billytwoshirts

I would venture to say that Russell isn't as fast as Fort Campbell and Trigg County, both of whom have good track programs and a history of putting speed on the field. Plus, I don't read people on BGP talking up Russell's fast guys, which makes me think that their speed just doesn't stand out.

 

I feel like Fort Campbell had more team speed than Trigg, who was well-above average for a 2A team.

Thanks for the backup! Ft. Campbell had an awesome team.

Just out of curiosity, since you are assuring us that Russell is not anywhere close to Fort Campbell or Trigg in the speed department, I assume you can provide facts to back this up? I'm sure this is not just your opinion. :confused:

It is my opinion based on "visual" facts. I don't have statistics and 40 times to back up my claims. However, I'm sure you have been to football games before where it is MORE THAN OBVIOUS that the other team has better team speed and athletic ability. I did not intend any disrespect to Russell and/or Catholic for that matter. Objectively and without bias, Ft. Campbell had remarkable team speed. I would venture to say that they have more team speed than most teams in Kentucky including the mega powers -- Trinity and St. X!

If you feel that your team has better team speed than Ft. Campbell, ask the Red Devil coaching staff for their assessment because they are watching the Catholic vs. FC film this week. I think that they would agree with my claim. Again, it's not a criticism of your team.

I would say Russell's team speed is as good as anybody in AA.

I'm sure that Russell has good team speed, but I can assure you that they are not anywhere close to Ft. Campbell or Trigg County. I am including Catholic in my constructive criticism as well. They are not fast (compared to FC). Ft. Campbell & Trigg made Catholic look very slow. Russell may have more team speed than Catholic? When you see Catholic play, you won't be impressed by their athletic stature.

Good luck to Russell. I hope they win the title that they've been so close to for years.

 

I cast my vote for O-Cath though, because I remember reading something about how they have progressed one step further in the playoffs every year for the past 4 or 5 seasons...the end of that progression is a state title this year.

 

Maybe that's a stupid reason, but that's all I got to go by.

You are right. Since 2000, Catholic has gone one step further each year:

2000 - Made it to the first round and lost to Caldwell Co.

2001 - Made it to the 2nd round and lost to Trigg Co.

2002 - Made it to the 3rd round (Regional) and lost to Webster Co.

2003 - Regional Champs, Made it to the Semi-State and lost to Etown

2004 - Semi-State Champs, Made it to the Final and lost to Belfry

2005 -- Who knows?

Interesting trend that everyone would have to agree would be kind of unique if it played out this year

Russell's bread and butter is the run, but they are also not afraid to go to the air. The Red Devils have been very successful throwing the ball this year.

If they are successful throwing the football this will be in their favor, however, the coaching staff may have to make a decision about whether that would be wise or not. As you know, when you pass the football it doesn't eat up the clock.

 

2. Will OC make Russell pass? It's obvious Russel is a very good running team, and I would assume they don't want to have to throw. OC has made their last couple opponents, who weren't passing teams, try and pass the ball. Catholic can score very quickly and make a coach go to the pass more than he would like. Look at DeSales. They were not a good passing team and for some reason they got away from the run and decided to throw a lot more.

 

3. Catholic tackling. OC must tackle well to win. I have seen almost every OC game this year and very rarely have I thought the Aces were the better tackling team. The Aces better cowboy up and be ready to hit somebody if they want the hardware.

 

Rafterman,

Your last 2 points are good ones and I would have to agree. IMO the Catholic defense has done a good job against the run this year. At times, they have given up yards, but they have contained some really good running teams. I don't think Russell will have the same team speed as Ft. Campbell. Catholic's weak spot is their pass defense IMO. Russell may not want to go to the air much, but this is where they might have some success.

Not 100% sure but there are 8-9 that go both ways.

 

53 Michael Schafer= NG/OT 6' 220lbs

56 Josh Wills= G/LB 5' 10" 200lbs

52 Tim Smith= G/T 5' 10" 220lbs

60 Drew Mell= T/T 6' 230lbs

3 Tommy Brown= QB/CB 5'10" 180lbs

18 Jacob Sizemore=TE/CB 6'3" 190lbs

24 Kasey Clark=RB/CB 6' 190lbs

45 Chad Edwards=RB/DB 5'10" 190lbs

91 Cameron Perry= TE/G 6'2" 220lbs

 

These are the boys that play mainly both ways. I could have some positions wrong but this is close.

