Just when you thought Tuesday’s Hopkinsville/Henderson County soccer game would settle once and for all who the top team in the YSE Boys’ Soccer Super Seven would be, they go out and tie yet again. That’s three straight ties if you count the last year’s region semifinal decided by Hopkinsville in the penalty kick round.
Last week we broke down the numbers in our case to rank Henderson County ahead of both Hopkinsville and Madisonville. All three have entered the meat of their schedule and none of the three have been overly impressive. Henderson has dropped four of five and Hopkinsville has lost two of three not including Tuesday’s tie. Madisonville has also lost two of three with a tie.
1) Henderson County (7-4-2) – The Colonels stay in the top spot by a hair simply because they led Tuesday’s road game at Hopkinsville for 42 minutes and never trailed. But they aren’t picking up wins right now, and that’s concerning to Colonel Nation. They have a chance to get back on the winning track with upcoming contests against University Heights and Calloway County but will likely drop next week if they stumble.
2) Hopkinsville (8-4-1) – It would be easy to move the Tigers into the top spot or even into a tie with Henderson at the top, but we figure there have been enough ties between the two. For now, they stay just a smidge behind the Colonels in the No. 2 spot. You have to give them credit for rallying to tie the Colonels in what could be a region tourney preview. Like Henderson, the Tigers have a tough schedule in the coming week against McCracken County and Owensboro, who tied Henderson early in the year.
3) Madisonville (8-4-2) – The Maroons are enduring the toughest stretch of their schedule which included a one-goal loss to Owensboro and a tie with Ohio County. A win over Caldwell County Thursday makes them the top seed in the Seventh District and gives them an automatic berth into the region tournament where they would join Trigg County, Lyon County, and Henderson County.
4) University Heights (7-2-1) – The Blazers put together their best soccer of the season Saturday in a 5-1 win over Graves County. It was a nice bounce back from their district loss to Hopkinsville. They can make a statement Thursday in their home match with Henderson County and a Monday contest with Madisonville.
5) Webster County (5-4) – The Trojans haven’t played since a Sept. 10 win over Hopkins County Central, and three of their five remaining games are against teams that have won a combined three games. Unless they can pick up wins over Apollo and Ohio County, they likely won’t move up any higher in the Super 7.
6) Trigg County (9-3) – The Wildcats have experienced a bit of a hiccup in the past week with one-goal losses to Mayfield and Paducah Tilghman. Impressive showings against UHA, Graves County or Hopkinsville could see them move into the top five. However, a clunker mixed in there will likely see them stay at No. 6.
7) Christian County (5-8) – After a strong start to the season, the Colonels have dropped six of their last seven games. Their schedule has a mix of winnable and tough matches left. They were able to beat the team chasing on their heels, Hopkins County Central, 1-0 earlier in the season.