[Westside]

1. Johnson Central
2. Boyle County
3. Wayne County
4. Madisonville North Hopkins
5. Central
6. Franklin County
7. Lexington Catholic
8. Hopkinsville
9. Corbin
10. Harlan County

The Bluegrass Rivals Rankings Committee is made up of members selected from this site.

[FBfan4life]

How is 2020 prediction looking?

[64SUR]

Glad to see Wayne County at #3 and Corbin making top 10 :Cheerlead

[2000PHS]

JC won and deserves #1. They did what very few thought could be done. Only thing I will say about Boyle Co. is I am shocked they turned the ball over 5 times and only got beat by 1 missed extra point.

[Pulp Fiction]

JC won and deserves #1. They did what very few thought could be done. Only thing I will say about Boyle Co. is I am shocked they turned the ball over 5 times and only got beat by 1 missed extra point.

The fumble on the double reverse pass was caused by Dillion Preston & recovered by Grant Rice.
The muffed punt was a mental mistake on the Boyle County returner, but the JC players were smart enough & aware enough to make the recovery.
The INT. by Cody Rice hit Reese Smith in the hands, but couldn't haul it in.
The INT. at the end of the 1st half was a hail mary, but Dillion Preston still came down with the ball.
The fumble by Boyle Co. to start the 3rd qtr. was also cause by JC's defense.
Boyle County's kicker ended the season being 88 of 90 on XP's.

The turnovers & missed XP may be uncharacteristic of Boyle County, but four of the five turnovers were directly caused by JC's defense. IMO, the turnovers prove that Boyle County hadn't played a defense like JC's all season.


If it was by 1 point or 100 points, the better team won the football game.

[ekywildcat]

JC won and deserves #1. They did what very few thought could be done. Only thing I will say about Boyle Co. is I am shocked they turned the ball over 5 times and only got beat by 1 missed extra point.

Boyle played great, in it right to the end. Not like they were 43 down.

[Diogenes]

Yeah. Cause they wanted to lose to give message board material.

[2000PHS]

Boyle played great, in it right to the end. Not like they were 43 down.

Was that a shot at Paintsville? Awe, you’re cute. If you think 5 turnovers was great, then that tells me all I need to know.

[2000PHS]

The fumble on the double reverse pass was caused by Dillion Preston & recovered by Grant Rice.
The muffed punt was a mental mistake on the Boyle County returner.
The INT. by Cody Rice hit Reese Smith in the hands, but couldn't haul it in.
The INT. at the end of the 1st half was a hail mary, but Dillion Preston still came down with the ball.
The fumble by Boyle Co. to start the 3rd qtr. was also cause by JC's defense.
Boyle County's kicker ended the season being 88 of 90 on XP's.

The turnovers & missed XP may be uncharacteristic of Boyle County, but four of the five turnovers were directly caused by JC's defense. IMO, the turnovers prove that Boyle County hadn't played a defense like JC's all season.


If it was by 1 point or 100 points, the better team won the football game.

Thanks for the reminders. I wasn’t trying to say the better team didn’t win, I’m just saying that 5 turnovers usually results in a beat down. That just shows how good both teams are.

[single shot]

JC won and deserves #1. They did what very few thought could be done. Only thing I will say about Boyle Co. is I am shocked they turned the ball over 5 times and only got beat by 1 missed extra point.

Forcing turnovers is the key to beating most any team but most especially Boyle...for them to have turned it over 5 times and still to only lost by 1 says a lot about just how good they where but credit Johnson Central they were better...

[single shot]

Thanks for the reminders. I wasn’t trying to say the better team didn’t win, I’m just saying that 5 turnovers usually results in a beat down. That just shows how good both teams are.

Yep

[Pulp Fiction]

JC won and deserves #1. They did what very few thought could be done. Only thing I will say about Boyle Co. is I am shocked they turned the ball over 5 times and only got beat by 1 missed extra point.