Thank you for the information.

With this many players going both ways, Russell must keep the ball away from Catholic. Sustained drives for the Russell O will be extremely important.

I understand your frustration, jman69, but to be honest I've seen very few disparaging comments made about Owensboro Catholic's football team on this board at any time this season. It does seem that a select, yet vocal, group of the team's supporters exaggerate the amount of "criticism" the Aces receive here.

Well said.

Someone may have posted an exact number, but can anyone answer exactly how many players that Russell has going both ways?

Well, some in the Owensboro area might disagree. Hasn't Owensboro High made some charges in recent years?

Not against the football team. There was a charge against the basketball team a few years ago, but nothing materialized. If you have seen OCath play, you would have to agree that there's nothing that makes you say: Wow, they are physically impressive.

OCath had no success running the football against Trigg County in the second round except for a couple of runs around the end by Kamuf. If Russell has a pair of 300-pounders at DT who can play, they could stop OCath up the middle. But as they showed with Trigg, if they can't stop the pass, it will be a long night.

I think the main reason why Trigg was successful in stopping the run was because of their defensive style (and athleticism). Trigg had a great team.

Final Prediction

For the Russell faithful that may not know, I post a weekly "Owensboro Area Predictions" thread for the teams in the "Owensboro Area." I am not a Catholic fan per se -- I have been an "Owensboro Area Fan" for longer than many posters were born I'm sure. That being said, here we go:

Catholic - 21 -- Russell - 13

This will be an exciting game to watch and I am looking forward to the matchup. Russell wil definitely present some challenges for the Catholic Defense. DeSales was able to move the ball on Catholic in spurts and I would expect that Russell will be more proficient in the running game than DeSales. I look for the Red Devils to control the clock and try to keep it out of the hands of the ACES offense. This will be a hard fought game and the score will be close for almost the entire game. According to what I am reading, Russell appears to have several players that go both ways: if this is true, this will definitely be in Catholic's favor. In order for Russell to neutralize the Catholic depth they will have to be successful in keeping the Catholic offense on the bench. Respectfully, Russell has not seen the type of offense that Catholic will bring to Papa John's. I am not saying that they won't be able to make adjustments, but it will definitely be a challenge for them. It is hard for high school scout teams to simulate what Catholic puts on the field. Catholic relys heavily on precision. This is not a gimmick type offense. It is more liberal than the Wing T, but it is not the "let's throw the ball around" style either. They execute the no huddle to perfection and their players are very disciplined in all areas. I predict that Catholic will pull away in the 4th quarter. This game will be similar in some ways to the Belfry game, however, and most importantly, the Catholic defense is much improved. Last year, Catholic was whipped horribly on defense, but now those kids are older and more experienced. I expect Russell to give Catholic all that they have. I am going with Catholic, not because I'm true blue, but because I have seen them win some remarkable games against what I thought would be almost impossible wins (Trigg County and Ft. Campbell). Good luck to both teams.

Quick Facts:

I read a post/comment on this thread concerning the "private" issue. Russell fans you can be assured that Catholic does not fall into this category. Truthfully, this school's existence is on loose ground. This is not Louisville or Lexington. Owensboro Catholic does not have buckets of money. The kids from OCath play with what they have and it isn't much. For example, until about 5 years ago, Catholic didn't have enough money to purchase home and away uniforms -- they played every game in 1 color (yellow jerseys / green pants). I can elaborate with more examples if you would like, but, I just want everyone from Russell to know that the "recruiting, private, money, etc. issue" is not the case at OCHS.

You can play devil's advocate on both points. IF DeSales is successful running the football and can play ball possession football, the depth issue (especially on defense) won't be as big a factor. OC hasn't really seen a successful ball-control, grind-it-out, 3-yards and a cloud of dust team in a long time.

I think that is the only way that DeSales can win the football game. If you flashback to last year, Catholic lost to Butler County because of their lack of ball control. Butler County dominated the Catholic defense, was able to sustain drives and keep the offense off of the field. If DeSales can do what Butler Co. did, they will make it a frustrating night for the ACES. However, if they allow Catholic to get in a flow and constantly turn the ball over on downs -- it could be a long night for the Colts.

