oldgrappler

Care to fill us in?

#1 (at least his Momma thinks so). Yes, his jersey number is 1.

Here's the key to victory for Boone County: don't hurt yourself! Penalties and turnovers have hurt the Rebels more than anything this season. I am not saying they would have beaten Ryle last week, but the game would have been much closer. Consider that Ryle led the Rebels 13-0 at halftime with Boone fumbling at the Ryle 1 yard line after a really good run, and they fumbled a second time after stopping Ryle, then there were the penalties that stopped drives. This also occurred the week before against Conner where there were 3 fumbles and an interception, plus drive-killing penalties. This Boone team can compete talent-wise. They just have to stop hurting themselves. I think they do that against Holmes and score often. I look for a lot of yardage on the ground by Vastine and Shutt.

Both teams are winless after two games. Boone Co. will come out with a chip on their shoulder after disappointing themselves in the game last week with Ryle. I don't see this one ending in a tie so one of the teams will break their losing streak. Boone won this contest 27-6 in 2017. So tell us who wins, and what they need to do to win. Owen Hauck Stadium at 7 pm on Friday night.

LB Jackson Saladin. He plays outside LB and is really good at covering receivers. He did a lot of this against Lex Cath. He is also good on the edge. He'll take on the blocker and hold him in place then throw him aside to make a tackle on the RB or QB going around the end. He also is a good tackler. He is definitely among the top 3 LBs in NKY. He is also a stand-up kid. The only thing I have against him is that he lived in a neighborhood that looked like he was in the Boone Co school district because he went to Middle School where 95% of the kids wind up at BCHS. Unfortunately for us, the way the school district line is drawn, he was one of the few that rightly goes to Ryle H.S. No matter, I am a big fan.

That is easier said than done. England will get his yards and he will break a few for long gains. I think this is an interesting match-up and I'm really interested in the results. With a new QB, Ryle is not going to be the same team now that they will be at the end of the season. Fitting #9 into the offense and getting him comfortable is one thing that ought to be high on the list for goals in these weeks as he transitions to a new position. He is an athlete. Feeding England the ball and sneaking it to Cusick for change of pace is an effective approach. When England is out, the running game is not the same. Ryle's Center is a man. I would go with the run game to open the passing lanes.

It's hard to travel far and be at you're best. Even so, I am going to call this one for Beechwood by 7 points.

I am reacting to a post in the update thread that Conner's QB went out of game with a shoulder injury. He also plays safety. I noticed he took some punishment last week against Boone when he came up to make a tackle. He is a gamer, though. Let's hope the injury is nothing lasting.

I hope the Conner QB and safety will be back. This is the worst news for Conner. I wondered about this last week. He is a gamer and doesn't shy away from contact on defense.

One other point for Boone's offense, when Ryle loads the box to stop the run, and they will do this, Boone must have the ability to throw a quick strike over the middle or in the seam or in the flat to keep the LBs and DBs from just running downhill. Last year, in the hurricane, it was very difficult to pass the ball and Ryle played in the box a lot. Hopefully, we give them reason to respect the pass.

He will fit right in, then.

There are several things Boone must do to give themselves the best chance to win this game. There needs to be better balance on offense. The run game was pretty good with a variety of guys running the ball. There are no official stats posted yet but Cauvey Vastine must have had 130-160 yards and a TD. The FB added another 70+ and a TD. What was lacking was any kind of passing game. This is where Boone must improve. I think that can happen by getting a short and intermediate passing game started early. Throw to the TE and get him involved in the game on the first series. The kid is a beast with the ball in his hands. Ballard could not stop him in the playoff last year. Doing so will allow Grau to get into a rhythm with his receivers. They had one 7 v 7, and 2 quarters during 1 scrimmage prior to the 1st game to get in sync. That's not a lot of time and it showed last Friday. There didn't seem to be much rapport between QB and receivers. Time and repetition will help that. But I think they need to introduce this early in the game against Ryle. BTW, the O-line did well with run blocking last week. They gave their RBs a chance to get to the next level. Now for the really obvious one... score more points. Going back at least three years, Boone has trouble scoring more than three TDs in a game. Rarely have they gotten over 20 points. It's hard to win if you don't score more than 20 points in a game. And it's nearly impossible if you don't score more than your opponent (truthfully). On defense, Boone will have to keep from giving up the big play. Christian Webster got them on a long run early in the game. Cobble and Merkel caught long passes. Well, Cobble's reception was a short to medium pass with a long run. Boone is vulnerable to long plays on special teams, too, if the past is any indicator. Even if England's play is limited, Cusick has the speed to burn them on a long run. Containing the run game, and staying on the receivers will be the order of business for success on defense. If England does get a lot of touches, swarm to the ball. Do not let up until the whistle blows. You think he is about to be tackled and his stiff-arm pops him free. Plus, he has a low center of gravity with powerful legs. We have to contain on the edges. The pass coverage was decent at times last week. Trevor Miller had a nice interception on a poorly thrown ball. But a couple of mental mistakes led to TDs or long gains. Lastly, like in any game, minimize turnovers and penalties. Boone does not have a lot of quick-strike ability. They have to grind out long drives in order to score. So a turnover deep in the opponent's territory or even a penalty can easily end a drive. If they do all of those things and the Ryle Raiders cooperate, Boone could celebrate their first victory of 2018. Go Rebel!

