article Boone County Rebels Football 2014 Football Preview

[Walter]

It was a rough first year at the helm of Boone County Rebels football for new head coach Jeff Griffith as his team went winless, while being defeated by an average score of 40-10.

 

 

The motto of last year's team was "Restore the Order." What was once one of the top 3 programs in Northern Kentucky, Boone County is still looking to "Restore the Order" after a 1-10 season in 2012 and 0-11 showing in 2013.

 

Coach Griffith talked about the change in the program this off season.

 

 

" We just wanted to go in to our off season in January and get an investment and commitment from the players who were going to be Boone County football players."

 

Coach Griffith continued.

 

"The guys who have made it through that for the last six months have done a good job and we now have that investment and commitment that we were looking for and hopefully that will translate in to some wins this year."

 

Last year's Boone County offense really struggled to move the ball and put points on the board despite the changes in philosophy that Griffith installed along with a new playbook. With an extra year and full off season to work in to what Griffith wants to do on that side of the ball, there should be a change in the offense.

 

" We need to have better play all around on the offensive side of the ball, obviously," Said Griffith.

 

 

The offense this year will start and go with the play of senior quarterback Jamar Lamb,

 

 

" It all starts with our quarterback play and last year we were devastated when Jamar Lamb went down with an injury," Griffith said. " Jamar is back this year and has had a great preseason and if we can keep him healthy we can have a pretty good offense at times."

 

 

The biggest area on offense that the Rebels will likely go through some growing pains in is on the offensive line where four senior starters are being replaced.

 

" We're going to be relatively young there but hopefully those guys will be young and eager and get after some people," Griffith explained.

 

Out wide, Griffith expects Rondell Douglas to step up and give the offense a boost but feels that the younger guys in general will play a role in the improvement on the offensive side of the ball.

 

" Rondell is a guy that really nobody has heard about but he'll be a good wide receiver. We've got a hand full of younger guys but he's just one that comes to mind. Our offense will be dictated by what happens with Jamar Lamb and he'll lead our offense."

 

Defensively the Rebels will look to improve on the 40 points per game that they gave up a season ago. Leading this year's defense will be inside linebacker Jacob Schlarman and junior safety Amadou Diaw.

 

 

" We're replacing a lot of guys on the defensive side but they're eager and young and willing to learn," Griffith said. " We think we will be better on both sides of the ball.

 

It will once again be another grind each and every week as the Rebels will play a challenging game weeks 1 through 10.

 

" Our schedule pretty much stay the same all year long. There are no breaks," Said Griffith with a slight smile. " Everybody we play is a tough team with good athletes and we have to prepare to play hard every game but our kids know that and that's the schedule that we expect to play here at Boone County and one that we will continue to play."

 

The Rebels schedule this season will consist of home games against Conner, Lafayette, Ryle, Dixie Heights, and Lexington Catholic with road games at Covington Catholic, Cooper, Henry Clay, Simon Kenton, and Campbell County.

 

 

Coming off such a disappointing season, Coach Griffith simply expect this year's version of the Boone County Rebels to be better than last season.

 

 

" I know we expect to be much better than we were last year," Said Griffth. " How many wins that translates in to, I don't know. I do think we will be a better football team but we still have a long way to go and a lot of growing to do especially in our first four or five football games in getting ready for that district schedule."

 

 

With the Rebels losing 19 seniors from last year's team and relying heavily on younger guys this season, how long will it take for Coach Griffith to get his first win at Boone County? Can Jamar Lamb be good enough to improve the offense and team overall? Or should Coach Griffith allow talented sophomore Peter Westhoff to take over under center?

 

One of the biggest off season storylines was Aaron Floyd. After transferring to Covcath and being denied a waiver for eligibility, he is now reportedly in the middle of a new change. Will the standout athlete be in a Rebels uniform this year? And if so, how big of an impact can he have?

