KHSAA Football Playoffs Round 2 Recap — Presented by Kroger

District championships were decided and we’re now onto the quarterfinals. Before we move on, however, here are some of the notable scores from games during KHSAA’s week two playoff slate.

No. 3 St. Xavier (11-1) def. No. 13 DuPont Manual (8-4) 18-16

It wasn’t Jack Sivori’s arm or Ja’Waun Northington’s legs that decided Friday’s district championship game—it was a fourth-quarter safety from St. Xavier’s defensive linemen Thomas Tafel.

This was a completely different ball game from the one we witnessed back in the regular season when St. Xavier bounced the Crimsons 42-10.

Northington was out due to injury, which meant quarterback Darien Wilson carried the load through the air and on the ground for the Crimsons. Tied 9-9 at halftime, the Crimsons had a chance to pull off the biggest upset of the KHSAA playoffs, but the Tigers prevailed ultimately due to defense. A late interception from Tyler Boggs sealed it and St. Xavier lives to see another day.

The Tigers were also without their senior running back Justin Walsh, which put all the more pressure on quarterback Sivori. The Mr. Football candidate completed 14-22 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 115 yards and another score.

St. Xavier will now face Daviess County, who boasts the state’s No. 1 passer in Joe Humphreys.

Catch the highlights here.

No. 22 Franklin County (9-3) def. Central (7-5) 14-8

The Flyer defense held Cortez Stone and the Central offense to just 111 total yards in a 14-8 victory in the second round of the KHSAA playoffs on Friday night.

While this game wasn’t as decisive as their 35-6 victory over the Yellow Jackets during the regular season, it ended with the same result—Kentucky commit Kaden Moorman getting his.

In the first game, the standout junior carried the ball 20 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Similarly, he took 27 rushes for 144 yards and two scores in their playoff meeting over the weekend.

Hoping to find their way into a second-consecutive 4A KHSAA State Championship game, Franklin County will do battle with Allen County-Scottsville this Friday night with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

Madison Central (9-3) def. No. 19 Bryan Station (10-2) 41-18

Who saw this one coming?

Just three weeks ago, Station won the regular season district championship by defeating the Indians 21-13 in Lexington. Friday night, the Defenders were trounced 41-18 by a Madison Central team that ran all over them.

The Indians would rush for 322 yards in their KHSAA playoff game. Led by the two-headed monster of Brady Hensley and Hagan Harrison–who rushed for 167 and 113 yards and two touchdowns each–Station had no chance.

Madison Central’s defense forced nine tackles for loss, four sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception. Add the rushing attack to that and you’ve got yourselves a quarterfinal berth against the 7-5 Dunbar Bulldogs this Friday.

If I’m head coach Mike Holcomb and company, I’m feeling pretty confident about my chances at a 6A playoff semifinal matchup against either Ryle or Trinity.

No. 4 Corbin (12-0) def. Lincoln County (6-7) 42-21

Corbin might have won by three touchdowns, but the final score is not indicative of how this game went. Ironically, 42-21 was the final score of the regular-season matchup between these two teams as well.

Leading Lincoln County 28-21 in the third quarter, a pick-six from Redhound standout Seth Mills gave Corbin the breathing room they needed to play conservatively in the final quarter.

Corbin was in control most of the night, always staying a touchdown or so ahead, but the Patriots lingered a little longer than Tom Greer and the Redhounds would’ve liked. Nonetheless, Corbin is headed to the regional championship game against Johnson Central in arguably the most notable game of this week’s playoff slate.

Other KHSAA scores:

Middlesboro (12-0) def. Breathitt County (4-7) — 43-33

Christian Academy Louisville (11-1) def. Mercer County (9-3) — 43-7

Dunbar (7-5) def. Tates Creek (3-9) — 41-34

North Hardin (5-7) def. Central Hardin (8-4) — 27-21

Logan County (9-4) def. Hopkinsville (7-5) — 39-37

Spencer County (9-3) def. John Hardin (7-6) — 7-5

Boyle County (11-1) def. Lexington Catholic (9-3) — 47-13

Belfry (6-6) def. Lawrence County (8-4) — 21-14

Allen County-Scottsdale (8-4) def. Franklin-Simpson — 35-28

West Carter (9-3) def. Martin County (8-5) — 27-19

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