All of this week’s top games involve two district rivals playing for home-field advantage in the playoffs. The best game could very well between two Boone County rivals, Conner at Ryle, who are battling for a home game in the playoffs (All games Friday at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted and with CoachesAid.com rankings):
Ryle senior tight end Tate Nichols blocks a Simon Kenton defender during a game, Oct. 8. Photo taken by Scott Davis of ScottDavis.smugmug.com.
Conner (7-1, Class 6A) at Ryle (5-2, No. 7 in Class 6A): While Simon Kenton appears to be a lock to receive a home playoff game, Conner and Ryle could decide who will get the other home game in their district. Last year these two teams played a classic, where an injured Nick West led Conner to a 17-14 win. This season, West is healthy and playing extremely well. On the season, West is 112-of-178 passing for 1,678 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also has 774 yards and 15 touchdowns on 104 carries. Surprisingly, West still doesn’t have any Division I offers. On the other side, Ryle also has its own star power in running back Travis Elliott, quarterback Conner Hempel and tight end Tate Nichols (Stanford commit). Look for a story featuring Ryle and its head coach, Bryson Warner, on Friday. At the game itself, CoachesAid.com will be updating you live through its blog.
Sheldon Clark (5-2, No. 6 in Class 3A) at Belfry (5-2, No. 3 in Class 3A): Sheldon Clark, which was ranked No. 1 in CoachesAid.com’s 3A rankings for one week this season, gets a chance to re-enter the top five when it takes on the Belfry Pirates. The Cardinals were the top-ranked team after defeating Breathitt County, 6-0, in their first game of the season. The win appeared to be an upset – however, Breathitt County has struggled this season. Sheldon Clark has losses to Lawrence County and Prestonsburg. Its biggest win came against Johnson Central (ranked in 5A). District foe Belfry has also lost to Prestonsburg. The Pirates’ other loss came against Ashland Blazer. Keep your eye on the Belfry backfield, which features a lethal duo in Thomas Varney (954 yards on 116 carries) and Chase Maynard (490 yards on 80 carries).
Raceland (5-3, No. 8 in Class 1A) at Lexington Christian (6-1, No. 1 in Class 1A): Lexington Christian has certainly been impressive this season, losing only to rival Lexington Catholic (No. 5 in Class 4A) by one point. Mr. Football candidate Dominique Hayden leads the Eagles. Hayden has rushed for 1,279 yards and 21 touchdowns on 125 carries. He has also caught 12 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns. Lexington Christian quarterback Lucas Witt has been equally as impressive, throwing for 1,094 yards and 17 touchdowns. Raceland defeated the Eagles 37-35 last season before losing to them 27-20 in the third round of the state playoffs. The Rams come into this game on a four-game winning streak.
DeSales (4-3, No. 6 in Class 2A) at Christian Academy (6-1, No. 7 in Class 2A): DeSales could move up the 2A rankings with a solid showing against Christian Academy. The Colts have endured a tough schedule, with all of their losses coming against 6A opponents. However, DeSales defeated Western (ranked 4A team) and had a 47-0 win against Holy Cross (Louisville). Christian Academy’s only loss came against Lexington Christian. For the sake of comparison, the Centurions defeated the same Holy Cross team, 10-7. DeSales running back Andrew Beeler, who has rushed for 719 yards and nine touchdowns on 109 carries, leads the Colts.
Highlands (7-0, No. 1 in Class 5A) at Covington Catholic (4-3, Class 5A) Saturday, 1 p.m.: When it comes to Kentucky’s greatest rivalries, this matchup is one of the best. However, this year’s game should be fairly lopsided as the Bluebirds enter ranked No. 9 in USA Today’s Super 25 national rankings. Traditionally, Covington Catholic has been one of Northern Kentucky’s strongest teams. This season, it is beginning to climb back to the top with new head coach Dave Wirth. The Colonels began the season with three straight losses but are currently on a four-game winning streak with impressive victories against Campbell County, Beechwood and Newport Central Catholic. One of the state’s big-name recruits, Austin Collinsworth, leads the Bluebirds. For the season, Collinsworth has 731 yards and 13 touchdowns on 88 carries.
West Jessamine (7-0, No. 8 in Class 4A) at Boyle County (7-0, No. 1 in Class 4A): Both teams enter this game undefeated. However, Boyle County has convincing wins over quality opponents -- it beat Johnson Central 49-7 and Lafayette 48-6. The Rebels feature another Mr. Football candidate in running back Rees MacShara, who has 1,386 yards and 17 touchdowns on 89 carries. West Jessamine also likes to run the football and features running back Duke Brown and quarterback Matt Carbol. Win or lose, the Colts should be proud of their season thus far after finishing 3-8 last season.
Rowan County (6-2, Class 4A) at Lawrence County (7-0, No. 7 in Class 4A): This matchup last season would have never made the list, as both programs finished well below .500. The Vikings, who finished 4-7 last season, defeated Lawrence County 46-0 in 2008. That’s not saying much, as Lawrence didn’t win a game last season. This season, Lawrence County has quality wins against Sheldon Clark and Shelby Valley. This game should decide the district championship. Lawrence County has benefited from a solid rushing attack, led by Shane Pack (911 yards and 15 touchdowns on 97 carries). Rowan County also loves to run the ball and is led by running back Darrell Cross (1,301 yards and 15 touchdowns on 130 carries).
Fern Creek (6-1, No. 6 Class 6A) at Shelby County (5-2, Class 6A): It is time to see what Fern Creek is made of, as the Tigers begin a rough three-game stretch to end the regular season. Fern Creek has yet to lose to a Kentucky foe, but now is in the middle of district play and will play two consecutive games against teams (Shelby County and Louisville Male) that are on cusp of being ranked in 6A. To make matters more interesting, both opponents are district rivals. Shelby County is looking for its first district win after losing to Male last week. The Rockets are led by quarterback Branden Cresap, who is one of the state’s best. Fern Creek also has some star power in running back Jerrell Moore and quarterback Bryan Hynes.
Mason County (7-0, No. 1 in Class 3A) at West Carter (4-3, Class 3A): The Royals have continued to reel off wins and now face a West Carter team that recently fell out of the Top 10 after a 28-25 loss to Fleming County. Mason County features offensive playmakers in running back Josh Harris (707 yards and 13 touchdowns on 79 carries) and quarterback Neal Pawsat (1,190 passing yards and 12 touchdowns). For the sake of comparison, West Carter lost to Russell 14-12 and Mason County defeated Russell 34-21 last week.
St. Xavier (6-1, No. 1 in Class 6A) at duPont Manual (3-4, Class 6A): After beginning the season with four straight losses to some great opponents, duPont Manual has won three straight. Many high school sports followers in Louisville believe that the Rams should be ranked in 6A. St. Xavier, on the other hand, is currently 6A’s top team and has yet to be challenged by in-state opponent. The Tigers have playmakers on both sides of the football and could be Kentucky’s most-talented squad.
Special thanks to Scott Davis of ScottDavis.smugmug.com for providing CoachesAid.com with pictures such as the one of Tate Nichols above. There are great quality pictures available for purchase of last week's games - Ryle at Simon Kenton and Bellevue at Dayton at ScottDavis.smugmug.com.
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