Foreverfriday

Mercer County has a senior-laden team with talent at the skill positions. If they can put it all together, they can make a run.

I believe these changes will add to the building interest and excitement around our football program. Coach Buchanan already has new upperclassmen coming out to play (either for the first time or the first time in a while). Getting young kids excited about football at the elementary age is big in building the talent pool from the ground up. It's also key to have knowledgeable rec league coaches who teach and reinforce the fundamentals while keeping it fun for the kids.

Looks to me like it was a close call as to whether his knee was down or not before he threw the ball. Was there controversy over that? Or was it clear at the field level that it wasn't down? Either way, that was an incredibly athletic play by the QB. Scrambled like that and then hit his receive in stride for the TD.

So what is entailed with the probation? Does it only mean the KHSAA will be watching him closely? Or does it come with a penalty?

It seems like Mercer has played a competitive first half in each of their first two games. Then, things seem to unravel in the third quarter. I hope Coach Buchanan can keep the morale of his team up through this ridiculously tough stretch of pre-district games. If they players will stay on board (and I think they will), Mercer can make some noise in the district.

You guys were right about the athletes. The QB was really good.

Also, Dustin Baker figures prominently in the plans on both sides of the football.

Mercer must keep QB Drew Davis healthy this year. They have good receivers in Christian Crawley and Chase Moore. It will be interesting to see how Malik Dowell fits into the offensive game plan. He figures to be a major part of the defense at his DE spot. In the backfield, we have Dee Smith. His father, Donald Smith, was a great running back for the old Harrodsburg High School and went on to start RB at WKU. We have a pair of pretty solid LB's in Braxton Bradshaw and Grayson Blevins. Mercer MUST stay healthy this year as depth is limited.

Yes, it is true that Faulkner decided not to come out this year and Minks quit.

Yes, there was a Ballard kid that kicked in the scrimmage the other night. He put a kickoff or two into the end zone. Someone in the stands told me that, in practice one day, Coach Buchanan told the kid the team would not have to do part of their conditioning if he could hit 4 out of 5 field goals from 40+ yards. They said he delivered under pressure. Sounds like he can be a real weapon. But he needs to speed up his approach and get the kick off quicker or he may get several blocked.

I didn't realize just how fast Chase Moore for Mercer was until I saw him take a kickoff to the house in last week's scrimmage. He just ran off and left everyone.

Predictions?

Any North Hardin folks have a fans take on what North Hardin has this year?

I'd say that, because of his friendship with Chuck Smith, Coach Buchanan may not want to play against Boyle.

I believe Treyvon Faulkner decided not to play this year. Alijah Mink quit. Not to be negative, but just trying to be accurate. If my info is incorrect, let me know. But still good talent (if not depth) at the skill positions. QB Drew Davis RB - Braxton Bradshaw, Dee Smith, Grayson Blevins WR - Malik Dowell, Chase Moore, Dustin Baker, Christian Crawley. I hear the line will be a bit undersized, but should be improved from last year. Should be a competitive year IF the Titans can stay healthy.

Any reports from how spring practice went / is going?

I also hear that there are some skill players coming out this year that did not play last year. The guys I am hearing should be able to make an impact at the WR / DB position.

Actually, after seeing a bit more of the plans for the offense, I think Coach B's offense is going to be more run-heavy than Coach Pardue's was. Coach Pardue liked one-back and empty sets. The part of Coach Buchanan's offense I've seen so far puts more people in the box and more backs in the backfield. Not saying one is better than the other. If you have good blocking backs, put them in the backfield. If your backs can't block, spread them out in formation and take a defender out of the box.

Great article. Excited to have Coach Buchanan leading the Titans. Everyone loves to win, but the experience of playing high school football is far more. It's about a sense of brotherhood, learning to push yourself beyond what you thought was possible, sacrificing for and with your brothers, and taking care of one another on and off the field. It's about building relationships that last beyond graduation. Coach Buchanan seems to get this.

It is a converted warehouse. It gets lots of use by many sports (football, baseball, track, softball, and even middle school teams). Batting cages set up in the back, weight room, running track up top, and open area for drill work. Also has locker rooms, laundry room, and office space. It's a great asset.

Then it won't be that much different from what Pardue was doing defensively or offensively.

Anyone on this thread who can give me some description of the type of offense / defense Coach Buchanan ran at Mason County?

Yes, I wasn't able to attend the formal introduction last night and wish I could have heard what he shared. Was anyone there who could share what he said about his offensive and defensive schemes and overall plans for the program?

We certainly are excited to have Coach Buchanan coming home to take over the Titans football program. I like what I've heard so far of his vision and plans.

David Buchanan will be formally introduced tonight (April 7th) at a reception at the high school at 7 PM.

I don't see the link to the article. I'm new to bluegrass preps, so give me a break if t's somewhere obvious. Would love to read the article.