Premier High School Sports: Recent Episodes
Troy Howell
Sports junkies Clark Howell and Troy Howell break down high school sports and more! Troy covers high school sports for KSR and covered Kentucky 10th region basketball for BlueGrassPreps during the 2019-2020 season. Clark attends games regularly, and coaches high school tennis for Montgomery County. He has closely followed high school sports while living in Florida and Kentucky.
We discuss the region tournament action including No. 1 Great Crossing getting the thrilling victory over No. 2 Lexington Catholic. Then we look ahead to the upcoming Kentucky high school basketball state tournament.
Which regions are we most excited about? Which team has been the most disappointing? Which powerhouse has played a disappointing schedule?
Why the All “A” Classic is great, along with top teams, players, and picks for the tournament this weekend.
Class A: Pikeville Raceland, 2A Owensboro Catholic Mayfield, 3A CAL Bell County, 4A Boyle County Covington Catholic, 5A Bowling Green Cooper, 6A Trinity Bryan Station, Also which fan bases are the most disappointed to fall short?
Top 25 teams and key players to watch including Kentucky commit Travis Perry (Lyon County) and elite junior big man Malachi Moreno (Great Crossing).
I discuss the playoff format, RPI, and some highly anticipated probable early playoff matchups.
Class by class look at the contenders after week four of the regular season. Plus who has overachieved and who has under achieved.
Kentucky high school football is better than many people are giving it credit for. I discuss why. Also sorry that the sound/audio quality is not as great as usual, but you can still hear.
Teams discussed include Pikeville, Raceland, Mayfield, Beechwood, Lexington Christian Academy, Belfry, Christian Academy Louisville, Boyle County, Corbin, Covington Catholic, Bardstown, Southwestern, Louisville Central, Johnson Central, Scott County, Louisville Trinity, St. Xavier, Louisville Male, Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Dupont Manual, Ballard, etc.
Cutter Boley & 2A in general! National marquee games….Douglass moving to 6A….Traditional powers…..Re-alignment.
Coach Kauffman talks about their SEC tournament title and looks ahead to the NCAA tournament. He also talks about what this season has been like coming off a run to the NCAA finals last year and how UK now draws a crowd on the road.
We recap the 2023 UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 and look ahead to the top teams for next year. Warren Central defeated George Rogers clark in the finals.
The draw came out today so we discuss the best potential matchups and look ahead to who will bring a big crowd
We review the King of the Bluegrass and look ahead to the Lexington Catholic Holiday Tournament. Discuss rankings and why GRC and Trinity dropped out of top 10. We look at some interesting region battles and look ahead to what should be a great All A Classic. We talk about surprisingly good teams like Mason County a Harlan. Finely we talk about UK’s struggles and wonder if free throw shooting can be coached, similar to penalty kicks in ⚽️
We recap all six finals: Pikeville over Raceland, Beechwood over Mayfield, CAL over Bardstown. Boyle over Corbin, Frederick Douglass over Bowling Green, and Bullitt East over Male. Tight goalposts, going for 2, football communities, and we talkin about practice??
Who are the favorites for each class? Can a 4 beat a 1? Looking ahead to best possible week 2 and 3 matchups. Who has the easiest path? Which class is the weakest?
Rankings talk including Southwestern cracking the the top 10. Potential playoff matchups. Douglass dominance. Reacting to social media comments. What does Boyle need to do in order to hang with Douglass?
We compare KY to CA when it comes to high school football playoff format. Cali format does one thing well, but the rest is awfully terrible. Should KY adopt the “everybody gets a trophy” mentality?
Top football districts in the state, toughest sister district combinations, why the 3 seed may be better than the 2 (in some cases), football playoff format, Manual, St X or Male will be eliminated by round 2….And KHSAA golf format causing some fury.
Troy takes a look at the ranked teams and explains why some are not ranked as high as fans think they should be.
Should be be concerned about any of these teams or no? Belfry losing 34-21 to pulaski at home
Franklin County losing to Scott County 20-17 after destroying them last year
Pikeville losing at Corbin and home to Covington Catholic
Bryan Station losing 52-7 to Bryan Douglass after playing them close last year, then losing bad to Boyle County
Male losing to Ballard 12-7
Triniry losing to Cincinnati Moeller 28-3
Madison Central needed a late 2-point conversion to beat Dunbar at home
Southwestern needed a late rally to beat Madison Southern
I am a reporter who is often on the sidelines filming at football games, so I give my reaction to the lawsuit.
A rival player’s father recorded a phone call with the Ashland basketball coach and it is not a good look for either party. KHSAA to meet about Bowling Green’s 2017 state basketball title team, and is Shaedon Sharpe considered a Wildcat? Why is Kaleb Glenn not playing at Louisville Male, yet committed to U of L?
