[RunItUpTheGut]

Class 1A
1. Mayfield
2. Frankfort
3. Beechwood
3. Hazard
5. Fairview
6. Williamsburg
7. Raceland
8. Russellville
9. Kentucky Country Day
10. Harlan

Class 2A
1. Owensboro Catholic
2. Somerset
3. Christian Academy-Louisville
4. Glasgow
5. Newport Central Catholic
6. Danville
7. Bardstown
8. Prestonsburg
9. Green County
10. Caldwell County

Class 3A
1. Central
2. Bell County
3. Breathitt County
4. Belfry
5. Ft. Campbell
6. Bourbon County
7. Monroe County
8. Wayne County
9. Paducah Tilghman
10. Bath County

Class 4A
1. Highlands
2. Lexington Catholic
3. Russell County
4. Covington Catholic
5. Knox Central
6. Boyle Co.
7. Johnson Central
8. Ashland Blazer
9. Warren East
10. Collins

Class 5A
1. Bowling Green
2. John Hardin
3. Franklin County
4. Warren Central
5. Conner
6. Cooper
7. Harlan County
8. Shelby County
9. South Oldham
10.Anderson County

Class 6A
1. Trinity
2. St. Xavier
3. Pleasure Ridge Park
4. Scott County
5. Ballard
6. Henderson County
7. Meade County
8. Campbell County
9. Butler
10.Eastern

[Title town 3]

I think that Bell Co. should move down to 4th and move Belfry up one and Breathitt Co up one. Bell Co got spanked by Harlan Co. and heck really Burbon co should be ahead of them.

[#1 Blackcat Fan]

I think that Bell Co. should move down to 4th and move Belfry up one and Breathitt Co up one. Bell Co got spanked by Harlan Co. and heck really Burbon co should be ahead of them.

I know Bell was down by 20 about midway through the 4th, but they fought back and had a chance to win the game with only seconds left before a costly interception. I dont consider losing by 6 to a rival team, and it being the 1st game on their home field not to mention senior night a spanking.

Bell IMO is where they should be ranked.

[EKUAlum05]

Bell's body of work is still ahead of anything Breathitt and Belfry has done on the whole. It also was a "quality loss" yo a Top 10 5A team.

What the rankings don't show though is I think now it is almost exactly like the start of the season when it was viewed as Central....then a big step down to a cluster of very evenly matched teams...then another big step down. Until last week, IMO Bell had sort of separated themselves from the pack,,, and there was a bit of a gap between Belfry and Breathitt as the Pirates had zero quality wins. Now I think the Killer B's are once more considered a toss-up.

[cuppett777]

Bell's body of work is still ahead of anything Breathitt and Belfry has done on the whole. It also was a "quality loss" yo a Top 10 5A team.

What the rankings don't show though is I think now it is almost exactly like the start of the season when it was viewed as Central....then a big step down to a cluster of very evenly matched teams...then another big step down. Until last week, IMO Bell had sort of separated themselves from the pack,,, and there was a bit of a gap between Belfry and Breathitt as the Pirates had zero quality wins. Now I think the Killer B's are once more considered a toss-up.

Aug 17, 12 Lexington Catholic away 7 - 21 (L) Click
Aug 24, 12 Bryan Station away 32 - 31 (W) Click Fayette County iHigh Football Frenzy
(overtime)
Aug 31, 12 Middlesboro home 50 - 6 (W) Click
Sep 7, 12 Whitley County home 21 - 14 (W) Click
Sep 21, 12 Wayne County home 21 - 7 (W) Click
Sep 28, 12 Casey County away 54 - 13 (W) Click
Oct 5, 12 Clay County home 39 - 0 (W) Click
Oct 12, 12 Corbin away 34 - 0 (W) Click
Oct 18, 12 McCreary Central home 67 - 0 (W) Click
Oct 26, 12 Harlan County away 34 - 40 (L)
where in here is a good quality win for Bell, they got beat buy both good teams they played up against, they won against and avg team in Whitley ,that both Breahitt and Belfry would beat,i usally agree with you ,but i dont ths time....

[Title town 3]

Bell's body of work is still ahead of anything Breathitt and Belfry has done on the whole. It also was a "quality loss" yo a Top 10 5A team.

