this week. Initially I would not have done that, but McLean fought back and most would say was the stronger team at the end of the game. But what does it matter what I say. Win and advance! You are 3 and 0 for the first time since 2006 when you started the season a Hot 6 and 0! Good luck Eagles! Week 4 at 2A Butler County (0-3). No contest here Eagles Fans! Be sure to bring all your JV guys as they will get plenty of work in this one! I think you can find another team closer to your current position for this schedule slot, but I do understand scheduling is difficult, but this game will not help you prepare for your district. Just being honest. 16) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 11 - 2018 Record 1-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 3 Results: Loss: 28-7 vs 6A Henderson County (2-1). Christian County was outgained roughly 300 to 150 yards. But as was mentioned above, I believe the County starting QB was injured in this game. That had a big impact obviously on the offensive production for the Colonels. Hopefully he can make it back next week! Week 4: Grudge Match at 4A Hopkinsville (1-1) at 7:00pm. Both teams will be pumped up for this one! But for the Colonels will they have all their horses available? You tell me… 17) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 17 (2018 Record 2-0) Week 3 Results – Win 46-7 at 3A Trigg County (1-2). I don’t have stats for this one, but for a 1A team to go on the road and crush a 3A team is impressive to me. Feel the Rockets have a lot of momentum right now! Week 4: At 3A Caldwell County (1-2) Likely a good time to catch the Tigers after a tough loss. But as our good friend @winterweather reports, the Rockets haven’t beaten Caldwell since 2009! But I also think this Rockets team may be better than all those teams! We shall see! 18) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: 20 - (2018 Record 1-2) Week 3 Results – Win 38-27 vs 5A Graves County (1-2). This must have been a crazy game, as McCracken turned it over 7 times on the night AND STILL WON! Give the Mustangs credit for their resiliency, but from a Graves County standpoint it’s got to be disheartening and deflating not to be able to capitalize more on the Mustang mistakes! Way to rebound McCracken! Week 4 vs 2A Mayfield (3-0). This one used to be Must See in the West, but not so much this season. For Mayfield, I see business as usual. For McCracken, even with the resilient triumphant outcome on Friday night, Graves County is no Mayfield! Mayfield Running Clock! 19) Union County (3A) – PR: 19; LW: 19 - (2018 Record 1-0) Week 3 Results: Win 37-8 vs the 2A Webster County Trojans (0-3)! Union blitzed rival Webster with over 300 total yards to about 60 for Webster. That led to a running clock at halftime in this lop-sided game! Week 4: at 4A Madisonville-NH (3-0). It was this game last season that really put the Braves on the map! Now you go on the road to a Madisonville team that really needs this game IMO. But it’s there for the taking Braves! Let’s see what ya got!!! 20) Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 1-2: Week 3 Results: Loss 38-27 at 6A McCracken County (1-2). A really tough loss for the Eagles. I would think most teams that play an opponent that turns it over 7 times will win the game! Just get the feeling Graves is like an old pack of fire crackers with wet wicks; you just don’t know if they are going to fire or not! Week 4 at 3A Paducah Tilghman (2-1). I think this is going to be a tough spot for Graves as I look for Tilghman to be able to rebound more solidly than the Eagles. Am I wrong? You tell me… Others Receiving Votes: Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Monroe County, McLean County, Hancock County WEEK 3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Darian Clay – QB – Hancock County – 6 TD runs of 44, 15, 12, 26, 79, and 10 yards vs Ohio County. Congratulations Darian! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Jaden Stinson – QB - Mayfield – 19 for 27 for 324 yards and 2 TDs vs Paducah Tilghman! 2) Vito Tisdale – RB – Bowling Green – 28 carries for 145 yards and 3 TDs vs St Xavier! 3) Gavin Spurrier – QB – South Warren – 9 for 15 for 163 yards and 3 TDs vs Franklin Simpson! 4) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 23 for 34 for 362 yards and 4 TDs vs Owensboro! 5) Marquel Tinsley – WR – Daviess County – 11 catches for 164 yards and 2 TDs vs John Hardin! *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! Week 3 “Teams Trending Down” Owensboro (5A) – Down – While I realize OCATH is your rival, this is a foundation jarring loss to me. To be up 11 in the second half with as many weapons as you have and to (what appears from afar) have no answer at the end of the game is very concerning. You know you will be tested this coming week! Regroup and come out fired up on Friday Red Devils!!! Graves County (5A) – Down – I just can’t get over the fact that Graves was given 7 additional offensive possessions and still lost the game by 11 points! Just one to burn the film and start new! I think you can beat Paducah Tilghman, but you will have to really have a great week of practice with better execution to give yourself a shot next week! Rise up Eagles! Teams “Trending Up” Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Up – If I said the Aces win on Friday night was the biggest across the state – would I be wrong coming from a 2A school beating a 5A school standpoint? You tell me! Regardless the Aces are high as a kite right now and rightfully so! This is the type of win that will change your season (for both teams really)! I look for the Aces to be very sharp next week when their old Coach comes calling! Go Aces!!! Henderson County (6A) – Up – The Colonels are quietly starting to put some solid wins together! Played Evansville Reitz tough (lost by 6) and blew out Evansville North and Christian County! With the way their district is playing out, they could have a chance to challenge Daviess County for that District Championship! Keep it up Hendo!!! WESTERN KENTUCKY ROUNDUP!!! Calloway County – With the Lakers 19-14 win vs Metcalfe County last Friday night, it marks their first win since October 21, 2016 vs Logan County. Congratulations Coach Chris Champion & Laker Nation! Fulton County – The Pilots absolutely annihilated Poor ole’ Fulton City 70 to ZERO! While I’m happy for the Pilots on one hand, was a 70 burger really necessary? I think not! Come on man… Defense is Optional – Marshall County hung a 70 spot on Ballard Memorial while the Bombers put up 52 big ones in return!!! That’s a combined 122 points! Holy Hemlock Batman! Maybe this one was played on Nintendo instead of on the gridiron! Muhlenberg County – The Mustangs defeated Hopkins County Central 14-6 on Friday Night! Congrats to them! The Mustangs have 6A size and roughly 4A talent. No shame there as they continue to compete well and can likely compete for 3rd or 4th in their district this season! Good luck Mustangs!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings - Week 1 Edition Well I hope you had a great opening weekend to the 2018 Kentucky High School football season and hope you got to go see some of your favorite teams lace em up one more time! We have gone from I think this and that to I saw this and that from THIS years squads. The top story line this week is anticipation. It is a fickle thing. Even if you say you don't know what to expect from your team, subconsciously you do and likely it is a continuation, to some degree, of last season minus the graduated 2017 seniors. Well the great (and leveling) thing about August is that it brings a completely NEW season and circumstances to ALL teams. And as we saw this weekend, ALL our teams have changed, but the anticipation for next week remains, whether you are looking to make big time adjustments and get your first win or to build on your Week 1 success! The season is Officially Underway! Get out to a game this week sports fans! AROUND THE STATE: On this opening weekend, Kentucky teams played 15 squads (played 13 on opening weekend last year) from Indiana, Tennessee and Ohio. Well the Commonwealth is hot as an August afternoon early this year as we went 3 and 2 vs the Hoosiers; 6 and 3 vs the Volunteers and 1 and 0 vs the Buckeyes. How bout that to kick off the year!!! Way to represent!!! Week 1 Games of the Week: #2 South Warren 49 at #6 Hopkinsville 17: This game was pretty close early in the first quarter as reported by our good friend @jcarter But the Tigers turned it over during a long pass completion and stalwart DB Clayton Bush picked up the fumble and rumbled roughly 70 yards for an early score a likely changed the completion of the game. Hoptown really couldn't run the ball so they went with their passing game, which is a good option. Problem is South countered with an extra DB and it tightened the passing lanes and made that difficult too. Couple things are likely true going forward: 1. Hoptown will be back and better for playing a quality team like South Warren so early in the season. 2. South Warrens defense is very, very good. They will be a difficult team for anyone to play this season. #13 Owensboro Catholic 26 at #7 Daviess County 49: With the Aces up 20 to ZIP in the second quarter you had to wonder about the WKY hype I've splashed on the Panthers. But to their credit they kept plugging away and actually led 21-20 at the half. Daviess County went on to outscore the Aces 28 to 6 in the second half. Couple things for both teams: 1. OCath is a very good team and playing quality teams similar to what Hoptown did above will pay off later in the season IMO. 2. Daviess County will continue to be a force to recon with. Depending on how the Playoff structure works this year, they should definitely be in the mix to play for the Regional Championship! Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Hopkinsville (4A) (0-1) at Mayfield (2A) (1-0) next Friday Night August 24, 2018 (War Memorial Stadium). Dynamite game right here sports fans! The Mayfield Cardinals made some fantastic adjustments to overcome a determined Union City, TN squad tired of hearing of their 2017 defeat to the Cardinals. The Hopkinsville Tigers executed extremely well out of the gate against a stout South Warren squad but couldn't hang onto the ball. That will cost you versus a good team. But one thing is for sure Ellis Dunn is a flat out weapon on the outside. This game sets up to be one of the best in the West this week. I look for it to be more important to Hopkinsville. I don't expect them to win it, but I do expect them to keep it close and compete till the end. Get out to the Stadium early sports fans as the Cardinal faithful are serious about their football! Honorable Mention: Owensboro at Evansville Reitz, Indiana; Owensboro Apollo at Evansville Mater Dei; Bowling Green vs Pleasure Ridge Park; Caldwell County at Graves County. Great games here folks! Week 1 Top 10: 10) Christian County (5A) - Preseason Rank: 11 - 2018 Record 1-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 11-6 vs 3A Caldwell County (0-1). This is what happens when you have too many baseball players on your team. KIDDING! But seriously, this is what happens when you lose a TON of quality players and your strength is defense. You get 1 TD and force 2 safeties while holding your opponent to 1 TD. County was outgained by 45 yards on the night 160 to 205. So if you like a defensive chess match, this was your game. It is unfair to expect Christian County to be an offensive juggernaut, as it will take time for the new faces to get more comfortable under the Friday night lights. But I anticipate a lot of ground and pound and field position defensive struggles for the Colonels going forward. Week 2: At Rossview High School from Clarksville, TN at 7:00pm. According to MaxPreps, the Rossview Hawks lost last Friday at home to Clarksville (TN) 35-17. Rossview is listed as the 5,426th best team in the country. Christian County is rated the 2,730th best team in the country to get you an idea of what MaxPreps thinks of both teams because I have no idea about Rossview honestly. Good luck Colonels! Beat those Volunteers!!! 9) Madisonville - North Hopkins (4A) - Preseason Rank: 9 - 2018 Record 0-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Loss: 41-13 at 5A Owensboro (1-0). In a majority of scenarios I would have dropped the Maroons here. But due to some turbulence below them and the fact that that they were on the road to a team I did not expect them to beat, I chose not to drop them. I did however expect them to keep it closer. But how good is Owensboro and how good is Madisonville? One game is not a sample set. It appears from afar that the Maroons were simply outgunned on the road. I think they will be better for playing a tough opponent later on. Interesting the Madisonville stats say they rushed for 223 yards and the Owensboro stats say they gave up 164 yards. I guess it's all about perspective! Week 2: Vs 5A Marshall County (1-0). Look for the Maroons to bounce back convincingly next week sports fans! 8) Logan County (4A) - Preseason Rank: 8 - 2018 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 57-0 over 2A Butler County (0-1). Poor ole' Butler County never saw what hit them! And unfortunately for them, Rex Henderson ain't walkin through that door! Logan County starts off blazing a trail they built all of last season. When you see total yard stats of 435 to negative 41, you know it's a lopsided game. Collier Kempf records 3 sacks for the Cougars. Not much more to know about this one. Week 2: At 6A Muhlenberg County (0-1). Apollo beat the poor ole' Mustangs 47-12 last week. I look for a similar score this coming week. But get up to Greenville Cougar Fans and stop by Aunt M's Cafe for a great pre-game meal! 7) Hopkinsville (4A) - Preseason Rank: 6 - 2018 Record 0-1; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Loss: 49-17 vs 5A South Warren (1-0). Love the early game plan Tiger Fans as you punched the Spartans right in the mouth. Unfortunately, you couldn't hold onto the ball and that cost you quite a bit. But I am still upbeat for Tiger Nation this season. Not many will beat South Warren this season and this game will make you better IMO later in the year, because how many teams that Hoptown will face are better than South Warren? You tell me... I don't have stats for this one, but know QB Bland and WR Dunn are stars for the Tigers! Week 2 GAME OF THE WEEK: The tough schedule continues as the gauntlet rolls on to Graves County to play 2A Power Mayfield (1-0). Another tough spot here for the Tigers! The good news is that Jacob Lacey isn't suiting up for Mayfield. The bad news is the Mayfield hasn't lost at home since 6A McCracken County came away with a 37-31 OT squeaker in September of 2015! Good luck Tigers! 6) Daviess County (6A) - Preseason Rank: 7 - 2018 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 49-26 vs County Rival 2A OCath (0-1). For Daviess County Fans, I'd say the finger nails are a little tight this morning after a chew-fest through the entire first quarter and early second quarter. But you can't hold the Panthers down long! And according to our good friend @Irish Cat, they broke out of a 20-0 deficit to storm to a 21-20 halftime lead and outscored the Aces 49-6 the rest of the way! I'm sure the Aces fans were pretty stunned by the turnaround also. I'd love to see a box score for this game. I know QB Joey Cambron played well (and Stud WR Marquel Tinsley) and you will see him later. This team has a higher gear than most. Question is can they get to that gear when they need it in tight games. After Week 1, I say they can. Let's see when competition increases. Week 2: at Evansville Central, IN (1-0). Central (MaxPreps #828 nationally) blew the doors off Greenfield-Central (MaxPreps #10,352 nationally) Friday night and likely have a really strong team. With the Panthers coming in at 2,730 on the MaxPreps national ranking, it looks to be a really tough game for them. But that's what you need if you want to go deep in the playoffs! Let's go Panthers!!!! Beat the Hoosiers! 5) Franklin Simpson (4A) - Preseason Rank: 5 - 2018 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 44-20 at 3A Elizabethtown (0-1). I'm putting 4A on notice right now. You can put whomever you want above the Wildcats in August, but when the weather turns colder, you are going to have to deal with the Champs!!! Etown lost a LOT of quality seniors off their 2017 squad, but so did Franklin. Etown beat Franklin in Franklin last year. So turning the tide this year on the opening game is significant to me. Many questions asked to open the season: who will be the QB, how are the lines going to do, etc. Well though Week 1 - All Systems Go! According to the Etown stats, Franklin had 501 yards on the ground (zero passing yards) vs 366 yards for Etown. You will win a lot of games with those stats. But a passing component will surely be necessary later on when better defensive teams come calling. You will see some Wildcat stats later, but this was pretty much a 3 score affair most of the game and no closer. That's with the Wildcats turning it over 3 times. Cut that out and it gets downright ugly. Week 2: Vs 2A Monroe County (0-1) at 7pm. The scrappy Falcons lost a tough one to Trigg County last week and will now have the unenviable task of traveling to Shadetree Stadium to try and get a handle on the hot Wildcats. I'm sure Coach Preston will have some things he would like to work on. He will get a lot of chances this week. Wildcats ROLL! 4) Owensboro (5A) - Preseason Rank: 4 - 2018 Record 1-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 41-13 over 4A Madison-North Hopkins (0-1). Last year the Red Devils beat Madisonville 41-19, so they are consistent coming out of the gate! But last year that's where the wheels kinda came off with the Red Devils losing 4 of the next 5 and 7 of the next 10. OUCH! That doesn't happen often for Owensboro. But this year has a different feel for me. Not since the Nick Locher QB days have I known of an Owensboro QB capable of commanding a viable passing attack (no offense to any of the other QBs, but strengths are strengths). SR QB Will Warren has that ability IMO. You will see his numbers later. Standout Imonte Owsley was fantastic as usual with 1 rushing TD and 2 receiving TDs. LB Austin Gough is easily one of the best players on the Owensboro D and he will be very well known across the state by the time he is a Senior. Young man had 13 tackles and a fumble recovery on the night. Week 2: At Evansville Reitz, IN (1-0) on Friday August 24 at 5:00pm. Reitz pulled out a 41-35 win at 6A Henderson County last Friday. So this should be a good game. Make sure to check that start time Red Devil fans and go across the river to support your team! Let's Go O! Beat the Hoosiers!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) - Preseason Rank: 3 - 2018 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 43-27 over Union City, TN (0-1). Well it wasn't the 41-0 shellacking the Cardinals handed out last year at Union City, but to me this one will mean more later in the year for Mayfield. I'm sure the Golden Tornados were tired of hearing how they got smoked last season and came in and played inspired football and had a lead late in the game. But Coach Morris and staff made some key in-game adjustments to lock down Union City and get the Cardinal offense off and running! Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan who provided the total yards for the game at 460 for Mayfield vs 314 for Union City. It should be noted that Union City led in the 4th Quarter of this game. And Mayfield still regrouped and won by 16 points! Impressive! You will see more Cardinal Stats later! Week 2: GAME OF THE WEEK! Vs 4A Hopkinsville (0-1). Mayfield will come into this game pretty darn confident, but obviously are too well coached to take the Tigers lightly. Hopkinsville can cause Mayfield some problems early likely, but I look for the Cardinal coaches to make the adjustments needed to win the game by about 21 points. Great time to be a Cardinals Fan! Hey Cardinals Fans did you see where 2A Desales took down 6A St X! Wow!!! 2) Bowling Green (5A) - Preseason Rank: 1 - 2018 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 20-13 over 6A Central Hardin (0-1). Why would you drop Bowling Green after beating a 6A school Purple88? Basically, BG left A LOT of points on the field! Most were execution errors (holding penalties, catches that have to be made, etc.). Can those be fixed? Absolutely! Is it doom and gloom in Purple Land? Absolutely not! But you can not hide behind the fact that at 20-0 at halftime, you felt BG should have done more and that Central Hardin could and did come back. What can be fixed outside of the execution errors? Enhanced play calling? Did BG throw it past 20 yards from the line of scrimmage last night? You tell me... Guess what though: BG WON the game! I thought the BG D outside of 1 series played a heck of a game. Beau Buchanon is a leader at QB. He was 26 for 36 with 239 yards on the night. Vito Tisdale carried 16 times for 122 yards and took a punt to the house from 42 yards out. You have to remember this is the first real game for a new coach, all new WRs (with 2 starters injured). I said this last night: Central Hardin is a very good team and their offensive and defensive lines are outstanding. They will beat a lot of teams this season! BGs ceiling is high. MUCH work to do! Onward. Week 2: Vs 6A Pleasure Ridge Park (1-0). If I had to pick a non-district game that I really want BG to win this year, it would likely be PRP, as BG has never beaten them in 2 previous tries. Come out to El Donaldson Stadium and watch a great game this Friday night! 1) South Warren (5A) - Preseason Rank: 1 - 2018 Record 1-0; District Record 0-0] Week 1 Results: Win: 49-17 at 4A Hopkinsville (0-1). As our good friend @jcarter reported, South Warren is off to a Great Start to the 2018 Season. Hopkinsville had a good game plan prepared, but South Warren countered it and really was not threatened after that point early in the game. South Warren had significant contributions from all over led by SR stalwart Clayton Bush (you will see his stats later Spartan Fans). Also SR RB Cameron Harrison seems to have started where Christian Winn left off last year with 2 rushing TDs on the night. But the thing that makes South Warren special this year is their defense led by D1 standout Jacob Lacey who seemed to be in the Hoptown backfield as much as the Hoptown RBs! Is there anyone who makes you pay for your offensive mistakes more than South Warren? QB Spurrier was also very good on the night. My only cold water for you Spartan fans is to understand you scrimmaged 1A Russellville and beat 4A Hopkinsville - just for perspective purposes. Not cutting you down. Week 2: Play the Opening Act at the Citizens First Bowl at WKU vs 4A Warren Central (0-1). This game is Saturday August 25 at 5 pm. Absolutely no contest here. Next 10 - 11 to 20: 11) Caldwell County (3A) - 2018 Record (0-1): Week 1 Results: Loss 11-6 to 5A Christian County. Caldwell County is forced to play up if they want to compete deep in the playoffs. They were obviously in this game, but just couldn't find the offense or breaks to win the game. Shake it off Tigers - AND Quick! As you have to go to Graves County next week in what will undoubtedly be a physical affair. Good luck! 12) Glasgow (2A) - 2018 Record (1-0): Week 1 Results: Win 51-0 WOW! Glasgow put a 51 Burger on the poor ole' Panthers! Seems a bit harsh from afar, but this is football, not tiddly-winks! Glasgow stays at home to take on a surprising Bardstown club that blew the doors off poor ole' Spencer County last week. Which team takes their first loss on the season - you tell me... 13) Paducah Tilghman (3A) - 2018 Record 1-0: Week 1 Results: Win 35-6 over 6A McCracken County (0-1). Emotion and confidence may be the biggest uncontrollable forces our football teams interact with. But for Tilghman, they obviously harnessed the emotion around the loss of their Coach (Steve Duncan) and used it to fuel their efforts and stop cross-county rival McCracken County!!! A lot of upside to this Tilghman Team! And thanks to our good friend @truebluefan89 for giving the name of the week "Freeway" Freeman, who is reportedly a good RB with good wheels!!! Love it! 14) Owensboro Catholic (2A) - 2018 Record 0-1: Week 1 Results: Loss 49-26 to 6A Daviess County (1-0) OCath came out and punched the Panthers in the mouth and led 20 to zip-ola! Unfortunately it did not last and the Panther or Team Track Meet took over! But this will help OCATH get better for the tough playoff battles down the road. QB Drew Hatz is outstanding for the Aces and will have them turned around for the boat ride down river into Evansville to take on Memorial High School! Good Luck Aces! Beat the Hoosiers!!! 15) Graves County (5A) - 2018 Record 1-0: Week 1 Results: Win 41-21 vs 2A Murray. Always good to get a win vs Purchase Area opponents. I understand the Eagles started a little flat, but star QB Ryan Mathis turned them around and overwhelmed Murray. Tough game this week as the Caldwell County Tigers come calling. 16) Apollo (5A) - (2018 Record 1-0): Week 1 Results: Win 47-12 over 6A Muhlenberg County. The Philip Hawkins Era opens with a bang for the new Eagles Coach! Mariano McKenzie ran wild and a solid passing game was just that - solid! The Eagles now trek to Evansville to take on a solid Mater Dei squad. Good luck Eagles! Beat the Hoosiers!!! 17) Crittenden County (1A) - (2018 Record 1-0) Week 1 Results - Win 42-6 vs Stewart County, TN. The Rockets blasted off and Stewart County paid for the rocket fuel! I don't have any stats for this game. Rockets don't play again until they head south to face a surprising Trigg County squad on August 31. 18) McCracken County (6A) - (2018 Record 0-1) Week 1 Results - Loss 35-6 at Paducah Tilghman. What happened? I mean first game of the year and not much to speak of. I don't have Mustang stats, but likely not much to see. Is Tilghman that good or McCracken that bad? You tell me... We will find out... 19) Union County (3A) - (2018 Record 0-0) The Braves will wait another week to open their season when the hapless Marion County Knights come to Morganfield! The Braves ROLL in this one!!! Good luck Braves! 20) Henderson County (6A) - (2017 Record 0-1) I don't have any information on this game, but am encouraged by the score. In years past, I know Hendo would have gotten beaten much worse than this. I think they can have a good year; get second in the district and host a home playoff game. That's a win in my book!!! Evansville North comes calling next week. I like the Colonels in this one!!! Beat the Hoosiers!!! Others Receiving Votes: Allen County Scottsville, Trigg County, Greenwood, Grayson County, Ballard Memorial, Edmonson County Week 1 Players of the Week: *I don't have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! 1) Caleb Kimble - RB - Fulton County Pilots - 205 rushing yards and 4 Big TDs!!! Vs Gleason, TN 2) Joey Cambron - QB - Daviess County - 307 yards and 5 TDs vs OCath! Marquel Tinsley - WR - Daviess County - 9 catches 166 yards and 2 TDs 3) Clayton Bush - WR/DB - South Warren - 4 TDs including 2 70 yard (each) returns for TDs! 4) Carlos McKinney - RB - Franklin Simpson - 224 yards and 3 TDs Tre Bass - RB - Franklin Simpson - 210 yards and 2 TDs 5) Tavis Brown - WR/DB - Graves County - 94 yards rushing; 4 catches and a Pick 6 vs Murray! 6) Will Warren - QB - Owensboro - 18 for 31 for 254 yards and 5 TDs vs Madisonville NH! 7) Jayden Stinson - QB - Mayfield - 221 yards passing for 4 TDs Kade Neeley - WR/DB - Mayfield - 4 catches for 135 yards, but look at the HUDL link below. This young man was all over the field! Outstanding! Union City High School - Kade Neely highlights - Hudl Week 1 - Teams Trending Down Hopkinsville (4A) - Down - It is probably unfair of me to put Hoptown here as they played a team I know I expected to beat them. But they are also the highest ranked team to lose as well. I suppose it was the overall size of the defeat that troubled me (4 TDs). But I still think you have the best shot to challenge Franklin Simpson and go to the Grocery Bag in December and represent the West in 4A this year! Madisonville North Hopkins (4A) - Down - This is the exact same boat as above as I'm probably unfairly putting you here as I did not expect you to win. But the one thing that stands out to me is if other teams watch the Owensboro film and run the same defensive schemes can Madisonville win the bigger games? You tell me... Teams - Trending Up Fulton County Pilots (1A) - Up - You can't stop the Pilots! You can only hope to contain them!!! I bet the grape juice was flowing in the Pilots locker room after their big win on Friday night!!! Way to represent the State Pilots!!! Best of luck! I've got my eye on you when you travel to Stewart County TN on September 7th! After Crittenden County beat them 42-6, I think the Pilots have a real shot at a Road Win!!! Let's go Pilots!!! Paducah Tilghman (3A) - Up - How bout the Blue Tornados!!! Emotion is a Powerful Weapon! I'm sure Tilghman circled the wagons when Coach Duncan had to resign due to health reasons. This is a team to watch out for. Athletes have never been the problem. But as our good friend @TilghmanPride reports, the offensive and defensive lines are better than they have been in 5 or 6 years! Look out 3A!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 2 Edition (Disclaimer 1: Sorry this is a bit late; I had to cook for 125 people yesterday afternoon and it threw my whole weekend off. Although I did go to a game on Friday night of course!) What a great weather weekend to get out and see a game! I hope you got to see a game this past Friday or Saturday night! The top story line this week is degree of difficulty! Different teams look at degree of difficulty in different ways and it shows in their scheduling. Some teams schedule very difficult out of district games and others not so much! I think most that’s been around long enough know that come playoff time the level of competition you play early on make a big difference. Let’s see if that continues to play out! AROUND THE STATE: On this second weekend, there were some TERRIFIC Matchups and I admit I took in the Trinity vs Warren Central game as it was only about 5 minutes from my office and BOY What a Game – Sports Fans!!! That game along with 16 others had Kentucky teams playing out of state teams. And like the Trinity game Kentucky came out on the losing end more times than not this weekend losing to every state, but tying Ohio. Better luck next week! Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Hopkinsville (4A) (0-2) 7 at Mayfield (2A) (2-0) 35. To win AT Mayfield is a very, very difficult task! And frankly, I did not expect Hopkinsville to win this game, although I would have liked to have seen them keep it a little closer. Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan for providing great info for this game. It appears that early penalties and 2 interceptions allowed Mayfield to break a scoreless tie and gradually pull away with Big Plays. Hoptown QB Jay Bland did get the Tigers on the scoreboard late in the 3rd quarter though. For Mayfield, business as usual. For Hoptown, still not clicking like you want it, but I think the Cardinals had a lot to do with that. Head up Tigers!!! WESTSIDER - Week 2 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: (Disclaimer 2: Westsider was a friend to this website and all sports in Western Kentucky. This is mentioned in honor of his memory!) (Disclaimer 3: I am not picking the BG vs St X game because St X is not a WKY team and the fact that this game needs no hype help.) Paducah Tilghman 3A (2-0) travels to Mayfield 2A (2-0): I expect this OLD Rivalry to be extremely hard hitting and well played on both sides. Bragging rights at the local grocery store are on the line in the Purchase Area! The last time Tilghman beat Mayfield was back in 2005 (18-15 at Tilghman). The last time Tilghman beat Mayfield AT Mayfield was the year prior in 2004 (27-15). I get the feel this is the first time since the early 2000s that Tilghman really has a shot AT Mayfield. Going to be a GREAT Game! Get out to War Memorial Stadium early sports fans!!! South Warren (5A) (2-0) vs (4A) Franklin Simpson (2-0). Both teams have had similar paths this season in clearly handling their early opponents. Both also played significantly inferior teams to where they are last week. This will be a BIG step up for both as they look to up the competition dial to see where they are right now because other than really good, I’m not sure. Franklin has an advantage playing at Shadetree Stadium, but South’s offense is more balanced and I’m concerned for Franklin being 1-dimensional on offense. Will be a GREAT Game as it usually is between these 2! But you better get to Shadetree early as I predict a Big Crowd this Friday night! Honorable Mention: Owensboro at Owensboro Catholic; Warren Central at Monroe County, Bowling Green at St Xavier – Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 2 Top 10: 10) Caldwell County (3A) – Preseason Rank: 10 2018 Record (1-1): Week 1 Results: Win 28-17 to 5A Graves County. Caldwell County may be Team Safety. Seems they are always involved with games with safetys (the 2 point kind). At least 2 in this game. Also a safety in last weeks loss to Christian County. With that out of the way; HUGE win for the Tigers! On the road and beat a really tough Graves County Team! Thanks to our good friends @Razor Ramon and @PtownDude for providing great info for this one! Biggest stat in this game was Graves turned it over 5 times to 1 for Caldwell. Jameer Riley and Joby Jagers played really well for the Tigers. But DeEric Hollowell breaks out with 25 carries for 128 yards and a TD! Great Momentum heading forward now for Caldwell! Week 3: Vs 4A Hopkinsville (0-2). Good spot to catch Hoptown coming off their toughest stretch of the season. They will come in angry, but like how Caldwell is playing right now! 9) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Preseason Rank: 9 - 2018 Record 1-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 45-14 vs 5A Marshall County (1-1). Nothing says get better quick than a meeting with the Marshall County Marshals after going to Rash Stadium the week before! The Maroons got back to doing what they do best and that is running at you and then running at you some more. They totaled over 300 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. You will see a Maroon RB later on! Nice work Maroons! Week 3: At 2A Murray (1-1). A lot for the Maroons to a little for the Tigers! Just a bad spot for Murray I fear. However, a 2 hour bus ride has tightened games up before, but I just don’t see it this week. Maroons roll! 8) Logan County (4A) – Preseason Rank: 8 - 2018 Record 2-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 56-18 over 6A Muhlenberg County (0-1). I hope the Burger at Aunt M’s Cafe was good because I’m afraid that was likely the only interesting thing of your trip from whitewashing Poor ole’ Muhlenberg County! Lot to like from Logan Countys point of view, QB Tyler Ezell was very good as was RB Gary Hardy! Logan defense gives up less than 300 yards on the night and most of that was in mop up time. Week 3: Vs Poor Ole’ 4A Breckinridge County (0-2). Not much to see here! Cougars Roll! 7) Hopkinsville (4A) – Preseason Rank: 6 - 2018 Record 0-2; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Loss: 35-7 at 2A Mayfield (2-0). As mentioned above, early penalties and a couple untimely interceptions really cost the Tigers in this game. I think they played with great effort so that in encouraging. Tigers with about 150 yards on the ground and 111 in the air. Just not enough against a very good Mayfield team. Week 3: The tough schedule continues as the gauntlet rolls on to Princeton to play at 3A Caldwell County (1-1). Another tough spot here for the Tigers! The good news is the last regular season home loss for Caldwell County was last year not several years ago. The bad news is that that Caldwell County loss was to the same Mayfield team that just beat you by 4 TDs. Brighter days ahead Tigers! Keep your head up! Playing tough teams in August will pay off in November! 6) Daviess County (6A) – Preseason Rank: 7 - 2018 Record 1-1; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Loss: 49-13 at Evansville Central, IN (2-0). At first when I saw this score I was like, What Happened? But after a little digging and great info from our good friend @wkyhollywood, Marquel Tinsley was hurt on the first play of the game and did not return. Also reported Central had huge linemen and athletes. So Down Goes The Panthers!!! They gave up over 400 yards on the ground and their passing offense gained only a scant 78 yards on the night! Wow – that won’t get it done! Week 3: vs 4A John Hardin (1-1). Should be much more to the Panthers liking this Friday night. But what is the status on Tinsley? You tell me… Well our good friend @ApolloFan98 did tell us. Tinsley will likely be out roughly 2 weeks with a shoulder injury. We certainly hope the young man gets better soon! 5) Franklin Simpson (4A) – Preseason Rank: 5 - 2018 Record 2-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 57-7 vs 2A Monroe County (0-2). Just 2 teams at different levels right now. Really like the Falcons program, but this is just a really bad spot for them, but applaud them for playing all-comers! Everything positive for the Wildcats! On to a real test!!! Week 3 GAME OF THE WEEK: Vs 5A Old District Rival South Warren (2-0) at 7pm. This should be a Dandy of a Game!!! You do know Wildcat fans that the Spartans aren’t just going to let you line up and run at them. You know you will have to mix the pass and run here. But hey, that’s a good thing. If you can play with South, you can play with most anyone. 4) Owensboro (5A) – Preseason Rank: 4 - 2018 Record 2-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 35-34 over Evansville Reitz, IN (1-1). Terrific Win for the Red Devils! And thanks to our good friend @Irish Cat for the great insight on the post game thread! RB/DB Imonte Owsley is special. You will see him below! Owensboro likely could have blown Reitz out had they finished 3 red zone second half drives, but turnovers did them in. Just a splash of cold water Red Devil fans – Owensboro is ranked about 1,600 in the nation and Reitz is ranked about 3,200 in the nation, so that says Owensboro should have won. But its easy to spin stats and much harder to cross the Ohio River into a formidable opponent and take a game on his home field! Week 3: At City Rival 2A Owensboro Catholic (2-0). This one should be interesting! As former Aces QB is now the SR starting QB for the Red Devils. Lot of story lines here! Get out to see the game Red Devil fans!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – Preseason Rank: 3 - 2018 Record 2-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 35-17 over 4A Hopkinsville (0-2). Mayfield makes you play uphill. What do I mean by that? I just get the feel that especially at War Memorial Stadium, they put A LOT of pressure on the other teams offense and defense to keep up. Most teams simply can not do that. Mayfield took this game largely on big plays of at least 40 yards. And the Mayfield D forced some interceptions and Hoptown had some costly penalites and didn’t feel like Mayfield was ever threatened. Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan for the updates and game stats! Week 3: WESTSIDER - GAME OF THE WEEK! Vs 3A Paducah Tilghman (1-1). This has always been a good one in Western Kentucky. This year will be no different. A seemingly reinvigorated Blue Tornado squad will march into War Memorial Stadium for another battle with the Cardinals. Mayfield has to be considered the favorite, but something tells me this one will be much closer than I would have expected in the Pre-Season. Get there early or be prepared to stand!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – Preseason Rank: 2 - 2018 Record 2-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 39-22 vs 4A Warren Central (0-2). Not much good can come from 2 teams playing at so different a level. Why would you drop South when they put a running clock on Warren Central in the 2nd quarter Purple88? Well, I could have told you that last year. And I’ll tell you right now that this game next year will be a running clock again. Body of work does not support staying at #1 – that simple. But that could change! Week 3 GAME OF THE WEEK: At 4A Franklin Simpson (2-0). Now we are talkin Spartan Fans! This is a game that will help you get ready for the playoffs on August 31 at 7pm. Should be a great game. Old district rivals square off once again! South has always been a great run defensive team. Franklin is a terrific run oriented offense. Something has to give at Shadetree Stadium this Friday night! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – Preseason Rank: 1 - 2018 Record 2-0; District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Win: 44-7 over 6A Pleasure Ridge Park (1-1). I have to admit that I didn’t watch this game yet, although I plan to. It is exactly what I expected. BG ratcheted it up from an uneven performance against Central Hardin. Still some pesky holding calls and a few drops, but all in all the ramp points up for the Purples. Week 3: At 6A St Xavier (0-1). The Soap Opera producers have been calling me all week with all the story lines for this one! BGP Drama Central items to consider include: 1 You have to know it will be odd/difficult/strange for St X Coach Kevin Wallace to look across that field at the Purple & Gold and not think that he is on the wrong side line if at only for a minute. Heck he coached there almost a quarter century. 