Week 11 preview: Douglass-Boyle County one of several top-25 tilts to end regular season

Here’s a look at some of the best high school football games of Week 11, the last week of the 2022 regular season.

Note that while most district championships have been settled and many first round playoff matchups have been set, this week’s games, especially including Frederick Douglass at Boyle County and Lexington Catholic at Scott County, could have significant implications for each team in the KHSAA’s RPI Standings, which are used beginning in the third round of the playoffs to determine home-field advantage.

A loss on Friday could mean a hostile road game with a region championship on the line in three weeks, whereas a win could mean home-field advantage until the playoffs reach Kroger Field.

With five Cantrall top 25 showdowns and other tough games on Friday, there are plenty of teams who won’t be coasting into the postseason. All games are Friday and times are local to the home team. Top 25 ratings are by Dave Cantrall.

Games of the week

▪ No. 2 Frederick Douglass (9-0) at No. 8 Boyle County (8-1), 7:30 p.m. Last October, the Rebels marched into The Farm and whooped Frederick Douglass 34-7. Boyle County led 21-0 after one quarter, 27-0 at halftime and 34-0 after its first possession of the third quarter.

Even with Boyle County’s prestige and a Class 4A No. 1 ranking, it was an eye-opening result against a Douglass team that was ranked as Class 5A’s No. 1. Boyle went on to win its second consecutive 4A title. Douglass recovered to reach the 5A finals for the second time in three years.

But this week’s trip to Title Town is not so much a revenge game for the Broncos as it is a chance for redemption and preparation for the playoffs.

“Hopefully, we play better than last year,” Douglass Coach Nathan McPeek said. “Obviously, they had a lot to do with that. They won their state championship by a bunch of points, too.”

Like last season, Douglass has completely overwhelmed its 2022 competition by an average score of 53-5. That means the Broncos’ starters are often rested in favor of their younger players in the second half. That’s good for staying healthy and developing the program, but maybe not so great when it comes time to square up with someone who can beat you.

“Our starters really haven’t had to play more than two quarters all year,” McPeek said. “That’s the concerning part. But I’m looking forward to it because we need to see what we need to work on going into the playoffs.”

Losing to a Class 4A team, even one like Boyle County, could hurt Frederick Douglass’s No. 1 RPI ranking and its hopes for playing at home through the state semifinals. RPI No. 2 Scott County, who jumped up last week after topping Class 6A’s Ballard, could get another boost by beating Lexington Catholic. And No. 3 Bowling Green, No. 4 Southwestern and No. 5 Woodford County are all taking on Class 6A foes this week in hopes of getting a win and the RPI formula’s bonus for beating a bigger school.

“If we don’t go down there and win and play well, we’re kind of leaving it up to computers,” McPeek said. “Right now, we have a decent lead as the 1 seed, but that could easily be made up if a couple of teams beat 6A teams. It’s definitely a factor.”

To be certain, Boyle County put it on Douglass last year, scoring early and getting an onside kick, an interception and a turnover on downs all in the first half to pile on. McPeek believes his team has improved over last season and hopes a few breaks go their way Friday.

“We’ve got some really good college prospects up front. They’ve just got to go prove it,” McPeek said. “If you’re not physical, you’re going to get exposed.”

Douglass features a slew of college-level talent, including Kentucky commit Ty Bryant and Division I-offer players Jeremiah Lowe, Isaiah Kenney and Terrion Hicks in the secondary and Auburn commit Jamarrion Harkless in the defensive line. On offense, running back TJ Horton has committed to Ball State. Other playmakers like Cameron Dunn and Tylon Webb are getting looks.

Boyle has big-time college prospects, too. Defensive end Tommy Ziesmer, a Kentucky commit, leads the team in sacks with six and fellow defensive end Brock Driver, just a freshman, has a Kentucky offer.

Then there’s super-sophomore Montavin Quisenberry, an electrifying playmaker on offense and defense, who picked up his Kentucky offer this month. UK won’t be the only suitor. Quisenberry leads the team in scoring with six rushing TDs, nine receiving TDs, two punt return TDs and two kickoff return TDs.

“I think it’s going to help both teams hopefully make a run in the playoffs and kind of see where we’re at,” McPeek said.

▪ No. 3 Lexington Catholic (8-1) at No. 14 Scott County (8-1), 7:30 p.m. Despite Lexington Catholic’s win over Boyle County this season and the corresponding district championship that followed, the KHSAA’s RPI formula puts the Knights behind the Rebels in the RPI Class 4A standings heading into Friday.