What the rankings don't show though is I think now it is almost exactly like the start of the season when it was viewed as Central....then a big step down to a cluster of very evenly matched teams...then another big step down. Until last week, IMO Bell had sort of separated themselves from the pack,,, and there was a bit of a gap between Belfry and Breathitt as the Pirates had zero quality wins. Now I think the Killer B's are once more considered a toss-up.

I don't know how they are ahead of Belfry or Breathitt. They have wins over Bryan Station by one. (I watch Breathitt spank Bryan Station at the grid-o-rama, they scored 6 or 7 times on bryan station 1) I don't think Whitley is a big win, it maybe little above average win at best. Wayne Co is a preety good team, but not a power house. So how is they have a better body of work than Belfry , Breathitt. Belfry has wins over Johnson Central which better than any win that Bell Co. has.

[cuppett777]

Aug 17, 12 Lexington Catholic away 7 - 21 (L) Click
Aug 24, 12 Bryan Station away 32 - 31 (W) Click Fayette County iHigh Football Frenzy
(overtime)
Aug 31, 12 Middlesboro home 50 - 6 (W) Click
Sep 7, 12 Whitley County home 21 - 14 (W) Click
Sep 21, 12 Wayne County home 21 - 7 (W) Click
Sep 28, 12 Casey County away 54 - 13 (W) Click
Oct 5, 12 Clay County home 39 - 0 (W) Click
Oct 12, 12 Corbin away 34 - 0 (W) Click
Oct 18, 12 McCreary Central home 67 - 0 (W) Click
Oct 26, 12 Harlan County away 34 - 40 (L)
where in here is a good quality win for Bell, they got beat buy both good teams they played up against, they won against and avg team in Whitley ,that both Breahitt and Belfry would beat,i usally agree with you ,but i dont ths time....

oh i forgot i would take Belfry win over JC as a better win from Bell over Whitley, i know Bryan Station is 6a but they dont have any good wins themselfs...

[Hefty Lefty]

How is Lafayette ranked 7th in 6A last week after a 7-3 season and then not ranked at all this week? They had a bye date for week 10 and drop 4 spots all the way out of the Top 10 completely? This makes no sense at all. If this is the case then these rankings are not as true to form as I thought.

6-4 Meade Co jumps all the way from unranked to 7th just because they beat Butler? Meade Co has beat teams they were supposed to beat this year and lost to teams that they were underdogs to. They upset a good, not great Butler team and they are all of a sudden ranked 7th? Doesnt make sense to me.

[EKUAlum05]

I don't know how they are ahead of Belfry or Breathitt. They have wins over Bryan Station by one. (I watch Breathitt spank Bryan Station at the grid-o-rama, they scored 6 or 7 times on bryan station 1) I don't think Whitley is a big win, it maybe little above average win at best. Wayne Co is a preety good team, but not a power house. So how is they have a better body of work than Belfry , Breathitt. Belfry has wins over Johnson Central which better than any win that Bell Co. has.

Bell:
+Win over a quality 6A Bryan Station team on the road
+Win over a quality 9-1 3A Wayne County Team
+Win over a quality 6-4 4A Whitley County Team
+BY FAR the strongest SOS, playing LexCath tough and losing on the road vs. a Good Harlan County by 6
- No truly signature win
- Has lost twice, unlike Breathitt

Breathitt:
+Win over a good 2A Somerset on the road
+- Win over a quality 1A Hazard on the road, but it was much closer than expected
-Otherwise poor SOS including a closer than expected win over an average Morgan County team

Belfry:
+Win over a good 4A Johnson Central on the road, the best win of any of the three teams
-No other wins that stand out
+Good loss @ Ashland where Belfry had a chance to win the game
-Bad loss at home vs. Henry Clay

Based solely off this I think all this proves is all three teams are a toss-up as mentioned. Bell has more quality wins (3), against a harder SOS and thus get the nod.

Breathitt gets the slight nod over Belfry for having one more quality win, and for having no bad losses to penalize them.

Belfry doesn't have the SOS of Bell, have losses unlike Breathitt, but is the only team to play up and beat a good team.