That is my understanding, though I do not know first-hand. Coach Eckstein is helping the Boone Co Rebels. I do not know his official status since this is very new... like this week. The cat was let out of the bag in this thread (not by me). I do know he is working with the offense.

Christien Carter, Sr. DT, 6-0 315. He is from NKY and played in the BCPWFL and for Lloyd.

Man! You are well-informed! My understanding is he will help with the offense.

This is a cross-county rivalry that has been one-sided lately. Many of these boys and parents know one another as they've either been teammates or familiar competitors since Pee Wee days. Vote in the poll and tell us who you think wins. Then tell us what each team needs to do to be victorious, if you care to.

I hope we have opportunity to meet this time.

I am glad he's okay and able to play on Friday, I think.

Scott County by 2 TDs

^ Grrrrrrrrrrr

Post 4 of 4: 4th Quarter Action Boone is set up at their opponents 24 to start the fourth quarter. Shutt goes up the gut for 6 yards followed by a dropped exchange between the Center and QB which results in a couple of yard loss. A misdirection pitch to Boden-Bender around the left side gets them to the 20 where the RB is knocked out of bounds and his helmet flies off. There was a penalty against Boone and now the ball is back on the 35 yard line and Boone needs about 21 yards for a first down. Grau pitches to Vastine and they get 5 yards back. The next play Grau is sacked. On 4th down Grau rolls to his left and it appears he has lots of room to run and maybe get a first down. He stops and fires back over to the middle of the field but the receiver was covered and resulted in an incompletion. It’s easy to second guess, but I can understand a QB wanting to make the play with his arm and not his legs because the first down marker was a long ways away. Conner took over at their 32 yard line. Webster bounced it to the outside for a 12 yard gain and a first down. The fake to Webster draws the LBs up and Camp slides across the middle for a catch and a gain of 11 yards. First down. Hicks gets in a little trouble on the next play but finds his way through for about 5 yards. But a penalty set Conner back for a 1st and 20. They get 8 yards back on a sliding catch by Cobble. This sets up a long pass down the sideline but Merkel catches it out of bounds. It’s 3rd down and 12 to go. Another long pass to Merkel is broken up but there was pass interference on the play. First down for Conner at Boone’s 32 yard line. They get 12 yards on a reverse to Cobble and first down at the 20. DE RJ Summers tackles Hicks for a loss on 1st down. Hicks fails to catch the next snap and Webster falls on it at the 25 yard line. That brings up a 3rd and 15. Boone blitzes the MLB who is barreling down on Hicks but Conner had called a screen up the seem to Webster who then carried it down to the 5 yard line. Webster then gallops around the right side for a TD on the next play. The kick was good. Conner 28 Boone 13 There is not a lot of time left in the 4th quarter. Conner kicks it out of bounds and Boone begins at their 35. A 4 yard pass to TE RJ Summers nets 6 yards with his second effort. Grau scrambles to his left but has no one to throw to and is sacked at the original line of scrimmage. 3rd and 10. Grau scrambles on the next play and gets boxed in. The ball is stripped and Conner has the ball on Boone’s 30 yard line At this point, the 2’s are brought in to finish the game. A nice gain by #32 of Conner, Douglas Abdon, nets a 1st down. He gets the call again and goes just off tackle, makes a couple of quick moves to make guys miss and goes 20 yards for the touchdown. That was a nice piece of running. The Xpt was no good. Conner 34 Boone 13. That is the final score.