Summer updates: Biggest KHSAA basketball transfers, Summer tournament at Collins, King of the Bluegrass Field, football transfers, big games, top players, Arch Manning and Dante Moore
We discuss GRC, Warren Central, Cov Cath and the Lincoln County. We also talk about top individual performances. Turner Buttry wins Mr. Basketball. Top teams for next season.
Recap day 1 and 2 of UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 and talk Kentucky losing to St. Peters
Troy was at Lincoln County vs Pulaski County, Clark was at Ashland vs Boyd County. We also talk about other various regions.
Clark was at the Male Ballard and gives us his thoughts. He also recaps the 6th region. Troy was at the Henry Clay Douglass game. We get y’all all caught up.
We recap the district tournaments and preview the region tournaments. What are the best tournaments? What are the best first round matchups? Transfer talk. What is historically the weakest region?
Ballard or Male? Can Western make history? Bowling Green vs Greenwood in top 10 must win matchup! How far will Clark County go? How good is the 2023 class? Reed Sheppard continues to impress. Sierra Canyon falls to Harvard-Westlake in LA
Mason County loses out after the 37th district votes for the 10th region tournament to be held at Holmes High School, which is not located in the 10th region, nor is it centrally located. Then I talk about The Louisville Invitational tournament. Butler beat Doss & Male beat Ballard at Valley, which had some complaints about the way they hosted.
We talk about the CFB playoffs, recap the Lexington Catholic tournament and talk about the Clark County win over Ballard. Does Ballard play too many guys? Great starts from Woodford County & Pulaski County. And wrap up with the best teams that didn’t win it all.
Covington Catholic beats North Laurel in King of the Bluegrass finals, Ballard is 79th in KY RPI?! Lexington Catholic tournament preview, Ashland Invitational, and high school tennis
We talk about biggest surprises so far including Lexington Catholic and Male. We preview the KOB, talk about Ballard’s dominant team, and talk about Apollo basketball history. Then we say why we don’t like 2 Mr. Football Awards, give our views on 5th year seniors and talk about KSR All State football team feedback. We also talk about the terrible tornadoes in Kentucky. May God Bless and comfort those impacted.
Pikeville, Beechwood, Belfry, Boyle, South Warren and St X win state titles and Ballard impresses in Hoopfest
We discuss the great Montgomery County football and basketball teams in the mid 90s, the best players Bill has seem play, and look forward to this week’s football finals which you can hear on WMST or WMSTradio.com
Class A- Russellville vs Pikeville, 2A - LCA vs Beechwood, 4A Boyle County vs Johnson Central, 3A Belfry vs Paducah Tilghman, 5A - Frederick Douglass vs South Warren, 6A Male vs St X
We recap the semifinals and Troy talks about attending the Owensboro / Frederick Douglass and South Warren / Woodford semifinals. We also talk about who our four hypothetical playoff semifinalists would be if there a “high school football playoff committee” to pick the final four just like there is in college.
We make our predictions including our picks for the state title. We also talk about Reed Sheppard.
We go over the Kentucky high school football region finals that surprised us, talk about Troy’s trip to Woodford County, and preview the state semifinals. Then we talk about Reed Sheppard’s commitment to Kentucky!
We talk about the loaded junior class including Reed Sheppard, Kaleb Glenn, and George Washington and we share our thoughts on our All State team.
Scores that stood out from 2nd rd of playoffs and looking ahead to intriguing games coming up this week. Plus our state title picks. Kentucky High School Football. Our picks - Pikeville, LCA, CAL, Bardstown, Boyle County, Frederick Douglass, Woodford County, Male
Top 25, Mr. Basketball candidates and the loaded junior class including Reed Sheppard, Kaleb Glenn, George Washington, and Colin Porter. We also discuss the one KY team that should be nationally ranked…..Note: The podcast name changed from “Kentucky High School Sports” to “Premier High School Sports” giving us the flexibility to expand coverage to additional teams outside Kentucky
I look forward to the top week 2 games including Hazard at Pikeville, Manual at St X, Ballard at Trinity, Lexington Catholic at Boyle County, Graves County at Owensboro…Can Bardstown win 3A? Can Woodford County win 5A? Why last year’s 6A Male Trinity title game doesn’t factor in to 2021 predictions.
Playoff scenarios based on geography and RPI - best potential quarterfinals and semifinal scenarios. Also recap Boyle’s big win over Douglass. Teams discussed: (6A) Male, St X, Bryan Station, Daviess County, Manual, Trinity (5A) Woodford County, Frederick Douglass, Owensboro, Graves County, South Warren, Pulaski County, Southwestern, Cov Cath, Highlands (4A) Boyle County, Lex Cath, Corbin, Johnson Central, Franklin County, Central (3A) CAL, Mercer County, Glasgow, Bardstown, Belfry (2A) LCA, Danville, Beechwood, Mayfield, Murray, Caldwell County, Middlesboro, Green County (1A) Russellville, Pikeville, Sayre, Hazard, Raceland, Paintsville, KCD, Bishop Brossart, Bethlehem
Final week of the Kentucky football regular season is here. Game previews. Dane Key’s upcoming decision. Rankings and RPI talk.
