On 8/21/2025 at 2:55 PM, theguru said:

Bump.

Heck, I had a whole thread predicting the Rams go undefeated in 2025, how could I predict anything but.  

But, it's true, the Rams beat the Tomcats in Ashland this year.  

Ashland leads the series 24-10 with Ashland getting the first 8 wins from 1948-1990.

Raceland got their first win in 1991 with Ashland coming off of a State Championship in 1990.  Raceland upset the Tomcats 14-13 in Ashland. 

Raceland's best run was three wins in a row from 2006-2008.  Prompting one of my favorite local football quotes.  While attending a QB camp with his starting QB, Ashland Head Coach Leon Heart was asked what he hoped to get from the camp, and Coach Heart said, "I want to beat a little school named Raceland".   @ChiefSmoke may remember that.  

The 100th year of Raceland Football starts in one hour and 45 minutes.  

4 hours ago, rerun said:

That was a playoff game that Ashland won by a bunch. The officials were from a "galaxy far, far away". Coach Tackett told them it wasn't a TD but it was a moot point. I just wrote a book sized response and then deleted it but...long story short...my Stats classes over the years collected data and tried to find statistical significance to justify home cooking at many local schools but we just couldn't find anything to support it. We would manipulate values to try to get some type of ordering at very low levels of significance and Blazer usually fell mid-pack. Which means nothing given the manipulation. When we lose it's human nature to find a reason and officials are at the front lines of the blame game. There isn't a school out there that hasn't had a memorable big call go against them, and just like with the example here, the official made the incompetent call due to...incompetence...not favoritism. Is it always incompetence? No, just human error, and from the data we collected, consistent and non-directed human error.

And hey, I got Raceland in this one. Ashland just has too many issues at the QB position. Both young men in the running for the starting job are great kids and both will make fine QB's but it's just too much pressure this early. 

 

In all seriousness, I agree with your assessment. "Home cooking" is between the ears 99.9% of the time. I just like to rib the local rivals sometimes. 

T-minus 15 minutes.  Putnam Stadium looks good for the opener.

 

Look for Ashland to start off slow with the run game to give Hughes some time to get acclimated.  

Raceland will likely come out and pound it on the ground, but I look for some early screens and short passing game to loosen up the Ashland defense.  

"No one talks about us being a small school, we line up 11 and play football". 

----Raceland Head Coach, Mike Salmons 

Raceland to receive the opening kickoff. 

Raceland takes at the 5, returned to the 34.  

Flag, holding Raceland and Facemask Ashland, replay opening kickoff. 

Teed up again with 6 seconds gone. 

Raceland takes at the 5, returned to the 29 by Vanderhoof. 

1st and 10 Raceland. 

Single back, give to Stiltner for 71

TD Raceland 

XP by Waller good

Raceland 7

Ashland 0

11:36 to go

Waller's kick to the 5, return to the Ashland 30.

1st and 10 Ashland

Single back, Hughes at QB, screen to Lyons in the dirt, incomplete

2nd and 10 Ashland from their own 30

Single back, 3 and in complete.

3rd and 7 Ashland