[Westside]

1. DeSales
2. Bell County
3. Paducah Tilghman
4. Belfry
5. Ashland
6. Glasgow
7. Elizabethtown
8. Mercer County
9. Russell
10. Christian Academy of Louisville
10. Bardstown


The Bluegrass Rivals Rankings Committee is made up of members selected from this site.

[Tica]

Not much love for Glasgow here.

[Iam4thecats]

I think Glasgow should be about 9th.

[UK1]

So Mercer beat the #3 team in 3A at the time and moves from 10 to 8. Cal moves from 3 to 10 with the loss to Mercer. Other than Belfry beating a ranked 2A LCA. Has anyone else in 3A top 10 beat a ranked team in any other class or this class? I know CAL beat a ranked South Oldham team to start the year.

[Iam4thecats]

So Mercer beat the #3 team in 3A at the time and moves from 10 to 8. Cal moves from 3 to 10 with the loss to Mercer. Other than Belfry beating a ranked 2A LCA. Has anyone else in 3A top 10 beat a ranked team in any other class or this class? I know CAL beat a ranked South Oldham team to start the year.

I don't have the exact info you're looking for, but here is their records vs Calpreps "good" teams.
1. DeSales 2-2
2. Bell County 1-0
3. Paducah Tilghman 3-1
4. Belfry 2-2
5. Ashland 2-1
6. Glasgow 0-1
7. Elizabethtown 0-2
8. Mercer County 3-1
9. Russell 2-1
10. Christian Academy of Louisville 1-3
10. Bardstown 1-1

[ColtPride]

So Mercer beat the #3 team in 3A at the time and moves from 10 to 8. Cal moves from 3 to 10 with the loss to Mercer. Other than Belfry beating a ranked 2A LCA. Has anyone else in 3A top 10 beat a ranked team in any other class or this class? I know CAL beat a ranked South Oldham team to start the year.

DeSales beat Butler who was top ten in 6A.

[64SUR]

Bell County at #2 unbelievable nicker:

[OutlawJoseyWales]

3A is a tough call. A lot of teams are rebuilding, others have suffered a malady of injuries/illnesses, and others scheduled very poorly. When it's all said and done.....who knows who will advance?? Way too many variables in play at this point. Way too many questions....

1. Bell's SOS. Is Bell legitimate? They have a great QB....which makes their offense go. But have they actually been tested? We won't know until the playoff time
2. Ashland. Off to a great start. Could be a serious contender. But can they get past..
3. Russell. Russell appears much improved.....in fact, probably their best team in the last 10-12 years. Ashland and Russell showdown is looming in the wings
4. Paducah Tilghman. Should have a fantastic group of kids native to PT, along with a big group of transfers. This group of seniors is one of the better groups to come thru there in the past several years. But can they stand prosperity? PT has been saddled with poor discipline and the lack of accountability for the past several seasons. Questions still remain.
5. Bardstown. This is the darkhorse of the group. Very talented. great speed. smallish across the front. They could make some noise.
6. DeSales and CAL. Both are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode. Will either get it together by November?
7. The Unknowns. Glasgow, Mercer and Taylor. Do they have the requisite talent and postseason experience to be a real challenger?
8. Belfry. The biggest question of all. Top Tier talent...but decimated by injuries. Whether or not this team can jell by November remains to be seen. Offense is still somewhat of a question mark. Defensively, when healthy, probably the best in 3A. Again, injuries will determine how far they go.

[#55PirateFan]

3A is a tough call. A lot of teams are rebuilding, others have suffered a malady of injuries/illnesses, and others scheduled very poorly. When it's all said and done.....who knows who will advance?? Way too many variables in play at this point. Way too many questions....

