The Scribe
11-07-2007, 01:30 PM
Class 3A Playoff Preview
District 1
Paducah Tilghman ran roughshod through the district, outscoring the other three playoff entries — Union County, McLean County and Webster County — by a combined score of 64-0 in the first quarter and coasting the rest of the way. Needless to say, the Tornado is a heavy favorite to win the district title and is considered to have a clear shot to the
state semifinals.
The Tornado is built on speed, with several players that also participate in a track and field program that’s won six consecutive state titles. Malik Curtley has emerged as Tilghman’s top running back in recent weeks, but the Tornado spreads the ball around to several backs and receivers, also including quarterback Dwayne Jones, running backs Deray Edmonds and Isaiah Holt and receiver Bradley James.
Holt and fellow linebacker Jim Hank anchor a defense that operates behind a small, speedy line, with James anchoring the secondary.
Tilghman has been tested by a rugged non-district schedule — two of its four losses are to highly-ranked teams (Fort Campbell and Mayfield) and the other two were to solid 5A and 6A clubs (Christian County and Graves County). Three of the losses were by a touchdown or less.
District 4
Henry County coach Chris Engstrand came over from Western Hills two years ago and installed a passing game that’s been productive. Hayden Yancey has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. Two receivers — Carl Dunaway and Travis McClanahan have caught at least 40 passes for more than 600 yards.
North Oldham and Spencer County meet in the first round as the #2 and #3 seeds, and both teams could avenge a regular-season loss to Henry in the district finals. Whichever teams prevails will be a heavy underdog at Paducah Tilghman.
Regional finals prediction: Paducah Tilghman 41, Henry County 14
District 2
Russellville jumped up two classes from Class A to save travel time in its district games. The Panthers cruised through its new digs as well, beating their four district rivals by an average score of 47-7.
Speedy tailback Dustin Sydnor leads a run-oriented attack that has seen three backs — Sydnor, Mikie Benton and Jamarcus Gordon — combine for well over 2,000 yards. Russellville’s defense relies more on speed than size. The Panthers went 1-1 against ranked opponents (both 2A clubs) this season, nipping Glasgow 38-34 before falling to Danville
54-22.
District 3
Central was BGP’s preseason #1 team, but no one expected the Yellow Jackets to run the table against one of the state’s toughest non-district schedules. All of Central’s five losses are to ranked teams — including Louisville rivals St. Xavier, Manual and Male, all top-five teams in 6A.
The Yellow Jackets took a second-half beating at Johnson Central in midseason, but impressed everyone in the regular-season finale, leading 5A #1 Highlands 13-0 in the fourth quarter before wearing down and falling 21-13.
Central has speed and athleticism that’s unmatched in 3A, led by quarterback Leland Banks and linebackers Ridge Wilson and Tim Patterson.
The most interesting first-round matchup in 3A might be Moore vs. Elizabethtown. The Panthers have been a top-10 team all season in the BGP rankings, but have been wildly inconsistent, including a 48-44 loss to Moore that puts them on the road for their playoff opener.
Regional finals prediction: Central 48, Russellville 20
District 5
Somerset touts plenty of offensive firepower, led by receiver John Cole, a Division I prospect and one of the state’s most dangerous players. Cole has caught 63 passes for 1,305 yards and 20 touchdowns this fall, easing the Briar Jumpers’ transition to a new quarterback.
Chase Hall has thrown for 31 touchdowns with only nine interceptions, and tailback Kenny Hughes has rushed for nearly 1,200 yards.
The questions are on the defensive end. Somerset has played two teams that were ranked for much of the season with disastrous results — Pulaski County beat the Jumpers 62-49 to open the campaign, and a late-season showdown with Corbin ended in a 56-47 loss.
Somerset dominated its district competition, beating its five foes by an average score of 56-14.
District 8
Belfry has been the top program in the mountains since the turn of the century, winning back-to-back 2A titles in 2003 and 2004. Longtime observers of the Pirates tout this team’s defense as another championship-caliber unit — the first-team defense has been stingy all season, giving up just 39 points. Six of the Pirates’ 10 opponents have been held to one touchdown or less, and most of the 106 points they’ve allowed this season have come against backups at mop-up time.
Running backs Dustin May and Ivan Lee have size and strength, leading a ground-oriented attack that operates behind a veteran, proven offensive line.
May, who also starts at linebacker, is one of several solid two-way players. Andrew Elkins starts at quarterback and defensive back, and Lee also starts at defensive end. Lineman Phillip Hickman and end Adam Bowens are stout defenders, too.
Sheldon Clark has been a top-10 team all season, but was beaten 34-7 by Belfry during the regular season.
Regional finals prediction: Belfry 48, Somerset 21
District 6
Breathitt County is unbeaten and looks like Belfry’s top challenger on the eastern side of 3A, but the Bobcats haven’t been tested often by their schedule. Breathitt edged Prestonsburg earlier this year and handled Lexington Christian easily in mid-October.
Not surprisingly, the Bobcats have an explosive, balanced offense. Quarterback Colbey Fugate is the latest in a long line of prolific passers, having thrown for 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Ryan Allen, Rusty Herald and Wes Epperson are reliable receivers, and tailback Channing Fugate (1,288 yards, 23 TDs) can also catch the ball.
District 7
Russell just keeps rolling along. Despite the loss of 24 seniors and a group the previous season that delivered a state title, the Red Devils are 9-1 and have an outside shot to reach the state finals for the third consecutive year.
The grind-it-out, play-action pass offense has been a juggernaut, averaging nearly 40 points per game. Running backs Drew Abrams and Adam Bates and quarterback Tyler Jones have combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns, and Jones has thrown for 765 yards and seven scores.
Russell hasn’t been tested all that much, though, as most of its northeastern Kentucky rivals experienced down seasons. The Red Devils did win in overtime at Mason County to take the #1 seed a week after a one-point loss to Simon Kenton.
Mason County is looking forward to rematch with Russell and hoping that quarterback Richie Cox is healthy — Cox sat out the Royals’ last game of the regular season, an overtime win over Greenup County. Mason features a balanced attack, and two of its three losses came to 6A playoff clubs Boone County and Campbell County.
This district final could be one of the state’s best games in the second week of the playoffs.
Regional finals prediction: Breathitt County 28, Russell 20
Semifinals: Central 35, Paducah Tilghman 19
Belfry 27, Breathitt County 21
Championship: Central 26, Belfry 21
District 1
Paducah Tilghman ran roughshod through the district, outscoring the other three playoff entries — Union County, McLean County and Webster County — by a combined score of 64-0 in the first quarter and coasting the rest of the way. Needless to say, the Tornado is a heavy favorite to win the district title and is considered to have a clear shot to the
state semifinals.
The Tornado is built on speed, with several players that also participate in a track and field program that’s won six consecutive state titles. Malik Curtley has emerged as Tilghman’s top running back in recent weeks, but the Tornado spreads the ball around to several backs and receivers, also including quarterback Dwayne Jones, running backs Deray Edmonds and Isaiah Holt and receiver Bradley James.
Holt and fellow linebacker Jim Hank anchor a defense that operates behind a small, speedy line, with James anchoring the secondary.
Tilghman has been tested by a rugged non-district schedule — two of its four losses are to highly-ranked teams (Fort Campbell and Mayfield) and the other two were to solid 5A and 6A clubs (Christian County and Graves County). Three of the losses were by a touchdown or less.
District 4
Henry County coach Chris Engstrand came over from Western Hills two years ago and installed a passing game that’s been productive. Hayden Yancey has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. Two receivers — Carl Dunaway and Travis McClanahan have caught at least 40 passes for more than 600 yards.
North Oldham and Spencer County meet in the first round as the #2 and #3 seeds, and both teams could avenge a regular-season loss to Henry in the district finals. Whichever teams prevails will be a heavy underdog at Paducah Tilghman.
Regional finals prediction: Paducah Tilghman 41, Henry County 14
District 2
Russellville jumped up two classes from Class A to save travel time in its district games. The Panthers cruised through its new digs as well, beating their four district rivals by an average score of 47-7.
Speedy tailback Dustin Sydnor leads a run-oriented attack that has seen three backs — Sydnor, Mikie Benton and Jamarcus Gordon — combine for well over 2,000 yards. Russellville’s defense relies more on speed than size. The Panthers went 1-1 against ranked opponents (both 2A clubs) this season, nipping Glasgow 38-34 before falling to Danville
54-22.
