KHSAA Football Semifinal Recap — Presented by Kroger

Blowout after blowout. That was the theme of Friday night’s KHSAA football semifinal slate. Not a single game was decided by less than two scores.

1A

Pikeville (13-2) def. Raceland (12-2) — 36-7: Pikeville took control of Raceland from the opening possession and never looked back. They now find themselves back in the state championship for the fourth time since 2015.

Russellville (12-1) def. Bethlehem (11-3) — 31-24: Quarterback Lennon Ries went 8-12 for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He was complemented by running back Jovari Gamble’s 180 yards and two scores. Russellville is headed to the KHSAA title game for the first time since 1990.

2A

Beechwood (14-0) def. Mayfield (12-2) — 38-7: Mitchell Berger and Cam Hergott combined for 317 rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinals. Hergott went just 5-9 for 47 yards and a score through the air on the night.

LCA (14-0) def. Middlesboro (13-1) — 58-0: The Eagles put a running clock midway through the second quarter against the previously undefeated YellowJackets. LCA is headed back to Kroger Field looking as dominant as ever.

3A

Belfry (8-6) def. East Carter (11-4) — 48-26: After an 0-5 start to 2021, the Belfry Pirates proved everyone wrong by defeating East Carter in decisive fashion to advance to their ninth state title game since 2010.

Paducah Tilghman (8-6) def. Glasgow (12-2) — 39-20: Sitting at 4-6 at the beginning of the postseason, The Blue Tornados have since knocked off KHSAA’s Class 3A favorites in Christian Academy-Louisville and the one-loss Scotties.

4A

Boyle County (13-1) def. Logan County (10-5) — 54-16: The Rebels led 54-0 before Logan County salvaged a shutout, scoring the game’s last two scores.

Johnson Central (12-2) def. Franklin County (10-4) — 42-24: One year after losing to the Flyers in the KHSAA semifinals, Johnson Central repaid the favor by dominating the second half and punching their ticket to Kroger Field for the first time since 2019.

5A

Frederick Douglass (13-1) def. Owensboro (12-2) — 35-7: Douglass scored the game’s first five touchdowns en route to their second state championship appearance in five seasons. Click here for the recap.

South Warren (13-1) def. Woodford County (13-1) — 46-25: South Warren jumped out to a 9-0 lead just 16 seconds into the game and never looked back. The loss ended the Yellow Jackets’ perfect season. Click here for the recap.

6A

Male (13-0) def. Trinity (6-8) — 48-21: Bulldog running back Daniel Swinney ran for 131 yards and six touchdowns against the Shamrocks. Male has now defeated Trinity twice this season.

St. Xavier (13-1) def. Madison Central (10-4) — 31-21: The slimmest margin of victory throughout KHSAA, the Tigers were tied with the Indians late in the third quarter before scoring the game’s last 10 points.

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