SBLive Kentucky football power rankings: Bullitt East proves itself as 6A contender
By Mitchell Forde
The penultimate week of the regular season in Kentucky brought several matchups between top teams and resulted in a couple key shakeups to our power rankings.
The biggest riser was Bullitt East, which knocked off perennial power Male to win the Class 6A, District 4 crown. The senior-laden Chargers have now won eight games in a row and look like a legitimate state title contender. A second top-10 team fell in Ballard, which was upset by Class 5A Scott County.
With one week remaining until the playoffs, here are our rankings of the top 25 teams in the state regardless of classification, plus a look ahead at a loaded final week of the regular season.
1. St. Xavier (8-1)
The Tigers blew past Pleasure Ridge Park 50-14 to win a district title and claim the top seed in the Class 6A playoff bracket. St. X rushed for 327 yards as a team and six different players scored on the ground. The defending state champs will face a revealing test in the final week of the regular season when they host No. 7 Bowling Green on Friday.
2. Frederick Douglass (9-0)
The Broncos continued to roll, beating Montgomery County 58-13. Ty Bryant had a rushing touchdown and returned a punt for a score. Frederick Douglass will enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed and clear favorite in Class 5A. The Broncos, too, will play a top-10 matchup in the final week of the regular season when they travel to face No. 5 Boyle County on Friday.
3. DuPont Manual (8-1)
It may not have been the prettiest win, but the Crimsons beat Butler 23-14 to improve to 8-1 on the season. The staunch Manual defense forced three turnovers, including a fumble that Miles Rhodes returned for a touchdown. The Crimsons will close the regular season with a matchup against archrival Male.
4. Lexington Catholic (8-1)
The Knights continued their dominant ways with a 63-8 win over Anderson County. Quarterback Jackson Wasik attempted just 13 passes, yet he completed 11 of them for 258 yards and seven touchdowns. Receiver Max DeGraff caught four of those scores. Lexington Catholic will conclude the regular season with a tougher test, a road matchup against Scott County.
5. Boyle County (8-1)
The Rebels cruised past Bourbon County with a 55-12 victory. Montavin Quisenberry totaled 147 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on offense plus returned both a punt and a kickoff for a score. Since seeing their 19-game winning streak end, Boyle County has won its two games by a score of 91-12. But Frederick Douglass will provide by far the toughest test of the season next week.
6. Bullitt East (8-1)
The Chargers proved their legitimacy on Friday, beating perennial power Male 24-17. The win clinched their first district title in at least 10 years. The Chargers will face Oldham County this week in their final matchup of the regular season.
7. Bowling Green (8-1)
The Purples beat Christian County 50-7 last week to conclude an unbeaten season in district play. Quarterback Deuce Bailey completed 15 of 18 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. A clash against defending Class 6A state champion St. Xavier to conclude the regular season should provide an indication of whether Bowling Green can legitimately contend for the Class 5A state title.
8. Woodford County (9-0)
The Yellow Jackets rolled past East Jessamine 48-7 to remain undefeated. The victory also continued Woodford County’s streak of scoring at least 36 points in every game this season. Both that and the team’s winning streak will face a tough test in the final game of the regular season when the Yellow Jackets travel to face a hot Simon Kenton squad on Friday.
9. Henderson County (8-1)
The Colonels cruised to their sixth straight victory by beating McCracken County 43-7. Jaheim Williams rushed for 142 yards and two scores while adding a 38-yard touchdown reception. Henderson County will close the regular season against a similarly hot Owensboro team that has won its past five games.
10. Ballard (7-2)
The Bruins fell to Class 5A foe Scott County on Friday, 22-13. The Ballard offense mustered just one touchdown. The Bruins will look to get back in the win column prior to the start of the playoffs when they host North Hardin on Friday.
11. Male (5-4)
For the first time in 10 years, Male will not win a district title after last week’s loss to Bullitt East. Quarterback Lucas Cobler threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 125 yards, but it wasn’t enough. The Bulldogs will hope to get running back Daniel Swinney back from injury prior to the playoffs. In the meantime, they will wrap up the regular season against rival Manual on Friday.
