bjaynes

Jim Schue, my comments above were based on...1) BW was not beaten, so I do not understand the comment, "showed that they can be beaten". 2) Stringer is already neutralized and 3) BW only scored 3 TDs against LHC. How could they rattle off 4? But yes, this game could go either way. Both teams are formidable.

Last week's game showed that Beechwood can be beaten? Huh?? They won, and gave up only 9 points that they basically set up themselves and in a regional final. And neutralizing Stringer? I would love to hear more about that. And...... I am missing the 4th TD that BW rattled off against LHC.

Nobody has stated that the field conditions played to advantage to anyone. Facts about the condition of the field were stated. That's it. It was different, that's all. Let's all stop trying to read more into it than there is. Beechwood won by the margin that they deserved. In the playoffs, one point is enough to play another day.

I must clarify that I was not trashing the HC field. My comment about the color was because frankly, it was unusual. It's like many of the lawns that I have seen. The grass is still there, it's just not green. In no way was I making an excuse for the poor play of BW in the beginning on the field conditions. The footing was not great and that was a fact, not an excuse. Both teams need to work with that. BW's early woes were simply an execution issue. The visitor's bleachers, though aluminum, were hard to negotiate and appeared slippery. I saw 3 people fall including a little boy who fell between 2 rows and went down below. If that was higher up he could have been seriously hurt. The planks to walk on were wobbly and there was no walkways to get to higher rows. The good folks at HC need to take a harder look at the condition of these before anyone gets hurt. And kudos to the fight that HC put up. Nothing was easy in this game and BW needed this especially when there is no tomorrow.

Yes folks, BW struggled at RB. It was more glaring because of the fumbles. But let's be honest with ourselves. HC dared the Tigers to run with 6 in the box and we continued to pound the middle straight on with little success. Ethan is a huge loss but he would have faced the same numbers up front. It's hard to say what the results would have been. Maybe a few more traps and counters "might" have worked. Even Slusher had rough sledding when he ran the ball. Pocket passing was even more difficult with the tremendous rush. If BW sees this type of strategy again they will be better prepared. Will the Tigers mix it up and try Davis at RB? He was the second leading rusher for the Tigers this year if the stats are correct. HC was not going to give up the runs so take what they do give you. BW has enough weapons to adjust and do this without panicking.

The field looked like Clifford the Big Red Dog relieved himself on it. About 85% yellow and 15% green. The footing was very suspect. Visitor's bleachers were in terrible shape. But this is what builds character, right? I will keep telling myself this.

I could either be at the BW/LHC game or in a nearby Louisville hospital. This all depends at what juncture does Cougars C/O 2017 plan on beating up us Beechwood boys. We are really nervous about making the trip over.

Let's not discount the running ability of Kyle Fieger in short yardage situations. You might see some designed plays to take advantage of this. You might see some Wildcat as well and leveraging a good tight end always helps when you need possession plays. I also like young James Davis's explosiveness out of the backfield. He is green but it might keep the HC D on their toes with another capable back in there. Then again, this is all Xbox One stuff if Ethan is ready to go.

I think we all expected to see Ethan jump right up and get back in the game Friday. It was just a couple of weeks ago that he was helped off the field and it looked bad. A couple of drives later he was back in and ripped off a 70 yarder for a TD on his first carry back in. #17 has run harder this year than I have ever seen him. He does not give in easily and that might make him more vulnerable to injury. He seems on a mission and if any player has the will to get back in the line-up and contribute it is Ethan. Ethan states that he will be fine and not to worry about him. If he is sidelined at all he will be right there making sure every Tiger lays it all out on the field. And a big congrats to Ethan and fellow Tiger baseballer Brayden Combs who both signed their D1 letters of intent.

Now we have the acknowledgement of Kyle Fieger's feat with some "....but" statements attached. I get that. Can anyone out there with access to stats find out what the number of pass attempts in the careers of Fieger, Guidugli, Towles and Lorenzen are? That way, it will not matter how many quarters were played and would make for an interesting comparison.

I agree with QS that the QB getting direct instruction and plays at the sideline obviously works for some and other teams choose differently.....which QS pointed out. What some folks do not understand is the writing style of QS. It is not the most conversational and sometimes comes across as condescending. That's not the case. QS has a well informed perspective of the HS game and when shared is a benefit to the readers. Being a benefit does not mean you have to agree with QS, just understand the framework which the information is presented.

My oldest daughter's high school up in Michigan had their QB run to the sideline for the plays. Did not affect them one bit. The last 2 years they won the Division 1 (6A in KY) state title.

Ok, I am confused. Who is OP? And the post congratulating Kyle was by me, not Oldercoach. Why is Oldercoach all of a sudden getting his rear end handed to him?

How about a big shout out to BW's Kyle Fieger who broke the career TD pass mark for NKY last night. The record was previously held by Gino Guidugli of Highlands. Kyle needed one TD pass last night to break the record and secured it with 4. He is also knocking on the door of the all time yardage record in NKY and is clustered in a group consisting of Guidugli, Jared Lorenzen and Patrick Towles. Congrats Kyle.

I would take Lawrence from NCC and stick him on Beechwood's line. The line gets stronger and deeper. I am fine with Fieger, Stringer and Slusher right where they are.

A couple of side notes to this game. To enter the field prior to kickoff, Beechwood honored tradition by coming down the walkway from the rear of the school where the old locker room used to be and where they came from when they last won a state title. They returned to the field house at halftime. Also, Mescher did the kicking and did a fine job filling in for German who I heard broke his leg in a car accident. I was surprised to see the Bred's kicker miss his FG attempt. He put on quite a show at halftime booming them from over 50 yards on a consistent basis. He was the only player on the field for about 5 minutes and since the band was out of town it provided the fans with a little entertainment. Kid has a leg and so does the NCC punter. They might be one in the same. I did not pay attention to the jersey number as I was too busy watching the kicks.

As NCC will have their hands full stopping Slusher, Stringer and Fieger and some Justice and Castleman thrown in for good measure.

Thanks Eye. I am surprised based on how he went down. Good for him. Hate to see any youngster with a significant injury.

Michigan DID NOT beat MSU. They lost. MSU had everyone in the box and took advantage of the punter's miscue that happened in regulation time. Botched punts returned for TDs have happened many times before. Just because this one took place with 10 seconds does change who won and who lost. Any other reasoning is ridiculous. MSU had the stats advantage including the final score.

Oldrambler summed up my thoughts in his post above. There are so many "what ifs" in game that it makes your head spin to think about them. What if the snap was not low, what if they ran instead of punted, what if he fell on the ball, etc, etc. So this young lad will have to live with the "what if" that changed the game on an instant. My guess is that he will get over it much sooner than the people who's life is defined by a Michigan victory or a Michigan loss. The punter is a student athlete getting an education at a top notch university. His job is not to define the happiness or sorrow of individuals that frame their lives around sporting events. If he had gotten the punt off you would not even remember his name, ever.

Any word on Blackburn the Ludlow QB? He had a lower leg injury and was screaming in pain so loud it could be heard through the stands. Very upsetting to see and hear. He is such a load to bring down that he often takes many shots from multiple tacklers. I hope he is ok.

How did Beechwood get into this thread?

Slusher.

I am sure that SKNeer is noodling on the next stream of anti-Beechwood comments. My guess is that he is still stewing over the 28-0 butt whipping that BW put on his Neers a couple of years ago at the varsity level. BW should have probably ducked that game as the competition was not very good.

Cakes? Have not heard that since my high school days in Dearborn, MI. So what is Ludlow referred as?