1. Bell's SOS. Is Bell legitimate? They have a great QB....which makes their offense go. But have they actually been tested? We won't know until the playoff time
2. Ashland. Off to a great start. Could be a serious contender. But can they get past..
3. Russell. Russell appears much improved.....in fact, probably their best team in the last 10-12 years. Ashland and Russell showdown is looming in the wings
4. Paducah Tilghman. Should have a fantastic group of kids native to PT, along with a big group of transfers. This group of seniors is one of the better groups to come thru there in the past several years. But can they stand prosperity? PT has been saddled with poor discipline and the lack of accountability for the past several seasons. Questions still remain.
5. Bardstown. This is the darkhorse of the group. Very talented. great speed. smallish across the front. They could make some noise.
6. DeSales and CAL. Both are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode. Will either get it together by November?
7. The Unknowns. Glasgow, Mercer and Taylor. Do they have the requisite talent and postseason experience to be a real challenger?
8. Belfry. The biggest question of all. Top Tier talent...but decimated by injuries. Whether or not this team can jell by November remains to be seen. Offense is still somewhat of a question mark. Defensively, when healthy, probably the best in 3A. Again, injuries will determine how far they go.

Outstanding post my friend. On point!

[BellCo18]

Bell County at #2 unbelievable nicker:

#1in AP 🤫

[mysonis55]

This years PT has the discipline it hasn’t had since before the Randy Wyatt era. Times change, you should know they wouldn’t stay down forever.

[OutlawJoseyWales]

This years PT has the discipline it hasn’t had since before the Randy Wyatt era. Times change, you should know they wouldn’t stay down forever.

Well....that may be the case. But PT’s history with running a “rogue” program is well documented. Those of us who don’t live in WKY just don’t have the chance to see a lot of The purchase area football. I do think the mass transfers have propped this senior class up some though

[mysonis55]

I haven’t checked the stats but, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the McCracken game or the Mayfield game they had less penalties or mistakes.

[Lord Grantham]

I’m a Bardstown fan, but I think we are forgetting Elizabethtown. Bigger than usual this year on the line and one of best RB’s in state, ability to run, throw, and play tough, sound defense.

[mysonis55]

I agree with that.

[mightydog]

So Mercer beat the #3 team in 3A at the time and moves from 10 to 8. Cal moves from 3 to 10 with the loss to Mercer. Other than Belfry beating a ranked 2A LCA. Has anyone else in 3A top 10 beat a ranked team in any other class or this class? I know CAL beat a ranked South Oldham team to start the year.

Russell beat 1a 5th ranked Raceland 41-0. Big showdown with Ashland in 3 weeks. Greenup Co. Could be a trap game playing them off a bye week and right before Ashland game.

[pjdoug]

Bell County at #2 unbelievable nicker:

I know. They should be #1 nicker:

[pjdoug]

3A is a tough call. A lot of teams are rebuilding, others have suffered a malady of injuries/illnesses, and others scheduled very poorly. When it's all said and done.....who knows who will advance?? Way too many variables in play at this point. Way too many questions....

1. Bell's SOS. Is Bell legitimate? They have a great QB....which makes their offense go. But have they actually been tested? We won't know until the playoff time
2. Ashland. Off to a great start. Could be a serious contender. But can they get past..
3. Russell. Russell appears much improved.....in fact, probably their best team in the last 10-12 years. Ashland and Russell showdown is looming in the wings
4. Paducah Tilghman. Should have a fantastic group of kids native to PT, along with a big group of transfers. This group of seniors is one of the better groups to come thru there in the past several years. But can they stand prosperity? PT has been saddled with poor discipline and the lack of accountability for the past several seasons. Questions still remain.
5. Bardstown. This is the darkhorse of the group. Very talented. great speed. smallish across the front. They could make some noise.
6. DeSales and CAL. Both are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode. Will either get it together by November?
7. The Unknowns. Glasgow, Mercer and Taylor. Do they have the requisite talent and postseason experience to be a real challenger?
8. Belfry. The biggest question of all. Top Tier talent...but decimated by injuries. Whether or not this team can jell by November remains to be seen. Offense is still somewhat of a question mark. Defensively, when healthy, probably the best in 3A. Again, injuries will determine how far they go.

This is a good assessment. There's definitely a lot of parity and quality teams. it will be fun to see how it plays out.

[Lord Grantham]

3A is a tough call. A lot of teams are rebuilding, others have suffered a malady of injuries/illnesses, and others scheduled very poorly. When it's all said and done.....who knows who will advance?? Way too many variables in play at this point. Way too many questions....

