FirstTimeLongTime

Back to the Dixie game. Watching the 1st half of Dixie vs. Cov Cath definitely catches your attention. Gregg runs extremely hard and they mix him in some as wildcat QB. #26 is a good receiving option from the WR or RB spot. I do think they will score some points. The Birds should be able to run the ball. Other teams have been successful with RPOs. I suspect we will see some more of that from the HHS offense. I do think we can pass on Dixie as well. We have missed opportunities in the passing game this season. I would like to see some balance and consistency in the offense the next 4 games so we have confidence doing whatever we need to do in the playoffs. I do think this game will be close at halftime. Birds pull away in the 2nd half. 35-14 final.

CalPreps Matchup Tool is still up and running: regular season (neutral field) [2024] Ryle (Union, KY) 24 (57%), [2024] St. Xavier (Louisville, KY) 22 (43%)

Gabe Williams is very impressive especially for a Sophomore. He impacts the game on all 3 levels. Good in run support and pass coverage as a Safety, a hard runner while still shifty as a RB and a very good kick/punt returner on Special teams. There were 6 sophomores in that game making plays. The 4 sophomores mentioned above along with Haretuku starting both ways and don't forget Cale Harris with multiple punts inside the 10. This group and the entire team will continue to get better and even in a loss, they gained confidence. It looks as if these 2 teams will reverse rolls from last season in that Cooper with a high RPI will be playing at home while the Birds will most likely hit the road after round 1. Would be fun if they met again with a trip to Lexington on the line.

The "Project a Matchup" tool on the site still works. Not sure if the data has been updated but I went on to look at a few matchups for this week and it is still out there.

Correct. Game has been moved to 10am Saturday morning.

Conner had 4 sacks and 6 TFLs so that will cut into the rushing totals. I would assume the -8 yards rushing for Miles is due to the sacks.

If it works it is a good call. If it doesn't it is a horrible call. I will say that if the snap is clean with no bobble, Lorenen picks up the 1st down. The snap was bobbled and nearly dropped and he still picked up 3 yards. Personally, I don't mind the call. Execution could be better. Snaps have been a little off all season.

Best rankings out there. Nice work @Tigerpride94

Spoke to a Moeller coach this weekend and asked him. They balance their teams. Said there is no true A or B. They schedule 2 games per week and balance the teams depending on the opponents. So the teams are not the same each game/week.

I think what is missing is efficiency. Need to turn more drives into points. Rio and Brody are two completely different players. Rio is supposed to be the more efficient passer so having a higher completion rate makes sense. Benke only played 2.5 games at QB the first 3 games of his Junior season coming in after Half in game 1. The difference at the moment is points/production. Benke produced 7 TDs (4 Pass and 3 Rush) in those first 3 games. Rio has the ability to limit turnovers, be a willing runner and hit a few deep balls on top of having a high percentage on short throws. If those things happen the Birds will win this game and many more this season. Ryle will be a great test for the Birds. They seem very similar to me. Good size in the trenches, agressive in the run game, solid on defense, multiple dangerous skill players and both working in new leaders at QB. As I mentioned after the scrimmage, you can throw that result out the window. I am thinking that this is a low scoring game with a turnover or 2 that will swing the game in the direction of HHS. I am going with 21-18 Birds!

Not a complaint just something the company that put it in probably didn’t think about. Even standing, many couldn’t see down, distance and time. In the endzone, all could see even without standing.

He took zero snaps at DE. Had some reps at Outside LB. Wish the scoreboard in Park Hills was in the endzone so all could see. It is a real nice scoreboard with great video capabilities.

How is the Defense looking? We know the skill guys are back but no one mentions the defense. Will the O Line guys play both ways? Who replaces Xavier Campbell? Just curious as all anyone seems to post about is the QB and some speedy receivers.

Us fans love it ? Coaches pay attention too but won't admit it!

Perfect example of why we hear coaches say that the score doesn't matter in scrimmages. Each team/staff has certain things they want to see and work on. Even the scrimmages that are "normal" games have new or officials in training and teams are working on different things. Both of these teams (Cooper and CAL) will be at or near the top of their Class.

Here is a little more info on the Blue/White festivities on Friday. Always a fun night seeing the entire program 7th-12th perform as well as celebrating the Seniors and the new Hall of Fame inductees. Friday, August 16, 2024 Blue/White Scrimmage At David Cecil Memorial Stadium **Tentative Schedule** 5:30 pm 7th & 8th Grade Scrimmage 6:30 pm Senior Night Ceremony 7:00 pm Hall of Fame Presentation 7:30 pm Football Warmups 8:00pm Pregame Performance by Dance, Cheer, & Band - March Down Ave of Champions 8:15 pm Blue/White Scrimmage Ticket link for Blue/White Scrimmage: https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=82323

Here are my thoughts from the scrimmage: Wasn't as good or as bad as it looked for either team. Both teams were trying things and rotating players. Birds didn't dominate on the O line like they did vs. Male. Run game not quite as good. However, they used a different O Line combo each drive and Ryle blitzed quite a bit and Male did not do that. There were at least three 50/50 balls that came down in favor of the Birds and resulted in long completions or TDs for HHS. Arnold and Surrey will win a lot of those balls this season. Litmer looks more confident every outing. I don't think he will be overwhelmed in big moments this season. He will need to make some better decisions at points in real games but that is what these scrimmages are about. Again, HHS was rotating many players and especially at D Line. The D Line has size but really has struggled to tackle and keep the LBs clean. They have had issues setting the Edge resulting in long runs and TDs in both scrimmages. Once they settle on the main rotation I think that will improve. Some of the big boys will most likely settle in on one side of the ball as we get into the season. The DBs looked good in coverage last night. Didn't get much action vs. Male. The safeties are leading the team in tackles in the pre season. I think the Birds will score a ton of points like last season so in most games stopping the run and containing won't necessarily be an issue. It will be an issue come playoff time. I think Ryle will be able to run the ball efficiently this season. Their O Line had size and played well. I heard they are younger on the line but they will get better as the season goes. I have seen some say that the Ryle QB is a top 3 QB in NKY. I cannot say he is in that range. Litmer is the better QB as of now. He looked undersized and lacked arm strength. He looked indecisive and his release is very slow. What he did well is run and make good read option plays. He will obviously get better with more Varsity reps. I think when these 2 play for real, Ryle will attack the edges and run it a ton. Shorten the game and keep the Birds offense off of the field. As in most scrimmages, there were good things to hang your hat on and many things to work on and fix. I think both teams will have a good season. Birds have a shot to make a deep run.

6pm at Highlands.

Jackson Arnold deserves a shout out as well. He took a slant 60 plus yards to the house and also had an INT on defense. With his length (6’4) and speed, he will be a big asset at CB and WR. The safety trio of Gabe Williams, Hayden Haas and Adam Surrey will be fun to watch!

Running game looked good. No designed runs for Litmer but he had 1 or 2 real nice scrambles. Surrey is the one to watch. They lined him up all over. He will get the ball a ton. Had a very impressive 10-15 yard catch that he broke for a long TD. Break away speed was legit. Pulled away from everyone. Teams can throw away film from last year’s offense for game planning purposes. This offense will feature multiple guys with a couple having top end talent.

Blue/White - Senior Night for sure but unlikely for the Ryle scrimmage.

It was not.

They mixed multiple QBs in. Harris and #10. They only threw 2 passes in the 1st half.

I believe this scrimmage is tonight at 7pm.

I agree with FC here. I will also add that both defenses adjusted tremendously from game 1 to game 2. It was a fantastic game with possibly the craziest last 2 minutes I have ever seen in a HS game. But enough about last year. Both of these teams are strong. Cooper has more returning starters (very good players) but HHS had very good depth last year and those players now have their chance to shine. The District #1 seed is very important this year as Scott Co. should be very strong and you want to avoid going to their new Stadium in week 2 of the Playoffs. Depending on RPI and the playoff draw, these teams are both good enough to be in the final 4 again this year at a minimum. Should be a fun season and it is almost here!