RH1183

Cooper: Branden Hermes(Beechwood)

Braden Hermes lives in Rabbit Hash....was scheduled to attend Cooper. He attended Beechwood after the 8th grade. He did NOT transfer.

Congrats to all the kids who have committed to colleges to continue their athletic careers. I do find it interesting that most of the KY kids stay in-state at small colleges. Very few venture out of state. Is that because the offers aren't there because out-of-state schools don't look at our players, our players are Mama's boys and don't want to take the leap of broadening their horizons, or Kentucky just doesn't have talent to compete outside of Kentucky? Thoughts?

The division 2 and 3 schools cannot compete offer wise with in state NAIA schools....NAIA can offer football money as well as acdemic money. And they pretty much play the same brand of football.

I have heard about plans of some of the Beechwood kids. Wont mention them until it comes out....Hermes has signed with Georgetown as a Dlineman.

Ryle

Jacob Hiles....Lindsey Wilson

Beechwood

Braden Hermes....Georgetown

One kid that hasnt recieved a lot of credit for his contributions is Braden Hermes of Beechwood. He saw some duty as a junior but played both ways as a senior. He and Justin Overstreet were powerful run blockers and played very well off each other on the d line in the middle. He is a tough kid who ate double teams and still managed to make some big plays for his team. Justin and Braden played very well together on both sides of the ball

Lol! If you want to use that excuse, our QB, who is only15 through three tds on your defense so that theory is out the door. Then, if you want to consider our starting OT was out mid season forward . Would he have scored tds? Not likely, however, he certainly would have done his part for Daric Pugh, and other backs to score. The fact is, the coaching staff took up the slack by replacing him. Also consider one of our Wr was out with an injury. would he have scored points and done his part? Very likely. The point is, it's a Beechwood problem. Pikeville adjusted to those discrepancies through the remainder of the season, and went on to win the 1-A championship. Some of you Beechwood fans can whine and make excuses from now til next season and beyond. Pikeville lined up and played what was put in front of them and won. These are the facts.

Wow. Pump the breaks. I see NOBODY making excuses....maybe still smarting a bit and soothing the soul...nothing but respect given to Pville. Why make it ugly?

I dont think any Beechwood fans are taking anything away from Pikeville...they won the game. I especially aplaud the gut check shown when Beechwood took the lead and had the momentum on thier side.... With that being said... Beechwood being without Stringer is one thing...they had adapted to that for 3 weeks and were able to win while showing some creativity on the offensive side of the ball. The big loss comes from loosing Soward. As the starting fullback he was a viable option out of the backfield...running catching and blocking. Defensively he was a linebacker with primary responsibility in stopping the run. Beechwood had not been able to adequately address that loss. Yes....they had more kids dress because off a bunch of freshman. These are not excuses. Just facts. Pikeville was able to win the game and they were the better team that night Pikeville deserved to win and my hat goes off for them. They were able to adapt and overcome the adversities that arise during a championship run. The 3rd down play late in the 3rd quarter was the key. Beechwood blitzed and Pikeville caught them in it with a swing pass which went about 70 for a score. Everything changed after that play. Truely a classic game.

If that's the case, I submit to you the reason Beechwood lost then, is not the absence of Stringer and Sowards, he failure to develop depth behind them that didn't result in such an immense drop in size/depth behind Stringer.

 

Look, we can debate the ifs and buts all off season. At the end of the day, Beechwood had more players on the roster than Pikeville did, so in theory, they should have been better able to absorb the loss of a player or two due to injury than Pikeville would. So you've got a disparity in impact immediately there. Then factor in that they were without Stringer for 4 weeks I believe? That's a failure of coaching to not have been better able to adapt to the loss.

 

Pikeville won, it's time to drop the talk (by both sides) of "if so and so weren't out". Congratulations to Beechwood on an outstanding season. They were extremely worthy opponents and I have a ton of respect for them and the program.

