mountainmutt

Whitley will improve as they get their best players back into action and the coaches mentality completely soaks in. Deaton may just be setting the table for a "February Surprise". Don't count the silver fox out until you see the big buzzards land, the pretty ladies crying and the jealous husbands tamping the dirt in around the coffin. You know what they say, a cat has nine lives but, the old gray fox never dies, he just stays out of site till someone forgets to lock the smokehouse. There ain't no bacon on the line till these teams tussle in the first game of the district tourny.

Corbin will be tough. The Hounds were one of the better treams in 2A this season as they lost in a reasonably close game on the road to Russell. Russell at Corbin would have likely ended a differert outcome. Corbin would have been a tough opponent for Mercer. Sometimes the way the playoffs unwind in terms of homefield advantages, matchups and good old lady luck play more of a factor than who the best team is. I expect Corbin to be a preseason top 5 2 A club. If they can stay away from serious injury problems, they will be as good as as anyone in their State Classification.

No it is true international basketball players all want to play guard even at 6'9". Put three of these big guys on the floor with the runts at Whitley and it looks like a different game.

If Crawford does not play, Whitley 76 Corbin 70 With Crawford Corbin 78 Whitey 65 after a tough 3 quarters

Do not expect much from the Colonels other than hustle until after Christmas when the injuries are healed and 3 new international kids have adjusted to Coach Deaton and playing with the much smaller American kids.

If Slusher plays, Bell will have the athletic ability and muscle to give South all they want. I have to disagree with the statement above regarding the talent coming up at Bell. Bell has a very talented sophmore class. Bell will contend for the regional title for at least the next two years.

On a purely shooting basis the best I have seen are: 1. Chris Lofton 2. Richie Farmer 3. Phil Cox 4. Travis Ford 5. Patrick Sparks These guys were all automatic, if they got a look. Great range, great confidense, just super high school players. As high school players these guys were not just great shooters but, also terrific athletes that basically no one could guard. In college, they did not have the athletic advantage (they had in high school) but, were great shooters. The best three players that I have seen in Kentucky are undoubtedly 1. Allen Houston 2. Rex Chapman 3. Darrell Griffith. These three were very good shooters, had good size, good handles, great confidense and absolutely world class athleticism. There have been a number of great players from Kentucky but, I really think these 3 are the best.

If it takes internet banter (especially by nut cases like the Mountainmutt), to fire the Corbin kids up when they face their home town rivals, something is wrong. Besides that, nothing makes the Mutt happier than a display of good old fashioned emotional conflict (especially the desperate win or die type of emotion that should hallmark this rivalry). These kids know each other very well, in many cases are neighbors, in some cases hang out together and in other cases despise each other. Regardless, there should be plenty of personal pride on the line, when they match-up. If not, then these guys need to give up basketball and join a convent for girly boys and crossdressers. This bunch of Whitley kids are lead by Deaton and Siler not the love your neighbor, take the summer off , the score does not matter, play for enjoyment (not victory), excuses for coaches that have called themselves Whitley Basketball Coaches over the past few seasons. This years Colonel Team will play with blood, guts and a new found nastiness. They will play to protect their family name (and the coaches) from the humiliation of crawling of the floor with their heads bowed in character crushing defeat. These boys will not resemble the whipped guffies (beat me by 60, please Master embarrass me more, show me again how inferior my bloodline is) that opponents have come to expect when they have visited Charles M. Lawson Gymnasium over the past few seasons. This year's team will come expecting the glory of victory and willing to accept nothing less at the cost of blood and bone. Manhood and family honor will be on the line in every battle and these kids will play like it. A new Sheriff is in town and the Colonels will walk tall with a big stick in each hand. I just hope the fans will return to Lawson Gymnasium to see the new swagger in these kids.

4chs- I think the game at Whitley will be a barn burner. If Josh Crawford scores 16 or more from the free throw line, Corbin wins a close one. If Crawford can not hit his free throws or if he wilts under the continual beating, Whitley wins in a close one. Crawford will be the best player on the floor but, he will have someone holding and banging on him all night. Take Crawford out of the mix and the two teams are close talent wise.

Pat is a great guy. No one will out work him. He will be a man that the kids can look to for leadership on and off the floor. If the fans will leave him alone long enough to get established (2 to years) Williamsburg will be a very competitive 1A team. Pat has roots deep into the fabrick of Whitley County. He loves Williamsburg and will do a great job. I think the administration made a good long term decision.