The fumble on the double reverse pass was caused by Dillion Preston & recovered by Grant Rice.
The muffed punt was a mental mistake on the Boyle County returner, but the JC players were smart enough & aware enough to make the recovery.
The INT. by Cody Rice hit Reese Smith in the hands, but couldn't haul it in.
The INT. at the end of the 1st half was a hail mary, but Dillion Preston still came down with the ball.
The fumble by Boyle Co. to start the 3rd qtr. was also cause by JC's defense.
Boyle County's kicker ended the season being 88 of 90 on XP's.

The turnovers & missed XP may be uncharacteristic of Boyle County, but four of the five turnovers were directly caused by JC's defense. IMO, the turnovers prove that Boyle County hadn't played a defense like JC's all season.


If it was by 1 point or 100 points, the better team won the football game.

Thanks for the reminders. I wasn’t trying to say the better team didn’t win, I’m just saying that 5 turnovers usually results in a beat down. That just shows how good both teams are.

For once, we agree on the bolded.

JC's turns the ball over five times against Boyle Co., we are looking at a running clock.

Boyle County turns the ball over five times against any other 4A team, Boyle Co. still is very likely to get the W.

[2000PHS]

For once, we agree on the bolded.

JC's turns the ball over five times against Boyle Co., we are looking at a running clock.

Boyle County turns the ball over five times against any other 4A team, Boyle Co. still is very likely to get the W.

Bottom line, JC beat a very well coached and D1 talented team.

[Hound05]

The fumble on the double reverse pass was caused by Dillion Preston & recovered by Grant Rice.
The muffed punt was a mental mistake on the Boyle County returner, but the JC players were smart enough & aware enough to make the recovery.
The INT. by Cody Rice hit Reese Smith in the hands, but couldn't haul it in.
The INT. at the end of the 1st half was a hail mary, but Dillion Preston still came down with the ball.
The fumble by Boyle Co. to start the 3rd qtr. was also cause by JC's defense.
Boyle County's kicker ended the season being 88 of 90 on XP's.

The turnovers & missed XP may be uncharacteristic of Boyle County, but four of the five turnovers were directly caused by JC's defense. IMO, the turnovers prove that Boyle County hadn't played a defense like JC's all season.


If it was by 1 point or 100 points, the better team won the football game.

It was the same thing last year when we beat them. We had 1 INT that I remember when they were in the redzone. And a couple of fumbles. Also another muffed punt but it was called a penalty but our guy was blocked into the back into the returner. But it was the same story from a few. “If we didn’t turn it over we would have won”. Even though we held them to ZERO?? And then the same “it wasn’t a normal Boyle game because we turned it over so much.” But it’s like you said, it was because they faced one of the better defenses then I’ve seen in a while. There are a lot of similarities between our D last year and yours this year. But it got me thinking about Boyle. Every time they faced a great defense they lost. So either corbin last year had just as great of a class as they did this year or Boyle was overrated. Same goes for JC. Or chuck smith and company aren’t as high as once thought 3 years ago.

[Hoot Gibson]

It was the same thing last year when we beat them. We had 1 INT that I remember when they were in the redzone. And a couple of fumbles. Also another muffed punt but it was called a penalty but our guy was blocked into the back into the returner. But it was the same story from a few. “If we didn’t turn it over we would have won”. Even though we held them to ZERO?? And then the same “it wasn’t a normal Boyle game because we turned it over so much.” But it’s like you said, it was because they faced one of the better defenses then I’ve seen in a while. There are a lot of similarities between our D last year and yours this year. But it got me thinking about Boyle. Every time they faced a great defense they lost. So either corbin last year had just as great of a class as they did this year or Boyle was overrated. Same goes for JC. Or chuck smith and company aren’t as high as once thought 3 years ago.

Against Johnson Central, I think that Boyle County was unprepared to face a team like the Golden Eagles. There was no team on their schedule capable of sustaining long drives for an entire game. Johnson Central purposefully scheduled teams with athletic receivers and great quarterbacks because teams that have given them trouble in past playoffs had great passing offenses.

