[CarzyRock]

Week Two:
#1 Male
#2 Scott County
#3 Trinity
#4 Saint Xavier
#5 Frederick Douglas
#6 Butler
#7 Simon Kenton
#8 Ballard
#9 Henry Clay
#10 Manual

Week Three

#1 Male [4-0] Won vs Trinity 17-3
I made reference to 2015 last week, and Male looked similar this week. The situation isn't exactly the same as Trinity has been struggling more this year than in 2015 and the point differential wasn't as large (42-13 vs 17-3), but even so this makes Male a likely candidate for the trophy. Also interesting to note is that Male outscored Trinity by more than all 3 of their previous opponent combined (14 points vs 11). This win makes Male the undisputed #1 team in Louisville, but a certain county school below could challenge them for #1 in 6A. Next week Male has an easy game against Western that should be another dominating performance from the Bulldogs.

#2 Scott County [4-0] Won vs Archbishop Moeller [OH] 10-7
Mighty Moe was humbled by the Cardinals in a close game this week. The Cards could have had a much bigger score thanks to several trips into the red zone, but Moeller's defense is nothing to be underestimated and made several critical stands. Still, it can't be disputed that Scott County represented the commonwealth in great fashion. It was difficult to decide between Male and Scott County for the number one spot this week, but Male's greater margin of victory gave them the slight edge. Next week Scott County plays La Salle [OH] a tougher member of the GCL. A win against them would certainly cinch the top spot for the Cardinals.

#3 Frederick Douglas [4-0] Won vs Lafayette 43-0
Everyone expected Frederick Douglas to beat Lafayette as the Generals aren't exactly a top tier team this season. The impressive part of their win was the margin of victory. Scott County beat Lafayette 58-28 by putting away the Generals late. Frederick Douglas held them to 0 and scored a running clock within the first half. The downside to this is that the Broncos are still relatively untested. They have only played middle-of-the-pack teams thus far, and we won't get a solid idea of how they measure up to the top teams until they play Scott County later in the season. Next week they play Madison Central, possibly the best team in the 6A 8th district.

#4 Trinity [0-4] Lost to Male 17-3
Don't you hate it when you're right sometimes? I put Trinity below Male and Scott County after watching games from two of the three and listening to the third. I was hoping the Rocks would prove me wrong this week, but it didn't go that way. Stephen Herron, the top defensive player was out sick, but the defense still did a decent job against Male's capable offense. Trinity lost due to a mismatch of their offense against the Male defense. Injuries have hurt the Rocks on both sides of the ball, but they'll need more than just those players back to have a shot at another state title this year. Next week is a chance for Trinity to right the ship. Naperville Central [IL] is a top twenty team in Illinois but they're still the easiest team of the Rocks first 5 games. The game should be a battle, but it's winnable if Trinity can step up and make it happen.

#5 Saint Xavier [1-2] Won vs Fairdale 61-6
The good news is that Coach Wallace got his 300th win, the Tigers got their first win of the season, and the score line shows that St. X controlled the game from start to finish. The bad news is that all of it happened against Fairdale and their earlier losses are still tough to overlook. Next week St. X plays a better team, Central. The Tigers have won this annual battle every year except for a shocker in 2015. This year they don't just need a win. After Ballard won against Central this week, St. X need a convincing win to cement their place in the top five.

#6 Butler [3-1] Won vs Fern Creek 43-16
Butler was 30-0 at the half, and although I couldn't find confirmation, I suspect they got the running clock before Fern Creek put any points on the board. Beating teams that you're supposed to won't move you up very much so expect Butler to stay right where they are after next week's game to Doss. The week after that the Bears take on Male. I don't expect them to win, but then I didn't expect them to win in the playoffs against Male last year either. A win in that game is possible, and would put Butler on the map for sure.

#7 Simon Kenton [4-0] Won vs Dixie Heights 55-20
Speaking of 'winning games you're supposed to' the Pioneers continue to roll. This game started off surprisingly with the teams tied at 13-13 early on, but Simon Kenton pulled ahead and put Dixie away once they got going. After soft performances from Ryle and Campbell County, the Pioneers are definitely looking like the number one 6A team in NKY. Next week's game against Cooper should be a win, but Highlands waits on the horizon the week afterwards. The Bluebirds haven't been impressive the past two or three years, but after the beating they gave Ryle this week, they look to be the strongest team on Simon Kenton's schedule.

#8 Ballard [2-2] Won vs Central 27-20
The Bruins continue to improve after a slow start to the year. Of course, the loss to Male looks more and more reasonable as they continue to win. Ballard did well to win against Central and they appear to be pulling together as a team. They have the talent to make noise in 6A, and could move up a couple spots in the top ten. Next week's game against Manual is a prime opportunity since the Crimsons are better than any team Simon Kenton has faced. A win there would easily boost the Bruins into the 7th spot.

#9 North Hardin [2-1] Won vs Pleasure Ridge Park 41-14
PRP is not a top team in 6A this year, but it's hard to ignore a win like that. North Hardin has been playing good football with large wins over decent teams and their only loss is to a good Tennessee team. North Bullitt next week should be another win, but the next two games against Boyle County and DeSales will be a real test for North Hardin.

#10 Henry Clay [1-3] Lost to Southwestern 31-24
Another close loss for Henry Clay means that they drop a spot. But the Blue Devil performed much better than any of Southwestern's opponents (including 6A teams Dunbar and Madison Central) so they just hang in there. Next week should be less of a challenge for Henry Clay as they play Lafayette, but the Generals should still put up a fight. This game will give them a common comparison to Scott County and Frederick Douglas and allow for a better assessment of the Blue Devils. A loss, even a close one, would certainly drop them out of the top ten.

Honorable Mentions:
Manual [2-1] Won vs Western 31-0
Manual won against Western, but their performance wasn't much compared the scores that other teams have put on Western. The Crimsons would be #11 in my book, just missing the top ten this week. Next week they play Ballard. A win would definitely put them back into the rankings, and even a close loss could bring them back into the conversation.

Drops:
Ryle [1-3] Lost to Highlands 40-3
Just after their first win of the season, Ryle was brutally beaten by the Bluebirds this week. It might not be as bad as it seems depending on how Highlands performs for the rest of the season, but barring some impressive wins in the future, Ryle is out of the top ten conversation.


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