Mama Bear

The scrimmage against Knox Central was just that, a scrimmage. Although that is true, all teams across kentucky had things that they saw that they need to work on. I personally dont think HC's pass coverage was lacking that much, being that they held Knox to zero points until there was 9 seconds remaining in a twenty minute game. There was alot of kids in and out. They had a pretty good running game and passing game, but very little shown as we all had figured prior to the scrimmage. GO BLACK BEAR NATION. :ylsuper:

That's what I was thinking. I remember seeing Sophmore Dylan Smith #4 in. He is just a Sophmore though.

I really don't think the Freshmen team will lose a game this year. They looked good. The good thing about this scrimmage is that we all know that the Black Bears are only gonna get better as the season goes on! They got all of their first game jitters out of the way and my guess is that next week we will witness a full on assault!:ylsuper: I heard that Grillzilla might make an appearance over at LCC next week. Can't wait!

High paw back atcha Bayshore. We need to get a couple of more companies on board and we will be playing at Rosspoint next year. I really think that it's just a matter of getting out and asking around. The community support for the school and even the football team has just been overwhelming. Ross Kegan is a man of his word and Black Mountain Resources has never given a donation this large before. They "get" the big picture. They realize that it's an investment into their workforce. Not everybody wants to go to college and coal miners make a good wage, as they should. They need smart, strong, healthy, and drug free employees to mine their coal. This is a chance to invest into their future and also a chance to show that "the company" really cares about the folks of our county. Anyone else interested...please make checks payable to...LOL Anyhow...back to the bears....

We hadn't made it in to the stadium area yet and all at once we heard a marching sound. The folks standing out in the parking lot all turned to see the Black Bears walking to the stadium 2 X 2, all 90 of them. It was something to hear the sound of those cleats clicking on the black top. There was the HUGE line of boys marching alomost in unison and they had their games faces on. The coaches were scattered about every 20 feet along side this long snake of Black Bear football players. I'm telling you...it was a moment.

They scored with 9 seconds left in that portion of the scrimmage. Gilliam is so fast. Wow! Lot's of kids were on and off the field tonight. I can't wait to get a roster to know who we are looking at. The bear's looked good. When they all came marching into that stadium, I got goose bumps. Tonight they dressed everybody and I think most everybody played. I thought the crowd was even awe struck by the sheer amount of kids. I'm sure Larkey will fine tune any weaknesses he saw tonight. The Williamsburg portion of the scrimmage was played against mostly JV and Freshmen. The Black Bear's have talent. Coach Larkey will use it. I thought we had a really big crowd for a scrimmage. Knox Central has nice facilities. Can't wait till next Friday!:banana:

So how will this work? Will there be 3 games that night? Will one team play twice?

Some things are hard to understand in life. I hope that these young men will group together during this most difficult time and bind together as a team. Honor your friend and team mate by leaning on each other and doing your very best. All our love and prayers from Harlan County. I hope God will comfort the family and friends of this young man.

I agree 100% Scatbackskin2.:thumb: Not only that, but most of his staff attended also. These coaches are putting in a lot of hours to build the Black Bear nation and they are appreciated! It has to be encouraging to the kids coming up thru the feeder programs that somebody is interested in them. I would think its encouraging to the coaches in those programs also. I know the parents appreciate them! I wish Rockcastle the best this season! It's my understanding that their program was left in very capable hands and I hope they will continue to have success. I think most of Harlan County pulled for Rockcastle because of the hometown connection. I gotta admit I feel a teeny tiny bit guilty because we have him now. He sure has made an impact on our football program and we haven't even played a game yet.

OK Everybody has had their "quite time". We've got the Grid coming up on the 22nd (Knox Co.) and we will be heading across Whitesburg Mountain on the 29th. (Letcher County Central) It's almost here!!! Some of the positions should have been decided since camp. So where are we at as a team? The kids I have talked to just seem really confident right now about their team and about their coaches. I can not wait!:banana:

:ylsuper:

I saw him practicing last week. If he weren't, I'd say somebody would be knocking his door down to get him to come out. Good kid! Glad he's a Black Bear!

How bout that?! Getting a little love from Bell County!! LOL :ylsuper:

I'm thinking #9 is a good starting point for our Black Bears! :dancingpa

(He didn't really sing.)

This is a valid point. The boys that I have talked to seem to have complete faith in their coaching staff and have enjoyed the enthusiasm and excitement happening at practice. I'm tickled for them to get out of town and "bond" at camp next week. Coach Larkey knows how to win and will lead them. (Plus he has a lovely singing voice if you missed it.):jump:

Would you place them in a mountain top 10? What affect, if any, do you think that rankings have on a team's psyche? What affect, if any, do you think it will have on our team?

People from all over the county came out to support the Black Bears today. We may have to do this again. How about those Harlan County Ridge Runners staying up all night roasting those two hogs?! I've decided this is the only way to eat pork from now on! lol This was a good send off for the boys to go to camp on. Here's what you missed:

:thumb:

I'm not giving in to the negativity. Let's stay positive for our boys sake! So did they suit up today or not? whispers a little louder...... Go Black Bears!

Who brought down the thunder in practice today? Did anybody get a lil wet?

Hmmmmm Could it be another quarter backs? Two QB's co-MVP's? Maybe..Dondi Noah??

Harlan County, home of the coal monument, the blow up teddy bear doll, the demise of Kentucky football, and the singing Coach!! :jump:

1.Belfry Everybody else. I just wanted folks to see where we were coming from, just to add upon what you were saying. Again, I apologize if our enthusiasm has offended anyone. (whispers...go black bears)

We haven't had a whole heck of alot to be excited about in years. The whole consolidation process has been a fight. Wondering who was gonna get what coaching job, who was gonna be hired for this position or that one, and I wonder if the kids from one certain school or the other are gonna have preferential treatment, wonder if this kid or that one will transfer because of the consolidation, ect.....it's kinda been like living in a pressure cooker here in Harlan. FINALLY they have the school built and it really is gonna happen. It's been a long time coming. We adults are trying to set the example for the kids that we can work together and get along. Football happens before school starts. These boys have the opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the student body. There's nothing more exciting for a community than to get together and cheer for your home team. Now Harlan County has ONE team to cheer for. IF our enthusiasm is over the top or regarded as some kind of arrogance, I apologize for all of us. I don't understand why we are playing 3A teams this year. If the shoe were on the other foot, we'd probably be griping about it. I don't know to what extent because we are just glad to be where we are. I think that hiring someone that is success and someone who would be percieved by ALL to be impartial was very important. This football team and the football games are about more than just football. Again if our enthusiasm is offensive, then please forgive. We are happy that things are going so well. We've got a community working together. Do I realistically think that our football team could win the state? Not really. Even more than that, I think most of us really just want to see the kids get along and FEEL successful. Is it fair? Nope.