JC did not have anybody on their schedule with a passing game equal to Boyle County's but they did face some great individual talent. Also, when JC raced to large leads, their opponents passed more than normal, which gave the Golden Eagles more experience defending the pass.

When Boyle County built big leads, opposing teams also passed more than they normally would have, which meant that their defense did not get much practice against running attacks in game situations. Boyle County's defensive stats against the run look great, but they were misleading because teams trailing by large deficits don't run the ball much. In contrast to JC, Boyle County's defense faced one of the state's best passing offenses in practice.

IMO, Boyle County would benefit greatly by scheduling a team like Belfry or Scott County during the regular season because putting running clocks on teams, even run first teams, is not going to prepare them for playoff games against teams like Johnson Central.

There is a thread on "that other website" about how many games the teams in the finals would win if they played a series of 10 games. The last time I checked, only one poster had Johnson Central winning as many games or more than Boyle County. The presumption seems to be that Johnson Central played as well as it could possibly play and Boyle County played about as badly as they could have played.

I think the turnover margin in Boyle County's last two playoff games is due in part, to their high risk/high reward offensive philosophy. A team playing a more conservative style of offense, as Johnson Central normally does, is much less likely to turn the ball over against a good defense than one that takes risks to exploit their players' athleticism.

[single shot]

The presumption seems to be that Johnson Central played as well as it could possibly play and Boyle County played about as badly as they could have played.

ecret: Seems like I remember hearing about the same thing concerning their game with us last year...

[2000PHS]

The presumption seems to be that Johnson Central played as well as it could possibly play and Boyle County played about as badly as they could have played.

I think the turnover margin in Boyle County's last two playoff games is due in part, to their high risk/high reward offensive philosophy. A team playing a more conservative style of offense, as Johnson Central normally does, is much less likely to turn the ball over against a good defense than one that takes risks to exploit their players' athleticism.

You would think that if a team has made it to 5 straight finals, the rest of the state would recognize they are a very good team and program, oh well, maybe after 6 or 7 straight trips they will get the benefit of the doubt.

[single shot]

You would think that if a team has made it to 5 straight finals, the rest of the state would recognize they are a very good team and program, oh well, maybe after 6 or 7 straight trips they will get the benefit of the doubt.

Try and not let a few posters on internet forums take things out of context...I think most people who know high school football would agree Johnson Central’s football program is top tier in the state period...Regardless of class they’re top ten if not top five...

[Hoot Gibson]

You would think that if a team has made it to 5 straight finals, the rest of the state would recognize they are a very good team and program, oh well, maybe after 6 or 7 straight trips they will get the benefit of the doubt.

There were a lot of people who believed that 4A was very weak and one of the new additions to the class would walk home with the title. Aside from Boyle County, none of the new 4A teams had much impact on the playoffs.

I remember taking exception to one poster's preseason claim that Boyle County was the overwhelming favorite to win 4A. I didn't doubt that Boyle County was very talented, but I never believed that they were prohibitive favorites. By mid-season, I considered JC and BC as co-favorites and after JC beat Belfry handily on the road, I was even more certain that a BC-JC game would be a toss-up.

I think that Johnson Central will be favored to repeat next season but they have some large shoes to fill - and as Franklin-Simpson showed in 2017 after losing 48-0 to Johnson Central the year before, a lot can change between seasons. I suspect that 4A will be stronger overall next season than it was this year and the road to the 2020 title will be a rough one.

[single shot]

There were a lot of people who believed that 4A was very weak and one of the new additions to the class would walk home with the title. Aside from Boyle County, none of the new 4A teams had much impact on the playoffs.

I remember taking exception to one poster's preseason claim that Boyle County was the overwhelming favorite to win 4A. I didn't doubt that Boyle County was very talented, but I never believed that they were prohibitive favorites. By mid-season, I considered JC and BC as co-favorites and after JC beat Belfry handily on the road, I was even more certain that a BC-JC game would be a toss-up.

