The Scribe
11-10-2008, 06:19 PM
Bluegrasspreps.com Class 3A Football Playoff Preview
Special to BGP
Region 1
The biggest story in western Kentucky was which team didn’t make it to the postseason party. Paducah Tilghman, which was beaten in the state semifinals a year ago on a last-second field goal by eventual state champion Central, was ranked third in the preseason but finished 2-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1984.
Under first-year coach Randy Wyatt, the Tornado actually won three games on the field, but had to forfeit a 55-6 district win at Webster County for the use of an ineligible player and fell out of the playoff picture with a shocking late-season loss at Muhlenberg South.
The favorite in their stead is Russellville, A Class A-size school which plays up two classes and quietly put together another solid year under coach John Myers.
The Panthers have their usual collection of skill-position athletes led by quarterback D.J. Quarles, who began the year as a running back but was moved under center early this season with former starter Zach Smith switching to a wideout. Damien Elam has been a big-play running back and kick returner.
Union County and Butler County appear to pose the biggest challenges and could hook up in a second-round matchup. Union is led by sophomore tailback Devin Foster, who has rushed for more than 1,500 yards this season, and quarterback Jordan Robison, who eclipsed the 1,500-yard passing mark last week and has 15 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.
Butler County, which lost to Russellville 28-21 in triple overtime in the game that decided the district title, went 9-1 during the regular season, including a win over a Grayson County club that is a surprise #2 seed in the 5A playoffs.
The Bears are led by tailback Jason Byrd (1,924 yards, 19 touchdowns) and quarterback Jessie Stivers, who is just shy of the 1,500-yard mark and has a 17-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
McLean County was putting together a solid season before tailback Spencer Phillips went down with an injury.
Regional final: Russellville 34, Union County 20
Region 2
Central’s 6-3 record, which includes a win by forfeit over city rival Western, doesn’t look that of an elite squad, but knowledgable football fans know that the Yellow Jackets play a brutally tough schedule. No team prepared for the postseason with tougher late-season matchups than Central, which met two top-ranked teams in St. Xavier and Highlands.
No team in 3A can match Central’s assortment of top-shelf talent, including high-Division I prospects Mister Cobble, Ridge Wilson and Tim Patterson, all of which starred for last year’s state championship squad.
Cobble, a 270-pound center and defensive tackle, has committed to Kentucky. So has Wilson (6-3, 210), who plays tight end and linebacker. Patterson (6-5, 225) is a junior linebacker.
Quarterback Chris King is a breathtaking athlete that excels running the triple-option behind a massive offensive line. King, who also plays defensive back, ran for more than 200 yards in the 36-13 loss to St. Xavier.
The consensus is that everyone else in the region is playing for second place, and the most interesting regional matchup is a potential semifinal game between top-10 clubs Elizabethtown and North Oldham.
Elizabethtown’s spread offense is putting up big numbers as usual — quarterback Michael Thomas has thrown for 2,940 yards and 35 touchdowns, and the Panthers have averaged 47 points per game since a 23-14 midseason loss to Central. Receiver Chris Gohman has caught 77 passes for 1,495 yards and 21 touchdowns.
North Oldham’s young program has made some great strides, going 9-1 behind two-way standouts Andrew Tuller and Matt Alward.
Regional final: Central 27, North Oldham 10
Region 3
Breathitt County has been the regional favorite from the start and has held up its preseason top-five ranking, rolling to eight straight wins after losing to Johnson Central and Prestonsburg at the start of the season.
The Bobcats have a reputation as a pass-oriented program, but tailback Channing Fugate has been the star this season, running for just under 2,000 yards and couple of dozen touchdowns.
Still, this could be the most entertaining regional playoff race. Estill County lost to Breathitt 7-6 during the regular season and has demoralized foes all season with its power running game. Harlan County has shown itself to be a solid contender in its first year as a consolidated school under veteran coach Tom Larkey.
And the District 5 race was fun to watch, with Taylor County’s high-powered passing game winning a three-way tie for the district title with Somerset and Wayne County. Taylor is led by quarterback Lance Turpin (1,733 yards and 28 touchdowns) and 6-5 Leonard Macon, a Danville transfer who has well over 1,300 all-purpose yards (rushing and receiving).
Regional final: Breathitt County 14, Estill County 7
Region 4
If it’s November, it’s another long playoff run for Belfry, which has made the long trip from Pond Creek to the carpet at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in three of the last five seasons. The Pirates are 10-0 and showed their mettle in the final game of the regular season, winning 21-13 at Johnson Central, a highly-ranked Class 5A team.
Belfry’s wishbone attack has run roughshod over just about everyone in its path, averaging 44 points per game behind quarterback Andrew Elkins, fullback Charlie Dotson and halfbacks Ivan Lee and Thomas Varney.
Together, the three backs have rushed for 2,000-plus yards and 35 touchdowns, and Elkins is a smooth operator on the triple-option.
The defense has been solid, allowing only 93 points all year and well under 200 yards per game. Randy Webb, Gary Hall and Cory Coleman anchor a line corps that has been suffocating against the run, and Belfry’s first-team unit has allowed only eight touchdowns all season.
Mason County appears to be the top challenger, although the road to the regional title would likely include a win at Belfry. Russell and Sheldon Clark have been regulars in BGP’s Top 10, but both would have to pull off second-round upsets on the road (Russell at Belfry and Sheldon Clark at Mason) to get to the quarterfinals.
Regional final: Belfry 23, Mason County 7
Sleeper team: Estill County. The Engineers would have to beat Taylor County on the road in the second round, but their ground game can be a great equalizer on the road. They would have to win at Breathitt to advance the semifinals, but they put a scare into the Bobcats once already this season.
