The playoffs are here, but don’t expect much drama this week. With mismatches galore, there’ll be a lot more blowouts than down-to-the-wire thrillers. Two games that are guaranteed to be painful to watch match the undefeated against the winless: St. Xavier (10-0) vs. Butler (10-0) in Class 6A, and John Hardin (10-0) vs. Iroquois (0-10) in 5A. When those teams met in the regular season, the combined scores were 139-0.
Besides Butler and Iroquois, three other winless teams are in the playoffs: Clinton County, Fort Knox and West Jessamine.
Expanding from four classes to six classes means that more mediocre teams make the post-season. Of the 192 teams in the playoffs, 66 have losing records. That’s more than a third of the total.
Only three teams that finished .500 or better didn’t qualify for the post-season: Grant County (6-4), Central Hardin (5-5) and Madisonville (5-5).
Here’s the complete rundown on this week’s first-round matchups:
CLASS A
- Fulton County (2-8) at Fulton City (8-1)
- Crittenden County (4-6) at Mayfield (7-3)
- Eminence (5-5) at Frankfort (8-2)
- Trimble County (6-4) at Gallatin County (6-3)
- Beth Haven (5-4) at Lou. Holy Cross (5-5)
- Ky. Country Day (5-5) at Bethlehem (4-6)
- Ludlow (3-7) at Beechwood (8-2)
- Bellevue (6-4) at Dayton (8-2)
- Nicholas County (5-5) at Lexington Christian (7-3)
- Fairview (6-4) at Raceland (6-4)
- Allen Central (4-6) at Pikeville (7-3)
- South Floyd (5-5) at Paintsville (5-5)
- Clinton County (0-10) at Lynn Camp (5-5)
- Campbellsville (4-6) at Williamsburg (6-4)
- Evarts (5-5) at Hazard (10-0)
- Jenkins (6-4) at Cumberland (7-3)
CLASS 2A
- Heath (4-6) at Caldwell County (7-3)
- Murray (5-5) at Trigg County (7-3)
- Monroe County (2-8) at Green County (10-0)
- Metcalfe County (8-2) at Glasgow (8-2)
- Todd Central (1-9) at Fort Campbell (8-2)
- Hancock County (4-6) at Owensboro Catholic (5-5)
- Fort Knox (0-10) at Danville (8-2)
- Washington County (4-6) at Bardstown (4-6)
- Owen County (1-9) at DeSales (5-5)
- Carroll County (2-8) at Louisville Christian (7-3)
- Morgan County (1-9) at Prestonsburg (7-3)
- Bath County (7-3) at Shelby Valley (5-5)
- Newport (1-9) at Newport Central Catholic (9-1)
- Lloyd (3-7) at Cov. Holy Cross (5-5)
- Knott Central (2-8) at Corbin (9-1)
- Leslie County (2-8) at Middlesboro (7-3)
CLASS 3A
- Webster County (5-5) at Paducah Tilghman (6-4)
- McLean County (5-5) at Union County (3-7)
- Western Hills (1-9) at Henry County (7-3)
- Spencer County (6-4) at North Oldham (7-3)
- Hart County (5-5) at Russellville (8-2)
- Edmonson County (5-5) at Butler County (6-4)
- Shawnee (3-7) at Central (5-5)
- Elizabethtown (6-4) at Moore (3-7)
- Taylor County (5-5) at Somerset (7-3)
- Garrard County (4-6) at Wayne County (7-3)
- Magoffin County (5-5) at Belfry (10-0)
- Pike Central (4-6) at Sheldon Clark (8-2)
- Fleming County (4-6) at Breathitt County (10-0)
- Cawood (4-6) at Estill County (8-2)
- East Carter (5-5) at Russell (9-1)
- West Carter (4-6) at Mason County (7-3)
CLASS 4A
- Muhlenberg North (2-8) at Lone Oak (10-0)
- Hopkins Central (6-4) at Calloway County (6-4)
- LaRue County (3-7) at Marion County (8-2)
- North Bullitt (6-4) at Bullitt East (5-5)
- Russell County (3-7) at Warren East (8-2)
- Logan County (3-7) at Franklin-Simpson (5-5)
- Atherton (4-6) at Valley (8-2)
- Western (4-6) at Fairdale (7-3)
- Bourbon County (2-8) at Franklin County (8-2)
- Pendleton County (4-6) at Harrison County (7-3)
- Lawrence County (1-9) at Boyd County (4-6)
- Rowan County (2-8) at Greenup County (3-7)
- West Jessamine (0-10) at Lexington Catholic (8-2)
- East Jessamine (5-5) at Boyle County (4-6)
- McCreary Central (3-7) at Bell County (10-0)
- Rockcastle County (5-5) at Knox Central (5-5)
CLASS 5A
- Ohio County (4-6) at Owensboro (9-1)
- Christian County (5-5) at Hopkinsville (4-6)
- South Oldham (3-7) at Anderson County (10-0)
- Oldham County (3-7) at Jeffersontown (4-6)
- Grayson County (7-3) at Bowling Green (9-1)
- Barren County (5-5) at Warren Central (5-5)
- Iroquois (0-10) at John Hardin (10-0)
- Waggener (2-8) at Doss (6-4)
- Cov. Scott (4-6) at Highlands (10-0)
- Cov. Catholic (4-6) at Dixie Heights (6-4)
- Whitley County (2-8) at Letcher Central (9-1)
- Clay County (6-4) at Perry Central (7-3)
- Montgomery County (7-3) at Woodford County (8-2)
- Bryan Station (4-6) at Johnson Central (8-2)
- Mercer County (5-5) at Lincoln County (8-2)
- South Laurel (6-4) at Pulaski County (9-1)
CLASS 6A
- Henderson County (2-8) at Marshall County (7-3)
- Daviess County (7-3) at Graves County (7-3)
- Butler (0-10) at St. Xavier (10-0)
- PRP (4-6) at Manual (9-1)
- Nelson County (4-6) at Greenwood (5-5)
- North Hardin (3-7) at Meade County (7-3)
- Bullitt Central (3-7) at Male (8-2)
- Southern (4-6) at Fern Creek (7-3)
- Seneca (3-7) at Trinity (8-2)
- Ballard (5-5) at Eastern (7-3)
- Tates Creek (2-8) at Henry Clay (8-1)
- Paul Dunbar (3-7) at Lafayette(8-2)
- Campbell County (6-4) at Boone County (7-3)
- Simon Kenton (6-4) at Ryle (6-4)
- Shelby County (6-4) at Scott County (9-1)
- Clark County (3-7) at Madison Central (6-4)