Post 3 of 4: 3rd Quarter Action Boone tries an onside kick to start the 2nd half. The kicker kinda muffs the kick and it looks to barely travel 10 yards. No matter. A Boone player got the head of the ball for offsides. Boone lines up and kicks it down field. During the return it looks as if the kicker redeemed himself by stripping the ball and Boone’s Bryce Chenot picks it up and carries it to the Conner 12 yard line. It’s a good start for Boone. On second down Vastine takes the handoff and a big hole opens between the left guard and tackle. The CB is sealed off and Vastine beats the safety to the two yard line where he is sandwiched between his blocker and the Safety takes an angle on the play but the ball carrier falls forward into the end zone. TOUCHDOWN Boone County! The Xpt is blocked. Boone takes the lead! Boone 13 Conner 7 After the return of the ensuing kickoff, the Conner offense takes over on their own 39 yard line. After a short gain, Conner penalty, and a pass that was knocked down by Boone’s CB, Conner is faced with a 3rd and 14. Hicks passes to Merkel who is a tough matchup for the shorter safety. It’s a gain of about 25 yards and Conner is on Boone’s 39. On a neat little play, Hicks fakes the inside handoff and then starts towards the left, then he pitches it out to the slot receiver (#11 Drew Cobble) who gains just over ten yards. First down. Next is a quick hitter out to the slot receiver, Camp, on the other side, good for 6 yards. Next, Hicks rolls left, steps up into a gap and fires down to the 11 yard line. Hicks, in the shotgun, takes the snap, fakes to Webster, starts to run up the middle, changes his mind and scampers around the left side down to the three. On the next play, Boone’s defense stunts, blitzing the LB between guard and tackle. Somebody misses an assignment or is late leaving a gaping hole straight up the middle that Hicks exploits for the easy TD. Conner lines up with most of its players out to the left hash tag. They go for 2. Aiden Camp makes a leaping catch over the defender and the score is now… Conner 15 Boone 13 After a squib kick, Boone takes over at their 37. They are sticking to the formula. Three straight runs nets them about 5 yards. The last run is a quick pitch to Boden-Bender who does a good job of getting positive yards where it appeared none existed. He is a sophomore and looks to have a good future as a FB and LB for Boone. After the punt, Conner has the ball on their 30. Conner loses a yard on a pitch to Webster on 1st down. Then Hicks finds #33, Garrett Coghlan for about a five yard pass out on the numbers and he races the remained of the way for a 70 yard catch and run TD. The Xpt is blocked by Shutt. But just like that, Conner begins to separate from Boone. Conner 21 Boone 13 Boone is penalized on the kick return and so must start inside its own 10. After a couple of short gains, Vastine is able to get through the line out past the 20 for a first down. After a short run by Shutt, Vastine again picks up a first down. Then Vastine gets a pitch to his left where he is following his FB. Vastine cuts in behind his block and gets another first down. After no gain on 1st down, Grau hits Boden-Bender on a little down and out and he turns up field for about 15 yards. Boone is moving the chains. Two straight runs by Vastine and Boone faces a third and one. Vastine gets his third straight call and he follows his blockers into the line for a three-yard gain. First down Boone County. End of 3rd Quarter: Conner 21 Boone 13

