LexCath's athletes and speed scare me. Belfry has fared well against spread teams over the years, but when they have struggled is against spread teams who also have the athletes at QB and RB to hurt them on the ground and make people miss. Combine that with the talent that LexCath has at WR and it is a recipe for concern for the Pirates.

 

On the flip side, I feel fairly certain that LexCath hasn't seen an offense like Belfry runs and that is tough to prepare for in a week. The one team who resembles it is Johnson Central and the Knights struggled against them, albeit with a different set of personnel. That was a long time ago now and probably doesn't tell us much of anything about the team who will take the field on Sunday.

 

Speaking of Sunday, having that extra couple of days to prepare will be nice for both teams, but could also serve to disrupt the normal routine for either team.

 

It's going to be a fun week, I have a lot of things going through my head right now. We hopefully will have a lot to talk about in this thread in the days ahead.

The Knight family knows who will be on their side Sunday...

 

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My man George. Thought about him on the ride back to Lexington. I know he's in heaven smiling down.

I said a running clock for Belfry last night, and it almost happened.

 

I'm calling it again for this game. Belfry by a bunch. They are just that that good.

I said a running clock for Belfry last night, and it almost happened.

 

I'm calling it again for this game. Belfry by a bunch. They are just that that good.

 

 

I agree Sir.

 

Belfry jumps up 36-0 and their coaches call off the dogs in the 2nd quarter. The Pirates JV scores a tack on TD to make it 43 to zip because they are just that good. Pirates by 40. Heck that might be a great hash tag. #PiratesBy40

Go Belfry.

I agree Sir.

 

Belfry jumps up 36-0 and their coaches call off the dogs in the 2nd quarter. The Pirates JV scores a tack on TD to make it 43 to zip because they are just that good. Pirates by 40. Heck that might be a great hash tag. #PiratesBy40

 

 

With the name Lex you would think u was from Lexington.

With the name Lex you would think u was from Lexington.

 

He is...it's sarcasm. He's a LexCath fan thru and thru.

 

I think he loves the bulletin board material that a few posters are giving the Knights.

 

This Pirate fan expects a heckuva game.

Really love the LexCath skill guys after watching them on video a good bit this morning.

 

Ogbogu is special. For my money the best Receiver in Kentucky. Does it all well, short, deep, crisp routes, great hands.

 

Morris is very underrated. Not the "wow" factor of Ogbogu, but the kid is a gamer and makes plays. Especially dangerous when he is running free with the ball in his hands. Would make a standout RB for most teams in KY.

 

Jaylen Jones doesn't get the credit he deserves. Put him at Scott County or Boyle County and he is a 1500 yard rusher and 30 TD guy. Big back, good burst, just LexCath isnt exactly a very good run blocking team. 90% of his yards he basically creates himself.

 

Andy Thompson is simply fun to watch. Tiny but a gamer. Electric with his feet, throws a pretty ball. Give him time and he is going to make you pay either with his feet or throwing the pass exactly where it needs to go

 

Really thankful Belfry scheduled Knoxville Catholic. Couldnt have asked for a better team to help Belfry prepare. LexCath doesnt have an Amari Rodgers. Ogbogu is fantastic but he isnt going to show the Belfry DB's something they havent seen. The two QB's are mirror images. Jones is a better RB than KnoxCath had, Morris is a better #2 option than KnoxCath had. KnoxCath's Oline is a good bit better than LexCath though.

 

It comes down to the middle 5 of Belfry. Can the two Interior LB'ers and the three down linemen create negative plays and QB pressure consistently? How this matchup plays out determines the winner of this game.

I'll take Lexington Catholic for the win seems like no one else's is giving them a chance Belfry will get their points, but I don't think they'll be able to outscore Catholic, Catholic has to much speed should be a dandy and I'm pulling for the Knights.

I haven't seen Belfry play this year, but I am very familiar with what Coach Haywood's teams do, and do well. They will roll up some yardage on LexCath, whose defense is a bend-but-don't-break style.

 

The Knights will score points. That's what they do, and they do it well. They will present lots of challenges through the air and on the ground for Belfry. If the Pirates can limit or perhaps stop one area, they will be doing quite well for themselves.

 

No clue who will win. I do expect this game to be the most high-scoring of the state finals. I'm setting the O/U at 79 1/2, and that is being conservative. I hope to be there to see it.

Belfry 43 LC 17

I am a big Pirate fan. Don't know much about the Knights. Many are expecting a high scoring game and both teams have shown the ability to put up the points. That being said, offense wins games while defense wins championships. Both teams have excellent defense but I have to give the edge to Belfry in this department. They have faced just about every type of offense this season while the only common opponent in Johnson Central gave LexCath problems in their run game. I am going against the grain in this one. Belfry 21 to 10 in a low scoring (for these two teams) game.

Belfry will run away with the game. I don't feel the game will be close at all.

This will be a shootout. Whoever has the ball last wins.