Semifinals: Central 34, Russellville 14;
Belfry 21, Breathitt County 7
Championship: Central 20, Belfry 14
Special to BGP
Region 1
The biggest story in western Kentucky was which team didn’t make it to the postseason party. Paducah Tilghman, which was beaten in the state semifinals a year ago on a last-second field goal by eventual state champion Central, was ranked third in the preseason but finished 2-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1984.
Under first-year coach Randy Wyatt, the Tornado actually won three games on the field, but had to forfeit a 55-6 district win at Webster County for the use of an ineligible player and fell out of the playoff picture with a shocking late-season loss at Muhlenberg South.
The favorite in their stead is Russellville, A Class A-size school which plays up two classes and quietly put together another solid year under coach John Myers.
The Panthers have their usual collection of skill-position athletes led by quarterback D.J. Quarles, who began the year as a running back but was moved under center early this season with former starter Zach Smith switching to a wideout. Damien Elam has been a big-play running back and kick returner.
Union County and Butler County appear to pose the biggest challenges and could hook up in a second-round matchup. Union is led by sophomore tailback Devin Foster, who has rushed for more than 1,500 yards this season, and quarterback Jordan Robison, who eclipsed the 1,500-yard passing mark last week and has 15 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.
Butler County, which lost to Russellville 28-21 in triple overtime in the game that decided the district title, went 9-1 during the regular season, including a win over a Grayson County club that is a surprise #2 seed in the 5A playoffs.
The Bears are led by tailback Jason Byrd (1,924 yards, 19 touchdowns) and quarterback Jessie Stivers, who is just shy of the 1,500-yard mark and has a 17-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
McLean County was putting together a solid season before tailback Spencer Phillips went down with an injury.
Regional final: Russellville 34, Union County 20
Region 2
Central’s 6-3 record, which includes a win by forfeit over city rival Western, doesn’t look that of an elite squad, but knowledgable football fans know that the Yellow Jackets play a brutally tough schedule. No team prepared for the postseason with tougher late-season matchups than Central, which met two top-ranked teams in St. Xavier and Highlands.
No team in 3A can match Central’s assortment of top-shelf talent, including high-Division I prospects Mister Cobble, Ridge Wilson and Tim Patterson, all of which starred for last year’s state championship squad.
Cobble, a 270-pound center and defensive tackle, has committed to Kentucky. So has Wilson (6-3, 210), who plays tight end and linebacker. Patterson (6-5, 225) is a junior linebacker.
Quarterback Chris King is a breathtaking athlete that excels running the triple-option behind a massive offensive line. King, who also plays defensive back, ran for more than 200 yards in the 36-13 loss to St. Xavier.
The consensus is that everyone else in the region is playing for second place, and the most interesting regional matchup is a potential semifinal game between top-10 clubs Elizabethtown and North Oldham.
Elizabethtown’s spread offense is putting up big numbers as usual — quarterback Michael Thomas has thrown for 2,940 yards and 35 touchdowns, and the Panthers have averaged 47 points per game since a 23-14 midseason loss to Central. Receiver Chris Gohman has caught 77 passes for 1,495 yards and 21 touchdowns.
North Oldham’s young program has made some great strides, going 9-1 behind two-way standouts Andrew Tuller and Matt Alward.
Regional final: Central 27, North Oldham 10
Region 3
Breathitt County has been the regional favorite from the start and has held up its preseason top-five ranking, rolling to eight straight wins after losing to Johnson Central and Prestonsburg at the start of the season.
The Bobcats have a reputation as a pass-oriented program, but tailback Channing Fugate has been the star this season, running for just under 2,000 yards and couple of dozen touchdowns.
Still, this could be the most entertaining regional playoff race. Estill County lost to Breathitt 7-6 during the regular season and has demoralized foes all season with its power running game. Harlan County has shown itself to be a solid contender in its first year as a consolidated school under veteran coach Tom Larkey.
And the District 5 race was fun to watch, with Taylor County’s high-powered passing game winning a three-way tie for the district title with Somerset and Wayne County. Taylor is led by quarterback Lance Turpin (1,733 yards and 28 touchdowns) and 6-5 Leonard Macon, a Danville transfer who has well over 1,300 all-purpose yards (rushing and receiving).
Regional final: Breathitt County 14, Estill County 7
Region 4
If it’s November, it’s another long playoff run for Belfry, which has made the long trip from Pond Creek to the carpet at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in three of the last five seasons. The Pirates are 10-0 and showed their mettle in the final game of the regular season, winning 21-13 at Johnson Central, a highly-ranked Class 5A team.
Belfry’s wishbone attack has run roughshod over just about everyone in its path, averaging 44 points per game behind quarterback Andrew Elkins, fullback Charlie Dotson and halfbacks Ivan Lee and Thomas Varney.
Together, the three backs have rushed for 2,000-plus yards and 35 touchdowns, and Elkins is a smooth operator on the triple-option.
The defense has been solid, allowing only 93 points all year and well under 200 yards per game. Randy Webb, Gary Hall and Cory Coleman anchor a line corps that has been suffocating against the run, and Belfry’s first-team unit has allowed only eight touchdowns all season.
Mason County appears to be the top challenger, although the road to the regional title would likely include a win at Belfry. Russell and Sheldon Clark have been regulars in BGP’s Top 10, but both would have to pull off second-round upsets on the road (Russell at Belfry and Sheldon Clark at Mason) to get to the quarterfinals.
Regional final: Belfry 23, Mason County 7
Sleeper team: Estill County. The Engineers would have to beat Taylor County on the road in the second round, but their ground game can be a great equalizer on the road. They would have to win at Breathitt to advance the semifinals, but they put a scare into the Bobcats once already this season.
Semifinals: Central 34, Russellville 14;
Belfry 21, Breathitt County 7
Championship: Central 20, Belfry 14