This will be the meanest most agressive team in the history of Whitley County. This bunch will guard your behind from the time you get off the bus untill you are reseated and heading home. Whitley will lead the 13th in floor burns, stitches, head knots, bruising screens, collecting loose balls and in your face intimidating defense. They are led by the a Bobby Knight prototype who refuses to allow his players to even think about losing. Losing is an unacceptable concept in Mike Deatons Camp. The only thing in the gymnasium meaner than the kids this season will be Coach Deaton and Deatons biggest fan the Mountainmutt. Whitley fans get out to Charles M Lawson Gymasium cause the Colonels are going to be ready to rumble. There will be no 60 point routes like last year. This bunch and their leader had rather crawl on a bed of broken glass than to lose their manhood in a 60 point qroute. Colonel Pride is back and the South Whitley boys are ready to bust some heads.

Pride50, I never said Watts was going to the NBA. I said if he makes 6-4 and continues to improve at the rate he has improved over the last 2 or 3, he could be potential NBA material. Watts has a rare combination of athletic ability and basketball skill. His skill level is very high. He can go left or right, he has a very nice jump stop and pop from 20 ft-in. He can shoot the spot-up three. He takes the ball to hoop very well. He has a good form on his jumper and he uaes the back board well around the hoop. He sees the floor very and is a deft passer. Fundamentally he is a very sound basketball player both defensively and offensively. The thing that separates Watts from other skilled players in his class like Euton or Wilson is his explosive athletic ability. Watts has great hops and he is fast from one end of the floor to the other as any player in the state. The kid can fly and may be a better football player than basketball player. He has good size for a freshmen. I speculate that he is in the 6-2, 185 size range as a 14 year old. He is very strong and he plays physically and fearlessly. The kid plays with a lot of confidense even when he is on the floor with kids 5 years older than he is. If he makes 6-4, 210 (very likely) he is going to be one of the better athletes not just in the state but, in the country. He may be from a small mountain town but, he has a ton of potential. Tye Proffitt is a pretty good player but, in a one on one game Watts would school him. Watts has been very well coached since he was in the 3rd grade. Big Bill Walker has had him playing for the Frankfort AAU team since he was kid. Watts is also a very down to earth, well behaved kid, with a good head on his shoulders. I have seen all the AAU kids in his class over the past few years. I think Watts is the best player with the most upside. I am not from McCreay County and have no reason to try to Jack-up his ability but, I have seen him at various college camps and through AAU many times. I am stating as a fact that he is a Division 1 athlete. Wait and see.

Watts is the real deal. I have seen him excel against good NAIA players at the University of the Cumberlands Camp (Always NAIA top 20) as an 8th grader. The key for Watts is continued growth and improvement. If he makes 6-4 and improves over the next four years as much as he has elementary school and he is NBA material. He might be from a small community but, he has big talent. I have been involved in AAU basketball for a long time and I am telling you flat out he is the best freshmen in the state.

Watts is the best freshman in the state. For those that have not seen Watts play, he is cat quick, has good size, good hops, handles well, plays tough D, rebounds, can score off the dribble and can nail the 3 off the move. He is a very, very good player. Although, I would like to see him stay in Eastern Kentucky, his talent will probably lead him to Oak Hill.

Congratulations on a great new facility. I was very impressed with the entire campus and this years football team.

Whitley only won 5 games last year. OBI beat Whitley in a close game. KHSAA did have the game posted wrong on their site. Whitley barring a rash of injury will be more competitive than last year. If nothing else they will play with much more fire. Last years team had tremendous chemistry problems from the very beginning of the season and never really expected to win any games. Deaton will solve the chemistry problems and create a winning attitude. This bunch will be scrappy, play defense and rebound. The number of games they win will depend on how many of their injured players are able to return. Ed Lawson and Jamie Labanion are out with injury but, they should return in November. McCumbers has a bad knee and may not play this season. Shaun Baird has a broken leg and is out for the season. Cody Jones is still rehabbing a badly broken leg and is doubtful for the season. Despite the adversity this will be a fun group to watch and by February could be a legitimate spoiler. They have one of the best coaches in the state and more basketball talent than most people think. It is going to an interesting season.