2 Coach Wallace knows all the BG players and at least 90% of all their plays. 3 St Xavier likely has the better offensive and defensive lines. 4 Bowling Green likely has the better skill guys. 5 St Xavier may have their starting QB back for this game. What luck Purple fans! 6 St Xavier laid an egg the opening weekend of the season and has had to think about it for 2 weeks because of where their bye week sits. That is St X lost to 2A Desales 19-16. 7 Don’t think the Trinity faithful or likely the St X faithful are going lightly on that, especially with a very questionable mishap at the end of the first half that cost X Big! So if you are a Bowling Green Fan, be sure to catch the next episode of New (Coach) and the Winless here on your WKY Network!!! All in good fun of course, as BG would not be the program it is today without the tireless dedication of Coach Kevin Wallace. Better get to Brother Thomas More Page Stadium early as parking is a bear! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Christian County (5A) – Preseason Rank: 11 - 2018 Record 1-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 2 Results: Loss: 31-26 vs Rossview, TN (1-1). I don’t have any stats or know what went on in this one, but sounds like a good game where the Colonels just came up short in. Week 3: Vs 6A Henderson County (1-1) at 7:00pm. Big Game right here as both teams are likely close to being even. Don’t want to lose 2 in a row! 12) Glasgow (2A) – 2018 Record (2-0): Week 2 Results: Win 19-7 I think this is a good win for the Scotties as I feel Bardstown is better than most people think. Thanks to our good friend @Hearsay for providing great insight into this game. He reported turnovers were the name of the game with no team scoring in the second half. Glasgow rushed for over 300 yards but committed 4 interceptions. Sounds like a good hard hitting game to me! Week 3 vs Poor Ole’ Ft Campbell (0-2). This one will be out of hand quickly. Onward Scotties! 13) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – 2018 Record 2-0: Week 2 Results: Win 35-0 at Liberty Tech Magnet (Jackson, TN) (0-2). I think this is the team this year folks that we will look to that really changes the tone of their program. Last year it was Logan County. This year I’m going with the Blue Tornados, who drove down to Jackson with Johnny Cash and came up Aces! Tilghman basically ran it at Liberty and they couldn’t do a lot with it. Add that to the fact Liberty faked the punt or went for it deep in their own territory twice. Not sure what to make of that; but that’s their problem as Tilghman rolls with a running clock W! Our good friend @TilghmanPride reports this is the second 2 and 0 start since 2003! WESTSIDER Game of the WEEK - Week 3 AT Mayfield 2A (2-0). To me this is still a great rivalry even through Mayfield has won 12 in a row. I consider BG vs Owensboro the same way. When schools have been playing as long as these guys have Respect the Game! Good luck Tilghman! 14) Apollo (5A) – (2018 Record 2-0): Week 2 Results: Win 17-10 over Evansville Mater Dei (IN). The Eagles are in a nice groove right now! I really like what @coachhawk is doing off Tamarack Road. Mariano McKenzie is a super RB, you will see his numbers later and QB Colby Clark is a very good High School QB, smart and doesn’t turn it over much. The unsung hero is likely the Eagle Defense who are playing better each week! Thanks to our good friends @Irish Cat and @ApolloFan98 for providing great insight to this one! Week 3 vs better than you think 2A McLean County (2-0). Don’t go to sleep on the Cougars, as they can play. 15) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – 2018 Record 0-2: Week 2 Results: Loss 49-21 at Stout Evansville Memorial (IN)(2-0). Never fear OCath fans! I’m sure you may have been discouraged by this outcome, but do you realize Memorial is inside the top 500 schools in the nation? They are; while the Aces are around 5,700! So you have to hang in and see this through. You are still going to plow your district and head for tougher games in the playoffs! Steady Course Aces Fans! Week 3 vs Owensboro (2-0). Don’t like this spot for you Aces as last season was the year to catch the Red Devils. BUT emotions should be pretty high as you will meet your former QB! 16) Graves County (5A) – 2018 Record 1-1: Week 2 Results: Loss 28-17 vs 3A Caldwell County (1-1). As our good friend @PtownDude reported, 5 turnovers for Graves vs only 1 for Caldwell when the total yardage is basically even will get ya beat 9 times out of 10 for sure. Back to the drawing board Eagles! But to their good fortune they find what should be a good opponent for them. Week 3 AT McCracken County (0-2). 17) Crittenden County (1A) – (2018 Record 1-0) Week 2 Results – BYE Week. Time to get out of the hammock Rockets! Week 3 at Trigg County (1-1). Bring your fishing pole Rocket Fans; take in this game and then zip on down to KenLake for some bass fishing! I look for the Rockets to be well rested and ready to take this game. I do think Trigg is better than I thought they would be this year though and they are at home. So you better come prepared when you get to Cadiz!!! 18) Henderson County (6A) – (2018 Record 1-1) Week 1 Results: Win 48-7 vs Evansville North. I don’t have any information on this game, but am impressed by the score. I think Henderson is in a good spot to keep improving. Too bad you don’t play Daviess County next week with Marquel Tinsley on the sideline. Week 3: Good test AT Christian County (1-1). Hendo gave the Colonels all they wanted last year, so I expect another good game! 19) Union County (3A) – (2018 Record 1-0) Week 1 Results: Win 48-6 vs the hapless Marion County Knights (0-2)! No stats available. Week 3: vs 2A Webster County (0-2). The Trojans better gear up because I got a feeling they are going to get scalped by the Braves! Braves Roll in this one!!! Good luck Braves! 20) McCracken County (6A) – (2018 Record 0-2) Week 2 Results – Loss 40-10 at Northeast (Clarksville), TN (2-0). Just a bad spot for McCracken. I’ve seen Northeast play this season (Rafferty’s Bowl Opener) and they are a very tough team. So this score doesn’t surprise me. But what about this coming week? Lets see what you got Mustangs! You need to regroup and get some confidence before Mayfield comes calling! OOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF Week 3 vs 5A Graves County (1-1) WEEK 2 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Thomas Maxey – RB – Warren East – 308 yards 5 rushing TDs and a 90 yard Kick 6 return vs Greenwood. Congratulations Thomas! Other outstanding Week 2 performances in the West: 1) Mark Thompson – RB - Murray – 21 carries, 206 yards and 3 TDs vs Calloway County! 2) Mariano McKenzie – RB – Apollo – 227 yards and 1 TDs vs Evansville Mater Dei! 3) Travis Newsom – WR – Caldwell County – 10 catches for 96 yards vs Graves County! 4) Imonte Owsley – RB/DB – Owensboro – 140 yards rushing with 1 TD and 125 yards receiving and 2 TDs! 5) Jeriah Hightower – RB – Madisonville – North Hopkins – 174 yards rushing and 3 TDs vs Marshall County! *I don’t have all stats available, so please add as you see fit! Week 2 “Teams Trending Down” Daviess County (6A) – Down – Is it fair for me to call out a team that loses their best player on the first play of the game and then they kinda melt from there? You tell me… I guess I just expected more from the remainder of the team. Although I will admit to knowing VERY little about Evansville Central. Regroup and heal up Panthers! Christian County (5A) – Down – Rossview, TN is a team I know little about. Add that to the fact that the score was 31-26 and it likely seems unfair to put the Colonels here. BUT somebody has to lose and be here. Couple of pick-em games coming up for County prior to the District Buster Bash with Owensboro. Need that confidence high going into playing the Red Devils! Upward County!!! Teams “Trending Up” Caldwell County (3A) – Up – BIG Win for the Tigers will carry a lot of momentum for you into next weeks tough match vs Hoptown. If Caldwell can stop the run all together, I like their chances in that game! Carry on Tigers!!! Apollo (5A) – Up – The Eagles are makin hay while the sun shines!!! Love that old saying! Should take care of the next 3 games no problem before 3 Big District Buster games come calling (At Graves County, vs Christian County, and At Owensboro)! Ramp up Eagles!!!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 4 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, CHANGE IS INEVITABLE!!! And it is with that theme and this time in the season where I admit I am pretty dog-gone long-winded on these rankings and I realize folks have very busy lives and don’t have time every week to get through all the items listed in this thread, so we’ll audible formations into a “Popcorn N Coke Version” and “Meat & Potato’s Version” so you can get what you want and move on in the time available to you. Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 4: 1. Bowling Green 5A (4-0): Win 21-12 vs 5A Owensboro 2. South Warren 4A (4-0): Win 59-0 vs 6A Central Hardin 3. Mayfield 2A (4-0): Win 51-21 at 6A McCracken County 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (3-1): Win 50-7 at 5A Greenwood 5. Daviess County 6A (3-1): Win 20-0 at 2A Hancock County 6. Logan County 4A (4-0): Win 49-7 vs 1A Russellville 7. Henderson County 6A (3-1): Win 23-0 vs Gipson Southern, IN 8. Owensboro Catholic (2-2): Win 50-0 vs South Spencer, Indiana 9. Glasgow 2A (4-0): Win 28-7 vs 4A Allen County-Scottsville 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (3-1): Win 41-7 vs 5A Graves County Week 4 PurpleHaze Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Bowling Green 5A (4-0) 21 at Owensboro 5A (2-2) 12. Hard fought, weather influenced, rivalry game! BG didn’t play perfect but they played smart! The 3rd quarter was basically a monsoon and forced conservative play calling for the rest of the game. The Red Devils played inspired football, especially their defense, but the offense couldn’t get beyond mid-field in the second half. Thankful to get to meet and speak with @74devil prior to the game! He is a true red & black Owensboro, non-fair-weather fan! Appreciate his logical view to the game! Week 5 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: There are a couple pretty good games this week, but no show-stoppers, so I’ve decided to audible to highlight 2 teams that have impressed (under the radar mostly) this season and think they’ve earned a shot to be here. So the game of the week this week is: 4A Warren East (2-2) at 2A Glasgow (4-0) This should be a Dandy of a Game! The Raiders RB Thomas Maxey is likely the best player in the West you know nothing about! He has over 650 yards through 4 games and is averaging over 165 yards a game! GETTIN IT DONE – MR. Maxey!!! Glasgow has likely been forgotten across the state due to the 2A Big Boys playing so well this year! This meeting will likely tell us if the Scotties will have a chance to upset one of those Big guys or not! Honorable Mention: - Henderson County at Caldwell County; Hopkinsville at Paducah Tilghman; Mayfield at Graves County; Franklin Simpson at Meade County; and Daviess County at Owensboro - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 4 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 14 - 2018 Record 3-1: Week 4 Results: Win 41-7 vs 5A Graves County (1-3). Graves County played a great first quarter. They took the opening possession and passed easily down the field and led 7-0 and held that lead after 1Q. The Eagles may have thought the rest of the game didn’t count because they couldn’t find the end zone from there! And Tilghman got it together and rolled out just over 500 yards on the ground! 2 teams trending in different directions! And I feel the Blue Tornados are just getting stronger! Week 5: vs Hopkinsville (1-3). I was really looking forward to this game, but with the terrible news of Hoptown super-talented JR QB Jay Bland likely being done for the year that likely puts this game into a lop-sided affair for the home team. But lookin on the horizon that Blue Tornado vs Caldwell County District Buster game is gonna be a good one! 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 11 - 2018 Record (4-0): Week 4 Results: Win 37-0 vs 4A Allen County Scottsville (3-1). Great win Scotties! This is clearly a step up win for the Scotties from their first three opponents! These solid 4A schools will help Glasgow prepare for the playoffs. Through 3 games, RB Nick Mitchell is averaging over 100 yards a game on the ground with 5 TDs and WR Jayden Franklin has made 12 catches with 3 TDs on the season! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 5 vs 4A Warren East (2-2). Don’t doubt this Raider team Scottie Nation as they have some talent, but I just don’t think it will be enough to deal with the Scotties here! With the game in Glasgow again (played all their games at home so far this year!), I just think the Scotties get a hard fought, but close, win here! 8) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 9; 2018 Record 2-2: Week 4 Results: Win 50-0 vs South Spencer, IN (0-4). Well OCath fans, I bet Coach Edge didn’t enjoy that 50 Burger you handed him! But Hey – That’s HIS problem not yours! Not much more to add from that kind of domination! Week 5 at 5A City Rival Apollo (4-0). The Aces take on all-comers! If OCath can neutralize the running of ultra-talented Eagle RB Mariano McKenzie then I like their chances in this one off Tamarack Road! But that’s a Big If! But then again can the Apollo DBs cover the Aces wide outs? You tell me... 7) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 13 - (2018 Record 3-1) Week 4 Results: Win 23-0 vs Gipson Southern (Fort Branch) IN (3-1). The Colonels crossed the Ohio River and trekked 40 miles up Route 41 to Fort Branch for a battle with the #4 ranked team in 4A in Indiana! After blasting their first 3 opponents, the Titans couldn’t get anything going against a stout Colonel defense! Thanks to our good friend @Cols 51, who reported this is the first regular season loss for Gipson since 2014! WOW! Henderson outgained the Titans, who hadn’t been shut out since 2011, 330 to 170 yards. WR Nick Cissell had 3 catches for 91 yards and a big TD catch. Logan Green led the way on the ground with 26 carries for 103 yards! Way to go Hendo!!! Week 5: at 3A Caldwell County (2-2). These 2 teams have played each other the past 3 years with Caldwell County winning each game. But last year’s game at Henderson was the closest one yet at 42-28 Caldwell County. I think Henderson gets closer this year, but is it enough to get the win? You tell me… 6) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 7 - 2018 Record 4-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 49-7 over City Rival 1A Russellville (2-2). The Cougars were well prepared for their annual rivalry with Russellville! The Cougars rolled up nearly 500 yards to about 100 for the Panthers. And get this, Russellville only rushed for 7 yards in the game! WOW! Many play well for Logan County and you will see some stats below! Logan County is stealthily moving along under the radar. They will clearly be tested in their district, but with the devastating loss of Hoptown’s QB this shines more focus on the Cougars upcoming matchup with Madisonville. And you have to like Logan County’s chances in that game! Week 5: vs 2A McLean County (3-1). Beware Cougar Nation – these Little Brother Cougars can really play! They should have beaten a solid Apollo team 2 games ago! You have to trek the 50 miles up 431 to Calhoun! Prepare yourself as SR FB Jacob Miller is playing awfully well! 5) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 6 - 2018 Record 3-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 20-0 vs 2A Hancock County (2-2). Panthers get the win, but is it convincing? I mean, this is a team that is supposed to be a high octane offensive machine and you put up 2 to 3 TDs on a (no offense meant) middle of the road 2A school! Not feeling the “Force is With You” right now Luke Skywalker! Week 5: at 5A City Rival Owensboro (2-2). Panthers got a Big “O” monkey off their backs last season when they beat Owensboro at home! Now with stakes high and time being of the essence, the Panthers look to push the Red Devils into free fall mode ahead of the district slate! This one will be a dog fight at Rash! The Owensboro secondary will be pushed to the test this week for sure. The Daviess County horses should be lickin their chops at this matchup!!! Gotta like your chances here Panther Fans, but you better be prepared for a battle!!! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 3-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 50-7 vs 5A Greenwood (1-3). After a tough week of practice, I’m sure blasting the Gators felt pretty satisfying! And my, aren’t the 50 Burgers in full supply in Western Kentucky this past week! Both of Franklin’s star RBs ran for more yards than Greenwood gained as a team! Nice bounce back. Week 5: at 6A Meade County (2-2) at 8pm. The Green Wave rolled down to Shadetree Stadium last year and eeked out a gritty 24-21 win. Seems like Franklin should have won that game and I’m hoping they can roll up 65 and over the Joe Prather Highway to take the roll out of the Green Wave!! Make no mistake, this is a big test game for the Wildcats as you will not be challenged much during district play. So focus on this gritty 6A opponent and ramp up Wildcats!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 4-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 51-21 at 6A McCracken County (1-3). I just get the feel Cardinal fans that your star QB Jayden Stinson is getting more and more comfortable each week. That is a really bad thing for all Mayfield opponents, as Stinson peppered the field hitting multiple receivers who are all talented and can gain big yards after the catch! You will see Mr. Stinson’s stats below (again!). Ultra-talented Kent Trey Matthews ran 14 times for 104 yards on the night! Week 5: At 5A Graves County (1-3). The Eagles haven’t beaten Mayfield since 2008. And the way Graves is playing at the moment there isn’t much to support that changing anytime soon! Cardinals Roll!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 4-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 4: Win: 59-0 vs 6A Central Hardin (1-3). All Spartans in this one Sports Fans! The Spartans served a 50 Burger and charged 9 points for cheese! South continued their impressive start to the 2018 season. The same theme can be found in this Spartan victory as well. The Bruins start their first offensive possession on their 15; 3 and out and South takes over at the CH 34; they score. Second possession CH takes possession at CH 19; 3 and out and South takes over at the CH 38; they score. Third offensive CH possession begins at the CH 8; bad snap and a safety. First 3 possessions, 17 South Warren points, 72 offensive yards, and the Bruins are ready to be flipped over on the Spartans 50 Burger grill! What’s my point! This Spartan defense if very tough and makes you play uphill so their offense can play downhill! My cold water splash for you Spartan fans is that the regular Central Hardin QB, best WR (plays both ways) and best defensive player were out for this game per our good friend @Hardin County Preps. So it isn't the same lineup that played another team in Week 1, just sayin. Now that’s not South Warren’s problem, but just a factor as I know we have a lot of score comparer folks out there! Just get all the facts is what I’m sayin! And please see the OT Edition below for more insight here! Week 5: at District Opponent 5A Grayson County (4-0). This has to be the Best Grayson County team since they have been in 5A District 2. With that said, this may be the Best South Warren team they have had since entering 5A District 2. And unfortunately for the Cougars, this is the end of the road for the undefeated ranks. But hey, I’m impressed with the team Coach Smart has up in Leitchfield! They should be able to compete for 3rd in the district! Do they take down Greenwood on October 12? You tell me… 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 4-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results PURPLEHAZE GAME OF THE WEEK: Win: 21-12 at 5A Owensboro (2-2). The Purples beat their most-played rival for the 14th straight time! But it wasn’t easy; and it shouldn’t be! For the Purples, Vito Tisdale continues to be a real difference maker and QB Beau Buchanan was very steady and handled the poor weather very well. Still a few WR drops cause what likely would have been more breathing room on the scoreboard to not be realized. The Purple defense allowed an opening drive TD and then 1 pass reception that was turned into a long TD run, but that was it as they locked the Red Devils down after those 2 first half scores! Week 5: At 4A Old Rival Warren Central (0-4). I love this old rivalry. It reminds me of my youth. Throwing water balloons and yelling at the Central fans is a time I fondly remember. But if I am honest, it may be time to look at only playing Central on a JV and freshman level. I truly hate to say that! But it might be most prudent in the near term at least. BG has played a very tough opening 4 game slate and deserves to throttle back a bit, but playing a team that will not get a win again this season is likely not be the right course for the Purples. BUT not a lot of options unless you want to go way up like a Brentwood Academy (I was also thinking maybe of some teams like Henderson County or old rival Franklin Simpson might be good though). Then again do you want to go 5 tough games out of the gate? You tell me… Scheduling is such a fickle beast – you can critique it till the cows come home!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 10 - 2018 Record 2-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 PURPLEHAZE GAME OF THE WEEK Results: Loss: 21-12 vs 5A Old Rival Bowling Green (4-0). I really thought the Red Devils played inspired football for the most part! Owensboro opened the game throwing the football and it worked in an opening possession score. They got another short catch and long run for another score, but with what now seems to be the game in the balance, Warren throws an INT that the BG DB made a fine play on and that turned the game in my opinion. The Red Devils didn’t want to get embarrassed after last week’s poor performance and they didn’t. But I feel there is some uncertainty in the use of certain players in certain situations in order to gain maximum benefit! Maybe I’m wrong, as the rains clearly impacted this game. You tell me… Week 5: vs 6A County Rival Daviess County (2-2). The Red Devils could really use a win. That medicine would also serve as revenge from the Panthers win last season at Daviess County 32-27! This year as the game shifts back to Rash Stadium, I feel the urgency level for both teams will be really high as the Red Devils need this prior to gettin on the bus to Christian County, clearly one of your toughest district games! So getting that Swag back is HUGE! The time is now Red Devil fans! 12) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 12 - 2018 Record (2-2): Week 4 Results: Win 32-20 vs 1A Crittenden County (2-1). Tough game right here! As Crittenden County is a top notch team this year! But Caldwell’s defense came up big on short yardage holds ensuring the Caldwell offense could make plays to gut out this important momentum securing win! QB Joby Jaggers played really well as did star RB Jameer Riley. You will see his stats later! Week 5: Vs 6A Henderson County (3-1). Caldwell goes from playing an upstart 1A team to an upstart 6A team when the Colonels of Henderson come calling. This should be a super game with both teams entering this one with a lot of momentum! Caldwell County has won the past 3 meetings so the Tigers should be confident in this game! Good Luck Tigers! 13) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 2-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Win: 16-7 vs 4A City Rival Hopkinsville (1-3). Christian County is a tough, physical, senior laden team with a terrific defense! They led Hopkinsville 8-7 at the half. Then unfortunately for all Western Kentucky football fans, the Tigers star QB was injured and reportedly is out for the year. Put a dark cloud over the game. But County did enough on offense to get the win. New QB JLin Powell is a solid weapon for the Colonels going forward as they try to make some noise in their district! Week 5: BYE WEEK. Good time for a BYE for the Colonels as you come off a win and this will give your offense some time to try to find some continuity and add a few wrinkles to use Powells talents to the fullest! Next game for the Colonels will be when they travel over to 5A District Foe Marshall County to get a win! I’d recommend going up to Owensboro, eating at Old Hickory, and taking in the Red Devils game as that will be a BIG district test for you County fans! 14) Union County (3A) – PR: 19; LW: 19 - (2018 Record 3-0) Week 4 Results: Win 14-13 at 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (2-2)! Significant win right here for the Braves! Union County was down 13 Zip on the road at the half! I wonder what Coach Johns told his team at halftime? Whatever it was, he needs to bottle it for later! The Braves defense shutout Madisonville in the second half (no easy feat). While Braves QB Solamon Teehan completed 9 of 19 passes for 218 yards including the game winner to Elijah Calloway (41 yards) on the last play of the 3rd Quarter to get the win! HUGE momentum lifting win for the Braves! Although I like Caldwell County and Paducah Tilghman better in this 3A district, the Braves are a dangerous team and will have a punchers chance in those games! Week 5: at 2A Ballard Memorial (1-2). Don’t sleep on the Bombers Braves Fans as 50 burgers are like Hamburger Helper to them having dropped 50 burgers on both South Fulton, TN and Marshall County this season. Of course, they also gave up a 70 burger to the Marshalls as well! Doesn’t get much better than that for the offensive fans!!! 15) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 15 - (2018 Record 4-0): Week 4 Results: Win 52-0 at 2A Butler County (0-4). Looks like Apollo only charged 2 points for the cheese on their 50 Burger! Great Bargain! Star RB Mariano McKenzie ran wild over the Poor Ole’ Bears rushing 13 times for 72 yards and 4 Big TDs! He is a load in short yardage! Just 2 teams on different levels. Week 5 vs City Rival 2A Owensboro Catholic (2-2). Dandy game over in Owensboro! The Eagles have a chance to close out the 2A opponent slate with a win against their City Rival and would clearly be the jewel win of those 3! But you will need to be hitting on all cylinders to do it, especially your defensive secondary! Good luck Eagles! 16) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 1-3; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Loss: 16-7 vs County Rival 5A Christian County (2-2). A terrific defensive affair held serve at the Stadium of Champions on Friday night as the city vs county rivalry played on center stage another year! Christian County led 8-7 at the half. And as our good friend @Region2 Hype Man reported, the game changed on the first Hopkinsville possession of the second half when star Hoptown QB Jay Bland injured his leg. He tried to continue to play but was unable to do so and early reports suggest his Junior Year of football is over. We sincerely wish Mr. Bland a very speedy recovery and my compassion goes out to all Tiger Fans. I hate injuries! The game was pretty much over at that point as Hoptown reportedly doesn’t have another QB ready with the 2nd team man injured in a recent JV game. So it is tough for Tiger Nation right now! Best of luck going forward! Week 5: at 3A Paducah Tilghman (3-1). This likely would have been my game of the week in Week 5. But seeing how scoring will be very, very difficult for the Tigers, I just think it will take a couple games to get over the loss of Jay Bland (if they can at all). Good luck Tigers! 17) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 2-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 4 Results: Loss: 14-13 vs 3A Union County (3-0). I warned you about this one Maroons Fans! Same thing happened last season. I didn’t see that one coming, but think I did this year! Madisonville led 13-0 at the half and looked to be in control of the game. They limited the Braves to minus 47 yards rushing on the night. WOW! But they couldn’t stop the Braves passing attack as they struck for 2 3rd quarter scores to go ahead 14-13. No scoring occurred in the 4th Quarter. Missed opportunity for sure! But hey, it wasn’t a district game, so pick yourself up and move on Maroons as the District Schedule is here! Week 5: at 4A District & County Rival Hopkins County Central (2-2). This is a game that means a lot over where the Pennyrile & WK Parkways (I realize they have new names, but I’m partial to the old ones!) come together! The Storm haven’t beaten the Maroons since 2003 and they have had some very lean years between then and now. Just don’t see them being able to stop the avalanche that an angry Maroon rushing game will throw at them! Maroons Roll! 18) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 17 (2018 Record 2-1) Week 4 Results: Loss 32-20 at 3A Caldwell County (2-2). The Rockets played awfully well in the first half of this one and led Caldwell 10-6 at the break! But Caldwell made a few more adjustments in the 2nd half that saw Crittenden get outscored 24-10. Rockets Star RB Devon Nesbitt was a work horse carrying 27 times for 72 hard fought yards. Rockets QB Hunter Boone played well, but for those that know Caldwell County know their defensive secondary is no joke and they clearly schemed well to try to subdue Rockets star WR Ethan Dossett who had a solid 6 catches for 70 yards, but couldn’t shake free long in the second half. Good effort Rockets! Week 5: vs 2A Poor Ole’ Webster County (1-3) The only win Poor Ole’ Webster County has on the year is against Poor Ole’ Fulton City, so it’s tough at the Bottom! I look for the Rockets to be shooting high come Friday night in Marion! Webster hasn’t beaten Crittenden County in football since 2006 and with as good a team as the Rockets have this year, that’s highly unlikely to change this season! 19) Warren East (4A) – PR: 23; LW: Not Ranked (NR) - (2018 Record 2-2) Week 4 Results – Win 42-14 vs 3A Edmonson County (2-2). Let’s welcome in some new blood here in the Rankings this week. First up is a solid Warren East Raiders squad that stumbled out of the gate to a Portland TN (3-1) squad and only lost at tough Wayne County by 17 points in a 57-40 shootout! Raiders had no trouble with scrappy Edmonson County on Friday night and set up a really interesting game off the Cumberland Parkway! Week 5 WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK: at 2A Glasgow (4-0). These teams has played sporadically over the years, but the last 3 years Glasgow has won each game (by 2 points in 2017; by 6 points in 2016; and by 13 points in 2015). So is this the year Raider Fans to take down the Scotties! Should be a Great Game! Fill up at the Minute Mart and head over to the Cumberland Parkway to take in this one Raider Nation! 20) McLean County (2A) – PR: NR; LW: NR - 2018 Record 3-1: Week 3 Results: Win 31-7 at 6A Muhlenberg County (1-3). I realize Muhlenberg County isn’t the Philadelphia Eagles, but when a 2A school travels to a 6A school and wins convincingly, that is significant to me! Coach Zach Wagner has his Cougars revved up this year! Star JR RB Peyton Caraway played really well; you will see his stats later! The Cougar D laid the hammer down with 8 sacks on the night as well! Wow! Week 5 vs 4A Logan County (4-0). OOOOOFFFF!!!! Very tough matchup for the Cougars! But they won’t back down and I look for a hard fought game here and I am guaranteeing a Cougar win!!! Which one? You tell me… Others Receiving Votes: McCracken County, Graves County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County WEEK 4 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: *Jaden Stinson – QB – Mayfield – 13 for 22 for 338 yards and 6 TDs vs 6A McCracken County. Congratulations Jaden! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Gary Hardy – RB – Logan County – 14 carries for 130 yards and 3 TDs vs 1A Russellville! 2) Jameer Riley – RB/WR – Caldwell County – 3 catches for 66, 78 and 7 yards – all TDs vs 1A Crittenden County! 3) Peyton Caraway – RB – McLean County – 9 carries for 142 yards and 1 TD; 1 reception for 20 yards and 1 TD vs 6A Muhlenberg County! 4) Thomas Maxey – RB – Warren East – 18 carries for 250 yards and 3 TDs vs Edmonson County! *I do my best to try to spread this around, but Mr. Stinson simply earned it this week. If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 4 “Teams Trending Down” Hopkinsville (4A) – Down – Considering the hurdles Hopkinsville has faced in the last 2 seasons and knowing how much the game against your County rival means to the school and the town, this placement is meant more as an encouragement for the Hopkinsville players to use this discouraging turn of events to rally around each other and come out better for it on the other side – win or lose! Life throws us all curveballs! It’s what we do with them that define who we are and the person you are destined to become! Rise up Tigers!!! Madisonville-North Hopkins (4A) – Down – Is it just me or does it seem Madisonville has kinda been on cruise control most of the year? Maybe that’s unfair to go there, but certainly seems that way from afar! Use this speed bump to get back to more focused effort and if you take care of your district opponents you can still go a long way! Good luck Maroons!! Teams “Trending Up” Henderson County (6A) – Up – The Colonels aren’t as quiet this week after blanking a Gipson Southern team that hadn’t tasted regular season defeat in 4 YEARS!!! That my friends is impressive! Coach Boston and company are making it known that they intend to challenge for the District Championship early in the process this season! Go Colonels! Union County (3A) – Up – This is the win (vs Madisonville) last year that really put the Braves on the map! This year they travel TO Madisonville and get it done AGAIN! Great Work Braves!!! You will not be the favorite in your district, but you are the dark horse and have a chance against the favorites! Good luck Braves!!! WESTERN KENTUCKY ROUNDUP!!! Fulton County – You can’t stop the Pilots; you can only hope to contain them!!! The Pilots move to 3 and 0 on the year with a barnburner win at Stewart County, TN 38-37!!! In the past 10 year, Fulton County (not counting wins again Fulton City or 1 win vs a school no longer around – Reidland) has only won 2 games! 2 wins in 10 years – friends that’s lean times! The next 2 weeks Fulton County hosts South Fulton, TN (0-3) and Greenfield, TN (2-2). Greenfield beat S Fulton by 1 point; so you would think if the Pilots can beat 1 they can beat the other and start the year 5 and 0!!! Remarkable! Let’s Go Pilots!!! Pulling for you guys! Barren County – The Trojans get their first win on their Brand New Turf field 21-20 vs 2A Monroe County! Barren is the right name; as the Trojan have only come across 1 win each of the past 2 years! I hope you get a few more Trojan Fans! Congrats on the BIG home win! Grayson County – The Cougars tick off another big win 41-12 vs 6A Ohio County! The Cougars haven’t been 4 and 0 since 2012 when they started the season 7 and 0! Coach Jerome Smart is doing a great job over in Grayson County! The Cougars are led by Sophomore RB Q Daryius McHenry who gained 125 yards on 16 carries and 2 TDs! Great job Cougars!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 10 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, they say timing is everything and when it comes to the weather it certainly is! I’m not sure it rained any since Friday the 12th! But after normal business hours arrived this past Friday evening, so did a frustrating line of showers to hamper and dampen our Friday Night Pastime! There are certainly worse things to complain about, but for our football family nothing comes to mind quicker than a rainy Friday night … Let’s move on! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 10: 1. South Warren 5A (9-0): Win 38-12 vs 5A Bowling Green 2. Mayfield 2A (9-0): Win 42-0 vs 2A Webster County 3. Bowling Green 5A (7-2): Loss 38-12 at South Warren 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (8-1): Win 47-0 at 4A Warren East 5. Owensboro Catholic 2A (7-2): BYE Week 6. Caldwell County 3A (7-2): BYE Week 7. Owensboro 5A (7-2): Win 47-6 vs 5A Graves County 8. Madisonville – North Hopkins 4A (7-2): Win 15-12 vs 5A Christian County 9. Glasgow 2A (8-1): Win 53-0 at 2A Metcalfe County 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (7-2): Win 49-0 vs 3A Fort Campbell Week 10 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 5A Bowling Green (7-2) 12 at 5A South Warren (9-0) 38. BIG Game Sports Fans!!! I want to congratulate the Spartans on a hard earned win and significant District Championship! While I do not agree with some of the calls or lack thereof in this game, at the end of the night South was the better team. I think SR RB Cameron Harrison was the Player of the Game in the first half and SR RB/S Clayton Bush was the Player of the Game in the second half. Harrison’s TD run in the first half was the most significant play of the game, as it turned what seemed like some momentum for Bowling Green into clearly Souths advantage. It was a GREAT crowd even with all the rain! A testament to both fan bases. But it is over now and should be an easy run to the Regional Championship Game for South Warren! Not so much for Bowling Green! Week 11 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 3A Caldwell County (7-2) at 2A Mayfield (9-0). This is a Big Game over in the Purchase Area! No Caldwell hasn’t played great in this game in the recent past, but I think they have a good chance to keep it close for a while anyway! I can’t pick them in the game, but I’ve been wrong before! Regardless, this should be a great tune-up for both teams going into the playoffs! Honorable Mention: Paducah Tilghman at Christian County; Glasgow at Elizabethtown; South Warren at OCATH; Russellville at Franklin Simpson; Owensboro at Henderson County, and Union County at Murray - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 10 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 10 - 2018 Record 7-2 [District Record 3-1]: Week 10 Results: Win 49-0 vs 3A Poor Ole Fort Campbell (1-8). Did anyone say at the beginning of the season that Tilghman was easily going to go 7 and 2 at this juncture of the season? I don’t think so! With all the turmoil the coaching staff had to endure in the pre-season, let alone the injuries they were forced to confront make this 2018 effort by Tilghman and Coach Smith and staff extremely impressive to me! The Blue Tornado’s spoiled Senior Night at McRight Field as they scored on their first 4 possessions and held a running clock by the end for the first quarter! SR RB Makel Askew played well early and it was good to see talented SR RB/LB Colbe Krim back on the field from injury for Tilghman! Don’t look now but Tilghman is back playing awfully well! Week 11: vs 5A Christian County (4-5). This was a pretty close game last year in Paducah with the Colonels closing out their first undefeated season with a 20-10 win! This season Tilghman is clearly stronger while the Colonels record is already 5 games lower than last season! This should be a good game that both teams need IMO to set the positive tone going into the playoffs! Can the Blue Tornados ride into the Stadium of Champions and ride out with a BIG momentum win!!! You tell me… 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 9 - 2018 Record (8-1) [District Record 3-0]: Week 10 Results: Win 53-0 vs 2A District Foe Metcalfe County (2-7). Thanks to our good friend @Metcalfe2010, who provided great info on the Hornets being a very young squad this year in the prediction thread! And as he mentioned, the future is very bright over in Edmonton! But that is then and this is a Strong Senior laden Scotties team as they showed on the wet field Friday night in Edmonton! Week 10: at 3A Rival Elizabethtown (6-3). From the 2009 season to this season, these 2 teams have played each year. From 2009 to 2013, Glasgow won every game in route to some very deep state runs highlighted by their 2A State Runner Up finish to Holy Cross (Covington) in 2011. From the 2014 season through the 2017 season, Etown has won every game on their way to 3 straight (2015 – 2017) 3A State Semi-Final appearances! Both very solid. Is this the game that breaks Etown’s streak? You tell me… 8) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 7-2; [District Record 4-0] Week 10 Results: Win 15-12 vs 5A Christian County (4-5). The Maroons are playing tough football right now! Playing Christian County isn’t an easy task, but Madisonville is continuing to prove that this season is one you better prepare for the Maroons, as they have won some big games this season! This game was characterized by a defensive TD for each team and the Maroons also came up with a BIG safety, which proved to be the difference with the Colonels continuing their poor XP play. Good win Maroons! Week 11: at Poor Ole 3A Fort Campbell (1-8). It’s “Anything Night” Maroons Fans, as you can do just about “anything” you want and you should come away with a comfortable win here. Rest some starters, heal some injuries, work on your passing game, try to add some playoff wrinkles to your offensive and defensive game plans! All would work here! Be creative – you have earned it! Congrats again on your District Championship! 7) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 7 - 2018 Record 7-2; [District Record 4-0] Week 10 Results: Win 47-6 vs 5A District Rival Graves County (4-5). Showed them who was Boss didn’t you Red Devils! Congratulations on another District Championship! Of late, Owensboro has been playing as well as anyone! That continued in the rain last Friday night at Rash Stadium! According to our good friend @rosco, the Red Devils were hitting on all cylinders with the offense achieving a running clock in roughly 2.5 quarters! And according to our good friend @74devil, the Red Devil D would have earned the shutout were it not for a late Owensboro fumble. Week 11: at Old Rival 6A Henderson County (6-3). While it’s been since 2014 since the Colonels came away with a win in this series, it is clear to me that Hendo is on the rise! And that is good for Western Kentucky Football! The Red Devils come into this game elated with another hard fought District Championship. Clearly one of their team goals set at the beginning of the year. So you have to wonder Red Devil Fans about your teams focus for this particular game. They have earned home field advantage through the first 2 weeks of the playoffs already. So how will the Red Devils approach this one? Rest some guys? Just another game; play as usual? You tell me… 6) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 6 - 2018 Record (7-2) [District Record 4-0]: Week 10 Results: BYE Week. The Tigers have certainly earned a week off. I think it’s as important mentally as it is physically for the players and coaches! Get those injuries some time to heal! Watch some film of tough foes you will likely face down the road! Speaking of Tough Foes… Week 11: at 2A Mayfield (9-0). The last Tiger win in this series was in 2013 (a 48-41 Tiger Win!). I think it’s fair to say that Caldwell has played better against Mayfield when this game is in Princeton. This season the game is at War Memorial Stadium where the last time the Tigers brought home the W was in 2008 (a 35-7 win)! While anyone “could” win, I think it will be difficult for Caldwell to march into Mayfield and get this win. Prove me wrong Tigers!!! 5) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 5; 2018 Record 7-2 [District Record 4-0]: Week 10 Results: BYE Week! Well deserved Aces Nation! And an outstanding season thus far, if I do say so myself! Look at the Aces losses. One to 6A County Rival Daviess County – I’d take OCath right now in the rematch honestly as Daviess is a bit of a work in progress specifically on defense (and it’s the end of the season – not good). And the second loss is to a 9 and 0 Evansville Memorial team that’s #9 in the State of Indiana and #614 in the Nation, according to MaxPreps! Outstanding! So maybe you made it down to BG this week to take in the BG vs South game! Week 11: vs Tough 5A South Warren (9-0). I told you last week Aces Fans that you picked the perfect time to schedule the Spartans! I stand by that! NO WAY the Spartan Coaches will be able to get them sky high for this game! Come in, play loose and give it your best shot! That almost got you the win AT South Warren last season! Good luck Aces!!! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 8-1; [District Record 3-0] Week 10 Results: Win 47-0 at 4A Scrappy Warren East (5-4). Thanks to our good friend @FSfan who reported on this game! While the Wildcats “only” led 7-0 and 21-0 at the half, and while Warren East was fortunate that the Wildcats fumbled several times, I thought the Warren East D played pretty darn well early. While the Warren East offense learned just how good this Franklin Simpson D has become! Stiffling! Especially JR LB Conner Rodgers who had a team leading 13 tackles (4 tackles for loss)! Congratulations Franklin Simpson on another District Championship! Those don’t grow on trees ya know! Week 11: vs 1A Old Rival Russellville (4-5). The best scenario for sports fans on this game is to gather around a table with a preferred beverage and listen to our good friend @macdon talk about the good old days of this rivalry! He knows it and tells it really well! As far as this game goes, just don’t get anybody hurt is the goal, as the Wildcat JV could likely get the job done in this one! Wildcats Roll! 3) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 7-2; [District Record 2-1] Week 10 Results: Loss 38-12 at 5A District Rival South Warren (9-0). Call this drop motivation Purples Fans as I just don’t think giving up a combined 100 points and scoring 26 in the last 2 games is good enough. Plain and simple! I am disappointed by this score, as I just don’t think the Purples played very smart and it showed in this game. The correct thing to do is to tip your hat to South Warren, which I do, and who has an outstanding team and won this game fair and square. But to me, it was sort of a Perfect Storm against Bowling Green. Injuries haven’t been either team’s friend. Then to add a road game at a National Power to the schedule “the week before” this game, ultimately weakened BGs chances in this contest. I don’t think there’s any way around that. Add the rain, which both teams played in but benefits South more IMO, and a couple questionable calls. But, I clearly state that penalties aren’t the reason BG lost this game, but they didn’t help. BG dropped key passes (their first offensive possession alone, they dropped 2 balls), was not the aggressor at the line of scrimmage, surrendered 4 HUGE turnovers and allowed 3 sacks and many more hurries on the night. You can cry about it all you want or you can man up and move on, as the bigger game and games are ahead. But make no mistake, this is a big loss just with the implications of having to travel to Rash Stadium in Week 2, if you are fortunate enough to beat Christian County in Week 1. Much, much tougher road! But that’s the deal now! Week 11: Senior Night vs 5A Bullitt Central (6-3). Many would say the heart n soul of the Cougars was Senior RB Daylin Huff. To give you an example, the first game of the year vs 5A Fairdale, Huff ran the ball 18 times for 225 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught 2 passes for 40 yards and 2 more TDs! It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that Daylin suffered a season ending broken leg after the 3rd game of the season. I am certainly disappointed the young man can not finish out his Senior season on the field. BUT, in yet another example of why High School Football is the greatest sport is highlighted by South Oldham Coach Jamie Reed. South Oldham played at Bullitt Central for Bullitt’s Senior Night. On the first play of the game, Bullitt completed a 1 yard pass to Daylin Huff. Of course South Oldham was in on it and that’s what makes it so great! Recognizing it is about providing a special opportunity on a special night for a young man that simply gave his heart and soul to play football for his school! WELL DONE COACH REED!!! Since Huff left the field, the Cougars have only won 3 games without him. I think it’s a TALL task to ask them to come to BG and win at El Donaldson Stadium on Senior Night! Purples Rebound!!! 2) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 9-0; [District Record 3-0] Week 10 Results: Win 42-0 vs Poor Ole 2A District Mate Webster County (1-8). Just a lot to a little! I think I might go to Vegas and bet that in my lifetime – Webster County will NEVER beat Mayfield in Football! Wonder what odds I could get? Might be a good investment for my daughters! HA! Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan who reported the Cardinals stats! The Cardinals outgained the Trojans 259 yards to 18 yards IN THE FIRST HALF!!! OOOOFFFFF!!!! Better luck next year Trojans! For Mayfield, QB Jaden Stinson was really good again, as was standout RB Kent Trey Matthews. Possibly the Cardinals hidden gem is back up QB Conner Guthrie who had 2 TD passes on both of this pass completions last Friday night! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 11: vs 3A Western Kentucky Rival Caldwell County (7-2). You can read above about the history as far as wins go in this series! Bottom line is the 2008 Cardinal Team was no where near as good as this Mayfield Team! So I’d say it is very unlikely the Tigers can win this game! Do you see it differently? You tell me… 1) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 9-0; [District Record 3-0] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 10: Win 38-12 vs 5A Rival Bowling Green (9-0). Well it certainly was a Big Game Spartan Fans! It was a Big Crowd, even with the rain. Early on I thought the game was back and forth with no real advantage. But when SR RB Cameron Harrison took a handoff around the left end for 85 yards, I thought that single play turned the game. It completely tilted the pressure back on the Purples and they ultimately never got over that! The South Warren lines were as good as advertised. They ultimately controlled things for most of the game. SR S Clayton Bush also put on a show in the second half with 2 very important INTs, also adding a TD run to show how valuable he is to this Spartan team. You just have players who understand situations in the game and Bush is one of those players! The Perfect Storm I spoke of above also lifted the Spartans sky high, IMO. They schedule a solid, but not overpowering Ravenwood, TN team 2 weeks before this game at home! Then have the BYE week last week in order to prepare for this game while BG is getting hammered in Indy. Just an example of how South Warren has effectively managed their schedule. Some may not like; guess what – that’s your problem because this is a special South Warren Team! I personally think they are better than the 2015 4A State Championship Team, but that’s just an opinion. With Lacey being a dominant lineman on both sides of the ball and Bush being able to play both ways and special teams; add in deceptively good RB Cameron Harrison and you have the 5A leaders on the West side of the state, if not the whole state. They have earned the right to have easy home games the first 2 rounds of the playoffs, where they will be heavy favorites before a good challenge in the Regional Final, which will also be at Spartan Stadium. Can’t ask for more than that Spartans Fans! Enjoy this! These type teams are not guaranteed! Again, congratulations on your District Championship! Week 11: at 2A Owensboro Catholic (7-2). This is a difficult spot to get back up for right after a tough, physical rivalry game. But it’s also a 2A team. Just the facts. Last year, you didn’t play very well in this game. Understandable after a tough loss to the Purples. So you know what you’re getting yourself into here, but focus will be key because the Aces can play! They should not be able to stay with South though and I think South turns a tight game at the half into a comfortable win in the second half! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: 11 - (2018 Record 7-3) Week 10 Results – Win 44-0 vs 6A District Foe Muhlenberg County (3-6). I don’t have stats for this one, but don’t really need them as it’s a running clock shutout home win! Nice way to end the regular season – right Mustang fans! Week 11: BYE Week. This is a tough road to have your BYE at the end of the season! But what the heck! Enjoy it now Mustangs! You guys have had a pretty dog gone good season, which includes continuing to dominate your District. Something that I didn’t think you would do this season! Rest up and wait! You get Jeffersontown making the 4 hours cheese wagon ride to Paducah! Big Advantage! My recommendation for you is to start watching all the Ballard tape you can! I predict they are your Round 2 opponent and they are a good football team! I saw them play Manual this year and although they came up short in OT they have some serious athletes on the field! Congratulations again on the District Title!!! 12) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 12 - 2018 Record 8-1; [District Record 3-1] Week 10 Results: Win 44-7 at 4A District Foe Calloway County (3-6). It feels good to get back in the saddle doesn’t it Cougars! It was 10-7 after the first quarter and the Lakers were really competing well. But the Cougars hit another gear and strung several good drives together for a 30-7 lead at the half. They tacked on 2 more TDs in the second half and the Cougar D did the rest! Solid win for the Cougars! Week 11: at 2A Neighbor Todd County Central (5-4). Still think Coach Darell Keith is doing a great job over in Elton! But in this game, the Cougars will be WAY too much for the Rebels! Ramp up Cougars! You will likely get Allen County-Scottsville in Russellville first round! I like your changes in that one a LOT! Go Cougars!!! 13) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 14 (2018 Record 8-1) Week 10 Results: Win: 28-12 vs 1A District Rival Russellville (4-5). While this isn’t a powerhouse Russellville team, you still have to respect their program especially when you have to travel to Rhea Stadium! This win is even more impressive when you consider the Rockets were forced to move away from their more seasoned passing game due to the persistent rainfall. The Rockets QB Hunter Boone was still effective throwing 2 TDs on the night, but the story of the game for the Rockets was the SO RB Xander Tabor who filled in for injured SR RB Devin Nesbitt who rolled an ankle. The Rocket D was impressive as well with the total yards listed as 395 for the Rockets and 176 for the Panthers! This is the first back to back Rocket District Championships since 2001-2002! Nice work Rockets!!! Week 11: vs 4A Hopkins County Central (3-6). The Rockets will be trying to match the most wins in school history for a regular season next week! The Storm haven’t been great this season and I think a focused Rocket team will be way too much, especially in Marion! Rockets Roll!!! 14) Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: 13 - 2018 Record 4-5: Week 10 Results: Loss 47-6 at 5A District Rival Owensboro (7-2). It was going to be a difficult task for the Eagles to roll all the way up to Owensboro to get a win regardless, but considering star JR WR/LB Cody Goatley was lost for the year before this game it meant even more pressure on Star SR QB Ryan Mathis to carry most of the offense himself! Well that won’t work against a team as talented and deep as Owensboro! The Red Devils controlled this game! Not much else to say! Week 11: at 4A Neighbor Calloway County (3-6). Most years Graves County would be WAY too much for the Lakers and they still “should” be. But on the road without one of your major players, it will be interesting to follow! I like Graves in this game, but not by much! Good luck Eagles!!! 15) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 15 - (2018 Record 6-3) [District Record 3-1) Week 10 Results: BYE Week! I hope you were able to rest and heal some of your player’s injuries Colonels! Because you will need every player you have in this next game! Week 11: vs Old Foe 5A Owensboro (7-2) Even though I don’t like you in this game Colonel Fans, it’s a great tune up for your First Round home matchup vs Eastern. Owensboro is a much better team than Eastern IMO! So just give it your best Colonels and gear up to beat Eastern! I’ll be cheering for you!!! 16) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 17 - 2018 Record 5-4; [District Record 2-2] Week 10 Results: Win 53-6 vs Poor Ole 6A Ohio County (0-9). I don’t have any stats on this one. I’m sure it was a lot of QB Joey Cambron and Stud WR Marquel Tinsley! As I stated last week, the Panthers could beat Ohio County with their JV team, so this score doesn’t surprise me at all! Week 11: vs 5A City Rival Apollo (5-4)! This should be a good game against two 5 and 4 teams that know each other due to their proximity. But not a lot to play for other than pride as each team’s playoff fate is already known. I think this is a pretty even matchup. Does one team try to rest key players? Could make a difference in this one! You tell me… 17) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 4-5; [District Record 2-2] Week 10 Results: Loss 15-12 at 4A Madisonville (7-2). This game was heavily impacted by the rain with multiple turnovers and again poor XP execution by Christian County. Each team had an offensive and a defensive TD with the Maroons also earning a safety and that was all she wrote! Not a good loss for the Colonels and not the way you want to be playing going toward the end of the season! And tough game coming up! Week 11: vs Stout 3A Paducah Tilghman (7-2). I’m not feelin it Colonel Fans! I think your offense has significant challenges that Tilghman will pose significant problems for. The Colonel D will play with pride, but Tilghman has some fine offensive players as well. And I’m looking forward to seeing you at the El Week 1! TOUGH Assignment! 18) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 18 - 2018 Record 3-6; [District Record 2-2] Week 10 Result: Win 43-0 vs 4A District Foe Hopkins County Central (3-6). I don’t have any stats here, but read where Star WR turned QB Ellis Dunn was responsible for much of the offense in this one, as expected, as they close out District play with an easy victory! Week 11: at struggling 5A Greenwood (2-7). The Gators really struggle with speed! Hopkinsville has some! I look for the Tigers to earn a pretty easy win here, as Ellis Dunn is again a big factor! Tigers Roll! 19) Murray (2A) – PR: NR; LW: 20 - (2018 Record 6-3) [District Record 2-1]: Week 10 Results: Win 57-13 vs 2A District Mate Ballard Memorial (2-7). Well the Bombers got Bombed! Murray showed little mercy unloading on the Bombers! This game set up well for Murray as the rain didn’t slow them down a bit, as they love to run it! And run they did; rolling up almost 550 yards vs 225 yards for the Bombers! SR RB Mark Thompson had a great game and you will see his numbers later! And SO RB Charvelle McAllister also showed great promise with 10 carries for 103 yards and 2 TDs! Week 11 vs 3A Scrappy Union County (6-3). This should be an interesting game between two 6 and 3 teams! It’s a healthy drive over from Morganfield and Murray is playing awfully well! I think I would favor Murray in this game, but not by much! What say you… 20) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: Not Ranked (NR) - (2018 Record 5-4) Week 10 Results: Win 50-7 vs 5A District Foe Marshall County (3-6). SO LB Cameron Baker got the Eagles out and flyin with a scoop 6 plus a 2 point conversion for a fast 8-0 Apollo lead. Logan Weedman led the Eagle defense with 3 sacks on the night! Apollo went on to tack on 3 more first half scores and led 28-0 at half. It was pretty much over but the Fat Lady Singing at that point and you can start the bus for the Marshalls! Week 11: at 6A County Rival Daviess County (5-4). This should be a good game as I think both of these teams are good teams, but just beaten by teams a bit stronger. No shame there! If I’m Apollo, I go for this win 100%, as you won’t get the win at South Warren first week of the playoffs! That’s not slight on the Eagles as there will only be 1 5A team that doesn’t take a loss at the end of the season! Good luck Eagles!!! Others Receiving Votes: Warren East, Union County, McLean County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK*: Mark Thompson – RB – Murray – 16 rushes for 201 yards and 3 TDs vs Ballard Memorial! Congratulations Mark! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Xander Tabor – RB – Crittenden County – 27 rushes for 171 yards and 2 TDs vs Russellville! 2) Imonte Owsley – WR/RB – Owensboro – 4 carries for 148 yards and 3TDs vs Graves County! 3) Clayton Bush – RB/S/Returner – South Warren – 2 Interceptions, 1 rushing TD vs Bowling Green! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 10 “Teams Trending Down” Bowling Green (5A) – Down – The Purples have come out on the wrong end of 2 straight games. No matter the level of competition, 100 to 26 is hard to overlook! But I’m not a fair weather fan and believe there is still a lot of fight left from the men in Purple and Gold! But now is the time to ramp Purples! Keep Fighting! Graves County (3A) – Down – It is a testament to the Eagles toughness to even make this game determine a District Championship! With that said, the Owensboro game was never in question. Injuries have now taken grip on your team! If you can heal some players, I still like you in Round 1 of the Playoffs at home vs an underrated Grayson County squad. But that’s the end of the road! Week 10 Teams “Trending Up” South Warren (5A) – The Spartans have to be sky high after an emotional home win last Friday against Rival Bowling Green! This team is led by significant D1 talent that you don’t buy at the local fruit stand! They are well coached and methodical in their approach. They will be a tough out in the playoff with 2 VERY winnable games at home to start the playoffs! Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Up – It would have been very easy for the Maroons to let up after an emotional hard fought District Claiming win the week before in Russellville. But Madisonville went toe to toe with a tough physical 5A team and came out with another home win! The Maroons could go a long way this year! WESTERN KENTUCKY – TEAM SPOTLIGHT - 2A McLean County – Season Record (6-3) – District Record (3-1) – The Cougars have had a great year only losing 21-18 at 5A Apollo (in a game they were the stronger team at the end), 40-20 vs Stout 4A Logan County, and 49-6 at District Foe Owensboro Catholic! No shame there! The Cougars are led on offense by a 4-headed rushing machine highlighted by JR RB Peyton Caraway (528 yards and 6 TDs on the year), SR FB Jacob Miller (509 yards and 9 TDs on the year), SR RB Noah Baldwin (476 yards and 5 TDs on the year), and JR RB Landen Capps (407 yards and 3 TDs on the year)! On defense, the Cougars are led by SO LB Andrew Munster with 93 tackles (7.5 for loss) on the year! Great work by Coach Zach Wagner and staff on a great year thus far! They have earned the right to host Ballard Memorial in the first round of the playoffs and I like McLean in that game! From there, the road may be impassable as a trip to Mayfield would await! But that doesn’t diminish the success this team has had during the 2018 campaign! Great work Cougars!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 11 & Playoff Preview Edition Concerning the top story line for this week: The third season has arrived: Playoff Time! The time most of us cherish most, as teams prepare for the win or go home drama ahead! Looking back, we have had some terrific football this season! These playoffs seem pretty open (At least initially) with many teams in the West capable of making deep playoff runs! Get your honey-do’s out of the way Sports Fans and get out and watch some playoff High School Football! Nothing Like it! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 11: Man 3 soggy Fridays in a row!!! My weather man said we have had rain on Fridays 60% of the time this year! That seems like a lot to me! But it’s not quite as cold as it has been in years past, so ya give up something and you get something at the same time. Sort of the way life is really! Such it is on Football Friday Nights! 1. South Warren 5A (10-0): Win 42-12 at 2A Owensboro Catholic 2. Mayfield 2A (10-0): Win 31-14 vs 3A Caldwell County 3. Bowling Green 5A (8-2): Win 52-0 vs 5A Bullitt Central 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (9-1): Win 53-6 vs 1A Russellville 5. Owensboro 5A (8-2): Win 35-21 at 6A Henderson County 6. Owensboro Catholic 2A (7-3): Loss 42-12 at 5A South Warren 7. Caldwell County 3A (7-3): Loss 31-14 at 2A Mayfield 8. Madisonville – North Hopkins 4A (8-2): Win 43-29 at 3A Fort Campbell 9. Glasgow 2A (9-1): Win 35-34 at 3A Elizabethtown 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (8-2): Win 12-8 at 5A Christian County Week 11 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: (10-0) 2A Mayfield 31 vs (7-3) 3A Caldwell County 14. Well it was much closer than last season! But the total yards for this game was roughly 400 for Mayfield and 125 for Caldwell County! Not really close! Add that to roughly 200 yards in penalties largely helps keep it close! Still Mayfield didn’t play well early on and committed 5 turnovers in the game! Caldwell played pretty well especially early on BUT still couldn’t get closer than 17 points to the Cardinals! Just shows you how good Mayfield is! Meat & Potato’s Version Week 11 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 10 - 2018 Record 7-2 [District Record 3-1]: Week 11: Win 12-8 vs 5A Christian County (4-6). Defensive struggle with very limited scoring. Both teams have good defenses! Both teams had 1 offensive TD, but Tilghman also ran the opening kickoff back for a key TD early in the game! Playoff Snapshot: Where did this team come from? Recently, it seems we all know Tilghman has athletes, but they haven’t been able to seriously put together a truly competitive season in a while, which is a BIG testament to this team and this new coaching staff! This team has been fun to keep up with and had it not been for injuries may have moved farther up this list! Still GREAT Job Blue Tornados!!! Floor: Elizabethtown is a good football team! They won’t be an easy out! You will face them in the second round and it will be in Etown! You are capable, but this is your floor! Ceiling: Show up at Caldwell County Week 3 and take the lead late with a big special teams play and pull off the HUGE win! Travel to Louisville Central the day after Thanksgiving and give them all they want, but just not meant to be and come up just short! Purple88 Pick: The Blue Tornados tomahawk Poor Ole’ Hart County, who needed an extra tank of fuel just to get over to the Purchase! Play Etown in a nip and tuck game and find a way to win! Travel the following week back over to Caldwell County and put up a good fight, but just not enough balance on offense to get the job done! Still something to build on for next season and a terrific 2018 campaign!!! 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 9 - 2018 Record (9-1) [District Record 3-0]: Week 11: Win 35-34 at 3A Rival Elizabethtown (6-4). Best game of the week right there! The Scotties battled Etown back and forth with RB Nick Mitchell playing very well for Glasgow! Big win for momentum purposes going into the playoffs! Playoff Snapshot: This is one of the best Scotties teams I can remember! They are deep, athletic and very physical on the lines! They will be a tough out! With 2 of the 3 2A Beasts on the other side of the bracket and no Beast in sight until after Thanksgiving, you have to love your chances Scotties Fans for a long journey this year! Floor: I suppose Walton-Verona is good enough to win the game; I just don’t think they are near as good as this Glasgow team. So I’m sayin it’s a disappointment to not make the State Semi-Final game! Ceiling: 2A Region 2 is looking REALLY good for the Scotties being matched up with District 5 (Walton Verona District) instead of usual District 4 (CAL or Desales!)! I love the Scotties to win Region 2! Even year (2018), so they would likely host the Mayfield Cardinals (but OCATH will have something to say about that)! While I think you can win that game, especially in Glasgow (and long trip over for Mayfield), I just don’t think you will. No shame there; ask just about every team in Western Kentucky! Purple 88 Pick: Scottie Nation will roll this early competition in my book! They will roll all the way to the State Semi-Final and meet a determined Mayfield Cardinal squad where it is commonplace to be playing at Thanksgiving! And while I firmly feel Glasgow will play well; they ultimately fall just short in a WHALE of a game! Go Scotties! 8) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 8-2; [District Record 4-0] Week 11: Win 43-29 at Poor Ole 3A Fort Campbell (1-9). Even though I picked the Maroons 9th in the pre-season there was still some hesitation in my mind of “is this team just going to do the same ole – same ole” this year? I mean they have been a decent team for a long while, but have never been able to put it together for a consistent run at the Big Dance! I feel this District Championship is firmly a step in the positive direction! While I’m not and wasn’t expecting the Maroons to win the State Championship, I was expecting them to compete with the teams in their district and be a solid out come playoff time! Mission Accomplished for Coach Burgett & Crew! Playoff Snapshot: An easy first round game, where winless Warren Central comes calling will wet the whistle of Maroon fans wanting more! That will certainly come Week 2… But at Home! Play loose Maroons; you have nothing to lose! Floor: Come in “unfocused” in Week 2 and let the survivor of Hopkinsville at Warren East gain early momentum; sprinkle on a few turnovers and its Good Night Irene! Ceiling: I think the Maroons are capable of blowing out their first 2 opponents; both in Madisonville! Show up Week 3 in Franklin and play a WHALE of a game! But just not in the cards this year. Franklin is just too good a team this year for a 1 dimensional (good 1-dimensional, but still 1-dimentional) team! Purple88 Pick: Running clock poor ole Warren Central; beat a solid Warren East squad in Round 2 in a nip & tuck game; travel to Shadetree Stadium and battle the #2 4A Team in the State tooth and nail for a good quarter. But this Franklin squad simply has too much experience, talent and coaching to lose in this spot IMO. But great season Maroons!!! Keep building! 7) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 6 - 2018 Record (7-3) [District Record 4-0]: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 11 Results: Loss 31-14 at 2A Mayfield (10-0). The Tigers came out strong early and had a lead a time or two. But Mayfield is simply too strong! No shame there! Playoff Snapshot: The Tigers affirmed their relevancy in Western Kentucky football with a strong regular season in 2018 only losing to 5A Christian County, 4A Hopkinsville and Mayfield! Even with the loss to Mayfield, this team has the potential to go a long way in the playoffs this season! Floor: IMO Larue County would have a punchers chance against you in Week 2, but that game is in Princeton, so I would never pick it. But that is your floor! Ceiling: Beat Tilghman or Etown for the Region! Go to Louisville Central and play really well in a very tough environment (be sure to pick up the Fish Sandwich at the concession stand! Lights Out Good!), but you’re talkin about a team that has only lost to very tough 6A Ballard and 6A St Xavier, both on the road, by a combined 8 points! I just don’t see it! Purple88 Pick: Running clock Edmonson County; Beat tough and physical Larue County in a closer than predicted game. Stay home for the regional final thanks to Tilghman! And beat them by a TD late in the 4th Quarter! Travel the day after Thanksgiving to a really good Louisville Central team and just come up short! No shame there! 6) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 5; 2018 Record 7-3 [District Record 4-0]: Week 11 Results: Loss 42-12 vs 5A South Warren (10-0)! Aces played very well in this game! They threw the first punch and let 6-0 in the first quarter. South came back and answered and they led 14-6 at the half! The Spartans then ran off 28 consecutive points thanks to the help of their stout defense! About what I expected. No shame in this loss Aces! Playoff Snapshot: The Aces have competed really well this season (even all the way back at the Central Hardin 7v7 tournament!)! They have played difficult out-of-district opponents who have made them better for the games they are nearing now! Floor: Murray is an old foe you have battled on many occasions back in the day in this spot and they have won some of those battles! While their offense isn’t as refined as yours, they are still capable of competing with you even in Owensboro, but especially if it is a nasty weather night! As the Tigers will smash-mouth you from the time you get off the bus! They are under the radar and you need to put them away early! They are your floor in Round 2! Ceiling: While my Murray For President speech above is nice an all, this Aces team “should” be way yonder too much for the Tigers, especially if it is a decent weather night where Hartz and company can let the pigskin fly!!! That would set up another Regional Final battle with the Mayfield Cardinals. I’m not tellin ya anything you didn’t already know here am I Aces Fans!!! You knew this game was on the horizon from the time the season started. And in this “ceiling” scenario, I could see OCATH being the beneficiary of key turnovers and untimely Mayfield penalties! And in that scenario, OCATH could win. If they did, they would likely travel to Glasgow to take on the Scotties who have a really good team as well!!! But since I’m rollin, what the heck, Aces win this one too in a terrific game! Travel to the Grocery Bag in Lexington and represent the West! Purple88 Pick: Running clock vs Webster County in Round 1; Beat a determined Murray squad in Week 2 by 14. Host Mayfield in a great game where it’s tied at half, but the Cardinals make the plays to take the game in the second half! No shame there Aces! Great Season! 5) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 7 - 2018 Record 8-2; [District Record 4-0] Week 11: Win 35-21 at Old Rival 6A Henderson County (6-4). Red Devils get a hard fought road win to prepare them for the playoffs! RB Tre Green plays really well as did the Red Devil defense, who likely had to do more than was expected in this game, but give the Colonels some credit here as well! Playoff Snapshot: The Red Devils are one of the hottest teams in the state right now. To be fair, they haven’t played a murderer’s row since seeing the Purples in Week 4, but there is something to be said for taking down who is in front of you! Red Devil offense is playing very well! Red Devil defense is playing better than the offense IMO! Makes for a surging playoff bound team! Opponents beware! Floor: This isn’t your girlfriends Greenwood Team! Red Devils ROLL in Round 1! You floor is CLEARLY Round 2 vs Bowling Green! Ceiling: This is a tough call for me. In the second round, if you don’t see my Purples come calling again, I will be shocked! It will be a great game! BG has won 17 in a row against a very good program. That streak has to end sometime. Owensboro was clearly in the game in September! I can see the Red Devils getting the Purples off their back in this HOME game! If you do, you’d have to travel to South Warren, who is just a little bit hotter than you guys are. I think South Warren’s offense would struggle with the Red Devil defense. But I think the Owensboro offense would have more struggles with the South Warren defense. And I think your ceiling is right here in a hard fought Regional Final game. Purple88 Pick: Owensboro blows the doors off Greenwood and hosts the Purples in Week 2! While I think Owensboro is clearly capable of beating Bowling Green, I just can’t pick them to do it here. Call me a Homer if you like, but that’s the honest truth! Terrific turnaround after a very tough 2017 campaign! Good luck Red Devils! 4). Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 9-1; [District Record 3-0] Week 11 Results: Win 53-6 vs 1A Old Foe Russellville (4-6). Just 2 teams at completely different levels here. I like the tradition, but perhaps it’s time to consider an exit strategy for this series. Just a thought! Russellville will be better in the future, but likely not good enough to beat Franklin anytime soon. Playoff Snapshot: Another inspiring year for Wildcat Nation! And with it being an even year (2018), you will host the Region games as long as you’re alive! Can’t beat that Wildcat Fans!!! This team has been steadier than I anticipated. They took a shot from a terrific team (South Warren), but stiffened against the next notch or so down (Meade County and Glasgow). Strong, well-coached team! Floor – Week 2 when Logan County comes calling will be a game you don’t want to come in unprepared for. Logan County has very talented players and are also well coached. And it’s for these reasons, that Logan County is your floor. Ceiling – Franklin Simpson is a team that is FULLY capable to return to the Grocery Bag in Lexington and bringing back another trophy to Western Kentucky! Can’t put it any more simply than that! Purple88 Pick: Running Clock Calloway County in Round 1; play a determined Logan County team in Round 2 and pull away in the fourth quarter. Host the Madisonville Maroons and get near a running clock. I honestly don’t know a ton about the teams in Region 1 (other than John Hardin), but of those teams, this year, I likely would put Louisville Moore on that semi-state line with Franklin. Moore has only 1 loss on the year and that was at your familiar foe Johnson Central up in the Mountains! So this is a dangerous game for Franklin, but semi-stat games are supposed to be! Not backin up on Franklin now, so I like you to go back to Lexington looking to repeat as 4A Champions! Good luck Wildcats! I’ll be pulling for you! 3) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 8-2; [District Record 2-1] Week 11 Results: Win 52-0 vs 5A Bullitt Central (6-4). Nothin like a 50 Burger to make our blues go away Purples Fans! BG did just about whatever they wanted against completely overmatched Bullitt Central! The Cougars had 1 first down in the first half and not many more than that in the second half! Nice rebound Purples! Playoff Snapshot: The Purples have played just above medium this year. Come on Purple88, they are 8 and 2 and have a home game going into the playoffs and ranked #5 in the BGP 5A poll! While that is true, the first game of the season vs Central Hardin, the takeaways were: too many penalties and too many dropped passes! And other than the St X game, I would say that is still the takeaways of this team. Are they a good team? Sure, but at BG I think the goal is more than just good! That bar has been set some time ago (likely unfairly high)! The good thing for this Purples team is that there is still time to put the band together! What do I mean by that? BG hasn’t played a complete game (except against the cupcakes when they didn’t need it) yet! But they are capable! And I am hoping to see it! Will we? You tell me… Floor – If BG loses in the first round at home to Christian County, it will be a major upset in my book and that’s why I’m moving on from there. But the Second Round in Owensboro at Rash Stadium is where the rubber meets the road, as the Red Devils are clearly capable of winning that game! Owensboro is the Purples floor! Ceiling – This team is capable, IMO, of making the 4 Game Run to Lexington! It’s that simple! Am I drinkin the Purple Kool-aid? Maybe… You tell me… Purple88 Pick: I think BG comes out inspired at home and plays well against a proud senior laden Christian County team. I think they travel to Rash Stadium and have to scratch and claw, scrap and poke for 48 minutes to get the win against the Red Devils. They travel over to Nashville Road for a rematch with the Spartans, who have been at the country club compared to BGs road in the playoffs, and play the Spartans as well as anyone and closer than the regular season game, but simply come up short to a well-rested, well-prepared team determined to make a deep run as well! No shame there! 2) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 10-0; [District Record 3-0] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 11: Win 31-14 vs 3A Western Kentucky Rival Caldwell County (7-3). Not many teams can give up 5 turnovers and over 200 yards in penalties and still win by 17! Pretty impressive if you think of it that way. And while I am impressed in that, you can’t play that way against the good teams on the road and expect to keep winning! Cardinals need to ratchet the turnovers and penalties back down! Playoff Snapshot: The Cardinals are Team Orogeny! No, it’s not a dirty word! It’s a geologic term meaning “the process of forming a mountain”. I know of no other team in Western Kentucky that over the years typifies being the mountain that you must get over more than the Mayfield Cardinals!!! They are on another run and will be VERY difficult to stop! Floor: While I really like what McLean County has put together this season, when they come to War Memorial Stadium Week 2, it will not end well (still a great year for McLean County!). So the Mayfield floor will be Week 3 in Owensboro vs the Owensboro Catholic Aces! Plain and simple! Ceiling: This team is clearly capable of going back to the Grocery Bag in Lexington to play for yet another State Championship! Purple88 Pick: I think Mayfield goes to Lexington is the bottom line. I think the first and second round games are running clocks. I think the OCath game will not be a running clock, but I think Mayfield wins decisively! They would then have to saddle back up and travel about 3.5 hours east to Glasgow to play a Very Good Glasgow team. If this game were in Mayfield, it would be a comfortable win for Mayfield, but with all the logistics against them, I think Mayfield wins a much closer game; maybe by 14 points! They would then come all the way back across the state the next week to meet the CAL/Desales survivor on the other side of the bracket at the Grocery Bag! Tough game there, but I’m going WKY with Mayfield!!! Good luck Cardinals!!! 1) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 10-0; [District Record 3-0] Week 11: Win 42-12 at 2A Owensboro Catholic (7-3). Spartans wear down a solid OCATH team that played very well in the first half. Spartans regroup at halftime and overwhelm the Aces in the 3rd Quarter! Good win preparing for the playoffs! Playoff Snapshot: “To the Victor goes the spoils”, no truer words were said for this seasons South Warren Spartans! The Spartans have earned an all expensed ride to the 5A Region 1 Finals! No one will stand in their way until a decent game in the Regional Final! Enjoy this Spartans Fans!!! Floor: I respect @coachhawk over at Apollo a lot! And Graves County has put me in my place before, but neither have anything this season that can stop this Spartan team! Plain and simple. Therefore, the Spartans floor is the survivor of the Bowling Green vs Owensboro game in the Regional Final! Ceiling: South Warren has the ability to make it to the 5A Finals in Lexington – plain and simple!!! Purple88 Pick: South Warren puts a running clock on both opponents in the first 2 rounds! Then wait for the road-weary Purples to finally make it back for another try! It is much closer than the first match, but South again prevails in a tough well played football game! The Spartans would then have to travel up to NE Louisville to take on a solid South Oldham squad. But South Oldham has not played anyone with the players South Warren has. Comfortable win for the Spartans! From there, you likely head to the Grocery Bag to take on the Colonels of Covington Catholic! Good luck Spartans!!! Next 10 - 11 Thru 20 – 11. McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: 11 - (2018 Record 7-3) Week 11 Results – BYE Week. It would have been worth your while to drive to Etown to watch Ballard beat Central Hardin last week; at least watch the film. But it has been a terrific campaign almost out of thin air Mustang Fans! First, you were really down in the early part of the year and now you’re District Champs and should get an easy first round win! Playoff Snapshot: The Mustangs have put themselves in position to get a home playoff win! After the beginning of the season, I’d call that a win for the McCracken County Program! Purple88 Pick: I think the Mustangs lay the wood to Jeffersontown! Likely a running clock game! Week 2 vs Ballard you have a chance in this game, but it’s not a great chance. While I like you to play well, I just don’t see you beating Ballard, even at home! But still a terrific year Mustangs!!! Coach Clark doing a great job! 12. Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 12 - 2018 Record 9-1; [District Record 3-1] Week 11 Results: Win 28-0 at 2A Todd County Central (5-5). Cougar offense put up over 400 yards without star QB Tyler Ezell! RB Gary Hardy plays awfully well! Playoff Snapshot: Football can be a difficult game! I say that to describe only 1 loss in 2 seasons after a long losing streak and it just so happens to be a loss to knock you out of the District Championship! Such is life! Still a great season for the Cougars!!! Purple88 Pick: I think Logan County will be fired up when Allen County-Scottsville comes calling and wins in convincing fashion! The road then turns 30 minutes down State Route 100 to Franklin. The Wildcats have earned the right to host this Region Semifinal game. And they are playing awfully well. While I think Logan County “could” win this game, I simply don’t think they will. Just too much to ask on the road against the defending State Champions! No shame there! Great Season Cougars!!! 13. Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 14 (2018 Record 9-1) Week 11 Results: Win: 61-1 vs 4A Hopkins County Central (3-7). Crittenden blew the doors off poor ole Hopkins County Central! SR Stars QB Hunter Boone and RB Devon Nesbitt made their last regular season home game at Rocket Stadium memorable with great games! You will see them later! Playoff Snapshot: The Rockets have had an awfully good 2018 campaign up to this point! Yes, curmudgeons would say “yeah, what about the Caldwell County game”! Well the last time I looked, Caldwell County is a heck of a football team with a terrific defense and they are a 3A school! This Rocket senior group has already notched 29 wins during their high school career. I think they have a couple more in their tank! Purple88 Pick: While round 1 will be an easy running clock win vs Poor Ole Caverna, my heart goes out to those guys, as I know it’s been a very long season for them! From there, I hope Fulton County can make a trip back to Marion, but I can’t pick it here as I think Bethlehem takes care of the Pilots, who have had a terrific 2018 campaign! Bethlehem and Crittenden County aren’t unfamiliar foes. They have played each other in the playoffs the past 2 seasons with the home team winning each time. So that’s great news Rockets fans, as that game would be in Marion and I really like your chances there! From there, all roads point to Campbellsville, who beat the Rockets in Marion last playoff season convincingly when Devonte Cubit ran wild for 5 TDs! Great thing is Rockets Fans that Cubit was a senior last year! Awesome! Problem is this Eagles team has only lost to a tough Casey County squad and scored no less than 34 points in every game this year! And while I want to pick you in this game, I just think the long trip over (about 3.5 hours by bus) will be too much to overcome. But I hope I’m wrong as I’d like to see you get a shot at Beechwood! Good luck Rockets!!! 14. Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: 13 - 2018 Record 5-5: Week 11 Results: Win 53-31 at 4A Calloway County (3-7). Star QB Ryan Mathis almost single handedly blew out the Lakers! You will see his numbers later! Good way to head into the playoffs Eagles!!! Playoff Snapshot: Not much better “Hot or Cold” team than Graves County! Now injuries have certainly pushed them to that moniker, but just seems they are either in it to win it or its blow out city! And such is that path I see them taking in this year’s playoffs! Purple88 Pick: QB Ryan Mathis is a terrific player, but too much is on his shoulders IMO. First round opponent Grayson County has played really well this season and stud RB/DB Q Daryius McHenry is an undervalued athlete that was very impressive in my one viewing of him this season. So while Graves County should clearly be the favorite here, in the back of my mind I honestly think Grayson County has a shot in this game! But calling it right now, I say Graves wins that game. They unfortunately then travel to South Warren and that’s all she wrote!!! Keep battling Eagles!!! 15. Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 6-4; [District Record 2-2] Week 11 Results: Win 43-19 vs 5A City Rival Apollo (5-5)! The Panthers held a roughly 500 yard to 300 yard advantage on the Eagles! Star QB Joey Cambron and Star WR Marquel Tinsley had great games. You will see them later. Playoff Snapshot: The Panthers have been all over the place really. They have not been able to establish any consistency most of this season. A lot has to do with injuries and a porous defense. But getting the Week 11 win, can sometimes heal a lot of ailments and you have to think Daviess County is a dangerous team going into the playoffs! Purple88 Pick: That being said and due to the Panthers erratic play, they end up in the #3 district slot and have to travel to very tough Ballard (6-4)! The Bruins will definitely be the favorites in this game. I think Daviess County will have to play their best game of the year to have a chance in this game. Good luck Panthers!!! 16. Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 15 - (2018 Record 6-4) [District Record 3-1) Week 11 Results: Loss 35-21 vs 5A Owensboro! The Colonels battle well in this game, only down 21-7 at the half. Then scrap back and forth with a good Owensboro team! This should help the Colonels prepare for the post season; although I heard of a couple injured during this game. Certainly hope they can bounce back! Playoff Snapshot: I said WAY back in the Pre-Season that Henderson would have a good season if they could compete for the district championship and host a first round playoff game! Well Mission Accomplished Colonel Fans!!! No shame losing to a good Owensboro team either! Now focus on beating an undervalued Eastern Eagles (3-7) squad! Purple88 Pick: My gut tells me Eastern won’t be fired up to drive 2.5 hours west of Louisville to play Hendo! Even if they are, I still like Henderson’s chances in this opening round game and say the Colonels get to celebrate a home round 1 win!!! But Round 2 will draw the vaunted Trinity Shamrocks in Louisville and that unfortunately spells the end of the line. But you have to feel pretty good about your program Colonel Fans!!! Good luck!!! 17. Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 18 - 2018 Record 4-6; [District Record 2-2] Week 11 Result: Win 43-0 at struggling 5A Greenwood (2-8). No team in Western Kentucky seems to have faced the degree of debilitating adversity that Hopkinsville has faced this season! When star JR QB Jay Bland went down to injury in the second half of the rivalry battle with Christian County, it placed a big hit on this team! And ultimately took their best outside weapon away to place him under center. A move I certainly understand was required, but further crippled the offense. BUT, the Tigers have never quit and that is admirable with all the issues they have faced this year. Playoff Snapshot: Don’t look now, but the Tigers are on a 3 game win streak and it is hard earned and very much needed! That momentum now turn east toward Bowling Green where Hoptown will visit for a Round 1 showdown with a scrappy Warren East (6-4) squad! The Raiders typically beat who they are supposed to and lose to who they are supposed to. No real shame there! This should be one of the best first round games out there! Both teams are capable in this one! Purple88 Pick: While I definitely think you can win this game Tigers, I would not pick you to. Mostly because you are playing on the road and all three of the teams you just beat couldn’t beat Warren East. It’s that plain and simple!!! But good luck nonetheless Tiger Nation!!! 18. Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 4-6; [District Record 2-2] Week 11 Results: Loss 12-8 vs Stout 3A Paducah Tilghman (8-2). The Colonel D played very well in this game and only gave up a few scores to a pretty good offense. But the County offense could only take advantage of a short (8 yard) field given by a shank punt on the entire night! Not good! Playoff Snapshot: Well sports fans, the Colonels are on a 3 game losing streak. Not the way you draw it up on the blackboard! The Colonels have faced many issues this season (tremendous graduating class, player transfers, coaching changes, and etc.), but I don’t think they have quit. But they seem to still be a bit of a work in progress, especially on offense. So while I know they have some good athletes and have good coaches, I don’t have the sense that they are primed for a deep playoff run! Purple88 Pick: County travels east along Route 68/80 to face the Purples of Bowling Green one more time! While these 2 have played some really good games in the past, it appears BG has shaken off the funk of their recent 2 game losing streak, I don’t like the Colonels chances on the road at El Donaldson Stadium! Plain and simple! 19. Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 20 - (2018 Record 5-5) Week 11 Results: Loss 43-19 at 6A County Rival Daviess County (6-4). I don’t have any information here, but hopefully Apollo didn’t sustain any injuries! Playoff Snapshot: The Eagles have played well in Coach Philip Hawkins first season off Tamarack Road! They are in a very difficult district and simply couldn’t repeat a fantastic district run from last season. But no shame there as I didn’t think you should have won those games anyway. With that said, it is likely to be a short 2018 post season for the Eagles! Purple88 Pick: This is going to be a tough spot for any team. The Eagles begin the playoff on the road against stout South Warren. There’s just no way around this one Eagles Fans, as I just see no scenario where you come out of this game with a win! But hey, not many thought you’d go to Evansville Mater Dei and win and that’s exactly what you did, so Best of Luck Eagles! 20. Murray (2A) – PR: NR; LW: 20 - (2018 Record 6-4) [District Record 2-1]: Week 11 Results: Loss 10-8vs 3A Scrappy Union County (7-3). This must have been an excellent game. Murray lost the total yards contest roughly 300 to 200 yards on the night. So this tells me the Murray defense played awfully well. Playoff Snapshot: If you are lookin for a dark horse on the West side of 2A, you better consider the Murray Tigers! Yes Mayfield beat them again, but it was a competitive game in the first half! And they have played solid, tough football since that time and the Murray offense if formidable! Not a team to overlook; that is for sure! Purple88 Pick: The Tigers host (Purple88 Little Guy Favorite) Todd County Central in Murray for a first round playoff matchup! I think Murray rolls in this game unfortunately as I like the Rebels, but gotta keep it real!!! The Tigers would then make the 3 hour bus ride up to Owensboro for another round with the Owensboro Catholic Aces! While you are capable in this game, I can’t pick you in this slot. BUT, if the weather were nasty, I may flip my pick, as sloppy conditions would clearly favor Murray! Good luck Tigers! Others Receiving Votes: Warren East, Union County, McLean County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 11 PLAYER OF THE WEEK*: Joey Cambron – QB – Daviess County – 21 for 30 for 353 yards and 5 TDs vs 1 INT vs Apollo! Congratulations Joey! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Devon Nesbitt – RB – Crittenden County – rushed for 142 yard and 40 yards from receptions earning 6 TDs IN THE FIRST HALF vs Hopkins County Central!!! 2) Hunter Boone – QB – Crittenden County – passed for 217 yards and 3 TDs! 3) Marquel Tinsley – WR – Daviess County – 9 receptions for 205 yards and 1 TD vs Apollo! 4) Ryan Mathis – QB – Graves County – 12 for 19 for 250 yards and 3 TDs vs Calloway County! 5) Gary Hardy – RB – Logan County – 29 carries for 177 yards and 1 TD vs Todd County Central! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Congratulations to all the young men who have had a spot on this list throughout the season! Great Work!!! Week 11 – Teams Trending Down Christian County (5A) – Down – The Colonels offense is really struggling right now. While the County defense is a formidable unit, it seems inevitable that they get worn down heading into a very difficult game! Best of luck Colonels! Apollo (5A) – Down – While I’m not a fan of hitting someone when they are down. Someone has to go in this slot! I ultimately chose the Eagles as they simply have hit the rough part of their schedule! But I wish them the best against South Warren! Week 11 – Teams Trending Up Glasgow (2A) – Up – Congratulations to the Scotties on a Huge win at Elizabethtown! Should be a big shot in the arm heading into the playoffs! Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Up – Tremendous strides this season for the Blue Tornados! And as our good friend @TilghmanPride reported, there are several significant players who have a good chance to make it back this season! That would be HUGE for Tilghman in the playoffs! Look out!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Congratulations to both South Warren and Mayfield for their undefeated regular seasons! Historic accomplishments! Good luck to both in the playoffs!!! The Sullen 6: Last season there were 6 teams that were winless on the year. And before we check out for the year, I thought we’d check in on them to see how they have done this season, as follows: - Breckinridge County – The Fighting Tigers are actually 4 and 6 on the year! Compare that to 0 and 10 and things are lookin up over in Harned! - Butler County – While the Bears are still on the losing end of things, potential better fortunes are around the corner with Freshman Jagger Henderson checking in at QB. Jagger was 7 for 21 for 80 yards and a TD vs Todd County Central 2 weeks ago! - Calloway County – The Lakers have won 3 games this year including 1 at home against Metcalfe County in Week 2! Something to build on! - Caverna – While the Colonels didn’t pick up a win on the field, they were awarded a Week 2 forfeit win vs Green County for use of an ineligible player! Considering the situation, I think we better count it and count our blessings for it! - Fulton City – The Bulldogs season is completed. They again finish this season at 0 and 10. They also finish the season with 12 players on the roster, including 1 senior. It is certainly an uphill climb for the Bulldogs, but they are an inspiring group! I wish them the best going forward! - Warren Central – While the Dragons will end the year at 0 and 11, I would fire their scheduling director. There is no reason to schedule a majority of the teams on their current schedule that total 5 of their 10 regular season games against teams in classifications higher than the Dragons 4A classification. Come on man… Good luck to these teams next season! 2018 Western Kentucky Regular Season - All West Team QB – Jaden Stinson, Mayfield QB – Drew Hartz, Owensboro Catholic RB – Tre Bass, Franklin Simpson RB – Jeriah Hightower – Madisonville – North Hopkins RB – Thomas Maxey – Warren East WR – Marquel Tinsley, Daviess County WR – Ethan Dossett, Crittenden County OL – Tanner Bowles, Glasgow OL – Jack Randolf, Franklin Simpson OL – Blake Moody, Madisonville – North Hopkins DL – Jacob Lacey, South Warren DL – Logan Weedman, Apollo DL – Cade McKinnis, Logan County LB – Pete Cross, South Warren LB – Andrew Munster, McLean County DB – Malachi Kirby, Paducah Tilghman DB – Trel Riley, Caldwell County S – Clayton Bush, South Warren Athlete – Imonte Owsley, Owensboro Athlete – Vito Tisdale, Bowling Green Athlete – Kent Trey Matthews, Mayfield Athlete – Ellis Dunn, Hopkinsville K – Micah Haley, Mayfield Honorary Member – RB/LB Caleb Kimble, Fulton County Coach – Johnathon Smith, Paducah Tilghman Farewell: End of the Road! It’s been a Long Road, but I hope you have found it as fun as I have! Even if you don’t agree with my rankings, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our teams out West! We have A LOT to be thankful for in having good football teams in the West! Now get out there and support your team(s) in person! It’s a great time of year! Good luck to your teams this playoff season and hope to see ya next year!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 9 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, I think Football weather is FINALLY Here! But we went from summer to winter in about 2 days with 40 degrees and a cold rain in Indy, rough acclimation period!!! What happened to my all-time favorite sweatshirt and shorts weather? Come on man… Let’s move on! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 9: 1. South Warren 5A (8-0): BYE 2. Bowling Green 5A (7-1): Loss 62-14 at Warren Central (Indianapolis) IN 3. Mayfield 2A (8-0): Win 50-2 at 2A Ballard Memorial 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (7-1): Win 62-20 at 4A Warren Central 5. Owensboro Catholic 2A (6-2): Win 50-7 vs 2A Todd County Central 6. Caldwell County 3A (7-2): Win 48-15 at 3A Fort Campbell 7. Owensboro 5A (6-2): Win 40-0 vs 5A Apollo 8. Madisonville – North Hopkins 4A (6-2): Win 21-17 vs 4A Logan County 9. Glasgow 2A (7-1): Win 42-21 at 2A Monroe County 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (6-2): Win 43-10 at 3A Union County Week 9 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (6-2) 21 at 4A Logan County (7-1) 17. Thanks to our good friend @FSfan who has been solid covering 4A District 1 the past couple weeks! Always admire fans that look downfield for their team and who they likely will meet in the playoffs! As was reported, Logan County controlled this game for the most part except for the 4th quarter where penalties and some mishandling of a wet football basically cost the Cougars the game and the District Championship! Hate to put it that bluntly, but that’s the truth! Congratulations to the Madisonville Maroons on their hard fought District Championship! Those babies don’t grow on trees so enjoy it! Also enjoy not seeing Franklin Simpson till round 3 of the playoffs!!! Week 10 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: No doubt this week Sports Fans! 5A Bowling Green (7-1) at 5A South Warren (8-0). BIG Game Sports Fans!!! I think Week 10 will likely just be a standing Game of the Week for these 2! Their first meeting last year didn’t turn out to be a tight game, but the one in the playoffs sure was with the Spartans earning a hard fought 28-21 win at Bowling Green. Well that sure gave the Purples a sour pill to swallow for the off-season, so they should have no reason not to be ready to go for this one! For the Spartans, they have had to have circled this game on their schedule way back at the beginning of the season! This will be the first game where Spartan Nation will host this game! And if our good friend @jcarter is correct (And I’m sure he is) you better get there early or you will be standing 5 deep around the field!!! It’s going to be a GREAT environment! Honorable Mention: - Crittenden County at Russellville; Christian County at Madisonville North Hopkins; Graves County at Owensboro; and Franklin Simpson at Warren East - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 9 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 10 - 2018 Record 6-2 [District Record 2-1]: Week 9 Results: Win 43-10 vs 3A District Foe Union County (5-3). The Blue Tornado’s came out like a House on Fire Friday night and rolled to a running clock by halftime! Tilghman was led by JR RB/DB Jayden Freeman who was outstanding! You will see his stats later! It was pretty much mop up time after the half! With the win, Tilghman wraps up a home playoff game! Congratulations!!! I think that’s a big deal and a tier to achieve in any high school football teams year! Week 10: vs District Foe 3A Poor Ole Fort Campbell (1-7). Not much to see here! If I were Tilghman, I would rest as many players as I could knowing MUCH tougher games are coming! Good luck Blue Tornados! 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 9 - 2018 Record (7-1) [District Record 2-0]: Week 9 Results: Win 42-21 at 2A Scrappy District Foe Monroe County (2-6). Thanks to our good friend @winterweather who reported on this one! This game was the tale of 2 halves! The Falcons led at halftime 14 to Zip thanks to 5 big fat turnovers by the Scotties! I’m sure Coach Garmon had some choice words for the players at halftime and by the end of the 3rd quarter the score was tied at 21! And it was all Scotties from there with their final 3 TDs scored in the 4th Quarter! Can’t play like that in the playoffs and expect to be able to come back against better teams! Week 10: at 2A District Foe Metcalfe (2-6). I’m predicting a District Beat Down here I’m afraid! Glasgow just in another league than the Hornets! Scotties Roll! 8) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 12 - 2018 Record 6-2; [District Record 4-0] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 9 Results: BIG WIN 21-17 at 4A District Rival Logan County (7-1). What a game Maroons Fans!!! It is a testament to hang in there and keep playin because all reports are that Logan County was controlling this game until late! That’s when your D stuffed an early 4th Quarter 4th down run in Logan territory to create a short field for your offense and Juriah Hightower took over with a terrific 29 yard TD run! On the ensuing kickoff, SR LB Micah Center forced a fumble and JR Lineman Blake Moody fell on the ball! The Maroons SR QB JD Gilbert plunged into the end zone for the winning score! Congratulations Maroon Nation! Week 10: vs 5A Christian County (5-3). With the Maroons HUGE win and District Championship, they are assured to stay away from Franklin Simpson until Week 3 if they continue to win in the playoffs! Great Job Maroons! Of course you would likely have to beat a decent Warren East or scrappy Hopkinsville to get there! But you should be able to get that Maroon Fans!!! 7) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 6-2; [District Record 3-0] Week 9 Results: Win 40-0 vs 5A Apollo (4-4). Wow! While I expected Owensboro to win, I did not expect this margin of victory! But it does highlight the fact that “IF” Owensboro could go back and “REDO” the second half of the OCATH game and get that win – regardless of the score – how would the state look on Owensboro at that point? To me, they are clearly the #4 team in 5A! Why? They have better skill guys and they have a better defense than any of those teams IMO! And could Owensboro beat the top 3 teams in 5A? On the right night, absolutely yes! Would they be favored – NO, but they should not worry about that! Thanks to our good friend @rosco who reported stats for this one! You will see talented JR WR Tyren Hayden’s stats later! QB Will Warren was 18 for 31 for 385 yards and 5TDs vs 2 INTs! Talented JR WR Imonte Owsley had 8 catches for 159 yards and 1 TD! But an even more impressive stat was the Red Devil D notched 8 sacks on the night! Wow! That’s living in the backfield! I still think Apollo is a pretty good team, but just a bad matchup IMO! Week 10: Last District Game vs 5A Scrappy Graves County (4-4). No the Eagles record will not make you as scared as chaperoning a JR High Halloween Party, but they are very dangerous! The Eagles are coming off of a statement win at Christian County! And they now travel to RASH for a Winner Take All game for the District Championship this coming Friday night! Lot on the line! While I like Owensboro in the game, I’ve been wrong on Graves County before, but am I this time? You tell me… 6) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 7 - 2018 Record (7-2) [District Record 4-0]: Week 9 Results: Win 48-15 at Poor Ole 3A District Foe Ft Campbell (1-7). Not much to see here! The teams went back and forth very early with Fort Campbell holding a 7 to 6 lead early in the first quarter, but it was really all Tigers from there! QB Joby Jaggers was outstanding going 16 for 24 for 389 yards and 4 TDs! Great Job! WR Nathan Lake had a very good game for Fort Campbell with 4 catches for 120 yards and a TD! But too much Tigers as they pulled away with 28 unanswered 2nd Quarter points! Week 10: BYE Week. Good time for a BYE Tigers! Heal up and recharge for your annual bash with Mayfield in 2 weeks! Even though you haven’t been terrific in that game recently, I like the Tigers to stay in the game a little longer this year. But hey, it’s still Mayfield at War Memorial Stadium so – Whoa Nellie! I just don’t see them winning that one! Prove me wrong Tigers!!! 5) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 6; 2018 Record 7-2 [District Record 4-0]: Week 9 Results: Win 50-7 vs 2A District Mate Todd County Central (4-4). Not a lot to see here! QB Drew Hartz and WR Nick Mills have great stats you will see later! Aces roll up over 460 yards of offense on the night! But do the Aces have a legit shot at giving Mayfield a game in November! I don’t know, but I do know they would be the underdog in that game even in Owensboro! But that’s what the Aces have been working up to! They have played good out of district competition, beaten an upper classification city rival and haven’t taken significant injuries that I’m aware of and polished off another unbeaten district slate in fine fashion! I’d say that’s good enough for now; it’s time for a break! Week 10 BYE Week. Great time for a BYE! Plus I’d say you get your next opponent at the perfect time too! The Aces host rock solid 5A Contender South Warren (8-0)! South will be coming off what I’m anticipating is a very touch physical game vs rival Bowling Green! So, there is NO WAY South will be pumped up for this game! If I recall correctly, it took South quite a while to wake up last year in this game before prevailing in a hard fought contest 21-16! Let’s see how the injury outlook is for South before I make a prediction on that one, but I can’t see me picking OCATH in that one regardless. Sorry Aces!!! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 7-1; [District Record 2-0] Week 9 Results: Win 62-20 vs 4A Poor Ole’ Warren Central (0-8). I don’t have Franklin’s stats for this game, but according to the Warren Central stats, Franklin Simpson outgained Central roughly 400 yards to 150 yards on the night! Our good friend @FSfan reported it was a good night to get in some passing practice and I totally agree! Additionally reported that key DLineman Traevon Goodnight returned for the Wildcats to bolster a DLine that gave up a reported 5 yards on the night! On to likely your toughest district opponent! Week 10: at 4A Scrappy District Foe Warren East (5-3). I think this game could be pretty interesting for the first half! East has some fine players, but not an overabundance of them. RB Thomas Maxey will be worth the price of admission Wildcat Fans! With all that said, I look for Franklin to turn the tide no later than the 3rd quarter and just be too much for a solid opponent! But this is for the District Championship, so you better be prepared Wildcats! Steady on!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 8-0; [District Record 2-0] Week 9 Results: Win 50-2 at 2A District Mate Ballard Memorial (2-6). Can you imagine being in Mayfield’s district? A pretty unfortunate position to be in. You are talking about one of the top programs in the country when you talk about what ultimately counts and that’s wins! So the team you have to face every year is one that has more wins that just about every team in the country! Wow that’s tough for a small Western Kentucky school to overcome! I have to admit, I’m curious as how the Bombers D got the safety! Other than that, it’s what I expected! Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan who reported the Cardinals averaged 22 yards a play in the first half! And QB Stinson was really good on the night as were all the Cardinals as they had a 50-0 scoreboard at the 2 minute mark of the 2nd Quarter! Wow! Week 10: vs Poor Ole 2A District Mate Webster County (1-7). The Trojans need a miracle sports fans to keep this one close. I know I’ve asked Cardinal Nation in the past if the Trojans have ever beaten Mayfield. I think I was told no, but it was close 1 or 2 times! Wow and that is in every game they have ever played! Cardinals Roll! 2) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 7-1; [District Record 2-0] Week 9 Results: Loss 62-14 at National Power Warren Central (Indianapolis) Indiana (9-0). Wow! What a difficult trip for the Purples 4 hours from home! They lose to the best High School Football team I’ve ever seen. It’s that simple. I’ve been going to high school football games for at least 40 years and I’ve never seen a team like that! The Central offensive linemen looked like mobile refrigerators and they tied the BG front 7 up and the Central RB Romier Elliot was as good a High School RB as I’ve seen (short, stocky, strong, great balance, shifty at the point of attack, can’t tackle him with arm tackles, excellent stiff arm, then with a good burst of speed – all I can say is WOW!)! As others have said, I tip my cap out of respect and move on! We will find out what type motivator Coach Spader will be as a Head Coach this week, as no matter if you go into a game expecting to lose, when you lose 62-14, it messes with you! But, you don’t need me to pump you up for this one Purples Fans!!! T- Minus 1 week and counting Purples Fans!!! Week 10: at 5A Rival South Warren (8-0). I expect a game like last year’s playoff meeting with the Spartans and not one like in the Regular Season last year! Keys for the Purples: 1) Expect and plan for the Spartan Pass Rush – Play calling will be critical here! 2) Quick passes are the same as a run to me! I mean South’s D is predicated on stopping the run, which they do as well as anyone. But I think they are susceptible to good short passing scheme! Purples must be crisp here! 3) Purples D need to focus on RB Harrison and not let him kill them like Christian Winn did last game! This game will be full of emotion! That will lead to emotional penalties that are not typical for either team! Which team is able to control their emotions most on the field will benefit from it! No question about it and turnovers are always huge in a game like this! Why did you drop BG Purple88? Good question: I expected BG to lose this game. But I didn’t expect them to lose by 48. They were a 4 TD underdog and 28 to 35 points is what I expected. Was I drinking the Purple Kool-Aid? Probably! While I do not think South Warren could beat Warren Central under any scenario and that they would also get running clocked, do I think they lose by 48? I just don’t know; maybe. But the fact remains, if BG wins this Friday night it will answer itself for us all! Good Luck Purples! 1) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 8-0; [District Record 2-0] Week 9: BYE Week. Put another log on the fire Spartan Fans! I’m sure you had a good cookout/film watching session last Friday night to watch BG get smoked at Warren Central (Indy) in the cold rain. But I’m also sure you were able to heal some nagging injuries and just recharge! Exactly what the Bye is for!!! It’s FINALLY here! T – Minus 1 week and counting Spartan Fans!!! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 10: vs 5A Rival Bowling Green (7-1). Well Spartan Nation I’m sure you knew this game would be BIG and it is, with all the implications on the line including winning the District and carrying the #1 District Seed into the playoffs! Because would you rather play Apollo and Graves County or would you rather play Christian County and at Rash Stadium vs Owensboro? That’s pretty simple from where I’m standing!!! The winner of this game is also gaining the lead in the head to head battle with BG, which now sits tied at 1. You don’t need me to pump you up for this one Spartans! But I think I need you if I’m to find a seat on Friday night! Still not sure if I can make if down due to Family Commitments. In my opinion, the key to the game for the Spartans is for the Spartan DLine to be the most disruptive on the field, as they have been in all the games to this point! If they are and harass BG QB Beau Buchanan then that will make it hard on BG to run their offense! Other than that; I’m sure both of these teams have been holding a few plays back just for this game! Which ones are the most timely and ultimately work? Good Luck Spartans! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: 11 - (2018 Record 6-3) Week 9 Results – Win 41-27 at Dyer County (Newbern) TN (3-5). While I don’t have any stats for this one, the Mustangs appear to have completely turned their season around! Good for them and that takes a lot of team continuity to get that done! McCracken has played the Choctaws 4 times since 2013; all Mustang wins where they have scored in the 40s while Dyer has scored in the 20s! Great fun for the Mustangs! Week 10: vs 6A District Foe Muhlenberg County (3-5). The All Mustang Bowl will be the final game in the 2018 regular season for McCracken County. The way McCracken has come on late in the season makes me think they will be WAY too much for Muhlenberg in this game, especially in Paducah! Lookin good for McCracken already having won the District with a lesser Louisville School (likely Jeffersontown) having to make the 4 hour bus ride in a couple weeks! All as planned for the Mustangs!!! 12) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 7-1; [District Record 2-1] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 9 Results: Loss 21-17 vs 4A Madisonville (6-2). Tough Loss Cougars! No doubt about it! After your QB Ezell toughed it out likely not being 100% and after controlling the game through 3 quarters! But football can be a game of Breaks and this time you were just on the wrong side of the break! But it is a dictating outcome as you will now likely travel to Franklin Simpson in Week 2 of the Playoffs! Week 10: at 4A District Foe Calloway County (3-5). Gotta keep your focus up Cougars! It would be easy to let up in this game after facing Hopkinsville and now Madisonville in back to back games! But this game counts just like the other District games do! 13) Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 4-4: Week 9 Results: Win 44-36 at 5A District Rival Christian County (5-3). These teams don’t particularly like each other and last Friday at the Stadium of Champions both teams were landing big shots and they tallied a collective 80 points on the night! The difference in the game was XP efficiency where Graves connected on 4 2-point conversions, while the Colonels missed on 5 XP conversions! QB Ryan Mathis had a Huge game going 12 for 27 for 198 yards and 2 TDs vs 2 INTs; plus Mathis added 3 rushing TDs on the night! Huge game and Huge win! Week 10: at 5A District Rival Owensboro (6-2). Out of the frying pan and into the fire Eagles Fans! The tough District gauntlet continues in your toughest portion of the season! I bet most fans wrote the Eagles off when they started the year 1 and 4! But here you are Eagles, playing for the District Championship!!! Huge! You are not the favorite, as few are at Rash Stadium, but you are capable of pulling off the upset with turnovers, a commitment to better execution and a more determined defense. But that’s a lot to ask. Show me you can Eagles!!! But with your big win last week, you are very likely to host a home playoff game and that’s a Big Deal! 14) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 14 (2018 Record 7-1) Week 9 Results: Win: 59-8 vs 1A Cinderella Fulton County (4-4). SR RB Devin Nesbitt rolled over the Pilot defense for 189 yards on the night and 4 TDs to overwhelm Cinderella’s favorite team! With the wet field conditions, the Rockets showed they can run the ball when they need to and next week they may need to!!! Week 10: at 1A District Rival Russellville (4-4). Well Rocket Fans, it all comes down to this! And I think you already knew that! This game gets circled most every year as the likely District Make or Break Game! But I really like your chances this season! While Russellville has some players and are scrappy, I just think this Rocket team is on a bigger mission and will overwhelm the Panthers at Rhea Stadium!!! Good luck Rockets! 15) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 11 - (2018 Record 6-3) [District Record 3-1) Week 9 Results: Win 54-41 vs District Foe 6A Daviess County (4-4). Defense was optional in this game that featured 95 points put on the board! It is a HUGE win for Hendo in my opinion, as you have to strive to get better in the District is Job 1! So way to go Hendo!!! Week 10: BYE Week! Well you know pretty much where you stand now Colonel Fans! You have secured the #2 District seed and will host a Playoff game (likely against Eastern), which I said in the preseason was the definition of a positive season for the Colonels! From there, you would likely have to travel to Shelbyville Road and face the Trinity Shamrocks at Marshall Stadium. Very difficult task! But the Colonels are definitely improving in my book! Way to go!!! 16) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 13 - 2018 Record 4-4; [District Record 2-2] Week 9 Results: Loss 44-36 vs 5A District Rival Graves County (4-4). This was a back and forth game! And it’s tough to lose based upon not being able to execute XPs but that’s part of the game! Sorry I don’t have stats for Christian County in this one, but I do know they out gained the Eagles roughly 370 yards to 330 yards on the night! Week 10: at 4A Madisonville North Hopkins (6-2). Christian County won a pretty easy home game last season 49-12 vs Madisonville. But that Christian County team was on its way to its first ever undefeated regular season. This year’s team is on its way to a first round road matchup with the loser of BG vs South Warren! VERY difficult assignment!!! 17) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 17 - 2018 Record 4-4; [District Record 1-2] Week 9 Results: Loss 54-41 at 6A District Rival Henderson County (6-3). I’m going to call this another missed opportunity! I felt in the Pre-season after seeing Daviess County play 7v7 that they were destined to rise up and win 6A District 1! Just another example of while 7v7 is a great tool for QB/WR and DB/LB chemistry, it is not a good indicator of what Friday Night Lights will produce! 