They have to replace 11 graduated seniors, all of whom started. The bulk (no pun intended) of the o-line and d-line return older and stronger. New qb is expected to be soph Corey Smith, a little undersized but lightning quick on the scramble similar to some of Rockcastles's qbs recently. Running back will probably be Jr. Brandon Tollever who showed flashes of being a power back with speed when subbing for an injured Matt Ramsey at times last year. Soph receiver Josh Brown appears to be a star in the making. I see the loss of last seasons linebacking corp as being the biggest obstacle for the Panthers.

 

I can't make a season prediction until I see how the young guys respond to varsity starts, but I think the biggest area of improvement will be overall team speed.

 

The schedule:

 

1.Williamsburg

2.Wayne County

3.Cawood

4.McCreary Co.

5.Madison So.

6.Perry Central

7.Letcher Co.

8.Clay Co.

9.Bell Co.

10.Rockcastle Co.

 

The last six are district games. In a district such as this, some very good football teams are going to be staying home come playoff time.

I think that Knox Central has a really good shot of being the #4 team in this district.

 

Personally, I think that Rockcastle County, Bell County, Clay County & Knox Central will make the playoffs and finish the district in the order that I stated. With that being said, Knox Central IMO will be traveling to Rockcastle County in the first round of the district tournament. I'm calling them district tournaments cause you only play district teams in the first two rounds.

 

Coach Mills seems to finally have his philosophy instilled into his players. He and his staff look to have done a marvelous job with what they've been given to start out with.