The semifinals of the KHSAA high school football playoffs are set and there are some surprising teams still in the hunt.
Most notably, the Bryan Station Defenders did exactly what their name implies last night in 6A, holding Trinity to just 7 points in a surprising 10-7 victory.
The Defenders are now in the state semifinals for the first time since 1999. They will need more defense next week as they will battle a high-scoring attack from Bullitt East.
REGION CHAMPS! For the first time since the Defenders beat Trinity in 1999, Bryan Station @bryanstationfb has toppled a giant again and claimed their first region title in more than 2 decades. Station 10, Trinity 7. Wow pic.twitter.com/rAw0YDtBgx
— Jared Peck (@HLpreps) November 19, 2022
In the other 6A games, it was Male defeating Henderson County 23-10 and Ballard advancing over Madison Central 43-7. That sets up an all-Louisville semifinal on the other side of the bracket.
In 5A, heavily-favored Frederick Douglass was challenged, but prevailed 21-7 over Woodford County. The Broncos advance to take on Owensboro in the state semifinals. The Red Devils cruised past Fairdale 36-0.
On the other side of the 5A bracket, Southwestern continued their incredible undefeated season with a 23-22 victory over Scott County. Bowling Green knocked off South Oldham 38-7 to complete the semifinal picture.
In early October, Lexington Catholic earned a stunning 28-27 come-from-behind win over Boyle County. From that very moment, the Rebels began focusing on revenge in the 4A playoffs. That sweet revenge came last knight when Boyle County took care of the Knights 41-21. The Rebels will host Central on one side of the 4A bracket next week.
On the other side, Franklin County will travel to Corbin. The Flyers took care of Warren East 49-21 while the Redhounds defeated Johnson Central 35-21.
In 3A, Bardstown lit up the scoreboard in a 66-33 shellacking of Union Count. The Tigers will host Mason County, which knocked off Greenup County 27-14, in the semifinals.
On the other side, Ashland got out of a long road trip to Bell County with a 34-16 win. The Tomcats will have another serious road test next week when they travel to Christian Academy-Louisville. The Centurions advanced with a difficult 30-24 win over Paducah Tilghman.
The 2A semifinals will feature some very familiar names as Mayfield, Beechwood and Lexington Christian are all still alive.
Beechwood destroyed Shelby Valley 49-12 in the quarterfinals. They will face Lloyd Memorial, which held off Breathitt County 41-32.
The other semifinal should be a classic as Mayfield, 28-0 winners over Metcalfe County, advanced to take on Lexington Christian. LCA escaped Owensboro with a 33-27 win at Owensboro Catholic.
In 1A, Pikeville continued their path back to Kroger Field with a 43-7 demolition of Paintsville. The Panthers will face Newport Central Catholic, which is back in the fold after a 28-21 win over Kentucky Country Day, in the semifinals.
The other semifinal will pit Raceland against Louisville Holy Cross. The Rams survived a thrilling 17-14 challenge from Hazard while Holy Cross beat Crittenden County 24-12 at PRP.
Here are the region final scores from across the state.
Class A:
Newport Central Catholic 28, Kentucky Country Day 21
Holy Cross (Louisville) 24, Crittenden County 12
Pikeville 43, Paintsville 7
Raceland 17, Hazard 14
Class 2A:
Mayfield 28, Metcalfe County 0
Lexington Christian 33, Owensboro Catholic 27
Beechwood 49, Shelby Valley 12
Lloyd Memorial 41, Breathitt County 32
Class 3A:
Ashland 34, Bell County 16
Bardstown 66, Union County 33
CAL 30, Paducah Tilghman 24
Mason County 27, Greenup County 14
Class 4A:
Boyle County 41, Lexington Christian 21
Louisville Central 55, Logan County 19
Franklin County 49, Warren East 21
Corbin 35, Johnson Central 21
Class 5A:
Southwestern 23, Scott County 22
Bowling Green 38, South Oldham 7
Frederick Douglass 21, Woodford County 7
Owensboro 36, Fairdale 0
Class 6A:
Ballard 43, Madison Central 7
Bryan Station 10, Trinity 7
Bullitt East 28, Central Hardin 15
Male 23, Henderson County 10