FWIW, being undefeated Breathitt would have had the best argument,,, but their two best wins have did nothing to help them out. Although Somerset is the #2 2A team, they lost to Whitley County at home and have not looked dominant by any means the past two weeks against questionable competition. Hazard is a 3 loss 1A team. Though they are highly ranked, they have zero quality wins. In addition, the glaring game to pick apart of Bell's is clearly their narrow win at home vs. Whitley County. The problem with that is that if you do, then Breathitt must be punished as well since Whitley beat Somerset (Breathitt's clear best win) on the road 3 weeks later.

You can go around and around nitpicking to make a case, but to me it is painfully obvious that these teams are simply too close to call...and based on the explanation I bolded, is the only fundamental way to assign a tangible order.

[Cat Daddy]

I feel like Breathitt, Belfry, and Bell are pretty evenly matched. I feel like Breathitt may have the slight advantage with Trent at Quarterback. Once again if Breathitt and Belfry meet in the regional championship the outcome will be determined by who has the most critical turnover. Last year both teams were evenly matched and a muffed punt by the bobcats proved to be the difference maker. EKUALUMO5 is accurate by stating it's a "toss up" between the three teams.

[Hoot Gibson]

Bell:
+Win over a quality 6A Bryan Station team on the road
+Win over a quality 9-1 3A Wayne County Team
+Win over a quality 6-4 4A Whitley County Team
+BY FAR the strongest SOS, playing LexCath tough and losing on the road vs. a Good Harlan County by 6
- No truly signature win
- Has lost twice, unlike Breathitt

Breathitt:
+Win over a good 2A Somerset on the road
+- Win over a quality 1A Hazard on the road, but it was much closer than expected
-Otherwise poor SOS including a closer than expected win over an average Morgan County team

Belfry:
+Win over a good 4A Johnson Central on the road, the best win of any of the three teams
-No other wins that stand out
+Good loss @ Ashland where Belfry had a chance to win the game
-Bad loss at home vs. Henry Clay

Based solely off this I think all this proves is all three teams are a toss-up as mentioned. Bell has more quality wins (3), against a harder SOS and thus get the nod.

Breathitt gets the slight nod over Belfry for having one more quality win, and for having no bad losses to penalize them.

Belfry doesn't have the SOS of Bell, have losses unlike Breathitt, but is the only team to play up and beat a good team.

FWIW, being undefeated Breathitt would have had the best argument,,, but their two best wins have did nothing to help them out. Although Somerset is the #2 2A team, they lost to Whitley County at home and have not looked dominant by any means the past two weeks against questionable competition. Hazard is a 3 loss 1A team. Though they are highly ranked, they have zero quality wins. In addition, the glaring game to pick apart of Bell's is clearly their narrow win at home vs. Whitley County. The problem with that is that if you do, then Breathitt must be punished as well since Whitley beat Somerset (Breathitt's clear best win) on the road 3 weeks later.

You can go around and around nitpicking to make a case, but to me it is painfully obvious that these teams are simply too close to call...and based on the explanation I bolded, is the only fundamental way to assign a tangible order.

I don't think that early wins and losses deserve equal weighting with late wins and losses. Belfry's defensive performance on the road against Johnson Central in the last game of the season is a bigger accomplishment than anything that Bell has done. I don't expect that either Covington Catholic or Highlands, if JC upsets CovCath, will be able to contain JC's running game to the extent that Belfry did. I would rank a healthy Belfry team #2 to Harlan. Breathitt's wins don't even begin to compare.

[rednblackattack]

I don't think that early wins and losses deserve equal weighting with late wins and losses. Belfry's defensive performance on the road against Johnson Central in the last game of the season is a bigger accomplishment than anything that Bell has done. I don't expect that either Covington Catholic or Highlands, if JC upsets CovCath, will be able to contain JC's running game to the extent that Belfry did. I would rank a healthy Belfry team #2 to Harlan. Breathitt's wins don't even begin to compare.

I agree. Graves County who by principle as a Mayfield fan i am not a huge fan not being in the top 10 is odd to me they ran the table in their 5a district and beat Christian County on the road and dropped a good Paducah Team. They have played a decent schedule they took their lumps early against Mayfield and Murray but despite Murray being left off the 2a top 10 is a tough football team and i wouldnt be surprised if them or Caldwell made it to BG.