1. Bell's SOS. Is Bell legitimate? They have a great QB....which makes their offense go. But have they actually been tested? We won't know until the playoff time
2. Ashland. Off to a great start. Could be a serious contender. But can they get past..
3. Russell. Russell appears much improved.....in fact, probably their best team in the last 10-12 years. Ashland and Russell showdown is looming in the wings
4. Paducah Tilghman. Should have a fantastic group of kids native to PT, along with a big group of transfers. This group of seniors is one of the better groups to come thru there in the past several years. But can they stand prosperity? PT has been saddled with poor discipline and the lack of accountability for the past several seasons. Questions still remain.
5. Bardstown. This is the darkhorse of the group. Very talented. great speed. smallish across the front. They could make some noise.
6. DeSales and CAL. Both are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode. Will either get it together by November?
7. The Unknowns. Glasgow, Mercer and Taylor. Do they have the requisite talent and postseason experience to be a real challenger?
8. Belfry. The biggest question of all. Top Tier talent...but decimated by injuries. Whether or not this team can jell by November remains to be seen. Offense is still somewhat of a question mark. Defensively, when healthy, probably the best in 3A. Again, injuries will determine how far they go.

I think these are all fair comment. I think the state is down, a bit. I think 3A has less dominant teams than in years past, and more parity, as other posters have indicated. I think this division all comes down to who has balance - I don't think a run only team makes the finals; and who plays consistently tough defense, particularly against the run and bigger offensive lines. Desales looks like they have a really stout defensive front seven. Ditto Belfry, and having laid eyes on some Ashland players I would say Ashland. Bardstown, Glasgow, and some others are demonstrating really nice balance. Who else can throw well in this group?

[pjdoug]

I think these are all fair comment. I think the state is down, a bit. I think 3A has less dominant teams than in years past, and more parity, as other posters have indicated. I think this division all comes down to who has balance - I don't think a run only team makes the finals; and who plays consistently tough defense, particularly against the run and bigger offensive lines. Desales looks like they have a really stout defensive front seven. Ditto Belfry, and having laid eyes on some Ashland players I would say Ashland. Bardstown, Glasgow, and some others are demonstrating really nice balance. Who else can throw well in this group?

Bell County can run it or throw it well if they need to. Their quarterback is explosive and lightning fast so they are putting up big numbers on the ground, but he can air it out if he needs to. He is definitely a game changer, but Bell County has more than just a quarterback.

[four quarters]

Bell has a great team, but their SOS is weak. Opponents are combined 6-22 and schedule doesn’t get tough until Harlan County maybe. 3rd round RPI will decide Bell’s season. Possibly having to travel. Nothing to take away from the kids or team, but it is what it is. Good luck to them and all mountain teams.

[pjdoug]

Bell has a great team, but their SOS is weak. Opponents are combined 6-22 and schedule doesn’t get tough until Harlan County maybe. 3rd round RPI will decide Bell’s season. Possibly having to travel. Nothing to take away from the kids or team, but it is what it is. Good luck to them and all mountain teams.

They don't have the strongest schedule, but I think they are capable of making a deep run.

[64SUR]

They don't have the strongest schedule, but I think they are capable of making a deep run.

Traveling RPI Bobcats good luck this year :popcorn:

[four quarters]

I agree. It’s a traveling system that gets everything going on Friday nights. Gotta love it. Start with Mayfield or someone instead of Collins next year. Crazy thing is win or lose it helps your RPI because of their schedule. Maybe it’s a one year system or is this mess set for a few years?

[Tica]

Well....that may be the case. But PT’s history with running a “rogue” program is well documented. Those of us who don’t live in WKY just don’t have the chance to see a lot of The purchase area football. I do think the mass transfers have propped this senior class up some though

Rogue program well documented? Mass Transfers? What brought discipline was hiring Tilghman assistant principal Jon Smith as head coach. He is not a man to cross but also shows respect to players. There were no "mass transfers." We get a kid or two every now and then and we lose a kid to the county every now and then. Never en masse. Kids come Tilghman because of the disproportionate number of college football players they produce. A few pros also.

I was associated as a booster with the PT program for a few years. It was no more or less rogue than any other program. A few hotheads - players and coaches - have come and gone but no more than anywhere else. The booster meetings I went to had physicians, attorneys, businessmen and educators all figuring out how to sell popcorn and country hams like every other booster program. It all seemed about normal to me. I have seen multiple players miss games for poor grades or discipline incidents in the classroom. I have seen kids - one in the process of being recruited by an SEC school - kicked off the team for talking on a cell phone during practice.

