Lots of questions remain to be decided for the play-offs

SHEPHERDSVILLE - With one game remaining in district play during the regular season, the play-off picture for November is starting to come into focus.

In fact, after the games next Friday, the play-off picture will pretty much be decided.

(All teams should have completed district games by next Friday, but because of the lost week in Jefferson County because of the wind storm, some district games might still need to be played.)

Class 4-A

The good news at Bullitt East is that the Chargers have already wrapped up the top seed from Class 4-A, District 4. The red and gold have won just three games this fall, but they won two of the right games as they beat Marion County and North Bullitt to go 2-0 in district play.

North Bullitt stands at 1-1 in district play, the same as Marion County. Those two teams will meet next Friday at North Bullitt with the winner getting the number two seed and the loser the number three seed. That may not sound like much, but the number two seed plays at home in the first round of the play-offs while the third seeded team goes on the road.

LaRue County is now at 0-2 and can do no better than the fourth seed.

Remember, the KHSAA is back to playing cross-district games in the post-season. Unlike last season, when Bullitt East and North Bullitt met in the first-round of the play-offs, that can not happen this year until at least the second round.

The cross-district for District 4 is District 3. That group of teams includes Western, Fairdale, Valley and Atherton in Jefferson County as well as Breckinridge County.

Last week, Atherton beat Breckinridge County 18-14 for their first victory of the season. Barring an upset of epic proportions, Atherton will play at Bullitt East on Nov. 15 in the first round of the play-offs.

For North Bullitt, the permutations are still pretty high. It appears that Western will win the opposite district so the Eagles cannot see them in the first round. More likely would be a meeting with either Fairdale or Valley. The Eagles scrimmaged both Western and Valley before the season began.

Obviously, a Western-Bullitt East game would have some interesting connotations since Charger head coach Doug Preston coached at Western last season. That probably can’t happen until Thanksgiving weekend. Of course, Western would have to get past North Bullitt for that to happen and it is still possible for North and East to meet for the regional title on the holiday weekend.

Class 6-A

Bullitt Central lost a shot at a home play-off game when they were beaten by Fern Creek last week. Still, the Cougars can get a better (i.e. lesser) opponent if they can beat Southern next week and get the number three seed.

At this point, the four smaller classes will play the same cross-district teams every year. In Class 5-A and Class 6-A, the districts are going to be rotated.

This year, District 4, which includes Bullitt Central, is playing the teams from District 8. That group includes Scott County, Madison Central, George Rogers Clark and Shelby County. Unfortunately, the Cougars can’t face Shelby County now since the Rockets are going to finish in the bottom half of that district so the Cougars will have to do some travel in the first round to the Lexington area.

There is still a chance that the Cougars could face any of the three teams in that district other than Shelby County. Unfortunately, it appears that all of those three teams will have winning records this season and will be a strong opponent.

Still, after having to face Male in the first round last year, any opponent might appear to be an improvement for Bullitt Central.