devil58

Congrats to Belfry...Looks like you are off to good start...I wouldn't worry much about Ashland...They have a major problem tackling & you should be able to dominate them at the line of scrimmage...Also, as a whole the team speed is SLOW!!! If your defense is quick & strong, you should put a MAJOR butt kicking on them...

If I were going to pick the winner of tonight's game I would probably go with NCC for a couple of reasons...1) Belfry generally starts slowly and gets MUCH better as the season goes on...My prediction may be different if this was week 10 rather than week 1... 2)If NCC is favored to win Class A this year, I would expect the #1 team from 1A to beat a team from 2A that is not considered to be the best team in 2A...That is not a cut at Belfry...They may end up being the best in 2A by the end of the year but the edge goes to NCC at this point in the season... This will be a great test for both teams...No matter who wins, I would not write the other team off come playoff time... As far as the atmosphere or homefield intimidation factor goes, I would think that Cam Field is nowhere near as tough a place to play as Vipperman was...Don't get me wrong, the Pirate fans are still as rabid as ever but at least they are no longer breathing down the necks of the visiting team like they were at Vipperman...Plus, NCC is not the type of program that is easily intimidated no matter where they play... This game has the makings of a real slug fest!!! I'd like to see this game but I will be watching Belfry's next opponent Ashland host Raceland tonight...Good luck to both teams...

Since we always skip the first week I am looking forward to watching some excellent football in Putnam tomorrow night...The start of the season is exciting whether you play opening night or not...Good luck to both teams...This game won't make or break either team's season but it certainly a nice early measuring stick and building block...Hope everyone comes out injury free...

Now Devilologists, let's not stretch it too much...Are those "program" heights & weights?? The weights may be accurate on the tackles but our guards and center are smaller than you listed...Plus, Seth may be 6'5" but I think he's closer to 6"4", not 6'6"...As a whole we're definitely bigger this year but not that big...

On the extra point, I was going by the official on the side the ball was kicked signaling that it was no good...Maybe he changed his mind or was just fooling around?? Maybe I was the only one in the stadium he confused!! I also agree with Redevil78 that this team has the ability to go undefeated during the regular season just as the 2004 team did...We haven't played a game yet but lets hope we are still talking about this in early November...Undefeated in the regular season is nice but I'd trade last year's one loss & state championship for the way the 2004 season ended anyday...

You always try to keep pre-season scrimmages in perspective...We know it's a time to try things & fine tune for the regular season...But, it's hard not to be excited about the possibilities after Russell's second scrimmage against one of the pre-season favorites in AAA in West Virginia, Cabell Midland...They would be 4A if they were in Ky...Look at this pre-season report from the ABC affiliate for West Virginia...http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/sports/Countdown06_cabellmidland.shtml When I walked in tonight & saw the size of their players I knew this would be a big test for Russell...Granted, few teams will have bigger players than our bookend tackles Toby Hicks & Seth Harvey, but they had several players that dwarfed the rest of our team... The first series we ran 10 plays with our first team with Sizemore at QB...We steadily moved down the field aided by a nice long pass...We gained a first down within 4 plays the whole way down the field...With 4th & goal at the 5 we were stopped inside the 1 yd line...It would have been 1st down but it was our 10th play so we just missed a TD but moved the ball well...On the first defensive series they moved the ball well until they got to our 30 then we made some sacks & they had a penalty & stalled just inside our 50...First defense looked good... The next series Jones took over at QB without Clark in the backfield and several other subs in...They marched down the field and scored & made the extra point...Our second team defense stopped them again without allowing them to get into the red zone...7-0 after 2 series... 3rd team took the ball down the field & scored next series...Missed the extra point, which most missed including the scorekeeper, then held them on defense again...13-0 First offense went back out without Clark & Lewis in the backfield...Lewis was sick on the sideline & I saw them stretching Kasey as well...We moved down the field again gaining 1st downs within 4 plays but got to the 10th play & kicked a 33 yard field goal...16-0 They then marched down on our 2nd defense and threw a TD pass that somehow got between the 2 defenders that were all over their receiver...It was a nice catch 16-7 We did score 1 more TD, again without Clark & Lewis on the field, and held them scoreless the rest of the way...Final 23-7 if there would have been an official score kept... The fact that we scored all our points without our top 2 returning running backs, with Clark being mentioned as a possible Mr Football candidate, is a big reason people are getting more excited about this team's chances...Actually, as mentioned already, Clark played little in tonight's scrimmage...Not to mention, our defense holding two 4A size schools to 1 TD in 2 scrimmages...Midland was a state semi-finalist last year and according to that report, returns most of their offense... Again, you have to keep the pre-season in perspective...The regular season is a different ballgame but you can't help but be optimistic about the chances for another great year for Coach McGlone & the Devils...Not predicting another championship but certainly expect them to be in the hunt in November... :fire: 58

