One of the most successful programs in the state enters the 2013 playoffs with a team different from any other before it. Beechwood has 11 state championship trophies and this team will be trying a different approach in its efforts to get number 12. Beechwood has always been a run first team. That was the way the game was played and Beechwood could do it better than anyone. Coach Yeagle and his Tigers proved that in the 1990's by filling the trophy case with those state championship trophies.

 

As the 2000's arrived though, football changed. The passing game became more than just a necessary evil to keep defenses honest. Teams began to be pass first. The spread offense became more and more popular. The other top programs that Beechwood competed against put more of the passing game into their offense. Even the old veteran Bob Schneider opened up his offense at Newport Catholic and when he did, the state titles started to flow. In more recent years on the state level, the Tigers' 1A rival Mayfield runs an offense that is often more pass than run. Beechwood remained a team that was run first focused. This year is different.

 

Perhaps it is a move brought on by football evolution described above or perhaps it is a move dictated by coaching to your talent. Either way, this Beechwood team is the most passing oriented team in Beechwood history. Sophomore QB Kyle Fieger will almost certainly own all the Beechwood passing records by the time he graduates. Last year, Fieger led the Tigers' freshmen team to an undefeated championship season. Then upon joining the varsity after the freshman season ended, Fieger was immediately inserted as the starting varsity QB. He didn't disappoint, throwing five TD passes in his first start in round one of the playoffs. Fieger continued to impress in his playoff run as starter but that run once again came to an end when the Mayfield Cardinals defeated Beechwood in the state semifinals.

 

Fieger has a stable of fast receivers to throw to. He has six different receivers with the speed to take any reception the distance. Throw in a couple others that are sure handed possession receivers and it is an arsenal that is hard for most teams to cover. The Beechwood receiving corps is led by Senior Max Shover. Shover is the total package with great hands, excellent route running and breakaway speed. Fellow senior Jalen Hayden is a burner who only needs the smallest opening to break off any reception into a score. Add in junior Joe Studer, junior Jeremy Burns (who may be the fastest player on the team), sophomores Ethan Stringer and Brett Slusher, senior Carter Burns and junior end Jonathon Stokes.

 

Since Kentucky went to 6 class football, Beechwood has not lost a playoff game to anyone except the Mayfield Cardinals. In the first 2 years of 6 class football, Beechwood won state championships. In the four years since that last title, Beechwood's season has ended at the hands of the Mayfield Cardinals. That makes Beechwood's playoff record over the past 6 seasons 22-4 with all four losses to Mayfield in the state semifinals.

 

This year looks to be shaping up very much like the previous four. Beechwood has not been challenged in rounds one and two of the playoffs over the past 6 years. It is very doubtful they will be challenged in round one or two this year. Round one will be a rematch from last year against Bracken County. The Tigers won that one 45-8 and most likely will win this year by an even wider margin. Round two will be the winner of the Ludlow / Paris first round battle. Beechwood defeated Ludlow 56-0 just two weeks ago and in last year's round two playoff game defeated Paris 63-16. The Tigers should defeat either of those two in round two.

 

That is expected to set up another 3rd round playoff game against the Frankfort Panthers. Frankfort has struggled versus Beechwood even more than Beechwood has against Mayfield. The irony in all this is that Beechwood has never beaten Mayfield, Frankfort has never beaten Beechwood and Mayfield has never beaten Frankfort. Which team will break through that strange unbeaten history first? Frankfort should have the first shot at it. The Panthers are rolling. They defeated a ranked 2A Danville Admiral team in their season finale by a clear margin. That extended the Panthers winning streak to seven games. However, Frankfort has not been able to stay close enough to Beechwood to threaten them in the second half of any game. In years past, Beechwood used their running game to take control in the second half versus Frankfort. With this year's Beechwood team being a passing focused team, will they be able to use that winning formula and run it on Frankfort in the second half? That is unlikely, which puts question marks on how this year's game will unfold. But Frankfort entered last year's game full of confidence and yet the same result ended their season. Can the Panthers keep thoughts of previous seasons and doubts that may creep into their mind if the game does stay close? It will be interesting to see how that game is decided.

 

If the Tigers manage to keep the streak alive against Frankfort, they will almost surely be faced with another trip to Mayfield. The roles will be reversed from the Frankfort game as Beechwood will be the team facing an opponent they have never beaten. Mayfield will be a heavy favorite if this game happens. It will be a tough matchup for the Tigers as Mayfield is the exact type of team the Tigers have struggled the most against all season - a team with a strong offensive line. Beechwood has three weeks to improve their line play and shore up the defense that broke down in the regular season ending loss versus Newport Central Catholic.

 

This post season looks eerily similar to the past 4 seasons for Tigers fans. Can Beechwood's young team use the experience gained from a tough regular season schedule and get another state championship? The answers will be here soon enough.

:thumb: It has been a very interesting season for Beechwood, that is for sure. I see a big part of the reason for the move to the passing offense being that is where the talent is and what they have to do with this team to be most successful. However, everything Beechwood is doing this year seems to point toward beating Mayfield and trying something different because the other way didn't work the last four years. Putting Franklin County on the schedule and playing them at Franklin County this year is all about preparing the team for Mayfield. Playing Lima Senior looks like preparing the team for Mayfield. Everyone has been saying for the past few years that Beechwood needs to be able to pass the ball better to beat Mayfield. There is no doubt this is the best passing team Beechwood has had in quite a while, maybe the best ever. We'll see how it all works over the next few weeks.

Some stats I saw in the paper this morning on Fieger and the passing game:

 

Fieger has 1927 yards passing with 21 TD passes.

 

10 different receivers have caught a TD pass this season for Beechwood.

I think Beechwood may have a hard time beating Frankfort. Then Probably they would have to play Mayfield on the road....I don't see a State Title this season.

I was looking through the Articles looking for this week's update and discovered that I hadn't even read last week's Tiger update from EOT.

 

I fear that Beechwood has gone way too much the other way and still does not have the balanced offense to beat Mayfield. Well, let me clarify... They don't have the balanced play calling. They certainly have the players with the ability. There's seems to be very little planning for what they are going to do and Zero half-time adjustments. Overall, the play calling often rarely seems to fit the game situation.

 

ie. When you have a Two TD lead against a good team, don't force the football down the field 3 times in a row. Try mixing in some runs to establish some control. 20 and 30 yard pass attempts look like desperation and make me question my what my eyes are seeing on the scoreboard. At a minimum, it uses up clock and best case, it provides a balanced attack and keeps you in control.