12. Trinity (6-4)
The Shamrocks closed the regular season by beating Eastern 35-6. Quarterback Drew Allen threw two touchdowns and rushed for another. Trinity gets this week off before facing Campbell County in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs on Nov. 4.
13. Southwestern (9-0)
The Warriors passed their toughest test of the season, beating Pulaski County 31-20 to remain unbeaten. Running back Tanner Wright carried the offensive load, rushing for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Southwestern will conclude the regular season against another top 25 team in Madison Central.
14. Corbin (9-0)
The Redhounds remained perfect with a 38-0 win over Wayne County last week. Quarterback Kade Elam completed nine of 14 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns. Corbin will close the regular season with its second matchup of the season against a Class 6A opponent in Campbell County.
15. Christian Academy-Louisville (9-0)
The Centurions continued to trounce everyone in their path with a 62-0 win over Western Hills. Quarterback Cole Hodge completed all six of his pass attempts for 148 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a 75-yard score. Six other players scored touchdowns, as well. CAL will look to prove its legitimacy against a Class 6A foe in the final game of the regular season when it faces Eastern.
16. Scott County (8-1)
The Cardinal defense led the way in a 22-13 upset of Ballard. Scott County held the Bruins to 70 yards rushing and racked up four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. On offense, the Cardinals ran for 204 yards and three touchdowns as a team. A loss to Frederick Douglass is the only blemish of the season so far for Scott County. It will look to keep that as the case when it hosts another top-10 team in Lexington Catholic to close the regular season.
17. Highlands (8-2)
There was no hangover for the Bluebirds after their win over rival Covington Catholic, as they beat Cooper 38-5. Carson Class led the team in receiving and returned an interception for a touchdown. Highlands’ regular season is finished, so the team will get a week off prior to the start of the playoffs.
18. Covington Catholic (7-2)
The Colonels rebounded from their loss to Highlands by handling Conner 42-3. Quarterback Zaccary Roberts completed 13 of 17 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Covington Catholic will close the regular season on the road against Class 6A power Ryle.
19. Bryan Station (6-3)
The Defenders remained hot, beating Madison Central 35-7 for their sixth win in a row. Quarterback Trenton Cutwright threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns (both to JT Haskins) while also rushing for a score, and running back Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd put together another big game with 242 yards and two scores. Not only has Bryan Station reeled off six straight wins since starting the season 0-3, all six victories have come by 21 or more points. The Defenders will look to keep that streak going when they face Paul Laurence Dunbar to wrap up the regular season.
20. Pikeville (7-2)
The Panthers continued their dominance of Class A with a 52-7 win over Hazard. Star running back Blake Birchfield racked up 174 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. The win marked the end of Pikeville’s regular season. The team will get a week to rest before looking to defend its state title.
21. Simon Kenton (6-3)
The Pioneers got a big win over Ryle on Saturday, prevailing 38-31. Quarterback Chase Crone put the offense on his back, throwing for 193 yards and two touchdowns and adding another 180 yards and two scores on the ground. Simon Kenton will host Woodford County to conclude the regular season in what should be a compelling contest.
22. Central Hardin (8-1)
The Bruins cruised past North Hardin 38-7 thanks in large part to Mason Gardner, who rushed for 105 yards and four touchdowns. Central Hardin racked up 358 rushing yards as a team. Central Hardin will finish regular season play with a home matchup against South Oldham.
23. Madison Central (7-2)
Madison Central couldn’t get its offense going in its loss to Bryan Station. The team is still playoff-bound, however. And the Indians would be able to quickly put last week’s loss behind them if they can hand Southwestern its first loss of the season this week.
24. Owensboro (7-2)
The Red Devils make their debut in our top 25 after routing Grayson County 55-0 for their fifth win in a row. The Owensboro defense pulled off a rare feat by holding Grayson County to negative-2 total yards thanks to eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Owensboro has a chance to move higher up the rankings with a season-ending matchup against Henderson County on tap for this week.
25. Ryle (5-4)
The Raiders managed to hang tough with Simon Kenton thanks in large part to quarterback Logan Verax, who threw three touchdowns and ran for another. But they ultimately fell by a touchdown. Ryle’s grueling schedule will continue this week with a home matchup against Covington Catholic.
