Final.

 

Impressive win for Ballard!

Expected Ballard to win, but definitely not by this much. Good win for Ballard to get back on there feet especially after last weeks thumping by Male.

South offense is still coming around.   Dragon faithful will just need to be patient - you can't go to a new offense (and face two highly-ranked teams on the road in 3A #1 CAL and 6A #7 Ballard in the first three games!) and expect magic right off the bat.

I think South still likely finishes with a winning record, wins their district, and probably goes at least three rounds into the playoffs.    The Dragons have a tremendous line to build an offense behind, and the consistency in the coaching staff - everyone returns to the coaching staff from last year - is an ace in the hole.

I've watched Jamie Reed's teams since he arrived in Crestwood, and I would never count this gentleman's teams out - certainly not this early.

Timing is still an issue between QB Devlin McGee and his receivers, but that will come with time, and McGee will benefit from these first three games against some really tough competition.     He has some solid receivers to work with.    I expect this South offense to show some significant improvements soon...

The defense gave up 41 points, but field position and a handful of big plays by Ballard were critical all night.     In fact, South's domination on defense in the first quarter was very impressive.    The defense's success will certainly improve as the offense is able to sustain more drives.

Really impressed by the Dragon fans who travelled down highway 22 for the game; South had a nice-sized crowd on hand.    Really proud of the Crestwood Crew who were there to support their team.

I liked Ballard's backups - backup QB Hawkins and backup RB Elliott (freshman!) were very impressive in the win; Hawkins was elusive and pinpoint with his throws, and Elliott was "smoke" - his "escapability" and ability to change directions was problematic for SO all night.    Ballard rotated both in much of the night, and both were more successful against South than the starters were.

The Marrero kid is the real deal for Ballard.   Scary quick, and very dangerous in the open field.

Many thanks to the athletic director Chris Kinney at Ballard for the hospitality!   The new Ballard stadium is very, very nice.

CM