High school football Hype 25 update: Boyle Co. win over St. X makes a statement
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boyle County’s 14-3 win over St. X signals Rebels are back in Class 4A contention
- Boyle moves to No. 4 H-L and No. 2 KHSAA RPI; district play and playoffs loom
- District matchups this week include Clark at Bryan Station, Madison Central at Douglass
Boyle County’s 14-3 win against Louisville powerhouse St. Xavier on Friday at Rebel Stadium in Danville put Class 4A on notice that the Herald-Leader Hype No. 4 Rebels might be ready to reclaim their state title despite an early-season loss to Lexington Catholic in which their starting senior quarterback was injured.
It was the first win in the first meeting between Boyle County (5-1) and one of Louisville’s “Big Three” teams (Trinity, St. X and Male, Class 6A’s traditional juggernauts), a distinction noted with some pride by Rebels coach Justin Haddix.
“That day, there was a different buzz at school,” Haddix said. “At Boyle County High School, there’s not many times you get to do a first. They’ve won a state championship. … Last year, we were nationally ranked. But we’ve never played one of the so-called ‘Big Three.’ … So, it was a big deal for our guys.”
Boyle got TD runs from both sophomore quarterback Jhet Raleigh and senior running back Ji’Dyn Smith-Hisel as its defense held Class 6A’s then-No. 2 team to a 28-yard field goal in the second half.
St. X gained only 150 total yards and were held to minus-5 yards rushing. The Tigers failed to score a touchdown for the first time in 56 games.
“Our guys really picked it up, and it was exciting to see,” Haddix said. “When you’re walking around and people say, ‘Coach, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team play that hard,’ that’s a huge compliment.”
Class 4A media poll No. 1 Boyle moved to No. 2 in the KHSAA’s RPI Standings for the division and up to No. 4 in our H-L Hype 25 as it begins district play at Russell County on Friday. The Rebels will be favored to sweep their 7th District schedule before a playoff tuneup at No. 11 Frederick Douglass on Oct. 31.
District matchups start to heat up
District championships and a favorable postseason seed for the early rounds could be on the line Friday, especially in Lexington where Class 6A No. 5 Frederick Douglass (3-3) hosts No. 8 Madison Central (4-2) and No. 9 George Rogers Clark (5-2) goes to Bryan Station (3-3).
The Broncos have won seven straight district titles and are unbeaten in their Class 6A district since moving up to the division in 2021 after winning the 5A state title. But Madison Central gave Douglass a battle last season in a 21-14 regular-season loss in Richmond.
Bryan Station will be looking to prove it’s still one of 6A’s best teams against the Cardinals. The Defenders’ three losses have come against traditional powers South Warren, Pulaski County and Corbin, a significantly more challenging set of foes than Clark has faced in recent weeks.
Below are this week’s Herald-Leader Hype 25 Rankings, followed by the RPI Standings top 10s in each class and our list of this week’s top games.
Herald-Leader Hype 25
Kentucky high school football top 25 rankings by sports writer Jared Peck after Week 7 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) and KHSAA RPI.
Rank. Team (Record)… Prv…Class-KMP/RPI
1. Trinity (5-2)…1…6A-1/5
2. South Warren (7-0)…2…6A-2/1
3. Christian Academy-Louisville (7-0)…4…3A-1/1
4. Boyle County (5-1)…7…4A-1/2
5. St. Xavier (3-3)…3…6A-3/7
6. Paducah Tilghman (6-1)…6…4A-2/5
7. Franklin County (7-0)…5…4A-2/3
8. Manual (5-1)…8…6A-4/2
9. Johnson Central (7-0)…9…4A-5/1
10. Highlands (6-1)…10…4A-4/6
11. Frederick Douglass (3-3)…11…6A-5/10
12. Woodford County (5-1)…14…5A-2/7
13. Beechwood (5-1)…15…2A-1/7
14. Male (3-3)…12…6A-7/
15. Ryle (3-3)…16…6A-6/9
16. Covington Catholic (4-3)…13…4A-6/14
17. Madisonville-North Hopkins (7-0)…17…5A-3/1
18. Cooper (4-3)…18…5A-4/12
19. Owensboro Catholic (6-1)…19…2A-2/1
20. Mayfield (6-1)…20…2A-3/3
21. Atherton (5-1)…21…5A-6/10
22. Pulaski County (4-2)…22…5A-7/3
23. Madison Central (4-2)…23…6A-8/3
24. Scott County (6-1)…24…5A-1/4
25. Owensboro (5-2)…25…5A-5/5
Watch list (alphabetical order): Belfry; Bell County; Bryan Station; George Rogers Clark; Lexington Catholic; Lexington Christian; Murray.
H-L Hype games of the week
Friday’s top games, according to our H-L rankings.
- No. 23 Madison Central (4-2) at No. 11 Frederick Douglass (3-3), 7:30 p.m.
- No. 5 St. Xavier (3-3) at No. 8 Manual (5-1), 7:30 p.m.
Media Poll games of the week
Friday’s top games between teams ranked in their respective class top 10s in the latest Kentucky High School Football Media Poll.
- Christian Academy-Louisville at Central, 7 p.m.
- Louisville Holy Cross at Kentucky Country Day, 7:30 p.m.
- South Laurel at Pulaski County, 7:30 p.m..
Friday’s other Lexington games
- Berea at Sayre, 7:30 p.m.
- George Rogers Clark at Bryan Station, 7:30 p.m.
- Lafayette at Henry Clay, 6:30 p.m.
- Mercer County at Lexington Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
- Shawnee at Lexington Christian, 7:30 p.m.
- Tates Creek at Paul Laurence Dunbar, 6:30 p.m.
Friday’s other Central Kentucky games
- Boyle County at Russell County, 6:30 p.m.
- Eminence at Frankfort, 7:30 p.m.
- Franklin County at Grant County, 7:30 p.m.
- Great Crossing at Simon Kenton, 7:30 p.m.
- Montgomery County at Madison Southern, 7:30 p.m.
- Paris at Nicholas County, 7:30 p.m.
- Scott County at South Oldham, 7:30 p.m.
- W.E.B. DuBois at Danville, 7:30 p.m.
- Woodford County at Collins, 7:30 p.m.
Where the Herald-Leader will be this week
- Sports writer Jared Peck heads to The Farm as Frederick Douglass looks to keep its hold on the 8th District against rival Madison Central in a Class 6A top-10 battle. Follow on X @HLpreps.
- Freelance writer Josh Moore heads to the Northside where Bryan Station looks to keep its win streak intact against Class 6A 8th District rival George Rogers Clark. Follow on X @JoshMooreHL.
Check out our streaming and updates guide: Each Friday, Kentucky.com posts our “Friday Night Lights” streaming guide, which includes a ScoreStream updates feed providing scores from across the state.