That’s mainly due to the fact that Boyle County’s opponents have a higher winning percentage than LexCath’s. If those standings hold, it would mean LexCath would have to go to Boyle County if they were to meet again in the playoffs — maybe in the region championship or state semifinals.

A Knights win over Scott County could rectify that slight. But LexCath Coach Bert Bathiany said he’s not concerned with the RPI standings. All that matters this week is Scott County.

“We’ll let the RPI sort itself out,” Bathiany said. “I don’t know how it operates. We’ll just see what it is and go from there.”

Scott County poses a considerable threat having just come off an upset of Class 6A Ballard, widely considered a top-10 team overall. Last year, LexCath escaped with a 41-40 win over the Cardinals at home that swung on a missed Scott County field goal with 10 seconds left.

It will be a contrast of styles as LexCath’s offense can air it out while Scott County’s wing-T grinds down opponents with its deceptive run game and occasional TD pass out of nowhere.

“Football is football. It’s a lot of the exact same stuff just packaged in different ways,” Bathiany said. “That win against Ballard was huge. That was awesome. Aside from the Frederick Douglass game … they’ve been on fire.”

▪ No. 7 Bowling Green (8-1) at No. 1 St. Xavier (8-1), 7:30 p.m. Going on the road to play the defending Class 6A champions is certainly one way to prepare for the playoffs.

▪ No. 11 Woodford County (9-0) at No. 25 Simon Kenton (6-3), 7:30 p.m. Yellow Jackets go on the road looking for an RPI boost with a win over a solid Class 6A team.

▪ No. 23 Owensboro (7-2) at No. 18 Henderson County (8-1), 7 p.m. A win for the Red Devils puts them back in the Class 5A title conversation.

▪ Raceland (8-1) at Lawrence County (8-1), 7:30 p.m. Everyone sleeping on Lawrence County in Class 3A might wake up if the Bulldogs snap a seven-game losing streak to the Rams.

Rivalries of the week

▪ The Old Rivalry: No. 20 Manual (8-1) at No. 9 Male (5-4), 7 p.m. Male has a nine-game win streak in this feud that dates to 1893, one of the oldest football rivalries in the nation. The Bulldogs also lead the series 89-45-6, but with four losses this season, they look vulnerable to one of the best Manual teams in a while.

▪ No. 14 Beechwood (8-1) vs. Newport Central Catholic (8-1) (at Covington Catholic), 7 p.m. What once was a Class A district rivalry still holds some fascination, especially when both teams are good. And they usually are. Class A NewCath has 1,000-yard rusher Demetrick Welch. Class 2A multi-sport standout Mitchell Berger has also topped 1,000 rushing yards.

Other Lexington games

▪ No. 20 Bryan Station (6-3) at Paul Laurence Dunbar (5-4), 6:30 p.m. This could be a Class 6A region championship preview. While Bryan Station looks like the favorite, the Defenders have looked that way before in this matchup and lost.

▪ Sayre (5-4) at Bethlehem (7-2), 7:30 p.m. The Spartans shocked Paris last week. Another upset could be in the offing.

▪ Tates Creek (3-6) at Boone County (3-6), 7:30 p.m. The Commodores can make it three wins in a row heading into the postseason.

▪ Henry Clay (3-6) at Lexington Christian (5-4), 7:30 p.m. The Blue Devils have had trouble stopping high-octane passing attacks over the last few years. LCA is the definition of a high-octane passing attack at a state-best 330 yards per game.

▪ Bye week: Lafayette (0-10).

Should be a good one

▪ Great Crossing (7-2) at Collins (6-3), 7:30 p.m. Dual-threat QB Kenyon Goodin and the Titans are still fighting for playoff positioning in Class 5A District 7.

▪ West Jessamine (4-5) at Mercer County (4-5), 7:30 p.m. Dual-threat QB Jacob Jones and the Colts are also in Class 5A District 7 and must try to keep pace with Collins.

▪ Others to watch: Belfry (5-4) at Johnson Central (7-2), 7:30 p.m.; No. 22 Southwestern (9-0) at Madison Central (7-2), 7:30 p.m.; Elizabethtown (7-2) at Owensboro Catholic (6-3), 7 p.m.; Covington Catholic (7-2) at Ryle (5-4), 7 p.m.; Hazard (6-3) at Shelby Valley (7-2), 7:30 p.m.

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