Think Belfry will be as good if not better than the previous year.

 

Pirates return a whole lot from last year (essentially the entire Oline and Defense) and all those Freshman who played so well last year will be a year older, wiser, and stronger. The big question for Belfry will be replacing QB/CB Sani Warren and DT Hayden Hatfield, and if X Willis comes back 100% from his ACL injury.

 

Throw on top of that the fact Belfry had 3 transfers come in who will definitely help. If Willis is 100% he and the Joplin kid immediately fill the void from graduation at HB and alongside Austin Hatfield makes Belfry a very dangerous offensive team.

 

 

Bourbon is the team I see with more questions of the two. The Colonels have a couple excellent players returning but have to replace their QB, best WR, their two best defensive players, and more pieces on the line.

 

I actually see Bourbon, while still clearly being the favorite in their region, coming back to the pack a little more.

 

On the whole I see a lot of parity in 3A this year. Whereas in year's past you had Belfry and Central at the top then a cluster of about 5 teams who could push them... this year I find it hard to list anyone as anything resembling a dominant team and I think this class goes about 10-11 teams deep in terms of schools you could see in Bowling Green.

 

Will be an exciting year and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see two teams not named Belfry or Central playing for the title....or to see that same matchup once again.

Bourbon replaced their QB with Clay Bolin and got a few other solid transfers

I'll take Belfry and give everyone else the rest.....

 

Another big thing to keep in mind in 3A this year: Even year means Belfry (presumably the District champ) would have home field advantage all through the postseason. If you think Belfry isn't going back to Bowling Green, then you ostensibly are saying you believe Breathitt or Mason or Bourbon or Garrard or anyone else can go into Pond Creek in November and win.

Mason County QB Jake O'Mara will miss the first part of the season with injury.

Mason County QB Jake O'Mara will miss the first part of the season with injury.

I hate to hear that. I know big things were expected of the young man this season.

 

If you know, what type of injury and how serious?

I hate to hear that. I know big things were expected of the young man this season.

 

If you know, what type of injury and how serious?

 

 

This is about all I would like to say about it at this point. I think he will be fine and be able to play at some point. This was on our thread a few days ago:

 

Here are some recent tweets by Danny Weddle concerning the Royals & particularly QB Jake O'Mara:

 

Mason Co. Sr. QB Jake O'Mara will miss start of season but is expected to play during season. Bradley Boone & Kane Neal practicing at QB.

 

Coach David Buchanan says the function & stability of O'Mara's knee are fine ...

 

Buchanan continued "But he's had a few a things that, you know, he's got to get ironed out for his safety to make sure that he's alright."

I hope he gets everything back to 100%. Missing games, especially your senior season, is about as tough a thing as a high school athlete can go through. I pray it all works out for him.

Bourbon replaced their QB with Clay Bolin and got a few other solid transfers

 

Rumor on the street says "solid transfers" may be an understatement....multiple players that were in at least 4 different neighboring school districts last season. #Yahtzee

Another big thing to keep in mind in 3A this year: Even year means Belfry (presumably the District champ) would have home field advantage all through the postseason. If you think Belfry isn't going back to Bowling Green, then you ostensibly are saying you believe Breathitt or Mason or Bourbon or Garrard or anyone else can go into Pond Creek in November and win.

 

Watched a loaded Russell team win there a few year back in the semifinals...but you have to play a nearly perfect game to win on Pond Creek. The atmosphere is unreal and cars are lined up and down 119 for a mile in either direction.

Watched a loaded Russell team win there a few year back in the semifinals...but you have to play a nearly perfect game to win on Pond Creek. The atmosphere is unreal and cars are lined up and down 119 for a mile in either direction.

 

That was a really fun Russell team to watch. Should have been State Champs if not for the perfect storm that allowed a loaded Mercer County team, by far the most loaded since consolidation, to compete in a Class they should not have been.

 

But as to the point at hand... the scary thing is this isn't the Belfry team from 2006 either. That was an overachieving team that wasn't overly talented or deep. Russell simply outclassed that team and was the superior team.

 

The more likely comparison for teams hoping to beat Belfry at home this year will be the 2008 Pirates. Belfry steamrolled everyone in their path that year after getting "upset" in the 2007 Finals. They beat a very good Johnson Central team, destroyed Russell, and smoked a stout Sheldon Clark team. The previous year Belfry obliterated Breathitt in the Semi-Finals and when they re-matched seemed to completely overlook the Bobcats. They shot themselves in the foot time after time and never could match Breathitt's intensity and the Bobcats had two TD's and that's all they needed. Belfry fumbled in the redzone on their final drive.

 

That's the fear I have for this team,,,especially coming off a Title with a team stock loaded with uber talented underclassmen. It's real easy for a Sophomore to overlook a team like Bourbon that the Pirates have been better than the past two years. The Belfry Senior class may be replaceable from a talent standpoint, but they had some great leaders like a Sani Warren who really helped groom all those young players.

 

Right now the leftovers from Bourbon are busting their tails because they know they still aren't to Belfry's level yet... at Russell they know it's their time to get back there as well... Belfry has to match that intensity to stay on the top.