KHSAA Football: Week Eight Preview

With just a month left in the 2021 regular season, there’s no time for KHSAA’s top teams to take their foot off the gas and become complacent. Week Eight brings some big-time matchups and district rivalries all across the Commonwealth.

No. 3 St. Xavier (5-1) at No. 8 DuPont Manual (5-1)

The only top-10 matchup in KHSAA football’s Week Eight slate—two 5-1 Louisville powerhouses are set to do battle under the lights on W Lee St.

The Crimsons of Manual have not given up more than 14 points in any games against an in-state opponent this season, something St. Xavier cannot attest to as the Tigers has given up at least three touchdowns in four of their six games.

Expect Jack Sivori for St. Xavier and JuWaun Northington for Manual to light up the opposing defense in an offensive showcase of two of the most explosive offenses in the Louisville area.

No. 20 Lexington Catholic (5-1) at No. 6 Boyle County (5-1)

Both of these team’s single blemish has been at the hands of No. 2 LCA. The winner of this one can most likely prematurely crown themselves 4A District 5 champions.

The Rebels boast a balanced attack featuring quarterback Jagger Gillis and a rotating cast of running backs led by Dalton Stone and Avery Bodner. They have so many weapons offensively—not to mention having the sure-legged No. 1 kicker/punter in America in Kentucky commit Jackson Smith to bail them out whenever need be.

LexCath has its own weapon that can split the uprights when called upon in arguably the state’s No. 2 kicker, Max DeGraff. He kicked a 49-yard game-winner against Pulaski County in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week as time expired in Week Two—and can do it again if ever put in the same position. DeGraff is also a threat on the receiving end of the game.

Knights quarterback Jack Gohmann is coming off an efficient 15-17 passing for 212 yards and three-score performance against Tates Creek before their BYE last week—which is nothing new to the senior.

No. 14 Madison Central (5-1) at Oldham County (6-0)

The Colonels are in the toughest two weeks of their schedule as they prepare to host the Indians this Friday and No. 15 Bryan Station on the road next week. This will be Oldham County’s first ranked test of the season.

Since losing to No. 2 LCA in the season opener, Madison Central has gone on to outscore their opponents 174-49 over their next five games, including a 69-6 rout over South Laurel and 49-0 shutout of Lafayette in consecutive weeks.

Last week, the Indians notched their most impressive win of the season, defeating 1A’s top dogs in No. 19 Pikeville 21-19 during their homecoming, and will look to continue that momentum looking to play spoiler on Oldham County’s undefeated season.

No. 1 Male (6-0) at Southern (5-1)

Can anyone in KHSAA stop the Male Bulldogs? Well, Southern is going to try.

Other than a COVID cancelation loss to Iroquois in Week Three, the Trojans are undefeated on the season. They’re currently winning each game by an average of 24 points and have won by at least five scores two different times this season—but do they have enough firepower to knock off KHSAA’s top dog?

No. 7 Trinity (1-6) at Ballard (4-2)

Trinity did the impossible last Friday, picking up their first victory of the season over the nation’s No. 10 team in Cincinnati’s St. Xavier.

Quarterback Brady Willis threw for 307 yards on 16-21 attempts while rushing for 106 yards and his only score of the night en route to pulling off the upset victory.

Ballard’s BYE last week following their blowout loss to rival Manuel 47-14 at home has seen them fall out of favor when it comes to rankings despite only falling to two top-10 6A teams. They’ve lost those two games by an average of 49 points, though.

Can Ballard pull off a big upset with the lights on bright? That remains to be seen up to this point.

Sayre (6-0) at No. 19 Pikeville (5-2)

This could be the game that decides 1A’s District 7, even though neither team has played a district game yet. These are by far the two top teams in the division, making it a must-win for both squads.

Sayre has yet to challenge themselves with a ranked opponent this season, as every game on their schedule is a part of KHSAA’s 1A division. Pikeville on the other hand is regarded as the No. 1 team in 1A despite losing their last two, challenging themselves against No. 2 LCA and No. 21 Madison Central where Pikeville held their own.

Whoever should come out on top should see themselves regarded as a front-runner for KHSAA’s 1A title.

Pulaski County (4-3) at North Laurel (5-1)

After a 9-2 2020 campaign, the Maroons are in danger of dropping to .500 on the season against a tough North Laurel team this Friday.

Pulaski County struggled at the beginning of the season, despite quarterback Drew Polston leading KHSAA in passing yards through the first few games this season—the Maroons have since dropped three straight to three top-25 teams in Lexington Catholic, Boyle County and Corbin. Otherwise, they’ve outscored their opponents 179-54.

Meanwhile, North Laurel has been over-performing this season after winning only three games in 2020. After dropping their first game of the season against Southwestern 32-7 last week, Pulaski County will be the toughest challenge for the Jaguars for the remainder of the regular season.

Eminence (5-1) at Frankfort (4-2)

Eminence has one of the most prolific offenses in the state, featuring one of the top rushing and passing weapons in all of KHSAA this season.

The Warriors have won each game by an average of 58.2 points behind their big three players on offense. Davontaye Saunders is the state’s top scorer with 21 (15 rushing, 11 passing) total touchdowns. He ranks as KHSAA’s most efficient rusher with 1,037 yards rushing on just 64 attempts (16.2 average), not to mention his 18 receptions for 454 yards, which ranks No. 24 in the state as well.

The Warriors also boast the No. 2 passer in KHSAA with Blaze Berry and his 1,544 yards and 22 touchdowns. If that wasn’t enough, Eminence also has a top-10 receiver in Adriene Bailey.

It’s safe to say Frankfort has their work cut out for them as they seek win number five in their 2021 campaign.