1A #2 Raceland @ 4A #4 Ashland 8-28

[Little Ram]

I am not going into the full story.

[GC_football266]

Heres the difference to me... It was said bakers speed wasnt going to be a factor in between the tackles while i agree straight line speed thats true he has a whole lot more going for him than just that. He will easily be the most explosive player Raceland will see. Your not recuited to D1 school bc you can run in a straight line pretty fast. Its his vision and ability to plant a foot in the ground and go. Thats by no means a knock on Raceland. Plus he has been reported to put on some muscle weight. Its hard to square up a hit on a guy like Baker. All that being said 1 guy cant beat a team but all I can go on is what I have seen in the 1 game Raceland has played. 11 is a very good RB hard to bring down. Racelands OL is a very good unit for a high school team. All 5 are solid which is unusual. The success passing that Raceland had imo was due to more scheme than talent. So I look at Raceland as more of a grind it out team than years past. I look for them to be a 6-4 7-3 team this year. Nothing wrong with that. As far as the lofty expectations of "little brother" the regular season record if im right wont keep them from Bowling Green as long as they dont allow it. Ashland, Valley, West, Russell and ill throw my Musketeers in there, thats a pretty daunting schedule for a smaller school.

[GC_football266]

I am not going into the full story.

 

Thanks

[Little Ram]

Heres the difference to me... It was said bakers speed wasnt going to be a factor in between the tackles while i agree straight line speed thats true he has a whole lot more going for him than just that. He will easily be the most explosive player Raceland will see. Your not recuited to D1 school bc you can run in a straight line pretty fast. Its his vision and ability to plant a foot in the ground and go. Thats by no means a knock on Raceland. Plus he has been reported to put on some muscle weight. Its hard to square up a hit on a guy like Baker. All that being said 1 guy cant beat a team but all I can go on is what I have seen in the 1 game Raceland has played. 11 is a very good RB hard to bring down. Racelands OL is a very good unit for a high school team. All 5 are solid which is unusual. The success passing that Raceland had imo was due to more scheme than talent. So I look at Raceland as more of a grind it out team than years past. I look for them to be a 6-4 7-3 team this year. Nothing wrong with that. As far as the lofty expectations of "little brother" the regular season record if im right wont keep them from Bowling Green as long as they dont allow it. Ashland' date=' Valley, West, Russell and ill throw my Musketeers in there, thats a pretty daunting schedule for a smaller school.[/quote']

 

Well said. Greenup is much improved then the past few years. Coach Mullins is slowly building the program up. Glad to see that. Greenup along with Valley, Ashland, Russell, Fairview, and Painstville are going to be tough games for the Rams. The only one I really have trouble seeing the Rams get by is the Tomcats.

[GC_football266]

I hope your right its been hard to watch for the past 10 or so years. I don know anything about Fairview or Paintsville. Valley should be very good as well as Russell. West, im not sure about but even when they aren't good its a tough game bc the way they play. Very hard nosed team. Greenup well that one is wishful thinking and I am a realist but I do feel they have a strong D real good at the skill positions but they have a ways to go at a couple o-line positions. They have to good one if the others can develop only then can they be considered a good team.

[oldrambler]

The 1985 team stunk.

if that was the 1-10 team, you're right.

[oldrambler]

Finally, realistic..........thanks.

I am always realistic, just some that disagree with me say I'm not. lol.

[RAM TIME]

Think you'll be reading about several

players in The Saturday Independent and Monday morning QB Edition of the Independent whose names usually don't get mentioned a whole lot that will step up and help make a difference in this game.

 

11 players from each side on the field at one time, it's a team game and The Rams are all about TEAM, not individual statistics. These guys will step up to the challenge in a close game.

 

Rams 34-28

[Legacy12]

Would like to see the Rams pull it off but my head tells me Ashland will be too much.

[Cometman2]

Realistic.......If you want to be realistic, I'll be realistic.

 

The Raceland Rams had never won a Regional Championship until 2013. Each and every year the Rams had a good enough team to win. I say a team because they didn't need a Quinton Baker or a O'Bryan to win the game for them. All they needed was a Scott Grizzle, a Tyler Boyles, a Robby Logan, a Cody Chinn, a Marty Johnson, a Matt Bostick, a Michael Salmons, a Seth Pack, a Kory Bldridge. Raceland has never won a game because of just one outstanding athlete. That is what makes a team. You don't have to have a D1 athlete to have a good team. You need 11 leaders on the field at the same time. That is what made the 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, and the 2014 teams so special. Because they took average or good football players and did what was needed to be done for 48 minutes between sideline to sideline to win that ball game. NO ONE thought Raceland would beat Ashland in 1991 after the Tomcats jsut won state in 1990. But they did. No one thought Raceland would beat Ironton in 2013, but they did.

