High school football playoff preview/pick | Wayne County at Western

WAYNE COUNTY (11-1) AT WESTERN (8-4)

* Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

* Storyline: Warriors seeking first regional title since 2010.

* Next week: Winner will host Johnson Central-Ashland Blazer winner in Class 4A semifinal.

More picks and previews

►Butler at St. Xavier
►Mercer County at Collins
►Covington Catholic at South Oldham

* Wayne County: The Cardinals – the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4A – enter with an eight-game winning streak after beating Rockcastle County 38-24 last week. Junior wide receiver Aubrey Weaver had seven receptions for 158 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cardinals. Senior quarterback Lorenzo Linsey has passed for 2,494 yards and 28 touchdowns this season and also rushed for 415 yards and 10 scores.

MORE COVERAGE |Coach King has Western in first regional final since 2012

* Western: The Warriors ran their winning streak to seven with a 12-3 victory over Knox Central last week. Western limited Knox Central to 106 yards of offense (59 passing, 47 rushing) as senior Greg Jones recorded nine tackles, including four sacks, and also recovered a fumble. Senior running back Kenneth Thompson leads the offense with 1,276 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

* Quotable: “We’ll have to wrap up and not let him get away,” Western coach Preston King said of Linsey. “We’ve got to put pressure on him and make him make decisions he hasn’t had to make all year. … People lose sight of how physical we are. We have guys who will hit you as well as guys who can run and get in space.”

* The pick: Wayne County 21-13.

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.