Seventh Region Preview

Preseason Rankings...
1. Jeffersontown
2. Ballard
3. Male
4. Fern Creek
5. Trinity
6. Eastern
7. Moore
8. St. Xavier
9. Manual
10. Waggener
11. Seneca
12. Kentucky Country Day
13. Collegiate
14. Atherton
15. Christian Academy-Louisville
16. Whitefield Academy

Three Things To Watch...
--Jeffersontown escaped death on three seperate occasions in last year's 7th region tournament and then used that experience to roll through the state tournament at Rupp to claim the 7th region's first state title since 1999 when Ballard won. But will the Chargers even get the chance to defend their state title? Many would argue that the 7th region tournament is tougher than the state tournament itself, and with Ballard and Male both considered to be state championship contenders along with J-Town, it's easy to see why.

--While it seems there is are three teams that have seperated themselves from the pack, several other schools are in position to challenge for a regional title. Among them are Fern Creek, Eastern, Trinity and Moore. Perhaps Fern Creek is the team here that boasts the best chance, as the Tigers' center Chris Duncan should be a huge force in the region. Nevertheless, it will take a monster effort for one of these four teams to break out of this pack and join the three giants of Jeffersontown, Ballard and Male.

--Of course, the Louisville area will host some of the more premier in-season tournaments that the state of Kentucky has to offer. The King of the Bluegrass, which is held at the 6th region's Fairdale, will have Male, at the very least, representing the 7th region. Then the Louisville Invitational Tournament, which Eastern won last year, will attract the state's finest during the second weekend of January. Teams that are scheduled to compete include the 7th's Jeffersontown, Male and Manual, not to mention state championship contenders Elizabethtown and Warren Central.

Five Early Games I'd Watch...
--November 29th: DeSales @ Male
--December 1st: Male @ Jeffersontown
--December 5th: St. Xavier @ Jeffersontown
--December 5th: Eastern @ Fern Creek
--December 8th: Ballard @ Eastern

Last Year...
Regional Champions: Jeffersontown
Regional Runner-Up: Ballard
Regional Semifinalists: St. Xavier, Male