Whitley never could get it going this season. This season the Colonels were in 90% of their games right till the end. I really like and respect the coaching staff, so I have not said much publically this season although I think there are several key reasons for the Colonels coming up just short so many times. Just for fun (ain't anything else for us Whitley fans to do) no disrespect intended, I am going to spout off a few of my thoughts as to why we have been coming up short. I hope some of the die hard Colonel fans and coaches will throw in their two cents worth. 1. The all out passing attack has produced too many turnovers and has consequently taken Whitley out of a number of ball games in which Whitley was good enough to win personnel wise. Turnovers give up easy points, wear down the defense and pin the offense in terrible field position. Whitley does not have the personnel to throw the ball all over the field, we are too dad-gone slow. Lets run 90% of the time and fool'em once in a while with the long ball. 2. Until we develop a kicking game and better over all special teams play, we are not going to beat good teams. Suggestion: Make field goals, in feeder league games, count 6 points. Count extra point conversions 3 points for kicks. Do not allow any defensive rush on kick attempts. Lets give the kids and elementary coaches some motivation to kick the ball. Please, Please, put the punt, back into developmental league games. Again, do not allow the defensive rush aganst punts. We have to kick better to improve at the high school level. 3. Whitley has played out of shape all year. The team needs to lift at least twice a week during the season, run gassers (at least 8 to10) 4 days a week and have 45 minutes of stretching at least 4 times a week. All the kids should be in the field house watching tape, stretching and doing supervised lifting on Sunday. The hardest working, most dedicated kids win. Our boys need to understand this fact. The coaches work on Sunday the players should too, its all about being the best. 4.Whitley did not play physical enough this season. I think there should be at least 3 contact practices per week (four on Saturdays after a soft hitting performance). Practices in shorts and helmets make for soft players that can not block or tackle (worse it makes players dread contact, great football players love contact). To be honest, flashy plays and trickery do not add up to poop. Blocking and tackling win ball games. Five or six well executed offensive sets with a good understanding of the 5 or 6 plays makes a good offense. Three defensive sets (normal, goal line, pass) at most is all any good team needs. On offense line-up, knock the guys head off across the line from you, go where you are supposed to go and knock someone elses head off, repeat. On defense, keep your head up, locate the ball, read the play and hurt sombody, repeat. This is the plan that wins ballgames. In summary, practice blocking, tackiling and taking care of the ball. Make the kids stronger, faster and meaner than anyone they play. Lift, run, bust head every day. No off days, no non-running days, no shorts and helmet practices. lift, run bust head every day.

First, the Mountainmutt was a big Mike Campbell supporter and is a long time (since grade school) personal friend of Mike Campbell. The Mutt believes that Mike Campbell was hand's down the best coach Whitley has ever had in any sport over the schools 40 year history. Mike took a dead football program and built it from the ground up to one of the better teams in the Mountains. He did this by working his behind off about 80 hours a week, 12 months a year. Contrary to what some people on this board seem to think, Mike was not a victim of the fans. Mike was and is very popular with the long term Whitley fans. Mike was the victim of a political vendeta and a strong campaigning job by Murdock Gentry. Mike should by all means still be the Head Coach. Mike will tell you himself that his biggest mistake as coach was changing his offense last season. In the traditional Mike Campbell offense, Whitley would have won 8 ball games last season instead of 5. The passing attack was the direct cause of 3 losses in which Whitley could have powered over the opponent if they had simply pounded their opponent to death. The sad part of it was that Mike's experiment with the passing game came at a time, in which, he was politically vulnerable and in which he had Murdock Gentry openly campaigning for his job. Gentry had friends in high places and Mike had a 5-6 season. The result of this is obviously clear. Second, the Mutt is also a fan of Jim Black and the current coaching staff. Whitley has an excellent coaching staff. Whitley's coaches are hardworking, knowledgable, and are of the highest character both on and off the field. The Mutt is extremely happy to have these men working with his son, blue pup. Jim Black has been around the Whitley program for a long time and has always done a great job. As for Coach Campbell's demise, Jim Black will tell you the same thing that the Mutt just wrote. Mike Campbell got a hatchett job. Jim will straighten things out and be successful at Whitley. The Mutt is just of the opinion that Coach Black is going to find his success in an offense other than the the Hal Mumme spread. Mumme ball was a novel approach to the game that enjoyed some success when it was new to everyone. Coaches have simply seen it enough now, to know how to defend it. Even when it was novel, it resulted in the accumulation of huge yardage but, it also resulted in a lot of turnovers and poor field position, which resulted in a lot of losses. The Mutt hopes he is proven wrong but, at this time he is convinced that power running, defensively oriented teams are almost always going to beat finesse oriented passing teams.

