A look at Week 1’s best high school football games in Lexington and across Kentucky
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2021 Kentucky high school football preview
The 2021 high school football season kicks off Friday, Aug. 20. High school sports beat writer Jared Peck is writing numerous stories in the Herald-Leader and on Kentucky.com previewing the season around the city, region and state and highlighting the top players and games and rankings. Click below to read all of his stories in case you missed any of them.
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Here’s a look at some of the best high school football games of the week for Aug. 20 and 21:
Games of the week
Franklin County at Scott County, 6 p.m. Friday: The first half of “The Battle of Elkhorn Creek” doubleheader features Class 4A’s No. 3 Flyers against Class 5A’s No. 6 Cardinals. Franklin County has Kentucky recruiting target Kaden Moorman, a bruising runner who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. Scott County’s wing-T rushing offense flummoxes many a foe, but the Flyers have defended it well against other opponents. Western Hills plays Great Crossing in the nightcap.
Frederick Douglass at Bryan Station, 6:30 p.m. Friday: Class 6A’s No. 5 Defenders take on Class 5A’s No. 1 Broncos as Bryan Station tries to become the first city team to knock off Douglass. Station has playmakers, but new quarterback Trenton Cutwright will be taking on a defense that has been one of the stingiest in the state. Douglass has a new offensive line and questions to answer at running back. A strong Douglass showing here means trouble for the rest of the city.
Paintsville at Pikeville (at the University of Pikeville), 7:30 p.m.: Class A No. 2 Paintsville is the defending state champion. No. 1 Pikeville won the 2019 title by beating the Tigers. This game was originally set for Labor Day weekend, but, apparently, they couldn’t wait. Neither can we.
Rivalry of the week
“The Tobacco Stick Bowl,” Grayson County at Edmonson County, 7 p.m. Friday: This north-south border war in south-central Kentucky has been waged over custody of an old-fashioned tobacco stick for years. The winner gets to paint the stick in its team’s colors and bring it home. The pandemic erased the game last year, but it returns for the season opener in 2021. Grayson goes for its third straight win in the series to try to keep the stick in its orange and navy colors. Though Grayson is a Class 5A school and Edmonson a smaller 2A program, the stick has changed hands 11 times since 1998 with no team holding it for more than three consecutive years.
Other Lexington matchups
▪ Conner vs. Lafayette (at Henry Clay), 6 p.m. Friday.
▪ Lexington Catholic at Ryle, 7 p.m. Friday.
▪ Sayre at Eminence, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Lexington Christian at Madison Central, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Breathitt County at Paul Laurence Dunbar , 7:30 p.m. Friday
▪ Johnson Central at Henry Clay, 8:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Tates Creek vs. Boyle County (at Mercer County), 5 p.m. Saturday
Should be a good one
▪ Bourbon County at East Jessamine, 6 p.m. Friday.
▪ Paris at Frankfort, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Madison Southern at Southwestern, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Raceland at Ashland Blazer, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Central at Manual, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Hazard at Middlesboro, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Belfry at Pulaski County, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Rowan County at West Carter, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
▪ Bowling Green vs. Highlands at WKU, 5 p.m. Saturday
▪ North Hardin vs. South Warren at WKU, 8 p.m. Saturday
Check every Saturday on Kentucky.com and every Sunday in the Herald-Leader for highlights from these games and more and follow Jared Peck on Twitter @HLpreps for the biggest plays on video from each week’s featured game.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 6:15 AM.
