We thought it would be fun to predict some games in the areas where the digital magazine is most read. If we didn’t pick your game it was because you don’t support us. We cover the games in the areas where we are read. If you want coverage, you have to prove it to us as we will go anywhere we are wanted. We will not cover teams whose fans don’t care enough about their team to read about them.
Let’s get to the action. We will feature some Friday night games first and then, later this coming week, we will feature the Saturday night games…
Lexington Catholic at Pulaski County…
Lexington Catholic, beginning with Friday night, will be competing as a Class 4A, District 5 football team. They have the best QB in Kentucky in Beau Allen, at least arguably, and Allen is almost good enough to win big games alone (see his stats from LC’s narrow defeat to Belfry in last year’s playoffs, sick!) Catholic was 8-4 in 2018 playing in 3A. Pulaski County is one of the best football teams in its class yearly. They are a Class 5A, District 7 football team which was 10-3 in 2018 after having been 5A runner-ups in 2016 to Bowling Green. We like Pulaski County in this game though in a high-scoring affair in which Allen will shine.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is…Pulaski County
Belfry at Southwestern…
A month ago we take Belfry here with little hesitation. However, Belfry has experienced a rash of injuries over the previous three or so weeks which will leave them without some of their very best players until they reach District, at which time they will get these guys back for the stretch run. Southwestern was 10-3 in 2018 (as was Belfry in Class 3A, District 8) playing in the 5A classification’s 8th district. However, legendary Coach Larry French bolted for Middlesboro in the offseason leaving Jason Foley to carry on the responsibilities of running the largest high school program in Somerset, Kentucky. Belfry should love this prediction because last year, every time we picked Belfry to lose, they won.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is…Southwestern
Bryan Station at Frederick Douglass…
The Defenders were one of 6A’s most hapless teams in 2018 going 2-9. We can remember when Bryan Station was a team with which to reckon. They will be back in the 8th district this coming season and man, have they ever picked a loo-loo of an opener. Frederick Douglass has maybe the elite talent in Kentucky high school football returning in 2019 from a team which was 11-1 a year ago in the 6A classification, losing in round two to finalist Scott County by a single point. Frederick Douglass lays claim to Dekel Crowdus, Class of 2021 (offered by Michigan, Kentucky, Florida State among others); return an elite 2021 OG in Jager Burton (offered by Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, Ohio State, among others); and also returns the best OT in the Class of 2020, Walker Parks (offered by Clemson, Auburn, Kentucky, among others). Sprinkle in the fact its top interceptor, Jaylin Bybee (3 picks for 100 return yards) is back, and one of its leading tacklers, Ramarcus Thompson, returns, and you can see this one will likely “run the clock.” We have picked Frederick Douglass to win the 5A state football championship in 2019, we will pick them to win this week too.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is Frederick Douglass…
Johnson Central at Lafayette…
Jim Matney’s Eagles are the class of the 4A classification; well, Franklin-Simpson and them. This year, with the additions to the classification joining via realignment, Class 4A may be one of the harder and deeper classifications to win in 2019. The Eagles were 13-2 in 2018 and were runners-up. They appear to make the championship game every year, having gone an incredible four times straight. The Layfayette Generals were 1-10 in 2018 but do play in Kentucky’s largest classification (6A, in the 8th district). Johnson Central says Whoopity-Doo!