It is better to know the facts than to repeat rumors.

[OutlawJoseyWales]

Rogue program well documented? Mass Transfers? What brought discipline was hiring Tilghman assistant principal Jon Smith as head coach. He is not a man to cross but also shows respect to players. There were no "mass transfers." We get a kid or two every now and then and we lose a kid to the county every now and then. Never en masse. Kids come Tilghman because of the disproportionate number of college football players they produce. A few pros also.

I was associated as a booster with the PT program for a few years. It was no more or less rogue than any other program. A few hotheads - players and coaches - have come and gone but no more than anywhere else. The booster meetings I went to had physicians, attorneys, businessmen and educators all figuring out how to sell popcorn and country hams like every other booster program. It all seemed about normal to me. I have seen multiple players miss games for poor grades or discipline incidents in the classroom. I have seen kids - one in the process of being recruited by an SEC school - kicked off the team for talking on a cell phone during practice.

It is better to know the facts than to repeat rumors.

So When Wyatt was there....the program wasn’t out of control?

[OutlawJoseyWales]

Rogue program well documented? Mass Transfers? What brought discipline was hiring Tilghman assistant principal Jon Smith as head coach. He is not a man to cross but also shows respect to players. There were no "mass transfers." We get a kid or two every now and then and we lose a kid to the county every now and then. Never en masse. Kids come Tilghman because of the disproportionate number of college football players they produce. A few pros also.

I was associated as a booster with the PT program for a few years. It was no more or less rogue than any other program. A few hotheads - players and coaches - have come and gone but no more than anywhere else. The booster meetings I went to had physicians, attorneys, businessmen and educators all figuring out how to sell popcorn and country hams like every other booster program. It all seemed about normal to me. I have seen multiple players miss games for poor grades or discipline incidents in the classroom. I have seen kids - one in the process of being recruited by an SEC school - kicked off the team for talking on a cell phone during practice.

It is better to know the facts than to repeat rumors.

Also....it’s my understanding that PT did get 6-7 transfers this season. Is that not correct?

[Tica]

Just a follow up because I am still steamed and I rarely get that way on here. Attention private school blazer and plaid skirt minions. Not all schools have the luxury of selecting their students from families who can pay the astounding $14,434 annual tuition and fees to attend St. Francis DeSales High School or the other privates. At Tilghman and a lot of other public schools that serve urban areas, we take them all: rich, poor, smart, not smart, fast, slow, black, white, brown, college prep and voc-ed, special ed, ... doesn't matter. Public schools don't get to pick and choose or grant tuition waivers if you can play football. So to come on a public forum and start pointing fingers with no supporting evidence about "rogue" schools and "mass transfers," when the school you support gets to recruit and pick and choose who it wants to attend and draws its students from families of means ( or who meet the church tithing requirement), you obviously don't live in the real world but look out from a gated community. We may lose and we may win Friday but save us from the pithy, sanctimonious lectures. We'll be just fine.

[Iam4thecats]

Just a follow up because I am still steamed and I rarely get that way on here. Attention private school blazer and plaid skirt minions. Not all schools have the luxury of selecting their students from families who can pay the astounding $14,434 annual tuition and fees to attend St. Francis DeSales High School or the other privates. At Tilghman and a lot of other public schools that serve urban areas, we take them all: rich, poor, smart, not smart, fast, slow, black, white, brown, college prep and voc-ed, special ed, ... doesn't matter. Public schools don't get to pick and choose or grant tuition waivers if you can play football. So to come on a public forum and start pointing fingers with no supporting evidence about "rogue" schools and "mass transfers," when the school you support gets to recruit and pick and choose who it wants to attend and draws its students from families of means ( or who meet the church tithing requirement), you obviously don't live in the real world but look out from a gated community. We may lose and we may win Friday but save us from the pithy, sanctimonious lectures. We'll be just fine.

I don't believe Josey is connected to Desales in any way.

[Iam4thecats]

We were told multiple times in the past that Wyatts program was a discipline nightmare by Tilghman people. He isn't making that up. The transfer thing I don't know about because you didn't answer the question.