rerun

Never had the pleasure of watching these two play but I'd say it's going to be quite an atmosphere. Two mountain teams fighting it out is the personification of "Friday Night Lights". I would like to see Paintsville make a game of it but when the clock starts and the emotion turns to sweat the purveyor of pain in the eastern Kentucky hills methodically pulls away for a comfortable win.

You were absolutely right!

Boyd County is massive up front so a huge dose of ball control is in order. This will slow the game but the Tomcat athletes eventually make the plays to pull out another win. Ashland by a couple scores.

Looking forward to this one. Greenup should be the favorite but I'm guessing the Lions are salivating wanting that winning feeling back again. Going with Greenup by a TD in a back and forth affair.

The best defense for Rowan County will be to milk the play clock at every conceivable moment when on offense. Rowan has a better club this year and a dandy running back but 54 points is a lot to make up. To avoid a blowout, take your time, run the ball a lot, kick and punt the ball out of bounds, and hope for turnovers. A defensive lapse or two by the Tomcats (which has been happening) and the final score could be respectable.

I can't see Russell losing this one. Paintsville is confident, heading in the right direction, and playing at home so it's a close for a while but in the end the Devils pull away and win 20-7.

Ashland is susceptible to ground and pound. Play ball control and this one is close, get cute and and then it gets ugly. The Bulldogs milked every second of the play clock every time it was running, this frustrated Ashland. I would do the same if I were a young underdog team. Also, if you can't kick it to the endzone, then kick it out of bounds and give them the 35. Do all this and you still lose, but it's respectable and your young team can gain some confidence.

Ashland may be in the unfamiliar role of sneaking up on some teams early in the season. The Rams are in the unfamiliar role of being the favorite this time around. Although the starting teams are close in talent and athletic ability the Tomcats are deeper with athletes on the bench which allows them to pull away down the stretch. These two teams are definitely close enough that a turnover or a special teams play could allow either team to win and maybe convincingly.

Friend told me Blazer beat Spring Valley in the first game today 90-something to 40-something. There were games at Blazer and at the middle school. Not sure who was playing but when I was driving home from work the middle school parking lot was packed.

Coach Conley is on my Top Ten list of human beings that I have met in my lifetime. I was blessed to know him and got to work with him for seven years. He expected a lot, but he gave a lot. Legendary just doesn't do him justice. He was my boss, my hero, my mentor, and my friend...but above all he was my brother in Christ. Miss you coach.

There was no one more rooted in Greenup County than Nathan Sutton. Yet he was one and done. The facilities are great and the history is there. But...other than a season here or there they have been a non-factor since the Randy Ward days. I would love nothing more than to see the Musketeers back in the mix. It's a great place to watch a ball game and we need another strong eastern Kentucky program. I don't know the inner-workings and I don't pretend to have a solution but something has been amiss....for decades.

Russell played well and the things that needed to happen happened to pull off the upset. I haven’t seen any game stats but Ashland’s overall shooting percentage had to be one of their poorest performances to date, especially through the third quarter. The high zone played by Russell was effective and the Kittens did little to expose the inherent weaknesses of extending the zone that high. Both teams have a bright future and moral victories mean little the morning after but the Russell girls truly left it all on the floor and should be proud. Best of luck to the Kittens moving forward.

Admittedly I don’t watch a lot of girls basketball but this was one of the best high school games I’ve watched in a long time, boys or girls. Congrats to the Kittens for a win over a current state champion and top program within their division in Ohio.

Ashland hasn’t had much luck with 15th Region teams this year so I didn’t expect this. Tough to get off the bus and win in Inez. Congrats!

Ashland and Boyd still leading the pack. East Carter has silently "snuck up" on me. Nice to see the Raiders making some noise but I still have Russell as the three by virtue of their early season blowout of the Raiders. But the Raiders are definitely off and running after their rough start. It will be interesting to see the Russell/EC rematch right before district play.