This year's OC defense is not as good as the 2003 team and I've seen both play. OC's depth will likely win them another game this week.

I agree.

Scribe, what is your prediction and analysis?

How does this O-Cath team compare to last year's? Is their defense very similar? I assume their offense is still pass oriented, but the reason I ask is because the Aces had serious trouble against a good line and 2 good running backs in the state game last year against Belfry. It strikes me that Desales may be very similar to the Belfry team that the Aces played last December. I am not saying anything one way or another but I am curious as to how the Aces look compared to last year.

Compared to last year, I think they have matured. Most of the problems last year, defensively, can be attributed to youth. Now, all of those guys are Juniors and Seniors this year. I think the defense has done an excellent job. Last year I think Catholic had to almost solely rely on their offensive capabilities and it showed against Corbin and Belfry (i.e. the defense struggled and gave up yards). I do not want to take anything away from DeSales, but this defense was able to hold Trigg Co. to 10 points (until the last 2-3 minutes of the game with 2 freakish plays) and contain an outstanding Ft. Campbell team. I'm sure that DeSales has some great athletes, however, I don't think that it is wrong to say that there aren't too many teams at any level that have 5-7 legitimate D1 athletes like Ft. Campbell. It is safe to say that Catholic was outmanned at almost every position against Ft. Campbell. I think the ACES were given one of the toughest challenges (if not the most challenging) that they will face the rest of the year.

Catholic is a very well rounded team.

DeSales and Catholic have played before:

1972 / Catholic - 53 -- DeSales - 13

[scribe, I am going to use your thread to complete my weekly predictions]

SEMI-STATE

Catholic - 35 -- DeSales - 13

Catholic showed me a lot against Ft. Campbell. This team is speacial. I saw a team that, to me, did not looked frazzled when they were down 25-14. They never quit and they seemed cool under pressure - as if they knew they were going to win the football game the whole time. Catholic is a very good football team. I believe that there biggest concern this week would have to be distractions. Hopefully, the ACES have the ability to move forward from a great win and realize that they are playing another good football team. According to my sources, DeSales has a very sound football team. I'm sure that DeSales will not simply roll over and let Catholic win the game. Catholic will be tested again, but, from a different kind of football team. DeSales, apparently, runs a wing T type of offense and they have a great running back (which is necessary for the wing T). Most Catholic schools, have very gritty and tough kids. This should be a very hard fought football game. In the end, I see Catholic taking control by the start of the 3rd quarter and closing the deal by the end of the 3rd quarter. DeSales has not played a team like Owensboro Catholic. Catholic has a veteran team with an enormous amount of experience in all areas (mental, physical, game experience, etc.). The Juniors and Seniors have almost played an extra season and a half - this has to be a plus for Catholic. This team has played in close games with Trigg and Ft. Campbell (05'), Etown & Ft. Campbell (03'), Glasgow,Trigg,Corbin, Belfry(04'). This experience will carry over because this Catholic team has played in almost every scenario possible. And this team is a very disciplined and good football team. They are exciting to watch and this week will be no different. Catholic wins unless they turn the ball over.

Good luck to both teams.

I have heard that Johnson and Gordon for Ft. Campbell are a little banged up. Did Gordon not play last week? Are they 100%?

Obviously, if they aren't full strength it will help Catholic.

Well, just like last year, Catholic is the only team left standing in the Owensboro Area. I realize that there is already a similar thread for the Catholic game; however, because of my traditional weekly post, I can't stop now!

Regional Championship:

Catholic - 28 -- Ft. Campbell - 21

The only reason that I see Catholic being victorious in this one is because of their passing game. As with Trigg Co., I think Ft. Campbell is too athletic and will be able to contain the ACES ground attack (at least early in the game). Ft. Campbell has not seen anything like what Catholic will bring to the army post. Catholic showed me that they are the real deal last week against Trigg Co. Trigg County had a great football team and Catholic dismantled their defense. The final score was deceptive (35-23). It could have easily been 42-10 and Catholic dominated the game after the 1st quarter. This was a Trigg County team that held Ft. Campbell to 14 points. The Catholic defense will be challenged enormously against some of the best athletes in the state. Ft. Campbell will get loose on some long runs that will result in TD's. The Catholic defense will be aided by the Catholic offense if Ft. Campbell has several athletes that play on both sides of the football. From what I gather, Ft. Campbell does not have a serious passing game which will help Catholic to focus almost solely on their running attack. This game will be exciting to watch and I look forward to the trip to Ft. Campbell.