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is Johnson Central…
Warren Central vs. Apollo…
Warren Central has lost 35-straight ball games. We thought we better go on and say it now because that appears ripe for change in short order. WCHS has one of the best basketball programs in Kentucky. Coach Unseld is allowing Coach Fowler, who takes over the Dragon’s football fortunes after a 23-year stint coaching college football, to borrow some of his prize athletes to bolster the football roster. Dre Boyd will be a two-way star for the Dragons in 2019. Apollo was 5-6 in 2018 playing in the 5A classification’s 1st district. They have been realigned into the 6A classification’s first district. When this game was scheduled, before Fowler’s being hired, this had to have looked to Apollo like an easy game. It won’t be. We will go out on a limb here, we like the Dragons to go 1-0 on the new year.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is Warren Central…
Christian County at Caldwell County…
We would say this prediction would really make some people mad in the Christian County area but there aren’t 50 people who will show up and watch a high school football game in the town of Hopkinsville. In other words, no-one in Christian County will probably ever know how we picked this game. So why did we choose this game? Well, because the people in Princeton, Kentucky love football, their football team, and read the heck out of KPGFootball. Caldwell’s legendary coach, David Barnes, has just passed away literally the day before our publishing this. He was one of the best high school coaches in western Kentucky and was a fine player, back in the day, as a diminutive running-back for the Tigers from Princeton. The kids will either be too down from his passing to play very well or they will rally around his memory and what he would have wanted for his beloved football team and use it to motivate them to a great season they can dedicate to his memory and legacy at years-end. We believe they will do the latter. Christian County’s football team is pathetic. They may not win a single game in 2019. They will not win the opener either.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is Caldwell County…
Todd County Central at Calloway County…
We told anyone who would listen Todd County Central would be one of Class 2A’s surprise teams in 2019. They have an excellent coach in Darell Keith and a returning first team Big-Sky conference running-back in Ja’Twan Graham. Graham weighs 240-pounds and teams just get tired of having to bring him to the ground. Ask perennial 4A power Hopkinsville. Graham dragged them all up and down the field, at their scrimmage in Hopkinsville, August 16th, which required the Tigers to benefit from two-pick sixes in the scrimmage’s last two minutes, a muffed punt, and two missed PATs for the Tigers to claim a slim 28-20 escape. Todd was 5-6 in the 2A’s second district last year and have about everyone back to go along with two fantastic transfers. Calloway County made some strides last year, as they had Hopkinsville on the ropes in 2018 at home before succumbing to the Tigers late in the second half of that game. Calloway was 3-8 in 2018, playing in the 4A classification’s first district. This is a big-game for the Rebels. They need to get this win for a chance at the type of season they are capable of having.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is Todd County Central…
Trigg County at Muhlenberg County…
Speaking of teams we told you would be good in 2019, Trigg County take a bow. This might be the best Trigg County team since Al Baker was in the backfield. At least, the team is loaded with skills. If the line play is any count at all, the Wildcats will be very dangerous. Trigg has the premier dual-threat QB in Kentucky’s Class of 2020 in Navy commitment Cam Jordan. Trigg also sports D-I caliber talent in rising sophomore LB Kendric Adams. When you throw Adams in with LB Cade Bleidt, who we believe to be All-State caliber, in the second level, and toss 2020, NG (and OC), Ty Meacham into the mix, you have a defense which will be greatly improved over the 2018 edition. Getting back a multi-purpose threat from his one-year stint at Class 4A Hoptown, Tayshaun Barker, shouldn’t hurt either the offense or the special teams. Muhlenberg County is a Class 5A, fist district team who won 3 games in 2018 when they were competing in Class 6A, district one. The three wins to which Muhlenberg laid claim in 2018 were to three teams which combined for 4 wins. Muhlenberg bested Hopkins County Central (3-7), Ohio County (1-10), and winless Butler County (0-10). In an age where almost everyone in Kentucky high school football goes to the playoffs, Muhlenberg County was able to schedule two teams which didn’t get to play in the post-season at all. Lucky for them, because Muhlenberg County may be the worst football team in Kentucky. If not, they are certainly vying for the title.
KPGFootball’s weekly winner is Trigg County…
The rest of our winners for the August 23rd games…
Harlan County; Edmonson County; Warren East; Lincoln County; Wayne County; Elizabethtown; Glasgow; Franklin County; West Jassamine; Scott County; Simon Kenton; Atherton; Bethlehem; Martin County; Bishop Brossart; Boone County; Bracken County; Owensboro (Sr.); Bullitt Central; Newport Central Catholic; Ludlow; Hart County; Daviess County; Christian Academy-Louisville; Clay County; Clay County, TN (over Monroe); Cooper; Corbin; Covington Catholic; Ballard; duPont Manual; East Carter; Crittenden County; Frankfort; Franklin-Simpson; Greenfield (TN) over Futon City; Fulton County; Middlesboro; Grayson County; Harrison County; Evansville Reitz (IN) (over Henderson Co.); Henry County; Bellevue; Jackson County; Southern; Fern Creek; Williamsburg; Breathitt County; Knox Central; Paintsville; Perry County Central; Lewis County; Lexington Christian; Logan County; Magoffin County; Male; Western; Marshall County; Russell; Mayfield; McCreary Central; Metcalfe County; Rowan County; Murray; Nelson County; Nicholas County; North Oldham; Oldham County; Grant County; Owensboro Catholic; Paris; North Laurel; Pendleton County; Pike County Central; Russell County; Highlands; Letcher County Central; Somerset; St. Xavier; Trinity; Madisonville-North Hopkins; Pleasure Ridge Park; Walton-Verona; Hopkins County Central; Kenwood, TN (over Hopkinsville).
There it is, our first edition of our weekly winners which we will continue throughout the season. We will come back in and highlight some Saturday games as the weekend draws nearer.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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