No offense but a "young secondary unable to contain Howard and Jones" would never have to be an issue if the running backs didn't get into the second level in the first place. Last year there was no such thing as the second level for Belfry as Wills and company just thoroughly took over. In that '04 games two things became very evident to me:

 

1) Russell never established a positive surge on the line into the Pirate backfield, at the very best they were meeting the Belfry backs at the line of scrimmage and Belfry was then using momentum to surge forward for yards.

 

2) By late 3rd quarter the Devil line was physically exhausted and demoralized and that's when Belfry put an uncertain game away.

 

 

And for the record, as a Belfry fan I think it is a shame that the game has to be played at CAM again this year. But, now that it is done I ain't going to argue HAHA.

 

Well, let's just say that when a certain coach says the defensive line pretty much did their job and that the biggest problem was at LB and especially the young guys in the secondary, I'll take his word over any others...:thumb:

I agree with EKU5 on line of scrimmage in '04 .. We all agree someone will step up ... Ivan and staff play alot of kids so to guarantee the "beat goes on " ..

Backing up to '04 for just a minute , Russell had the kids to compete on D with Belfry , the trade off was number of kids on the field and at which positions. I believe if staff just pointed to one season / one game and not a on going program , Devils best possible 11 could have made the '04 Belfry game really interesting ...

Loss to Belfry in '04 was hard to take ( because we had the kids ) , but those kids who got experience by fire sustained a level of play that carried over into a '05 State Championship .... Now that's a program ...

 

 

First, did the Pirates' play with 12?

 

Second, are you implying that the coaches didn't have their best 11 on the field for that game, your post seemed a bit confusing and I'm not exactly sure what you meant. If that is your implication, I would have to question your knowledge of the game and of the coaching staff.

Bottom line Devils could not tackle Jones and Howard after they broke through the line. Add in a couple turnovers and Belfry won the game.

The 2002 team was the best of this decade IMO.

The Breathitt game was the toughest pill to swallow.

Bottom line Devils could not tackle Jones and Howard after they broke through the line. Add in a couple turnovers and Belfry won the game.

The 2002 team was the best of this decade IMO.

The Breathitt game was the toughest pill to swallow.

 

That '02 Breathitt team was an absolute buzzsaw, for Russell to lose that game the way they did speaks volumes for how good that team was. Belfry had a really good team that year and got beat in 3 feet of mud at Death Valley in a game that they had the ball with a chance to win in the last minute and a half, but in about a 30 second span the Pirates threw two INT's that were returned for TD's. That Belfry team featured Jonah Caudill and Doug Howard in the backfield, Belfry's top two leading rushers of all time.

 

It's also my opinion that the '04 Russell team with Gross was the best offensive team I have seen out of Russell in this 5 year stretch.They ran that Wing T to absolute perfection, and in that Belfry game the Pirates never really proved they could stop them, just came up with crucial fumbles and big hits when needed.

If this would have been last year I would have said that Tilghman had a chance to make a little noise down here in the west...but with the graduation of their only two playmakers from last year in David Jones and Michael Jones...I don't see Tilghman making it to the carpet...granted they will have speed and more speed...but unless they can find a QB and proven running back...I don't see them making it past the regional finals...but the season has not started yet and a lot of playing to be done between now and then.

If this would have been last year I would have said that Tilghman had a chance to make a little noise down here in the west...but with the graduation of their only two playmakers from last year in David Jones and Michael Jones...I don't see Tilghman making it to the carpet...granted they will have speed and more speed...but unless they can find a QB and proven running back...I don't see them making it past the regional finals...but the season has not started yet and a lot of playing to be done between now and then.

Of course, Tilghman's playoff road won't be nearly as tough as it was in the old 3A. I'll be shocked if Tilghman isn't playing Louisville Central in the semifinals.

Russell has owned the overall series with Mason County losing to the Royals once or twice overall. This includes two wins over the highly rated 2002 Mason County Team with Grutza and Lofton (regular season and regional championship). No, Russell is not the defending champion and I never said they were, but if you look back at one of my earlier posts, I correctly stated that they are the ONLY team in this new division to play in Louisville the last two years. That and the fact they are an excellent team with top notch coaching makes them a favorite in my opinion. I said I expect Russell to be in Louisville again and I believe the eastern side of the state is stronger at this level than the west. Who Russell did or did not have to play last year makes no difference. I don't see ANY of the teams you mentioned keeping them from the carpet and I don't think the west is stronger, we don't know too much about those teams really so I could be wrong...but I don't think I am...:thumb:

The difference this year in Mason is that their defensive line which has three quality college prospects that are huge and very athletic two defensive tackles Brace 6'2 265lbs,Huron 6'1 260 and de,lb Tolle 6'2 215 that will be able to contain the line of scrimmages all have at least started 2 years in the old 3a and have lots of experience against quality opponets and everyone knows Mason can score.

Seems like the last two times Russell and Mason played, the Royals had a little trouble finding paydirt...12-7 and 11-8...and that was with Lofton and Grutza...:thumb:

Gotta agree with ripcity, the Mason County d-line has battled the best the likes of Ashland, Boyd, and Johnson Central fielded the last couple years. That experience is invaluable, trust me, the whole Mason County defense will be ready for the new 3A. If i remember correctly, Russel had 1 loss in 2005 on their way to the championship (Boyd 33-14). Mason county beat Boyd that year 40-28. Brace and Huron played in that game. Mason County will definately make some noise this year.

Looking forward to playing Mason again ... they can beat the Devils , several on this years schedule who can certainly makes for lot better games...

3a is a welcomes change ... Seats on the visitor side are closer to the field , no track in between , from years past Mason is well coached and has some nice kids ....

The Russell/Mason game will be a good one. Where will it be played this year?

The Russell/Mason game will be a good one. Where will it be played this year?

Mason County will be at home versus Russell.:thumb:

Mason County will be at home versus Russell.:thumb:

 

 

Thank you. I probably won't get to see it then - but, I'll be very interested in the results.

Gotta agree with ripcity, the Mason County d-line has battled the best the likes of Ashland, Boyd, and Johnson Central fielded the last couple years. That experience is invaluable, trust me, the whole Mason County defense will be ready for the new 3A. If i remember correctly, Russell had 1 loss in 2005 on their way to the championship (Boyd 33-14). Mason County beat Boyd that year 40-28. Brace and Huron played in that game. Mason County will definately make some noise this year.

 

And that same year (2005), Russell beat Ashland 21-13 while the same Tomcat team beat the Royals 26-13. Both Russell and Mason won easily over Greenup.

 

Going a little more recent...last season, Mason just got by Boyd County 19-14 while Russell shutout them out en route to a 35-0 thumping.

 

Versus Greenup County, Russell won convincingly 33-6 while the Royals again squeaked by 7-0.

 

Versus Ashland, Russell fell 24-21 in 3 OT's while Mason went down in regulation losing 20-13.

 

I'm assuming Brace and Huron played in these games as well.

 

Any other scores you care to compare???

The Mason County/Russell game should be a good one. I wouldn't be suprised if Mason beat Russell. I really think the game could go either way. If Russell's team thinks like a few of their fans they will be watching from the stands.