41 points should be enough points, but not when you are surrendering 54! Easy to say; harder to stop! Week 10: vs Poor Ole’ Ohio County (0-8). Not much to see here! As Poor Ole’ Ohio County has fallen on some hard times for sure. And even on Daviess County’s worst day, they can still beat the Eagles by a long shot! Panthers Roll! 18) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 20 - 2018 Record 2-6; [District Record 1-2] Week 9 Result: Win 23-12 at 4A District Foe Calloway County (3-5). I don’t have any stats here, but pretty certain the Tiger are enjoying playing a lower tier team for a change! That continues next week too! Week 10: vs 4A District Foe Hopkins County Central (3-5). The beleaguered Tigers are finally getting to the part of their schedule that should come pretty easy for them! The Storm won’t scare many teams and certainly not one as battle tested as Hopkinsville! Tigers Roll! 19) Warren East (4A) – PR: 23; LW: Not Ranked (NR) - (2018 Record 5-3) Week 9 Results: Win 23-20 at 4A District Foe Allen County Scottsville (4-4). Good to get some new blood in the Rankings! Well-played game here with East out gaining the Patriots roughly 400 yards to 275! RB Thomas Maxey was outstanding again rushing 32 times for 170 yards and 2 TDs. QB Nolan Ford was also very good going 11 for 27 for 220 yards and 1 TD vs 2 INTs! But his biggest contribution was a late Field Goal to win it for the Raiders!!! Week 10: vs 4A District Foe Franklin Simpson (7-1). This game is for the District Championship! And while I fully expect Franklin to win, I fully expect the Raiders to compete with everything they have and keep it competitive till halftime. From there, I think they wear the Raiders down and it isn’t close at the end! Prove me wrong Raider Power!!! 20) Murray (2A) – PR: NR; LW: NR - (2018 Record 5-3) [District Record 1-1]: Week 9 Results: Win 57-7 at 2A District Mate Webster County (1-7). When Murray played Mayfield close for a while early this year, it caught my attention! And when others ahead of them fell, it presented an opportunity to spotlight Coach Keith Hodge’s team! Also, when I spoke to a Mayfield fan at the CAL v Desales game and we spoke about OCATH and the likelihood of them playing Mayfield he said “yes, if they can beat Murray”! Not sure if that was an “I hope Murray wins so I don’t have to drive to Owensboro” or an “I think Murray is a pretty good team”. But at this spot in the rankings, I think we give them the benefit of the doubt! They outgain Poor Ole’ Webster County 300 yards to about 100 on the night! Week 10 vs 2A District Foe Ballard Memorial (2-6). This game should wrap up the #2 District spot for the Tigers! And they should host a first round game! Good for you Tigers! Others Receiving Votes: Apollo, Union County, McLean County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 9 PLAYER OF THE WEEK*: Alton Pendergrass – RB – Fort Knox – 20 rushes for 227 yards and 6 TDs; plus 1 sack and 4 tackles round out a great night vs Caverna! WOW!!! Congratulations Alton! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Drew Rhodes – QB – Caverna – 12 for 26 for 234 yards and 4 TDs vs 0 INTs; plus 30 yards rushing and 1 TD vs Fort Knox! 2) Tyren Hayden – WR – Owensboro – 5 catches for 117 yards and 3 TDs vs Apollo! 3) Jayden Freeman – RB/DB – Paducah Tilghman – 1 rushing TD, 1 pass reception for a TD and 1 pick 6 vs Union County! 4) Drew Hartz – QB – Owensboro Catholic – 13 for 16 passing for 232 yards and 5 TDs vs Todd County Central! Nick Mills – WR – Owensboro Catholic – 5 catches for 119 yards and 3 TDs vs Todd County Central! 5) Jadavian McNeal – RB – Christian County – 247 yards rushing and 5 TDs vs Graves County! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 9 “Teams Trending Down” Apollo (5A) – Down – The Eagles started the season strongly with 4 wins, but have played excellent teams while falling for 4 straight! Keep Fighting Eagles! Union County (3A) – Down – I just think the Braves are the 3rd best team in the District period. They can’t be predicted ahead of Caldwell County or Paducah Tilghman until thy defeat one of those 2! Just a fact. Week 9 Teams “Trending Up” Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Up – Congratulations to the Maroons again on their District clinching victory! Not many picked Madisonville to win the district out of the gate this year, so enjoy it Madisonville Fans!!! Graves County (6A) – Up – These guys are like Nitro Glycerin! They just catch fire from little to nothing! I mean they start the year 1 and 4 and now reel off 3 straight! And are staring at a District Championship game next week! You can‘t ask for more than that Eagles Fans! Good Luck! WESTERN KENTUCKY – GAME SPOTLIGHT - 1A Fort Knox 71 at 1A Caverna 48 – These are 2 squads you never hear about and when you do it’s usually negative. I wanted to give a shout out to them for playing what appears from afar as a great fun game. Caverna has only scored 32 points in their previous 7 games combined, so they put some rocket fuel on the offense last Friday scoring 48 points! The Eagles may be putting it together a bit after beating Webster County in double OT 2 games ago! Fort Know RB Alton Pendergrass had a great game as you saw above, as did Caverna QB Drew Rhodes! Best of luck to both teams the rest of the way!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 7 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, ALL Teams in the Top 20 win in Week 7 with the exception of 3 teams (all outside the Top 10) who all lose to more highly ranked teams. And all games are pretty much BLOWOUTS with the exception of Madisonville’s 14-0 win over depleted Hopkinsville. Is this just that time of year where teams play lesser district foes or did we just hit a sweet spot for our teams? Maybe a little of both! Here’s to a great ending to the regular season and a successful District Campaign to all your teams!!! Let’s get to it! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 7: 1. Bowling Green 5A (7-0): Win 68-8 vs 5A Grayson County 2. South Warren 5A (7-0): Win 55-7 at 5A Greenwood 3. Mayfield 2A (7-0): Win 63-28 at 2A Murray 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (6-1): Win 54-14 vs 4A Allen County-Scottsville 5. Logan County 4A (6-0): BYE 6. Owensboro Catholic 2A (4-2): Win 49-6 vs 2A McLean County 7. Caldwell County 3A (5-2): Win 40-14 vs 3A Union County 8. Owensboro 5A (4-2): Win 42-20 at 5A Christian County 9. Glasgow 2A (6-1): Win 47-0 vs 2A Green County 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (5-2): Win 51-27 at 3A Trigg County Week 7 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: District Buster - 5A Owensboro (4-2) 42 at 5A Christian County (3-3) 20 – The Red Devils rode down to Hopkinsville and came back with a HUGE district win! As our good friend @ApolloFan98 reported, the Red Devils were explosive and scored 48 points while likely leaving upwards of 21 points on the field that they didn’t collect. I’m not surprised by the outcome of this game, but I am surprised that the Christian County defense didn’t seem to rise to the occasion for this game. Disheartening and doesn’t give me confidence that Christian County can travel to Bowling Green or South Warren Week 2 of the playoffs and have a legitimate chance to win that game. Week 8 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: District Buster – 4A Logan County (6-0) at 4A Hopkinsville (1-5). There’s just something about this game that makes me very interested. Last regular season Logan County shocked the world and earned the victory and home field advantage throughout the playoffs! Then in the playoffs, Hoptown rallied and earned a convincing win in Russellville! This year the Cougars have been very methodical dismantling less impressive opponents, while the Tiger have been playing some of the best teams in the West. And that comes with a price; when you sharpen steel on steel you can take injuries and unfortunately the Tigers Star QB will not play in this game and that is a HUGE factor! Still Coach Clayton will demand his troops defend their home field! I anticipate a hard fought game regardless of who plays! Get out to the Stadium of Champions early sports fans!!! Honorable Mention: - Henderson County at McCracken County; Calloway County at Fulton County; Christian County at Apollo; and Trigg County at Caldwell County - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 7 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 10 - 2018 Record 5-2 [District Record 1-1]: Week 7 Results: Win 51-27 at 3A Trigg County (4-3). As our good friend @PTHSalumni reported, Tilghman just needs to continue and overall things are looking better! Although I don’t have specific stats for this one, it is clear the Blue Tornados captured a convincing District win in Cadiz on Friday night. Are the Blue Tornados still banged up; YES, but they are still playing hard and that should be good enough for a while! Week 8: BYE Week. Halleluiah! Boy do the Blue Tornado’s need this! With the injury bug they have been battling, this is great medicine for them! Heal up Tilghman! 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 9 - 2018 Record (6-1) [District Record 1-0]: Week 7 Results Win 47-0 vs 2A Green County (1-6): Not much to report on a 6 and 1 team beating a completely overmatched 1 and 6 team! I have no stats here, but the Scotties just completely dominate the Dragons and move on! Week 8 BYE Week. Scotties have rolled to the Bye Week in great fashion! No they didn’t play great in the 2nd half at Franklin Simpson, but the Wildcats had something to do with that. Should be a great time to heal up and focus on likely playoff opponents as their district is toast when the Scotties come to town!!! 8) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 4-2; [District Record 1-0] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK - Week 7 Results: Win 42-20 at 5A Christian County (3-3). The Red Devils outgained County roughly 350 to 200 yards on the night. QB Will Warren was effective going 20 for 32 for 225 yards 2 TDs vs NO INTS! Big Deal there! Many other Red Devils play well especially RB/WR Trevon Green and you’ll see his numbers later! Week 8: at 5A Marshall County (3-4). The 2+ hour bus ride to Benton will be the toughest part of this matchup for the Red Devils! Just too many weapons and not enough speed for the Marshalls to keep up! I think the Owensboro D might be coming together also. We will keep an eye on that! To me Diamond Glover is the key. He has been out of the lineup recently and that doesn’t allow for the other talented O DLinemen to be as effective IMO. 7) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 7 - 2018 Record (5-2) [District Record 2-0]: Week 7 Results: Win 40-14 vs 3A Union County (4-2). The Tigers outgained the Braves roughly 325 to 200 yards on the night! QB Joby Jaggers was blazing at times and other times likely pressed the issue going 20 for 30 for 225 yards and 6 TDs vs 3 INTs! Many other Tigers play well and you will see 1 later. The Tiger D was all over the Braves recording 9 sacks on the night including Devin Kilgore’s 3 sacks! Week 8: 139 Bowl Vs 3A District Foe Trigg County (4-2). I think the Wildcats would cut off their arm to try to beat the Tigers with it! But that don’t get it done on the Grid Iron and I just don’t see any scenario where Trigg comes out with the win. Now that’s not to say that the first quarter or a little more couldn’t be very close and intense! As I expect Trigg to play with a lot of emotion and be ready to play!!! 6) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 6; 2018 Record 5-2 [District Record 2-0]: Week 7 Results: Win 49-6 vs 2A McLean County (3-3). No trash talk needed in this one as the Aces roll up 400 yards offense behind a balanced attack lead by QB Drew Hartz with over 200 yards in the air and 4 TDs and Von Williams plowing up over 150 yards and 2 TDs! Aces are definitely ramping up! Week 8 at 2A District Mate Hancock County (4-3). The Hornets are a middle of the road 2A club and will host this game, but I’m thinking the Aces are in another league right now! Aces roll!!! 5) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 6-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: BYE Week. Hope you had time to heal up Cougars and get ready for next week’s Huge District Buster Game! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 8: AT 4A Hopkinsville (1-5). No the Tigers Record is not great at this point this year, but they are still capable of putting a Roman Candle type outburst to overwhelm an opponent! But I just don’t think it will be this week. I think Logan County will come into this game very focused and with the benefit of watching the tape from Madisonville last week should be in a superior position this week with the weapons they possess! Gotta like the Cougars in this one! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 6-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 54-14 vs 4A District Foe Allen County Scottsville (4-3). This is a terrific win for the Wildcats! They gained over 450 yards in the FIRST HALF and 125 of that was passing, which is a great sign for Wildcat Nation! As our good friend @FSfan reported, most of the Wildcat drives were 2 or 3 play 60 yard gaining drives! And as our good friend @DragonFire said, this is the largest amount of points Franklin has every scored on Allen County-Scottsville and they have been playing a long time! Week 8: BYE Week. Might as well go BYE Week right here Wildcat Fans! You have a lot of momentum right now and your remaining schedule will not give you any trouble (except maybe the Warren East game for a half)! Neither will the first game of the playoffs. The second game of the playoffs you will likely host a team like Madisonville or Warren East. Since both of those guys would have to travel to Shadetree, I don’t like their chances against the Wildcats in much of any scenario! Long way to go Wildcats! Heal up and rest up!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 7-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 63-28 vs 2A Murray (4-3). Wild game with over 90 points scored! Mayfield rolls up 450 yards on the night, but they also surrender over 400 to a determined resilient foe! Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan who reported from this game! RB Kent Trey Matthews was the man this game! But the Mayfield defense struggled a bit in the first half, which Murray scored all their points! The Cardinals regrouped at halftime and slammed the door shut on Murray’s second half offensive production! Week 8: BYE Week! What a great start to the season Cardinal Fans! I would likely start watching some tape of teams you think you might match up with down the road! I don’t have to tell the Mayfield Coaches anything as they are as good as they come! Heal up Cardinals! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 7-0; [District Record 2-0] Week 7: Win: 55-7 at 5A Greenwood (2-5). Just another dominating performance by the Spartans! QB Gavin Spurrier and WR Clayton Bush were the primary stars in the game and you will see their stats later! The Gators were just completely outmatched in this one. On to an intriguing matchup for South Warren! Week 8: vs Ravenwood (Brentwood) TN (6-1 and #25 in the State of TN). This should be an interesting test for the Spartans! They lost a dogfight last year 31-17 at Ravenwood. So I’m sure Spartan Nation would like to get even for that loss! According to Calpreps, they say 34 to 26 South Warren so it should be a terrific game! T – minus 3 weeks and counting Spartan Fans!!! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 7-0; [District Record 2-0] Week 7 Results: Win: 68-8 vs 5A Grayson County (4-3). Not a lot to see here! Purples roll up over 400 yards on the night to less than 200 for Grayson. The Cougars don’t make it to 30 yards rushing on the night. But I will say Q Daryius McHenry is a fine looking ball player! And since he is only a Sophomore he will be around for a couple more years in Leitchfield! Beau Buchanon was outstanding as usual; you will see his numbers later and Vito Tisdale is held out of this game to rest a tweaked ankle. Week 8: BYE Week. Purples pull into the “Fall Break” BYE Week ready to recharge! There are some injuries, so this will help in that regard, especially looking at the 2 games that follow the BYE Week – OOOFFFFF!!!! T- minus 3 weeks and counting Purples Fans!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 11 - (2018 Record 5-2) [District Record 2-0) Week 7 Results: Win 61-6 vs District Foe 6A Muhlenberg County (2-4). I don’t have any stats here, but just know the poor ole’ Mustangs didn’t know what hit them and Henderson just kept pouring it on!!! Week 8: at 6A District Foe McCracken County (3-4). Second week in a row to face the Mustangs, but the McCracken type have really come on in the past 2 weeks. Coach Clark has McCracken playing solid football. This is a HUGE District game so the Colonels need a great week of practice prior to driving over to Paducah for a hard hitting affair next Friday night! 12) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 13 - 2018 Record 5-2; [District Record 3-0] Week 6 Results: Win 14-0 vs 4A District Foe Hopkinsville (1-5). The Maroons churn up less than 250 yards offense on the night, as the Tigers Defense played with a lot of pride! The Maroons were lead again by their 2 talented RBs Juriah Hightower and Aaron Miller who each scored to give the Maroons their 14 points! Very good district win! And now the Maroons lead their District at 3 and 0 for the moment! Week 8: BYE Week! Great time for a Bye Maroon Fans! Best drive on over to Hopkinsville to scout out the Logan County v Hoptown game! As you will be driving down to Russellville likely with the District on the line in a great matchup on October 12!!! 13) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 12 - 2018 Record 3-3; [District Record 1-1] Week 7 Results: Loss 42-20 vs 5A District Rival Owensboro (4-2). Seemed like Owensboro just came out of the gate humming in this one and Christian County just couldn’t keep up! This is the most points the County defense has given up all year and that is really the only really disappointing part of this game for me. As I thought Owensboro would win, but that it would be closer than this 22 point win! I did hear good things about Colonels QB JLin Powell. And if he can continue to develop, he will pay dividends for the Colonels down the road! Shake it off Colonels!!! Week 8: at District Rival 5A Apollo (4-2). This game should be a terrific contest! Both teams were likely better last season than this season, but playing in Owensboro is significant to me. The Colonels will need to come out of the gate strong to have a chance in this game IMO! What say you… 14) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 14 (2018 Record 5-1) Week 7 Results: Win: 49-6 vs 1A Fulton City (0-7) Star WR Ethan Dossett caught the first pass from scrimmage for a TD and the Rockets never looked back. It also secured the All-Time Rocket Receiving Yard Mark for Mr. Dossett as well! Congratulations Ethan!!! He breaks star WR TK Guess’ previous mark at just under 1,800 career receiving yards! Many Rockets play well, especially the Rockets D, but check out the info below! Week 8: at 2A Ballard Memorial (2-4). The Rockets defense better be ready for this one as the Bombers have put up some big offensive numbers this year (scoring 58 points last week). This should be a good test for the Rockets prior to having Team Cinderella (Fulton County) come to town October 12!!! 15) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: 15 - (2018 Record 3-4) Week 7 Results – Win 43-0 vs 6A Ohio County (0-7). Poor ole Eagles just never had a chance in this one! Don’t look now, but the Mustangs are a serious factor in the District Race! I don’t have any stats here but the Mustangs have now scored 98 points in just their last 2 games! They are starting to crank it up as Team Roman Candle went off last Friday night! Week 8: vs District Rival 6A Henderson County (5-2). This should be a fantastic matchup! The Mustangs offense is really rollin! But the Colonels defense has only given up 10 points or more to Caldwell County and Evansville Reitz (2 very good teams!)! Something has to give in Paducah on Friday night! 16) Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 3-4: Week 7 Results: Win 40-17 vs 5A District Foe Marshall County (3-4). Team Roman Candle (B) continued to burn strong last Friday Night as Graves overwhelmed Marshall County! But the total yards for the game were pretty even, so the Eagles must have caused turnovers and capitalized on them! Cody Goatly was outstanding with 117 rushing yards on the night and 4 TDs! QB Ryan Mathis was also very good for the Eagles! Graves County is still very much in the District hunt! Week 8: BYE Week! Good time for a Bye week as you can focus on film and practice preparing for the tougher district foes on your schedule! 17) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 17 - 2018 Record 3-3; [District Record 0-1] Week 7 Results: BYE Week. Tough spot for your Bye after a disappointing home loss to your District Rival McCracken County (2-4). No time to cry about it Panther Fans! Pick yourself up and press onward! Week 8: at 6A District Foe Muhlenberg County (2-4). Nothing like a Mustang sandwich for a pick-me-up!!! I like the Panthers in a Big Way this coming Friday night! Panthers Roll! 18) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 19 - (2018 Record 4-2) [District Record 0-1]: Week 7 Results: BYE Week. Hopefully the Eagles were able to recharge and focus on their next District Rivals! Week 8 vs 5A Christian County (3-3). The Colonels come off a very tough assignment against Owensboro. The Eagles should be well rested and ready to go! If Apollo can start the game strong, I like their chances in this one! But I also expect a renewed effort from the County defense! Get out to this one Eagles Fans!!! 19) Union County (3A) – PR: 19; LW: 18 - (2018 Record 4-2) Week 7 Results: Loss 40-14 at 3A Caldwell County (5-2). Well Braves Fans, I bet that roughly hour trip back up to Morganfield was the second downright somber trip in back-to-back Friday Nights!!! You were outgained and likely outmanned all night! I think you are a pretty good team; just not ready to step into the top 2 of the district just yet! Week 8: vs 3A District Foe Fort Campbell (1-5). Nothin like a Ft Campbell sandwich to pep your spirits up Braves Fans! Braves Roll!!! 20) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 20 - 2018 Record 1-5; [District Record 0-1] Week 7 Result: Loss 14-0 at 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (5-2). Looks like the Tigers defense played very well as they held the vaunted Maroon rushing attack under 200 yards on the night and that is impressive. But they could not find any part of the endzone for themselves. I am curious as to who is playing QB for the Tigers right now? If someone knows, please let me know! Thanks! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK! Week 8: vs 4A District Buster Logan County (6-0)! This would be a great time for the Tigers to rise up and throw the kitchen sink at Logan County. I’m sure the Cougars will load the box and dare Hoptown to throw it to win it! Will be interesting to see how the Tiger D plays the Logan County offense that has been very successful this season! Others Receiving Votes: Murray, Warren East, McLean County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 7 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK*: Gavin Spurrier – QB – South Warren – passed for 349 yards and 6 TDs!!! Clayton Bush – WR/S – South Warren – 224 receiving yards and 4 TDs!!! Congratulations Gavin & Clayton! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Beau Buchanon – QB – Bowling Green – 242 yards passing with 5 TDs in the FIRST HALF vs Grayson County!!! 2) Ryan Flores – WR – Russellville - 8 catches 168 yards and 2 TDs vs Fulton County! 3) Trevon Green – RB – Owensboro – 50 yards rushing & 2 TDs plus 32 yards receiving and 2 TDs vs Christian County! 4) Oliver Parker – WR – Caldwell County – 6 catches for 103 yards and 3 TDs vs Union County! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 7 “Teams Trending Down” Christian County (6A) – Down – Tough to put you here Colonels when I didn’t expect you to win this week’s game! But when only 3 teams lose in the Top 20, you got singled out! PLUS, your defense is arguably the stoutest part of your team and to give up 42 points (and it could have been more from what I’m told) is clearly disappointing when playing at home! Union County (3A) – Down – Same spotlight shown down on you as well Braves Fans! And just like last week, while Caldwell County is a very good team, if you want to be taken seriously in your district, you needed to hang around longer! But you could still win a playoff game I think. So aim high Braves fans!!! Week 7 Teams “Trending Up” Franklin Simpson (4A) – Up – While I was more in the @fastaslightin camp of the Wildcats would blow out Allen County Scottsville, there were many Wildcat fans that thought it would be much closer. With 125 passing yards in the first half of this game, is a GREAT Sign Wildcat fans! I see the Wildcats ramping up toward the playoffs! Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – Up – Congrats to the Maroons! While many would say they should have beaten a depleted Hoptown squad, it was not a given in my book, especially when the district is concerned! I think the Maroons have put themselves at no worse than 2nd in the district pretty darn early in the year! Good for you Maroon Nation!!! WESTERN KENTUCKY – GAME SPOTLIGHTS - 1A Fulton County 22 at 1A Russellville 23 – This was a great game! And I have to admit that I was really pulling for the Pilots to pull this one out! But it came down to a missed 2 point conversion by Fulton County to win it for Russellville. I thought it was funny that Fulton County recorded 350 yards rushing on the night while the Russellville page only allotted 269 yards rushing for the Panthers! Great 1A football in Western Kentucky! 1A Fulton City 6 at 1A Crittenden County 49 – Yes, we spoke about this one above, but what wasn’t relayed was that after the contest Crittenden County Head Coach Sean Thompson invited all 13 Pilot players into the Rockets Team huddle where he proceeded to recognize them for their “desire to play and respect for the game”! Those Fulton City players will never forget that! I found that extremely commendable in this day and age of win now and second place is the first loser mentality! I have always admired the Rockets, but this simple act of kindness has made me a Rocket Fan 100%! I hope they win the State Championship now!!! Thank you Coach Thompson! :thumb:

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 8 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, The BYE Week Cometh!!! Six of the Top 12 Teams (or 50%) are on their BYE Week! Most teams try and schedule the BYE for this time of year as injuries do mount up for many teams! Do you think some teams are better at utilizing the BYE week when compared to the rest of the pack? I would say there are definitely teams that have a routine down that they feel pays off for them. And there are others that probably just WING IT! Just like in many other facets of the game, this is an area that can set teams apart, if ever so slightly. But it’s a game of inches; is it not!!! Let’s move on! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 8: 1. Bowling Green 5A (7-0): BYE 2. South Warren 5A (8-0): Win 21-0 vs Ravenwood (Brentwood) TN 3. Mayfield 2A (7-0): BYE 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (6-1): BYE 5. Logan County 4A (7-0): Win 10-6 at 4A Hopkinsville 6. Owensboro Catholic 2A (5-2): Win 35-8 at 2A Hancock County 7. Caldwell County 3A (6-2): Win 51-26 vs 3A Trigg County 8. Owensboro 5A (5-2): Win 50-7 at 5A Marshall County 9. Glasgow 2A (6-1): BYE 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (5-2): BYE Week 8 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: District Buster – 4A Logan County (7-0) 10 at 4A Hopkinsville (1-6) 6. This was a tough, hard hitting game that shows what can happen when adversity hits!!! First, thanks to our good friend @FSfan for going the extra mile to this one and providing great reports! Hopkinsville’s defense came to play and they led 3-0 after the first quarter. But Logan County found the end zone on a 39 yard end around to lead 7-3 with about 10 minutes to go before the half. But with 2 minutes to go in the first half, Star Logan QB Tyler Ezell suffers a leg injury and does not return. That is a big loss! But it matches the Tigers loss of Star QB Jay Bland. From there it was an old-school defensive struggle with both teams connecting on 1 FG in the second half. If you yearn for the old days, this was the game for you! Week 9 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: I have 3 really good games to choose from this week and am going with the one with the District on the line 100%: 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (5-2) at 4A Logan County (7-0). The Cougars won a WILD game at Madisonville last season 23-21, where Logan County outrushed Madisonville. That doesn’t happen very often. So the question is can Logan County do that again? The Maroons will anticipate the Cougars will want to run more especially if QB Tyler Ezell can not play in this critical game! Whoever wins this game effectively seals up the district title on Friday night! Who ya got? Honorable Mention: - Daviess County at Henderson County; Apollo at Owensboro; Bowling Green at Warren Central, Indianapolis, IN; Graves County at Christian County; Paducah Tilghman at Union County; Fulton County at Crittenden County; and Greenwood at Grayson County - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 8 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 10 - 2018 Record 5-2 [District Record 1-1]: Week 8 Results: BYE Week. Hope all the injured Blue Tornados get 100% better after the BYE Week! As you prepare for a Big District Game! Week 9: at District Foe 3A Union County (5-2). About a 2 hour trip from Paducah over to Morganfield on a bus. I think Tilghman is the better team, but Union County is scrappy and could hang around for a while. The longer they do; the more the pressure shifts to Tilghman to pull out this important game. The second seed in the district and a home playoff game will be on the line Blue Tornados!!! That’s a Big Deal! Get fired up!!! 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 9 - 2018 Record (6-1) [District Record 1-0]: Week 8 Results: BYE Week. Scotties have played very well this season! I think they are the next tier below CAL, Desales, and Mayfield with Owensboro Catholic. So I anticipate they roll through their weak district toward a season ending clash with a good Etown ball club! The way I read the brackets and IF the Scotties handle their Region, they would host the Mayfield Cardinals IF the Cardinals could manage their Region! That would be an entertaining game! Week 9: at 2A Scrappy Monroe County (2-5). The Falcons always come to play a tough physical game. But I just think the Scotties are on a different level this year and should be WAY too much next Friday Night! But playing in Tompkinsville isn’t the easiest place to play. But I still like the Scotties BIG! 8) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 8 - 2018 Record 5-2; [District Record 2-0] Week 8 Results: Win 50-7 at 5A Marshall County (3-5). The Red Devils drove their Beat-Down Truck over to Marshall County and handed out 50-Burgers!!! Lot to like if you are an Owensboro fan! Thanks to our good friend @rosco who reported Imonte Owsley scores on a 57 yard TD catch and a 55 yard punt return! Treyvon Tinsley is a terrific WR and he grabbed 2 TD receptions. QB Will Warren had a great game and you’ll see his numbers later! Week 9: vs 5A Apollo (4-3). This game used to be a piece of cake for the Red Devils not that long ago, but the Eagles pulled off a great upset last season with a memorable 31-28 victory to send the Red Devils reeling on the year! This season has definitely been different for Owensboro. And while I get the sense the offense is just running a rolodex of plays; I think the defense is getting locked in and ready for a Big Playoff Run! Apollo has a good team and is capable of winning this game. But I just don’t think they will. Owensboro should use the revenge card to their advantage in this game and I think they will. I like Owensboro by 3 TDs at Rash Stadium! 7) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 7 - 2018 Record (6-2) [District Record 3-0]: Week 8 Results: Win 51-26 in the 139 Bowl vs 3A Fierce Foe Trigg County (4-3). Even though geography creates rivalry, sometimes teams just trend in different directions. Such is the case in the 139 Bowl, as Trigg County just hasn’t been able to ascend to the same level on the grid iron as neighboring Caldwell County has. Just a fact! The Tigers retain the 139 Trophy for the 6th straight year and guarantee winning 3A District 1! Congratulations! The Tigers earned 8 plays gaining over 20 yards (scoring on 3 of them) to break open the game! Week 9: at 3A District Foe Fort Campbell (1-6). Not much to see here other than to see if the Tigers can gain their security clearances to get on Base to play the game. Was curious as to how many men down could Caldwell play with and still win this game? I’d say the over/under is 9 Tigers to 11 Falcons and Caldwell still comes out on top!!! About the only way to make this one close!!! 6) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 6; 2018 Record 6-2 [District Record 3-0]: Week 8 Results: Win 35-8 vs 2A Hancock County (4-4). Aces roll! I don’t have stats for this one, but the Aces are clearly playing awfully well! This is their 6th consecutive win! Make it 7… Week 9 vs 2A District Mate Todd County Central (4-3). Don’t look now, but new Rebels Head Coach Darell Keith is doing a Fantastic Job over in Elkton!!! I’m really glad to see things going well for the Rebels, but their record will be at 500 after this coming Friday night. The Aces are just at a different level right now. And although I predict a first half running clock; I think the Rebels can use this game to improve and hopefully move up the district ladder! Aces roll!!! 5) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 7-0; [District Record 2-0] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 8 Results: Win 10-6 AT 4A Hopkinsville (1-6). The Cougars clearly played an opponent that tested their metal! They didn’t get the offensive freedom they have enjoyed the whole season. But the Cougars played with grit, especially defensively after the loss of Star JR QB Tyler Ezell to a leg injury. I certainly hope the young man can overcome the injury and bounce back soon. The Cougars earned roughly 230 yards on the night against a determined Tiger defense! Sets up a BIG game in 4A District 1! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 9: District Buster vs 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins (5-2). Before the loss of Ezell, I thought these were 2 pretty evenly matched teams. Now I have to give the edge to Madisonville. BUT the game will be played in Russellville and that will be an advantage! Which team will be able to dictate the game with their rushing attack? If neither can, then the team with the least turnovers will win and basically win the District next Friday night!!! Big Deal – as you stay away from Franklin Simpson as long as you can! Speaking of the Wildcats… 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 6-1; [District Record 1-0] Week 8 Results: BYE Week! Just loving the fact that the Wildcats have a Freshman QB who seems to be getting better each week. That is evidenced by 125 impressive yards through the air last week vs Allen County Scottsville! Exciting! I’m sure the Wildcats have some injuries; so hope they are able to come out the Bye ready to go! Week 9: at 4A District Foe Warren Central (0-7). I think the over/under for Franklin Simpson is 7 players. I think they could still eke out a win vs Warren Central playing 7 players vs 11 for Warren Central! What say you…? Not trying to pound on the Dragons, but this game is pretty uninteresting, so trying to add some hot sauce and spice it up!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 7-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 8 Results: BYE Week. I think it would be really fascinating to go behind the scenes of the Cardinal football program to see how they handle the Bye Week protocols. I mean do they let the players take the week off or half the week off or business as usual or you are off but this is your assigned homework for the upcoming week in advance, etc. Let me know your thoughts Cardinal Fans! I went to the Desales v CAL game on Friday night and who did I sit next to? 3 Mayfield fans! They had driven to Louisville from Mayfield just to watch/scout this game! That my friends is dedication! Week 9: at District Mate 2A Ballard Memorial (2-5). The Bombers have no chance OK. SO, I’d say the over/under for Cardinal players is 7! I think Mayfield could still win the game with 7 players. It would be a close game at that point, but Mayfield still wins. What say you!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 8-0; [District Record 2-0] Week 8: Win: 21-0 vs Ravenwood (Brentwood) TN (6-2). Very good win for the Spartans who dictate the game with 14 points scored at the end of the first quarter and then just rode their outstanding defense to a solid win. Is this RB Cameron Harrison’s best game of the year? I think it may be Spartan fans, as he gained 150 yards and scored 2 TDs on the night! If you can’t score; you can’t win and the Spartans are the epitome of that statement! Spartans just have to wait for BG to roll on over to Nashville Road! Week 9: BYE Week. Spartans roll into the Bye Week looking like a new silver dollar! Not much wrong in Spartan Land as your district opponent is on the road this week and should get banged around pretty good. So just heal up a bit and go over the Warren Central Indy vs BG game tape till your blue in the face and life is good! T – Minus 2 weeks and counting Spartan Fans!!! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 7-0; [District Record 2-0] Week 8 Results: BYE Week. Purples can use the bye week to heal up and recharge the engine! But when Sunday afternoon comes (first practice after Fall Break) its ALL Business till the end of the regular season!!! Week 9: at Warren Central (Indianapolis), IN (8-0). The Warriors host the Purples in a schedule fill in game. Both teams needed a game and Warriors Coach Jason West called Purples Coach Mark Spader and the rest is history! To say the Warriors are good is the biggest understatement I’ve made all year! The Warriors are #16 in USA Today’s Super 25 National list of top teams! They are led by Star WR David Bell with offers from many Big Time Colleges who is near impossible to cover 1 on 1 (I saw him play at Trinity this year). SR QB Jayden George is the son of former NFL QB Jeff George and returns for his senior year with plenty of experience. At RB, the Warriors have maybe their secret weapon in fireplug Romeir Elliot, who carried the Warrior on his back in the second half comeback at Louisville Trinity. And I would be remiss to not mention SR OL and Iowa recruit Justin Britt. The Warriors just laid 70 points on their arch-rival Ben Davis and 72 vs Lawrence North! So the Purples have ordered “The Old 96’er” from the John Candy classic movie The Great Outdoors, where he tries to get his families meal for free if he eats his 96 oz steak and has to sweat it out when the chef comes out and tells him to eat the Fat! Just a TOUGH assignment 4 hours from BG; one week before arguably the most important regular season game of the year! SOOOOO, here we are Purples fans!!! We haven’t been this far from home since the classic 2013 McCallie, TN game in Chattanooga. But this Warriors team is different. As evidenced by CALPreps prediction of a 52 to 19 Warriors win next Friday Night! I plan to go to Indy for this one even though I saw Central beat a healthy Trinity squad and even though BG will be heavy underdogs! Why? Because that’s what fans do! They support their teams in good times and tough times! Just crossing my fingers for no significant injuries!!! T- Minus 2 weeks and counting Purples Fans!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: 15 - (2018 Record 5-3) Week 8 Results – Win 36-24 vs 6A District Rival Henderson County (5-3). Twitter I had to see these highlight and though you should too! Looks like a wide open game where QB Elijah Wheat just out dueled his competition. And the McCracken County defense played pretty darn well! The Mustangs Kiael Walden ran a kickoff return back 86 yards to really push the momentum in the Mustangs favor! This is the 6th District Championship in a row for McCracken County! Congratulations! You know those early tough games for the Mustangs may now be paying off! Remember as long as you don’t sustain significant injuries and can keep the team in focus mentally, it is my opinion that playing a very tough schedule is worth it! Tough tight rope to walk sometimes I realize! Lastly, the Mustangs lost 40-10 early in the year to Northeast Clarksville, TN, but that game has now gone to a 1 – 0 Win for McCracken County on a “Forfeit”. Must have used an ineligible player! Good for McCracken County! Week 9: at Dyer County (Newbern) TN (3-4). The Mustangs will saddle up and ride about 2 hours south, southwest to Newbern TN to take on a Choctaw squad that gives up roughly 35 points a game! That’s music to the Mustangs ears! And I’m pulling for a Big McCracken victory! But it might be closer than I think as CALPreps says Mustangs take the Choctaws 31-27 on a neutral field. So this game may go down to the last possession! Go Mustangs!!! 12) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 13 - 2018 Record 4-3; [District Record 2-1] Week 8 Results: Win 18-14 vs 5A District Rival Apollo (4-3). This was a crazy game characterized by a lot of penalties, some turnovers and many dropped passes! But the Colonels defense set the offense up enough to take advantage of good field position and they scored their go ahead TD with about a minute to play in the game! This is a really good win as Apollo is a good team! Week 9: vs District Foe 5A Graves County (3-4). Christian County won a knock down – drag out 21-14 OT Fist fight (literally) at Graves County last year. I can’t imagine any player who played in that game will have forgotten about the “scrappiness” of this game. It was downright Hatfields and McCoys right on the field! Both teams have played well in spurts but not consistently all year. I think it would make either team’s year to win this game and likely host a playoff game! Big Deal and a LOT on the line in Hopkinsville come Friday night! It would be worth the price of admission sports fans!!! 13) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 12 - 2018 Record 5-2; [District Record 3-0] Week 8 Results: Bye Week. Maroons should be healed up and charged up for their most important game when they travel south to Russellville for a Major District Bout!!! Western Kentucky Game of the Week Week 9: at 4A District Rival Logan County (7-0). Maroons should be pumped about this one considering the Cougars came to Madisonville last year and won the game on a late FG if my memory serves me correctly! Keys to the game for the Maroons: 1. You need to outrush the Cougars! Period. 2. Use the play action to your advantage! Even though you are a dead red rushing team, I think you can throw on occasion and those could be Big Plays! 3. No easy turnover for the Cougars! Turnovers happen, but don’t give them to the Cougars! Make them earn them! Accomplish all 3 and I think the Maroons come away with a critical win and take the District Championship!!! 14) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 14 (2018 Record 6-1) Week 8 Results: Win: 58-28 at 2A Ballard Memorial (2-5). Wild game over in Barlow – Sports Fans!!! The Rockets were up 31-12 at the half, but the Bombers reloaded and played well in the 3rd quarter cutting the lead to 10 points. That’s when Star RB Devin Nesbitt, who already had a career night going, brought the Rocket Fuel out and hit the ignition switch!!! Nesbitt then scored 3 straight rushing TDs to extend to the full margin of victory! You will see Nesbitt’s sparkling stats later! This one had to feel good to the Rockets who lost a heartbreaker to the Bombers last year at home 74 to 70! And yes, we are talking about football! Crazy! Similar to last year, this game featured OVER 1,000 yards combined total yards on the night! So defense was pretty much optional! Great win Rockets!!! Week 9: vs 1A Cinderella District Mate Fulton County (4-3). Rocket fans I hope you don’t dislike me over this one, but my heart just pulls for the Fulton teams! We all know they haven’t won a lot in the anywhere near recent past and the effort that both City and County portray on the Gridiron is certainly uplifting to all that truly love the game. Which I know Rocket Fans do, as evidenced by their Top Shelf Coach after last week’s game (visit the WKY Power Rankings 9/30/18 at the very end to see that story! It’s worth your time!). I realize the game is in Marion and my brain expects the Rockets to win, but the Pilots fought to the end against a decent Russellville team in Russellville! So you will have to come ready to play in order to win this game! Good luck Rockets! 15) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 11 - (2018 Record 5-3) [District Record 2-1) Week 8 Results: Loss 36-24 vs District Foe 6A McCracken County (5-3). This one hurts Colonel Fans! Your team played valiantly but just couldn’t get the stops it needed to hold back a surging Mustang advance! A Mustang kickoff return for a TD really turned the tide and allowed McCracken to dictate from there! Not time to cry now Colonel Fans! Week 9: vs 6A District Foe Daviess County (4-3). This one is for all the District marbles that are left to be had Colonel Fans!!! If you defeat Daviess County, you win the second seed in the District, simple as that! If you lose, it puts you on the Road to start the playoffs – Not where you want to be! Rise up Colonels! 16) Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 3-4: Week 8 Results: BYE Week. The Eagles got to rest up and heal up for arguably the most important game of their season! Week 9: at 5A District Rival Christian County (4-3). I know you remember the Scrap you had last year with the Colonels Eagles Fans!!! I know you’re chompin at the bit to get some revenge for last year’s home defeat! Add that sauce to the winner gets the inside track to the #2 seed in the District and a guaranteed home Playoff Game! BIG DEAL! Good luck Eagles!!! 17) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 17 - 2018 Record 4-3; [District Record 1-1] Week 8 Results: Win 49-12 at 6A District Foe Muhlenberg County (2-5). I’m not sure what happened in this game, as I only have the box score to look at. It lists SR TE/LB Owens Aleaga with a career night passing! You will see those stats and a few others later! The Mustangs have a couple good pieces but just can’t put it together to challenge for the District just yet! Week 9: at 6A District Rival Henderson County (5-3). It’s now or never Panther Fans! Lose this game and are likely in 3rd place in the District looking at a Road Playoff Game! NOT where you thought you’d be this season! BUT, it’s not too late YET! But you better strap it up because the Colonels have scheduled tough teams and taken many tough teams out already this season! You have to go to Henderson and it will be no easy task! 18) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 18 - (2018 Record 4-3) [District Record 0-2]: Week 8 Results: Loss 18-14 vs 5A District Rival Christian County (4-3). Lions (penalties), tigers (turnovers), and bears (dropped passes) – OH MY - at Apollo field last Friday night! The Eagles defense played really well and had the lead with 3 minutes to go in the game, but costly penalties gave the Colonels favorable field position and they drove it in, while the Eagle offense couldn’t find any magic for a late hale mary! Week 9 at 5A City & District Rival Owensboro (5-2). This will be the last District matchup for the foreseeable future as Apollo is set to move up to 6A next season! Hopefully the 2 will continue to play due to their close proximity to each other! Apollo pulled of a memorable win last year off Tamarack Road and I’m sure the Red Devils have heard about it all year long! Apollo is a good team, but I think they will have to get several breaks to stay in this game due to the talent on the Red Devils bench! I didn’t think OCath would beat Owensboro and they did! Could Apollo turn the same trick? You tell me… 19) Union County (3A) – PR: 19; LW: 19 - (2018 Record 5-2) Week 8 Results: Win 28-6 vs 3A District Foe Fort Campbell (1-6). Well Braves Fans, I don’t have stats for this one, but know it’s nice to get the win and end a 2 game losing streak, especially to a district foe (even if it is Poor Ole Fort Campbell)! Week 9: vs 3A District Foe Paducah Tilghman (5-2). Now is the time Braves Fans that your team will really need you! This game will be for second place in the District and the right to Host a Playoff Game – BIG DEAL! So the Blue Tornados are still pretty banged up, but they still have outstanding athletes to throw at you! I would think the Braves would need to be able to establish their run game and gain a few “Home – Morganfield Special – Cookin” Breaks in order to hang with this Tilghman team!!! Good luck Braves! 20) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 20 - 2018 Record 1-6; [District Record 0-2] WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 8 Result: Loss 10-6 vs 4A Logan County (7-0). Thanks to our good friend @BigTiger55 who reported that Ultra-talented WR now QB Ellis Dunn is now directing the Tiger offense. That seems like the best course of action for the Tigers. As I equate the loss of Star QB Jay Bland to having lost your best spark plug out of your vehicle. You replace that spark plug with the best next one ya got, but that leaves a hole where you took that one from! So in the end does your car still run? Sure just not nearly as well! You have to tip your hat to the Hoptown Defense as they were outstanding – only giving up about 230 yards on the night to a team that came in putting up big numbers, albeit to lesser opponents! And JR K Mason Marschand is a very solid kicker, so that helps! But the offense just can’t get it going right now and the Tigers will be on the road come playoff time! Week 9: at 4A District Foe Calloway County (3-4)! FINALLY, the Class V Rapids are now passed! But many hardships were inflicted along the way! But I think this team will make the #2 seed in 4A District 2 have nightmares! Hang in Tigers!!! Others Receiving Votes: Murray, Warren East, McLean County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 8 PLAYER OF THE WEEK*: Devin Nesbitt – RB – Crittenden County – ran a kickoff back 84 yards, caught a 43 yard TD pass, and ran for 5 more TDs – all in all 7 TDs vs Ballard Memorial!!! WOW!!! Congratulations Devin! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Trenton Howard – WR – Ballard Memorial – 13 catches for 209 yards and 2 TDs vs Crittenden County!!! 2) Owens Aleaga – QB – Daviess County – 15 for 26 for 309 yards and 5 TDs vs 0 INTs vs Muhlenberg County! Marquel Tinsley – WR – Daviess County – 9 catches for 217 yards and 4 TDS (he picked off 1 pass on D as well just for fun!) vs Muhlenberg County! 3) Cameron McCauley – SR RB/LB – Fulton County – 4 rushes for 103 yards and 1 TD; plus led the team with 9 tackles on the night vs Calloway County! 4) Will Warren – SR QB – Owensboro – 8 for 11 passing for 191 yards and 4 TDs vs Marshall County! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 8 “Teams Trending Down” Henderson County (6A) – Down – Just a missed opportunity Colonels! I realize you were on the road and that McCracken is capable, but seems like you and Daviess County kinda let McCracken off the mat and now they are a real team to be reckoned with! Still a lot to play for Colonels! And this week is probably that game you need most of all! If I asked would you take a home playoff game as a sign of a positive season, I think you would have said yes Colonel Fans; and I would agree! Good luck Colonels! Apollo (5A) – Down – I hate to jump on you while it seems like you can’t catch a break Eagles Fans! But the main reason you are here is that most of the wounds you took last Friday were self-inflicted! How many penalties at crucial times? How many turnovers and dropped passes and snaps over your punters head? Tooooo Many! Still think this is a good team! But unfortunately the ceiling now is likely a first round road playoff game at either BG or South Warren….. OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFF!!!! Week 8 Teams “Trending Up” Logan County (4A) – Up – Well they were supposed to win this game 88!! Come on man… So easy we forget about a little losing streak right before this stellar winning streak and we just toss that baby out with the bath water!!! NOT SO FAST! We all know Hoptown is a very good team that has had to endure some extremely difficult times with player losses! But the players who remain in Hoptown are still playing as hard as anyone! So the Cougars had to earn this win and the right to play for the District Title this coming Friday Night! Great Work Cougars!!! McCracken County (6A) – Up – What a Win Mustang Fans! This team just refuses to quit! I have always like Coach Clark and I still think McCracken hit a home run when they hired him a couple seasons ago! No, they will not beat the Louisville schools right now, but nobody else will either! 6th District Title in a Row! Impressive! I will say this: This is my 4th Season doing the WKY Power Rankings and it isn’t even close that the hardest team to rank is the McCracken County Mustangs. They start out the season not playing great against quality, determined teams! Then you write them off! Then they come out of left field and take it to their district mates like “been there, done that”! I wouldn’t want to see Daviess County again though Mustangs! But I am really pulling for you against the TN school this week! Go Mustangs!!! WESTERN KENTUCKY – GAME SPOTLIGHT - 4A Calloway County 62 at 1A Fulton County 28 – Calloway County has about 60 players while the Pilots have about 25. Total yards for the game were roughly 490 for the Lakers vs 260 for the Pilots with the biggest disparity coming in the passing game. The Lakers gained about 200 yards in the air vs about 30 for the Pilots! The Pilots roll on to Marion for a very tough District assignment vs the Rockets! While the Lakers return home to face a battered but proud Hopkinsville squad! Both will be interesting games!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 6 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, IS YOUR GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL??? Our teams are either at the halfway point in the season or just past! So is your team doing pretty well (Half Full) or are they a little less than was to be desired (Get me a new Dixie Cup!!!)? I “think” there are a lot of WKY teams that are either on course or ahead of course for the year! Of course there are some misfiring teams and a lot of those have to thank tough schedules and player injuries!!! Here’s to a great ending to the regular season and a successful District Campaign to all your teams!!! Let’s get to it! *Disclaimer: My 30 Year High School Reunion was great but caused me to get this edition out a little later than I like to! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 6: 1. Bowling Green 5A (6-0): Win 49-7 vs 5A Greenwood 2. South Warren 5A (6-0): Win 46-0 vs Rocky Mountain (Ft Collins) Colorado 3. Mayfield 2A (6-0): Win 45-21 vs 3A Corbin @Austin Peay University 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (5-1): Win 48-21 vs 2A Glasgow 5. Logan County 4A (5-0): Win 68-13 vs 4A Hopkins County Central 6. Owensboro Catholic (3-2): Win 68-2 at 2A Butler County 7. Caldwell County 6A (4-2): Win 37-22 at 3A Paducah Tilghman 8. Owensboro 6A (3-2): BYE 9. Glasgow 2A (5-1): Loss 48-21 at 4A Franklin Simpson 10. Paducah Tilghman 3A (4-2): Loss 37-22 vs 3A Caldwell County Week 6 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 3A Caldwell County (4-2) 37 at 3A Paducah Tilghman (4-2) 22: The Tigers passing game was the key to this one! Caldwell QB Joby Jaggers has a terrific game and the Blue Tornados seem to trail pretty much the whole game. Our good friend @TilghmanPride reports approximately 6 key Tilghman players were not available for at least part of this game. While the Tigers are now clearly in the driver’s seat in the District Race, still a long way to go in the season! Week 7 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: District Buster - 5A Owensboro (3-2) at 5A Christian County (3-2) – With the District on the Line (IMO), the Red Devils haul their cheese wagons down the Pennyrile Parkway to take on the Colonels! If I’m not mistaken, the last time these 2 played in Hopkinsville, it was a classic 27-24 Double OT win for the Red Devils! Also of importance were it was a Frog-strangler of a night and the Colonels Star Keyron Catlett scored all 3 Colonel TDs in a very memorable performance! Well Mr. Catlett won’t be suiting up for the Colonels this year. And honestly I’m not sure which version of each team will show up really. Both teams have been on an uptick of late which is good, but both have laid eggs a little earlier as well to throw caution on the fire! Whoever wins this game wins the District is my personal opinion! What say you??? Honorable Mention: - Union County at Caldwell County; Mayfield at Murray; McLean County at Owensboro Catholic; Fulton County at Russellville; Paducah Tilghman at Trigg County - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 6 Top 10: 10) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 8 - 2018 Record 4-2 [District Record 0-1]: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK & District Buster Week 6 Results: Loss 37-22 vs 3A Caldwell County (4-2). Thanks to our good friend @TilghmanPride who reported on this one! Sounds like Tilghman had success on the ground with over 300 yards rushing offense, but the problem was they didn’t have an answer for the Caldwell County passing offense (also over 300 yards on the night)! You can still host a home playoff game Blue Tornado’s and I’d call that a win in my book!!! Week 7: at 3A Trigg County (4-2). These teams have played each other every season since 2011 (at least) with the Blue Tornados winning each game. This game is in Cadiz and while I think the Wildcats are a decent team, I think Tilghman will be WAY too much for them in this game! Blue Tornado’s roll!!! 9) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 7 - 2018 Record (5-1) [District Record 0-0]: Week 6 Results Loss 48-21 at Old Rival 4A Franklin Simpson (5-1): Seems like the Scotties wanted to try to keep the play calling balanced early in the game and it likely cost them at least 1 TD. After running effectively early in the game, they tried a pass to get a first down in the Red Zone and it backfired. That series seemed to cost them some early momentum for sure! When you are playing a team as good as Franklin, you have to take advantage of all your opportunities. I just didn’t feel Glasgow did that! I thought they competed hard and have a great OLIne, but just met a better team last Friday night. Move on Scottie! Week 7 vs District Mate 2A Green County (1-4). The Scotties have correctly (IMO) scheduled a tough out of district schedule because their District will do them no favors getting ready for the Big Boy 2A teams down the road! Do I think the Scotties can compete with the Big Boys? I think anything is possible although I wouldn’t pick them right now. But I just don’t see how the Dragons can hold the Scotties down in this one! Should be a running clock… Scotties Roll!!! 8) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 9 - 2018 Record 3-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: BYE Week. As good a time as any for the Red Devils Bye week. Convincingly defeating your County Rival who beat you last year the week before a BYE; that always feels good!!! Now strict focus on your most difficult district foe! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK 7: at 5A Christian County (3-2). Christian County dispensed of the Marshall County Marshalls last week and sets up the annual grudge match with Owensboro! This game has decided the District for the past 3 years and I see no reason for that to change this year! Owensboro fans – what are your keys to the game? Mine are 1 – get Owsley involved early on offense; 2 – your defensive front needs to win the line of scrimmage against a County run attack you know is coming; and 3 – don’t make careless turnovers. I know turnovers happen in football, but some you have experienced some this season that you forced. Control that and I think you win the game! 7) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 10 - 2018 Record (4-2) [District Record 1-0]: WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK & DISTRICT BUTSTER - Week 6 Results: Win 37-22 at 3A Paducah Tilghman (4-2). This is a BIG win for the Tigers! They have played a good schedule and only lost to 5A Christian County and 4A Hopkinsville (when they had QB Jay Bland available). I think those games paid dividends in the Tilghman game! The Tigers threw the ball early and often! And QB Joby Jaggers was outstanding! You will see his stats later! The Tiger WRs did a great job as well! 3A District 1 now goes through Princeton! Week 7: Vs 3A Union County (4-1). These teams come into this one on different paths. The Tigers just got a huge District win; while the Braves were pretty much blown out over in Marion against a very good Crittenden County team. Last year, I really liked the Braves chances to pull off this upset up in Morganfield. This year, it is HIGHLY unlikely to happen! In fact, I think it could be near a running clock it the Braves aren’t careful! 6) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 6; 2018 Record 4-2 [District Record 1-0]: Week 6 Results: Win 68-2 at 2A Butler County (0-6). When you see mismatch in the dictionary you see OCATH at Butler County in 2018! Just can not be any other way! All Aces as expected! On a tangent, looks like the Aces aggressive scheduling is paying off! Yes they took some early lumps, but they rebounded and earned a memorable win over city rival Owensboro because of playing better competition IMO. I think the key is: can you play the better opponents and not get too banged up or not get your mental state too beat down! If you can pass those 2 hurdles, look out 2A! ! Week 7 vs Solid 2A District Mate McLean County (3-2). The Cougars are one of the best teams in WKY that you know nothing about. They have played upper classification opponents each week and earned a solid record! They are the ONLY District Opponent the Aces face that has a decent chance to not get a running clock put on them! Coach Wagner is doing a fine job over in Calhoun!!! This one will be worth the price of admission, but the Aces still should be too much! 5) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 6-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 68-13 vs 4A Hopkins County Central (3-3). Don’t look now but the Cougars are on a 17 game regular season winning streak! Just an amazing accomplishment on the heels of such a long losing streak! Coach Adler doing such a great job of changing the culture over in Logan County! The Cougar offensive machine was in high gear last week to the chagrin of the Storm of Hopkins County Central! The Cougars gained about 450 yards to only 90 for HCC! QB Tyler Ezell and RB Gary Hardy played awfully well and gashed the Storm defense nearly at will! JR LB Tristan Blake got a Pick 6 INT to help the defense lock down the Storm! Week 7: BYE Week. Never really want your Bye when you are playing this well, but it’s good to get away and recharge and come back strong! And with the 2 most important district games coming next (back to back) you should be able to easily focus on the games that matter most! Good luck Cougars! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 5-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 17-14 vs 2A Glasgow (5-1). According to our good friend @FSfan, the Wildcats played their best game of the season last Friday night! And it showed in the box score by outrushing the outmanned Scotties 400 to 156 on the night! Tre Bass was outstanding as usual; you will see his stats later. Collin Preston led the defense with 16 tackles on the night; 3 of those were tackles for loss! The Wildcat D made some great adjustments in the second quarter and were able to limit the Scotties after that point! Week 7: vs District Foe 4A Allen County Scottsville (4-2) at 7pm. When I look at the Wildcats District, I know Warren East should be able to hang in the game for a couple quarters, but other than that, I just don’t think any of their opponents stand a chance against them. SO, what can the Wildcats work on? They are already a fine rushing attack, so I would tinker with the playbook and allow Freshman QB (WOW Wildcat Fans – that has to be exciting to know you are 5-1 with a Freshman at QB who will only get better) Luke Richardson (2-4 for 85 yards and 1 TDs) to get more comfortable with the passing game! You won’t need it often, but when you do – You Really Do! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 6-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 45-21 vs 3A Corbin (4-1). This is the Biggest Win of the Week right here! QB Jayden Stinson is really coming into his own! Thanks to our good friend @Mayfieldsportsfan who reported Jayden was 13 for 19 for 243 yards and 2 TDs! Kent Trey Matthews rushed for 125 yards and 3 TDs. He is playing better each week as well! And as our good friend @BadaBing said, the Cardinals controlled the Line of Scrimmage, which is always key! Additionally, the Mayfield defense made a statement in this game! They only gave up 213 total yards! The 3 TDs that were allowed were a kickoff return TD, a flea flicker and at the end vs mostly JV squad guys (which most teams don’t get the luxury to get their JV guys quality snaps against a good opponent like Corbin! Will only make them better next year! And is another contributing factor to why Mayfield is so good year after year!) Corbin is the solid #2 team in 3A in the BGPs poll. I take that very seriously, so this is a very big win for Mayfield. If you recall last season, the Cardinals didn’t get this win and lost in the State Championship Game! If they can survive the State Semi-Final game in Louisville, they will win the State Championship this year! You heard it here first!!! Week 7: vs Old Foe & District Mate 2A Murray (4-2). The Tigers have played very well this season honestly only losing to 5A Graves County and 4A Madisonville. But this District matchup is a mismatch. Just teams in completely different area codes as far as caliber of team. Although these 2 used to be Old Rivals and I guess they still are by geography; just not on the scoreboard! Mayfield Rolls!!! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 6-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 6: Win: 46-7 vs Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins), Colorado (1-4). As our good friend @jcarter reported, the Spartans started the game a little sluggishly against Rocky, but shook off the dual team pizza party after effects and led 27 zip at the half! Refocused, they finished the Colorado opponent off in the 3rd quarter and the running clock was on from there! From a high school kid perspective, how can you beat getting out of school with all your friends and getting on an airplane to anywhere and rolling to the game venue; hanging out at a good hotel with all the meals you want with entertainment venues abounding! I mean you will remember that for the rest of your life and Good For You Rocky! From a football perspective, not a lot to be gained from playing the equivalent of McLean County at South Warren this season. It beats not having a game though! Just my opinion! Week 7: at 5A District Foe Greenwood (2-4). The last time these 2 met AT Greenwood they were not District mates and the Gators earned a memorable 17-16 win! Hold onto that memory Gator Fans as these are 2 very different teams than the ones that met on September 2, 2016! The Spartans are clearly on a different level than the Gators this year! I anticipate another end of the first half running clock for Spartan Nation! T – minus 4 weeks and counting Spartan Fans!!! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 6-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win: 49-7 vs 5A Greenwood (2-4). While I was physically at El Donaldson Stadium, I never made it into the game! Just too many old friends to see! Write this down Purples Fans, we are going to miss QB Beau Buchanon next year. The SR QB hit 5 different WRs last Friday night for TDs in a game BG was never threatened in. The 7 Gator points were scored against the JV D and I think that’s a good thing, as the Coaches can work with the younger Purples to make them better for next season! In a lot of ways, I feel bad for the Gators as they have never beaten BG. But as in many things in life, it is what it is! Moving on! Week 7: Thursday Night Special vs District Mate 5A Grayson County (4-2). Cougars come into this one with likely their best team since stepping up into 5A. Still they are stinging after a 35 yards FG on the last play of the game beats them down at Allen County Scottsville (38-35) Appreciate the Cougars agreeing to play this Fall Break game on Thursday Night! Not anticipating a close game. Am I wrong? You tell me… Getting ready to ramp it back up Purples Fans!!! Inside the next 4 weeks will tell us A LOT!!! T- minus 4 weeks and counting Purples Fans!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 13 - (2018 Record 4-2) [District Record 1-0) Week 6 Results: Win 54-0 at District Foe 6A Ohio County (0-6). Must have been a tough week of practice for the Colonels as they went to Hartford and laid a 50 burger down and sent the Ohio County AD a Cheese Bill of 4 point!!! While I expected this type of win for Hendo, the 6A District 1 landscape changed last week a bit. Has anyone in that district played better all season than the Colonels? You tell me… Week 7: vs 6A District Mate Muhlenberg County (2-3). Muhlenberg isn’t the worst team in the West, as they typically beat the teams you’d expect them to beat (Butler County and Hopkins County Central) and lose to the teams you expect them to lose to (Apollo, Logan County and even McLean County)! SO… Looks like another L for the Mustangs… Colonels roll! 12) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 14 - 2018 Record 3-2; [District Record 1-0] Week 6 Results: Win 47-10 at 5A District Mate Marshall County (3-3). Nice way to tip-toe into the District Colonels Fans as the Marshalls will make you beat them, but that isn’t the hardest pencil in the box to sharpen! Don’t look now but QB JLin Powell is beginning to get comfortable in the Colonel offense as witnessed by his 8 for 13 for 141 yards and 4 TDs vs 0 INTs performance! The 0 INTs is most noteworthy to me in his progress. However, I doubt few Marshalls will have the speed that many Red Devils possess. Just sayin… RB Jadonavin McNeal rushed for 127 yards and WR Nathaniel McGregor ended his night with 4 catches for 90 yards and 2 TDs! Nice! WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Week 7: vs District Rival 5A Owensboro (3-2). This game has been close over the years and I look for another close game Friday night! This game will determine IMO who will host the BG vs South Warren loser in Week 2 of the playoffs = HUGE!!! The loser of this game will likely have to go to the winner of the BG vs South game in Week 2 of the playoffs = HUGE Difference!!! But is it the same outcome??? You tell me… 13) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 15 - 2018 Record 4-2; [District Record 2-0] Week 6 Results: Win 43-14 vs 4A District Mate Calloway County (1-4). The Maroons churn up over 350 yards offense! They were led again by Star RB Juriah Hightower who rushed for 201 yards and 3 TDs on the night to get the Maroons running in the District Season! Week 7: vs 4A District Rival Hopkinsville (1-4) Better get that Guide on “How To Handle a Roman Candle” out Maroons Fans as these Tigers are still wounded with the loss of their Star QB, but they still have good athletes to go around. I just get the sense that Hoptown could fire at any time or continue to stay dormant! You know there are athletes over there, but you need to be focused and at your best ground and pound game to extinguish Team Roman Candle (A) for good!!! Good luck Maroons!!! 14) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 14 (2018 Record 4-1) Week 6 Results: Win: 38-3 vs 3A Scrappy Union County (4-1) To me, this is easily the Rockets best game of the season! It secured their first win vs Union in the last 5 games (a series that began back in 1964!) The Rockets defense were the real stars in this one holding the tough Braves offense to just 129 yards on the night and a 28 yard FG with 6 minutes to go in the game! DE Sean O’Leary was really good on the night for the Rockets and in the Brave backfill all night! QB Hunter Boone was terrific as usual and he reached in his arsenal and found 2 other WRs to help out on this night as the Braves were double covering talented WR Ethan Dossett. Branen Lamey was sensational and Payton Riley was also. You will see Lamey’s stats later. Riley had a one-handed catch and a nice TD to make it very difficult on the Brave secondary to stay with the Rocket receivers! I know you’re glad Rocket Fans to be out of the 17 slot – And you earned it!!! Week 7: at 1A District Mate Fulton City (0-6). You know when your Mom advised you to call in advance to make sure the store has what you need before you drive over to see for yourself? Well I’m tellin ya now Rocket Nation to call in advance before you drive an hour and a half (2 hours by bus) over to Fulton!!! The Poor Ole’ Bulldogs have already forfeited twice on the season and only have 11 players on their roster! Wow! My heart goes out to those young men! I can’t image what that must be like. So unless those 11 are all Robo-Cop Warriors, I just don’t see the game panning out! Get on the phone Rockets and Good Luck! 15) McCracken County (6A) – PR: 14; LW: Not Ranked (NR) - (2018 Record 2-4) Week 6 Results – Win 55-43 vs 6A Daviess County (3-3). I would now put McCracken County in the list of teams known as Team Roman Candle (B) as well, after an eye-opening, Nintendo Bustin 55-43 win over District Rival Daviess County!!! JUST WOW! QB Elijah Wheat was 10 for 18 for 112 and 3 TDs vs 1 INT on the night. But RB Hunter Bradley was just as good or better and you’ll see his stats later! The defenses must have hit the showers in the 3rd quarter as that’s when the Mustangs outscored the Panthers by 22 points to pull away! And this game was AT Daviess County so Outstanding Job Mustangs! If you are able to defeat a tough Henderson County team in Paducah on October 5, IMO you will win the District AGAIN! WOW! Welcome Back to the Top 20 by the way! Week 7: vs Poor Ole’ District Mate 6A Ohio County (0-6). The Mustangs have almost overnight gone from “Found on the Road Dead” to “Drivin the 6A District 1 Bus”! This is another example of what makes High School Football great! As you NEVER know what will happen! Nice job Mustangs! Mustangs Roll in Hartford!!! 16) Graves County (5A) – PR: 15; LW: NR - 2018 Record 2-4: Week 6 Results: Win 64-49 vs 5A District Foe Apollo (4-2). This is the last team I’m adding to Team Roman Candle ©, but it might be the most prolific of the 3, as a 64 point EXPLOSION is what Roman Candles are all about! Not counting the only other Graves County win vs Murray, you would have to add up all the point that Graves has scored all year to get to the 64 Burger they put on Apollo! Who would have “thunk” that??? I can’t wait for you to see QB Ryan Mathis’ stat line below! They should have strapped some popcorn boxes to this belt and he could have expanded his stat line over to Fancy Farm!!! The total yards were roughly 600 for Graves vs 500 for Apollo!!! I’m not really sure what swayed the game Graves way, but What a Game! Week 7: vs 5A District Foe Marshall County (3-3) I just get the feeling that Graves County will use this game for maximum inspiration and be a tough out from here on out!!! Buyer Beware 5A District 1!!! 17) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 11 - 2018 Record 3-3; [District Record 0-1] Week 6 Results: District Buster Loss: 55-43 vs 6A District Rival McCracken County (2-4). Well Panther Fans the Roman Candle went off while you had it in your hands last Friday Night!!!! You knew McCracken was a better team than their record showed! The Panthers played pretty darn well. QB Joey Cambron was 28 for 44 with 477 yards and 4 TDS. Star WR Marquel Tinsley had 8 catches but only for 24 yards but 2 TDs. Stud WR Blake Baker had 8 catches for 140 yards and 2 TDs. So your offense really scored enough points to win a game (43 points), but you just couldn’t rope those Mustangs last Friday! Tough way to start out district play with a home loss! But hey, you won on the road last year at McCracken so you already know how to do that! Back to work Panthers!!! Week 7: BYE Week. Not a great time IMO for the BYE, as I want to go into the BYE on a positive note, not a Home District Loss!!! Now with one of the toughest district opponents out of the way and one not until 3 weeks from now (Henderson County) you should focus on getting healed up! You need to be at full strength come October 12 at Henderson County! District seeding will definitely be on the line!!! 18) Union County (3A) – PR: 19; LW: 12 - (2018 Record 4-1) Week 6 Results: Loss 38-3 at 1A Crittenden County (4-1). Well Braves Fans, I bet that roughly hour trip back up to Morganfield was a downright somber trip!!! You were outgained 230 yards vs your 130 yards on the night and can only muster a 28 yard FG. That was a pretty rough performance! BUT it is not a district game, so chin up Braves Fans! You need to regroup quickly now!!! Week 7: District Buster at 3A Caldwell County (3-3). Last year over in Morganfield, the whole town packed the Union County Stadium only to see the Tigers take control of the game early and overwhelm the Braves 39-7! I know the Braves haven’t forgotten about that game and they know Caldwell County (and Paducah Tilghman for that matter) are the next rung in the ladder for them to ascend to. Can they take the next step in Princeton this Friday? You tell me… 19) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 16 - (2018 Record 4-2) [District Record 0-1]: Week 6 Results: Loss 64-49 at 5A District Foe Graves County (2-4). Eagles Fans, I know your thumbs are probably sore and you need a new Nintendo controller from BestBuy after last week, but man that’s just what happens in a shootout sometimes! Your QB Colby Clark played REALLY well with 344 yards passing and 4 TDs vs 2 INTs alongside stalwart RB Mariano McKenzie who rushed for 195 yards and 2 TDs! You just had to try to hold Team Roman Candle down, who simply had the juice to make the flares fly this week!!! Chin up Eagles!!! Week 7 BYE Week. You already knew your District would be a grind Eagles Fans! That hasn’t changed! Heal up and rest up as you get Christian County and Owensboro back to back next! TOUGH! Don’t think Owensboro has forgotten about last year’s loss either! Keep going & good luck Eagles! 20) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 18 - 2018 Record 1-4; [District Record 0-0] Week 6 Result: BYE Week. Hopefully the Tiger were able to rest and recharge a bit. It would also be advantageous to give your new QB some work to get him more acclimated to the offense (easier said than done in some instances I’m sure!) during this BYE Week! Week 7: at 4A District Rival Madisonville – North Hopkins (4-2). The Maroons won last year’s battle in Hopkinsville 35-20. In that game, they rolled up 300 yards on the ground. If they do that this year, I just don’t see how the Tigers can keep up with them offensively! Am I wrong? You tell me… Others Receiving Votes: Murray, Warren East, McLean County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 6 PLAYER OF THE WEEK*: Branen Lamey – WR/DB – Crittenden County – caught 4 passes for 111 yards and 3 TDs – I’m not done! He also had a 74 yard Pick 6 to ignite the Rockets! WOW! Congratulations Branen! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Ryan Mathis – QB/K – Graves County – 252 yards passing with 4 TDs vs 2 INTs; Kicked 7 or 8 Extra Points and was 1 for 1 on Field Goals!!! Drew Cooper – WR – Graves County – 7 catches 167 yards and 2 TDs! Cody Goatley – RB/LB – Graves County – 203 yards rushing and 3 TDs & 3 INTs (1 a Pick 6) vs Apollo! 2) Hunter Bradley – RB – McCracken County – 156 yards rushing and 3 TDs vs Daviess County! 3) Tre Bass – RB – Franklin Simpson – 201 yards and 4 TDs vs Glasgow! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 6 “Teams Trending Down” Daviess County (6A) – Down – To start the District at Home against a known Rival that is down; you score 43 points and still lose by more than 1 full score is pretty disheartening to me! Just an uneven performance. What you do with this BYE week and how you come out of it, especially when you head to Henderson County October 12 will define your 2018 season!!! Union County (3A) – Down – While Crittenden County is a very good team, if you want to be taken seriously in your district, you needed to win last Friday or at the very least compete within 1 score! Didn’t happen! Now you trek down to Princeton, which will be your toughest and most important on the season. Just don’t see it in the cards Braves Fans! But what would be a good season for you in your mind? What say you!!! Week 6 Teams “Trending Up” Mayfield (2A) – Up – Come on 88, Mayfield is always up; well you are mostly right, but they didn’t beat Corbin last year and likely didn’t win the line of scrimmage the way they did this year; and didn’t play defense as well as they did this year! All of those things combine for a recipe for a LONG playoff run for the Cardinals! I see Mayfield ramping up right now! Crittenden County (1A) – Up – This team has grit! A good (at least on paper) 3A undefeated squad comes calling and you basically blow their doors off and send em home!!! Well done Rockets!!! Looking at your schedule, I’m sure Russellville will be charged up on the 19th when Rocket Nation comes calling! And while I see that one close for a half; I just think Crittenden is too good this year for the Panthers! Good luck Rockets!!! WESTERN KENTUCKY – GAME SPOTLIGHT - 4A Allen County Scottsville 38 – 5A Grayson County 35 – This was a great game! It was obviously close! The two teams rolled up over 800 combined total yards and were separated by less than 50 yards. FRESHMAN – All-Name Team – Thorny Walker drilled a 35 yard Field Goal with 4 seconds to go to lift the Home Team Patriots to the hard fought victory!!! GREAT GAME!!! You can view it on Twitter, but I couldn’t figure out how to add it here. Maybe someone could add it below! Thanks!