Clark and I list our 10 teams that we have confidence in that can win a KHSAA state football championship and we talk a little basketball too.
Woodford County is undefeated and plays West Jessamine Friday in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week. We talk about Woodford’s hot start and preview the game, that features West Jessamine QB Jacob Jones, son of former Cat Pookie Jones. We discuss Dennis playing varsity football in 2nd grade, making two high school state finals and playing in the Sweet 16 for Harrodsburg. Then we talk about how close he was to playing basketball for Tubby and UK in the late 90s and his time playing football with Tim Couch under Coach Mumme.
I talk about Johnson Central’s next opponent and how they tricked ESPN into giving them a televised game vs IMG. Then I go over my KSR Kentucky high school football rankings and talk about why Johnson Central and Trinity are so hard to rank.
Clark comes on to talk about people that are crushing Troy for his preseason football rankings. We talk about how hard it is to do football rankings and whether Cov Cath, Bowling Green, St X and others are ranked too low. Then we finish by discussing Trinity’s 3 NBA picks in a 4 year span.
Franklin County vs Scott County in Kroger KSR Game of the Week, Western Hills at Great Crossing, St X at Owensboro, Douglass at Bryan Station, Raceland at Ashland, Central at Manual, Paducah Tilghman at McCracken, Belfry at Pulaski County, North Hardin vs South Warren, Bowling Green vs Highlands & Montgomery County vs East Carter in the Rec Bowl
We talk about Pikeville’s upcoming season and about the last few years that included 2 recent state titles. We also discuss Pikeville’s search for a week 1 game and Zac Lockhart’s record breaking performance against Henry Clay.
Coach Charles talks about the Lexington Christian Academy football team, last year’s run to the state championship game and the high expectations for this season. We also talk about LCA’s strong schedule, coaching staff, and players.
Coach Haddix previews this season, talks about last year’s state title run & about UK commit Jackson Smith. We also talk about his playing days at Breathitt County (2002 state title) and his time coaching at Corbin.
I share feedback I received from football coaches about which teams they think will break out and which teams will not meet expectations. Coach McKee shares his thoughts and talks about his Scott County team, the RPI, postseason format, and coaching at Montgomery County in the 90s. He also talks about the great talent at Frederick Douglass, the rivalry with Great Crossing and much more great stuff!
Can 4A produce the top team in KY? Is Frederick Douglass football similar to Scott County basketball? Beechwood or LCA? Will KY produce a top 25 team nationally? Who are the Mr. Football favorites? Grant Bingham, Dane Key, Gavin Wimsatt, etc.
We start with basketball from west to east (McCracken County, Christian County / Hopkinsville, South Warren, Elizabethtown, Emoni Bates rumors, Ballard, Male, Eastern, Highlands, Clark County, Montgomery County, Madison Central, Dunbar, Lincoln County, Knox Central, North Laurel, Ashland) - We talk tennis around the 45:00 minute mark
We talk about Mr. Basketball and ask if the right person won. We discuss the criteria for the award. Then we reveal our all state basketball first, second and third teams.
Sacred Heart defeated Marshall County 49-47 in girls’ basketball finals. Episode presented by @bluegrassBball Bluegrass Basketball
We recap Etown’s win over Ballard, Highland’s win over Ashland and of course Highlands winning the championship. Then we talk about our final rankings and who the hardest teams to rank were. We then each give our top 5 teams for next year, which are eerily similar. Episode is presented by @bluegrassBball
Etown defeated Clark County, Ballard knocked out Bowling Green, Ashland put a running clock on Boyle County, and Highlands got past McCracken. We are in for an exciting day of basketball today!
We talk about last night’s late game - GRC over Oldham. Then we recap the first 3 games of day 2 - Highlands over Muhlenberg, McCracken over Bullitt East and Boyle over Paintsville. Then we preview 3 of tomorrow’s games.