I am sorry to be critical ( I have the utmost respect for Whitley's coaching staff, I know they are hardworking, knowledgable coaches) but, Whitley County is absolutely woeful on the offensive side of the ball. They average more turnovers than touchdowns. Whitley has played way below their ability this season. Their record does not concern me (due to the strength of their schedule) as much as, the way they have been beaten. Whitley has not competed in 3 of their 5 games (all 3 loses have been blowouts, laughers over in the first quarter). The problem is not that hard to diagnose, Whitley's experiment with the passing game is a failure. If Whitley had stuck to their traditional wing-t last season, they would have won 8 ballgames. This season they would have been in the mix in every game except possibly the North Hardin game. North Hardin was simply a more talented team. Bell, Shelby and Lincoln did not have an obviously more talented roster, they did however, have an obviously better game plan. The basic fundamentals of football have not changed. The team that blocks and tackles best usually wins the ballgame unless they turn the ball over. Whitley does not have, has never had, and never will have a tremendous amount of speed unless the demographics of the area undergoes a tremendous change. Whitley County produces Clydesdales not Thoroughbreds. To be successful, Whitley's football team is going to have to use what they have " POWER ". Whitley is potentially a very good power running, smashmouth, defensively oriented football team. The wing-t or veer will win ballgames. The spread will not win ball games, it never really has on a consistant basis. Look at the history of the spread. Once in a while, a team will win some ballgames in the spread but, usually this is because of an extremely talented QB (Couch at Kentucky or in Coach Black's past Andy Greer) or in some cases due to the novelty of the offense. The novelty aspect of the spread is over in Kentucky. Good coaches have learned know how to defend it. With the novelty gone, it comes back to basics, if you do not have speedy receivers running great routes or a QB (with Div. 1 type speed and arm strength) that can both run and throw 20 to 30 lasers, it is not going to be effective. Defenses simply drop 7 players back into pass coverage to take away the downfield pass, blitz a different man every down (to pressure the QB and tie-up the fullback)and concede the short outs and draws. The result is a lot of pass completions for 2 yards or less, some beatup receivers who start hearing footsteps after about 2 beheadings (linebackers and safeties simply backup and Tee-off on the short outs or crossing patterns) and an ineffective running game because the offensive line is backing up into pass protection rather than knocking the defense off the ball. With only one back in the backfield and the QB in the shotgun, the offense becomes amazingly easy to read, it is almost like shooting fish in a bucket for the linebackers and safeties. Whitley has big, strong, seasoned offensive linemen, 3 or 4 quality high school backs, a crafty QB and a potentially stingy defense (it is hard to stop teams consistently getting the ball inside their own 30 due to turnovers). Coach Black and Yasidro are both masters of the wing-t (both have coached it successfully for years). Whitley has the kind of personel to be very effective in a hard-nosed running attack. The answer to Whitleys offensive woes seems obvious to me. It is time for Whitley to get back to what their coaches and players know best (smashmouth, in your face, super physical, behind kicking, intimidating football). Get back to physical football and the wins will come. Trying to throw the ball all over the field might be fun to watch but, it does not win ballgames. Winning, to the Mutt at least, is more fun to watch than losing with the air raid.

Well the mountainmutt was in Shelbyville watching the Colonels demonstrate why they should not be a 4A team. Whitley basically got the poop beat out of them in every aspect of the game. Somebody mentioned a field goal above. What a funny funy joke. Mountain football is taking licking this year and one of the biggest reasons is kicking. Something has to change or us mountain boys just ain't going to win on a state basis.(even my favorite state contender Corbin as they have represented the heck out of us mountain boys for a long time on the stae level with good old smashmouth football) When you can not kick an extra point much less a field goal and you continually losre the field position game by 20 or 30 yards, you are going to have a hard time winning even if you are knocking the snot out of your opponent on every play. The Mutt ain't going to back down, he has knows basically every kid playing for both Corbin and South. The Mutt has coached and socialized over the past decade with almost every family involved with both schools. No disrespect to South (the South folks know how difficult the county has made it to develop football players in Laurel County. Heck, anyone involved with Laurel County sports knows politics has cripaled Laurel County football. For the sake of good sports there should be a London independent and a Laurel County High School; a debate for another day). I stand by my original thoughts. Corbin should have powered South out of the stadium by three or four touchdowns. Why does Campbell not get the ball 12 times a game. What am I missing?