I will respond to the notion of the QB panicking only because I overheard the same thing at the game Thursday night. I can see the perception of panic because of the timing of specific interceptions where the ball seemed forced and was ill advised. Last year's Mayfield game and the interception deep in Pikeville territory were very similar and all were drive killers and possible game changers. Because this QB is so very accurate and has thrown very few interceptions the picks in big games are magnified and come under more scrutiny. Give some credit to the Mayfield and Pikeville defenses though. What was available with other defenses was not available in these games. You cannot expect a teenager to make the same reads as a seasoned veteran that does this for a living.......and still makes misreads. Instead of labeling this young man as a "panic" QB why don't we marvel at what he has done for 3 plus years? Lest we not forget these are just kids that we are posting about.

The QB mistakes that occur in any game are magnified because of the impact they have during a game. Kyle Fieger didnt play his best game and Im sure he would be the first to admit that....but I gaurentee you that his team mates would say the same thing and shoulder the blame. This group of seniors played thier butts off for 4 years... They erned the right to play in this game and came up short....This was a TEAM loss not an individual loss.

These seniors will not make excuses. Every team is nicked up this time of year. Not having your starting backfield and two thirds of your linebackers is part of it. Improvise adapt and overcome. Unfortunately these kids fell short.

Congrats to Pikeville. The better team won. It was a game of momentum swings. I credit Beechwood with getting off the mat after the first quarter...with that being said, Pikeville was also punched in the gut falling behind in the 3rd quarter. 4th quarter begining all tied I liked the Tigers chances but Pikeville adjusted and executed and Beechwood did not. Tough loss for these seniors.

I will say that Pugh is an awesome back and the blocking scheme was dominate most of the night. The Beechwood line could not take control and keep it lastnight. The only other game for them this year where that was the case was a loss.

Great season. This loss will sting for these departing kids... Those who are returning next year shall learn from this one and come back strong

Mean while.... Back at the ranch

A short weeks preparation is virtually complete. How will this long drive affect both teams?? What about the short week and being off schedule??? Does either side have the advantage???

:ohbrother: :lol2:

 

Take 2:

 

I don't know if Beechwood has a return for a TD this season. That is very unusual for them. They have the return men that can do it.

 

I think the key to the game is Beechwood's defensive line. If they control the line, Pikeville is in trouble. We won't know till they line up how that is going to work out.

I think they had a few this year....Newport game comes to mind.

VOR....It seems to be a commen them since the pre season... What was a huge question mark has been answered in every game this year. 13 times a good answer....1 not so good.

The line on both sides of the ball will dictate success. Oversteeet and Hermes will lead the charge with Rowe Benson Lang Sherron and Everett all playing tough and setting the tone. Good luck Tigers.

If NCC's QB is struggling to complete passes especially downfield, Smith wont have much success. The underneath and short routes haven't been a problem for the MF d this year. It's the downfield throws that have done the damage. I asked the question in the game thread and not really got an answer yet. Does the big QB have the ability to hurt a team running the ball?

He is able to extend plays as was stated. He is big and not easy to bring down. He was able to make some plays vs BW that way. He should not be under estimated

No reason either team or fan base shouldnt be proud of thier respective accomplishments. Its a long season full of ups and downs and unexpected advirsity. These two programs have made it through the gauntlet. The hope from here is that the weather is good and both teams remain as healthy as possible.

I believe the coaching staffs have mutual respect and have instilled this with the kids. With that being said....I think that Beechwoods senior class is on a mission. Most of them have seen playing time for four years now with the ultimate dissapointment at the end. They are hungry and eager to finish what they started as a freshman team. In the end... I think they prevail in a close game. Go TIGERS

This is intriguing...

 

Pikeville has a monster RB in Pugh, however Beechwood did a great job shutting down a couple big RBs they've faced this year. Can Pikeville pass the ball early?

 

Beechwood is also being held together by duct tape right now. Can they match Pikeville physically?

 

Key player in this one will be Cody Charles, if they have to rely on Pugh getting all the yards then I think Beechwood will win

Beechwood was a bit sluggish for their standards the past 2 rounds. This team was dominating during most of the season, and not to take anything away from Lou. HC and Russellville, but Beechwood didn't play their best football. Noel Rash said they were banged up a bit. You guys are thinking duct tape like Beechwood has no chance now. Not the case, but if Beechwood isn't as dominate like they've been most of the season, then Pikeville will make this an uncomfortable game

Nobody on the BW side expects anything less than a hard fought game. The short week is just that...a short week. Both teams have to deal with that...as well as the long drive.

