Champions

Newport Central Catholic
From 2-5 to state champions...what a fantastic turnaround.

Mercer County
Will be questioned forever about their validity in their class, but many will remember these Titans.

Covington Catholic
Stepped out of Highlands's shadow and stayed in the sun until the end.

Trinity
Another state championship for the best football program in the state.

The Playoffs - Round Four

Some quick hits from the eight playoff games held on Friday night...

--Danville, once again, squashed Mayfield's title hopes with a dominant 27-0 victory. The Admirals have looked dominant all playoffs and will be difficult to stop next week when all is on the line.

--Newport Central Catholic continued their marvelous playoff run with a big 40-24 win over Somerset. The Briar Jumpers fell for the first time since early September, and Catholic will move on to the title game despite their five early losses.

--It now looks inevitable: Mercer County, with a monstrous 43-0 beating of a good Owensboro Catholic team, motors toward Louisville looking for a 15-0 perfect season. Who dares to stand in their way?

--It will be Russell that tries, as the Red Devils snuffed rival Belfry 19-0 to advance to the state championship. Despite a less than challenging season schedule, the Red Devils stepped it up when it counted, and now they will have their shot at the Titans.

--Bowling Green breathed a sigh of relief after escaping the clutches of Central by a 21-14 score. The close margin represented a change of sorts for the Purples, as they hadn't broken a sweat during the first three weeks of the playoffs.

--Covington Catholic moves on to the Class 3A championship game with a solid 38-14 victory over a previously undefeated Johnson Central squad. It was a fantastic season for the Golden Eagles, but all eyes will be on the Purples and Colonels next week in Louisville.

--The dream run ends for Henderson County, as northern Kentucky power Ryle pulled out the guns to win 59-28. Ryle now faces the toughest test of them all in Louisville next weekend, as the Raiders gun for a championship.

--Trinity escaped Henry Clay and Lexington with a good 56-35 win. Now the Shamrocks head back west and face a Ryle team that has been solid all season, but Trinity will be favored by a wide margin to repeat as state champions.

Class '4A' Playoff Preview (R4)

Semifinal One
Henderson County @ Ryle

Records: Henderson County (10-2), Ryle (11-2)
Common Opponents: None

Henderson County: a team of destiny? The Colonels appear to be in that mold, what with upset wins over Owensboro and Warren Central, plus the inordinate amount of adversity the team had to go through this season. Even if their run ended in the state semifinals, it wouldn’t be a disappointing finish. But the opportunity is there for Henderson County to make a state finals appearance. Ryle is still a mystery team, one of the many from Northern Kentucky who appeared solid throughout the year. Ryle defeated a weaker Meade County team to reach this round, so they haven’t faced the test that Henderson County faced. Couple that with this dream run, and I think the Colonels keep the dream alive for one more round.

Henderson County 45 Ryle 30
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Semifinal Two
Trinity @ Henry Clay

Records: Trinity (12-1), Henry Clay (12-1)
Common Opponents: None

While Male was the dominant team throughout the regular season, it will be the defending state champion Trinity Shamrocks that represent Louisville’s 4A powerhouses in the state semifinals. And awaiting them will be the team that dominated Lexington this season—the Henry Clay Blue Devils. After the late season loss to Lafayette, Henry Clay has rolled over every opponent, including dominant playoff performances over Scott County and Woodford County. But Trinity is another animal from what Henry Clay has seen so far, and it will take a perfect effort from them to pull the upset. I think this is the most compelling game of the weekend. Nobody is picking Henry Clay to upset Trinity, and I’m not going to either. But I have a feeling that this game will go down to the wire, but as Trinity has proven (see last week), they make the plays down the stretch to close the deal.

Trinity 23 Henry Clay 20

Class '3A' Playoff Preview (R4)

Semifinal One
Bowling Green @ Central

Records: Bowling Green (12-1), Central (12-1)
Common Opponents: None

Much of Class 3A's attention this season has centered around Bowling Green and the dominant team in Northern Kentucky, which was assumed to be Highlands but has proven to be Covington Catholic. Many figure that both the Purples and the Colonels are on a collision course for the finals, but don't forget Louisville Central, which rode under the radar this season in an underrated 3rd district. However, it will be a tough chore for Central to derail the Purples, who have been rolling all season long since an opening week loss to St. Xavier. If Central can keep it close until the final quarter, anything can happen. But I feel the Purples are a bit too strong.

Bowling Green 33 Central 17
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Semifinal Two
Covington Catholic @ Johnson Central

Records: Covington Catholic (10-3), Johnson Central (13-0)
Common Opponents: None

This game represents the classic hot-shot team from the urban area matched up against the rural school that nobody knows about. And in this case, that rural school is pretty good. What a season it has been for Johnson Central. The Golden Eagles have zoomed through thirteen games with flying colors, and along with Mercer County are the only teams that remain unbeaten this season. But Covington Catholic, who assumed the throne of worthy-challenger-to-Bowling-Green from the Highlands Bluebirds, will pose the greatest test the Golden Eagles have faced this season. Will they pass the test? Call me crazy, but...

