Hype 25: Who’s up, who’s down in the Herald-Leader’s high school football rankings

Another week of top-flight matchups in Kentucky high school football kicks off Friday with two-time defending Class 5A champion Bowling Green on the cusp of an unthinkable 0-4 to start the season if it falls in its visit to former district-rival South Warren.

The Spartans (3-0) have soared in the Class 6A rankings thanks to their rookie efforts in the big-school division. South Warren ranks No. 4 this week in our statewide Herald-Leader Hype 25 and No. 3 in the latest Kentucky High School Football Media Poll. Bowling Green has slipped to No. 25 overall and No. 5 in Class 5A.

No. 15 Boyle County (2-1) got rocked 17-7 by Lexington Catholic last Friday and won’t have much time to recover as it hosts No. 5 Highlands (3-0) in a must-see Class 4A matchup.

Likewise, No. 6 Ryle (2-1) must regroup after an unexpected loss to No. 21 Cooper, but it must do so against No. 7 Christian Academy-Louisville (3-0), perhaps the most dominant Class 3A program in the six-class era.

Among other top tilts, No. 8 Franklin County (3-0), a Class 4A state semifinalist each of the last four years and the 2020 state runner-up, will host Lexington Christian (1-2), one of Class 2A’s best teams despite its record. The Flyers defeated LCA 39-33 in a close contest last season.

Below are this week’s Herald-Leader top-25 rankings followed by a glance at some of the other big games on tap Friday.

Herald-Leader Hype 25

Kentucky high school football top-25 rankings by sports writer Jared Peck after Week 3 with season record followed by last week’s Hype 25 ranking (Prv) and each team’s class with its latest Kentucky High School Football Media Poll ranking (KMP).

Rank. Team (Record)… Prv…Class-KMP

1. Trinity (2-1)………………1…6A-1

2. St. Xavier (3-0)…………2…6A-2

3. Paducah Tilghman (3-0) 3 4A-1

4. South Warren (3-0)……5…6A-3

5. Highlands (3-0)…………6…4A-2

6. Ryle (2-1)…………………4…6A-4

7. Christian Academy (3-0) 9 3A-1

8. Franklin County (3-0)…10…4A-3

9. Male (2-1)……………………8…6A-6

10. Corbin (3-0)……………12…4A-5

11. Scott County (3-0)………14…5A-1

12. Woodford County (3-0) 13…5A-2

13. Manual (2-1)………………15…6A-5

14. Beechwood (2-0)…………11…2A-1

15. Boyle County (2-1)………7…4A-4

16. Frederick Douglass (0-3) 16 6A-8

17. Owensboro Catholic (3-0) 17 2A-2

18. Covington Catholic (1-2) 18…4A-6

19. Atherton (3-0)……………19…5A-6

20. Pulaski County (3-0)……21…5A-3

21. Cooper (1-2)………………24…5A-4

22. Mayfield (2-1)……………20…2A-3

23. Ballard (1-2)………………23…6A-9

24. Johnson Central (3-0)…NR…4A-7

25. Bowling Green (0-3)……22…5A-5

Dropping out: Raceland.

Watch list (in alphabetical order): Bell County, Collins, Lexington Catholic, Murray, South Oldham, Pikeville.

Herald-Leader sports writer Jared Peck has been covering high school sports since 2016 and has led the H-L’s coverage of every KHSAA football state championship since 2019.

H-L Hype games of the week

Friday’s top games, according to our H-L rankings.

• No. 5 Highlands (3-0) at No. 15 Boyle County (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
• No. 7 Christian Academy-Louisville (3-0) at No. 6 Ryle (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
• No. 10 Corbin (3-0) at No. 20 Pulaski County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• No. 13 Manual (2-1) at No. 19 Atherton (3-0), 7 p.m.
• No. 25 Bowling Green (0-3) at No. 4 South Warren (3-0), 7 p.m.

Media Poll games of the week

This week’s top games between teams ranked in their respective class top 10s in the latest Kentucky High School Football Media Poll. Games are Friday, unless noted.

• Breathitt County (2-1) at Hazard (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
• Collins (3-0) at Oldham County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• Lexington Christian (1-2) at Franklin County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• Owensboro Catholic (3-0) at Owensboro (1-2), 7 p.m.
• Paducah Tilghman (3-0) at Madisonville-North Hopkins (3-0), 7 p.m. Thursday.
• Pikeville (2-1) at Johnson Central (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• Somerset (2-1) at Paris (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• South Oldham (3-0) at North Oldham (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
• Williamsburg (2-1) at Sayre (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s other Lexington games

• Bryan Station (0-3) at Ballard (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
• George Rogers Clark (2-1) at Henry Clay (0-3), 7:30 p.m.
• Great Crossing (0-3) at Lexington Catholic (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
• Lafayette (1-2) at Shelby County (0-3), 7:30 p.m.
• Tates Creek (1-2) at Frederick Douglass (0-3), 6:30 p.m.
• West Jessamine (1-2) at Paul Laurence Dunbar (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s other Central Kentucky games

• Danville (3-0) at Lincoln County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• East Jessamine (1-2) at Ashland Blazer (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
• Frankfort (0-3) at Bethlehem (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
• Harrison County (0-3) at Anderson County (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
• Montgomery County (1-2) at Bourbon County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• Munford, Tenn. (2-0) at Woodford County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
• North Laurel (1-1) at Madison Central (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
• Scott County (3-0) at Pleasure Ridge Park (0-3), 7 p.m.
• Wayne County (1-2) at Madison Southern (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
• Western Hills (0-3) at Washington County (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

Where the Herald-Leader will be this week

• Sports writer Jared Peck heads to “Title Town” as No. 15 Boyle County hosts No. 5 Highlands in a Class 4A clash that could have significant postseason playoff seed implications. Follow on X @HLpreps.
• Freelancer Josh Moore visits The Farm as No. 16 Frederick Douglass hosts Tates Creek and tries to extend its win streak against Lexington rivals to 37 games. A city team has never beaten the Broncos since the school opened in 2017. Follow on X @JoshMooreHL.

This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 5:00 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