I think that Johnson Central will be favored to repeat next season but they have some large shoes to fill - and as Franklin-Simpson showed in 2017 after losing 48-0 to Johnson Central the year before, a lot can change between seasons. I suspect that 4A will be stronger overall next season than it was this year and the road to the 2020 title will be a rough one.

Other than Franklin Simpson or Johnson Central was there ever any danger of anyone else winning 4A in years prior?

I think you’d be surprised to learn just how many people thought that Johnson Central was actually the favorite but kept it to themselves because of the argument that would follow by posting it on here...

I’m not sure if anyone will be ready for Johnson Central next year they’ll be very talented but I do think they’ll be more parity throughout the class...

[Hoot Gibson]

Other than Franklin Simpson or Johnson Central was there ever any danger of anyone else winning 4A in years prior?

I think you’d be surprised to learn just how many people thought that Johnson Central was actually the favorite but kept it to themselves because of the argument that would follow by posting it on here...

I’m not sure if anyone will be ready for Johnson Central next year they’ll be very talented but I do think they’ll be more parity throughout the class...

Franklin-Simpson beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by two points last season in the semi-finals. I don't think JC or Franklin-Simpson were viewed as particularly strong teams by many around the state. There were a lot of people who thought they just made it to the finals so often because the class was weak not because they had very strong teams. Franklin-Simpson was way down this season, but they were as good as anybody that Johnson Central faced in 2017 and 2018 - and in 2016 neither Johnson Central nor Belfry had close playoff games in winning the 3A and 4A titles. Yet, I don't recall people calling 3A weak in 2016.

I also don't recall many people disparaging class 5A as being a weak class when Highlands was dominating the class a few years ago. The 2016, 2018, or 2019 Johnson Central teams would have been tough outs for any of those great Highlands teams, IMO. Things are changing, but Johnson Central has been the Rodney Dangerfield of football programs for many years, IMO.

I agree that there were many people who probably saw JC as the favorite to win 4A but did not express that opinion because they did not want to debate with FoSho and a few others who were convinced that there was no way Boyle County would not win the state championship.

[Bull got out!]

I am happy for Johnson Central, wow what a run, I don't know if it ends under Mr. Matney anytime soon. I brought my boy to watch the 4A finals. I told him to be the best we got to beat the best. No offense Johnson Central fans, I will be pulling for the Corbin Redhounds to win there first Championship since 1982 and coach Haddix to get his first as a head coach.

[Hound05]

Against Johnson Central, I think that Boyle County was unprepared to face a team like the Golden Eagles. There was no team on their schedule capable of sustaining long drives for an entire game. Johnson Central purposefully scheduled teams with athletic receivers and great quarterbacks because teams that have given them trouble in past playoffs had great passing offenses.

JC did not have anybody on their schedule with a passing game equal to Boyle County's but they did face some great individual talent. Also, when JC raced to large leads, their opponents passed more than normal, which gave the Golden Eagles more experience defending the pass.

When Boyle County built big leads, opposing teams also passed more than they normally would have, which meant that their defense did not get much practice against running attacks in game situations. Boyle County's defensive stats against the run look great, but they were misleading because teams trailing by large deficits don't run the ball much. In contrast to JC, Boyle County's defense faced one of the state's best passing offenses in practice.

IMO, Boyle County would benefit greatly by scheduling a team like Belfry or Scott County during the regular season because putting running clocks on teams, even run first teams, is not going to prepare them for playoff games against teams like Johnson Central.

There is a thread on "that other website" about how many games the teams in the finals would win if they played a series of 10 games. The last time I checked, only one poster had Johnson Central winning as many games or more than Boyle County. The presumption seems to be that Johnson Central played as well as it could possibly play and Boyle County played about as badly as they could have played.

I think the turnover margin in Boyle County's last two playoff games is due in part, to their high risk/high reward offensive philosophy. A team playing a more conservative style of offense, as Johnson Central normally does, is much less likely to turn the ball over against a good defense than one that takes risks to exploit their players' athleticism.

