Elizabethtown and Caldwell County have met for the Class 3A Region 1 title each of the last three years with the Panthers getting the best of the Tigers each time. With Caldwell County dropping to Class 2A next year, they will have one more chance to avenge past ghosts and win their first region title since their 2012 state runner-up season.
Caldwell County (7-3) saw their six-game winning streak end last week with a 31-14 loss at Mayfield. The Tigers open with Edmonson County Friday.
The Tigers have won six straight playoff openers and will be seeing Edmonson County for the first time since 1998. Caldwell beat the Wildcats 16-0 on their way to the Class 2A state championship. Edmonson beat Caldwell 20-7 in the 1996 playoffs.
Edmonson County (4-6), whose four wins have come against teams that have won a combined four games, has not won a first round game since 2011.
Meanwhile, LaRue County and Union County meet in the first round for the second straight year. LaRue won last year’s game 14-0.
Union County (7-3) has made a change at quarterback and found their defense in outscoring Trigg County and Murray 38-8 the last two weeks.
LaRue County (5-5) enters the postseason having lost three of four games and hasn’t won consecutive first round games since 2001.
In the bottom bracket, Paducah Tilghman hosts a Hart County program that has never won a postseason game in 10 previous trips. However, Hart County (7-3) is enjoying their best season since the 1980s.
Paducah Tilghman (8-2) enters the postseason on a four-game winning streak. The Blue Tornado beat Hart County 55-6 in their only career meeting in 2011.
Tilghman, like Caldwell County, has seen their season end at the hands of Elizabethtown each of the last three seasons. They last won a region title in 2013.
Elizabethtown (6-4) rebounded well after losing three straight games to start the season. They lost to Glasgow 35-34 last week to snap a six-game losing streak.
Trigg County (5-5) lost to E-town 47-6 in last year’s first round and will be looking to win a first round game on the road for the first time since 2006.