Saw the "infamous" Blue Blazer at the Russell scrimmage tonight...Always good to see The Blazer at a Russell event...You need to "come out" & admit that underneath all that orange & black you're still "Devil born/Devil bred" We know the true reason you are there... We haven't heard your prediction or seen your vote on this poll...Are you going with your Ramblers or the Mighty Tomcats?? Inquiring minds want to know!!! :sssh:

This poll was started knowing what the result would be...Many of us know the true reasons why this thread was started... Putnam is a great environment for football because of it's design...No other stadium in our area can compete with the atmosphere because of that...It almost feels enclosed because of how close the seats are to the field & the trees in the endzone...I wouldn't want to duplicate Putnam but if I were building a new stadium I would want to copy that concept because it does make the fans feel like they are more involved with the game...This is why Putnam would win a poll like this no matter who you compare it to in our area...Even with the great tradition & history of Tanks in Ironton, I would give the nod to Putnam strictly because of design...Russell or any other school in this area could add field turf, add a jumbotron, update their concessions & bathrooms to state of the art facilities, & they still would lose this poll because wide open stadiums cannot compete with the environment created by Putnam's design...Until someone builds a stadium that can create that closed in "part of the action" feel around here, Putnam will always win a poll like this... Also, there's a nostalgia factor involved...Great American Ballpark in Cincinnatti is better than Wrigley Field for the fans and players but if given a choice on where you would pick if given the opportunity to visit one major league ballpark and these were the choices, MOST players and fans would pick Wrigley for this reason...

I'd say Raceland will be a little better this year and Ashland will take some time to gel with the new QB but when it's all said and done, the result will still be the same...Ashland will win... Ashland - 35 Raceland - 20

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Now that's funny!!!

The Belfry game in 2004 was won by the more physical team...We wore down...They had probably the best 1-2 backfield punch in the state that year plus their fullback & QB were no sloutches...They "out-physicalled" us much like last year's Boyd Co game...The 2004 team was more speed & finese...The 2002 team would have been a better matchup for that Belfry team because they were bigger & more physical...But,if you think back turnovers were the difference in the game...There was a 2 touchdown swing right before the half...When Ivan talks about it getting away it wasn't because of the passing game or lack thereof...It got away because of the turnovers & the huge mental impact it had on the team...With 15, 16, & 17 year old boys you cannot downplay the emotional aspect of the game...If we go in at halftime ahead rather than behind and then don't turn it over to start the 2nd half, it may have been different...That's what Ivan meant...Suddenly, we aren't as tired & sore because our emotions & adrenaline are carrying us...The other team gets down & starts doubting themselves...That's the mental part of the game... I think we can all agree that the road to Louisville had no Breathitt 2002 or Belfry 2003/2004 standing in our way...There should be no doubt in Devil fans' minds that both the 2002 & 2004 Russell teams would have certainly accomplished the same thing as last year's team had they traveled the same road as last year's team...It truly is ALL ABOUT TIMING!!! Tommy Brown did a great job last year but I am not sure we can annoint him as Russell's all-time "best in the clutch" just because we won the state championship...The Newport game became desparation & as we've mentioned before, you have to catch some breaks & "the stars we in alignment" for us on that night...Tommy's completion percentage last year was only 48% while Mullins' was 44% the year before...That's hardly overwhelming...That means if both threw 100 passes, Tommy would have completed 4 more...Tommy's advantage was his threat to run and that can allow you more time to pass...In fact, I believe Elijiah set a single season record for completion accuracy his junior year...There have been MANY Russell qb's who have made huge clutch plays through the years...One drive in the Newport game does not make someone the best ever...Don't get me wrong, Tommy did a GREAT job last year but so have a lot of others through the years...It just wasn't necessarily Russell's time except for 1978... Who knows how this year will pan out?? From what I've seen so far & in last year's championship game while Tommy was hurt, Jones can handle the position & get the job done...He led the team on a 5 play 70 scoring drive that was all passing in the scrimmage today & his accuracy looked really good...I trust that Ivan will once again make the right moves & put the right people in the right positions...He's done a "pretty decent" job of it through the years... :thumb:

Jones looked like he backed away from the center too quickly once...That was the only miscue I saw from that standpoint...Don't see that being an issue...He also threw an interception on a bomb on the 10th play of a series...Essentially it was a punt...From what I saw today, our passing game will be just fine...The second or third series the 1st team ran was all passing & they went 70 yards in 5 plays...Jones' accuracy was just fine...:thumb: As always, you can't put too much stock in a scrimmage...I don't know what Spring Valley is supposed to have this year?? They would be 4A over here but they didn't look to have the numbers we did...But, Russell totally dominated them from 1st string to last string...The sophmores scored 4 td's on them and Spring Valley only made it to Russell's side of the 50 1 time & that was on pass that "appeared" to be caught a step or 2 out of bounds right in front of us...We'll give the ref the benefit of the doubt and say he caught it in bounds...:sssh: Regardless, it was very good first workout against someone other than teammates...If Spring Valley is supposed to be good this year, we look to be on the right track...Spring Valley looked mediocre at best today...I look for Cabell Midland to give us a much stronger test on Tuesday... There appears to be a lot of depth at various positions...Also, we look to be really concentrating on swarming to the ball on defense...I like the new look of everyone on defense hustling to where the tackle is made and breaking out from there...The team looks excited and act like they are committed on trying to repeat as champs...Who knows?? It's a long season but so far they don't look like a team that is satisfied with just winning it last year...Whether they win it all or not, the attitude I saw today will ensure a great year and give them a better chance than most at reaching that goal...

Sorry you feel that way BADCAT and welcome to BGP...I guess, like many others on here, I can be a little stubborn when I get on a roll but I really try not to be arrogant or anti-anyone on here...I am a Red Devil fan first but I have a lot of close friends and/or family at every school in the area... Enjoy your time on here...See you down the road!!

Potential good news for the former star from Fairview...Hope things work out for him...I really got to know him while he was at Fairview & he is a great kid who just needed the right opportunity...Looks like he has a shot to play out there if he can stay healthy...Playing in the PAC 10 is not too shabby...Arizona plays BYU on TBS on Sept 2 & LSU on ESPN2 on Sept 9...If all goes well, he'll get his chance to play on national TV...I wish him the best...http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060810/SPORTS/608100367/1002/SPORTS

I agree...I wouldn't agree to it on a regular basis either...If there was a team out there I wanted to play 1 time & the only way I could play them was to agree to go to their place, I would do so but not everytime...I don't understand why Raceland does it with Ashland...If I did agree to it, I couldn't say the reason was mutual respect...Again, I haven't been trying to make anyone mad...Raceland takes a back seat to no one in the pride department and for good reason...Raceland doesn't need Russell or Ashland to validate that...:thumb:

Then why don't you make the Ashland fans come and stand at your place??? I have no problem standing or walking some distance to watch a game...I stand at more games than I sit so I'm fine with that...I would never bring up this issue at all if you weren't so happy to go to Ashland everytime you play them...Granted, no one in the area has a better playing surface than Ashland but I can assure you the playing surface is not the reason you play there everytime you play...Ashland will only schedule you if you agree to play at Putnam everytime...That's the reality...Scheduling you is done simply to ensure another home game with a good gate...If it wasn't they would schedule you every year and play home & home with you...Scheduling you has little to do with respect and a lot to do with MONEY...Mark Swift is a smart AD and he always finds non-district home games that are good gates...As soon as Ashland agrees to a home and home series with you, you can start talking about mutual respect... By the way, parking was only a small part of the reason I suggested only playing at Russell...Seating capacity is far greater at Russell and, while it's admittedly not the best in the world, Russell's field is typically no worse than Raceland's...Plus, like Ashland, Russell doesn't have to schedule Raceland unless they agree to their terms...:thumb:

Where do I say anything about knowing "why you do things at Raceland??" I explained why Ashland schedules you...I agree that there are those in both camps with mutual respect but the vast majority of Ashland fans would agree with the reasons I stated... See the words : This was a team that had dominated Raceland in recent years You are 3 for 3 in misunderstanding my post...I am not being arrogant or trying to belittle Raceland...In fact, I made more than a few comments stating the pride and class of Raceland's program & school system...I've never had a negative experience there...Again, my point was if you are willing to play Ashland on the road everytime you play, why are we not due the same consideration based on our facilities & success over the last 30 years?? You are correct, you do not need the Devils on your schedule...It certainly will not make or break either program if we never play...But answer me this, Why is it so offensive for us to suggest playing at our place every year because our facility can better accomodate the game when you play Ashland there for the same reason?? We have 2 common opponents that are in our admittedly "weak" district...They are East Carter & Lewis Co...I went back to the 2003 season...Over the last 3 years, Raceland is 2-3 against those "weak" teams while Russell is 5-0 (6-0 if you include beating East twice in 2003) Again, I said arguably...But, tell me who you would put ahead of them in the area on this side of the river over the last 30 years... I'm really not trying to argue and I hope none of my Raceland friends take offense...Those who read my posts know that I try to avoid that type of stuff...I'm just wanting someone to explain why it's wrong or arrogant to suggest that Russell play Raceland only if they agree to play at Russell while the Raceland faithful "appear" to be all too happy to play all their games with Ashland at Ashland...I've tried to look at this logically and cannot see why it is not the best overall solution...I know everybody likes to play at home but this reminds me of the family Thanksgiving dinners when we were first married...I wanted to have the dinner at my house but our house was smaller and while we could have squeezed everyone in, not everyone would get to eat together and I realized that the best solution would be to let the ones who could better accomodate the guests host the dinners... This game is not mandatory like our district games so there is no need to squeeze in somewhere when there is more room 3-4 miles away...Lets work out a mutually beneficial financial solution & play some football...:thumb:

Do you really think that Ashland holds your football program in such high regard?? If you do, you do not understand Tomcat thinking...They scheduled you in the past as a favor to Bill Tom because he coached there and mainly because it gives them another GUARANTEED home game with good attendance because of the great following Raceland brings...If they really respected your program they would travel there to play you on your home turf...They feel they are doing you a favor by allowing you to play at Putnam...I guarantee you any year Raceland is on Ashland's schedule they mentally pencil a "W" next to that game... What does a school the size of Ashland gain by playing you other than a potential big gate?? It's a no win situation other than that...The years that you beat them they were extremely embarrassed...They weren't bragging about how tough they played the mighty Raceland football program...The Ashland faithful were asking for Vic's head after those embarrassing defeats... They only scheduled Fairview after the big turn around they've had in recent years and because they knew the Fairview faithful would turn out in huge numbers = Big Gate!! They felt they were doing Fairview a favor & the Ashland fans didn't respect Fairview...This was a team that had dominated Raceland in recent years... I'm not trying to be argumentative...Raceland has a rabid fan base with as much pride, & more in some cases, as any program in our area...Anything I've been to at Raceland is always First Class...No one can take that away & I certainly would never try...If Ashland is the measuring stick you wish to use for justifying playing them at their place all the time you have to understand why more than a few Russell fans would expect the same consideration...Over the past 30 years Russell has arguably been the best football program in the area on this side of the river...Again, if Ashland is your measuring stick, Russell surpasses them by holding a 3 game advantage in head to head games over that time period...For Russell, like Ashland, the only true "win" in playing Raceland in football is the gate the game would generate...Most years the games would be fun to watch because of the grudge factor Raceland has toward Russell but the fact is, Russell would win at least 7 out of every 10 games...Over the last 10 years that number would be more like 9 or 10 out of 10... I'm sure Russell would be willing to work out the same financial deal that Ashland does to always play at home...If Raceland would not agree I would not play ONLY because of the seating and parking at Raceland...Because of our district, we have to play too many teams that cannot provide enough seating for our fans...Why would we want to add another?? I hope we start playing because of the interest the game would generate in our area but unless Raceland adds more seating & parking the games would need to be played at Russell...

