MountainTop5

Are you talking about financial support? The Community pays for everything, including equipment, travel money, training aids, camp expenses, anywhere I've ever been in EKy. Support from the administration is great, in terms of facilitating the program, but the Community foots the bill, everywhere.

13th Region - Have to say Mboro & Corbin w/ S Laurel 3rd

I see 4 if they're lucky, maybe as few as 2 (I think they'll beat Jenkins & AC). Leslie, SC, Mboro, Breathitt are out of reach, Clay & PCC should win almost as easily. Cawood will be playing their last season as a school, and could win on pride alone, but they're short on skill positions, so Owens may run all over them. Magoffin is 50/50, too, IMO. Owens is a real good back, but he seemed to be flying solo last season. KCC has physical size, but seemed to lack a lot of fundamental skills. Is there another coaching change in the near future?

I said in another thread that I thought that Slusher and Breeding would be two of the best TE's next season. They should also be two of the best LB's, maybe the two best in EKy. Slusher has D1A size, and really increased his "meanness" factor this past season. Breeding is smaller at 6'2" 205, but he's fast and very aggressive. Both these kids are still growing. A couple of very good atheletes, Slusher has a solid shot at D1A, Breeding most likely 1AA, unless he grows a couple of inches.

Adding up the stats on iHigh.com for Mboro's Trevor Hoskins: Passing - 110 / 217 (51%), 17 TDs, 14 INTs, 1698 Yards (Long - 90 Yards vs Corbin) Rushing - 115 / 591 Yards (5.2 per carry), 10 TDs. Longest rush isn't recorder, but I remember 1 against Corbin and 1 against Belfry that were 70+.

Offense wasn't listed on their website, and we don't get the C-J in our end of the State. Anybody got a link or a list?

You're thinking of Slusher at Bell. He's about 6'4", 235, and has about a 35" vertical. Real D1 size and a good athelete all-around. Breeding is 6'2", 205, and has about a 30" vertical. Good speed, great hands, getting more looks at LB than at TE, but still a good athelete. Both Slusher and Breeding are still growing, by all accounts.

SportsForLife - I think you're right about Breeding - most of the interest so far comes from 1 AA Colleges (according to my daughter, who knows his sister), mostly interested in him at LB. Had Unofficials to UK, Cincinnati, Georgetown in 2005, but "dozens" of letters, etc., from 1 AA schools. He's really sort of a tweener - 6'2" is just a little too short for TE, 4.7 is just a little too slow for WR. If he grows another inch and gains 15 pounds or so, he should get a lot of interest at TE, from the 1 AA schools at least. Still going to be a very good HS Sr. TE in 2006, IMO, which is what the thread was about.

Any News about the 2A D7 All-District team?

Mboro QB Trevor Hoskins had 1700 yards in the air and 600 on the ground in 2005, and accounted for 27 TD's. He has D1 size at 6'4", 4.5 speed (Hon Mention AP All-State at WR as a Soph), and has had Unofficials to Marshall and UK, among others. Was chosen SEKC Offensive Back of the Year over Corbin's Cashen and Clay's Lewis (both will be Jrs next season, Hoskins will be a Sr). IMO, the best returning QB in EKy.

OK, Mboro has a lot of options on Defense, only shallow position I see is behind the plate. But what I saw the Jackets missing last season was offense - they couldn't get hits when they needed them. Who's going to step up? I think Jones has to get to the plate somehow - he's the best young stick coming up. Haven't seen Adams hit much, but he's a good athelete all-around and should do well.

13th A - OK, I'm still on Mboro baseball, shoot me. I've heard from more than one player that Holbrook will play this season, he's just missed winter conditioning because of an academic conflict. What do you think? - Holbrook and Hatmaker in the middle, Earls at 3rd, Breeding at 1st, Hoskins, Russell & Brooks in the OF & Frady behind the plate? Or will Sowders start Adams at catcher and put Frady at 2nd? Adams would have to catch when Frady pitches anyway, right? I think Breeding goes to the OF when Hoskins or Russell pitches, and Jones plays 1st. When Earls pitches, do you bring Brooks in to 3rd and move Breeding to the OF or do you bring in Tolliver to play 3rd? Can Adams play OF? That would give them even more options! My point is that Mboro will have a lot of versatility this season, and the coaches will have so many options to evaluate that we all might get confused as they search for the best lineup.

Hey guys, all I said was that you had to consider Breeding too, I didn't put Brent down at all! I'm proud of both kids! Can't our County have two good TE's next season? I just said I thought Breeding had better hands, and may be a tad faster. You're correct that he's nowhere near Slusher's size or vertical, but he's a fine TE and should be considered one of the Senior TE's to watch next season, as well as Brent. I wish them both the best!

Senior-to-Be Andrew Breeding from Mboro has to be considered, too. He's not as big as Slusher (6'2" 205#, also still growing), but he's carded a faster 40 (4.62) and has the best hands of any TE I've seen. I don't know if Mboro keeps Yards After Catch states - haven't seen 'em - but Breeding did average 33 yards per catch in 04 and 26 in 05 running mostly short routes. Both Slusher and Breeding play for Offenses that use the TE more as a lineman than as a receiver. I did notice this year that both Bell and Mboro started running the Flex more often to take advantage of their TE's, and Mboro even ran Breeding at wideout some to take advantage of his speed outside, but by and large, they were both out there to block. Both these kids are getting more College interest at LB than at TE, from what I've heard, but I have no inside info.

Anyone know who made the All-District Team for 2A D7? I heard through the grapevine that Ryan Howard either got Player of the Year or Back of the Year, but that's all I've heard. Anyone know for sure? Is there a link somewhere?

Some of you guys from other parts of the state don't realize it, but, in Mboro, baseball season begins when football season ends. We'll take any opportunity we can find to discuss Mboro baseball, even if other schools are showing an unhealthy interest in the orange ball. Very few of our football or baseball players do basketball (Hatmaker & Earls, any more?), so baseball conditioning is the most interesting thing going on right now in the Boro. Please forgive 13th A, Golden Knight, & myself if we seem obsessed. BTW, Holbrook is coming out, he's just finishing Senior project due before the end of the semester (according to three teammates). Any Seniors besides Holbrook & Emert?

There will be "Special Recognition" choices at each position, above 1st Team. I assume Maynard earned one of those spots. Any news on All - 2A District 7?

Is there a link for all the All-District teams? Is All-Region out there too?

Pinnacle Sports View has the entire list on their website.

13th A - Good lineup, but it only stands if Pittman or Tolliver pitches. Hoskins pitching puts Breeding in the OF, IMO. Any IF player pitches, I see Brooks going to 3B, rotating the remaining IF players, and Breeding to the OF. In other words, I hope the staff works Breeding at OF this spring as much as they do at 1B - I think he'll be there a lot! I agree with GK - where is Zach Holbrook? Having him available would help smooth out any confusion when another IF pitches. And doesn't he have a brother coming up?

13th A - If Russell catches, doesn't that move Breeding to OF and Jones or Emert to 1B? The Jackets have about 4 kids with experience playing OF - Hoskins, Russell, Breeding, and Earls. Brooks can play OF, but has more experience at the corners. Wilson played some OF last year, but I'm not sure he's coming out. Take Russell out of that mix, and concede that Earls is more effective playing IF, and you've got Hoskins, Brooks and Breeding in the OF. That said, one of the IF players (pick one from Frady, Hatmaker, Holbrook, Earls and Tolliver - I don't know where Pittman plays D) could step up and play OF. Adams is another possibilty, if he doesn't catch. He has good speed, but I've never seen his arm. I don't know much about any other incoming Freshmen except for Adams and Pittman. Doesn't Eddie Gilbert play baseball?

13th A - I mostly agree with your lineup predictions. I see Breeding playing a lot of outfield - they're deep at 1B with Emert & A. J. Jones behind Breeding, and Jones has a real good stick. I see Brooks playing a lot of 3B, both situations depending on who's pitching which day and who ends up behind the plate. I remember Earls playing a lot of catcher in Middle School, as well as Frady and Russell, but all three pitch. Putting Earls behind the plate takes a lot of speed away from the field, but Sowders was willing to put one of his fastest players at first last year. Offense is more of a question mark for me. Earls is probably your lead-off, Russell, Jones and Breeding your power hitters, but who knows after that? About 6 kids with a ot of speed on offense - look for Adams to get a lot of Pinch Running time. Junior pitching will be Hoskins, Frady, Earls & Russell - Breeding, Hatmaker or Brooks have all pitched in the past, too. Soph ChrisTolliver, Freshman Brett Pittman (new ace?) will contribute, but I don't see the Jackets having a dominant pitching staff this year without a lot of extra work and coaching.

13th A - Any thoughts on Mboro's chances this season? I really thought they'd be very good last season, but it never happened. I still think that the Defense will be there, but the Offense fizzled often last year, and I know they're going to be shallow at some positions. What do you think they'll need to do in order to put it all together?

Mboro loses 2 Sr starters, both played both sides of the ball, but both were subbed for regularly. 18 of 22 starting positions will return, with a lot of experience back at the other 4. '06 should be the most veteran Jacket team since '03, when they had 16 Srs. Downside is how many of those 18 were Freshman and Sophs in '05. Upside is about 10 of 22 positions should be filled by Srs next season - enough for a solid veteran core, few enough for graduation not to be as devastating as it was after the '03 season (only 3 Sr starters in '04, only 2 in '05). I'm looking forward to it.

Middlesboro - Jr QB Trevor Hoskins had almost 2300 All-Purpose yards and 27 TDS. Jr RB/LB Casey Earls had almost 1900 All-Purpose yards, scored 144 points, and had just under 100 tackles. Jr TE / LB Andrew Breeding averaged over 25 yards per catch on Offense and 7 tackles per game on Defense. Jr RB C. G. Ford just missed a 1000-yard season (983) in the same backfield with Earls and Hoskins. The Jackets have all but two starters back next season, and expect to make a serious run at the 2A Title.