It is the biggest weekend in Middle School football in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and it is an event not too many states can boast of hosting. Yes, we have middle school football state Champions in Kentucky and yes, it is both legitimate and quite an accomplishment. These programs are the lifeblood of the high school programs they will supply with players, and most often, teams with strong middle school football programs also are heavyweights in the KHSAA. We will tell you what we know of the Semis and forecast which two teams we believe will play for it all, in Division II, and will forecast which team will ultimately survive the weekend and take home the Division III, Championship trophy.
Region I Champion, TK Stone vs. Region 3 Champion, Lexington Catholic:
Talk about two teams who have been here before, the Region 1 versus the Region 3 matchup is a do-over of the 2016, Division II, State Championship game from 2016. TK Stone prevailed in that game of Lexington Catholic by nearly two touchdowns and, KPGFootball is quite sure, Lexington Catholic is primed for some revenge. Both of these teams were 2 seeds in their respective Regions. TK Stone opened the playoffs with a 42-0 win over Adair in the 2 vs. 7 game, then beat Hopkinsville Middle, in a replay of the 2016 semi-final, 36-16. TK Stone, to win the Region 1 Championship, smoked upstart 1 seed, Warren East in Elizabethtown, Kentucky 26-12.
In Region 3, Lexington Catholic, a two seed, narrowly escaped a first-game exodus from the playoffs by beating Spencer 8-6, before blanking top-seeded Elkhorn, 21-0 in the Region 3 Championship. Between the two teams, TK Stone traveled the tougher rout to get to Lexington and Division 1, historically, has had success in the Championship weekend historically, getting as far as the Championship game several times and providing a Champions several others.
KPGFootball’s call: The Spencer scare in its first playoff game and the inconsistency, historically, of Elkhorn and Elkhorn’s penchant for taking top seeds and still not making it to Lexington, has us not sold on Lexington Catholic’s ability to overcome a TK Stone team which is, without question, a heavy-weight, middle school, football power in the KYMSFA. We believe TK Stone advances to play the winner of Corbin vs. Boyle.
Region 2 Champion, Boyle vs. Region 4 Champion, Corbin:
Talk about your re-plays, the second semi-final in Lexington pits the Region 2 Champion, Boyle, against the Region 4 Champion, Corbin in a replay of last year’s Division 2 State Football Championship game. The Championship game in 2017 between these two teams wasn’t even close as Corbin won 26-9. Boyle County doesn’t take too kindly to being embarrassed, as it was last year, and I am sure this game has been circled since it because likely these two powerhouses were on a Semis collision course. Boyle hasn’t been yet challenged in the playoff as it murdered its first opponent, Garrard County, 46-6, before dismantling the Region 2, 2 seed, Caudill, 39-0.
Meanwhile, in Region 4, top seeded Corbin Struggled with the 4 seed, Knox Central, 26-18, before handling 3 seed Bell County, in the Region 4 Championship Game, 30-14. The Region 4 Championship was played at Bell County High School so Corbin had to win it in unfriendly confines. Now the inclination here is to favor Boyle County over Corbin because of the fact Boyle was able to steamroll the 2nd Region without even the faintest hint of being contested. However, that is exactly why middle school football is so difficult to handicap. We don’t really know much about the teams Boyle embarrassed nor the teams with which Corbin appeared to struggle in getting to where both teams now find themselves. What we do know is Corbin’s team won the KYMSFA, State Football Championship, in 7th grade, 37-16 over Caudill. That didn’t stop Boyle County from killing the runner-up for the Regional title, 39-0, but, like they were in the Championship game a year ago, this Corbin team, we believe, is still way better than Caudill. Exactly how much better is anyone’s guess. We suppose we shall learn this weekend.
KPGFootball’s call: We believe Boyle County will be too much for Corbin just as they were too much for Caudill, but certainly not by that margin. We believe Boyle County will advance to play TK Stone for the Division 2, KYMSFA Football Championship.
Who takes home the Trophy: Boyle County will rout TK Stone for the Championship as the real title will have been settled in the Region 2 vs. Region 4 semifinal. The best two teams in Division 2 are Corbin and Boyle and it is unfortunate those two teams are slotted in the Semis this year, but that is the luck of the draw, if you will. KPGFootball picks Boyle County to win the State Championship in Division 2 this year.
Reporting for KPGFootball, this is Fletcher Long reminding all of the ballers out there that #WeGotUCovered and to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE.
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