 

 

These answers will begin to be answered August 23rd when the Rebels kick off the 2014 season at Covington Catholic.

 

 

Schedule:

 

Aug 23, 14 Covington Catholic away 1:00 PM

Aug 29, 14 Conner home 7:00 PM

Sep 5, 14 Cooper away 7:30 PM

Sep 12, 14 Lafayette home 7:30 PM

Sep 19, 14 Henry Clay away 7:30 PM

Sep 26, 14 Dixie Heights home 7:00 PM

Oct 3, 14 Ryle home 7:00 PM

Oct 10, 14 Simon Kenton away 7:00 PM

Oct 24, 14 Campbell County away 7:00 PM

Oct 31, 14 Lexington Catholic home 7:30 PM

 

[Miller]

Hopefully good things happen for the Boone County football team this season.

[theguru]

Hopefully good things happen for the Boone County football team this season.

 

Agree, the last two years have been difficult.

[Ring Master]

Hopefully Boone can turn it around this season, I agree the offense needs to pick it up, but if the other team doesn't score 40 points, Rebels will have a lot better chance. That is what you get when you put one of your best defensive players, if not the best, at QB. The real challenge for this coach this year is how he handles the Floyd circus. Aaron last season did what was best for his team and play QB. He was the best athelete on the team and he stepped up for his team.He did all he could do playing at a new position. It takes a team and he wasn't surrounded by a team filled with his passion or talent.You had players hurt, you had players not allowed to play because of grades, players caught on the wrong side of the law, players quitting because of all of the losing. Aaron and other players kept playing hard to the end. Hopefully, the coach will be honest with himself and realize what Aaron gave up last season for his team and accepts him back with wide open arms.

What scares me is that it seems like they are counting on some players to be key players and where were they last season? Some were hurt, but the ones that were not on the field because of other issues would be my concern. Hopefully the coach can lead them in the right direction.

[RomanEmpire]

If it were me coaching, I would have a hard time letting AF back on the team. He made a choice to leave the team for what he perceived to be greener pastures. It didn't work out. He needs to learn a hard lesson here. I am big on loyalty and imho, he disrespected his teammates and coaches when he chose to leave for CCH. Life is about three things; Choices, Decisions, Consequences. Boone should move on without him and not look back. I would want to go into battle only with guys who wanted to be there and have demonstrated that with their loyalty to the program. I'm old school and that's why I think the way I do. I wish Boone the best this season and hope they stay injury free and have much success.

[Cynical]

When you get down to it, the Floyd kid is a DB/WR who holds zero offers and was not good enough to help a bad team beat other really bad teams like Ryle (2 wins), Cooper (3 wins), and Lafayette (3 wins). If he's on Boone or not on Boone, he isn't going to be the make or break guy for them, just as he wasn't last year. Read the article. It's going to come down to one guy...Lamb. If Lamb is protected and can operate the offense, you'll see a totally different team. JMO.

[bballguy]

When you get down to it, the Floyd kid is a DB/WR who holds zero offers and was not good enough to help a bad team beat other really bad teams like Ryle (2 wins), Cooper (3 wins), and Lafayette (3 wins). If he's on Boone or not on Boone, he isn't going to be the make or break guy for them, just as he wasn't last year. Read the article. It's going to come down to one guy...Lamb. If Lamb is protected and can operate the offense, you'll see a totally different team. JMO.

 

Show me 1 kid that plays out of position his entire JR year and has any offers? Boone has been hemorrhaging talent ever since Rick Thompson decided to play his kid over a consensus better player. I give Arron Floyd credit for sticking the situation out as long as he has. If I had a kid with next level potential who was asked to play out of position, I may have moved my kid as well.

