By MICHEAL COMPTON / micheal.compton@bgdailynews.com

The final week of the regular season is usually a chance for teams to get that one final tune-up with their postseason fate already determined.

That is not the case for the Warren East football team, which enters Friday’s game against visiting Franklin-Simpson locked in a three-way tie with Logan County and Hopkinsville for the final two spots in Class 4A, District 1.

The three-team tiebreaker will be decided by RPI, with Warren East (5-4) currently at the top as the third seed, despite a loss to Logan County last week – the Raiders’ third straight loss. A win against Franklin-Simpson could be enough to wrap up a playoff spot, but nothing is certain.

“On my end I kind of relate it to the old BCS in college football, you don’t really know what that RPI number is going to do,” Warren East coach Tanner Hall said. “Obviously being in a three-way tie with Logan and Hoptown, just looking at who they play, they are going to get some bonus points based off playing a 6A and a 5A team. Only thing we can do is control what we can control and that is just going out and playing our best game on Friday.”

Last week’s loss, in which Warren East jumped out to a 19-0 lead, only for Logan County to rally with 27 unanswered points, is the second time in three games the Raiders have been unable to hold a three-score lead. Warren East led 24-7 against Allen County-Scottsville before the Patriots rallied to win 35-31 in the final minute.

“Our kids feel the negativity,” Hall said. “We are still feeling that Allen County loss and how that went down. Paducah, you play a buzzsaw in them, and then against Logan County, so our kids felt the negativity. This week has been about, let’s honor our seniors and let’s talk about all the positive things we did on Friday. It wasn’t that we were playing horribly. It was a bunch of things that we could have controlled. Truthfully in the Allen County game, it was a bunch of things we could have controlled that put us behind.”

Franklin-Simpson (5-4) already knows its first-round opponent, traveling to Hancock County next week. While the Wildcats’ postseason fate is sealed, head coach Max Chaney said it’s not a meaningless game – with his team looking to snap a two game mini-skid.

“We’ve got to bounce back, try to get on the winning track and carry some momentum into the playoffs,” Chaney said. “We do know where we are going and what seed we are and all of that. I understand they are in kind of a different situation, but they know us and we know them. We are looking to get back on the winning track to get momentum going into the playoffs.”

Franklin relies on its run game, rushing for more than 2,400 yards as a team this season. Layne Alford leads the way with 669 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, one of four Wildcats to rush for at least 300 yards.

“There are no secrets with Franklin,” Hall said. “They are going to do what they’ve been doing for 100 years, it seems like. I give them credit, Layne Alford is a load at fullback right now. If we don’t come off the ball defensively he is going to get five yards every single play and we are not going to see the ball for a whole quarter. The challenge for our defense is to put them in a situation they don’t want to be in.”

While the Wildcats will look to control the clock, Warren East will look to get its big-play offense a little more consistent after a shaky few weeks. Senior quarterback Dane Parsley has thrown for 1,788 yards while adding 532 yards on the ground.

“Parsley has been a stud for them for a while,” Chaney said. “He can throw the ball or he can take off running. There are a lot of things they can do with him. They’ve got some good, speedy pieces around him. They are kind of explosive offensively. You can have them hemmed in two or three plays and then all of a sudden he will throw it downfield or takes off running. That’s a difficult thing to defend and that is what we’ve been working on.”

Chaney said containing Parsley and avoiding turnovers will be key to victories for his team.

“I am sure they will be amped up,” Chaney said. “It’s senior night for them and also some playoff implications on the line. I am sure they will be ready to roll.”