Post #2 2nd Quarter Action Vastine collects another 7 yards on two straight runs setting up a third and three. Shutt took the hand off and the Oline got good push on the snap. Shutt was met a yard short of the first down but second effort netted him a 4 yard gain and a first down. After a short gain by Shutt, Zach Grau throws a quick hitter to a wide out who ran a slant pattern to the inside. He was wide open but bobbled the ball and dropped what would have been a first down inside Conner’s 20 yrd line. That brought up 3rd and seven. Corey Parsons clogged up the hole leaving Shutt 4 yards short and the next play. Boone went for it on 4th down and Grau kept the ball running around the right side. Hicks, playing safety on defense, made initial contact and the was helped on the tackle. It appeared Grau had enough for a first down but he did not get a favorable spot (this happened on the far side of the field so I could be wrong ; ). Boone turned the ball over on downs. Two runs for no gain and a short pass led to a punt by Conner. After a penalty on the punt return, Boone starts at their own 38-yard line instead of having it in Conner territory. After a short gain by Boden-Bender, Grau aims downfield for a wide-open Noah Shamblin streaking in the middle of the field on a post pattern. Jared Hicks made a leaping one-handed grab for one of the prettiest interceptions you’ll ever see. After the return, Conner takes over on the Boone 48 yard line. Set up in the shotgun, Hicks fakes a handoff to Webster and fires out to the slot receiver, Camp, for a 3 yard gain. Webster makes a nifty run starting inside and breaking to the outside setting up 3rd and 1. Hicks on the option pitches to Webster who gains the first down to Boone’s 35. Webster takes another pitch and goes for about 5 yards and finishes the run falling forward. I think Webster is stronger this year than last and is finishing his runs with some power. An incomplete pass, then a run by Webster leads to 4th down and 4 yards. Hicks comes up short on the keeper and Boone takes over on downs. A five yard gain by Vastine followed by a 10+ yarder by Boden-Bender gave Boone a 1st down at the 44 yard line. At this point it appears that Conner’s defense is wearing down from the constant pounding of Boone’s running game. The Boone O-line is winning at the line of scrimmage. A short run followed by a penalty on Conner gives Boone a 2nd and 4. Grau then throws a long incompletion to a receiver that was taken out of his route. A 15 yard penalty against Boone places the ball back at Boone’s 35. Two running plays fail to get Boone back to the original line of scrimmage so it brings up a punt. Grau gets off a 44 yard punt. The return is about 30 yards. Conner sets up at their own 44 yard line. A drag pass to Aiden Camp nets 8 yards to the Boone 48. Hicks throws down the right sideline to Emmanuel Merkel who is much taller than Boone’s defender, he catches it at the 30 and runs down to the Boone 4 yard line as time is running down in the 2nd quarter. A completion gets Conner to the 2 yard line. On fourth down, Hicks takes the snap in the shotgun, he runs forward towards the line and is about to get hit by Boone’s MLB when Hicks dives over the tackle and lands with the nose of the ball just shy of the goal line. Boone takes over on downs and Grau runs a sneak up the gut and time runs out. HALFTIME SCORE Boone 7 Conner 7. This is a pretty exciting game despite the score. It is the kind of game where every inch of real estate matters. The teams are very evenly matched.

Here's my recap of the game. I will make two posts tonight summarizing the 1st half only. I will add the second half tomorrow. Post #1 Boone County’s Senior Derrious Jerry fielded the opening kick at Boone’s 10 yard line and ran up the sideline to the Conner 25 yard line for a great start to the game for Boone. After three straight runs by the sophomore tailback it was 4th down and 1. It was definitely 4 down territory. QB Zach Grau handed off to the fullback who gained 3 for the first down at Conner’s 16 yard line. After a 4 yrd gain and then a 5 yard loss, Boone fumbled the ball away at the Conner 14. After a short gain on first down, Christian Webster took a pitch around the right side. Conner had the end sealed off and Webster raced around the edge and went untouched for 84 yards and a TD. It was dejavu all over again, to quote Yogi Berra. Webster scored on the exact same play to the left side in 2017. The Xpt was good. Conner 7 Boone 0. After the kick off, Boone took over on their own 34 yard line. The sophomore RB, Cauvey Vastine, had gains of 6 and 9 yards for a 1st down. A 14 yard run by the FB took the ball to the Conner 34 for another 1st down. A short run by Vastine followed by an 8 yard gain left it at 3rd and 1 for a 1st down. John Mark Shutt got the call and he gained two. Vastine went around the left end for an 11 yard gain and another 1st down. The sophomore RB has good instincts and a quick first move that freezes the defender and gives him an open field to run. I believe he has a good career ahead of him. Boone hasn’t had a runner with such natural instincts for at least 4 years. Vastine continued to carry the load running the ball and got it down to the 1 yard line. Hunter Freeman had one run on a misdirection that didn’t go anywhere when Aiden Camp shot through a gap in the line from his ILB position and ran all the way to the other side to make the tackle showing quickness and good football acumen. Boone lined up at the Conner 1 yard line where Grau handed the ball to his FB who went in the A gap. A hole opened up as the Boone’s line moved the Dline out of the way but one of Conner’s ILBs filled the hole and met Shutt head on at the goal line. The defender bounced back like a pin ball and Shutt had Boone’s first score of the 2018 season. Kick was good. Boone 7 Conner 7. After the kick and a decent return, Conner set up at their own 46 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage the Conner QB, Jared Hicks, heaved a pass to the numbers, and Boone defender, Trevor Miller, made a phenomenal diving catch for the interception leading to the funniest sideline “Happy Dance” by a coach you will ever see. S/O to Boone’s DB Coach. :clap: Boone took over on their own 25 yard line. The FB rumbled for 11 yards on the first play. Vastine goes for two yards, then the FB gets the call again and runs through, over, and drags defenders for 23 yards to Conner’s 40 yard line on the last play of the First Quarter. END OF 1ST Quarter: Boone 7 Conner 7

I think the weather contributed to the lack of scoring last season. Wasn't it played during the remnants of the hurricane? SK wins by 3 TDs.