Bluegrasspreps Class 3A Championship: Tale of The Tape

 

Final Bluegrasspreps Rating:

LexCath- #3

Belfry- #2

 

Calpreps Rating:

LexCath- #2 in 3A, #11 Overall in Kentucky, #727 Nationally

Belfry- #1 in 3A, #9 Overall in Kentucky, #602 Nationally

 

Strength of Schedule:

LexCath- 23.1, 105-64

Belfry- 14.7, 110-64* *Best of Remaining 12 Teams

 

Wins Over Ranked Opponents:

LexCath- (5) 3A #1 Central, 3A #4 Boyle County, 3A #6 Elizabethtown, 5A #8 Southwestern, 5A #9 Covington Catholic

Belfry- (7) 4A #2 Johnson Central, 1A #3 Pikeville, 2A #7 Newport Central Catholic, 3A # 8 Lawrence County X 2, 3A #9 Corbin, **TN 4A Knoxville Catholic**

 

Losses:

LexCath- 4A #2 Johnson Central, 6A #7 Cooper, 6A #8 Ryle

Belfry- **WV 3A Cabell Midland**

 

Points Scored:

LexCath- 473 (33.8 per game)

Belfry- 572 (40.9 per game)

 

Points Allowed:

LexCath- 262 (18.7 per game)

Belfry- 202 (14.4 per game)

 

Points Scored vs. Ranked Opponents:

LexCath- 190 (23.8 per game)

Belfry- 269 (33.6 per game)

 

Points Allowed vs. Ranked Opponents:

LexCath- 180 (22.5 per game)

Belfry- 130 (16.3 per game)

 

What To Watch:

LexCath

-Ogbogu Translates to "Explosive". JJ Ogbogu has been making his case as the Bluegrass State's Elite WR all season. He enters with around 1200 receiving yards and is averaging around 15 yards per catch and has been the name the Knights have called every time they need a big play. He has elite speed and runs crisp routes and will be a matchup nightmare for the Pirates.

- LexCath's "bend but don't break" Defense has gotten them to where they are and helped them navigate possibly the toughest playoff path of any team Class 1A-5A. The Knights have allowed some points and yards this year, but have been lethal in the Red Zone. Look no further than the Knights two signature wins against Boyle County and Central to see the significance of sacrificing Field Goal attempts in exchange for TD's.

- JJ Ogbogu may be the healdiner, but the X Factors will be RB Jaylen Jones and WR Donovan Morris. Jones hasn't exactly had pristine run blocking but has grinded his way next to the 1000 yard mark and is also a viable receiving option out of the backfield. The Knights are undersized on Offense and Jones is nearly as big as a couple of the guys asked to block for him. Donovan Morris is clearly the Knights #2 receiving option and one of the better "Plan B" Option in the entire Commonwealth. He will look to eclipse the 1000 yard receiving mark this week.

 

Belfry

- Belfry has used a stable of rushing options and will enter this game with four different backs having rushed for over 500 yards. The star of the committee though is Xondre Willis who has been superb. Willis missed two games due to suspension, but in his 12 other games has posted right at 1500 All-Purpose yards and is average an absurd average of 15.5 yards per touch. Willis has also been a scoring efficiency machine as he averages a Score just under every 5 touches.

- Belfry's star power is on the Defensive Side of the Ball with their bookend DT's Cole Bentley and Rayquan Horton. The two massive Junior DT's both received All-State honors last season and have not disappointed. Horton has emerged as possibly the State's Most Dominant Defensive player and has single handily dominated teams at times. In Belfry's Semi-Final win over Corbin, Horton alone accounted for 5 TFL's and a Sack.

- The pivotal player for Belfry will be Sophomore CB Devin Varney. Varney has shown flashes of brilliance this season and has an impressive 6 INT's. Varney has been asked to cover some sensational receiving talents this year including several guys you can expect to see playing on Saturdays. With these tough draws he has also had his fair share of learning moments. He will be asked to either cover Ogbogu or Morris and will need to make numerous plays.

 

 

Analysis:

If the 6A Championship is the Heavyweight Prize Fight, the 3A Championship is the Light Heavyweight bout that everyone secretly prefers they can watch. Both teams enter with two of the most impressive resumes in the State regardless of class. LexCath escaped the vaunted "Region of Death" and Belfry enters with a 4-0 record against teams who are playing in their own respective State Championship games.

This will be a study in contrast of styles on essentially every level. A pass happy team who wants to throw it to 5 options and a run happy team who will ask five different ball carriers to tote the rock. Both teams have had some issues in the respective phases of Defense that will be challenged the most, but both also have plenty enough backbone to compensate for those deficiencies.

If you are looking for a differentiating factor it will be the Line of Scrimmage where this game will feature perhaps one of the largest size discrepancies seen in a State Title game. Belfry's Offensive Line averages around 6'2 275 and the entire LexCath starting Defense doesn't have anyone bigger than 6'1 230. The size mismatch continues on the other side of the ball where Belfry will average about 40 pound and nearly 5 inches in the matchup between the guards. LexCath will have to rely on their quickness on Defense and have to find creative ways on Offense to neutralize Bentley and Horton to find success.

 

Calpreps Prediction:

Belfry 28 LexCath 27

 

Bluegrasspreps Prediction:

Belfry 31 LexCath 28