KHSAA Football Week 11 Preview — Presented by Kroger

The final week of the KHSAA regular season is here. That doesn’t mean Kentucky’s top high school squads are off the hook, though; there are more big games than ever before we can look toward the postseason.

Here are five games to keep an eye on this Friday:

No. 7 Boyle County (8-1) at No. 4 Frederick Douglass (9-0)

One of the most anticipated matchups in all of KHSAA this season, the Rebels will look to spoil Douglass’ hopes of ending the regular season undefeated for the third time in program history.

The only blemish on Boyle County’s record came at the hands of No. 3 LCA during week two on a last-second touchdown from Miami (OH) commit Mason Moore.

Douglass has outscored their opponents 311-41 this season and have won each of their seven games (two COVID cancelations) by 39 points on average. For the Rebels, they’ve played two more games than the Broncos, outscoring the opposition 368-112 winning each game by an average of 33 points.

Both teams boast a superstar quarterback-receiver tandem. For the Broncos, Sam Cornett and Dane Key have hooked up 31 times for 501 yards and five scores. Cornett’s 1,453 passing yards and 15 touchdowns rank him second in KHSAA’s 5A class.

The Rebels, on the other hand, have dominated 4A, boasting the No. 2 quarterback in Jagger Gillis and No. 1 receiver in Cole Lanter. Lanter’s 52 receptions, 919 yards and 15 touchdowns ranks second in the entire state.

This begs the question—which offense will have the ball last? That fact alone might decide the ball game. KSR’s own Troy Howell will be on the sideline Friday night to provide all updates for the game. You can follow him on Twitter here.

No. 1 Male (8-0) at No. 8 DuPont Manual (7-2)

Every week it seems there’s another formidable foe that has the chance to knock off KHSAA’s No. 1 team in the Male Bulldogs; every week, they fall.

While Manual is one of the top teams in 6A, they pose little threat to Male. Manual lost to St. Xavier three weeks ago 42-10, getting stuffed in every situation imaginable. The Tigers are the closest to Male in terms of talent level—Manual just isn’t there yet.

Male is led by their big three on offense—Nic Schutte (QB), Daniel Swinney (RB) and Wisconsin commit Vinny Anthony (WR).

Schutte and Anthony have connected 24 times this season for 598 yards and seven touchdowns. The Bulldog quarterback is one of the top passers in 6A as well with 1,353 yards, 17 scores and no interceptions. Swinney is in a league of his own as his 118 carries has taken him 1,044 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging nearly nine yards per carry.

There’s a reason the Bulldogs are nationally ranked and are the favorites to take the 6A crown for the first time since 2018.

No. 20 Madison Central (7-2) at No. 25 Southwestern (8-1)

Madison Central suffered their first loss since their season opener last week against Bryan Station 21-13. Southwestern, however, is rolling on a five-game winning streak.

Since losing to Mercer County 22-21 in week five, the Warriors have won each game by an average of 33 points, including a 56-0 shutout against South Laurel two weeks ago.

With another high-profile matchup against Bryan Station likely on the table during the playoffs, a win against one of 5A’s premier programs can do wonders for the Indians’ morale.

Middlesboro (9-0) at No. 16 Pikeville (7-2)

The No. 1 team in 1A continues to reach outside their division to battle the top dogs elsewhere—this time in the Middlesboro Yellowjackets.

The Panthers are far and away the best team Middlesboro have faced this season. One of, if not the best running back in all of KHSAA, Blake Birchfield is the toughest opposing player the Yellowjackets will see for the remainder of the year—playoffs included. His 1,408 rushing yards (9 yards per rush) is the second-best total in the state.

What Middlesboro does have going for them—they know how to win. They’ve won games by a margin of two (Week one: Hazard, 22-20) all the way to 38 (Week five: Harlan, 42-6). Good teams find ways to win and the Yellowjackets have done just that.

If Middlesboro can pull off the upset, look for them as the sleeper pick for the KHSAA 2A State Championship in a tough division filled with the likes of LCA, Beechwood and Mayfield.

Newport Catholic Central (7-2) at No. 10 Beechwood (9-0)

Speaking of Beechwood, they’re also looking to place the cherry on top of a perfect regular season of their own.

EKU football commit Cam Hergott has done it all this season for the Tigers. With 2,449 all-purpose yards, 31 total touchdowns and only one turnover all season, Beechwood has scored at least three touchdowns in every game this year.

With 79 rushes and 80 completions on the season, Beechwood and Hergott have done well with keeping opponents guessing with the consistency of their quarterback’s dual-threat ability. Add in the fact that Hergott has a 73 percent completion percentage this season and you can understand why Beechwood is one of KHSAA’s top teams and favorites to win 2A’s state title.

Other Notable KHSAA Games:

South Warren (8-1) at Logan County (7-3)

Owensboro (8-1) at Henderson County (6-3)

Bullitt East (7-2) at Oldham County (7-2)

Central Hardin (7-2) at South Oldham (6-3)

Scott County (5-4) at No. 17 Lexington Catholic (7-2)

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