It’s been all Boyle County lately. Can Lexington Catholic break losing streak?

Here’s a look at some of the best high school football games of Week 8 beginning Oct. 7, according to high school sports writer Jared Peck. All rankings are according to the Herald-Leader’s Dave Cantrall Ratings.

Games of the week

▪ No. 16 Lexington Catholic (5-1) at No. 8 Boyle County (5-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Knights have battled district rival Boyle County back-and-forth across two classes for years, but haven’t had success against the Rebels since 2016, losing seven straight games.

Last year, the Knights gave Boyle County a four TD head start in the district finals before closing the margin to 49-41 by game’s end. It was the closest game the Rebels faced all season until their Class 4A championship win over Franklin County.

LexCath QB Jack Gohmann led that rally and has a more balanced and potent offense this time around. Gohmann has thrown for 1,143 yards and 13 touchdowns to seven different receivers to go with 309 yards and seven TDs on the ground. Walker Hall has 603 yards and four TDs and is averaging 100 yards per game out of the backfield.

But Boyle County counters with a team that includes a number of players from its title run, most notably senior quarterback Jagger Gillis and wideout Cole Lanter. Gillis has tossed it around for 1,074 yards in six games with 11 TDs and run for another seven scores. Lanter leads the receiving corps with 611 yards and 10 TDs and has two interceptions on defense. Gillis is also the team’s second leading tackler with 33 takedowns and a sack.

Both teams have faced Class 2A No. 1 Lexington Christian this season and lost. Boyle County’s game went down to the final minutes and wasn’t decided until a late interception squashed their hopes in a 35-28 shootout that was played without a punt ever being kicked. Lexington Catholic never gained its footing against LCA and lost 43-7.

▪ Sayre (6-0) at Pikeville (5-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday: As a late addition in this alignment cycle to the Class A district structure, the Spartans must play in Eastern Kentucky’s District 7 where the No. 1 Panthers reside. Pikeville ousted Sayre from last season’s playoffs in a 49-13 rout. But the Spartans have improved with the media ranking Sayre as Class A’s No. 4 team.

Sayre’s Cole Pennington ranks third in Class A with 206 passing yards per game with Pikeville’s Isaac McNamee at No. 8 in that category with 133 per game. The Spartans’ Jackson Marshall and Panthers’ Zac Lockhart are both top-10 receivers in the class with 74 and 66 yards per game, respectively.

▪ No. 3 St. Xavier (5-1) at No. 6 Manual (5-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Tigers have only lost to No. 1 Male and are led by dual-threat QB Jack Sivori (639 yards, nine TDs passing; 719 yards, 11 TDs rushing). Manual has running back Jawaun Northington (514 yards, six TDs rushing) and a chance to get an important district win that could set the tone for the playoffs.

Rivalry of the week

▪ Bellevue (1-5) at Dayton (3-3) 7 p.m.: While this oldest, longest-running rivalry in the state of Kentucky has only been dubbed “The Battle of the Paddle” since 2007, it’s name and trophy befit these two Class A teams located just over 1.5 miles from each other near the banks of the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky

Often played twice in a regular season, Bellevue owns the series lead 98-45-3, with Dayton taking two out of the last three matchups. The Greendevils beat the Tigers 20-13 last year to secure a 5-4 record and its first winning season since 2007.

Other Lexington games

▪ Lafayette (1-6) at Henry Clay (0-6), 6:30 p.m. Thursday: The Generals broke a nine-game losing streak last week. The Blue Devils have been competitive in a number of games despite their record. This was the first district game for both teams and a big one.

▪ Tates Creek (1-5) at Paul Laurence Dunbar (2-4), 7 p.m. Thursday: The Commodores and Bulldogs also look to turn the corner in the second half of the season and gain momentum for the district playoffs.

▪ Clark County (3-4) at No. 17 Bryan Station (5-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: Defenders quarterback Trenton Cutwright threw for 355 yards and four TDs against Henry Clay, by far the most prolific night of the sophomore’s young career, and Station had been winning big in games before he went bonkers.

▪ No. 9 Lexington Christian (6-0) at Washington County (3-4), 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Eagles begin district play on the road after playing one of the most difficult out-of-district schedules in the state. LCA’s RPI of 0.88468 is the highest of any team in Kentucky, regardless of class. The Commanders rank 18th in 2A RPI with a 0.48713.

▪ Bye week: No. 4 Frederick Douglass (7-0).

Should be a good one

▪ No. 11 Trinity (1-6) at No. 14 Ballard (4-2), 7 p.m. Friday.

▪ Eminence (5-1) at Frankfort (4-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday

▪ Montgomery County (4-2) at Great Crossing (5-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday

▪ No. 19 Woodford County (6-0) at Madison Southern (2-5), 7:30 p.m. Friday

This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 8:21 AM.

Jared Peck

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-488-2883

Jared Peck, the Herald-Leader’s Digital Sports Writer, covers high school athletics and has been with the company as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Support my work with a digital subscription