[bballguy]

If it were me coaching, I would have a hard time letting AF back on the team. He made a choice to leave the team for what he perceived to be greener pastures. It didn't work out. He needs to learn a hard lesson here. I am big on loyalty and imho, he disrespected his teammates and coaches when he chose to leave for CCH. Life is about three things; Choices, Decisions, Consequences. Boone should move on without him and not look back. I would want to go into battle only with guys who wanted to be there and have demonstrated that with their loyalty to the program. I'm old school and that's why I think the way I do. I wish Boone the best this season and hope they stay injury free and have much success.

 

And if Drew Barker was asked to play Offensive Tackle his JR and Sr years, what do you think his dad would have done???????

[gonepostal]

Show me 1 kid that plays out of position his entire JR year and has any offers? Boone has been hemorrhaging talent ever since Rick Thompson decided to play his kid over a consensus better player. I give Arron Floyd credit for sticking the situation out as long as he has. If I had a kid with next level potential who was asked to play out of position, I may have moved my kid as well.

 

That's pretty selfish. Many players get recruited and go on to play college ball at a different position than they did in high school. I would think a college recruiter would find it impressive for an "all-star" player to step up and play where his coach and team needed him to play for the benefit of others over himself.

[Hellbird]

That's pretty selfish. Many players get recruited and go on to play college ball at a different position than they did in high school. I would think a college recruiter would find it impressive for an "all-star" player to step up and play where his coach and team needed him to play for the benefit of others over himself.

Not only this, but the majority of kids who get recruited get recruited out of camps/combines they attend, not from Friday night games.

 

Many players go to college and play different positions than they played in High School as you have said.

Last year would have little effect on A Floyd being recruited if he was being recruited in the first place.

[sportsfan08]

A lot of athletes play QB and get offers. Most offers come from camps anyway. There are no offers because there is no interest, not because he wasn't allowed to showcase his athleticism at QB.

[Cynical]

Great skill players change games against bad teams, no matter where they are: be it kick returns, or at QB, or WR, or RB, or DB. Floyd is no doubt a good player, but the gushing on this board for just how good "he ought to be" if not for "being so wrongfully played out of position" is comical.

 

In 2008, Lone Oak came off a 14-1 2007 year and lost Corey Robinson. They looked around and realized they didn't have a QB. So they took a DI-A offered Jamarielle Brown and stuck him at QB. Could he throw? Not Really. Was he a QB? No, he signed as a WR and played in college as a WR. But regardless, Lone Oak wen't 10-2 with him there. Why? Because that's what happens when you put the ball in a next level skill guy's hands every play. I hope the Floyd kids lands somewhere and proves me wrong, but until he does, I have a hard time swallowing just how misused and wronged he has been done by the Boone Co. program and their need to try and utilize him as best they could given the situations they encountered last season.

[bballguy]

That's pretty selfish. Many players get recruited and go on to play college ball at a different position than they did in high school. I would think a college recruiter would find it impressive for an "all-star" player to step up and play where his coach and team needed him to play for the benefit of others over himself.

 

You have about a minute of highlight tape review to get a recruiters attention. Read the headlines sometime. Character and selflessness mean absolutely nothing. Its what can you do for me right now. Not a year from now, RIGHT NOW. This is not a situation where a tight end is being converted to tackle. This is a completely unrelated position change.

 

There are a lot of sacrifices a player should be expected to make for the sake of his team. Giving up aspirations to play at the next level is not one of them!

[RomanEmpire]

And if Drew Barker was asked to play Offensive Tackle his JR and Sr years, what do you think his dad would have done???????

 

What in world does Drew Barker have to do with this thread? But to answer your question, Drew would of played wherever the coach would have wanted him to play to best help the team out. He sure as heck wouldn't of quit on his team and attempted to transfer. Barker played multiple positions during Pee Wee football. He played wherever the coach told him to play.

[theguru]

Very few if any of us know the real answer to this question but was the real reason Aaron attempted to transfer to CovCath his idea or his parents idea? And if it was his parents idea who is the victim in the end?

 

Any way you cut this, it is a you know sandwich served up on Coach Griffith's plate. Welcome to NKY Coach! :idunno: