Region2 Hype Man

Twitter " "Jay's out for the rest of the year and we're going to have to retool everything offensively," coach Craig Clayton told the Kentucky New Era after tonight's game on the injury of junior quarterback Jay Bland. " That is from Tyler Dixon of the Kentucky New Era. Though he has not gotten it confirmed from a doctor, it appears that the Tiger Coaching staff believe he is out for the season. Before any football discussion come from this, I wish the young man the best and for a speedy recovery. Hoping he comes back strong and puts on a show that will lead to him playing football on Saturdays. I had an bad knee injury when I played middle school basketball 20 years ago and it is not fun. Bland was leading the Tigers down the field trailing 7 to 8 against his rival team to possibly take the lead, and one bad play led to him coming off the field and injuring his knee. This has major implications on the 4A playoff picture. It was thought Hoptown would be battling it out with Franklin Simpson for the region title, but now that opens up for other teams to jump into the mix. Hoptown had a backup QB, but he was injured during a JV contest. They really have no one on the roster that can throw a pass down the field, so it appears they will have to be running a lot of wildcat the rest of the season and change their offensive scheme midseason. Madisonville and Logan County now have to feel better about their chances. Franklin Simpson may feel a little less pressure.

Pretty sad turn of events for the Tigers. Their QB Jay Bland appears to be out for the seasons with a knee injury, as reported by the Kentucky New Era. He hurt in their first drive of the 2nd half and the game was pretty much over from there. It was 8-7 CCHS at the half. Hoptown got the ball back after stopping the Colonels on 3 and out to start the half. Hoptown was driving down the field looking like they would score. Bland makes a diving play to make it a 3rd and short in CCHS territory, but then he came up limping combined with a personal foul that moved them back 15 yards. Hoptown has no backup QB. So, they end up punting. CCHS scores a quick touchdown. Bland tried to come out, but is hit and has to be helped off the field again and then was iced and his night was done in the 3rd quarter. Hoptown then had tried different options at QB with receivers and running backs, but they could not throw. All they could do was run out of the wildcat the rest of the night because they could not throw it and there was no plan in place in case they lost Bland. The game was pretty much over from there, because Hoptown knew they could not score and Christian knew they just needed to churn the clock down to end the game. Sad end to what was shaping up to be a very exciting game. Though the Bland story is the story of the game, what should not get lost is the Christian County appears to have found their answer at QB in JLinn Powell. He made some good throws/decisions and added some new dimensions to the Colonel Offense. Though they are probably a 2nd round team at best in 5A, Powell's improvement can make them a big factor in their district going forward the rest of the year. CCHS has a lot to be excited about going forward.

I didn't say all of them would be defensive TD's allowed? I just said Hoptown would probably score 27 points. Christian County gave up 31 to Rossview 2 weeks ago and 28 just last week to Henderson. I don't know how many of those were off turnovers, but they've def allowed more the 14 points as a team 2 weeks in a row. And if those 2 teams can put up points, then I wouldn't call it shocking that Hoptown could score at least 27. And if they are holding teams to 2 or less touchdowns and still letting teams put points on the boards in other ways, then that is a huge problem.

It will be closer than most expect, because it is a rivalry game. But, Christian County is just not able to score the ball. They cannot attack the field with any type of vertical passing game. Hoptown should be able to stack the box. Hoptown has a very diverse offense that can get down the field. Their secondary is young, but CC's lack of an air attack should negate that disadvantage. Hopkinsville 27 Christian 12

Mayfield wins big. But that's more about Mayfield than it is about PT. PT is still a very good team.

I don't mean soft as in cupcakes, but these teams won't be on the level of MAyfield or South Warren. I see them as good teams, but I just see Hoptown rolling through the last 8 games of the schedule. Might be a close one in there, but I would imagine Hoptown will be better than most of those teams. They will play some good teams to get them ready for the post season, but just my humble opinion (your could be different) that they will be 10-2 going into the Region title in Franklin.

He COULD score 25-30 a night, but Trinity isn't an All-A school where the top dog has to touch the ball every play for them to win. I think Trinity will make sure he is showcased, but at the same time play a system that will have him ready for the next level.

I mean most productive from a statistical perspective. Their schedule after Mayfield is pretty soft and he really only had 3 practices in pads before Friday. They will probably light up their opponents after this week and put up a lot of yardage.

That QB Bland for Hoptown has a BIG ARM for a High Schooler. Once he gets his chemistry right with the transfer Dunn, they may be the most productive QB/WR combo in the state.

Hoptown isn't ready. Still going to be a good team by the end of the season, but Mayfield is just more disciplined at this point for the Tigers. Mayfield 38 Hoptown 17

If you're going by looking at last year and what returns, it should be easily South Warren. But when Craig Clayton has his players playing his kind of ball, his teams are never really out of it because of the attention to detail in their gameplan. The growth of Hoptown was crazy fast last season, but South Warren was still on another level. I do not know how much Hoptown has improved, so I'm gonna go South Warren in a good one. Spurrier is still a top QB in the state and the Tigers have questions in the secondary. Clayton's teams usually peak in Novemeber, but getting this win in week 1 will be a scary thought for opposing coaches in 4A with them being ahead of schedule. South Warren 31 Hopkinsville 27

He's a kid that has a chance to play ball at the next level. Making him sit and hurting his growth just seems wrong to me. And if he can't play, what if that pushes him out of the KHSAA and the struggling Sweet 16 tournament loses its biggest star in several years?

Im a UHA grad so I guess Im always interested in CCHS and Hoptown. Really like Coach Clayton and hope he can make a run at his first title. He really deserves a ring for all of his years of hard work and great teams. Really hate that Trigg has fallen off as a program. Used to love watching their matchups every year. I miss the OLD 2A from the 4 class days. Fort Campbell, Trigg, Caldwell, & O'Cath when they were all competitive programs. Todd County went 6-5 last year (Its hard to place them in WKY close enough to WKY but really in the South Central Ky area). They have a new coach this year in Coach Darrell Keith and I think he may get them to be stable. They'll never be a playoff factor, but then again Logan County changed their fortunes really quick so you never know.

Great work! Looking forward to some Friday Night Lights in the WKY!

Logan Co. is the team to watch this year. After years of losing, they came out of the gates winning their first 11 in a row. Now this season, they have another year in their system and return a lot of starters. Their ability to own the trenches is going to be their bread and butter this year. Their lines on both sides of the ball are so strong and that will keep them competitive with anyone they play.

Lets look at the progress under Clayton last year: -Inherited a roster that lost its whole offense to graduation -The school record setting QB quits in the summer and their most athletic player with him -Their best returning player at Running Back tears an ACL in the preseason -Starts out 1-6. The 6th loss against Logan County on a last second TD and then the next day they lose a player to a tragedy -Win 5 straight games after that loss -They get past the 2nd round, and blowout the Logan team that gave them their last loss. Getting to the 2nd round where the previous coach with better talent lost both years. -Go up 20 to nothing on Franklin-Simpson and then the lights go out and they give up 35 unanswered. FS went on to win the state title. Now this year, his team now has a full year under his system and are returning quite a bit of talent. Their weak spot last year was the running game and the ability to control the clock, their running back Dillard is back and will be a force. They got a transfer wideout from CCHS who looks to put up big numbers. Jay Bland at QB is a name to watch. He will put up some big numbers. Craig Clayton is among the top coaches in the state and he needs a state title to cement his legacy as an elite coach. When he left, Hoptown was up there with the big teams in the state(not just WKY) and I think he is showing that he is back and just as good. I see Hoptown rolling through most of their schedule. They start the year with South Warren and Mayfield. After that, I see them rolling to 10 straight wins until they will face Franklin Simpson in the region title. 8-2 or 9-1 seems reasonable for the regular season. Franklin Simpson vs. Hoptown in the region title is something you all should book happening. I do not know who is hosting, but it will be a heavyweight fight. Hoptown will be much more formidable judging by their rate of growth last season, but FS returns a lot from a state title team.

People will be surprised at how good CCHS is this season. Their QB, Abren, looks to be a very special talent. Mobile and good at making decisions. Traditionally, Lovelace's offenses feature a lot of athletes but aren't very efficient or complex. They are very physical. Love is a D guy and he likes clock control from his offenses, he's never been comfortable putting up the big numbers. Abren will be a challenge for most teams to defend with his elusiveness. The schedule is not weak and has good teams up and down, but not a murderers row by any means. A school like CCHS should always have talent up and down the roster and Love is a coach that always knows how to use it. Might not be what they had last year (went 10-0 against a softer schedule that did not have them ready for November football like Love's schedules usually have), but this will be a respectable football team come playoff time.

Is there any word on who else applied? Me being in Blazer country limits my access to some scoops haha.

Miller had told people that he was not interested in coaching anymore and wanted to take a step back. He had said he was going to move and follow a grandchild to college. I am surprised he would want to stay and I think Wells should be the guy to get it, but Miller is a solid/safe hire. He is a great coach and had a pretty good run at Louisville Male in the toughest region in the state. Hoptown has a talented roster that got a lot of experience playing due to injuries last season. They also have the rising 7'foot Senior that has slowly been attracting D1 interest as he improves every day. Several players are wanting to transfer and I know the other 2 schools will take them in a heartbeat, so his job needs to be keeping his squad together. He's not a long term hire, but he will be good for the school.

That has kind of been the story of Region 2 over the years. A few teams got passed the first 2 rounds, but usually the teams from here aren't well served by the lack of competition in western Kentucky and aren't ready for teams from other parts of the state. Usually the most athletic team in District 8 can just out-man and out-gun everyone in this part of the state, but then a team like a Fern Creek or Campbell County starts executing in the half-court and it really shows the impatience and lack of fundamental defense being taught for all of the Hopkinsville kids these days. The kids in Hopkinsville are highly skilled and are being recruited by a lot of schools, but team oriented ball is being thrown out the window in the junior levels. We will be better served by a tougher schedule this season, but I still don't put us in that top tier of teams that can win a state title. Now we do have an Allen Iverson type of player that could carry us far if we get a good draw, but there is still work to be done on our half-court offense and defense.

Kyky Tandy is the best player in the state. Keeping him healthy is all we need to do to return to state. To win on a state level, we have to be able to run any kind of offense. Too many players shoot as soon as they get a chance instead of getting the ball moving, and the player that is the one moving the ball is Kyky himself. Egos have to be put aside. Post-play is really our only weakness. Malik Lovan and Dorsey were probably 2 of our 3 longest guys and now they are gone. Hollowell needs to be that guy in the paint for us because there is not much behind him. Tandy, McGowan, Hollowell, and Crump are the 4 guys who will carry this team. Not a very deep team, but talented and experienced. The only way this team does not go back to Rupp is if Tandy gets hurt or in foul trouble early in a tournament game. Unless a big transfer comes in for post play, I do not see them winning a state title. I think the goals for a successful season District and Region sweep through the regular and postseason All-A State Championship 1 or 2 wins at Rupp (Depending on the draw)

Bubba also had a brief NBA career(quickest to ever foul out in a game). He then had a nice run in the minor leagues. Has been coaching in the OVC for over 10 years, would be a MASSIVE get for Hoptown. I think it would also be good for Hoptown to hire the FIRST African-American head coach at either of the public schools in town. Both teams are entirely African American and have been for decades and not one coach has been African American. Not saying that the job should be based on race, but Wells qualifications are far and away better.

I think they weren't going to publicly get rid of him, they wanted to at least let him go get another job. Its a better media situation because there won't be questions about why he was being let go after all of the success. He has a job. To be announced soon. I think you all know what school he is going to be at already.

So I just heard this morning that Hoptown will indeed be open. I knew it was gonna happen back in August, but its still crazy now that it actually happened.

Kourtney Ware and Josiah Patton also were playing this year too. A lot of people liked to say Tim did not get his kids to college, but when you go down the list he had a lot playing college ball over his 8 season tenure.