happy ol' dad

Well after Ashland got the brakes beat off of them tonight this is what happens. I let the coaches do the coaching and we got beat 41-6. Maybe we can practice again like we did last week and look forward to basketball season... Way to go Harte....

This is what happens when you dont practice in pads all week... Very ugly game by the Cats..

I totally agree with you on this. Raceland has the best coaching staff among the local teams...

Valid point but our team can use alittle more practice tackling and tonights game is very important because it is the district championship and determines the seedings for the playoffs..

From what I take is that he is saying that Highlands is at a disadvantage for not playing the best teams in the state. It only makes the team and the players better...

POY in mu opinion...

So I hear the team I support practiced without pads all week long. After talking to several Ashland fans this last week we really couldnt come up with a valid reason to why this is. I was wondering if I could get some different opinions frm the posters on here...

Now I am a very loyal Ashland fan, but since they didnt practice at all this week in pads that the reason I first went with JC to win but here it is gameday at 430 and I am going to change and go with Ashland 27 JC 14

Russel 24 Raceland 17 Heading to Putnam to tailgate....

Highlands does have smaller enrollment, but they do pull players from the surrounding area due to the history of their program. Isn't Lorenzon from Independence? Didn't he grow up in the SK program? That's just one example. Derek Smith was from Russell if I remember correctly. Moved there, and chose highlands due to their history. Which is no problem imo, I would do the same probably. One thing I will say though is that Bryan Station, who the article uses as comparison will be moving on to 6A next year correct?

Good question.. Why not 6a?

I dont think we (Ashland) would be as good of a team if we had 4A district oppenents this year. Playing in the district that we are in has made us a better team. I believe that it has to do with money.

The good thing about tonight's game is the large crowd will be able to see all the action this year. Last year I heard there wasn't enough seating for such a large crowd.

An update on David Bailey: I know his brother very well. He is still out with grade 3 turf toe. Will not be playing tonight, I saw someone stated that he would be, however, I just confirmed the opposite.

I do give Raceland plenty of credit, and after reading my post it seems I came off a little bit to harsh. I enjoy watching the Raceland program grow. It's more based on personal communications out on the town with Raceland supporters, than on here. It seems like most/all pretty much, Raceland supporters want to hinge 50+ years of football history and tradition into one season because Raceland is very good this year, and Ashland and Russell are not what they should/could be. Although Ashland has really picked up their play this season. It just seems from talking to many Raceland fans, if they win tonight, then they are suddenly the best football school in the area. Now I'm not saying any of you Raceland posters feel that way, but you all are a small fraction of the fans, and seem to be more level headed than most I run into. Especially those 30 and under. I am an Ashland supporter btw, but it seems to me that most of the Raceland fans have been pulling and choosing against Russell in every game this year. I have not seen or heard that from any of the Russell fans.

Also, I would like to ask why anyone is even responding to TheBurnOut? He is obviously just trying to inflame the thread.

Ashland is opposite Highlands district. Russell used to be opposite Boyle Co. and Lex Cath. Opposite Belfry now. If Raceland would have played up to 2A they would have had first round games against either of those teams assuming they would have been in Russell's district, so again, they would exit first round. I highly doubt #4 in Beechwood's district has ever been better than Russell or Ashalnd, except maybe the 97 season for Russell or last year for Ashland, and that is still doubtful.

Well hopefully this year Raceland can win their first Regional title. I know you have pride in your school and that is great, but didn't the last team to go undefeated for Raceland lose in the first round of the playoffs? Like I said Raceland has had some really good teams, but they have also had some really really bad ones, Russell and Ashland have had bad years, but 1 about every 20 is about the average for them. Even in down years sometimes Russell or Ashland still make it to a Regional championship game. I think you all will make it to Louisville this year, I hope so anyways. When I see people bragging about tradition, they should do it on a week when they are not going up against Russell. win or lose tonight, it means nothing if Russell wins the next 25 meetings between the teams. Russell has some very very talented players coming up, as does Ashland, I believe area football is going back to where it was 4-10 years ago as far as talent level.

I still say Raceland is heavily favored in this game. Russell's best playmaker is out for the game. For a team with little depth, that is really going to hurt their offensive production. I was checking their site, and Bailey averages nearly 40yds per kickoff return. Thats gonna be a huge difference is starting field position. Also around 45yds per punt, with a long of 69. Thats a big difference in starting field position for Raceland. It would essentially be like Raceland coming in without Carver or Denton, but they also have ST responsibilities.

The sad thing is both schools are going to get creamed by Highlands, a school half their size and not a private school.

I hear Bailey still won't be healthy enough to play. That basically takes away the big play capability of Russell, recieveing, rushing, and kick returns. Also probably the best punter in the area and maybe the state, with a couple 50+ and one 69 yarder. It also means Raceland will only have to stop Abrams to win. So Raceland should come away with this one.

Raceland has had a couple of good teams the last couple of years. I don't think this suddenly turns into a great program over the course of a great group of kids coming through, does raceland even have a district Championship? Hopefully Raceland will become a better overall program after this season, but from the looks of things it will go back to the old Raceland who will get manhandled by most schools in the area year in and year out. So while most people feel Raceland should win this game and have a good post season, I'd say over the next 10 years they will be lucky to keep within 150 total points with either Ashland or Russell.

Raceland has not played a tougher schedule imo. A few weeks ago you could say that. Not now, Russell's last two games have been against quality opponents. SK has really improved, and Mason is a very solid team aslo. Racelands only challenge other than Ashland is LCA who has been manhandled by Corbin and Breathitt and been shown not to be that great of a team.

Mason is much improved since early in the season. They should roll to the third round. Russell won every statistical category, but lost the all important scoreboard one. Still at a loss for why Ivan tried throwing so much in the pouring rain, with they best playmaker Bailey out of the game, especially when averaging almost 7 yds a carry.

Rams should take this one by 14 or more. Russell's D just isn't there. Offensively they don't have Bailey, who is their biggest play maker and really hurt the Rams last year. Although Russell has played 2 very good teams the last 2 weeks while Raceland has played cupcakes. Russell is coming off a loss where they won every statistical category but loss on the scoreboard where it counts. I still can't believe they passed more in that game, then they had all season. Especially averaging 7 yards a carry. Talent wise, Russell has some very talented players. Miller, Dillon, Bailey and Abrams all stick out to me. However, there is a dropoff after those guys that the recent teams for Russell didn't have. I hear alot of comments about the Ashland-Russell game. Conditioning is a factor for Russell. Proof of that is 6-3 @ halftime with Ashland, with Russell then fumbling the kickoff and the tomcats capitolizing, then you just saw all the energy drain from them. Ashland is the better team and took the game late. If Raceland can come out and suck the enrgy out of Henry R. Evans stadium and the Russell players they should win. Russell and their offense under McGlone is not the type of team that can make comebacks. Actually traditionally they are like UK in that they always allow for great comebacks against them.