 

My point is this. Football isn't a realistic sport. It is not. It is a sport where some one who is smaller than the person in front them can beat their butts. Raceland is smaller than 75%-90% of the teams they face. But some how Raceland wins. Raceland's goal is to make is to Bowling Green this year. I do believe it is realistic because Raceland has been in the state semis the past two years. I do believe they can possibly win state this year. They definitely couldn't right now but thats why it is 14 games away. That is why the game is played every Friday. Because anything can happen.

 

Raceland can beat Ashland. Raceland can beat Beechwood. Raceland can beat who ever their oppenent is on any given Friday. But it starts in practice on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday, and then executed on Friday. Raceland has been known as "Little Brother" by Greenup. Greenup said in 2011 that "it is time to beat up on our 'little brother' down the road. Raceland won 42-6. Shook hands and went on. We are being realistic. I personally think that some people don't like the fact that a 1A school can beat a 3A, 4A, or a 5A school because "realistically" it shouldn't happen. But it does.

 

3 DAYS

 

Wow, thanks for the history lesson. D1 talent in eastern Ky is rare and makes a big difference, especially when there are two on a team. "Football isn't a realistic sport".......then you describe a real life situation? A lot like the game #70 for the comets had Saturday night. Raceland can beat Ashland.......anybody can be beat on any given day........that's why you play the games.......sure, 1A schools can beat anybody they play, who is arguing that? Its just not going to happen this Friday night against Ashland.

[Little Ram]

Wow' date=' thanks for the history lesson. D1 talent in eastern Ky is rare and makes a big difference, especially when there are two on a team. "Football isn't a realistic sport".......then you describe a real life situation? A lot like the game #70 for the comets had Saturday night. Raceland can beat Ashland.......anybody can be beat on any given day........that's why you play the games.......sure, 1A schools can beat anybody they play, who is arguing that? Its just not going to happen this Friday night against Ashland.

 

Now that's realistic....

[sidelinedoc]

On topic please......

[STEEL_CURTAIN88]

Rams manage to hold "the firm" of Baker, Brown, and Thomas in check. I think we manage enough TOS and the LOS battle will be, just that, a battle. Baker breaks a big TD or two, but things stay tight till the end.

 

Rams 38

'Cats 35

[DevilMayCare]

Can Raceland win if Q gets loose and has another huge game against the Rams? Last year Raceland had the ball last with a chance to win despite 188yds and 4tds from one of Ashland's all time greats. It's hard to imagine Baker not getting his, especially with Kurtlen Brown presumably deflecting some attention away from Q.

 

Not much, if anything, has been said about Ashland's ability to move the ball through the air. The Tomcats will be breaking in a new QB with no proven playmakers at WR. Between Dowdy, Roberts, & Ratliff, which QB gives Ashland a bigger passing threat? If it's Ratliff, does he get his first start in such a big game atmosphere despite being a freshman?

 

Does Raceland dare to kick the ball deep to Ashland's speed guys? Is Davidson going to be 100% on Friday night? Can the Rams counter Ashland's backfield with a talented quartet of their own(Davidson, Snyder, Christian, Walker)?

 

A lot of questions to be answered on Friday night. I've flip-flopped on my pick four or five times but I think I've made up my mind. I think Ashland conjurs up enough old Putnam magic to pull out the win.

 

Tomcats 34

Rams 27

[LRCW]

Can Raceland win if Q gets loose and has another huge game against the Rams? Last year Raceland had the ball last with a chance to win despite 188yds and 4tds from one of Ashland's all time greats. It's hard to imagine Baker not getting his, especially with Kurtlen Brown presumably deflecting some attention away from Q.

 

Not much, if anything, has been said about Ashland's ability to move the ball through the air. The Tomcats will be breaking in a new QB with no proven playmakers at WR. Between Dowdy, Roberts, & Ratliff, which QB gives Ashland a bigger passing threat? If it's Ratliff, does he get his first start in such a big game atmosphere despite being a freshman?

 

Does Raceland dare to kick the ball deep to Ashland's speed guys? Is Davidson going to be 100% on Friday night? Can the Rams counter Ashland's backfield with a talented quartet of their own(Davidson, Snyder, Christian, Walker)?

 

A lot of questions to be answered on Friday night. I've flip-flopped on my pick four or five times but I think I've made up my mind. I think Ashland conjurs up enough old Putnam magic to pull out the win.

 

Tomcats 34

Rams 27

 

 

I would utilize O'Bryan at TE with the pop pass, and I'm sure it will be there.