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A big congrats to the Manual Lady Crimson for taking home the state championship.

The top-ranked girls team in the state lived up to their reputation as they squeaked out a win over second-ranked Marion County 58-54 in Bowling Green. April Wilson was named the tournament MVP. 

Here's a great article in the Bowling Green Daily News covering Manual's

Bullitt East vs Trinity -- This should be a fun game to watch. Bullitt East is riding high after Trey Rakes insane buzzer-beater over PRP in the sixth regional championship. But the Chargers' fanfare won't last long. Trinity easily beat St. X to get into the tournament and is still the team to beat in the Sweet 16.

Predicted winner: Trinity

Oldham County vs Bowling Green -- The winner of this game will get to the 30-win plateau for the season. Oldham County is a team that could do some real damage in the tournament. They've won 16 straight games with their shutdown defense. The Purples have rattled off 10 straight victories behind one of the highest scoring offenses in the state.

Predicted winner: Oldham County

John Hardin vs Johnson Central -- After a rough start to the year, John Hardin has found its groove. They had to beat the three top teams in region five to get to the tournament. Johnson Central has been hot and cold all season. These two teams should match up well.

Predicted winner: John Hardin

Other sweet 16 games for the boys (and predictions)

Rowan Co. vs North Laurel (winner: Rowan)

Southwestern vs Hopkinsville (Hopkinsville)

Apollo vs Clark Co. (Clark)

Boone Co. vs Knott Co. Central (Boone Co.)

Marshall Co. vs Scott Co. (Scott)

March 7, 2012 -- Sweet 16 Brackets Taking Shape

It's about to get exciting. We now know which teams will be duking it out for the chance to hoist the state trophy. Follow your boy's team here . Get up-to-date info on the girl's tourament here.


March 7, 2012 -- What a Shot!

A last-second prayer was answered at Bellarmine University last night. Thanks to Trey Rakes' buzzer-beater, Bullitt East is going to the Sweet 16 after defeating PRP in the 6th region championship. The Courier-Journal has the exciting video here.


February 22, 2012 -- The district championships are this weekend. You win, you go to regionals, lose, and the season is over. Here are the local games going down tonight...

Boys

Southern @ Moore (23rd District) -- Moore continues to be one of the best teams in the state. They're 26-4 on the season and undefeated in district and region play. Southern is a team that can do some real damage when they get hot. They easily defeated North Bullitt earlier this week.

J-town @ Bullitt East (24 District) -- These two squads...both the Chargers...come in to elimination with very similar records. J-town is 21-9 and did a number on Fern Creek earlier in the tournament. Bullitt East is on fire. They've won their past six games and 15 of their past 17.

South Oldham @ Oldham Co. (29th District) -- Both teams are celebrating 20 win seasons. South Oldham has a dynamic offense--they lead region eight in total scoring with more than 2,000 points. But Oldham county has the region's stingiest defense, giving up the fewest combined points this year.

Other local games tonight...

Fairdale vs PRP (21st District)

Central @ Manual (25th District)

Ballard @ Eastern (28th District)

Girls

Presentation @ Manual (25th District)

South Oldham @ Oldham County (29th District)

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association is adding bass fishing as a varsity sport-activity starting next year. Kentucky becomes the second state in the country to offer bass fishing as a sanctioned high school sport.

The sport will be offered in the spring, with a post-season and state competition in April of 2013.

Wednesday was signing day for college football. Some local signings that might have flown under the radar...

--St. X quarterback Alex Mattingly will play at Georgetown college. Mattingly will be joined by PRP star linebacker Desmond Maxwell.

--Tigers defensive back Ryan Oliver is going off to Butler.

--Navy's secondary will have a Kentucky flavor. Male's star DB Lorentez Barber will play for the team. Western's Jalen Boyd, also a DB, will join him next season.

--Trinity offensive lineman Joey Warburg will play for Purdue. Rock's defensive lineman Tyler Sweeden off the the University of Tennessee-Martin.

Boys

St.X @ Ballard -- A big clash in region seven as the Tigers will try to improve to 14 and seven against a Bruins team that has won 7 of its past 8 games. Ballard is 15-6 on the season andundefeated in region play.

Moore @ Manual -- Moore is playing strong ball, but the team is barely hanging on to the top spot in the 6th region--as PRP is nipping at their heels. The Mustangs have their work cut out for them tonight as they take on the Crimson. Manual is four and four in its past eight games, but these two teams should match up well on both sides of the ball.

J-town @ Male -- The Chargers take their 16-6 record to the Bulldogs, who, after starting off the season horribly, have really come on strong as of late. Male has won eight of its past nine contests. J-town has been playing stong ball since losing to Trinity in the LIT semifinals earlier this month.

Girls

The LIT continues and some very good matchups are taking place at Bellarmine University today...

Marion County vs Christian Academy -- Marion County is undoubtedly the best girls team in the state--they've nearly outscored their opponents by a combined 400 points this season. LCA is also one of the better teams in Kentucky. They're 16-8 and the only team close to Manual in region seven.

Manual vs Madison Central -- If Marion County is the best girls team, Manual is a close second. They're 18-2 on the season and, with one of those loses coming to Marion County, the Lady Crimson are no doubt looking for a grudge match this weekend. But they'll have to go through Madison Central who is 15-3.

 

January 23, 2012 -- Did The Refs Blow This Game?

A controverial ending to the Trinity/Madison County game has some fans up in arms. There were several foul calls made at the end of the game (including as time expired) and the resulting free throws gave Madison Central the win. Lots of fans in Louisville are crying foul themselves, saying the refs were biased because a Louisville team was playing out in the state. You can check out the video and make your own call.




January 9, 2012 -- It's time for the Louisville Invitational Tournament. All this week the top squads will square off to see who's the best team in the ville. Dave Spoelker of VYPE High School Sports Magazine gives us a preview.



January 7, 2012 -- We've hit the halfway point in the high school basketball season. KHSAA play-by-play guy Doug Ormay hands out some midseason report cards.



December 19, 2011 -- Injuries are an unfortunate of sports. Here's an interview with sports surgeon Daniel Rueff about what he's seeing on the high school level.



December 11, 2011 -- Want to know which boys basketball teams to keep an eye on this season? Basketball guru Dan Manley breaks it down. We'll preview the ladies next week.



December 8, 2011 -- High School basketball is in full swing. Here are the games to keep an eye on this weekend...

Boys
Butler @ PRP (Friday) -- The 12th ranked Bears will travel to take on number eight PRP. The Panthers are 4-1, and in three of those games have scored more than 90 points. Butler has gotten off to a tough start this year with an 0-2 record. But these two teams match up well on paper.

Rowan County vs Trinity (SAT) @ The Farm Bureau Classic @ the Expo Center -- The Rocks are the early favorite to the state title this year and are backing it up so far..they beat number three Scott County last night 90-77. Rowan County, ranked 10th, is last year's runners up in the championship...and is off to a 4-0 start.

J-town hosting Eastern (SAT) -- J-town isn't justifying its preseason number four ranking as the chargers have already dropped two games this season, but those loses have come to two other top teams in Moore and PRP. Eastern is 3-1. This game could feature some good basketball, but the refs will likely be busy. These two teams can't stand each other.

Girls
Male @ Manual (FRI) -- The preseason favorite Lady Crimsons are off to a 2-0 start on the back of one of their many stars, Kara Wright, who is averaging 17 points a game. Wright should have her toughest task of the year so far. Male has held two teams to under 20 points. They beat Shawnee 50-8.

Trinity is clearly the best football team in Kentucky. And based on the way they ran through Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee during the regular season, the best in the region. But are they the best in the nation?

Most national polls have Trinity claiming the top spot, but there's another school stealing some of their thunder--the perennial powerhouse, New Jersey's Don Bosco. Without these two teams meeting on the gridiron, it's impossible to truly know who is better.

Some fans have proposed a post-post season "bowl" between the two squads. While it's a nice thought, it's not going to happen (at least not anytime soon). A source with knowledge of the situation provides three reasons for this:

1. Making the season longer could put already exhausted players at risk of injury.

2. A longer season would keep many athletes from playing winter sports.

3. A game of this type could easily turn into a BCS-type mess. It wouldn't take long for these types of matchups to grow and then we're stuck with a free-for-all system and still no clear national champion.

I think the first two reasons are more than valid, but the third seals the deal. Any logical person would say that the BCS is as far from a championship system as possible. But even more so, the concept of a national championship runs the risk of corrupting the entire sport. College football is already riddled with money and scandals. You think high schools making money off bowl games, which would lure big sponsors and TV deals, wouldn't have the same result?

It's understandable that Trinity fans want a better gauge of how good this team is. Heck, I'm a St. X grad, and I'd like to know. But the potential domino effect is too dangerous to make a championship game worth it.

If Trinity fans want to see their beloved Rocks take on DB, they'll have to hold out for a game on the regular season schedule (it won't be next year as Trinity's schedule is already set). In the meantime, they'll have to enjoy watching the boys in green reign supreme in the Bluegrass.

It's time to separate the men from the boys. The best high school football teams in the state are set to duke it out for their respective championships in Bowling Green. Here's what to watch for.

Class 1-A Mayfield vs Hazard (Friday) -- Last week, the Mayfield fans had a pig roast as a good luck charm before the team's win over Beechwood. It worked as the Cardinals squeak out a win. Hazard is a solid team, Mayfield is by far the dominant squad. The Cardinals haven't lost a game in more than two years and that streak should continue (even without a pig roast). Winner: Mayfield

Class 2-A Glasgow vs Holy Cross Covington (Friday) -- Glasgow is undefeated and HC has the most losses of any championship team (three). With this close to being a home game for Glasgow, expect the Scotties to earn a championship trophy this weekend. Winner: Glasgow

Class 6-A Trinity vs Scott County (Friday) -- It'd be nice if all games were as easy to predict as this one. It's not a question of if Trinity win, but by how much. This is one of the best teams this state has even seen. The Rocks win easily. Winner: Trinity

Class 3-A Central vs Belfry (Saturday) -- Central RB Anthony Wales is already known as a premier player. He's likely to add a championship to his resume. Belfry is a very strong team, but Central is peaking at the right time. This is likely to be a high-scoring affair. Winner: Central

Class 4-A Franklin-Simpson vs Highlands (Saturday) -- The last time Franklin-Simpson won a championship, someone by the name of Joker Phillips was their star player. Franklin-Simpson has put together a great season, but they won't be able to stop Highlands. Look for QB Patrick Towles to pass his way to a Mr. Kentucky Football trophy as Highlands caps off its first season in 4-A with a championship. Winner: Highlands

Class 5-A Bowling Green vs Anderson County (Saturday) -- It's been a heck of a season for Bowling Green. The Purples dominated one of the best defenses in John Hardin a week ago. Their win over St.X earlier in the year proved they show up for big games. Add to that some home cooking (playing at WKU) and the Purples will be golden this weekend. Winner: Bowling Green

After two weeks of blowouts, we should be in for some pretty decent high school football games this weekend. Here are the ones you should keep an eye on...

St. X vs Trinity (8pm at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium) -- Ok, so this one should be a blowout. The Tigers are a good team, but light years behind their east-end counterparts. The Rocks have rolled over some of the best teams in the country to achieve the #1 nationwide ranking in some polls. If St. X has any chance, it's going to be on the back of star QB Alex Mattingly. Still, Trinity should have no problem passing their way to victory and ultimately, a 6-A championship.  Prediction: Trinity 42 St. X 10

Holy Cross at Mayfield (7pm) -- Mayfield's Cardinals are 12-0 and haven't lost a game in nearly two years. HC is 11-1 with their loss coming to Desales back in September. Both are solid teams, but Mayfield boasts a strong defense and should be too much for the Cougars rushing attack (HC has over 3200 rushing yards this year). Look for the Cardinals to come away with the win. Mayfield 21 Holy Cross 14

Scott County at Eastern (7:30pm) -- Scott County is undefeated and, until Ballard scored 35 on them last week, the Cardinal defense had not given up more than 16 points in any game. Scott County has outscored opponents 580 to 108. Eastern is 10-2 and has looked very strong at times. This is a 6-A matchup that could go down to the wire, but Scott County gets the edge. Scott County 44 Eastern 42

Christian Academy at Glasgow (7pm) -- This 2-A matchup looks one-sided on paper, but it should be a dogfight. CAL has four losses but and the Scotties are undefeated, but CAL has played a much tougher schedule. Coach Stephan LeFlors has his Centurions playing solid football on both sides of the ball. This game could go either way, but the advantage has to go to the home team. Glasgow 28 CAL 24

Bell County at Central (7:30pm) -- This game features two of the best running backs in the state. Central at 9-3 will turn to Anthony Wales like they have all season (over 2200 yards rushing thus far). The Bell County Bobcats have reeled off 11 wins behind Mr. Football candidate Cory Davenport. Look for Wales to continue his dominance. Central will be too much for Davenport and his offense to overcome. Central 31 Bell County 21

Jeffersontown at John Hardin (7:30pm) -- These two met back on October 7th with John Hardin winning 41-20. John Hardin boasts one of the best defenses in class 5-A. They didn't give up a single point in the month of September have beaten every opponent by at least 10 points. John Hardin 42 J-town 21 

For all the scores and highlights from these games, tune into the Kentucky High School Scoreboard Show Saturday, 6am on 790 WKRD

October 22, 2011 -- With the regular season winding down, some state records are starting to fall. Two high schoolers are closing in on their quest to break the all-time rushing. And we now have a new winningest coach in the history of Kentucky High school football. Also on the show, Franklin-Simpson head coach Tim Schlosser joined us. The Wildcats putting up lots of wins this season in route to their first district title in 10 years, and the first for them since joining class 4-A.


October 22, 2011 -- A big congrats to Belfry head coach Philip Haywood. He's now the all-time wins leader in the history of Kentucky high school football. Haywood got victory 346 last night over Pike County Central. Here's a list of the winningest coaches of all-time...
                                             *Active Coaches