JoeFan

I'll take a shot at this. As always, the o-line seems to be the first place they need to look. Seniors Nathaniel Stephens, Darrin Lawson and Matt Blevins are gone. Seniors to be Zack Bragg, Daulton Faulks, and Justin Trout will have to anchor the line. From there, they have a pretty strong group of Sophomores to choose from and a couple of them will have to step up. Michael Burchett should continue to grow into the QB position which he had to fill the last third of last season. He will have a good selection of targets to pass to including Austin Gearheart, Matt Swords and Josh Craynon. The backfield is set with Alan Craynon, Seth Setser and Blake Meade. That is not to say that others won't get a shot at the ball, those are the first three that come to mind. Stephens will be missed on the defensive side of the ball as well, where he has anchored the middle at linebacker for the last couple of years. Look for outstanding defensive performances from Seth Setser, Blake Meade and a Sophomore, Michael Crowe, to make the difference. Even with some losses in the secondary as well, I look for the Blackcat Defense to be even quicker and stronger against the run. Look for the younger Craynon brother to be burr in the secondary. With a large group of seniors who have been together for many years and have a sense of destiny, absent complacence, I look for the Cats to take at least one more step toward a title. (Easy to say in February). Look for the district to be improved, with Shelby Valley and Bath County returning strong teams as well. Even Morgan County should be competitive. They played hard with a very young team last year and should benefit from finally having some stability in coaching. I agree with those who argue 2A is the most competitive class. Corbin, DeSales, and of course NCC will be very strong again. GO CATS!!!!!

There was a gully washer in Boyd County on Wed. morning. I don't think Louisa got as much rain but it was still pretty heavy when I went through there about 1:00 p.m. If its been raining steady since, I can't see how the field will not be a mess. To me that sounds like a good thing for LC. Belfry usually has trouble hanging on to the ball in the early season and it is easier to keep balls and hands dry at home. I still think this will be a good one to see and I hope a good crowd from both schools brave the weather. Good luck to both.

Coal Grove aint' bad this year and neither is Ashland. NCC is darn good. I'll take Belfry but not by as much as most on the board seem to think. Its still early and it will be difficult to hang on to the ball, so I figure Belfry to lose a fumble or two, which should keep LC in it until late. I look for a long Belfry drive in the late 3rd to mid-4th quarter to take the lead for good. I make it Belfry 28, LC 20.

Really?, It will be interesting to see if it turns out that way. It will be a late night.

Somebody does tackling drills in PeeWee.

Rain, rain, rain. The fewest turnovers wins. So, out on a limb, I predict P-burgs backs cure their turnover problems and fumble only twice, losing one. If Pikeville stays in their new offense, I foresee snap problems and exchange problems. They fumble six times, losing 4. Therefore, P-burg 21, Pikeville 6. If Pikeville goes under center and hands off to Harmon 25 times, they fumble twice, losing one. P-burg 10, Pikeville 7.

I agree about special teams. With the weather it may be a fumble on special teams at that.

1. Waa-Waa Jones. 2. Chris Lofton 3. Lowell Hughes - Prestonsburg (I believe he still holds the record for the most letters won at UK). 4. Derrek Smith

I only saw a bit of the Henry Clay game and it was hard to tell anything from that. How has the Honaker kid looked? First thoughts, a good team often makes dramatic improvement on offense between the first and second games. But, given Pikeville's QB situation, its almost like its their second game. I'll think on it and post a more thorough prediction later. (Or, I'll wait for oneijoe and steal what he says.) For now, I make it P-burg 14, Pikeville 13, in a barn-burner. :flame:

Like Painter, I'm a little late. It sounds like a great game so congratulation to both teams. As far as going for 2, a coach has to read the game and make that decision more on instinct than anything else. If it works, you're right, if it doesn't, you're wrong, but no one should second guess.

Congrats to the Cardinals. I agree with JC, this is no surprise. SC can play with anybody. Right now I'd say Belfry, SC, Leslie County and Middlesboro in the region is a toss-up. I just hope P-burg can improve enough to make it a five way race.

Any chance we might see that sooner, say...next week. We've had some success with the polecat but it seemed to stir some contraversy in some quarters. As you certainly seem to know, your kids will be fine. When you lose a key offensive player that early in the season it takes some time for everyone to get comfortable in the scheme. I'm certain that will happen. I just hope it doesn't happen next week. Good luck after that.

SC picks their score in this one. I make it SC 40, KCC 6.

Congratulation to the Eagles. #3 and #5 are difference makers. I definitely think they can give Middlesboro a run for the district. I wouldn't have said that before this game as I thought Middlesboro was the region favorite along with Belfry. The Cats looked solid on defense and played hard the entire game but seemed a bit slow in the second half. Nothing makes up for game condition but playing. That will come. The offense was close a couple of times in the first half. The block in the back in the 1st hurt but that was the only bad penalty I can remember. A solid effort and they look much improved.

Leslie's QB will be hard to contain. We'll see if P-burg's faster defense is really much improved over last year's squad that couldn't handle Hazard's speed.

OK. I'll have to agree that there was no reason to throw for a 2 point conversion in that situation. Usually I take the side of the team on the high end of the score because there are reasons a coach may need to keep a starter in longer than some might like. There are reasons you might need to pass in the third quarter, particularly if your offensive possessions have ended in only 1 or 2 plays. No matter how much you practice, nothing makes up for game experience. That said, going for 2 is just running it up. Still, let the season and history sort it out. I hope Phelps has an opportunity to get even in the next couple of years. BTW, I tried to watch some of this game and just couldn't do it. It was painful to watch.

That's right, the extra point attempt was wide. I didn't watch the second period between the two. I was watching the JV. Was there any scoring in that period?

Wow. That took some work. Thanks Strike-3. It seems to me the problem comes from population shift from rural to urban, creating a "haves and have-nots" situation. Does anyone know if any of the five classes in Wyoming are 8-man titles?

I know some of the kids who will spend time in the backfield. Lincoln Slone is, I believe, a Sr. Also look for Seth Setser, Carmin Mains, Dalton Taylor and Alan Craynon to get some time there. Don't look for a Joe Blackburn or Matt Slone type work horse but all these kids look pretty quick and splitting the load should mean fresher legs in the 4th quarter. Speed is important, but not as important as running hard and with a purpose.

Right on the money as usual Joe. :thumb: I also appreciate all the previews. That took a lot of work. Thanks, Scribe!

I'll leave it to oneijoe to give the definitive preview, but I expect a more athletic team this year which will match up better with their competition. Middlesboro and Belfry are still the favorites for the region, with Sheldon Clark and Leslie Co. in the mix. I expect both P-burg and Brethitt to be more competitive.

this thought just occurred to me. For those who feel they should be able to measure themselves against tougher competition, you only have 3 or 4 district games now. Nothing is stopping a 2 A power from scheduling Trinity or Male.

There's not all that much excitement for a team going into the playoffs knowing they are going to get waxed. You can see the parents and fans going through the motions. It has a negative effect on the kids. Its painful to watch. But, sometimes its not forced. Some places they get it. It may not be a great accomplishment by everyone's standards, but if it is the best a team can do, so what. If the effort was there, be proud of that. I use to count myself as one who said the regular season should count for more, thus only 1 and 2 should make the playoffs. I still like that format, cutting a week out of the playoffs (either giving an 11th game or an extra week of practice), but its never going to happen. More playoff games = more $$$$$$$$$$$$. So let 'em all in and let the playoffs sort it out. For everyone who says the first round games are terrible, go to the 3 v. 4 game and get over it.

23!

Amen, Brother!