Where to be in Lexington each week of the 2017 high school football season

It’s early, so picking the best matchups on paper today might not compare to picking the best matchups on paper six weeks from now.

Working from what we know now, though, let’s select some high school football games to go see in Lexington each week this season.

Week zero, double-header at Tates Creek (6 p.m. Friday): Henry Clay and Tates Creek face off before Bryan Station and Lafayette take the field in the first Adidas Kickoff Classic, a new bowl aimed at celebrating Fayette County Public Schools. Football’s been gone a while, but hopefully two games can satiate your appetite.

Week one, double-header at Lafayette (6 p.m. Aug. 25): Here’s hoping lightning stays far away from central Kentucky this week; a bout between Paul Laurence Dunbar and Southwestern — the season-opener for both — precedes a Lafayette-Scott County rematch. The last three meetings between Lafayette and Scott County have been fantastic football games, including the regular-season contest that didn’t get completed last year because of inclement weather.

Week two, Lexington Catholic at Lafayette (7:30 p.m., Sept. 1): The city’s most storied private program takes on the two-time defending city champion in a battle of teams separated by just a mile. They’ve not played since 2014.

Week three, Lexington Catholic at Lexington Christian (7:30 p.m. Sept. 8): Catholic’s got the most well-known sophomore in the state (Beau Allen, who’s got a UK offer) while LCA boasts arguably Kentucky’s best running back (Dillon Wheatley, a hoss who doesn’t have any big offers).

Week four, Bryan Station at Tates Creek (7:30 p.m. Sept. 15): A contest between these two hasn’t been decided by single digits since 2011, but neither lacks for thrilling athletes at the skill positions. If both are firing away, points could be going up left and right.

Week five, Frederick Douglass at Paul Laurence Dunbar (7:30 p.m. Sept. 22): Chris Mullins’ Bulldogs get the honor of hosting Douglass in their first-ever district bout. Former Dunbar running back Jefferson Harkless might be the Broncos’ best offensive weapon, now.

Week six, Bryan Station at Frederick Douglass (7:30 p.m. Sept. 29): Seven of Station’s starters from last year are now in the Broncos’ stable; it’ll be fun to see a bit of bad blood between the programs will get settled on the field.

Week seven, Madison Central at Tates Creek (7:30 p.m. Oct. 6): The Commodores rolled into Richmond on a Thursday last year and got smacked down; it’s hard to think the 18 seniors on this year’s edition won’t remember that the first week of October.

Week eight, Henry Clay at Bryan Station (7:30 p.m. Oct. 13): The only intra-city matchup of the week brings together two programs whose talent pools were most-affected by the addition of Douglass. Station looks for its first win over the Blue Devils since 2013.

Week nine, Danville at Lexington Christian (7:30 p.m. Oct. 20): LCA won a thriller in Danville last year before uncharacteristic turnovers doomed it in a rematch come playoff time. There’s a good chance this will be a postseason preview again.

Week 10, readers’ choice (7:30 p.m. Oct. 27): There are four games in the city this week — Conner at Frederick Douglass, Cooper at Henry Clay, Estill County at Lexington Christian and Western at Paul Laurence Dunbar — and none are likely to affect postseason positioning. This also tends to be a week where teams across the state rest key guys in preparation for the playoffs (can’t blame them), so it’s hard to make a recommendation. Maybe you can head down to Rupp Arena and watch UK’s basketball team bludgeon Thomas More in its first exhibition?

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Where to be in Lexington each week of the 2017 high school football season."