Bell County Bobcats

 

Expectations are high once again on Log Mountain, but for the first time since Wayne Mills took over for former coach Dudley Hilton three years ago, the Bobcats will have to depend on youth to carry them deep into post-season play.

 

Sixteen seniors gradated from last season's team, including tail backs Ryan Collett and Jonathan Polly, who combined to rush for more than 2,800 yards on the ground. Bell County will also have to count on a young line with only one starter returning.

 

After dominating the district action the past couple of years, the Bobcats will also be challenged by a very good Wayne County squad, who are picked by many to be the pre-season favorite in the district and rival Corbin is looking to be improved after finishing with a losing record for the first time since the 1995 season.

 

But the one thing Bell County has over both schools is a combined 4-0 record against the two teams since Mills took over as head coach.The Bobcats handled Corbin with ease on the road last season, 34-0, and managed to knock off the Cardinals 21-7 at home, so expect them to be in the thick of things once again in district play. They are also riding an impressive 31-game district win streak.

 

Another concern for Mills' squad is what they do once they reach the post-season. Central has eliminated Bell County the past two seasons, including a 14-10 win last season and a 26-0 victory in 2011.

 

If the Bobcats want to win a Class 3A state championship, they know they've got to find a way to get past the Yellow Jackets.

 

But first things first, Bell County will need to gain some experience along the way this season, which will hopefully prepare them for the long haul come November.

 

As noted before, the Bobcats will field a young team that has only six seniors and is dominated by sophomores and juniors.

 

A lot of skill players return to the mix for Mills and that’s a plus with a team that has four players returning on both sides of the ball.

 

Dylan Cox (six receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns in 2012, while recording 41 tackles on the defensive side), Justin Warwick (44 tackles, one fumble recovery and a team-best five interceptions), Austin Caldwell (31 carries, 246 rushing yards and four touchdowns, 12 tackles, Ben Collett (five receptions, 92 yards, eight tackles) and sophomore Peyton Collett will be expected to step up their play this season. Collett started 11 games as a freshman under center in 2012 and completed 39-of-94 pass attempts for 675 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.

 

 

Schedule

District play will be tough for Bell County this season, especially with a road game against pre-season district favorite Wayne County. The winner of that game on Sept. 27 has the inside track of winning the district championship. Of course the Bobcats will have another key district game Oct. 18 against Corbin, and if they beat Wayne County, this game could have district title implications as well. The Bobcats will also have tests against rival Knox Central (away, Sept. 20), and Harlan County (home, Nov. 1) along with a game against Marion County on Aug. 31 (Hear of Kentucky Pigskin Classic).

 

 

Players to watch

Peyton Collett (quarterback) — Collett did a fantastic job behind center as a freshman in 2012, but will need to cut down on his eight interceptions he had. He finished 2012 with 675 passing yards and seven touchdown passes along with 76 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

 

Dylan Cox (tight end) - Cox will be counted on to be a solid receiving threat for the Bobcats. He had six catches for 168 yards and a team-best three touchdowns last season.

 

Justin Warwick (cornerback) - Warwick turned out to be one of the best defensive players for Bell County last season. He led the Bobcats with five interceptions and also had a fumble recovery and 44 tackles.

 

Ben Collett (receiver) - Had five catches for 92 yards in 2012.

 

Austin Caldwell (tail back) - The junior tailback is expected to have an even bigger role in the back field after rushing for 246 yards and four touchdowns in 2012.

Nice article Les. Bell County will be fine they will get better every game.

Nice article Les. Bell County will be fine they will get better every game.

 

Thank you. I appreciate it. Do you know who the jayvee coach is? Or maybe have a contact number for him?I'm trying to see if they could text me their jayvee scores throughout the season.

Thanks again.

Nice work Les. As a fan of Mountain sports, you come up knowing to never count out Bell County football, and it looks like this year will be no exception.

 

It sounds like this year may only be the tip of the iceberg in Mills' tenure at Bell County though. It looks like the biggest question will be if this group be able to make a legit run at state when the current core are juniors and seniors? I'm sure teams like Central and Belfry will have plenty to say about that, but it looks as though Bell County will be a battle-tested, seasoned group by that point in time.

 

On a side note, I'm still at a loss when trying to figure out how in the world Bell County ended up in the "west" district given the geography.

Thank you!

Thank you!

 

I will get you that number and pm it to you.

Thank you very much!

Bell is Bell.

 

I don't think anyone will deny this appears to be the most vulnerable the bobcats have looked on paper in many years.. but with a program like Bell has you can expect two things:

 

1) By season's end they will be a very tough out

2) Better get them while you can, because after this year they will be right back where they need to be

 

 

I honestly think Wayne County is the team to beat this year in that District. With that said, for all the talk of how Bell is "down" it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see them emerge once again as District Champs and as the #2 or #3 team in the State in 3A by the close of the regular season.