Ah, Football

Hooray for football! The six-act KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl kicks off an hour from now in Bowling Green, and everyone's invited. I saw that Mayfield "Schools will be closed Friday, December 3rd, for the High School Football 1A State Championship. Go Cardinals!" Maybe all of the participating schools are out. Heck, maybe all of Kentucky's schools are. I don't know. I wish I was closed. More field trips, more days off, more trophies, more pageantry, more eating out, more staying in hotels with indoor pools and fewer deadlines--that's what I say. Hooray for football! One more time, because this point simply cannot be stressed strongly enough: Hooray for football!

Class A, 11 a.m. Central today, Hazard vs. Mayfield

About Hazard: Mark Dixon and Jon Combs were their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach and player of the year, respectively. ... Scout Kentucky Preps publisher Brian Eldridge has the Bulldogs keeping it close today.

About Mayfield: It's a matter of "unfinished business," baby! ... Two weeks ago, when the Cardinals were late getting to their first-round game in Louisville because of traffic? Well, late that same night, Mayfield's coach reportedly hit a deer on his way back home. ... Jonathan Jackson and Joe Morris were their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association player and coach of the year, respectively.

Class 2A, 3 p.m. Central today, Newport Central Catholic vs. Owensboro Catholic

About NewCath: Eddie Eviston was his district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach of the year, respectively. ... The story of the new coach is interesting. ... So is the one of the old coach. ... Chris Kelly was his district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association player of the year.

About Owensboro Catholic: Two "Pep buses" will be following the Aces down U.S. 231 to Bowling Green. (Cool slide show at that link, too.) ... John Edge and Russell Hayden were their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach and player of the year, respectively.

Class 4A, 7 p.m. Central today, Boyle County vs. Allen County-Scottsville

About Boyle: I hope the Colts are scheduling their practices and meetings around this game so that Jacob Tamme is free to listen. He has emerged as a force on The Heath Post's 1-11 Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football team. ... Boyle County's Lamar Dawson is generally considered to be the state's top college-football prospect. ... Dawson was his district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association player of the year .... Another Boyle senior waited to give his parents the bad news until after their 21st anniversary.

About AC-S: "People in Scottsville are ecstatic about the game. There are banners in store windows. Local coffee shops and restaurants are filled with people buzzing about the big game. Who could blame them?" ... It's the best season ever for the team, just three years after it went 2-9. ... Its coach tells Chad Bishop of The Park City Daily News that a "unit mentality" powers the Patriots' powerful line. ... The head coach tells Mike Fields of The Herald-Leader that he took a $49,000 pay cut to enter the family business, after all. ... Brad Hood and Hunter York was their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach and player of the year, respectively.

Class 3A, 11 a.m. Central Saturday, Belfry vs. Louisville Central

About Belfry: Lots of Kentucky-West Virginia back-and-forth regarding the composition of Belfry's roster. ... Philip Haywood was his district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach of the year.

About Central: The Yellowjackets opened the season 1-5. ... The BluegrassPreps.com community likes Central's chances. ... Anthony Wales and Ty Scroggins were their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association player and coach of the year, respectively.

Class 5A, 3 p.m. Central Saturday, Fort Thomas Highlands vs. Christian County

About Highlands: Here's another place where we apparently can listen and maybe even watch this game. ... The Bluebirds claim "mythical" state championships from 1930, 1943 and 1957. ... Dale Mueller and Patrick Towles were their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach and player of the year, respectively.

About County: "Whack'em'Stackem'" details a strategy for Colonels success. ... Steve Lovelace and Marcoreyon Tandy were their district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach and player of the year, respectively. ... Meanwhile, in town, ...

Class 6A, 7 p.m. Central Saturday, Louisville Trinity vs. Louisville Male

About Trinity: Bob Beatty was his district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach of the year. ... "We Weren't Born to Follow."

About Male: Chris Wolfe was his district's Kentucky Football Coaches Association coach of the year. ... Good, concrete, differentiator stuff from Jim Halley in USA Today: "Male is trying to close the gap by improving its feeder system, adding a middle school team last year. But in Kentucky, catching up to St. Xavier or Trinity might be more complicated. Besides an advantage in facilities (they're the only schools in Louisville with turf fields), they have easily the largest boys enrollments in the state. According to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, Trinity had 1,381 boys in grades 9-12 last year and St. Xavier 1,456. Male had 831 boys."