BluegrassPreps 2018 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 5 Edition Concerning the top story line for this week, ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!! I don’t think I recall a week of doing these rankings (this is the 4th year) where all top 8 teams were all on the road in the SAME week. I understand for every game there is usually a home and a visiting team, but don’t recall that many road warriors at the top of our ranking! We have some shake up for sure in the lower 5 this week! Let’s find out how they did last week! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 5: 1. Bowling Green 5A (5-0): Win 50-6 at 4A Warren Central 2. South Warren 5A (5-0): Win 41-7 at 5A Grayson County 3. Mayfield 2A (5-0): Win 56-21 at 5A Graves County 4. Franklin Simpson 4A (4-1): Win 17-14 at 6A Meade County 5. Logan County 4A (5-0): Win 40-20 at 2A McLean County 6. Owensboro Catholic (3-2): Win 33-30 at 5A Apollo 7. Glasgow 2A (5-0): Win 56-40 vs 4A Warren East 8. Paducah Tilghman 3A (4-1): Win 41-13 vs 4A Hopkinsville 9. Owensboro 6A (3-2): Win 42-14 at 5A Owensboro 10. Caldwell County 6A (3-2): Win 34-14 vs 6A Henderson County Week 5 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 4A Warren East (2-3) 40 at 2A Glasgow (5-0) 56 4 points shy of 100 between the teams and 31 yards shy of a combined 1,000 yards of offense in this one makes all defensive coordinators cringe at the thought of it! Glasgow ran the ball with great success and forced 3 key turnovers. But this was a tight game at 14-13 Scotties at the end of 1 and 28-27 at the half. Warren East took the lead at 33-28 midway through the 3rd! But the Scotties unleased 28 straight points to put the game out of reach in the 4th Quarter! Week 6 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: The Mayfield v Corbin game is more important to the state, but in the West, I would argue the clear game of the week that has the district on the line is: 3A Caldwell County (3-2) at 3A Paducah Tilghman (4-1): These teams have played the last 3 regular seasons as district mates, but before that if they played it would have been before 1998. In those 3 games, Caldwell County has won each of them, but the closest was last year in Princeton 24-21 Tigers! It looks like no time like the present for the Blue Tornados to reverse that trend! But can they do it? You tell me… Honorable Mention: - Corbin vs Mayfield; Union County at Crittenden County; McCracken County at Daviess County; Glasgow at Franklin Simpson; Apollo at Graves County; and Russellville at Murray - Try to make it out to one of these great games! Week 5 Top 10: 10) Caldwell County (3A) – PR: 10; LW: 12 - 2018 Record (3-2): Week 5 Results: Win 34-14 vs 6A Henderson County (3-2). I thought the Tigers fought hard in this one and overcame some early resistance to set the tone late and outlasted road-weary Henderson County! Trel Riley was back on the field for the Tigers and immediately contributed with an INT. QB Joby Jaggers played hard with 217 passing yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. But it was likely the Caldwell Defense that really put Henderson County behind the 8 Ball. They had 7 sacks on the night!!!! WOW! Big deal momentum into what is likely the most important game of the year next week! Week 6 WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK & DISTRICT BUTSTER: At 3A Paducah Tilghman (4-1). Caldwell has had a very tough opening schedule to the season! They have taken some lumps along the way. Part of the payment for getting better vs good teams is injuries. Hopefully the Tigers will be at 100% for this one. Good Luck Tigers! 9) Owensboro (5A) – PR: 4; LW: 11 - 2018 Record 3-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 42-14 vs 6A County Rival Daviess County (3-2). The EMOTION Train finally ends for the Red Devils after playing OCATH, BG and now Daviess County in back to back to back weeks! I’m sure they are thankful to get their BYE Week next week! As our good friend @ApolloFan98 reported, this was an emotional game for Owensboro after the loss to Daviess last year and all the talk this year of how good Daviess County was going to be. Well after rolling up nearly 600 yards on offense and holding a (somewhat) depleted Panther offense to only 2 scores is encouraging for all Red Devil fans! Imonte Owsley played very well but I don’t have stats for this one! Week 6: BYE Week. Awesome! You are likely in need of a breather before you make the bus trip down to Christian County for the pivotal clash with the Colonels in District swinging game! Good luck Red Devils! 8) Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Preseason Rank (PR): 18; Last Week (LW): 10 - 2018 Record 4-1: Week 5 Results: Win 41-7 vs 4A Hopkinsville (1-4). Thanks to our good friend @TilghmanPride who reported on this one! Tilghman set the tone early with some long runs and a few big passes. Hopkinsville had WAY too many mistakes to be able to keep it close against a good team like Tilghman! Only problem was 2 significant Tilghman players “may” have been injured. Will they be around for the BIG District battle next week? You tell me… Week 6 WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK & District Buster: vs 3A Caldwell County (3-2). This should be a super game! Caldwell has owned this series the past 3 years, but I think it’s safe to say that this will be the best of the 4 Tilghman teams to play Caldwell County. With that being said, I know Caldwell has a very good pass defense, but not sure of the run defense. The Blue Tornados will surely test that! Then can the Tilghman D come up with big stops against a very solid Caldwell County offense that is going to pass the ball? We shall see… 7) Glasgow (2A) – PR: 12; LW: 11 - 2018 Record (5-0): Week 5 Results WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME OF THE WEEK Win 37-0 vs 4A Warren East (2-3): This is only the second time in nearly 20 years that Glasgow has started the season at 5 and 0! That’s a big deal! Week 6 at 4A Franklin Simpson (4-1). This is a great old rivalry! Franklin has had the best of it in the recent past winning last season. The series was dormant from 2011 to 2016. Glasgow last beat Franklin back in 2007 when Billy Lindsey (now BG assistant coach) was Head Coach for the Scotties! But all the scores are generally 30 to 14 kind of scores. I look for something like this again. And with this being the first Scottie road game of the year, I don’t think Shadetree Stadium will be all that receptive for a visiting win. But I do think it could be tight for a while! 6) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – PR: 13; LW: 8; 2018 Record 3-2: Week 5 Results: Win 33-30 vs 5A Apollo (4-1). What a game sports fans! Maybe one of the best in the State last week. OCath generally dictated the scoring but give Apollo credit as they kept coming back until the end! QB Drew Hartz played well along with RB Von Williams (you will see his numbers later)! But the OCath defense certainly help the Aces turn the momentum tide by coming up with 2 INT, 2 fumble recoveries and 5 sacks on the night! Great Job! Week 6 at 2A District Mate Butler County (0-5). The Aces head to Butler County to take on the winless Bears! Even when the great Rex Henderson was a Senior, the Bears couldn’t take down the Aces even in Morgantown! King Rex ain’t walkin through that door! Aces Roll!!! 5) Logan County (4A) – PR: 8; LW: 7 - 2018 Record 5-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 40-20 vs 2A McLean County (3-2). Logan County rolled up about 500 yards on the night and held McLean under 300 so pretty efficient work by the defense and offense! RB Gary Hardy continues to do a great job for the Cougars rushing for just over 200 yards and a TD on the night! Week 6: vs District Mate 4A Hopkins County Central (3-2). This used to be a powder puff game until Coach Adler and crew came to the Land of Fred Tisdale (of WKU Basketball Fame for those of you old enough to remember those great WKU Teams)! But this is a different animal now; Logan County has realistic aspirations to make a run at winning their district again and competing with Franklin Simpson for the right to advance towards a State Championship Game in Lexington! That march and the march to win the District starts here!!! 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – PR: 5; LW: 4 - 2018 Record 4-1; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 17-14 at 6A Meade County (2-3). According to our good friends @FSfan and @macdon, the Wildcats were in great shape entering the 4th quarter with a 17-0 lead and relatively all the momentum. But a couple untimely penalties and Franklin and Meade ditching the Wing T for a Spread had the Green Wave with 3 points late in the game. Then a gut check time-chewing drive highlighted by Star RB Carlos McKinney’s 6 straight runs allowed the Wildcats to take a knee and end the game at the Meade 8. Congratulations for Wildcats kicker Collin Hollingsworth for earning the Wildcats last 3 points. The Sophomore atoned for not being able to even the game late last season. A really tough spot to put any Freshman in. Congrats Collin! Week 6: vs 2A Glasgow (5-0) at 7pm. I’m hoping our good friend @macdon will chime in with some old school history info for these old rivals! But we definitely have 2 of our better teams in the West playing at Shadetree Stadium next Friday Night! I just look for the Wildcats to have too many weapons and their talented OLine to be able to wear down the Scotties in the second half of this game! But it should be close for a good while in this one!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – PR: 3; LW: 3 - 2018 Record 5-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 56-21 at 5A Graves County (1-4). I just get the feel that Mayfield is generally playing Trivial Pursuit and each year just goes around the Purchase Area gathering colored tokens to place in their pie game piece with the intent to heading toward the center of the board every year looking to win the State Championship! Well you earned the Blue Eagle game piece this week Cardinal Fans! Although Graves did hang in there early in the game, which I give them credit for! Just too many weapons for the Cardinals! Week 6: vs Stout 2A Corbin (4-0). The Redhounds are a little bit different animal than you’re used to playing. They are obviously a very good team. Last season, I don’t think the Cards got a lot of calls in the game and pulled a couple questionable tactics to squeak out a 20-17 win at a game played at Austin Peay University! I think this game is more important than last year. I think Mayfield knows that in order to defeat the 2A Big Boys of Jefferson County that they need to be at their best. Winning this game will make sure that ball is going in the right direction! Good luck Cardinals! 2) South Warren (5A) – PR: 2; LW: 2 - 2018 Record 5-0; [District Record 1-0] Week 5: Win: 41-7 at 5A Grayson County (4-1). The Spartans kick off District play with another impressive win and hand the Cougars of Grayson County their first loss of the season. Although I do think this is a pretty good Greyson County team, when you can not get out of the shadow of your own goal to start drives against South Warren, you are in trouble. They put you in the spin cycle and just don’t let you out of it. South gets to the running clock and then puts it in cruise control again! Week 6: vs Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins), Colorado (1-3). I have to admit that I am scratching my head a bit here. I realize South Warren is trying to replace the now District departing Barren County Trojans, but to select a team 1,200 miles away, who is 1 and 3 on the year; who is roughly 7,700 spots below you on a national level (MaxPreps) is mind-boggling to me. I’m sure there is a reason of someone knows someone. But doesn’t someone know someone in Nashville or Louisville or Cincinnati? Just seems odd to me… 1) Bowling Green (5A) – PR: 1; LW: 1 - 2018 Record 5-0; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Win: 50-6 at 4A Warren Central (0-5). The Dragons have a very nice brand new home field. I hope they get a win there in the future, but when they do it will not be against the Purples. I continue to think now more than ever that playing on the varsity level is not in the best interest of either team. We will see how it plays out. Week 6: vs District Mate 5A Greenwood (2-3). I don’t think this game will be very entertaining. EXCEPT for the fact it will be my 30 Year Reunion! Will be fun reacquainting with my old class-mates! I plan to pay much more attention to catching up with old friends that taking in the critical plays of this lop-sided affair. Maybe next year Gators!!! Next 10 – 11 to 20: 11) Daviess County (6A) – PR: 7; LW: 5 - 2018 Record 3-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: Loss: 42-14 vs 5A Owensboro (3-2). The Panthers were without key weapon Blake Baker! And got overwhelmed by a determined Red Devil team that wanted to atone for a loss to Daviess that they had had to listen to for a whole year! The Daviess County defense got exposed giving up nearly 600 yards in the game! No time to feel sorry for yourself now Panthers – Let’s Move On! Week 6: District Buster vs 6A District Rival McCracken County (1-4). McCracken County comes into this season as the defending District Champions, but after Daviess County went on the road last playoff season and knocked off the Mustangs it’s been downhill for them ever sense. Now the Mustangs make the sizeable trip over to Owensboro to take on a primed and ready Panther squad that has taken aim at a District Title for themselves. The Panthers send out a message to the rest of the district with this game! You heard it here first!!! 12) Union County (3A) – PR: 19; LW: 13 - (2018 Record 3-0) Week 5 Results: Win 59-14 at 2A Ballard Memorial (1-3). I don’t have any stats on this one, but doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the Union County offense was scoring early and often! Looks like the Bomber got bombed! Week 6: at 1A Crittenden County (3-1). Should be an excellent game over in Marion on Friday Night! Two excellent teams looking to keep momentum going into the District slate of games! Is this a pick em game? You tell me… 13) Henderson County (6A) – PR: 20; LW: 13 - (2018 Record 3-2) Week 5 Results: Loss 34-14 at 3A Caldwell County (3-2). The Colonels just hit the wall! I mean they came out and opened the game with a nice TD pass from QB Skip Patterson to WR Nick Cissel and actually led 7-0 as reported by our good friend @Razor Ramon! But then the offensive flow just really struggled! Add a critical Pick 6 just before the half and the Colonels seemed to be out of gas! I mean I can understand this playing a very good schedule out of the gate and just didn’t have enough gas to get the job done in Princeton! What do you need to recharge your vehicle Colonels? Week 6: at 6A Ohio County (0-5). You should be able to fill up with some low-hanging Ohio County Eagle fruit!!! Long, long year for the Eagles is about to get longer! Colonels roll! 14) Christian County (5A) – PR: 11; LW: 14 - 2018 Record 2-2; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Results: BYE Week. I hope you got all your injured players back to near 100% Colonels as its District time!!! Week 6: at 5A Marshall County (3-2). This game will show us where the Colonels are. If they struggle to put the Marshalls away they likely will have a very difficult night when the Red Devils drive down from Owensboro. But if they roll over Marshall County, I think it could be a very interesting game in the long district rivalry between the Colonels and Red Devils! 15) Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – PR: 9; LW: 17 - 2018 Record 3-2; [District Record 1-0] Week 5 Results: Win 42-6 at 4A District & County Rival Hopkins County Central (3-2). Awfully nice to get a rivalry win and a district win in the same game! Doesn’t happen often! The Maroons rolled up almost 400 yards in this one that was over nearly as soon as it started. Star RB Juriah Hightower was really good in this one. You will see his numbers later! Week 6: vs 4A District Mate Calloway County (1-3) The Lakers have played pretty well this season with the only exception being overpowered by 2A Murray the opening game of the season. But I fear this will be another level for the Lakers that they won’t be able to handle. The Maroons seem to have stabilized things and if that’s the case, I fear a very long night against a solid Madisonville squad! 16) Apollo (5A) – PR: 16; LW: 15 - (2018 Record 4-1): Week 5 Results: Loss 33-30 vs 2A Owensboro Catholic (3-2). I don’t have any stats for the Eagles, but think their “Never Quit” meter was running high last week. Just came up short against a hot Aces club! Time to move on Eagles! Week 6 at District Mate Graves County (1-4). Should be a very tough game for the Eagles! Why would you say that Purple88, as Graves County only has 1 win on the year? Well, it’s about a 3 hour bus trip over to Graves from Owensboro. I don’t care who you are – that makes a difference. Graves hasn’t played great this year – true, but they always seem to come out and punch somebody in the mouth and see what happens. If you don’t punch back, they will be in this game. It’s a home district opener and you better believe it will be a tough physical game! Good luck Eagles! 17) Crittenden County (1A) – PR: 17; LW: 18 (2018 Record 3-1) Week 5 Results: Win: 48-13 vs 2A Poor Ole’ Webster County (1-4) The Rockets got off to a slow start on Homecoming Night by giving the Trojans a couple turnovers and poor special teams play, but they rallied with quick strikes before the half to take a 28-0 lead into half time and never looked back! Several Rockets play well, but you will have to keep going to see! Week 6: vs 3A Stout Union County (4-0). This is a dandy of a game that most people will never know about! Both teams have a lot of momentum right now and really good offenses. I think the team whose defense comes out making plays will win this game! Good luck Rockets! 18) Hopkinsville (4A) – PR: 6; LW: 16 - 2018 Record 1-4; [District Record 0-0] Week 5 Result: Loss 47-13 at 3A Paducah Tilghman (4-1). I thought the Tigers came out and played very hard in this game, but penalties and turnovers are not the recipe for getting a tough road win when you commit them! It is just going to take some time Tiger fans to move forward without Jay Bland at QB! Plain and simple. Week 6: BYE Week. This is a great time for a BYE for the Tigers! They have been given a cruel hand of fate via injuries! So this will allow the coaching staff and players the opportunity to regroup and re-strategize! 19) Warren East (4A) – PR: 23; LW: 19 - (2018 Record 2-3) Week 5 Results – Loss 56-40 at 2A Glasgow (5-0). The Raiders were in this game! Star RB Thomas Maxey played really well rushing for 250 yards and 3 TDs. Raider QB Nolan Ford also played well passing for almost 200 yards and 3 scores! Probably just need to focus on tightening up the defense now Raiders! Keep going!!! Week 6: vs Gritty 2A Monroe County (1-4). I look for the Raiders to get back on their winning ways next Friday night! Could it be a running clock? You tell me… 20) McLean County (2A) – PR: NR; LW: 20 - 2018 Record 3-2: Week 5 Results: Loss 40-20 vs 4A Logan County (5-0). McLean County rolled up over 250 yards on Logan County and scored more than any team has scored on Logan County this year. Hey that’s something! And it’s important to shake that one off quick as after the BYE week next week you travel to Owensboro to take on the RED HOT Aces in a District clash!!! Good luck Cougars! Others Receiving Votes: McCracken County, Graves County, Allen County Scottsville, Russellville, Grayson County, Hancock County, and Fulton County!!! WEEK 5 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Trevor Dyer – RB/LB – Breckinridge County – rushed 44 times for 254 yards and 5 TDs – I’m not done! He led the team with 15 tackles and 1 INT! WOW! Congratulations Trevor! AND Caleb Kimble – RB – Fulton County – rushed for 239 yards and 4 TDs vs S Fulton TN! Congratulations Caleb! Other outstanding performances in the West: 1) Nick Mitchell – RB – Glasgow – 226 yards and 5 TD vs Warren East! 2) Von Williams – RB – Owensboro Catholic – 239 yards and 2 TDs vs Apollo! 3) Juriah Hightower – RB – Madisonville – 200 yards and 4 TDs vs Hopkins County Central! 4) Lincoln Sisk – WR – Union County – 4 TDs vs Webster County! * If there are stats I don’t know about, please add them below! Week 5 “Teams Trending Down” Daviess County (6A) – Down – Hard to win when you don’t have all your weapons with you and play in a place as tough to play as Rash Stadium is, BUT… This was an opportunity I feel the Panthers let slip by. It is rare that you “may” have been considered the favorite going into a game against Owensboro. So you need to take advantage of those opportunities. Back to focus on the District slate now Panthers! Henderson County (6A) – Down – The see-saw now goes down for the Colonels, who just couldn’t go to the well again and pull it out against tough Caldwell County! Gotta do what your district mate above is doing… Put this one behind you and focus on the district slate of games! Teams “Trending Up” Fulton County (6A) – Up – Is there anything this season that is more heartwarming than the Fulton County Pilots story!!! This is a team with a LONG losing streak not that long ago. Program left as a ghost-town! But Coach James Bridges has his group of 24 young men pointed in the right direction. They blitz South Fulton, TN 62-16 in an ole fashioned wood shed job! JR RB Caleb Kimble is running wild and next week is another game the Pilots can clearly compete in! Let’s Go Pilots!!!!! Caldwell County (3A) – Up – This team has grit! Good 6A squad comes into town and puts up 7 quick! But the Tigers regroup to score 34 straight! Solid! Set’s up a fantastic game in Paducah! Get over there Tiger fans and support your team! WESTERN KENTUCKY – TEAM SPOTLIGHTS - Breckinridge County – The Fighting Tigers didn’t win 1 game last season. That’s tough my friends… They stopped a game Todd County squad in Week 1 in a Barn-burner 15-8! Last week they battled tooth and nail with Ohio County and just came out on top 36-34 in a great game I’m not sure many saw or know about. When I saw the stats for SR RB/LB Trevor Dyer, I was pretty much speechless (and that’s doing something!) – 44 attempts (are you kidding me – talk about riding your best player) for 254 yards and 5 TDs!!! But that was only as a running back! He also led the team with 15 tackles and made 1 INT! I’m still waiting to hear if he sold popcorn too!!! Simply outstanding! It is efforts like this that make high school football the great game it is!!! Crittenden County - SR QB Hunter Boone now has over 400 career completions at Crittenden County! This guarentee's Hunter will be in the Top 50 QBs all time in KY history for Pass Completions for a career! Congratulations Hunter! His prime target - SR WR Ethan Dossett with his 2 TD catches on Friday night break the all time Crittenden County scoring reception mark of 18 TDs for his career in Marion! Congrats Ethan!

BluegrassPreps 2017 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Week 10 & Post-Season Preview Edition Concerning the top story line for this week: The third season has arrived: Playoff Time! The time most of us cherish most, as teams prepare for the win or go home drama ahead! Looking back, we have had some terrific football this season! These playoffs seem pretty open (At least initially) with many teams in the West capable of making deep playoff runs! Get your honey-do’s out of the way Sports Fans and get out and watch some playoff High School Football! Nothing Like it! Popcorn N Coke Top 10 Version – Week 10: Man it was a Frog-Strangler of a Friday Night!!! Cold and wet conditions gripped all teams in the West causing coaching staffs to have to gear down into slower, less risky offensive and defensive sets (except Mayfield). Conditions made it difficult on the fans as well. With these conditions, I find it best not to take these games totally as they seem. Most times you can just look at the scoreboard and know how a game went. These aren’t those kinds of games. These games are just get the lead and grind it out and go home as fast as you can, where you can’t run what you really like to run offensively speaking. 1. Bowling Green 5A (8-2): Win 28-0 vs 5A Bullitt Central 2. Mayfield 2A (9-1): Win 55-14 at 3A Caldwell County 3. Christian County 5A (10-0): Win 20-10 at 3A Paducah Tilghman 4. South Warren 4A (8-2): Win 21-16 at 2A Owensboro Catholic 5. Caldwell County 3A (8-2): Loss 55-14 vs 2A Mayfield 6. Franklin Simpson 4A (7-3): Win 55-6 at 1A Russellville 7. Logan County 4A (10-0): Win 34-6 vs 2A Todd County Central 8. McCracken County 6A (6-4): BYE Week 9. Glasgow 2A (7-3): Loss 20-12 vs 3A Elizabethtown 10. Apollo 5A (7-3): Loss 26-7 vs 6A Daviess County Week 10 Western Kentucky Game of the Week: 9-1 2A Mayfield 55 at 8-2 3A Caldwell County 14. YOUZZZAAA!:eek::eek::eek: Double Nickels on the road vs a worthy opponent! Speaks volumes to me!!! The Mayfield defense played very well, bending several times, but came up with HUGE turnovers in critical times to get the ball back to their outstanding offense. To go into hostile territory with difficult playing conditions and still roll just like any other game says this team is ready to go DEEP into the playoffs! For Caldwell County, I take my hat off and scratch my head a bit. Is this a reflection of Mayfield being just that good or a reflection that you really haven’t been tested in a while and not quite as good as your record would suggest? I’m not sure, but still think you could pull a playoff upset at home! More on these 2 below! Meat & Potato’s Version Week 10 Top 10: 10) Apollo 5A (7-3) – LW: 9 – Preseason: Not Ranked (NR) – District Record – (3-1) - Week 10: Loss 26-7 vs County Rival 6A Daviess County (5-5). I don’t have any stats on this one, but again think this game meant more to Daviess County with Apollo just looking to get ready for next week’s game hosting Greenwood. I think Coach Crume was willing to lose this one in order to be in a better position to win Friday night! GREAT Season Eagles! Playoff Snapshot: Where did this team come from? I mean… did they and Logan County get together with Harry Potter and magically transform overnight? Just seems that way… Just a remarkable season! Apollo earned their first winning season since 2009 and first 8 win regular season since 2004; also the last time they beat rival Owensboro. Can’t say it enough…Outstanding season!!! Ceiling: Show up at BG Week 2 and have the lead in the second half. But it doesn’t last! Floor: Turnovers and penalties could let the Greenwood Gators win one for SR QB Jackson Adams! Purple88 Pick: Apollo is too good for Greenwood this year and the Eagles win by 3 TDs. Show up in BG and play very well only being down by 7 at the half. BG finds another gear in the 2nd and ends a terrific Eagles season 42-17. 9) Glasgow (2A) – 2017 Record 7-3 - LW: 7 - Preseason Rank: Top 20; [District Record: 3-0] Week 10: Loss 20-12 vs 3A Elizabethtown (9-1). Battled valiantly in this one and was up 12-7 at the half… But couldn’t tackle on both special teams TDs and costs you the game. Tough loss because you played well enough to win. Still a very fine regular season Scotties!!! Playoff Snapshot: Glasgow has played well this season with a difficult non-district schedule in order to attempt to prepare for the 2A Jefferson County Beasts! This team is well coached and has terrific athletes. 7 and 3 is fine record and I expect most in Glasgow are pleased with that! Ceiling: Roll Covington Holy Cross; Sneak by a talented Newport Central Catholic; Face a better than you think Lloyd Memorial team and win the Region in OT! Face a destined to get to Lexington Danville squad and just get outmatched. Floor: NCC is good enough to beat you, even at Glasgow. This is your floor. Purple 88 Pick: The Scotties make it to the Regional Final game and play well, but Lloyd Memorial just makes more plays and wins 28-24 in a well-played game. Go Scotties! 8) McCracken County (6A) – Last Week (LW): 10 - Preseason Rank: 9 - 2017 Record 6-4; [District Record 4-0] Week 10: BYE Week. Rested and healed up! The Mustangs get ready to host Poor Ole’ Muhlenberg County again. My recommendation is to blast them out early and rest your players you can’t do without! Playoff Snapshot: Cross-bracketing is the Mustangs Friend this year, as it will keep them away from the Jefferson County Beasts all the way to the State Semi-Final! The opportunity is NOW Mustangs! Ceiling: Win the regional championship vs probably Central Hardin and Host the Trinity Shamrocks over on the Left Bank. Play hard and fight to the end, but that’s all she wrote…. No shame losing to the #9 team in the Nation! Floor: Come in “unfocused” and let a dangerous Daviess County team with revenge on their mind capitalize on too many turnovers. And to lose here would be devastating IMO. Purple88 Pick: Running clock Muhlenberg County; beat a game Daviess County squad by 2 TDs; and take Central Hardin’s Best Shot and win 24-14. Host Big T and get a rough way to go 56-7. Still an excellent year and MUCH to build on! Go Stangs! 7) Logan County 4A 2017 Record (10-0) – Last Week (LW): 8 – District Record: 4-0 - Week 10: Win 34-6 vs 2A Todd County Central (6-3). Don’t have many stats here either, but on a grim night for playing conditions, the Cougars finish off what they started – their FIRST UNDEFEATED REGULAR SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY!!! Sound the trumpets!!! :dancingpa Unprecedented achievement! Congratulations Coach Adler, Players and Cougar Nation!!! Playoff Snapshot: The BEST Story in the West & the BEST Story in the State 2017 – the Logan County Cougars! Epic turnaround we will be referencing for years to come capped off with an Undefeated regular season on the heels of the state’s longest losing streak. Start writing the book now… But I feel the Cougars aren’t done and like the sweet taste of Victory. But how are their wounded comrades? Will be vitally important later! But the Cougars have the ability to play in Russellville until the State Championship Game – Big Advantage! Ceiling: In the second round, you will struggle with the athleticism coming your way, but they know not the Heart of a Cougar and Cougar Nation rolls on. Up next is Franklin Simpson who has been achieving steady runs to the State Championship game for some time now – OH What the Hey – Logan County in this one too! But the train runs out of coal at the Semi-State as a gritty Collins squad finally stops Cougar Nation after a remarkable run! Floor: The team in the second round is good enough to beat you and that would be your floor! Purple88 Pick: Logan County ROLLS in Week 1; gets tested significantly, but refuses to die and ekes out a 24-17 win over Warren East. When Franklin Simpson comes to town, they are all business and stops Logan 28-17 in a hard fought game! Go get em Cougars!!! 6) Franklin Simpson (4A) – LW: 6 - Preseason Rank: 4 - 2017 Record 7-3; District Record 3-0] Week 10: Win 55-6 at Old Rival 1A Russellville (6-4). Not much to see here on a cold, rainy evening in Russellville. Many Wildcats play well, but not sure Russellville was really in this one from the start. Playoff Snapshot: After some speed bumps early in the year, this Wildcats team has really come on! Coming off an undefeated 2016 regular season, I want to think this Wildcat Team has benefitted from the early season losses. If you are a Wildcat fan, you have to like where you sit going into this postseason run! Ceiling: Playing for the 4A State Championship in Lexington! You won’t be the favorite, but your opponent isn’t as invincible and if you can get some momentum going in that game, especially early, you can win it! Floor: I think Madisonville is capable of beating you, but I just don’t think they will. But that’s your floor. Purple88 Pick: Running clock Hop County Central; Beat a tough and physical Madisonville squad in a closer than predicted game. Travel to a better than predicted Logan County, struggle early, but come on late and win by 1 TD. Edge a very well coached Collins squad by 3 points and travel to Lexington for a Class 4A rematch. I will be pulling for you, but you will have to win the turnover battle to win this game! 5) Caldwell County (3A) – LW: 4 - Preseason Rank: Top 15 - 2017 Record 8-2; [District Record 4-0] Week 10: EJ Austin Western Kentucky Game of the Week: Loss 55-14 vs Old Rival 2A Mayfield (9-1). While I expected Mayfield to win, I did not expect this score. Some teams handle adverse weather conditions better than others. I’m not sure if Caldwell just came out of the locker room down 7 or what, but just never got the feel they were playing with much energy, especially defensively. For example, Caldwell has been one of the best defensive squads in the West, especially against the pass. But Mayfield passes cut through the Caldwell D like the P51 Mustang (one of the Best US Planes of All-Time!) cut through the Nazi lines in WWII. One game Tigers – shake it off and move on!!! Congratulations to Hunter VanHooser who is now the leading tackler in Caldwell County History!!! Well done! Playoff Snapshot: The Tigers have played much better than I anticipated they would this season (barring last Friday Night). Their defense is good enough to win deep playoff games; can their offense do enough to win those games? You tell me… Ceiling: I think the Tigers can avenge some old demons and send the Elizabethtown Panthers home for the winter! These 2 have had some terrific battles before and even though you wouldn’t be favored, you would be at home and that’s important for that game! Can’t pull the trigger against Boyle County for you though, but you prove me wrong… Go Tigers!!! Floor: Larue County is a dangerous team. They are under the radar and you likely won’t get up for them. If you are too flat; it could be all she wrote for Caldwell! Purple88 Pick: Running clock vs Hart Co in Round 1; Beat Larue by 7. Play Etown a nip n’ tuck game and I want to pick you to win this game, but just don’t feel it with how Etown is playing right now. But prove me wrong Tigers!!! 4). South Warren (5A) – LW: 5 - Preseason Rank: 10 - 2017 Record 8-2; District Record 3-1] Week 10: Win 21-16 at 2A Owensboro Catholic (6-4). I will say it again, OCATH is not your average 2A team. And I thought they likely played harder than South did in this game. BUT, you HAVE to take into consideration the double whammy of FINALLY playing the Bowling Green game and all that emotion and also losing handily. Taking all that into account, plus the crappy weather, and being on the road, and South being an effective passing team, I’m not that surprised by this outcome. And I still think they can make a good run. BUT make NO MISTAKE, South Warren has THE TOUGHEST DRAW OF ANY TEAM IN CLASS 5A. Let me back that statement up: 1st Round – Graves County, who is capable of beating South and playing well in their own right. 2nd Round – at Christian County, undefeated Christian County. 3rd Round – at Bowling Green, Defending 5A State Champions. 4th Round – at Covington Catholic, #2 in the State with arguably their best team ever. 5th Round – State Final – you’ll be challenged in this game regardless. :eyeonyou::eyeonyou::eyeonyou:CRAZY DIFFICULT!!! Playoff Snapshot: South Warren has had a terrific inaugural 5A season. They played several tough team early (winning those) and 2 really tough teams late (losing those). But you have to think South learned quite a bit from those really tough games that will help prepare them for the playoff wars ahead! Solid team here! Ceiling – I may get some flak for this one, but I think South is capable of pulling some shockers; winning the Regional Championship and facing Covington Catholic in the Semi-State game. Don’t like your chances there, but would be a heck of a year if that plays out!!! Floor – Graves County is good enough to beat you in round 1, especially if the penalties are severe for South. This is your floor. Purple88 Pick: I predict South to beat Graves County is a very competitive, fist fight kind of game. Travel to undefeated Christian County and have a chance to win, but just feel it's Christian County’s year to challenge for the Regional Championship. South falls 21-20. 3) Christian County (5A) – LW: 3 - Preseason Rank: 2 - 2017 Record 10-0; [District Record 4-0] Week 10: Win 20-10 at Paducah Tilghman 3A (4-6). Congratulations on earning your first undefeated regular season of varsity football in school history! Big Deal right there considering the Colonels rich football history! Lot of hard work went into making this happen! Enjoy it this week Colonels – you’ve earned a bunny Week 1!!! :bunny::bunny::bunny: Playoff Snapshot: Not sure how you can improve on an undefeated season! But I will call to the spotlight your schedule, as it does not provide a lot of tests to get you ready for deep playoff games IMO. Now you may have prepared yourself on your own and if you have, your efforts on the field will reflect that! Let’s see what you got!!! Ceiling – This team is clearly capable of making the 4 Game Run to Lexington!!! Floor – Second Round of the Playoffs, no matter who comes to the Stadium of Champions – South Warren or Graves County – either team is good enough to beat you. Plain and simple…. Purple88 Pick: I spoke to our good friend @TackleTrap in January of this year and we predicted BG would travel to Christian County in November with the regional championship on the line. I say that plays out. While I think Christian could win that game, I just honestly feel BG is better prepared to win it. I’ll take BG 35 Christian County 21. 2) Mayfield (2A) – LW: 2 - Preseason Rank: 3 - 2017 Record 9-1; District Record 3-0] Week 10: EJ Austin Western Kentucky Game of the Week – Win 55-14 at 3A Caldwell County (8-2). When you play Mayfield in late October and you get a chance to score; you better capitalize! Mayfield puts so much pressure on you from a “having to keep up” standpoint, I think the mental fatigue took over after the Cardinals got up a couple TDs and that was all she wrote! The Cardinals 4 Phases (offense, defense, special teams, and JV) all played so well; not sure who to mention as I’ll leave many out who played well (Valuable Minutes for the Mayfield JV also - will bode well for next season:thumb:), but the dual QB position this season played by Stinson and Guthrie has been particularly impressive. Usually 2 QBs playing significantly don’t work out that well; seems just fine in Mayfield! Would also keep defensive coordinators up late at night I’d think as well! Playoff Snapshot: These Cardinals have sailed the 2017 waters with incredible seamanship! Their first 5 games saw stiff competition be overwhelmed early and often. Weary, they sailed on to Clarksville to battle a desperate (lost up in Beechwood the week before) 3A Title Contender in Corbin who had to use the “If All Else Fails” Playbook to nip the Cardinals by a FG. The ship pulled back into port for the annual recharging/District Bloodbath and just set sail again LOADED for a deep run – plowing through Princeton – on its way to Lexington!!! Ceiling: This is the Year the Cardinals can start another consecutive Championship Game appearance streak – This time at the Grocery Bag in Lexington! Floor: At the first of the year, I would have said OCath can beat you. But this game would be at Mayfield and OCath has faced too many obstacles during the season IMO – I just don’t see it. But the Desales Colts have been to Mayfield before and they’d like to win this time. They are capable and they are your floor! Purple88 Pick: I think Mayfield goes to Lexington is the bottom line. I think the first and second round games are running clocks. I’d like to think the OCath game would not be a running clock, but it might be as well. The Desales game will be Epic with the game going back and forth. I think Mayfield has more offensive ability than Desales outstanding D is used to and that’s the difference – Mayfield 28 Desales 21. Go to Lexington and get it done Cardinals!!! 1) Bowling Green (5A) – LW: 1 - Preseason Rank: 1 - 2017 Record 8-2; District Record 4-0] Week 10: Win 28-0 at 5A Bullitt Central (6-4). Just a mud bog of a game with players “tippy-toeing” around trying to find decent footing to kick it back in gear. The BG D played well as did 2nd team RB Ja’vyon Collins with 3 TDs on the night! No significant injuries which is great news! Good Regular Season Purples! Playoff Snapshot: Some will say BG didn’t have a good regular season. Then the phase “the pigs get fed and the hogs get slaughtered” comes into play as expectations have become forecast above realistic understanding. Facts are BG lost to a fired up 6A team (PRP) on the road second game of the season; St Xavier strategically places their bye week in Week 2 to prep ahead of the BG game and comes to El Donaldson Stadium and wins fair and square by 11 points. I think the young Purples learned a lot from those games! Now let’s go looking for #7!!! Ceiling: BG has the ability to make it to Lexington – plain and simple!!! Floor: I have a ton of respect for the Owensboro Red Devils, so I will say the Red Devils are their floor. It would be a HUGE disappointment for BG to lose that game, but the Red Devils are like those old firecrackers called “Jumpin Jacks”! You light them and got back quickly because you never knew where they were going to go. They made a whizzing noise and bounced around and you couldn’t get a good handle on them. That’s Owensboro! Makes me nervous for that game as I know they will play as hard as they possibly can. Purple88 Pick: The Purples have been picking up momentum steadily since 2 early season setbacks against better 6A schools. They have a deadly combination of good talent, good speed, good schedule, and a great coaching staff who has been through these firecracker infested grounds before. I think BG handles Owensboro by 21. They play the best Apollo team I’ve ever known and win by the same amount. Travel to Christian County and win by a TD. The Colonels of Covington Catholic, with arguably their best team in their illustrious history, come calling the day after Thanksgiving! Would be EPIC! My feelings are mixed on this game. My head tells me Covington Catholic will win. My heart won’t go against the men in Purple and Gold. I’ll leave it at that. But the team that wins this game; wins it all!!! Next Tier 11 Thru 15 – 11. Tier: Madisonville-North Hopkins 4A – LW: 11; Preseason: Top 15 – 2017 Record: (6-4) [District Record – 3-1] - Week 10: Win 37-6 vs 3A Fort Campbell (2-8). Solid win in tough conditions, which fits the way the Maroons want to play! Good regular season Maroons as you improve off a 4-7 2016 campaign! Playoff Snapshot: The Maroons have played well this season and really developed a strong rushing attack with Hightower and Miller, who will both pass 1,000 yards on the season. The untimely loss to Logan County put you in a MUCH tougher part of the bracket, but you still have much to play for. Purple88 Pick: One of the toughest 4A opening round games you’ll find, as the Maroons host Allen County-Scottsville. The run-first Maroons will look to set that tough physical tone, while the pass-first Patriots will look to ride the arm of their senior leader QB Chase Wilson. Both teams struggled a bit down the stretch, but I’ll go with Madisonville as when the air gets colder, it is easier to run it than throw it. The second round shows a trip to Franklin Simpson. Not this year Maroons, but still a good season overall! Warren East (4A) – LW: 12 - Preseason Rank: Outside Top 20 - 2017 Record 6-4; District Record 2-1] Week 10: Win 36-6 vs. 3A Bardstown (3-7). East just has way too many athletes for this Bardstown team. They have already doubled their win total from last season! Very good season Raiders!!! Playoff Snapshot: Outside of Logan County, I have probably been more impressed with the season Warren East has had than any other team from what I expected. If you look at their record 6 and 4, 2 of those losses were 2 of the best teams in 4A IMO Wayne County and Franklin Simpson. They lost to a good 2A team in Glasgow and a gritty 2A team in Monroe County by a combined 3 points when they were dealing with considerable injuries. Purple88 Pick: The Hopkinsville Tigers will travel to Warren East for a date on the Smurf Turf. The Tigers have been faced with more than any team should have to face in a single season (death of a teammate, loss of irreplaceable key players, change of coaching staff, and reinvigoration of their schedule going from Team Cupcake to Team Rambo!). But the Raiders must come out and just play football and I like them to win this game and travel to Russellville and face the new sheriff in town Logan County. While I do think East is good enough to beat Logan County, I just don’t think they do it here. Great Season Raiders!!! The future seems bright! 12. Tier: Graves County 5A (6-4) – Last Week (LW): 12 – District Record 2-2 - Week 10: Win 36-13 vs 4A Calloway County (0-9). Eagles double up on the poor ole’ Lakers in total yards and run behind that big OLine to get a comfortable win. Sets up the best opening round game in Class 5A when the Eagles visit South Warren! This is a good team here! Playoff Snapshot: The Eagles have had a good season. I’m sure they would have liked to have sealed the deal vs Christian County and put that as their signature win on the year. But a solid year none-the-less. Purple88 Pick: While I think you can beat South Warren, I don’t think you will and fall by 6 points. QB Mathis returns for his SR year next year and I think the Eagles will be better next year than this one! Owensboro Catholic (2A) – LW: 11 - Preseason Rank: 5 - 2017 Record 6-4; District Record 4-0] Week 10: Loss 21-16 vs 5A South Warren (8-2). I didn’t expect you to win this game Aces, but I did expect you to be competitive and that’s exactly what you did – compete at a high level on a difficult weather night. I am impressed by this effort and look for you to roll into the playoffs! Playoff Snapshot: Following the Aces this season has been like chasing water-based paint in a glass of water – they keep moving in an out of focus, mystically moving about (early season schedule) and then all of a sudden they appear as a solid film (dominant district campaign) on top. Purple88 Pick: Honestly, I’ve known the Aces path for some time now. Running clock Webster County and maybe Murray too. Travel to Mayfield with the regional championship on the line and just come up short against a better team. Nothing to fret over, you’re just going to need a complete season with much less adversity to overcome to be able to take down Mayfield. Still a good season for a team that was too hyped at the beginning of the year to no fault of their own. 13. Tier: Daviess County 6A (5-5) LW: 14 – District Record 2-2 - Week 10: Win 26-7 at 5A Apollo (7-3). This is a Big win for Daviess and sets the tone going into the playoffs! And I still think Daviess needed this game more than Apollo did. Playoff Snapshot: The Panthers have a nice offense, but seem to have trouble putting a full game together at times. I know you wish you could have that Henderson County game back. You need to win that one next year to take a step forward. Good luck. Purple88 Pick: Daviess goes to north Etown to take on North Hardin. I think you can win this game and will be pulling for you, but feel it’s a draw. With that in mind, I think you have the best player on the field (WR Marquel Tinsley) so I think you’ll win by a TD. Week 2 you have to travel to McCracken County. Don’t like your chances there even with revenge in your favor for motivation. You play a strong game; just not enough McCracken County 42- Daviess County 34. Allen County Scottsville (4A) LW: 13 - Preseason Rank: Top 20 - 2017 Record 7-3; [District Record 1-2] Week 10: 29-0 vs gritty 2A Monroe County (7-3). Grisly night; but the Patriots took care of business in this one. Sets the stage for a tough 1st round playoff game in Madisonville! Playoff Snapshot: Uneven is the first word that comes to my mind concerning ACS. QB Chase Wilson is an upper level talent, so I expected a better showing in the tougher games. They beat Greenwood by 3 before their wheels fell off and beat Glasgow by 4 in Scottsville; the rest of their wins is to a rag-tag group that have no shot at winning a playoff game. Purple88 Pick: The Patriots have to travels to Madisonville to take on a tough Maroons squad. While the Patriots could rise up and win the game, they have given me nothing to suggest that will happen. Will be a while before a better QB than Chase Wilson walks out of that Patriots locker room! 14. Tier: Owensboro (5A) – 2017 Record 4-6 – LW: 15 - Preseason Rank: 6 - [District Record 1-3] Week 10: Win 39-20 vs Henderson County (4-6). According the Riherds Page stats, Owensboro amassed over 300 yards on the ground. That is not surprising. What is surprising is that Star Imonte Owsley got the ball for 14 carries and 127 yards and 2 TDs. That is almost 3 times as many touches as the Red Devils best player touched the ball vs Apollo. Trend??? You tell me… Playoff Snapshot: Well sports fans, I was praising the Owensboro coaching staff for going to the veer last season as I still feel it was a good call at that time, but I honestly think it’s easy to armchair QB it and say they should have flipped the switch the other way this season. Just too much talent to not try to scheme to get those athletes in space. Purple88 Pick: Red Devils travel to BG in the first round. Owensboro could win this game. I just don’t think they get it done though, but they scare me honestly as they’ll have nothing to lose, play loose and compete hard. But A LOT of baggage has built up off Frederica Street. Some form of change is needed. NO WAY Owensboro should be down here in the 14th Tier!!! :no: Union County (3A) – LW: 15 - Preseason Rank: Not Ranked - 2017 Record 8-2; [District Record 2-2] Week 10: Win 39-29 vs 2A Murray (4-6) Exactly what you needed Braves fans! Got an opponent that didn’t roll over and played you pretty well, but not enough to get the win from you. Your regular season record matches the 2013 season where you also won a playoff game vs Ballard Memorial. Playoff Snapshot: The Braves have been fun to follow this season honestly. They are a tough scrappy team that plays hard and is fun to watch. Had a HUGE crowd when they hosted Top Dog Caldwell County. A bit out of their reach at the moment, but I like what’s going on over in Morganfield! Great season! Purple88 Pick: The loss to Tilghman stings now as you will have to go on the road to a really tough Larue County Hawks team that has only lost once on the road to Etown. I want you win Braves but just don’t feel it this year. But hope to see you next year at the Central Hardin 7v7! 15. Tier: Henderson County (6A) – LW: 13 - Preseason Rank: NR - 2017 Record 4-6; [District Record 3-1] Week 10: Loss 39-20 at 4-6 Owensboro. As long as you come out of this one without injury, I’d say you’re in good shape Hendo, as I think Owensboro “should” be better than you are this year. Need to ramp up now though, as a playoff win would be HUGE for this program going into the offseason! Playoff Snapshot: You may not like their record, but Coach Boston and Company are making their way back up the ladder IMO. Playing TOUGH opponents early in the season and handling their district minus McCracken County in fine fashion and hosting a playoff game. Just like in the pre-season, I would call that a win! Purple88 Pick: Host a Gritty Meade County team, but find a way to win. Travel to Etown to play Central Hardin and while you can win this game, I just don’t think you will. Prove me wrong Colonels! Good, solid season Colonels!!! Paducah Tilghman 3A (4-6) – LW: 14 – Preseason – Top 20 - Week 10: Loss 20-10 vs 5A Christian County (10-0). Team Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda gets excruciatingly close to one of the biggest upsets in the state this season, but couldn’t close out the deal in the 4th Quarter. Still a dangerous team, but likely only 1 bullet left in the Blue Tornado gun this season. Playoff Snapshot: One of the toughest schedules you’ll find in the early season for a 3A school anywhere. Still has a punchers chance for a one-time upset. Still think this team has potential, but that song gets old after a while. Purple88 Pick: Edmonson County is good enough to beat you, but I don’t think they will (Long, Long bus ride!). The bus goes the other way in Week 2 as you’ll have to roll on down the WK Parkway to Etown to face the Panthers. Just don’t see it Blue Tornado’s, but ramp up for next season and have a less turbulent off-season and I can see you making noise in 2018! Others Receiving Votes: Hopkinsville, Edmonson County, Monroe County, Greenwood, Russellville, Metcalfe County, Ohio County. Week 10 Players of the Week: (I don’t have a ton of stats this week, so please add as you find players to add here) Congratulations to all the young men who have had a spot on this list throughout the season! Great Work!!! 1) Hunter VanHooser LB – Caldwell County – Breaks the All-Time Tackler Record at Caldwell County – Congratulations!!! 2) Gabe Harned and Josh Whitis – Graves County - both over 100 yards rushing vs Calloway County! 3) Juriah Hightower – RB Madisonville – 20 carries for 177 yards and 2 TDs vs Ft Campbell! Week 10 – Teams Trending Down – Plain and Simple… Caldwell County (3A) – Down – Plain & Simple… the Tigers got their doors blown off! Bad timing. I’m aware they played Mayfield. Past Tiger teams have put up stiff battles with the Cardinals – 2017 was not one of those. Wanted to pick you to upset Etown. I know it’s just one game, but it was a bad one… Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Down – Not much more deflating for a team to have the biggest upset in the state slip thought your fingers… But Team woulda, coulda, shoulda HAD THIS GAME! I realize you were playing undefeated 5A Christian County. I still think you can upset someone you’re not supposed to, but this was a lost opportunity! Week 10 – Teams Trending Up – Plain and Simple… Christian County (5A) – Up – Congratulations Colonels on your first undefeated regular season in your schools history! BIG DEAL HERE! Best of luck going forward… :dancingpa Logan County (4A) – Up – I think they should make a movie of these guys… small county school; been down for years of consecutive losing; change coaching staff; grind out a tough 2016 season, BUT come through and get a program changing win vs Todd County Central at the end of that season, which IMO was the spring board over the winter/spring/summer to allow the Cougars to rise up in 2017 – And Rise Up they Did!!! Congratulations Cougar Nation!!! :dancingpa MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Congratulations to both Christian County (much more expected) and Logan County (no one expected) and truly memorable and inaugural undefeated regular seasons in both programs history! Historic accomplishments! Good luck to both in the playoffs!!! The Sullen 6: It’s been a long season for Breckinridge County, Butler County, Calloway County, Caverna, Fulton City, and Warren Central. I truly want all these teams to break this streak next season. Will likely be difficult, but if Logan County has taught us anything, it’s that if you believe you can and you instill confidence in young men – anything is possible! Good luck next season! 2017 WESTERN KENTUCKY REGULAR SEASON ALL WEST TEAM QB – Kolbe Langhi – Christian County RB – Tre Bass – Franklin Simpson RB - Gary Hardy – Logan County WR – Marquel Tinsley – Daviess County WR – Caleb Huskey – Warren East WR – Peyton Peters - Apollo OL – Tanner Bowles, Glasgow OL – Trevor Terrell, Mayfield OL – Jackson Burke, Owensboro DL – Jacob Lacey – South Warren LB – Justice Dingle – Bowling Green LB – Pete Cross – South Warren LB – Kyle Hurt - Mayfield DB – Saul Brady – Franklin Simpson DB – Vito Tisdale – Bowling Green DB - Trel Riley- Caldwell County S – Corey Trice – Christian County S – Imonte Owsley - Owensboro Kick Returner – Ziyon Kenner – Bowling Green ATH – Jackson Adams - Greenwood ATH – Jacob Lightfoot – Allen County-Scottsville ATH – Trevor Grant – Graves County Coach – Todd Adler, Logan County Farewell: End of the Road! It’s been a Long Road, but I hope you have found it as fun as I have! Even if you don’t agree with my rankings, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about some of our other teams out West! We have A LOT to be thankful for in having good football teams in the West! Now get out there and support your team(s) in person! It’s a great time of year! Sweatshirt and shorts weather is my absolute favorite to go watch a game. Good luck to your teams this playoff season and hope to see ya next year!

