Sneak a peek at pre-season football

The Herald-Leader’s pre-season high school football section will be in Sunday’s paper. It should be an interesting year, with the KHSAA expanding football from four classes to six classes. I’m not going to disclose details of what’s happening in 2007, but here are a few early disclosures on what’s not happening:

• Trinity, winner of five of the last six big-school titles under Bob Beatty (right), is not seceding from the KHSAA and joining the Big East. The Shamrocks will try to add to their state-record 17 championships.
• Danville is not about to forget that it lost to Newport Central Catholic 37-34 in last year’s 1A finals. Danville led by 17 points with seven minutes left. “I don’t think you ever erase a game like that, and I’m not so sure that you should erase it,” Admirals Coach Sam Harp said. Needless to say, the Admirals are motivated to make amends this year. “Our motto this year is to finish,” said Harp, who has guided Danville to seven state championships.
• NewCath’s Bob Schneider hasn’t retired to a rocking chair. He’s ready to begin his 42nd year as coach of the two-time defending champ Thoroughbreds with a state-record 312 career victories.
• Bourbon County is not giving up on trying to end the state’s longest losing streak. The Colonels start the year on a 33-game skid that dates back to Oct. 25, 2003. They open Aug. 31 at Estill County.
• Mercer County won’t be defending its 2A state title. Coach Marty Jaggers’ Titans jump up to 5A competition this year. The school became an instant super-power last summer after it merged with Harrodsburg. Mercer County set a single-season state rushing record on its way to a 15-0 record and 2A title. “If I could have those 22 seniors back, they could put us in 6A,” Jaggers said with a laugh.
• There isn’t a clear-cut favorite for Mr. Football as the season opens. Two of the best college prospects — Brandon Newman of Pleasure Ridge Park and Dexter Heyman of Male — are primarily defensive players. Only three times in the 21-year history of Kentucky’s Mr. Football award have defensive stalwarts been named the best player in the state.
• Class 2A isn’t offering much drama concerning who’ll make or miss the playoffs. Realignment has pared 2A to just 33 teams, and 32 will qualify for the post-season. There are seven four-team districts, which means all those teams are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs before the season even begins.