We recap E’town’s win over KCC, Bowling Green’s victory over UHA, and Ballard’s win over Madison Central. Episode presented by @bluegrassBball - Bluegrass Basketball
Clark recaps the 16th and 10th region finals that he attended Saturday. Then Troy gives his thoughts on the 11th and 12th region finals that he attended. Then we preview the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen and pick winners for every game. Episode presented by Bluegrass Basketball follow them on twitter @bluegrassbball
StatManChad of Bluegrass Basketball joins me to talk about basketball in the mountains and preview some region finals. We also talk about the strength of the 9th region, players coming over from Cincinnati and the criteria for Mr. Basketball. @statmanchad - This episode is presented by Bluegrass Basketball @bluegrassBball
We talk about - Campbell defeating Montgomery, Madison Central vs Douglass preview, 12th region finals preview, only 2 private schools remain, Manual upsets Male, Western vs Bullitt East, home court advantage at Mason? Presented by @bluegrassBball follow us on twitter @teeroyrain @rezinc
Troy gives his thoughts after attending St. Henry’s 61-60 victory over Covington Catholic. The game had a controversial ending and some great trash talk about KY vs Ohio. Then we discuss Madison Central’s incredible shooting in their win over Lexington Catholic. This episode is presented by Bluegrass Basketball. Follow on twitter: @bluegrassBball @rezinc @teeroyhowell
We preview the regions and respond to things we saw on twitter including.....Should Holy Cross be ranked? Did Montgomery County get a “dream draw?” Is the 6th region down? How does a stat person give a player 10 extra rebounds?!
We make our picks, and talk about our problems with the process. We discuss the success of previous winners, whether UK should consistently offer the top in-state talent and if it is wise of KY kids to play for John Calipari.
Who got the toughest draw? Who got the easiest draw? Which first round matchup could be sold out? Clark and I answer these questions and talk about the “all-mountain” quadrant.
We talk about how Lexington Catholic put a running clock on North Laurel. Then we discuss Ashland’s rise, DeSales winning the LIT and St. Henry winning the All A. We also talk about the best regions, the dominance of private schools, and which schools would bring a large crowd to the Sweet 16.
We talk about the All “A” Classic semifinals then get right in to the upsets Dunbar and Ashland pulled off tonight at Lex Cath. We talk about who will be ranked #1 and preview an incredible Saturday of basketball
The top two teams in the state clash Saturday. Ben Johnson and Reed Sheppard are the two best players in the state and both teams are undefeated. We preview the game and talk about the most anticipated regular season games we can remember. We have watched both teams play in person several times this year.
Eight teams remain in the boys’ basketball tournament. Clinton County, Murray, Somerset, Evangel Christian, St. Henry, West Carter, LCA, and Pikeville. We talk about every first round game and make our picks for round 2 and laugh about how we struggled in round 1
With the new brackets out we predict every game again. We also discuss North Laurel’s recent scare from Somerset, what we think of the new format, and talk a little cross-district vs intra-district football.
Clark and I discuss St. Henry, Owensboro Catholic, Lyon County and all the other contenders. The field is loaded with good players. Will the weather cause chaos?
We watched Reed Sheppard and North Laurel take on Lincoln County. Then we give our thoughts on Montgomery County’s 2OT win over Trinity, Bowling Green’s victory over Ashland and Cov Cath’s W over Male. Will the late start doom JCPS schools?
Recapping Pikeville vs Madison Central, Somerset vs Rowan County, Dunbar vs Bryan Station, North Laurel vs South Laurel. Reed Sheppard’s 50 point triple-double. Best scorers in state history.
St. Henry’s 5 points in final 3 seconds. Great starts from Lyon County and Clark County. Some eyebrow raising rankings in the AP Poll. All A favorites. Oldham County’s brutal schedule this week. Ashland hitting their stride.
We talk about Dontaie Allen, David Johnson and other players from the state having success in college. Then we recap week 1 including Highlands ending the Ashland win streak, the impressive start from the 9th region, GRC and Lexington Catholic playing well, and Reed Sheppard’s triple double. We also discuss JCPS not playing.
Clark and I discuss several big games including - Ashland at Highlands, Scott County at Madison Central, St. Henry at Lexington Catholic, Bryan Station at Knox Central, Bowling Green at McCracken County, etc.....Then we discuss All A contenders including St. Henry, Beechwood, Lyon County, Wolfe County, Somerset, LCA, Murray, Paintsville, Evangel Christian, Pikeville etc....The team with the loudest complaining fan....Then we compare our KSR rankings with Herald Leader and Courier Journal coaches polls and discuss how we do rankings (20 years of experience each)
Reviewing all 6 classes of the 2020 KHSAA high school football season. I traveled the state for the KSR Game of the Week each Friday. Also who will be the top teams next year? Final Top 25 Rankings. Who will win Mr. Football? Ashland, Trinity, Bowling Green, Boyle County, Franklin County, Male, South Warren, Corbin, Beechwood, LCA, Paintsville, Pikeville, etc.
Recorded on Nov 12, 2020 - Who would have won 2020 state tournament? Top 5 teams, storylines, jump ball coin flip, Ashland, Male, Ballard, Elizabethtown, Fern Creek, Lexington Catholic, Oldham County, Zion Harmon, Sweet 16, KHSAA