Let's Go Bowling!

The beginning of every high school football season means bowls, bowls and more bowls. A football fans delight, teams from all over the state will congregate in many locales to kick off the season in style. Let’s look at who’s playing who, where, when and what it means.

Rafferty’s Bowl (Western Kentucky University)
--St. Xavier vs. Bowling Green (Sat., 5:00)
--Franklin-Simpson vs. Warren Central (Sat., 7:00)
The game of the weekend features the runners-up from 3A and 4A last season. The Tigers and Purples are both touted this season as state championship contenders. And the night cap isn’t bad either, as the Dragons play about a mile from their home field.

Pike County Bowl (Belfry/Pikeville)
--Shelby Valley vs. Phelps (Fri., 6:00)
--Newport Central Catholic vs. Belfry (Fri., 8:30)
--East Ridge vs. Pike County Central (Sat., 8:00)
--Pikeville vs. Henry Clay (Sat., 8:00)
One of the best bowls in the state will feature two recent state champions squaring off against each other (Newport C.C. and Belfry), a district game (East Ridge and Pike Central) and a can’t miss A-4A matchup (Pikeville and Henry Clay).

Bob Allen Pigskin Classic (Danville)
--Corbin vs. Rockcastle County (Sat., 5:30)
--Danville vs. Southwestern (Sat., 8:00)
This collection will all contend for their respective districts, but two (Danville and Rockcastle County) are considered serious contenders for a state championship.

St. Joseph Bluegrass Bowl (Lexington Catholic)
--Mercer County vs. Lexington Christian (Sat., 5:30)
--Somerset vs. Franklin County (Sat., 8:30)
I’ll promise to abstain from the “remember the titans” comments this season. Anyway, both games figure to be entertaining.

Old Rivalry Bowl (Male)
--Shawnee vs. Atherton (Sat., 3:30)
--Brentwood, TN vs. Manual (Sat., 5:30)
--Male vs. New Albany, IN (Sat., 8:00)
This tripleheader will be highlighted by the Bulldogs’ season opener against their rival from across the river. Bluegrasspreps.com has Male ranked #1 in 4A. The Bulldogs can begin to affirm that ranking with a win here.

Recreation Bowl (Montgomery County)
--West Jessamine vs. Madison Central (Sat., 5:30)
--Lafayette vs. Mason County (Sat., 8:00)
Two teams from 3A battle two powers from 4A in what figures to be a competitive night of football.

Death Valley Bowl (Lincoln County)
--Lincoln County vs. Pleasure Ridge Park (Fri., 6:30)
--East Jessamine vs. Pulaski County (Fri., 8:30)
My eyes will be on PRP, which opens the season ranked right behind St. Xavier and Male in perhaps the toughest district in high school football, 4A District 4.

Harrison County Alumni Bowl (Harrison County)
--Harrison County vs. Boyle County (Fri., 7:30)
The young Thoroughbreds will hope to pull the upset against the Rebels, who, as usual, are ranked near the top of the 3A chase.

Cumberland Valley Bowl (North Laurel)
--Holmes vs. South Laurel (Fri., 6:30)
--North Laurel vs. Johnson Central (Fri., 8:30)
The Battle of London won’t be decided until later this season, but fans can get a good look at both teams as they play solid opponents.

Pioneer Bowl (Lynn Camp)
--Lynn Camp vs. Leslie County (Fri., 8:30)
--Williamsburg vs. Knox Central (Time TBA)
The headliner here will be the host team taking on Tim Couch’s alma mater. Both teams will be challengers to their district titans Somerset and Middlesboro, respectively.

Alliance Bowl (Marshall County)
--Mayfield vs. Caldwell County (Fri., 6:00)
--Marshall County vs. Daviess County (Fri., 8:30)
--Lone Oak vs. Ballard Memorial (Sat., 6:00)
--Heath vs. Graves County (Sat., 8:30)
The best teams in the Alliance Bowl will be in action on Friday night. Mayfield will continue to dominate the first district in Class A, and Marshall County will be a factor in their district with nine returning starters on defense.

Pella Bowl (Murray)
--Murray vs. Dyer County, TN (Fri., 7:30)
--Calloway County vs. Dyersburg, TN (Sat., 7:30)
Both Kentucky teams in this bowl had disappointing 2005 seasons, but both teams are expected to turn it around in 2006.

BB&T Bank Bowl (Dunbar)
--Dunbar vs. Montgomery Bell, TN (Fri., 7:00)
The Bulldogs have high hopes for this season despite losing many of their skill players to graduation. Tennessee power Montgomery Bell will provide a stiff test.

Wildcat Chevrolet (Trigg County)
--Trigg County vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins (Fri., 7:30)
The Wildcats might suffer a down year this season, but they still are top contenders for a district title. The Maroons look to turn their fortunes around with new coach Shannon Burcham, who was an assistant at, oddly enough, Trigg County last season.

T.J. Sampson Bowl (Barren County)
--Metcalfe County vs. Glasgow (Sat., 6:00)
--Barren County vs. Garrard County (Sat., 8:30)
Fans of the Trojans and Scotties will get to see their team, and their bitter rival, kick off the season. Both of the “home” teams should get the win over their opponents.

Berea Grid-Iron Classic Bowl (Berea)
--McCreary Central vs. Powell County (Sat., 6:00)
--Berea vs. Clinton County (Sat., 9:00)
Let’s have a big hand for Clinton County, which returns to football after a long absence.

R-Cubed Bowl (Central Hardin)
--Ohio County vs. Elizabethtown (Sat., 6:00)
--Central Hardin vs. Campbellsville (Sat., 9:00)
Four of central Kentucky’s finest come to E-Town. All four of these teams will be solid in their respective classes.

Ray Adams Charger Classic (Papa John’s Stadium)
--Montgomery County vs. Jeffersontown (Sat., 12:00)
--Hancock County vs. Louisville Holy Cross (Sat., 3:30)
--Fairdale vs. North Hardin (Sat., 7:30)
The best game here figures to be the one in the middle, as both the Hornets and Cougars figure to be competitive for a district championship.

Oldham County Bowl (South Oldham)
--North Oldham vs. Frankfort (Sat., 10:00 A.M.)
--Waggener vs. Oldham County (Sat., 6:30)
--South Oldham vs. Fort Knox (Sat., 8:30)
The best game will probably be the earliest, as Frankfort will be a strong challenger to Danville in Class A’s fourth district.

Laurel Bowl (Pineville)
--Pineville vs. Jackson County (Sat., 6:00)
Bart Elam comes from Union College to try to improve the Mountain Lion’s fortunes. A season-opening win over the Jackson County Generals, which enter their first season in Class 2A.

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