5wide

I'm not going to put a number value on how long the team should practice, but simply assume that the all-state team would operate like a team. In that case, I certainly think they would win. If you just threw them together and played a game, it doesn't seem as likely, IMO.

Very happy to see the Bulldogs finally break through and bring the trophy back to Hazard. Congratulations to the team and the community. It is very exciting to say the least.

I'm not disputing either opinion, but I would like to add one point for consideration. I think the timing of the injury was critical. Whether you can play (and play well) with the injury is a debate I'll leave to others, but I'm certain that there has to be some adjustment. With the injury occurring in the state semi-finals, Jackson did not have the luxury of adjusting and learning to play with the injury. Perhaps if he'd suffered the injury mid-season, he'd have had a better feel for playing with the injury and been more effective with it. As it was, according to what I've read on here, he didn't practice, so the finals game on Friday was the first time he'd played with the torn meniscus. I feel like that had to have been a factor.

From listening to the announcers, they couldn't say enough good things about Jackson on the defensive side of the ball. The were constantly raving about his ability to tackle in the open field. They said the guy never missed an open-field tackle.

If you figure a 16-week season, that averages out to between 18-19 games per week. That's a lot of football watching. I don't doubt NCF, but I'm also not surprised at the question. :lol:

Hate to see Belfry come that close and lose a heartbreaker. Congratulations to Central. According to the stats available on KHSAA, Wales accounted for roughly 63% of Central's total yards from scrimmage. He scored 45 of their 76 TD's. It is very impressive, and certainly speaks well of the talent and attitude of that team, for a team to lose a guy who is that essential to your team and still find a way to win in the championship game. From looking at the stats, it looks like this one was an old-fashioned defensive struggle with both running games being stymied by the opponent. There were a combined 79 rushing attempts for 278 yards (3.5 ypc) in this game. I can't help but think of Rockmom. I can recall, on multiple occasions, her posting about how she felt Central's passing attack was better than people realized and that it would be an advantage for them in this game. As it played out, their ability to pass was essential to pulling out the win. I believe their QB was 8 of 12 for the game.

Jackson, prior to this drive, has 11 carries for 17 yards with a long carry of 8 yards. Not sure that mattered, other than it might have prevented some interceptions.

I'd say it is the Hazard defense. And, it is fitting that they'd put the nail in the coffin with a pick six.

I think I'd have thrown one to the end zone and seen if one of my WR's couldn't put this game away.

Maybe Hazard was underestimated.

I thought Hazard might surprise people and make this game competitive. But, I didn't think it would play out the way it has. I figured Hazard would have to be on in their passing game to score some points. I didn't expect them to play this well defensively. Great effort.

That would be an interesting strategy, to say the least.

Hazard's D needs to keep it up. They have a good chance to win if they can.

There certainly aren't any districts like the one in 1997 that produced state champion Bourbon County as the #4 seed. Who all was in that district? LexCath, Boyle, Bourbon. I can't recall the other team.

Thanks. That's just my opinion as someone who is familiar with Hazard due to them being near my team and actually playing them this year. I suspect some Hazard fans could offer more. But, that's the way I see things.

Last season, Hazard's passing game accounted for about 54% of their total yardage. This year that was down to about 47%. With regards to play selection, in 2010, their run pass ratio was roughly 60/40 in favor of the run. This year it is more like 65/35 in favor of run. So, they do run the ball a little more than last year, but there isn't a drastic difference. They returned all of their top skill position players. The biggest difference is a new QB. Blanton is the primary back, but they have some other guys who will get some touches and are solid runners. In the passing game, they return their top 3 receivers and all gained over 600 yards and accounted for 26 TD receptions in 2011. This year's QB isn't as good a runner as last year's, but he is capable of picking up some yards with his legs. That would be one difference, IMO. Whitaker completed 58% of his passes for about 175 yards per game with 28 TD and 5 picks. The biggest difference is that the offense isn't quite as explosive. Whitaker is a good QB, but Combs last season completed nearly 75% of his passes, threw for about 80 yards more per game, and threw 20 more TD passes against the same number of picks. (The stat comparison for both guys is taken through 14 games.) Consequently, the scoring average is down about a TD per game. I agree with some others who point to Mayfield's defense. The two best defenses Hazard faced this year were most likely Breathitt County and Somerset. Breathitt allowed around 12 points per game and Somerset was a little more than that prior to giving up 48 last week. I suspect Mayfield's defense is better. In those two games Whitaker was 20/44 for 342 yards with 3 TD/2 Int and the running game produced 187 yards on 43 attempts. Take the QB yardage away and just the RB's had 28 carries for 165 in those two games. Hazard was shut out against Somerset. They did score 34 points against Breathitt County, but that number could be misleading with regards to their offense. They benefitted from a plethora of Bobcat mistakes that lead to 27 first quarter points. Their only other score was a kick return late in the fourth. The Bobcats really stymied their offense once they quit shooting themselves in the foot. I focus on Whitaker because I believe Hazard will have to rely on their passing game meaning he will have to play well. Two reasons - I expect Mayfield to take away the run and I expect them to score some points which will force Hazard to keep up. Both of those factors will lead to Hazard having to rely on the passing game. One other point is that Hazard typically enjoys a speed and athleticism advantage on a weekly basis. The tables get turned against Mayfield (like last year) and that is a tough adjustment to make. It is much like what Breathitt County suffered a few years ago against Central in the state finals.

I don't think Trinity could play bad enough to lose this game.

I don't think anyone is basing their picks of Central on anything but Central. Belfry may be better, but Central is, at worst, likely equal to last year. Is Belfry 4 TD's better than last year? But, I agree. A chance to play for the championship is all you can ask for. And, once there, anything can happen. I hope they prove me wrong. I like to see mountain teams win.

I'd love to see Belfry pull it out. But, if I'm honest, I expect something similar to last year.

Like my uncle always said, both teams have to play in the mud. I certainly believe weather can impact the outcome of a game. But, I've seen it adversely affect both running and passing teams alike.

I think they should institute a salary cap and create parity across the state. Team's in bigger markets or heavy coal mining areas have an unfair advantage because they can spend more on their rosters.

I'll admit I don't know much about Garrard County, but I don't see Belfry overlooking anybody in a state semi-final game. I'll be surprised if Belfry doesn't win by 2 TD's or more.

Central will win big. Just too much for the rest of Class 3A. I was hoping Bell County would be more competitive, if for no other reason than to offer some hope for the rest of the 3A challengers. Instead it was the opposite. A shutout leads me to believe Central was even better than I thought.

Exactly what I was going to post. And, as you said, that's no slight to Butler. Just the facts. Trinity is a machine.

I agree. This game was pretty much what I expected. On paper it looked even and that proved to be the case on the field with the game tied in the 4th and Breathitt poised to get the ball back. Two backbreaking fumbles later and Belfry is headed on to the state semifinals. Congratulations to the Pirates. They were the better team last night adn took care of business. The road team continues to come out on top in these Breathitt/Belfry playoff games. Since 1989, both teams are 3-1 at the other's place. I was a little surprised that the game was as low scoring as it was. I thought there would be a little more scoring. And, I have to admit, this loss would have been tougher to swallow had I felt there was a realistic chance at a state championship. With Central's shut out of Bell County, there's not much suspense left in Class 3A. That said, I hope Belfry can pull it out. Congratulations to the Bobcats. They had a great season and have a lot to look forward in 2012. Nothing to hang their heads about. They played hard and competed until the very end and that's all you can ask. I've seen Breathitt in quite a few of these close, evenly matched games. Sometimes the breaks go your way and sometimes they don't. Work hard over the summer and come back better next season.