Bryan Station vs. Madison Central tops a big week of district showdowns
Here’s a look at some of the best high school football games of Week 10, beginning Oct. 21, 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. 17 Bryan Station (7-1) at Madison Central (7-1), 7:30 p.m.: Home-field advantage in the playoffs is on the line as two of the hottest teams in Class 6A square off in Richmond.
The Associated Press ranks the Defenders as the class’s No. 5 team with the Indians not far behind at No. 8. Bryan Station’s only loss has come to Class 5A powerhouse Frederick Douglass. Madison Central lost to Class 2A juggernaut Lexington Christian in Week 1 and has been blowing out almost everyone else since.
Like Bryan Station Coach Phillip Hawkins did a year ago with the Defenders, first-year Coach Mike Holcomb has turned the Madison Central program from a doormat to a contender in short order. The Indians won only one game each of the two previous seasons.
A lot of that success has come thanks to a running attack spearheaded by Brady Hensley and an offensive line that has allowed for 1,914 yards rushing and 32 TDs in seven games. Hensley averages 124 yards per game and has 16 of those scores. A keep-’em honest passing game has generated 394 receiving yards and two TDs from Jayden West, much of that off the arm or Elijah Steele.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Hawkins said. “But we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. We’ve got our guys rolling, too.”
The Defenders have a balanced offense led by sophomore quarterback Trenton Cutwright (1,435 yards, 15 TDs passing, 291 yards, four TDs rushing) and a two-headed monster in the backfield with Joseph Bond and Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd nearly evenly splitting 1,000 yards rushing and seven TDs.
Cutwright has twice thrown for more than 300 yards in a game and has a receiving corps of J’Marious Lindsay, Damin Green and AhTraivon Jenkins that was recently bolstered by transfer Javoen Hurt, who popped for 176 yards and two scores in his first game three weeks ago.
“We’ve explained to them it’s not a district championship, but it’s a home-field advantage game,” Hawkins said. “That’s really what it’s about for us. Friday gets me home field, and who doesn’t want to be at home (in the postseason)?”
Danville (6-3) at No. 8 Lexington Christian (8-0), 7:30 p.m.: The Admirals’ credibility as a legitimate threat in Class 2A gets put to the ultimate test against the Eagles, the class’s No. 1 team.
Danville, who ranks as Class 2A’s No. 4 team, has one loss on the field, a 62-13 blowout by Bullitt East on Oct. 1. Its other two losses are COVID-19 forfeits. LCA escaped with a 34-30 win in this rivalry a year ago in Danville.
Caleb Burns rushed for 114 yards and a TD in that game and is averaging nearly 100 yards per game this season. Burns has a pair of TDs with fellow running back Demauriah Brown racking up seven scores to lead the team. Brown has also had two fumble recovery TDs on defense.
LCA counters one of the state’s best offenses and defenses. Quarterback Drew Nieves has thrown for 795 yards and 10 TDs, Virginia commit Xavier Brown has 860 yards of offense and 10 scores. Miami (Ohio) commit Mason Moore leads the team in receiving with 548 yards and six TDs. Tyler Morris is among the state’s sack leaders with 7.5 on the season.
Franklin County (5-3) at Central (6-3), 7:30 p.m.: These two have played only four times since being thrown together in Class 4A’s District 4 during the last KHSAA realignment.
In 2019, Franklin County edged Central 14-12 to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs only to see the Yellow Jackets get their revenge in the postseason with an 18-7 district championship win in Frankfort. Last year, Central got the 18-16 win in the regular season only to later be routed at home, 42-6, in the district finals by the Flyers. Here’s hoping this new rivalry continues for years to come.
Rivalry of the week
Southwestern (7-1) at Pulaski County (6-3), 8:30 p.m.: Located just 7 miles apart on either side of Somerset, the Southwestern Warriors and Pulaski County Maroons have been going at it ever since the new directionally named school was founded in 1993.
As one might imagine, every game feels like the community’s Super Bowl, but in recent years the stakes have risen beyond pride as the two have also regularly been the best two teams in their shared district.
“We’ve played each other for the No. 1 seed in the district for about seven years in a row, I think,” Pulaski Coach John Hines said. “It’s rivalry ball and they don’t get any bigger for us.”
Since 2014, the two have faced each other in both the regular season and the playoffs in five different seasons. In three of those sets, the regular-season loser has exacted revenge by knocking the other out of the playoffs when they met again. Pulaski won the vengeance game twice (2014 and 2016). Southwestern turned the tables last season.
There’s no thought of maybe losing Friday for postseason motivation, Hines said after laughing at the hypothetical question.
“If I could be guaranteed we’d win the second one by losing the first one, we’d do it,” Hines joked.
Southwestern ranks No. 8 in Class 5A with its only loss to Class 3A powerhouse Mercer County. Pulaski County has a five-game winning streak and risen to No. 11 in the class after taking three consecutive losses to Class 4A’s best three teams, Lexington Catholic, Boyle County and Corbin.
The series between them is tied 17-17. No team has won more than four games in a row, and each has done that once.
“Even before our teams were top-10 level, it didn’t matter if it was a losing season — that game (against Southwestern) was that game,” Hines said.
Other Lexington games
▪ Paul Laurence Dunbar (4-4) at Lafayette (2-7), 6:30 p.m.: The Bulldogs can get back over .500 with a win and secure home-field advantage for the first two weeks of the playoffs as the top seed in the district.
▪ Anderson County (2-6) at Lexington Catholic (6-2), 7:30 p.m.: LexCath gets a tune-up before a tune-up. Next week, the Knights welcome Class 5A contender Scott County as the regular-season ender.
▪ Frederick Douglass (8-0) at Montgomery County (4-4), 7:30 p.m.: Blowout losses to both Great Crossing and Scott County do not bode well for the Indians against District 6’s biggest bully on the block.
▪ Sayre (6-2) at Phelps (2-7), 7:30 p.m.: The Spartans need a victory to lock up the third seed in their district and avoid Class A No. 1 Pikeville in the first round of the playoffs.
▪ Henry Clay (0-8) at Tates Creek (2-6), 6:30 p.m.: The winless Blue Devils look to finally put it all together in a winnable game against the Commodores.
Should be a good one
▪ Scott County at Ballard, 7 p.m.
▪ West Jessamine at Collins, 7:30 p.m.
▪ Pikeville at Hazard, 7:30 p.m.
▪ Eminence at Kentucky Country Day, 7:30 p.m.
▪ Murray at Mayfield, 7 p.m.
▪ Raceland at Paintsville, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 3:54 PM.
