KHSAA Football Week Four Preview: Is This Corbin’s Season?

Week four of the KHSAA football season brings up several out of state match ups and a few top-ranked schools trying to keep their undefeated season alive.

No. 5 Corbin (3-0) vs. Pulaski County (1-2)

In the early portion of the season, the Corbin Redhounds look as good as any team in KHSAA. Is it too early to say this is their season? Corbin hasn’t been to the 4A state championship game since 2018 and hasn’t won it all since 1982.

They have yet another chance to prove themselves worthy with the formidable Pulaski County, who has recently dropped out of the KSR top-25 after back-to-back losses to. No. 11 Lexington Catholic and No. 9 Boyle County, respectively.

Through the first two games of the season, Maroons quarterback Drew Polston led KHSAA in passing yards, but stalled last week against Boyle County with only 32 yards. Some injuries at wide receiver have stifled the explosive offense of Pulaski County as they look to get back on track this week.

Corbin had the opposite experience last week. In a surprising 27-7 route of the then-No. 6 ranked Franklin County, the Redhounds rushed for 230 yards as a team led by Seth Mills’ 163 yards on the ground and two touchdowns — Mills also completed a four-yard pass for a score as well.

No. 4 Lexington Christian (3-0) vs. Christian Academy-Louisville (3-0)

Lexington Christian vs. Christian Academy-Louisville — a battle of two undefeated schools at the top of their respective divisions. Lex. Christian heads into week four ranked No. 2 in 2A, behind KSR’s No. 3 overall ranked Beechwood Tigers, while Christian Academy-Louisville is No. 1 in a struggling 3A division.

Both squads are 2-0 in actual competition in 2021 — both have had at least one game cancelled/postponed due to COVID-19 protocol.

Lex. Christian missed out on their week three matchup against Belfry. The last time we saw the Eagles was in their 35-28 upset over Boyle County 35-28 without their quarterback. It remains to be seen if Drew Nieves will suit up this week or not.

3A is the only KHSAA division that doesn’t have a team ranked in KSR’s top-25 and the rankings seem to fluctuate week-by-week. This week, Christian Academy-Louisville was the clear choice at No. 1 after routing Bullitt Central 49-8 after only allowing 33 passing yards.

No. 18 (Indiana) Gibson Southern (3-0) vs. No. 8 South Warren (1-1)

Gibson Southern is a high-scoring top-25 team from Indiana that have outscored their opponents 174-50 through three weeks.

They’re led by four-star Purdue commit Brady Allen under center. The No. 19 ranked QB in the nation for the 2022 class has thrown 13 touchdowns and no interceptions on 840 yards through the air. Allen’s passer rating has risen every game this season and has completed nearly 74 percent of his passes so far.

The Spartans enjoyed their BYE week last Friday after dropping their week two game against Henderson (TN) 27-20. South Warren barely reached 200 total offensive yards (203) and were held to only 67 rushing yards.

South Warren faced the same statistical hardships in their 30-7 week one victory over North Hardin, only creating 214 yards during the game. The Spartans will have to show some offensive sparks if they want to keep up with Gibson Southern’s high-scoring offense led by one of the top quarterbacks in the nation — 200 yards is just not enough.

Ballard (2-1) vs. No. 15 Franklin County (2-1)

Coming off their 2020 season that resulted in a 4A State Championhip appearance, the Flyers have came into 2021 as advertised. After defeating their first two opponents by a combined score of 104-14, the Flyers were rolling heading into their week three match up against Corbin.

Franklin County ran into the brick wall that is the 2021 Corbin football team, only compiling 207 total offensive yards. Compare that to the 224 yards Corbin gained — on the ground alone. Flyers running back Kaden Moorman was one of the only Franklin County players to bring their A-game, rushing for 103 yards for their lone touchdown.

Ballard shouldn’t be overlooked, though. Their one loss has come at the hands of KSR’s No. 1 team in Kentucky — the Male Bulldogs. In their two victories, the Bruins have defeated their opponents 69-15 overall.

Other Notable Week Four KHSAA Match Ups

• No. 6 Frederick Douglass (3-0) vs. Dunbar (1-2): The Broncos has dominated every opponent they’ve faced this season, while Dunbar has lost two in a row — but to formidable opponents. Dunbar could be a team that could give Douglass some trouble, but ultimately should be another victory on the Broncos path to a 5A state title.
• No. 10 Trinity (0-3) vs. No. 7 (Ohio) La Salle (2-1): The Shamrocks are 0-3 for the first time since 2018 and their schedule doesn’t get any easier. Their upcoming schedule features a bout at Male and then back-to-back battles against Kentucky’s St. Xavier and Ohio’s St. Xavier, the latter of which is the No. 1 team in the state of Ohio. No KHSAA program envy’s the reigning 6A State Champions’ brutal schedule right now.
• Cahokia, IL (0-2) vs. No. 7 Johnson Central (2-0): Coming off a cancellation to the infamous Bishop Sycamore, the Golden Eagles look to bounce back against the out-of-state foe of Cahokia, who comes in looking for their first victory of 2021.