Since the second round of the playoffs kickoff this Friday, I figured that it was a good time to breakdown the bracket in Class 1A. I wanted to break down all the classifications and I will try to next week since the field will be cut in half.
Anyways, today it is all about Class 1A.
The top half of the bracket is headlined by Mayfield, which won its first-round game against Caverna by a score of 70-0. The Cardinals should handle Ballard Memorial this week before taking on the winner of the Holy Cross/Crittenden County matchup.
Lexington Christian senior running back Domonique Hayden rushed for 163 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-0 win against Paris, Oct. 10. Hayden could be the state's Mr. Football award winner this fall. Photo taken by Lee Pollard.
Assuming Mayfield gets through that, it could have to face the defending 1A champion Beechwood. The Tigers, however, will have to get through district rival Bellevue whom I like to beat Frankfort this week.
Obviously a semifinal game between Beechwood and Mayfield should be interesting.
The bottom half of the bracket is headlined by Lexington Christian, who I expect to cruise to finals and play either Mayfield or Beechwood.
The Eagles have been ranked No. 1 in Class 1A all season long by CoachesAid.com. Led by Mr. Football candidate Dominique Hayden, who tied Derek Homer’s career rushing touchdown record (110) last week, Lexington Christian has been tough to beat. Hayden scored six touchdowns in the Eagles’ 70-31 opening round win against Berea.
Here is a breakdown of this week’s games.
Ballard Memorial (4-7) at Mayfield (10-1) at 7 p.m.: The Bombers lost to Mayfield, 53-14, in their first meeting Oct. 9. If Ballard Memorial is going to improve on that score it will rely heavily on quarterback Alex Mallory and wide receiver Alex Hill. Mallory has completed 173-of-306 passing for 2,101 yards and has touchdown to interception ratio of 22-to-11. Hill is Mallory’s top target this season with 59 receptions for 920 yards and 11 TDs. The Cardinals also have a passing duo with quarterback Luke Guhy (95-of-166 passing for 1,859 yards and a TD-to-INT ratio of 27-to-7) and wide receiver Xavier Shelton (42 rec. for 980 yards and 15 TDs). Bottom line: Mayfield should win easily.
Crittenden County (9-2) at Holy Cross (6-5) at 7 p.m.: Crittenden County appears to be the favorite in this one, but I wouldn’t count out Holy Cross. The Cougars 6-5 record is due to a tough schedule. Winner will have to play the winner of the Ballard Memorial/Mayfield game.
Eminence (8-3) at Beechwood (8-3) at 7:30 p.m.: Despite the identical records, Beechwood is the heavy favorite in this matchup. The Tigers feature a potent offense with two 1,000-yard rushers in Joe Colosimo (1,126 and 15 TDs) and quarterback Matt Rigdon (1,062 and 11 TDs). Winner will play the winner of Frankfort and Bellevue.
Bellevue (8-3) at Frankfort (8-3) at 7:30 p.m.: This matchup could have been between two of the state’s best running backs. Unfortunately for Frankfort, Quan Weaver (Louisville commit) was injured early in the season. Bellevue’s Ricky Buckler has been phenomenal this season rushing for 2,468 yards and 36 touchdowns on 302 carries. Bellevue is expected to win and get a rematch against district foe Beechwood.
Fairview (8-3) at Lexington Christian (10-1) at 7:30 p.m.: The Eagles beat Fairview 42-0 in their last meeting. Quarterback Lucas Witt threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns, while running back Dominique Hayden rushed for 165 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries in the win. Hayden has been excellent this season, rushing for 2,143 yards and 35 touchdowns on 228 carries. Bottom line: Lexington Christian should win easily.
Raceland (7-4) at Campbellsville (7-4) at 7 p.m.: This could be Class 1A’s most even matchup. Both teams like to pass the football, watch for Campbellsville wide receiver Bryton Taylor to put up some good numbers. Taylor has 66 receptions for 1,406 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Bottom line: Whomever does win this game should have their hands full against Lexington Christian.
Allen Central (10-1) at Hazard (7-4) at 7:30 p.m.: Don’t be fooled by the records, Hazard is the favorite in this one and has endured a challenging schedule this year. However, I wouldn’t count out Allen Central and its impressive rushing attack. The Rebels feature three rushers that have gone over the 1,000-yard barrier in Logan Crowder (1,511 yards and 20 touchdowns), Hunter Crowder (1,211 yards and 14 TDs) and Justin Jackson (1,288 yards and 14 touchdowns). Whoever wins will play the winner of the Pikeville/Harlan game.
Harlan (6-5) at Pikeville (6-5) at 7:30 p.m.: Harlan, led by Andrew Link, appears to be the underdog. Link has rushed for 1,772 yards and 21 touchdowns on 305 carries this season. While I think Pikeville is the favorite at home, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dragons take this one.
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