Not trying to be arrogant at all...Why does Raceland agree to play Ashland at Ashland everytime they play?? My point is if you agree to play at Ashland everytime, why not agree to play at Russell everytime for the same reasons... We are aware of our problems keeping grass in the middle of our field...We've tried everything imaginable short of artficial grass..:confused: They water the field all spring & summer...It's the same problem I have on the top of my head... At least at Russell if you are on the track you are out of bounds... They do not play soccer on the football field...Soccer has its own field and so does the JFL... If Raceland had the facilities to hold a crowd as big as would probably turn out I would have no problem playing there...I love your new gym, it's great... Actually, I'll attend no matter where they play...I was just trying to see if you would agree to the same arrangement you do with Ashland & if not, why??...

I have no doubt that Belfry will have a great season...Of all people, Russell fans should know that our coaches use these as practices to try things and look at players in different positions/situations...I wouldn't hang my hopes or base my season on how a scrimmage in early August goes...If that were the case, Russell would probably dread every varsity season based on the JV record from the previous year... Every year I see a lot of teams win most of their scrimmages & JV games & lose most of their varsity games...At the same time I see certain teams that play "ok" at scrimmages (maybe "win", maybe play "even") and win about half of their JV games, but they are always in the hunt for a state championship at the varsity level...Those are the teams where the coaches "get it"...I'd say Coach Haywood falls in that category along with Coach McGlone...:thumb:

If Russell does decide to do this I would hope they do ONLY if Raceland agrees to play all the games at Russell just as they do when they play Ashland...If Raceland wants to alternate home fields I would not do it...It benefits both programs & the fans more to play at Russell due to the much larger facilities & better parking situation...The schools are only 4 miles apart so I see no real home field advantage...The fans will come...Lets accomodate everyone better by playing at the larger facility...(of course, this is all hypothetic at this point)

I wasn't trying to be negative and I'm not anti-Mercer or merger...Good luck to them...I had just heard that they were going to have more numbers than 2A...I didn't see the talk about it previously so I appreciate your info...:thumb:

How can a school with the student numbers of a 4A school be allowed to play against 2A schools???

It takes more than talent to win a state championship...Will Russell repeat?? They are very capable and I hope they do, but odds are they won't...Most teams will NEVER win a state championship & certainly our 27 year span in between titles tells us there are no guarantees, especially when it comes to winning 2 in a row... Winning the championship takes the right matchups, breaks, big plays at the right time, lack of injuries to key players, etc...Most Russell fans realize that last year's team was probably the 3rd best team Russell has fielded in recent years (behind '02 & '04)...But, that's why you play the game!!! Timing is everything & last year was Russell's time...Everything (as mentioned above) fell into place at the right time... We have a program that we can be proud of...Whether, or not, we ever win another state championship won't change this...Let's try to remember that...Last year is over & we haven't won a thing yet this year...I agree that some fans go overboard with the bragging...It can get embarrassing at times but fan is short for fanatic & that means that not everything they say is based totally on fact...People do have a tendancy to look at things through "school colored" glasses sometimes...You just have to realize who the sources are...EVERY team has that type of fan...You just have to realize that they do not speak for everyone who supports that team and whether we agree or not, they are entitled to their opinion... I'm looking forward to watching Russell defend their championship and hope to be on the sidelines again at Papa John's Stadium in early December if everything falls into place as it did last year...The only thing I'm predicting is Russell will show up ready to play every Friday and whether it happens this year or in another 27 years, I plan on being there to support them... :fire: 58

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