[padd4pirate]

I feel like Breathitt, Belfry, and Bell are pretty evenly matched. I feel like Breathitt may have the slight advantage with Trent at Quarterback. Once again if Breathitt and Belfry meet in the regional championship the outcome will be determined by who has the most critical turnover. Last year both teams were evenly matched and a muffed punt by the bobcats proved to be the difference maker. EKUALUMO5 is accurate by stating it's a "toss up" between the three teams.

You know Belfry has a pretty good Q.B. too...Warren is his name...and if we meet, its at The CAM...Pond Creek Nation Baby!!!irateShoirateShoirateSho

[Cat Daddy]

You know Belfry has a pretty good Q.B. too...Warren is his name...and if we meet, its at The CAM...Pond Creek Nation Baby!!!irateShoirateShoirateSho

History doesn't suggest the home team having any advantage in this series. Warren is a very good quarterback.

[MayfieldCardinal]

No Murray, hmmm............they are worthy guys take a harder look at them

[padd4pirate]

History doesn't suggest the home team having any advantage in this series. Warren is a very good quarterback.

Agree...home field means nothing...

[Title town 3]

I don't think that early wins and losses deserve equal weighting with late wins and losses. Belfry's defensive performance on the road against Johnson Central in the last game of the season is a bigger accomplishment than anything that Bell has done. I don't expect that either Covington Catholic or Highlands, if JC upsets CovCath, will be able to contain JC's running game to the extent that Belfry did. I would rank a healthy Belfry team #2 to Harlan. Breathitt's wins don't even begin to compare.

No Murray, hmmm............they are worthy guys take a harder look at them

I thought they were 2 a.

[Title town 3]

I don't think that early wins and losses deserve equal weighting with late wins and losses. Belfry's defensive performance on the road against Johnson Central in the last game of the season is a bigger accomplishment than anything that Bell has done. I don't expect that either Covington Catholic or Highlands, if JC upsets CovCath, will be able to contain JC's running game to the extent that Belfry did. I would rank a healthy Belfry team #2 to Harlan. Breathitt's wins don't even begin to compare.

Will see in about three weeks how breathitt wins are not comparable. This breathitt team is on a mission after the bad taste in their mouth from last year. This team has been looking forward to this game for almost a year. Now that breathitt offense is clicking with the passing game they are going to be tough to deal with.

[MayfieldCardinal]

I thought they were 2 a.

They are AA and are a #10 AA club, not at the top but a top #10

[bucslover68]

Breathitt does need to play up IMO against better teams. They are very dangerous and the potential Belfry/Breathitt game will be one of the best match ups of the year.
I find it hard to see how the Henry Clay loss is really of any significance negatively for Belfry. It served positively for the Pirates in many ways, and Belfry had a lot of good things happen including 340 yards on the ground against a 6A team. Belfry was at a huge disadvantage having only played a weak Harrison County team, while HC had played two games against John Hardin and a Ryle team that is down, but still better than a lot of teams.
Belfry/Breathitt winner will be a decent favorite in the semis.
The regional final that really intrigues me is Bell/Central if it happens. My line on this game on a neutral field would be Central by 10, but the game isn't neutral at all. Central will bring no one with them and that's not being disrespectful it's just the truth and I know the game is not decided by the number of fans but Bell's homefield will be big. Central can say that long drives do not bother them, and they have the rings as some proof, but the last time they visited the mountains, JC humbled them. It was not a playoff game however.
With those points being made, I'm not sure how Bell's O can score enough against Central's D. If I had to choose a winner, I'd pull for Bell, but pick the Jackets 21-14.
I will take Belfry 21-14 over Breathitt in a real good game with the Cats committing one more big error than Belfry...If these match ups happen, it could be two classic games.

[Title town 3]

I don't think that early wins and losses deserve equal weighting with late wins and losses. Belfry's defensive performance on the road against Johnson Central in the last game of the season is a bigger accomplishment than anything that Bell has done. I don't expect that either Covington Catholic or Highlands, if JC upsets CovCath, will be able to contain JC's running game to the extent that Belfry did. I would rank a healthy Belfry team #2 to Harlan. Breathitt's wins don't even begin to compare.

