oneijoe

Big time defensive struggle after Sheldon Clark punched in the initial score. Breathitt Co. had a try 1st and goal at the 2, but a penalty took them out of the scoring chance. Beautiful ball-hogging for the Cardinals. Breathitt Co.'s TOP was limited in the extreme.

This was the Joe P. Tackett Bowl in Prestonsburg. The game went as the score indicates. Paintsville simply overmatched. Other than Brown and Doderer for the Tigers, Paintville's team speed is very poor. Work needs to be done on tackling skills, also. Paintsville has a LOT of work to do. Prestonsburg played JV beginning in 3rd qtr.. As a pleasant surprise to the Blackcat faithful, the 2nd team kept the ball the entire 4th qtr. driving down the field during a running clock.

And most disturbingly for us...Johnson Central's fans have disappeared. There used to be a couple of regular members whom could be counted on to give game recaps. I was able to listen to a few minutes of it coming home after the P-burg game. The Eagles of JC (Horn Lake is also Eagles...LOL) got a lot of ground yards, but threw 3 interceptions (in 3 total pass attempts !). The defense couldn't stop Horn Lake's RB who finished with ~170 yds. It'll be interesting to see if Central can manage to pull itself together. The ability to do that is a true mark of a good program. It's easy to be all rah-rah when the team wins, but the fans need to stay behind Coach Matney through bad times. It must be said, though, the absence of a Central presence here now is NOT a good sign.

7 - Allen Central 5 - Southwestern 3 - Letcher Co. Central 2 - Ashland 1 - Knox Central TB - Allen Central

Shelby Co. Bowling Green Highlands LexCath Dixie Heights Pulaski Co. Henry Clay Lafayette Simon Kenton Ashland TB - 55

I really think he will (back off dropping Boyle Co.). One can understand his -thinking- the score was run up immediately after the game. I believe he spoke his mind/feelings before he cooled off/calmed down. There's a SOLID history of his doing exactly that. LOL...he's nothing if not a lightning rod for controversy. :lol:

Nice job, guys... Didn't you get the note the Belfry game (with the Pirates winning) was supposed your 7 or 5 point game ? :lol:

It happened the other way, too. Matney expressed displeasure in Paintsville dropping Central last year (in the local paper). But like most coaches, Central's is more comfortable winning by huge margins than losing the same way. Coach Matney just doesn't keep his thoughts to himself as much as most others.

:ylsuper: It's easy enough to guess what might have happened to the team's psyche if they'd taken a drubbing like many had predicted. If that's true, then the opposite must also hold true. Frankly, I think both teams will be better directly as a result of Friday's outcome.

It's funny... I was thinking just about the opposite. Belfry impressed me as a team that possibly had the thoughts, "we know we're better than P-burg" or "this one's in the bag" in the back of its mind before kickoff. Not intended as a criticism, mind you, because it would be easy to do with the streak the Pirates had (it's good to put that in the past tense, btw). This was something Prestonsburg needed - a dose of confidence in what they're doing. The Blackcats are a young team and new players need that. If it DID "go to their head", I'm sure the Breathitt Co. team they play soon will show them the problem in that. :sssh: For Belfry's sake, this "wake up call" might remind the team that wins don't come based on previous years' performance. They must be earned each and every year. Some of Coach Haywood's best teams have emerged from early season losses. Neither can afford to have starters ejected. The players involved must learn control of his temper/frustration. Rest assured, neither Coach Haywood nor Coach Derossett will miss the opportunity to correct those sorts of errors. :lol: :bunny:

Hmmm... 1A Paintsville caught grief when it did the same (dropped the contract) with JC. Must be a matter of perspective, eh ? :sssh:

That prediction's looking pretty good, IMO... :bunny:

Thanks, stick... :thumb: It was nice to see LC take a good first step, too. Football nights should be nice and lively again in Louisa.

It really was from a fan's perspective. There was a lot of first game mistakes both ways as each team has a lot of first-year varsity starters. But all in all, a good start for both team's seasons. :thumb:

Nice job, Bulldogs !!! Great to see Lawrence Co. off to a good start...

Were you there, my friend ?? If so, wish I'd run into you !!

Prestonsburg's last win in the series was the 2001 2A Regional Championship (interestingly, that had made the Blackcat's 3rd in a row at the time). Belfry had afterward won 8 straight beginning the 2002 regular season. Thank goodness that monkey has been thrown off P-burg's back. It had grown to be about the size of King Kong. :thumb:

7 - Ashland 5 - Alcoa 3 - Knox Central 2 - Clay Co. 1 - Prestonsburg TB - Ashland

Conner Ashland Bowling Green Tilghman Ryle Bryan Station Highlands Johnson Central Danville LexCath TB - 34

During the 1978 season in P-burg, a friend of mine played outside LB. Late in the season, he made a head-on tackle. He was taken off the field on a stretcher. He was seen and transferred for surgery to stabilize a neck fracture. Unfortunately to this day, he has never been able to leave the confines of a wheelchair. His accident was among a few others that forced change in the design of helmets. My brother's knee was blown out in summer practice for the 1982 season. An adjacent lineman fell his leg from the side and was rolled. After surgical reconstruction, he couldn't play again. So yes...each play could be the last. :bunny:

I just hate Lawrence Co./P-burg not playing. Always enjoyed that game...

gshs... Prestonsburg will play at Matewan (WV) on Oct. 2. That completes the Blackcat schedule.

Rumor has it Coach D. and assistants have been working furiously to manufacture a "proton torpedo". My hope is a Jedi-like pilot may be found to "force" delivery of it into the Deathstar's reactor come August. oh boy...too long till football season. :idunno:

Belfry is the EVIL EMPIRE. No one should forget that. They'll steal your coach. And they're adept at marketing their Deathstar school to 6 foot, 225 pound Mingo Co. 8th graders who "want a better education". Even residents call Belfry "the" football school of Williamson (WV). :deadhorse: How bout that for a response ? :lol:

Prestonsburg typically starts its seasons just as poorly. And like the Pirates, Prestonsburg will also be rebuilding - >90% of the its offensive production graduated. Rather than some kind of "plan" to catch the Pirates at the right time, this is probably the only place the teams' schedules would allow it to happen. It's obvious BOTH teams want to resume the game given the scrimmage forfeitures. I suspect we'll see a defensive game filled with turnovers, busted plays, and missed assignments. But I also expect a lot of hard hitting and PLENTY of emotion on both sides. The two teams hate losing to the other just a little more than losing to anyone else (district foe or not). :thumb: