TomLandry

Apology accepted....I too typed a response...then deleted it...glad I did. By the way, Bell Co. fans for the most part miss the rivalry with Corbin....and have always pulled for Corbin in the playoffs...as well as all Mountain teams to go all the way to the Pizza Bowl!! Good luck to the Redhounds! As for running up score...Dudley does not do that, in spite of popular opinion otherwise. He even had freshmen get intentional illegal procedure for four straight downs on the one yard line against one opponent because they agreed to play Bell....and then in games this year....has let Merrick kick on first down.....declined a pass interference on one yd. line to set up a sixty yard record attempt FG. JV has scored a lot of points this season and starters have sat out second half in several games.

It is...but once in a while he hits a 75 yard plus kick out of the back of the endzone in the air.....that is not happening on a regular basis during the cold spell. He just creamed that one....adrenaline comes into play. Previous kick had fallen short and was returned...setting up the score that put Rock within one TD. Rock is to be respected.....Dudley did not run up the score....he had to win a playoff game. Bell leading Rockcastle 28-7 is not time to put in the JV. That is when the SECOND onside kick came. It was good strategy and totally swung the game for good....which is what one and done playoffs is all about! Score was then 35-7 and then the JV finished down the stretch.

Footballs were hard and cold last night...like rock. In temperatures like last night the kickoffs do not carry nearly as far as normal. Merrick had 94% of his kicks prior to Friday night out of the endzone. Due to the respect that Bell has for the quick Rockcastle return men....that is why the kick. The penalty came into the mix....Merrick could sky it out of the back of endzone...or catch them off guard. Rock is Rock. Bell respects them. It was 14-0 at half. Rock returns...and then scores off return field position...now it is 14-7! Bell scores and then it is now 21-7...still a close game with Rock always....then Bell does their first onside...successfully...and then does it a second time in a row to put game up 35-7. That is not to pile it on...it is just a better strategy than a pooch kick on the kickoff. Needless to say it worked quite well....swung the momentum totally to Bell and shut down the Rockets for good. Ironically, I believe that Merrick hit the next kickoff a mile and out of the endzone!

Before you get your feathers ruffled (LOL!)....you should check previous posts. Bell fans have a great deal of respect for Coach Mills. They would never overlook his team. Bell has been on a one-game-at-a-time mission for the season. They have overlooked no one. Bell is favored in this game, and should be by their performance on the field this season. As for Mills, there are numerous posts on BGP that have had much praise by Bell fans for what Wayne has done. Several times they have come to his defense, when some have wanted to criticize them. Let's face it for whatever reason...refs, Bell or Knox players, fans....last time was ugly and let's have a great night on Log Mountain....hot baked potatoes.....hot chocolate, coffee, and good old "smash mouth" football....legal...on the field...and Mountain Football at its best! Welcome to Log Mountain Panther fans! We look forward to having y'all over Friday night!

The Bobcats are not worried. In fact, they look forward to hosting Knox Central on Log Mountain. There was a loud cheer from the crowd when the final score of the Knox-Boyd game was announced. Everyone there looks forward to the rematch. The first game was ugly....hopefully this game will be played with class by two good teams. I believe the Bobcats are a much better team. Anything can happen in bad weather, cold, and the playoffs. Bell let Rockcastle hang around last night too long...it was a wake-up call. I don't believe they will do that next Friday night. Should be a great crowd, cold...but not quite as cold as this week....and the best of Mountain football. As for coaching techniques.....I have never seen Coach Hilton coach that kind of strategy...there are legal ways to do the same thing....I don't think Wayne would either...sounds like an assistant.

Regardless of the quality of the officiating....they lost control of the game early on. Anytime that the officiating crew has to suggest (and it was them who did) that the two teams not shake hands at the end to avoid problems....they lost it a long time before IMO!

Add our congratulations as well from the Bobcat fans. Most of us have a great respect for the rivalry and tradition. Hardfought battles on the field in the past and in the years to come. Good luck to Rock seniors as they end their career tonight...something that I know is hard...but their strength will help them in all aspects of life. Sure was a cold, icy, mess out there tonight for both teams!

By the way....Kentucky is recruiting him....and we need to keep him in good shape....he knows how to execute ONSIDE KICKS!!! lol!

Officiating was a little questionable at times...but for both teams. Playoffs are assigned...and this crew was from a District somewhere else. To my knowledge they have not ever been to Log Mountain. No "mashed potatoes and gravy" here! LOL! Both teams were served the same dish from KHSAA!!

Talked to Merrick after game...and has bruised ribs, and saw some film after game. He not only took him out for a penalty on the PAT but went clear across the field and took him down with a blind side hit on a kickoff.....Merrick grabbed the player by the facemask...something that kickers have been known to do....and refs tend to ignore...on roughing....and the player punched Merrick while on ground and received another personal foul penalty for his retaliation! Side note: game film showed that the same player did the same thing to Merrick in the Rockcastle regular season game....the only other time this has happened in twelve games! Not what we have come to expect from Rock, usually a classy team and organization.

Yep!

I agree. Three Wishes is a class act...leave him alone....and he IS an authority on Bell Co. and Rockcastle. He could be guilty of "insider trading" if he were on the stock exchange!! LOL!! Appreciate your insight on Rock and the new rivalry at Harlan Co. that will be to come!

Merrick is averaging 46.0 yds. per punt. He has only punted SIX times in eleven games....Bell's defense is getting the headlines, but their offense is unbelievable as well! He has been recruited this past year by LSU, Louisville, and Purdue as a punter only! He had the highest hangtime at the Nike National Kicking Event -2008 of all kickers hs and JC with a 4.9! His longest punt has been 67 yds. in game....and he has had two straight seasons of ZERO return yards during regular season. During warmups the other night I saw him punt from the goal line, high and deep spiral...and it stopped rolling on the 5 yd. line!! 80 yd. punt!! Of the six punts this year....four were inside the twenty! WKU wants him to compete for starting role in all three areas...kickoffs...placekicks, and punts! At KY he would take over the kickoff duties for Masthay next year and compete against Sieber for placekicking responsibilities according to his Dad. He would then backup Tydlacka as punter.

Merrick now has 250 points scored by kicking. KHSAA does not recognize this catagory. His 8-8 performance in first half of the game.....sat out second half as did all varsity players....took his totals passed Taylor Begley and others into eighth place nationally on the career NFHS record books. He needs 29 points throughout the coming playoff games to tie Shayne Graham, of Bengals, for seventh place.

Bell's kicker Monte Merrick became the new career PAT leader for Kentucky HS football, passing Karl Heinz Williams of Trinity at 201. Merrick was 8-8 on PAT's in the rain all in first half, bringing his total to 205 and counting!

Bell's kicker Monte Merrick became the new career PAT leader for Kentucky HS football, passing Karl Heinz Williams of Trinity at 201. Merrick was 8-8 on PAT's in the rain all in first half, bringing his total to 205 and counting! Coach Hilton gave all the varsity starters the second half off (cold, raining, and running clock)....hit the showers at half-time. JV continued the defensive shutout and put up one td.

Pineville would have been outmanned, but they lost five key players in two weeks...two were kicked off due to off field issues...and three were ejected in NKY at Walton-Verona the prior week and ineligible to play at Williamsburg.

One of those games was a torrential downpour and about 40 degrees. I think the hot showers rather than stand in cold for a half was to the benefit of the players and team for rest of season. Besides in both of these games...it was running clock with over 50 pts. scored by half....second half did not last very long. It certainly was not done to disgrace opponent...but to allow early whirlpools, etc.

Bell's JV have played almost the entire second half in five or more games. Varsity played a little more last week...due to the size of opponent from Lexington....and to get ready for the playoffs. Needed play time to get their stamina built up for whole game runs.

Merrick ends regular season with 197 PAT's and 14 FG's for his career....he will add to totals as Bell moves deeper into playoffs. He needs 5 PAT's this Friday night to have 202 and be all-time KY PAT career leader. He needs 21 more to take over 6th place on the all-time National Federation of HSAs records for career PAT's. His 239 career points.....a total not shown on KY records....is ten short of taking over ninth place just behind Shayne Graham who is in seventh with 279. Had Merrick had the kind of FG totals and attempts that many of the others had....he would be nearly at the top of the list. He has only averaged 3 FG's per year! Bell does not need to kick FG's very often with their power offense. He is 5-6 on last second half-time or game winning kicks....only miss a block.

Update on the record chase: Merrick's official total is at 197. He needs four to tie and five to break the record of 201. Merrick has moved into eighth place on the NHSFL record site for career kicking points scored. He could move up to four or five right with Shayne Graham who has 279. Merrick's total is at 239 after end of regular season. He needs 10 points to go into sixth place behind Graham.

Merrick went to numerous schools this summer to kick for their coaches at the college's request. He went to Penn State; Louisville; Kentucky; Mizzou; West Virginia; Ole Miss; Vanderbilt; Tennessee. He was asked to come to LSU for punting (did not go-same day as KY); Houston invited him to come work out, but could not due to distance. He has was invited to visit Purdue; invited to work out for Michigan...mild injury prohibited trip two weeks ago; North Carolina State wanted him to be a preferred walk-on. Kansas State coach has offered another kicker over him(kid made trip this summer MM could not...down to two....and waiting on whether he will accept. Western Kentucky has offered a full-ride D-1 scholarship. He will make an official visit to the Hilltoppers this weekend. Most of the colleges, according to his Dad, are on hold with all their special teams recruiting until end of season. Not untypical, I am told.

Bell is not getting cocky or overconfident. They will methodically, ala Dudley, take on each opponent week by week. Bell has only one game assured and that is Lawrence. Most of these boys were knocked out of the state baseball semi-rounds by Lawrence. They said then..."wait until football!" Each week has its own motivation. Rockcastle and Knox Central will more than likely come back to Log Mountain from cross district play. Three good weeks to prepare for whomever shows up the next week. Bell will be ready. Each game will be decided on the field and not on this site! By the way....that post was from one of our loyal Bell fans at Corbin!! LOL!!

They had three ejected in NKY and two others who were dismissed from team the week prior for reasons we cannot discuss on here. Five starters....their numbers cannot easily recover from that kind of hit.

The battle between Lex Cath and Bell last year in the Regional Finals....was the state championship in my opinion! No one else even came close to giving them a game, and they were truly the better team on that night. Our Seniors remember very well that night....and it drove them to the weight room the next day.....and ready for this year's run. One game at a time! We won't think about Boyle until it is appropriate on down the line. Also, in years past when Bell and Rock went head to head....many years the regular season winner would NOT win the second meeting in the playoffs. Boyle better not look beyond Lex Catholic!