Breathitt does need to play up IMO against better teams. They are very dangerous and the potential Belfry/Breathitt game will be one of the best match ups of the year.
I find it hard to see how the Henry Clay loss is really of any significance negatively for Belfry. It served positively for the Pirates in many ways, and Belfry had a lot of good things happen including 340 yards on the ground against a 6A team. Belfry was at a huge disadvantage having only played a weak Harrison County team, while HC had played two games against John Hardin and a Ryle team that is down, but still better than a lot of teams.
Belfry/Breathitt winner will be a decent favorite in the semis.
The regional final that really intrigues me is Bell/Central if it happens. My line on this game on a neutral field would be Central by 10, but the game isn't neutral at all. Central will bring no one with them and that's not being disrespectful it's just the truth and I know the game is not decided by the number of fans but Bell's homefield will be big. Central can say that long drives do not bother them, and they have the rings as some proof, but the last time they visited the mountains, JC humbled them. It was not a playoff game however.
With those points being made, I'm not sure how Bell's O can score enough against Central's D. If I had to choose a winner, I'd pull for Bell, but pick the Jackets 21-14.
I will take Belfry 21-14 over Breathitt in a real good game with the Cats committing one more big error than Belfry...If these match ups happen, it could be two classic games.

What does it matter what class a team is. When I played at breathitt we beat a lot of teams that were 4 a (6a now ) some where good and some suck. What im getting at isnt doesnt matter the size of the school if they are good then they are good.People can think what they want but Somerset is a very good team ( they were rank 15th in all of the class when bobcats played them.)that had a bad night against Whitley co. They beat Danville that beat Boyle co who spank Whitley co. So how is that breathitt hasn't played nobody, heck hazard is a good team that will be back in the championship game this year.

[mysonis55]

1a looks good.
2a Murray is going to make some noise. They will knock off OC at OC and then beat Caldwell at Caldwell.
5a Warren Central is clearly the #2 team. Anyone else on this list would have lost to Bowling Green as well and it wouldn't have been as close either. Watch and see what I mean coming down the stretch.

[tomcatfan722000]

I don't think that early wins and losses deserve equal weighting with late wins and losses. Belfry's defensive performance on the road against Johnson Central in the last game of the season is a bigger accomplishment than anything that Bell has done. I don't expect that either Covington Catholic or Highlands, if JC upsets CovCath, will be able to contain JC's running game to the extent that Belfry did. I would rank a healthy Belfry team #2 to Harlan. Breathitt's wins don't even begin to compare.

Hoot I know Cov Cath has trouble with JC but I'm sure the highlands folks are laughing at not being able to contain the running game. They have every other Time the the two have played why not this time?

[mysonis55]

Red&Blk, are you surprised that Graves and Murray are not on here?:please: This is a predominantly EASTERN, Ky site.nicker: They don't think we play with a real football west of Lexington.nicker: Graves should certainly be in the top 10. I believe the coaches poll has them at #7, but of course we all know eastern, ky fans know more than coaches across the state.nicker: Murray should also be on the top 10. They will most likely go to OC and win and then go to Caldwell and win.:thanks: I think we will end up with the final laugh in this one.nicker:

[Hoot Gibson]

Hoot I know Cov Cath has trouble with JC but I'm sure the highlands folks are laughing at not being able to contain the running game. They have every other Time the the two have played why not this time?

Johnson Central has moved the ball effectively on the ground every time they have played Highlands. The same is true for the games with Covington Catholic, including the game in which JC led the eventual state champion in 2006 in the third quarter. Highlands had less trouble last season with JC's running attack than in the previous seasons because it consisted mostly of J.J. Jude and the team was less experienced. Still, the Golden Eagles rushed for 203 yds on 40 attempts last season, so they were not totally throttled.

JC's biggest problem with Highlands, IMO, has been its inability to defend the Birds' passing attack. I don't think that the NKY teams see offenses like JC as often as the mountain teams (and Ashland). Belfry and Ashland, in particular, have much more experience defending Johnson Central's style of offense. Johnson Central has generally moved the ball very well on the ground against teams from NKY.

I have always believed that Johnson Central's best chance to advance past Highlands and win a state title is to dominate time of possession and avoid turnovers by relying primarily on its rushing attack. Mountain teams that try to run a mirror image of Highlands' offense are going to be beaten by the real McCoy almost every time. In 2010, JC came within a last second dropped pass of getting that chance.

