It is time for the regional finals. Personally, I would rather call the third round of the state playoffs the quarterfinals since the winners this week will technically move unto the semifinals of their respected classifications.
Throughout this season, the “GameTracker” has broken down the week’s top ten football games. This week, we are taking a different approach and breaking 6A as well as listing the game times for all of this week’s playoff matchups.
Simon Kenton Chad Lawrence takes the keeper in the 39-29 playoff victory against duPont Manual, Nov. 13. Photo taken by Scott Davis of ScottDavis.smugmug.com.
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, unless otherwise noted
CLASS 6A
Greenwood (9-3) at Henderson County (9-3):Neither team has been ranked in 6A this season. However, this could be 6A’s closest contest this week. Greenwood is led by senior wide receiver Nehemiah Mkanta (43 receptions for 852 yards and eight touchdowns), while Henderson County will be led by senior running back Casey Edwards (116 carries for 733 yards and six TDs). Bottom line: Whoever wins this game will have trouble getting past the winner of Simon Kenton/St. Xavier.
Simon Kenton (11-1, No. 2 in Class) at St. Xavier (11-1, No. 1 in Class): This is the big game of the week, No. 1 vs. No. 2 in CoachesAid’s 6A rankings. Leading Simon Kenton is Mr. Football candidate senior RB Miles Simpson (214 car. 2,126 yards and 38 TDs) and junior quarterback Chad Lawrence (thrown for more than 1,500 yards and has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this year). Blocking for them is Ball State commit offensive tackle Jordan Hansel. St. X also has a lot of talent. The Tigers feature a slew of dangerous RBs headlined by Lamont McMurry, Jermiah Neal and Michael Montano. QB Brian Buehner returned from injury last week and is the offensive leader of this team. The best player on the roster could be cornerback Daylen Hall, who has seven interceptions on the season. Bottom line: Both teams are talented, but St. X has a lot more depth than the Pioneers; I like the Tigers to win this one.
Male (10-2, No. 4 in Class) at Trinity (8-4, No. 3 in Class): This matchup is very interesting. Male has played extremely well after losing back-to-back games in late September. Male running backs junior John Giddens (134 car. 879 yards and 20 TDs) and sophomore Ronjae Morris (146 car. 933 yards and nine TDs) are dangerous weapons. Since its loss to rival St. X, Trinity has reeled off six straight wins. For the past five games junior QB Brad Kragthorpe has been playing well, 97-of-138 passing for 1,296 yards and 11 touchdowns. Trinity and Male have a strong postseason history; Trinity owns a 16-12-2 lead in the overall series. Bottom line: This game could go either way, but I would have to side with the Shamrocks because of their rich playoff history.
Scott County (9-3, No. 6 in Class) at Henry Clay (10-2, No. 5 in Class): These two squads met in Week 3 this season and Henry Clay earned itself a 21-7 win in that game. The Blue Devils did a great job of limiting the Cardinals rushing attack. The Scott County Cardinals will use running back Josh Walls and Brooks Barber to wear down with their power, while Henry Clay will use speedsters. Leading the Cardinals in rushing is Wall with 1,265 yards and 16 TDs on 173 carries. Barber has 775 yards and eight scores, while their fastest back, Marcus Hill, has 493 yards and seven TDs on the year. Henry Clay features a dangerous offense led by QB Jerry Williams and WR Branden Johnson. The Blue Devils could be the fastest team in the state and have the ability to beat anyone on any given Friday night. Bottom line: I like Henry Clay in this one, however the team has been inconsistent this season losing regular season games it should have won against Lafayette and George Rogers Clark.
CLASS 5A
Bowling Green (10-2, No. 2 in Class) at Christian County (8-4, No. 4 in Class)
Oldham County (8-4, No. 10 in Class) at John Hardin (12-0, No. 3 in Class)
Johnson Central (8-4, No. 6 in Class) at Highlands (12-0, No. 1 in Class)
Letcher County Central (10-2, No. 8 in Class) at Pulaski County (9-3, No. 9 in Class)
CLASS 4A
Allen County-Scottsville (11-0, No. 4 in Class) at Lone Oak (12-0, No. 3 in Class)
Marion County (10-2, No. 7 in Class) at Western (7-5, No. 8 in Class)
Lexington Catholic (8-4, No. 5 in Class) at Boyle County (12-0, No. 1 in Class)
Lawrence County (12-0, No. 6 in Class) at Bell County (11-1, No. 2 in Class)
CLASS 3A
Paducah Tilghman (6-6, No. 9 in Class) at Russellville (8-4, No. 10 in Class) at 7 p.m.
Henry County (10-2, No. 4 in Class) at Central (7-5, No. 2 in Class)
Breathitt County (7-5, No. 7 in Class) at Somerset (12-0, No. 1 in Class)
Sheldon Clark (8-4, No. 3 in Class) at Pike County Central (7-5)
CLASS 2A
Fort Campbell (12-0, No. 1 in Class) at Murray (12-0, No. 3 in Class)
Monroe County (9-3, No. 7 in Class) at Green County (9-3, No. 6 in Class) at 7 p.m.
Newport Central Catholic (7-5, No. 8 in Class) vs. DeSales (9-3, No. 5 in Class) at Southern
Corbin (10-2, No. 4 in Class) at Prestonsburg (12-0, No. 2 in Class)
CLASS 1A
Crittenden County (10-2, No. 5 in Class) at Mayfield (11-1, No. 2 in Class)
Bellevue (9-3, No. 6 in Class) at Beechwood (9-3, No. 3 in Class)
Raceland (8-4, No. 7 in Class) at Lexington Christian (11-1, No. 1 in Class)
Harlan (7-5, No. 10 in Class) at Hazard (8-4, No. 4 in Class)
(Special thanks to Scott Davis of ScottDavis.smugmug.com for providing the picture of Lawrence - you can purchase pictures from previous games like Simon Kenton/duPont Manual and from the state volleyball tournament at ScottDavis.smugmug.com.)
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