jude

I was looking at the Litkenhous ratings and trying to figure out which of the Eastern KY teams has the best chance of making a suprising playoff run? 5A - Johnson Central has the running game to give people a hard game but until they prove they can beat Highlands they can't be considered a supriseto win up to that game. Can they? 5A - Ashland just doesn't seem likely to beat Johnson Central this year. 4A - Bell County isn't a suprise to anyone 4A - Lawrence County is a much better team and program then they were two years ago but even the most avid Lawrence County fan understands that beating Bell then Boyle is a path that LC isn't likely to travel. With that being said I can't help but hold out some sliver of hope. 4A - Rowan County is one of the most improved teams in Eastern Ky this year, but as Edgar Allen Poe would say, "the Bells, Bells, Bells etc..." 3A - Belfry is always a talented team and a tough out in the playoffs. With that coach they could get hot at just the right time and make a run? 3A - Sheldon Clark has one of the most underrated defenses I've seen all year. They are my pick to really make some noise in the playoffs. 3A - Pike Central has a really good team and people aren't really used to that around here, but are they ready for a playoff run? I just don't think they are there yet? 2A - Prestonsburg is allot better then people around the state realize. In this class they may really suprise some teams. 1A - Hazard is not a team that I know anything about this year???? 1A - Raceland has historically been a team that plays up in class during the year and has some losses that actually help them come playoff time. I don't know if this is one of those years? 1A - Pikeville is also not a team I know allot about but some of my co-workers tell me they could suprise some teams in the playoffs???

I think that people may not be giving the injury status of highlands LB'ers enough thought. If i'm correct they have lost one LB for the year and another is banged up. I haven't heard how serious his injury is but you absolutely can't take their two starting LB'ers away throughout the playoffs and still think they can stand up to the type of running games they are going to see. I'm not saying that they won't still outscore whomever they play but you have to acknowledge that Highlands may get allot more yards against them then they are used to if they don't get the one starter back and have someone really step up. Being a Lawrence County and Johnson Central fan I can speak from experience and say that the Highlands coaches have historically put together offenses that will score 50, 60 or even 70+ (BAD MEMORIES FROM 99!!!!) when they need to. I feel like this loss absolutely gives some teams like Johnson Central a little more confidence that it CAN be done. I can see the coaches from their playoff opponents playing the clip from Rocky 4 where the corner man says "he's cut! he is man, he's not a machine!" (it's something like that) With all that being said. I think the playoff run may take on a different look this year, but I believe that if you want to wear the kings crown you have to take it off his head and noone in 5A has done that yet.

Ok I was not going to comment on this subject for obvious reasons, but I feel I should. J.J. is not only the the best RB I've watched since Michael West (I watched the Boyle game) but he is, from all accounts of those that know him much better than I do, an incredible young man. Please feel free to criticize the coach for his choice, but leave that to another thread. If you set the state record in anything would you want to read the comments on here about how 20 or 30 other people could have done it. I think not! I think that people on here either forget that the high school athletes can and do sometimes read these boards and you just did your very best to degrade one of the athletic high points of his life or they post rude comments because they are just rude. I'm not in any way defending the coaches choice to allow this, but it happened and the athlete did EXACTLY what his coach and his team asked of him. With that being said I would also like to say that as good a football player as JJ is he is actually a better wrestler and will most likely get his choice of colleges offering a wrestling scholarship. And even though I sometimes forget it myself he is still a junior and still has not fully developed into his full potential. He may break many more records over the rest of this season and next.

Simon Kenton.... Not only have I never won but I've never even been close. This time I just asked my wife. She's always right anyway. At least that's what she says!

I think SC may be a much better team then most people realize... They could be a really tough out in the playoffs this year. Yes I know they are ranked but they have shown they can play with and even beat some good 4A and 5A schools so this week we will see what they can do against a team they should be favored to beat. A convincing win here could give them a lot of confidence.

I had my response typed up and realized that it was about as rude as it could be so i erased it. I'll just say that I predict Hunter James for LC has 4TD's and 190 yards in 2.5 quarters. Believe it or not that's polite compared to what i had typed......

Good job Rams! East Carter gets to go to Lawrence County next week. LC will be very pumped up after the close loss to Sheldon Clark.

Great D by both teams. SC is for real. They nearly beat 5A Johnson Central last week and they beat LC this week. I hate to admit it but it was a great win for SC. They held Hunter James to 1 TD and around 73 yards this week and held J.J. Jude to around 39 yards rushing last week. Great run defense....

thanks Pirate!

incomplete in endzone........ SC's game..

4 and 10 26 seconds left

pass off fingertips of bentley. 3rd down

LC driving to the SC 25. 2nd and 10. 38 seconds left.

SC punting with about 2 min remaining

SC going for it on 4th and 1. LC offsides. Probably the game right there..... 3:24 remaining

touchdown Sheldon Clark. Conversion failed. SC 12 - LC 6, a few seconds left in the third. LC return to the 40 yard line.

SC second and goal from the about the 8 yard line. 1:22 in 3rd

6-6 tie 3:15 remaining in the third

anything new???

Oh yeah, I forgot the most important point. In their first game this season SV ran a fake punt while up by 50+ points and then when they scored they went for two. beating that team by 60+. The more I think about it the more I wish we had left the starters in till the end and went for 80 or 90 points.

7 times last year SV won by 35 points or more. So I think they can handle losing one game by 61. With that being said LC returned a turnover for a touchdown in the 4th and got another turnover in the 4th that they scored on one running play. So at least those two scores were definitely not the coach trying to run it up. So while everyone on here is saying to LC what goes around comes around shouldn't they be saying this to SV??? SV won at least two games last year by 48 or more points. Yep, your right. You reap what you sow. Tonight SV got what they've been giving.

This school couldn't compete on a regular basis with the schools that were in lower classes in the 90's (paintsville amongst others) and now most smaller schools will not consider playing them. They were one of the most underproductive teams in the area now they are amongst the best in the state. They are the real deal and they define what improving a program means. New Stadium, New coaching philosophy, New pride in the program and new results.

I missed this game. Had to watch my little cousin play against Boyle tonight (i promised i would). While that was fun and he is the real deal, I will be where I belong the rest of the year. Standing behind the bulldogs endzone watching my DAWGS!

I don't know if cramping changed the outcome but it definitely slowed both teams down. JC seemed to be more affected with at least 4 different players cramping up at different points in the second half. JK and JJ repeatedly cramped up. The coaches are really going to have to put some time into working to prevent this in the future.

Titletown I'm really glad to hear your son is home and doing ok. We all were praying for him. I appreciate your kind words for the fans here. It was VERY strange to walk away from the field as the losing team but still enjoying the game? You just can't be upset when both teams play their hearts out. PurplePride, I have to think that Boyle will be the best team JC faces until the playoffs this year. Although the schedule is packed with really good teams Boyle is definitely at the top of that list. I thougth that for as far away as Boyle is that your fans showed up in decent even if not overwhelming numbers. Now to be a little bit of a proud cousin and ask if I'm being too biased in saying that J.J. Jude had 193 total yds (133 rushing) and I believe that will be his lowest total all year. Can a junior win Mr. Football?