‘No easy paths.’ Lexington football teams’ routes to Kroger Field have some bumps.
With high school football’s RPI standings set, many of Lexington’s teams face difficult playoff paths if they get through the first two rounds. The playoffs begin Thursday.
While there might be media rankings, and Cantrall Ratings and other statewide assessments by anyone with a notion, the only rankings that matter in the playoffs are the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI standings which will establish the seeding structure for the regional championships (third round) and state semifinals.
On that list, Lexington has No. 5 Sayre in Class A, No. 3 Lexington Christian in Class 2A and No. 9 Lexington Catholic in Class 3A
In Class 6A, No. 6 Bryan Station, No. 9 Frederick Douglass and No. 11 Tates Creek hover around the top with Paul Laurence Dunbar, Lafayette and Henry Clay filling out the bottom at Nos. 29, 30 and 32, respectively.
So how and when does RPI seeding kick in? It’s a bit complicated, but here we go.
Each of the six Kentucky football classes are divided into eight districts. Districts 1-4 are the western districts. Districts 5-8 are the eastern districts. And because of the peculiarities of the classes there are Lexington teams in both eastern and western districts. Go figure.
For the regional championships (round three), representatives of Districts 1-4 will be reseeded against each other according to their RPI standing. The same goes for the eastern half of the state in each class. So the brackets you might see online this week and next aren’t true representations (there’s a note that tries to explain that on each).
The geographic separation at the region championship stage is done to try to prevent a ridiculous amount of travel for a third-round game. (Paducah Tilghman wouldn’t go 373 miles east to Ashland Blazer for a “regional” championship, for example.)
In Class A, Sayre will have a potential second-round game against No. 4 Paris because RPI seeding doesn’t kick in until the next week. If the Spartans survive that, they could face No. 6 Raceland next for a region championship.
In Class 2A, No. 3 Lexington Christian’s path will undoubtedly take it to No. 3 Mayfield for the region title. LCA lost at Mayfield in the state semis last year. The good news is that if the Eagles manage to win out west, they will probably get to host their state semifinal. The bad news is that No. 4 Beechwood, the three-time defending Class 2A champion, will probably be the opponent.
In Class 3A, No. 9 Lexington Catholic is a favorite to win this week and next. From there, the Knights could face No. 7 Rockcastle County for a region title if the top seeds in the east win out. But LexCath would probably be the lowest seed available for No. 1 Christian Academy-Louisville for the state semifinals.
In Class 6A, No. 6 Bryan Station will have to go through No. 11 Tates Creek in the second round if both win their first-round games this week. No. 9 Douglass looks like a favorite to reach a region championship through its potential opponents.
But the road gets messier if all of Class 6A’s top eastern seeds advance. The region title games could pit No. 9 Douglass against No. 1 Male. Meanwhile No. 6 Bryan Station probably would like its matchup against No. 7 Ryle a little better.
But all this is just conjecture at this point. Everyone has to win this week to get to the next. And nobody expects the playoffs to be a cakewalk.
“There are no easy paths,” LCA coach Doug Charles said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to play some pretty good football teams.”
Lexington’s first-round playoff games
Thursday
▪ No. 28 Clinton County (4-6) at No. 3 Lexington Christian (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
▪ No. 20 George Rogers Clark (4-6) at No. 11 Tates Creek (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Friday
▪ No. 30 Lafayette (2-8) at No. 6 Bryan Station (7-3), 6:30 p.m.
▪ No. 32 Henry Clay (0-10) at No. 9 Frederick Douglass (5-4), 6:30 p.m.
▪ No. 27 Fairview (2-8) at No. 5 Sayre (10-0), 7:30 p.m.
▪ No. 31 West Carter (4-6) at No. 9 Lexington Catholic (6-4), 7:30 p.m.
▪ No. 22 Madison Central (3-7) at No. 29 Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-7), 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published November 1, 2023 at 11:14 AM.
