4th and long

should be a great game Larue Co. has some exceptional athletes like Mercer. I don't think they have the same kind of speed all over the field though. Hopefully, they will bring a lot of fans! With the NEW playoff format will this then be for the regional championship?? I would assume so given they are two district champions but you know what assuming does.

I agree with an earlier post I think both Belfy and Russell will give the Titans a run for their money. Mercer is improving week by week but so are everyone else that is still playing. If russell and Mercer do meet there will not be any surprises both know what the other will be doing on offense it comes down to which one can do what they do best. Should be a classic if it happens however, there are some quality teams that still have a say in it.

I don't think Mercer is feeling the pressure quite yet. While they are very aware of how talented newport is they also have played them once. I think, if... they make it to round 3 they will really start to feel the magnitude of the situation as they then begin to play unfamiliar teams. Mercer is tough offensively, they have incredible speed, it will ultimately come down to the pay of the defense. I disagree with earlier comments that nobody will come within 21 pts. I believe very close games are about to come knocking. Still should be fun!!!

what about having the 8th graders that want to come up and practice with the 9th graders. that way the 9th grade gets meaningful practice without standing around and watching the varsity the rest of the season?? Helps set the tone for the incoming 8th graders too???

I don't think people realize that Mercer's offense is not designed to score as quickly as it does. Generally coach jaggers likes sustained time consuming drives that eat the clock and demoralize the defense. 28 points, i.e. one ling drive a quarter is perfect. given all the missed blocking assignments against Newport I thought it was a good game. If people misjudge the Titans when they don't score 50 and think they did not play well, they are sadly mistaken. The key to Mercer winning it all will be the defense giving the offense good field position and the offense not turning the ball over. I firmly expect Mercer to play some very close games come playoff time. the only thing that matters is a W not the point spread.

The difference is that a 4 seed has nothing to gauge a one seed from the other district against other than their record. I'd much rather get my 4 seed up to play a new team, even if they are a number one seed from another district, than to play the same # 1 from my own district who already beat the stuffing out of us earlier in the year. Besides it is more fun to play another district in the playoffs because of bragging rights etc.

I don't recall any players being ejected in the Mercer game?? I could be wrong. I expect Newport to win however I will not be surprised if spencer does.

Let's shock the world. You can try and use the david and goliath bit but it will only go so far. as someone earlier stated it is pretty easy for the underdog to get down and quit. If Mercer jumps out early I see this getting ugly.

wow! I could not believe it when I heard this score. I said last year I thought Spencer had the athletes to begin building a solid program. I did not think it would happen so soon though. Hard to believe it might come down to Mercer vs. Spencer for district champs. What about LLoyd? Haven't heard much about them this year and usually they are one of if not the front runners????

New turf at newport looks great! I think the Mercer performance was more typical of what should be expected. Longer sustained drives score once a quarter control the clock. We have been spoiled by quick scores by the backs but the offense is really designed for ball control. newprt D played good, mercer had a lot of missed blocking assignments. Saw the mercer backs slip MANY times cutting in the hole, prevented some big plays several times. Glad to hear the coaches took care of any attitude problems. Most likely the kid was frustrated because Newport was doing such a good job of blocking him. poor sportsmanship should not be tolerated! should be a fun playoff game to watch.

if anyone was at the mercer game friday night, i would like to know if i was the only one who noticed the thunder and lightning? it started before half-time and continued until the game was called with 3minutes left in 4th. i know in other sports that game would have been called much much earlier. Yet, we put band members with flag sticks waving on the field during halftime and continued to play. it was my understanding that the officials are in control of this but which official? we left fans on metal bleachers, kids on the field and hoped for the best? well, we certainly were lucky. i do not think the life on anyone at that game should have been taken for granted but i feel that is what happened. other games in the state were postponed or delayed. why was this one not?

I brought up a similar question last year, do we as coaches have an obligation to help our athletes lose the wt. or present different healthier diets when we are finished playing. Overwhelimingly the attitude was that we should not. I for one feel badly when a former player, a couple years removed, stops by and looks like a couch potatoe. We can help them gain wt. but do we help them change their lifestyle when the playing days are over?

Boyle co. is very young at some key positions. However, they still play VERY fundamental football and will undoubtedly continue to improve right into the playoffs. The one key factor, that I observed, that is missing is the old Boyle County attitude. They do not seem to play with the same intensity or urgency. They seem to take everything in stride and are emotionless. There is a difference between having a "workman" like attitude and a "careless" attitude. Unfortunately, this years rebels seem to play like they don't really care. IMO. In the past the Rebels always seemed to play with an edge that was very intimidating to other teams. Not so this season. the old black and gold just doesn't seem to demand the same respect. Hopefully they will develop a little attitude as the year goes on.