This is intriguing...

 

Pikeville has a monster RB in Pugh, however Beechwood did a great job shutting down a couple big RBs they've faced this year. Can Pikeville pass the ball early?

 

Beechwood is also being held together by duct tape right now. Can they match Pikeville physically?

 

Key player in this one will be Cody Charles, if they have to rely on Pugh getting all the yards then I think Beechwood will win

Duct tape???? Maybe Rash will call off the game....hopefully the Freshman can hold thier own.

Dont worry about Beechwoods duct tape ...Im sure they will tell you its strong enough to hang another banner.

What a game. Both teams played hard to the finish. Fieger played great having time to throw most of the night. Slusher was awesome on both sides of the ball. Many contributions made by all Tigers. A true team win. The Line on both sides of the ball refused to let down. Overstreet was huge as well as Hermes and Rowe. Sherron and Benson made plays. Benson makes another clutch catch. The blocking on offense was good all night aginst mostly bigger kids. Will determination and "want to" came up big for thw Tigers.

technique and smarts are more advantageous than girth over the long haul....JMO

I would love for the Calpreps stats to be an all inclusive gaurentee....however those of us who have been watching the Tigers for a few years know this game will be yet another test of "Will". Will Beechwood be able to execute an offensive game plan minus a STUD running back...Will the Beechwood defense make the needed adjustments to limit the Russellville rushing attack. Will Russellville try to throw the ball? In my opinion you can throw comparisions and stats out the window. Who wants it more? Line play will dictate...

Beechwood will not take this game lightly. As has been the case many times this year....if the BW line can get some push offensively they will be tough to handle. Defensively....it comes down to the line getting off blocks and linebackers filling holes. This should be each teams toughest test this year. Hope for good weather. Im taking the WOOD in a close one.

thank you. I understand that our field isn't the best but I still dont believe one can just blame the field for performance.

Congrats to BW. They handled adversity. Senior leadership was needed to steady the ship. With Stringer being out and playing on a JUNK field....a few players were able to step up and make a difference. Lucas Benson came up big when they needed him on both sides of the ball. Dalton Everett made some defensive plays.

That first quarter was a prime example of shooting your self in the foot....the first quarter and a half was played inside the Beechwood 30 yd line. Holy cross looked to be in charge going up 9-0 ...although it could have.been much worse. The line play of Overstreet and Hermes on defense was huge.

Lastnight Bw needed to dig a little deep for answers with a poor start and they found it with Senior leadership. Slusher is always the best player on the field ...Fieger delivered some timely passes...Overstreet and Hermes took over the DLine which in my opinion was key in the game. I believe that when the going got tough...the tough got going. Great job Tigers

Failed to mention the adjustments made by the coaching staff.... Great job defensively as it looked like early on that HC would be able to throw the short pass all night with the QB running if flushed. BW linebackers got in sync with the line and gained control.

Correct. A huge point in the game. If they give it.....he will take it

Congrats to BW. They handled adversity. Senior leadership was needed to steady the ship. With Stringer being out and playing on a JUNK field....a few players were able to step up and make a difference. Lucas Benson came up big when they needed him on both sides of the ball. Dalton Everett made some defensive plays.

That first quarter was a prime example of shooting your self in the foot....the first quarter and a half was played inside the Beechwood 30 yd line. Holy cross looked to be in charge going up 9-0 ...although it could have.been much worse. The line play of Overstreet and Hermes on defense was huge.

Lastnight Bw needed to dig a little deep for answers with a poor start and they found it with Senior leadership. Slusher is always the best player on the field ...Fieger delivered some timely passes...Overstreet and Hermes took over the DLine which in my opinion was key in the game. I believe that when the going got tough...the tough got going. Great job Tigers

Thanks for the info on the cannon. Have not been around one since Highlands in the 90s. It can be a schocker if not expected. Dont know much about LHC besides they are usually a tough team. Have not seen them on tape this year. Hoping for good weather and a clean track. Beechwood line on both sides will dictate...if they can win the battles...BW should prevail. Overstreet Hermes need to play big.

Good luck Tigers the rest of the way. Hope Stringer can get back on the field.