[tomcatfan722000]

Johnson Central has moved the ball effectively on the ground every time they have played Highlands. The same is true for the games with Covington Catholic, including the game in which JC led the eventual state champion in 2006 in the third quarter. Highlands had less trouble last season with JC's running attack than in the previous seasons because it consisted mostly of J.J. Jude and the team was less experienced. Still, the Golden Eagles rushed for 203 yds on 40 attempts last season, so they were not totally throttled.

JC's biggest problem with Highlands, IMO, has been its inability to defend the Birds' passing attack. I don't think that the NKY teams see offenses like JC as often as the mountain teams (and Ashland). Belfry and Ashland, in particular, have much more experience defending Johnson Central's style of offense. Johnson Central has generally moved the ball very well on the ground against teams from NKY.

I have always believed that Johnson Central's best chance to advance past Highlands and win a state title is to dominate time of possession and avoid turnovers by relying primarily on its rushing attack. Mountain teams that try to run a mirror image of Highlands' offense are going to be beaten by the real McCoy almost every time. In 2010, JC came within a last second dropped pass of getting that chance.

I agree you have to be able to keep the ball away from them,not turn the ball over, but what I think JC has had a problem with is forcing those turnovers to get that extra possession . And by JC standards 200yards on 40 carries is containing to against most teams over the past decade. They have they in 20 carries. Wasn't it like 2007 or 2008 they were in the top 5 nationwide in rushing yards? I'm pretty sure it was Shawn grimm's senior season.

[bucslover68]

What does it matter what class a team is. When I played at breathitt we beat a lot of teams that were 4 a (6a now ) some where good and some suck. What im getting at isnt doesnt matter the size of the school if they are good then they are good.People can think what they want but Somerset is a very good team ( they were rank 15th in all of the class when bobcats played them.)that had a bad night against Whitley co. They beat Danville that beat Boyle co who spank Whitley co. So how is that breathitt hasn't played nobody, heck hazard is a good team that will be back in the championship game this year.

No one said Hazard and Somerset aren't good teams, but for a program with 3 rings, you would expect them to play a better schedule. But in reality that is neither here nor there and if Nov. 16 happens, it should be a war.

[Hefty Lefty]

Can anybody tell me how Lafayette dropped 4 spots in the 6A poll without having a game?

[Hoot Gibson]

I agree you have to be able to keep the ball away from them,not turn the ball over, but what I think JC has had a problem with is forcing those turnovers to get that extra possession . And by JC standards 200yards on 40 carries is containing to against most teams over the past decade. They have they in 20 carries. Wasn't it like 2007 or 2008 they were in the top 5 nationwide in rushing yards? I'm pretty sure it was Shawn grimm's senior season.

All I said was that JC has moved the ball effectively on the ground against Highlands and they have. Last season was the best job that Highlands has done defensively against JC's running game. Obviously, Highlands offense has done a better job moving the ball against the Golden Eagles defense and has put more points on the board.

[30 going on 40]

Johnson Central has moved the ball effectively on the ground every time they have played Highlands. The same is true for the games with Covington Catholic, including the game in which JC led the eventual state champion in 2006 in the third quarter. Highlands had less trouble last season with JC's running attack than in the previous seasons because it consisted mostly of J.J. Jude and the team was less experienced. Still, the Golden Eagles rushed for 203 yds on 40 attempts last season, so they were not totally throttled.JC's biggest problem with Highlands, IMO, has been its inability to defend the Birds' passing attack. I don't think that the NKY teams see offenses like JC as often as the mountain teams (and Ashland). Belfry and Ashland, in particular, have much more experience defending Johnson Central's style of offense. Johnson Central has generally moved the ball very well on the ground against teams from NKY.

I have always believed that Johnson Central's best chance to advance past Highlands and win a state title is to dominate time of possession and avoid turnovers by relying primarily on its rushing attack. Mountain teams that try to run a mirror image of Highlands' offense are going to be beaten by the real McCoy almost every time. In 2010, JC came within a last second dropped pass of getting that chance.

They were completely throttled last year. Numbers lie. The vast majority of those yards came in the second half after the game was decided and starters were out. If you watched the game, you saw that the 1st half was a COMPLETE beat down. Can't speak of the previous years, I heard that they were much better games.