BluegrassPreps 2017 Western Kentucky Power Rankings – Preseason Edition In 2017, we head into our Third Season 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 (at least) 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 head out WEST: Preseason Top 10: 10) South Warren (4A) – 2016 Recap: [2016 Record 9-4] The Spartans were derailed early in the 2016 season after an injury plagued game at Greenwood. With MANY starters out, they gutted out an OT win at gritty 6A Central Hardin; traveled to 4A Runner up Franklin Simpson and came up just short; continued to fight on and won a game they probably shouldn’t have at Hoptown before bowing out again at Franklin Simpson. The departing Spartans are (except for Jacob Lacey) the last of the stars from the 2015 State Championship Team. QB Ryder Litten (967 yards rushing with 16 TDs; 93 completions for 1,489 yards with 15 TDs vs 9 INTs now playing at Jacksonville), WR CJ Hayes (Did it All! - Rushing for 97 yards & 1 TD; 51 catches 855 yards with 12 TDs, 5 INTs, 25 Tackles now playing at Michigan State) and RB Kayron Namvong (1,039 yards and 12 TDs) highlight a few of the outright stars that leave South Warren with considerable accomplishments. This leaves the cupboard as bare as it has been in 3 seasons, but now is the opportunity for the younger Spartans to shine. 2017 Outlook: South Warren steps up to 5A and joins Bowling Green and Greenwood in District 2. Many personnel slots will have to change as SR Cody Eblen appears to be the leader for the QB spot after recent 7on7 competitions. There is still talent at South Warren, but this season it will take time to know who will be called upon with the exception of 4-star, JR OL/DL and recent Notre Dame commit Jacob Lacy. One of the best talents in the State of Kentucky had Power 5 D1 offers from several elite college football programs and will be the leader of this team. Do they have the supporting cast this year? We shall see. Schedule Highlights: MANY criticized South Warren’s schedule in days gone by, but they won’t this season as their district and region are one of the toughest in 5A; not to mention facing Franklin Simpson and Owensboro Catholic who will both have strong teams making this season a very challenging one for Coach Smith. Week 0 GAME OF THE WEEK - vs 4A Hopkinsville – August 18, 2017 at 7PM. With Hoptown – (new coach/only recently missing top players) vs. South Warren – (new players), the only thing you can guarantee is an entertaining game and our good friend @jcarter will be there to bring us the action! 9) McCracken County (6A) – 2016 Recap: (2016 Record 7-4) The Mustangs finished 2016 on a lukewarm note as they had some dominating performances (62-20 At Daviess County) mixed with some disappointing performances (46-41 L to Mayfield and 34-10 L at home in the 6A First Round vs a very solid PRP squad). McCracken County loses 2 top shelf talents in QB Cash Jones (4 rushing TDs with 2,433 yards in the air and 37 TDs vs 8 INTs) who will be at SE Missouri State this fall and his top target, Daniel Tyce (23 catches for 319 yards and 4 TDs), will also be playing on Saturdays for Memphis. Add former DL standout Quamea Jones moving on and there is much to replace in Mustang Country. Add that to the fact that former “Should I Stay or Should I Go” Coach Shawn Jackson (must have been a fan of The Clash) has in fact moved on. But, the Mustangs made a timely, solid hire in Coach Marc Clark, formerly at Hopkinsville. Many angles to take here, but my take is this is a very good hire of a man who knows Western Kentucky football and if early pre-season photos are any indication, the Mustang faithful have already come out in large numbers to support Coach Clark and the 2017 Mustangs. 2017 Outlook: The Mustangs continue to be hard to know where to put honestly with 25 seniors departed and entering only their 5th varsity season. MANY questions and variables for Coach Clark and the Mustangs to work out: - who will play QB, who can catch the ball when it counts, who will step up on defense? I really like SR RB TaeShawn Allen to lead the offense and probably the team, but what about his OLine? Again, many questions/variables and it will take a game or two IMO to really know where this team is at. Schedule Highlights: September 1, 2017 at 5A Graves County: I think Graves will be much improved this season across the line of scrimmage and JR QB Ryan Mathis is dynamite. If the Mustangs lines are struggling; look for this to be a tough one for McCracken to pull out. This would be bad news this early in the season as the following week the Mustangs have to travel to War Memorial Stadium for a date with Mayfield. Week 0 vs arch-rival 3A Paducah Tilghman – August 19, 2016 at 7PM. 8) Hopkinsville (4A) – 2016 Recap: [2016 Record 10-2] Hoptown had a terrific 2016 campaign, 10 and 2 is a fine record, but most Tiger fans, if honest, would likely say they missed a big opportunity when they lost a tight game at home in the 2nd round of the playoffs to gritty South Warren. Such is life – you win some-you lose some, but is 10 and 2 the ceiling for the Tigers? There’s no shame in losing to a dynamite Christian County squad and scrappy South Warren. BUT, I honestly think this program is capable of more. The Ides of Change this off season hit Hopkinsville harder than any other program coming into the 2017 season. Coach Marc Clark decides to “Ease on Down the Road” with Diana Ross to McCracken County… SO there’s a New Sheriff in town. Hoptown connected on a late Hale-Mary when All-Time Winningest Tiger Coach (149-86) Craig Clayton agreed to leave a solid stop at Hillsboro High School in Nashville and Come Home! Have been told the Fan Base really never “connected” with Coach Clark. I would say that is not the case for Coach Clayton! I feel a lot of Buzz coming from this hire!!! Well the Buzz-kill came in the form of a de-energizing game of Red Light – Green Light when ultra-talented SR QB/WR Jalen Johnson (130-247 for 2,117 yards, 29 TDs vs 8 INTs, plus 437 yards rushing and 8 TDs) finally elected to transfer to Aspire Academy and pursue his basketball “Aspire”-ations. Add to that Stud WR Shorty Cager also elected to forego his senior year of football to focus on basketball (thanks to our good friend @DragonFire). Several angles to take here, but ultimately Mr. Johnson and Mr. Cager have chosen to pursue what they feel is in their best interest and I only wish them the best in that regard. But what about the football Tigers? Significant blow… No doubt about it and I had placed them farther up the rankings prior to their departure. I made this move as I fear the discontinuity surrounding the late coaching change and even later personnel disruptions have to take a toll. Doesn’t it??? 2017 Outlook: Personnel-wise, the Tigers STILL have many outstanding players. According to our good friend @chrisjung SO Javier Bland has been getting looks since the 7on7 preseason competitions at the QB position. Breakout candidate JR RB JaTorion Dillard rushed 116 times in 2016 for 827 yards and 13 TDs and he is really talented. The depleted WR core will look to Gavin Marchand and Andrew King to catch the rock for the Tigers this season. Defensively, SR Jakevis Bryant returns looking to build off 84 tackles last season. But, can the O and D Lines hold up when it counts to allow the Tigers skilled players time to make plays…. We shall see. Schedule Highlights: I have beaten the Hopkinsville Scheduling horse for some time now :deadhorse:; even referring to them as Team Cupcake, But YOWZZAA did the Tigers upgrade in 2017. They add South Warren, Mayfield, Caldwell County and Greenwood to their regular season schedule. All those teams are better than the out of district teams they replace from the 2016 schedule. Coach Clayton will have to integrate his system quickly as the early season schedule is daunting for Hopkinsville. Week 1 vs Mayfield (2A) at the Stadium of Champions in Hopkinsville, KY 7:30PM. Great Test & Big Game for both teams. Winner gets momentum very early in the season. Week 0 GAME OF THE WEEK at 4A South Warren. Tough game out of the gate for both teams. Very entertaining! Get your car washed Tiger fans and get to Bowling Green for a Chaney’s Dairy Barn Ice Cream Cone and watch your team in action as it’s going to be an entertaining season! 7) Greenwood (5A) – 2016 Recap: [2016 Record 9-3] The Gators had a great season last year only losing to 4A Runner up Franklin Simpson in a tight game, at 5A Region 1 Runner up Owensboro and 5A Champion Bowling Green. No shame there. Plus you picked up a surprising and dare I say “program raising” win against now district-mate South Warren AND dodged a little early season drama overcoming the Willie Reynolds “experiment”. But after two consecutive 9 and 3 seasons have the Gators hit their ceiling? 2017 Outlook: SR QB Jackson Adams leads the Gators on and off the field and is a special talent. As a JR, Adams continued to add to his gaudy stats (160 carries for 1,329 yards and 24 TDs). But the Gators only passed 47 times all last year and teams that could at least neutralize the Gator OLine, including all 3 teams they lost to, put the Gators in difficult situations. Undervalued talent RB/DB Malcomb Johnson graduates, which is a BIG loss for GW. Xezayier Snorton, Triston Wilson, and SO Clyde Clements should be ready to step up to carry some of the load caused by this departure. The Gator D returns 9 starters and should be anchored by the LB corps of John Bush and Alex Rhodes. I like Greenwood in the games they are supposed to win, but will it be the same song and dance for the tougher games this year… Time is of the essence for Greenwood! If the OLine can gel, watch out for Greenwood; as I may have them too low! Schedule Highlights: September 29 at South Warren. After last year’s Gator victory and with South moving into the Gator’s district, this season’s game will have A LOT riding on it (Like first round home field advantage in the playoffs)! Week 0 at 4A Warren Central at 7pm. 6) Owensboro (5A) – 2016 Recap: (2016 Record 10-3) I know of no team across the entire state of Kentucky that made more effective changes mid-season than the Owensboro Red Devils. Owensboro lost their 3rd game (to OCath by 5) and the 4th game (to BG - were not in that game) and were at a cross-roads at 2 and 2 on the relatively young season. Coach Jay Fallin revamped his entire offense from spread to veer in the matter of basically a week and guess what.... It complemented their personnel and worked beautifully! Highlighted by a tough, double overtime, district clinching win at super-tough Christian County on a frog-strangler of a night, the Red Devils did not lose another game until the Regional Championship game down in BG, where they played the Purples awfully well. Solid... Owensboro’s most notable losses are some monsters along both lines of scrimmage, RB Landon Board, who gained over 1,800 yards and 21 TDs last season, QB Zach Gross who gave the Red Devils all he had and LB/RB Malik Munday, who was a terror on both sides of the ball. 2017 Outlook: Who will play QB this year is my top question for the Red and Black as running the veer or running the spread you need a heady QB to lead the team and make smart decisions regardless of the offensive scheme. There are some line guys returning, but will the new lineman (especially offensive lineman) integrate smoothly? We shall see… We saw glimpses of the talent that is DB/RB Imonte Owsley, who will be back for his SO year. IMO a lot will be asked of Owsley, as he played more Safety than RB last season with Board running the show for the most part. Will that change this season? I anticipate so, except for a couple games. They also have some very good young LBs who should have great seasons. O has VERY strong SO and FR classes, but still likely a season away from seeing the full force of those younger Devils under the Friday Nite Lights at Rash Stadium. Schedule Highlights: September 29 at home vs. 5A District 1 Rival Christian County is one of my top regular season games in the entire Western half of the state this season. IMO this tussle at Rash Stadium will determine the district crown with the winner also likely gaining home field for the Regional Championship (barring upset). The Red Devils have a strategic open week prior to the Colonels visit. Well played… They also have a date in BG with the Purples in Week 4. Week 0 at old-rival 4A Madisonville-North Hopkins at 7PM. 5) Owensboro Catholic (2A) – 2016 Recap: (2016 Record 11-2) 2016 was a strong year for Coach Edge’s Aces with signature wins against city-rival 5A Owensboro and solid 6A North Hardin. However, I am sure the season ending home loss to Mayfield left an empty feeling for the Aces. OCath does lose 12 seniors to graduation and some outstanding football players, most notably WR Tre Green (42 catches for 738 yards and 11 TDs) and LB Christopher MacKay (116 tackles). Most Ace’s fans are very upbeat, however, with what should be another terrific season off West Parrish Avenue. 2017 Outlook: OCath has one of the strongest rising JR Classes you will find. Most notable are QB Will Warren (160 completions for 2,152 yards with 33 TDs vs 12 INTs), RB Vonn Williams (1,808 yards rushing with 19 TDs), and WR Nick Mills (37 receptions for 566 yards and 7 TDs). According to our good friend @Rambo4343, defensively the DLine and LB positions will be strengths, with SR LB Nick Blair returning to the grid-iron off his 147 tackles in the 2015 campaign. Also SR LB Josh Sloan will look to improve on his 107 2016 tackles. But how will the OLine come together? That’s my biggest concern for the Aces in 2017. Schedule Highlights: The Aces play 2 good Indiana teams (Evansville Reitz and South Spencer) plus a season ending battle against 4A South Warren. Terrific out-of-district schedule counterbalances their weak district slate. This schedule should have the Aces on track for another deep playoff run where most foresee another meeting with the Mayfield Cardinals for the Regional Championship. But this year that game would be at Mayfield. Week 0 August 18 vs. County Rival 6A Daviess County at 7pm. 4) Franklin Simpson (4A) – 2016 Recap: (2016 Record 14-1) The Wildcats had an outstanding, benchmark 2016 campaign handling short-term rival South Warren and winning the most games during any one season in Franklin Simpson’s history. Now if that isn’t noteworthy, I don’t know what is. And how about Coach Preston and staff implementing an effective passing threat to the offense. It kept defenses guessing and that was HUGE. Yes, the naysayers will complain about dropping the state championship game to the Johnson County Golden Eagles, but truth be told it took the Belfry Semi-Pro Mighty Pirates to derail them. Gone are standouts OL/DL Cole Kirby and QB Jackson Caudill to name 2 of the toughest to replace. 2017 Outlook: Hard to improve on a perfect regular season, but Coach Preston will be ready, as will ultra-talented SR RB/DB Saul Brady, who will need to be “The Man” this year and expand above his JR year production of over 1,000 yards rushing, 9 TDs and 77 tackles. According to our good friend @macdon, the Wildcats will look to SR Rylan Thomas to lead at QB with speedster Tre Bass in the backfield along with bruiser FB Carlos McKinney. And thanks to our good friend @fastaslightin, who reports 6’5” WR Jevon Covington should be a difference maker on the outside and give the Wildcat multiple offensive weapons to keep their opponents guessing. Several line stalwarts remain including OL Jack Randolf and DL Dion Pearson, but a few other line spots are still working themselves out. 7 starters return to the Wildcat defense, if Coach Preston can find suitable players to plug in those other 4 positions, Look Out!, as this defensive unit could be special. Look for the Wildcats to be a very tough out again in 2017. Schedule Highlights: The District appears to have eased considerably for the Wildcats with South Warren now pulling into the 5A Train Station. With that said, Franklin Simpson should be the CLEAR district favorite and set up a terrific regional battle with Hoptown in the 4A west bracket for the right to go to the semi-finals and possibly Kroger Field. Week 0 August 18 at home vs. Elizabethtown at 7PM. AWESOME GAME right out of the gate right here! Some say E-town has Title aspirations of their own this season. This one will let you know where you stand early Wildcat fans!!! 3) Mayfield (2A) – 2016 Recap: [2016 Record 13-1] Mayfield continues to be Team Consistency losing only 6 games from the 2010 thru 2016 seasons. But all good things must come to an end they say. Mayfield came up short in their semi-final game last season at eventual 2A Champion Christian Academy of Louisville (CAL) in their bid to win 5 straight State Championships. No shame there. Who wouldn’t take 5 championships and 7 state championship game appearances in 8 years? Mayfield graduates some outstanding football players led by QB Landon Arnett (2,952 yards passing with 38 TDs vs 8 INTs), his brother LB Kinser Arnett and Mr. Football Candidate and All-Time Leading Rusher (and that’s sayin something at Mayfield) RB Trajan Bright (1,635 yards and 23 TDs while only playing in 10 of 13 games). 2017 Outlook: Mayfield has leaned on a young, inexperienced OLine the last couple seasons, but that will change in 2017, as it is arguably the strongest and deepest unit they have this season led by All WKC Trevor Terrell, 1 of 4 returning OLine starters. Skill-wise they are deep at WR, but the RB and QB spots will likely be filled by committee this season. At RB look for JR Trey Matthews and SO Travon Halliburton to get the most touches. Both are very athletic and either could also play WR, if needed. At QB, Big Red will look to SO Jaden Stinson (pure passer with high football IQ) and JR Connor Guthrie (dual-threat athlete) to lead Coach Morris’ 2017 squad. Thanks to our good friend @Toothpick for his input in this section and who reports Guthrie’s twin brother will play football again this season. He is a 6’4” difference maker on the outside and if the Cardinals can get some QB continuity - Look Out! Defensively, Mayfield should be strong as usual with the entire secondary returning. The defensive tackles will have new faces, but the DE’s are really good ones in JR Quorterrius Cherry and JR Brady Smith. At LB, graduation hit hard with 2 standout starters departing, but SR Kyle Hurt is back and is a really good one! SR Nate Fox should join him but the third LB is still being determined. Overall, Mayfield will be Mayfield, especially if the QB can gain some early confidence. And Mayfield will need them to be ready, as they always play a stiff schedule. So could the 12 Time State Champions add to their hardware this season? The western half of the 2A bracket is very difficult, but as our good friend @snakesnot_2000 said, you will have to beat Mayfield on their home field if you want to move on this season and that is a very difficult task indeed. Schedule Highlights: August 25 at 4A Hopkinsville (Stadium of Champions as part of the Toyota of Hopkinsville Jerry Claiborne Bowl) 7:30pm. Great test for both teams! The Cardinals should be tested in this one with the ever-athletic Tigers! Lot of early momentum on the line. Week 0 August 18 at Union City, TN at 7PM. I admit that I don’t know that much about Union City, but several Cardinal supporters say they are likely one of the top returning 2A schools in the entire State of Tennessee – Terrific Opener! Hope the Cardinals get a big W and start the season off on the right foot against the Golden Tornados! 2) Christian County (5A) – 2016 Recap: (2016 Record 9-3) The Colonels had a terrific 2016 campaign, as their defense continued to improve throughout the season and their offense scored in at least the high 30’s against everyone but the grudge match vs Hopkinsville, Owensboro and Bowling Green. And even in those games they were very effective when they needed to be. The Colonels were unable to win the 2016 District thanks to an intense, double OT game against district foe Owensboro. Christian County played at a high level most of last season thanks in large part to ultra-athlete, Purdue signee WR Keyron Catlett, who played as well as anyone in the west last season. 2017 Outlook: County has been building for last season and this season as many key Colonels return for their SR campaign, namely D1 prospect and 4-year starter QB Kolbe Langhi (rushed for 159 yards on 66 carries and 6 TDs; Passed 166-264 for 2,425 yards and 23 TDs vs 13 INTs). Also ultra-athletic SR WR JaQuon Long (40 catches for 652 yards and 7 TDs) will lead a younger but very talented group of WRs Langhi will have at his disposal. Our good friend @TackleTrap reports better depth and size on the 2017 County O and D Lines than he can recall in recent memory. And our good friend @BigTiger55 reports 10 SRs and 1 JR will start on an experienced, stingy and gritty defensive squad that will be very tough for opposing offenses to navigate. If County has good offensive continuity, this team has all it takes to go all the way in 2017. County fans, I seriously considered you for the top spot on this ranking, but the reason I did not place you there “yet” is in order to Be the Man you have to Beat the Man. Additionally, your 2017 schedule does not do you any favors for the playoffs IMO as far as really testing you in your out of district matchups. But you have a team this season that can challenge anyone in the state and I am very high on you in 2017. It’s going to be a great season in Colonel Country! Get Ready Colonel Fans Come Out & Support Your Team! Schedule Highlights: It should be noted that County does not play Bowling Green during the 2017 regular season for the first time since 2014. I personally think this is a great move for County as the mental part of the game takes a toll when you lose (makes the victor more confident & the loser less confident) and I feel this has hurt both Christian County and Owensboro vs BG in the past few seasons. However, we fans clearly lose by them not playing early. But job #1 is to win the District, which will be no easy task, as 5A District 1 has in recent past run through Rash Stadium (Owensboro) and this year will be no different as the Colonels will travel to Daviess County on September 29 for some Old Hickory Barbeque and a date with district rival Owensboro Red Devils. Week 0 August 18 at 3A Caldwell County at 8pm. 1) Bowling Green (5A) – 2016 Recap: [2016 Record 15-0] And here come the Purples! The defending 5A State Champions are 84 and 3 since 2010. 22 stalwart SRs graduate from one of the most potent Purples squads in history, most notably, Mr Football and Naval Academy signee RB Jamale Carothers, who re-wrote the Purples record book in yardage and TDs (no simple task), ultra-steady QB Clark Payne, who is #5 ALL-TIME on the KHSAA Completion % rankings at 65.8%, and All-State WR/magician DeAngelo Wilson. On D, standout DLine Dalen Cofer and 5 other starters graduated. All 22 Seniors will be missed, as they played extremely well for BG for multiple seasons. 2017 Outlook: So where do the Purples go from here? On offense, the QB job will be turned over to JR Beau Buchanon (his dad was a Purples QB as well, so it’s in his blood!). Speedy and ultra-athletic SR WR Ziyon Kenner will move to the lead WR role where he should shine with gritty SR WR Nash Hightower on the other side with Tre Jones and Ivan Drobocky getting looks at TE. Three OLine Starters graduate, but plenty remain to compete for their chance to finally start alongside returning JR OT turned C Sam Vitale, who should be D1 before it’s all said and done. In the backfield, when a 3-year starting RB graduates it is significant. When that RB turns out to be Mr Football (Jamale Carothers) it is monumental. Coach Wallace will shuffle the deck and move heralded SO Vito Tisdale back to RB from DB where he started all last season as a Frosh. The ultra-athletic Tisdale returns to the offensive side of the ball and now appears set to be The Man and carry the load for the Purples this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play D in a few games as well, but very few. Defensively, Georgia Tech bound SR LB/DL Justice Dingle will anchor the BG D with Dline/LB Devan Jackson, who is also getting D1 looks. When Dingle plays on the DL, SR LB J’son Beason will be the lead LB and has plenty of experience. With Tisdale moving over to offense, 3 newer secondary players will be called upon to contribute alongside steady JR S Davis Tomblinson. I was impressed with the young Purples secondary down in Dalton, GA (especially standout SO S Evan Spader – yes he is Coach Spader’s youngest son and he is a good one!) this summer and know the coaches are high on them as well, but the schedule will throw them into the fire early as is typical for most Purples schedules. Finally, K Lee Ramsey graduates after kicking for 4 seasons – great job! He will be replaced most likely by SO Dalton Major. Schedule Highlights: I think the young Purples will struggle some out of the gate and likely take a few losses this season as it will take some time for the new faces to gel especially against 6A St Xavier and at 6A Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP). I usually put the St X game as my highlight, but have decided to change to Week 1 August 25, 2017 at 6A PRP at 7:30 pm. PRP is no slouch; they gave Trinity a good game in 2016 and only lost at Male by 3 in the playoffs. PRP returns all their skill guys who are seniors and will be a tough test for sure. It will be the younger Purples first true road test very early in the season. It will also set the stage for Week 2 when St Xavier drives down I-65 for a battle at El Donaldson Stadium. I’m already pumped about it! Week 0 vs. 6A North Hardin – Saturday August 19, 2017 - Rafferty’s Bowl 8PM at WKU. Got to see the Trojans in late July at the Central Hardin 7v7 and they had some fine athletes, but know they graduated their team leader and QB from last season. Looking forward to a tough game at the Rafferty’s Bowl! Good Enough to Make the Top 10 This Season: Graves County (5A) – According to our good friend @Eagle_Pride!!, Graves County has implemented a new offense. They return 4 offense lineman and QB as well as gaining a running back that transferred in. On the defensive side of the ball they will be under the direction of a new coordinator, Nick Kemp. They will utilize a basic 3-4 defense. 11 to 15 could be too low for the Eagles, as I really like their QB Ryan Mathis, but who would I bump out? If they beat McCracken County in Week 2, it will take care of itself. Caldwell County (3A) – Solid 2016 season, but graduation, plus the unforeseen loss of standout QB Shane Burns to “focus on baseball”, pushes the Tigers down to this range. They still have some solid football players and Coach Barnes is capable of rallying the troops, but the hill to climb, especially with an out-of-district slate that includes Christian County, Graves County, Hopkinsville and Mayfield, is beyond pretty steep this year I fear. Russellville (1A) – Outstanding 2016 season at 12 and 2! No shame in losing to eventual 1A Champ Beechwood after a 4 hour bus ride. Many great, classic 2-way players graduate including QB/DB Jaylyn McMurray and RB/DB Johnny Drumgole, but the roster is not totally bare. Look for the Panthers to continue to be the best 1A squad in the West but not by a lot, as Crittenden County closes the gap on them in 2017. Madisonville – North Hopkins (4A) – According to our good friend @Maroonman, the Maroons should field a “respectable team” this season with solid young players leading the charge for this mostly SO and JR laden team. JR RB Aaron Miller and SO LB Krey Cunningham will lead their respective units. Look for the Maroons to start their march back up the rankings this season. Paducah Tilghman (3A) – Team Casino brings in high profile alum Kurt Barber as new Head Coach in 2016. After an “uneven” 6 and 6 year, he has moved on to Louisville and now new Coach Steve Duncan will be tasked at providing some semblance of structure to a team that has had 4 Head Coaches in 5 years. Lots of talented players, but what about the O Line and D Line? What about team continuity? You tell me. Top 20 Tier: Glasgow (2A) – Outstanding SR Class moves on from a very solid 2016 campaign. Two very good RBs should provide leadership in SR Selverio Greer and JR Trayjan Bradley for Coach Garmon. Look for another solid year, but facing the Jefferson County 2A Beasts is still their ceiling I fear. Beat Russellville and you move up to the group above this one! Small steps Scotties…. Small steps… Daviess County (6A) – Have arguably the best WR in the West and one of the top in the State in rising Jr Marquel Tinsley. Having him alone gets you here. Do they have anything else? We’ll know early on as they play formidable 2A OCath and 4A John Hardin right out of the gate. Henderson County (6A) – Coach Josh Boston returns for his 2nd season. 2016 saw the Colonels field an extremely young team plus a very formidable schedule. All the primary contributors on offense are back. If the Defense can find some answers look for them to improve on their 3 and 8 record. Beat Daviess County again and you get another home playoff game. I’d call that a win! Rome wasn’t built in a day Colonel Fans! Hang in there as I like your Coach! Allen County – Scottsville (4A) – The Patriots were devastated in 2016 when star QB Chase Wilson suffered a season ending knee injury about half way through the year in a district game vs Warren East. He is back this year and will do his best to make his SR year a memorable one for the Patriots! Look for Cayden Ross rising JR RB/DB to have a bigger impact than last year and be all over the field for Coach Hood. Calloway County (4A) – Mr. Everything Jacob Bellah (QB & S) returns for his senior year. They should be respectable and beat the teams they are supposed to and lose to the team they are supposed to. Their game vs Madisonville should be very entertaining with a lot on the line; as the winner likely gets a first round home game in the playoffs! Crittenden County (1A) – There’s no reason the Rockets can’t be in this group. As our good friend @Voice of Reason reported yesterday, they have been playing young players and building to this season for a couple years. Jr. QB Hunter Boone returns as a starter and should be one of the top QB’s in 1A. See how the Rockets do on September 8 vs solid 3A Caldwell County and we’ll know a lot more about where the Rockets stand in 2017. Other Western Kentucky Notes: Logan County (4A) – Our good friend @Racer89 was correct in predicting the Cougars would beat Todd County Central and end the State’s longest losing streak. I like what Coach Adler is doing down off Bowling Green Road in Russellville. I predict they double their win total from 2016 and the Cougars gain some momentum! Fulton County (1A) – On an 24 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) – Breckinridge County, Fort Knox, Caverna, Hopkins County Central, and Fulton City are the early opponents. Surely, the Rebels can get ONE of those, Right??? Muhlenberg County (6A) – Solid 2016 Campaign at 7 and 4, but All-Mustang Hunter Combs graduates. District foes other than McCracken County(?) are manageable. Caverna (1A) – Did not register 1 extra point during the entire 2016 season. Went for 2 every time. “Why did you go for 2 Coach Hayes? (Woody Hayes – Legendary Ohio State Coach in a game vs arch-rival Michigan) – “Because they wouldn’t let me go for 3!” My kind of team – Go Colonels! Also did not register a win in 2016. Hope that changes for new Head Coach Eric Lasley! Game of the Week – Week 0: #5 Hopkinsville at #10 South Warren 8/18/17 @7PM Hopkinsville has many fine athletes, but could be mis-firing early in the season, like a shiny 57 Chevy with two of its primary spark plugs missing (in ultra-talented SRs Jalen Johnson and Shorty Cager) when they travel an hour over to Nashville Road in Bowling Green to take on the new look Spartans in their first game as a 5A squad. MANY, MANY variables to diagnose here, but one thing is for sure: our good friend @jcarter will be there and will report on how it plays out. This will be a good and informative matchup of former playoff rivals. You should also be aware that #4 Franklin Simpson hosts Etown; #9 McCracken County hosts cross town rival Paducah Tilghman; and #5 Owensboro Catholic hosts cross town rival Daviess County and ALL are Fantastic opening week games! If you can’t get excited about those matchups, you may need to take up arts and crafts as a hobby!!! Pre-Season “Big Droppers” Adair County (3A) – Down – This is really another curtain call for the best football teams Adair County has ever fielded. 2016 saw the Indians go 8 and 4 after a thrilling 10 and 2 2015 campaign. I really like Coach Clay Stephens and think he is a good coach. I also think the Indians can have a successful season, but more tempered expectations are needed to coincide with the solid schedule Adair plays taking into account those that have graduated off those high-flying teams. I just witnessed Green, Taylor and Hart Counties in Central Hardin’s 7v7 and I was really impressed with all those teams when I didn’t expect to be. So the Indians have their work cut out for them. Best of luck. Butler County (2A) – The King has passed! But Long Live The King! QB/DB “King” Rex Henderson (1,344 yds rushing with 28 TDs, 28 yards from 2,500 passing yards with 29 TDs vs only 7 INTs, on D he had 4 INTs, 1 fumble recovery, washed the governor’s car (if you made it this far, you deserve to laugh) and 40 tackles)) is the best football player ever to come out of Butler County High School IMO. The Bears went 8 and 4 in his SR year and if someone did more and meant more to his team than Henderson, I’d like to know about it! Best of luck Bears, it will likely be a tough season! Pre-Season “Big Risers” Greenwood (5A) – Up – Time is of the essence Gator Fans! Climbing to the summit of High School Football takes talent, good coaching, planning, dedication, and luck. Greenwood has been on that climb. They currently have the school’s best QB in their history. This is his Senior Year. Could this be the year Gator fans? It seems 4 of the 5 ingredients mentioned have assembled along Scottsville Road this year. Add a little of the other ingredient and Look Out 5A! Owensboro Catholic (2A) – Up – Coach John Edge came to OCath in 2004 and went all the way to the State Championship game losing a tough game to the Belfry Pirates 28-21. Since then, he has continually been building and building and had VERY fine football players – QB Ray Zuberer and LB John Mark Boarman to name just two. But this season, the Aces have Young Talent that contributed significantly last year. If the lines gel, could the Aces ride that momentum past the Mayfield roadblock and Louisville pit-falls all the way to Kroger Field? You tell me… ALL WEST – PRE-SEASON TEAM (22 Players Total, plus Coach) QB – Kolbe Langhi, Christian County QB – Will Warren, Owensboro Catholic RB – JaTorion Dillard , Hopkinsville RB – Vonn Williams – Owensboro Catholic WR – Marquel Tinsley, Daviess County WR – JaQuon Long, Christian County WR – Ziyon Kenner, Bowling Green OL – Tanner Bowles, Glasgow OL – Trevor Terrell, Mayfield OL – Jackson Burke, Owensboro DL – Jacob Lacey, South Warren DL – Dion Pearson, Franklin Simpson LB – Justice Dingle, Bowling Green LB – Kyle Hurt, Mayfield LB – Jacob Naylor, Russellville DB – Saul Brady, Franklin Simpson DB – Trel Riley, Caldwell County S – Cory Trice, Christian County S – Imonte Owsley, Owensboro Athlete – Vito Tisdale, Bowling Green Athlete – Jackson Adams, Greenwood K – Taylor Harton, Hopkinsville (made 13 FGs and 40 XPs – most FGs I could find!) Coach – Doug Preston, Franklin Simpson (I could put MANY coaches here and would not be wrong as we have MANY strong coaches in our region, but Coach Preston & Staff implemented a passing attack last season and it was IMO the difference in losing early in the playoffs vs making it all the way to the 4A State Championship Game – Outstanding Job Coach Preston!) It’s going to be a GREAT YEAR sports fans! What do you think/like/dislike? Pitch all together? What would you change & why?