In my opinion, I believe that this game will decide the state championship.

Na.... Catholic got to relaxed and almost gave them the game. Coach Edge getting after them is part of it. Some kids need to suck it up and play.

YOur attitude will allow them to play relaxed and quit mode and lose a game in the 4th quarter. The other thing is this is how he coached that 2003 team on Defense and it worked. These kids need to respond and quit whining to their parents.

I disagree somewhat. I don't think Trigg was ever really in the ball game after the 1st quarter.

I think Coach Edge is doing an excellent job. I also think that he is young and as he ages he will mellow. My disappointment was in his reaction to the fan that yelled at him from the stands. No matter how awful the fans can be, it is a coaches responsibility to keep composure and not stoop to the level of an obnoxious fan. That is not the example that a coach should set for his players or the youth that look up to him.

The problem I've had in the past, is there defense stopping other teams. If they ever put the 2 together on 1 team, look out :thumb:

We will know by 10:30 Central Time the answer to this question. I am looking forward to finding out which team will show up.

My concern is not the pass game of Trigg, I believe we can contain that. My big concern is stopping their run game. The Aces can't afford to miss the number of tackles they did against Heath.

Overall, the Catholic D is going to have to have a big game. Offensively, Catholic is going to score points. I think opposing defenses know that Catholic is more than capable of scoring based on their offensive style. The question is: Can the OC defense shut out or hold Trigg to lesser points than what the offense can score?

Trigg 28

OC 21[/quote

 

I just can not see Trigg scoring over 20 points. Least of all 4 trips to the endzone. Owensboro (4A) couldn't when Catholic gave it to them 9 times. Then Apollo (4A) couldn't who just defeated a solid Marshall Cty team in Round 1. If Trigg doesn't put up over 3 TDs I just don't see them winning. Because both Ds are solid and I would give the offensive advantage to OC.

 

Good points. Trigg could score over 20 points. They certainly have the capability and athletes to do so. It is all contingent upon Catholic's ability to stop the big play. Catholic gave up 20 something against Edmonson and could not contain the passing game and big plays.

One thing Catholic did last year they can't do this year is put the football on the ground. They fumbled three times last year and were fortunate to recover all three. They likely won't be as fortunate to recover three again this year.

Hopefully, Catholic got it out of their system against Owensboro. They turned the ball over something like 9-10 times. I thought the OC defense did a good job in that game. They turned the ball over 9-10 times and OHS could only come up with 19 points?

On point 1, it doesn't take a dominating line when you pass the ball 25-35 times a game and 400 yds a game is good, but, alot of that comes via big plays and not lining down and dominating in the trenches..My reference to struggling was Owensboro Sr and only 7 pts, however, wasnt aware of the 9 turnovers, but, also, Apollo wasn't exactly dominated..

 

On point 2, I disagree, with exception to OC, there isn't anyone else very good, in District 1, Caldwell, Heath,Lone Oak and Webster offer more competition than a Monroe or Glasgow does...

 

On point 3, South Spencer isn't always a state contender..They've had better years, yes, but, this year, got put out in 2nd round of playoffs by +20 pts, finished 8-4 and never made a top 10 appearance in 2a, so, a 28-20 win, although not bad, also, isn't that good...

 

On point 4, by this time of the season, everyone has 11 games under there belt and for the most part, the starters on all these teams got significant playing time last year and possibly the year before, so, a couple or 3 extra games shouldn't really matter..

Your points are well taken, but I would have to disagree in a few areas.

You never know exactly what is going to happen until the ball is kicked off. I think that's been what has been most exciting about the games between Catholic and Trigg the last 2 years. As an Owensboro area fan, I know that the players and coaches have a deep respect for Trigg County. I can assure you they know they are in for a very tough game. I don't think any team will do much "destroying" (as one poster stated). It's going to be close.