All valid points and I agree. I think the same thing hurt them last year against us. And the same as it did this year. They didn’t face anyone to prepare them for either. It’s not entirely their fault. It’s hard to know how a team will be a year in advance but it is what it is. I haven’t paid much attention to JCs schedule but last year we played several teams like mayfield and others that ran a boyle type offense to prepare us. And it matters!

I think the series would be pretty even if 10 were played. Maybe a 6 to 4 on the extreme end. But really either team could be the 6. The reason they played so bad was because of JCs defense!! It’s the same excuses every year. Turnovers etc. well most TO’s are forced. So you have to credit the other team for doing so not turn it into an excuse. If it wasn’t for JCs pressure they might not have had but one TO the whole game

[single shot]

Franklin-Simpson beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by two points last season in the semi-finals. I don't think JC or Franklin-Simpson were viewed as particularly strong teams by many around the state. There were a lot of people who thought they just made it to the finals so often because the class was weak not because they had very strong teams. Franklin-Simpson was way down this season, but they were as good as anybody that Johnson Central faced in 2017 and 2018 - and in 2016 neither Johnson Central nor Belfry had close playoff games in winning the 3A and 4A titles. Yet, I don't recall people calling 3A weak in 2016.

I also don't recall many people disparaging class 5A as being a weak class when Highlands was dominating the class a few years ago. The 2016, 2018, or 2019 Johnson Central teams would have been tough outs for any of those great Highlands teams, IMO. Things are changing, but Johnson Central has been the Rodney Dangerfield of football programs for many years, IMO.

I agree that there were many people who probably saw JC as the favorite to win 4A but did not express that opinion because they did not want to debate with FoSho and a few others who were convinced that there was no way Boyle County would not win the state championship.

Sorry I’m prolly not the one to be discussing this with, to me the whole 6 class system is watered down football...

[Hoot Gibson]

Sorry I’m prolly not the one to be discussing this with, to me the whole 6 class system is watered down football...

I agree with you. Kentucky should have no more than 4 classes, IMO, and no team should be allowed to compete outside of the class where its enrollment places it.

[single shot]

I agree with you. Kentucky should have no more than 4 classes, IMO, and no team should be allowed to compete outside of the class where its enrollment places it.

I could see making a fifth class for private schools only, make them compete against each other or let them compete at a national level it’s simply unfair for public schools...

[Bob Seger]

Back in the mid 70's to mid 80's there were 4 classes.
You had 1A thru 4A. and then a separate 4A for Jefferson Co. schools only.

You would have an at large 4A state champion who would then play the winner of Jefferson Co. $A for an overall state 4A champion.

[Hatz]

Back in the mid 70's to mid 80's there were 4 classes.
You had 1A thru 4A. and then a separate 4A for Jefferson Co. schools only.

You would have an at large 4A state champion who would then play the winner of Jefferson Co. $A for an overall state 4A champion.

You’re so old. nicker:

Actually the Four class system ended in 2007 and went to 6 Classes.

BTW, I’m still in Kathmandu. :Sad04:

[Bob Seger]

You’re so old. nicker:

Actually the Four class system ended in 2007 and went to 6 Classes.

BTW, I’m still in Kathmandu. :Sad04:

You're still too wet behind the ears to even know what I'm talking about.

The system that I am talking about ended in 1986...

You're gonna have to start getting up a little earlier in the morning to outdo me Hatz.irateSho

:biggrin::biggrin:



~Turn The Page

[Bob Seger]

I could see making a fifth class for private schools only, make them compete against each other or let them compete at a national level it’s simply unfair for public schools...

That's kinda~sorta what I was inferring to, before Hatz decided to so rudely interrupt my thought process.

I'd say he's been nipping on a little too much goatmilk wine since he's been hiding out somewhere in Nepal after the season ended...:yikes:

nicker: