HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — Each week, the tristate shows off some of the most talented high school football teams in their respective states. But how do fans know who is the best of the best when the lights turn on Friday night? That's where the Home Team Friday "Power 10" comes into play. Our expert sports team is constantly studying dozens of teams each week to create a top-10. Wins, losses, injuries, strength of schedule and margin of victory/defeat are all factors in the decision-making process. Here are the Preseason "Power 10" rankings: 1. Owensboro (Owensboro, Ky.) The 2025 5A State Champions come in as the top team this season. Yes, the team lost Kentucky's Mr. Football RB Evan Hampton, but they return more than a dozen seniors, and high impact ones at that. QB DeMarcus Ganaway Jr. returns for his senior year and will have a plethora of weapons surrounding him starting in the backfield with RB Tee Green, and on the outside with 3-star WR Kingston Dillard and junior Ayden Fountain. The Red Devils return great players on the other side as well with University of Kentucky commit LB Ty Ashley directing the defense, alongside talented veterans like CB Tre Shemwell and DL Kobe Pullom. The biggest question facing second year head coach DeMarcus Ganaway's team... is how they will respond to losing their entire offensive line from last year. The champs will have their work cut out for them early on as they face St. Xavier and CAL weeks one and two. 2. Owensboro Catholic (Owensboro, Ky.) When you return a QB that collected nearly 50 TD's and threw for over four thousand yards, it is pretty safe to put the team in the top three. That QB would of course be University of Louisville commit Dre'Mail Carothers, coming back for his senior year. The Aces found themselves in the 2A State Championship game for the third year in a row last year and could do it a fourth time in 2026. O Cath's strength lies within a coaching staff led by Jason Morris, who has guided the team to a 41-4 record over just three seasons. And speaking of strength, Carothers blindside will be protected once again by four-star OL John Carrico. The hurdle for the Aces comes in replacing seniors, which made up all five of the Aces leading receivers in 2025. Week one will be a test for this Owensboro team as they go on the road to face the defending 4A state champs Boyle County. 3. Gibson Southern (Fort Branch, Ind.) Like many in Southern Indiana, the Titans lost a lot over the offseason, starting with senior QB Zach Foster. But they also return a lot of seniors who want to make up for a season that ended with a lot of "what ifs" due to injuries in the postseason. One of those seniors is Caden Rochleau, who got some valuable in-game reps during the Titans Semi-State Championship loss. Rochleau looks to prove a 12-2 record in 2025, wasn't a one-year thing and that southern can make a deep postseason run once again. Veteran receivers Elijah Ortiz and Peyton Johnson will play a big role in helping the first year starting QB prove that. The Titans open week one with a test at home vs Floyd Central.
4. Memorial (Evansville, Ind.) In a season where it seems like every SIAC team is rebuilding, coaching usually gives teams the edge, and luckily for the Tigers, they have John Hurley. Hurley won his 5th SIAC Coach of the Year award last season and play called the Tigers to their second straight undefeated regular season. Most importantly, Memorial returns senior QB Luke Brown, who made plays all over the field in 2025. They also return one of the conference's best linebackers in senior Grayson Carter, who led the team with 105 tackles a season ago. The bad news? The Tigers lose leading rusher Dylen Kendrick and leading wide receiver Luke Dockery. But like always, this team seems to rebuild and replace; and have a lot of seniors with untapped potential going in 2026. Memorial begins the year with a tough match up at Jasper. 5. Jasper (Jasper, Ind.) A lot changed for the Wildcats in the first year under head coach Derek Hart's leadership. Before the season, Hart made it known that the offensive scheme would undergo a complete remodel, and that paid dividends for the cats once his seniors got the hang of it. In his junior year, QB Jaylen Maners showed flashes of great quarterback play and led his team to seven regular season wins. That success would continue as the Wildcats rattled off two postseason wins and came up a game short of a sectional championship match up. The Wildcats biggest question coming into 2025 was how they would replace the loss of many key seniors... that is the question once again in 2026, but Hart showed in year one that he is capable of capitalizing on change. Jasper stays at home in week one as they take on Memorial. 6. Henderson Co. (Henderson, Ky.) There might not be a team in the area that returns more than the Colonels. Senior QB Brody Belt, RB Jack Dalton, and WR Hezekiah Harris all return for 2026 and found themselves at the top of a lot of statistical categories in 2025. Anzerion Marigny and Kingston Shidler will also provide some great depth to the backfield for the Colonels. Defense is what the Henderson coaching staff has been preaching in the offseason; and the main thing that stands between them and improving once again this year. During the postseason, Henderson went on a win streak that propelled them to the third round of regionals, as they averaged more than 34 points per game. They could do that again this season and get even further... if their young defense steps up. Henderson opens against last seasons 5A state runner-up Pulaski County. 7. Reitz (Evansville, Ind) A team that could easily find themselves in the top five of these power rankings if they get off to a good start in 2026. Amyr Wilford is the name to know on this team. The sophomore RB showed up in a big way last season putting up 1474 rushing yards and 13 TD's, and coach Cory Brunson says he is only getting better. Wilford is only one of a number of backs that could help this team as well with senior RB Elijah Darrett back for a full season and junior RB Lleyton King who was second on the team in rushing for 2025. Overcoming senior losses will be key for the Panthers who need replacements for departing seniors LB A.J. Coates (100 tackles) and QB Parker Baumeyer. The Panthers welcome the Harrison Warriors in week one. 8. North (Evansville, Ind.) A new and improved North established a culture of running the ball last year, and it paid out big time for the Huskies. First year head coach Zac Nero helped the pack improve their record by three wins and claim a 8-3 record. The Huskies suffered some losses in that backfield with "Q" Pauley graduating, but Hunter McKinney has plenty of juice to overcome the loss. Last season McKinney became the first sophomore in program history to rush for one thousand yards and has aspiration for more in 26. North welcomes 5A rival Castle in week one. 9. North Posey (Poseyville, Ind.) The Vikings were one of the hottest teams not only in the PAC, but the tri-state area at the beginning of last year, going 6-1 to open the season. However, North Posey would run into a great Heritage Hills team in week 8 and drop the rivalry game to Mt. Vernon the following week to end the regular season. One thing these Vikings have going for them is they return a lot of seniors and aren't rebuilding like most in the conference. QB Carter Schickle is no doubt the leader of this team, breaking record after record last year, the senior is now ready to finish his final season on a high note. The Vikings take on Southridge week one on the road. 10. Castle (Newburgh, Ind) The Knights come into the season ranked #8 in Class 5A by the Indiana Football Coaches Association, meaning they could shoot up in these rankings fast. QB Boden Morgan and WR Carter Bobe are huge losses for Castle. But seniors like LB Brodie Farmer and Ben Quach are ready to elevate their game even more in 2026. Farmer, made himself known as maybe the SIAC's best defender in 2025, and comes into this season looking for even more after finishing his junior year with 130 tackles. The key for the Knights this season? Staying healthy, no team in the tri-state dealt with more losses than coach Hurt's squad in 2025. Castle travels to North in week one. Just missed the cut: Heritage Hills (Lincoln City, Ind), , Mt. Carmel (Mount Carmel, Ind), Mater Dei (Evansville, Ind), Union Co. (Morganfield, Ky.) A new ranking will be released at the beginning of each week throughout football season until the playoffs begin. Tune in to Eyewitness News for all things high school football and watch "Home Team Friday" every Friday night at 10:35 CT on ABC 25. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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