I agree ntrl. What a great night for football. The weather was perfect the atmosphere electric and it was not a long drive home. Unfortunately, there are always going to be some people that do not behave the way we would like but I choose to view the glass 1/2 full. Mercer tried their best to make reasonable accomodations for a very good crowd. Obviously, they have never had this problem in the past so one would not expect them to do everything perfect. However, there were several concesion stands added, bleachers brought in (set way back from the endzone) my goodness this is high school football in Kentucky NOT Texas. I wish we had 5 games a year or more with this kind of atmosphere. I personally don't enjoy 60-0 blowouts with 1/2 empty stands. I'd rather see a game like Friday night and lose. It was a non district game, like Danville, that has no affect on our district. I will predict we will win the district and compete for the Regional title this year.

RebelK, I am sorry you had such a bad time last night. I had a great time watching two physical well coached high school football teams lay it on the line for 48 minutes. EVERYONE I talked to from both sides commented on what a great atmosphere it was that the two teams conducted themselves as good sports and played hard. I truely hope what you interpreted as viscious and inappropriate was misunderstood. I expect everytime I go away and watch Boyle play, if it is a competitive game, to receive some good hearted teasing. I did not see or hear of any fights, which frequently happen at other venues. I saw countless Boyle and Mercer fans tailgating and sitting together. I thought things went great, considering we lost :( I think this sets the stage for a GREAT local rivalry, something we can use. This game will only make both teams better and I for one hope Boyle wins 3A Mercer wins 2A and Danville wins 1a this season. One last point, this was a huge game for Mercer co. and it showed by how well the fans came out, including the students, to support their team. Boyle however, may be getting a little spoiled because I did not think as many people came to support the rebels as I would like. Another last point, everyone knew the seating was going to be poor which is why we brought chairs! We have played many other places just as bad. I can remember Prestonburg before they fixed their field and the fans were watching from the school roof top and standing ON the sideline. congrats to Mercer co. and their fans. Hope we all go to Louisville this year!

great game great atmosphere. Mercers defense was VERY impressive! Hats off to the Titans. Offense was less than expected however, they showed that they can score from anywhere on the field. Mercer was hurt by its passing game. Boyle looked real good throwing the ball and had a lot of time to throw. Mercer shut down the running game though. I thought Mercer was a lot more physical than the rebs tonight however, Boyle Defense did a good job containing the speedy Mercer backs for most of the game. Hopefully this will be an annual match up. This was great for the Harrodsburg community. Would love to hear an attendance estimate.

fp30 are you refering to Anderson or pendleton? I think the Anderson staff is working very hard to rejuvinate a very poor program. 3-0 great start guys keep it going!

coach Hammons must have the Defense clicking too! I hope the wins can give the bearcats some much needed confidence as they head into district play. Maybe they will get that "refuse to lose" attitude that has been missing for the past several seasons. Way to go guys! Keep it up!

Would love to see a Western vs Mercer matchup. Two quality teams that are well coached and have good athletes.

Mercer looks very strong... so far. How do you think a team will be able to upset them. What defense/offense are they vulnerable to? I hear a lot of people talking about handing the 2A crown to the Titans but every team can be beat just curious to hear your thoughts on how to attack this particular team.:confused:

Mercer will score all season long on long runs. They might be contained for a few plays and just when you think Mercer is in trouble one of those backs goes the distance. 40 times don't really matter, it is quite obvious Mercer's backs are faster than the rest of the players on the field. 4.3 or 4.5 it is all relative. What will be interesting though is how Boyle co. plays the Titans. When Chuck Smith was still here the Rebels found a way to beat many teams with superior speed. Hopkinsville generally was much faster player vs. player but the Rebels still came out on top. I expect the Rebels will step up this week and have something to say about it!

Should be the most exciting atmosphere in Mercer Co. History. Can't wait to hear all the complaints about seating etc. etc. regardless I think this will be an awsome game. I cannot imagine a blowout either way! I expect to see bodies flying around and some serious hitting in this one. Regardless of the outcome this game will help the Titans like no other this regular season. Hope this becomes the next great rivalry. I miss the old Lex. Cath. and Boyle games. Mercer/Boyle should play every year. IMO

lAs of yesterday walker had not been cleared however, he was hoping it would happen this week. If he does play I would not be surprised if he didn't see very limited action. He will be needed against Boyle Co. especially on Defense!

One other reason Mercer is so fired up is that they really believe that had Brandon Scheller been able to play against Russell last year the game very likely could have turned out differently. Even with out him they seemed to wear out Russell in the 4th quarter last year and consequently they believe they were as good as the eventual state champions, without the Harrodsburg players. A confident team can be VERY dangerous.

Excellent game, just what you hope to see when these two get together. I honestly thought Danville would win big but Boyle co. really impressed me with their determination. This game could have been over early witht he two blocked punts but Boyle refused to quit. As others have said Boyle hurt themselves and that was the difference in the game. Danville dropped a number of passes that were on target. Danville QB was impressive! Boyle D-line was too. I am looking forward to watching Boyle and Mercer hook up. Mercer is more similar to Danville which makes for another great matchup and potetially another great high school football game. Better get there early though because old "Scottie" field is not quite as nice as Admiral Stadium!