District 3
Central was BGP’s preseason #1 team, but no one expected the Yellow Jackets to run the table against one of the state’s toughest non-district schedules. All of Central’s five losses are to ranked teams — including Louisville rivals St. Xavier, Manual and Male, all top-five teams in 6A.
The Yellow Jackets took a second-half beating at Johnson Central in midseason, but impressed everyone in the regular-season finale, leading 5A #1 Highlands 13-0 in the fourth quarter before wearing down and falling 21-13.
Central has speed and athleticism that’s unmatched in 3A, led by quarterback Leland Banks and linebackers Ridge Wilson and Tim Patterson.
The most interesting first-round matchup in 3A might be Moore vs. Elizabethtown. The Panthers have been a top-10 team all season in the BGP rankings, but have been wildly inconsistent, including a 48-44 loss to Moore that puts them on the road for their playoff opener.
Regional finals prediction: Central 48, Russellville 20
District 5
Somerset touts plenty of offensive firepower, led by receiver John Cole, a Division I prospect and one of the state’s most dangerous players. Cole has caught 63 passes for 1,305 yards and 20 touchdowns this fall, easing the Briar Jumpers’ transition to a new quarterback.
Chase Hall has thrown for 31 touchdowns with only nine interceptions, and tailback Kenny Hughes has rushed for nearly 1,200 yards.
The questions are on the defensive end. Somerset has played two teams that were ranked for much of the season with disastrous results — Pulaski County beat the Jumpers 62-49 to open the campaign, and a late-season showdown with Corbin ended in a 56-47 loss.
Somerset dominated its district competition, beating its five foes by an average score of 56-14.
District 8
Belfry has been the top program in the mountains since the turn of the century, winning back-to-back 2A titles in 2003 and 2004. Longtime observers of the Pirates tout this team’s defense as another championship-caliber unit — the first-team defense has been stingy all season, giving up just 39 points. Six of the Pirates’ 10 opponents have been held to one touchdown or less, and most of the 106 points they’ve allowed this season have come against backups at mop-up time.
Running backs Dustin May and Ivan Lee have size and strength, leading a ground-oriented attack that operates behind a veteran, proven offensive line.
May, who also starts at linebacker, is one of several solid two-way players. Andrew Elkins starts at quarterback and defensive back, and Lee also starts at defensive end. Lineman Phillip Hickman and end Adam Bowens are stout defenders, too.
Sheldon Clark has been a top-10 team all season, but was beaten 34-7 by Belfry during the regular season.
Regional finals prediction: Belfry 48, Somerset 21
District 6
Breathitt County is unbeaten and looks like Belfry’s top challenger on the eastern side of 3A, but the Bobcats haven’t been tested often by their schedule. Breathitt edged Prestonsburg earlier this year and handled Lexington Christian easily in mid-October.
Not surprisingly, the Bobcats have an explosive, balanced offense. Quarterback Colbey Fugate is the latest in a long line of prolific passers, having thrown for 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Ryan Allen, Rusty Herald and Wes Epperson are reliable receivers, and tailback Channing Fugate (1,288 yards, 23 TDs) can also catch the ball.
District 7
Russell just keeps rolling along. Despite the loss of 24 seniors and a group the previous season that delivered a state title, the Red Devils are 9-1 and have an outside shot to reach the state finals for the third consecutive year.
The grind-it-out, play-action pass offense has been a juggernaut, averaging nearly 40 points per game. Running backs Drew Abrams and Adam Bates and quarterback Tyler Jones have combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns, and Jones has thrown for 765 yards and seven scores.
Russell hasn’t been tested all that much, though, as most of its northeastern Kentucky rivals experienced down seasons. The Red Devils did win in overtime at Mason County to take the #1 seed a week after a one-point loss to Simon Kenton.
Mason County is looking forward to rematch with Russell and hoping that quarterback Richie Cox is healthy — Cox sat out the Royals’ last game of the regular season, an overtime win over Greenup County. Mason features a balanced attack, and two of its three losses came to 6A playoff clubs Boone County and Campbell County.
This district final could be one of the state’s best games in the second week of the playoffs.
Regional finals prediction: Breathitt County 28, Russell 20
Semifinals: Central 35, Paducah Tilghman 19
Belfry 27, Breathitt County 21
Championship: Central 26, Belfry 21