#4 Johnson Central vs. #7 Knox Central
(Appalachian Bowl)

It's a battle of the beef as two of the better offensive lines around collide on the turf at Tiger Stadium in Manchester. Johnson Central rebounded from a tough opening week loss to Boyle County (#1 in Class 4A) with a big win over Cooper. You can keep your eye on J.J. Jude. He has been very good this season. But don't count out the passing game. Knox Central is better at passing the pigskin than they get credit for. Jonathan Barger and the Canady cousins could be a key in this game for the Panthers.

#5 Prestonsburg @ #9 Breathitt County
(Honey Bowl)

The Bobcats got some revenge last week when they topped Sheldon Clark 26-25. Breathitt County had lost to the Cardinals 6-0 last season. Now they get their second shot at redemption. Prestonsburg won the Honey Bowl last season 26-25 with a late rally. The Bobcats could really get their swagger back with a win in this one. Interesting battle at QB where two young guys look to make their mark. For Breathitt County, the Trent to Fletcher combo is a dangerous one. For P'burg, Crisp has shown the ability to spread it around. That may come in handy. Either way, it should be another good one by the river bank in Jackson.

#10 Middlesboro @ #8 Clay County
(Appalachian Bowl)

The second game of the Appalachian Bowl features two teams coming off big wins. Middlesboro handed Letcher Central (#8 in Class 5A) it's first loss of the season 13-9. Clay County went to Georgetown and came away with a huge 41-26 win over Scott County (#5 in Class 6A). John Wilson led the way with over 300 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. Is Middlesboro truly back? Is this the beginning of a strong season for the Tigers? All questions will be answered on Friday Night.

Hazard @ Letcher Central

Speaking of Letcher Central... The Cougars get no time to lick their wounds. They host the Bulldogs of Hazard this Friday night. Hazard rolled easily in their season opener against Leslie County where they returned 2 interceptions for Tds and spread the ball around on offense. This game will make a big statement about each team. But what will they say?

North Laurel @ South Laurel

History time! This series has been too close to call for more than a decade. In the past 10 meetings South Laurel holds a slim 6-4 advantage. And you can toss home field out. In the last 10 contests the home team has won 5 as has the visitors. The Cardinals enter at 0-2 in need of a win to get some momentum. The Jaguars won last week and are starting to get things going. Should be a fun one at Gilliam Field. And hopefully there will be more scoring than last year (a 7-6 North Laurel victory).

By The Numbers:

250
Tom Larkey goes for coaching win number 250 this Friday night as the Black Bears travel to Lee, VA. He is currently third on the wins list of active coaches in the Mountains (dudley Hilton and Philip Haywood are ahead of him). A quick note, Mike Holcomb sits at 242 wins as well.

200
The Rockcastle County Rockets host Wayne County this weekend in what will be their 200th home game. The team has won 75% of their games at the Rock. That's not too shabby.