Johnson Central 35 Covington Catholic 30

Class '2A' Playoff Preview (R4)

Semifinal One
Owensboro Catholic @ Mercer County

Records: Owensboro Catholic (9-4), Mercer County (13-0)
Common Opponents: None

When it was announced that Harrodsburg High would merge with Mercer County, and the school would stay in Class 2A, immediate predictions were made about how good this Titan team could be. Through the first three rounds of the playoffs, Mercer County has not been tested in the least degree. But Owensboro Catholic, who is no stranger to state championship play, should be able to at least give the Titans a small scare. The Aces, which slid past Trigg County last weekend in overtime, have the momentum and the history to give the Titans a run for their money, and I believe this game will be much closer than people think at first glance.

Mercer County 31 Owensboro Catholic 21
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Semifinal Two
Russell @ Belfry

Records: Russell (12-1), Belfry (11-2)
Common Opponents: Ashland Blazer
Ashland Blazer d. Russell 24-21 (3 OT)...Ashland Blazer d. Belfry 28-27 (OT)

While Mercer County grabbed all the attention this season, the traditional Eastern Kentucky powers continued to go about their business, as both Belfry and Russell make it to the state semifinals once again. Both have been quiet this season; the three losses between them though have all come in overtime, two of which came to Ashland Blazer. But now both the Red Devils and the Pirates are on their best game, and this one should be a classic. How much did that shootout with Middlesboro take from Belfry last week? Not enough to prevent them from returning to the state championship game, I think.

Belfry 33 Russell 27 (2 OT)

Class 'A' Playoff Preview (R4)

Semifinal One
Mayfield @ Danville

Records: Mayfield (11-2), Danville (12-1)
Common Opponents: None

And once again, the traditional power from Western Kentucky and the traditional power from Central Kentucky meet again one step from the state championship. It hasn't been a flawless year for Mayfield, but they haven't lost since September 8th and hasn't been seriously challenged during the first three rounds of the playoffs. Danville exacted their revenge against Frankfort in the second round and blitzed Bethlehem in the third, a team that put out #1 and previously undefeated Bardstown. The Admirals are on a roll again, and I don't see their ship sinking this weekend, especially at home.

Danville 30 Mayfield 14
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Semifinal Two
Newport Central Catholic @ Somerset

Records: Newport Central Catholic (8-5), Somerset (9-4)
Common Opponents: None

Don't let the records fool you; these are two quality teams that have taken seperate roads to where they are this weekend. Somerset dropped their first four games, but since then, only Harlan has come within shouting distance of the Briar Jumpers. However, their road to the state semifinals has not been that challenging; perhaps only Mayfield has had an easier road. That cannot be said of Newport Central Catholic, who began the year 2-5 and 1-2 in district play. But since a home loss to Beechwood, Catholic has played some special football, including tough playoff wins over Beechwood and Raceland. Somerset is battle tested, but not since September. It will show Friday night.

Newport Central Catholic 42 Somerset 17

The Playoffs - Round Three

Some quick hits from each class, where most everything went as expected...

Class A
It was another great season for Metcalfe County, but once again they can't get past Mayfield in the playoffs...Danville is the obvious favorite now to win the state tournament, what with their dominant win over Bethlehem, a team which had just beaten #1 Bardstown...Newport Central Catholic could play spoiler though, as they continue their fantastic play with a solid win over Raceland...Somerset, as expected, came out of the east with a big win over Hazard...

Class 2A
Owensboro Catholic's athletic program just knows how to get it done when it counts, as the Aces added to their lore with an exciting overtime win against Trigg County...but their season looks to end next week against Mercer County, as the Titans demolished a very good Larue County team...Russell struggled to put away Corbin, but nevertheless marched onto the state semifinals again...Belfry outscored Middlesboro and sets up the classic Russell vs. Belfry tilt to decide Eastern Kentucky superiority....

Class 3A
Bowling Green, as expected, had no trouble with a Hopkinsville team that started the year very poorly...Central barely escaped Southwestern by a 47-40 count, which probably was the most exciting 3A game of the weekend...or perhaps it was Covington Catholic outlasting Lexington Catholic 56-49, in a game that would have been worthy of a state championship...and Johnson Central made a statement as well, as they punished Rockcastle County and proved once and for all to be the best 3A team in the East...

Class 4A
Henderson County's dream run continues with their ultra-exciting 42-38 win over Warren Central, in which the Dragon kicker missed four PAT's...Ryle put their name into the discussion with an expected pounding of Meade County...what can you say about Male-Trinity, other than it is a shame that this game had to be played this early in the playoffs...Male would likely beat all the other teams in the field by 20+ points, with the possible exception of Henry Clay, which outlasted George Rogers Clark and now is all that stands between Trinity and a repeat championship...