Same here, Topgun. Someone is either very paranoid or they are reading way to much into my posts. The Mutt is not griping. The Mutt is discussing his passion. I love the team and coaching staff. My posts are meant simply as discussion points between fans and other people who love to follow the game of high school football. Like I said, it is early and Whitley has played two top 10 teams. It is way too early to tell how good this team can be. I think Black has done a nice job with the time and talent he has had to work with. As I said, Whitley has had most of its success in the past as a smashmouth football team until something else is proven successful, the old fanbase will question what is going on. That is what fans do. They talk about the teams, players and coaches they are interested in. Personally, I enjoy high school sports more than college or pro sports so I spend a lot of time talking or corresponding with other high school sports fans. If the fans ever stoped talking and playing on the internet boards, real trouble would be at hand because there would be no interest in the team. "Interest in the team" is probably the most important component in building a successful program. Coaches should encourage all the interest they can create for the team. As far as football knowledge, I doubt that high school coaches have a corner on the market. Many fans have been studing the game longer than most high school coaches have been alive. Like any game of strategy, different strokes for different folks. I have not read or for that matter heard very many negative comments regarding coaching or the QB for that matter. I am quite confident that the fanbase is very happy with the coaching staff. The QB had a bad game last weekend but, that happens sometimes. He has done a good job all season and I expect to see him playing with confidense tonight.

I will field that question SouthernCross. I think Whitley has had good line play and good defensive play in the first two weeks. Whitley looked like the better team against Bell County however, they threw an interception for a td, missed two extra point conversions, got a td taken away for a penalty and missed out on two red zone posessions. I thought Whitley's line held their own against North Hardin, as did, the defense (gave up 2 td's). The offense gave up four td's on turnovers. I think Whitley would be much better, if they could find a way to augment their spread offense, with a power set from time to time. Maybe run a couple of series, per game, in the wing-t or maybe just change up in the middle of a series and run a few plays out of a power set. Whitley's QB is not a real running threat and unless the passing game is good enough to drop the line backers, over 10 yards off the line of scrimage, the fullback is not going anywhere. This becomes a big problem in short yardage situations or in the red zone. Keep in mind, out of the shotgun, the linemen are never actually coming to a 3 point stance and they are never pushing up the field. The linemen basically set into a pass protection stance and protect, the line movement is actually backward into a pocket. If the line is moving backwards, there is really only one running play, that has a chance, which is the draw whether the QB runs or the fullback runs. Whitley has it's most physical line in years but, in the spread their job is not to blow people off the line, it is to protect the passer. Whitley's offense moved the ball well against Bell but, it was completely stalled against North Hardin. In the spread, there has to be a deep threat evey play, to open up the short passing routes. Against North Harden, Whitley was forced to throw the short out nearly every play due to a good blitz and tough man-man, safety coverage, on the deep routes; consequently, the linebackers did not drop, and the corners never dropped more than 5 yards. The corners simply jammed and released just waiting to pop the short out. The short outs were open enough for a completion but, the corners restricted the gains to 1 or 2 yards per completion. They also picked off a few balls for touchdowns. The short out inside your own 25 is extremely dangerous and Whitley proved it Saturday. Bottom line, I think many people are questioning how well Whitleys personel fits the spread because they have extremely limited outside speed, a non-running QB, and they have not shown the ability to complete the 20 yard laser passes (a question of arm strength or timing, I do not know). On the other hand, they have a big strong offensive line, some good power backs and a stingy defense. It is early and time will tell. Whitley's best years have come with power football. Until something other than power football is proven successful, the old fan base is going to question what is happening. As I said, time will tell.

This is a good question and I am not an authority however; if I interpret the rule correctly: The ball is dead IF the holders knee touches the ground while he is in possesion of the football. He can get up, run, pass, handoff or reset the ball for a kick as long as his knee does not touch the ground. Someone help out on this.

Boys, the game ain't changed. The team that blocks and tackles the best without turning over the ball is usually going to win. Good defense usually beats good offense. Physical smashmouth teams will usually beat finesse oriented passing teams. Nothing is wrong with the hounds, they are one of best five or six 2A teams in the state. Oldham is good 4A team and Corbin did not play its best game. It is early and most offenses are not clicking. The Mutt thinks Corbin is going to have a fine season and a make a run at the Carpet. Things get better this week with a thrashing of South Laurel.

I agree Campbell should run the ball at least 12 times a game. I do not think there are very many kids in ths state as strong and mobile as Campbell. Despite the slow start, Corbin will man handle South.