[FootballGuy]

Shame on you!! Then tell me how Ivan managed to do it successfully for over 3 DECADES!! that’s just another excuse from a drunk kool aid drinker.... hard work commitment dedication and being a team player are valuable life lessons learned in football. What are we teaching kids when we don’t reward them for this on their night? I have coached myself and as a coach your are more than just a coach. The young men I coached I loved like my own and I wanted to leave them with something more than just wins and losses. I wanted to make them better people and prepare them for life after football.

Mr. Football you are truly clueless as to the real value of high school athletics. Your opinion is completely irrelevant!

Dang you really took that to heart didn't you. It just depends on who you are playing. Making you or whoever happy would be the least of my worries. You're there to win football games plain and simple. You all would be crying for a new coach if ole Ivan was still there. TJ knows what hes doing and hes not there to make you happy. This isnt JFL! Life happens get over it.:hilarious:

[#55PirateFan]

These predictions are surprising to me. Is Raceland that good or has Russell fell that far off?

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

The Evils don't have the talent running through like in the early 2000's.

[RHS]

The Evils don't have the talent running through like in the early 2000's.

That’s very true but help is on the way very soon with several talented classes on the way....

[THINBLUELINE411]

TJ will never EVER beat Belfry or anyone any good for that matter. The only win he has against an actual quality opponent was when he beat Ashland in his first year at Russell. Other than that proof is in the pudding every time they run into a good football team in the playoffs they get run off the field.

And BTW that year they won the region that Bourbon County team was not very good! Neither were the Estill Engineers in the second round. Those Ironton teams he beat were not against the same fighting tiger teams of the Bob Lutz days.

TJ knows what he's doing so much he's managed to lose to Fleming County at home twice in the last three years. The help may come, but he took a group of kids who went undefeated as Freshman and turned them into a mediocre team who couldn't even win the soft district! Life and reality will happen for you all when he fails to have any significant achievement with the young talent coming up.

[THINBLUELINE411]

If Russell wins its first round game and that's a big IF, when they make the long trip to Danville its going to be really ugly from the word go. Russell no longer is physical at any position on the LOS. This zone blocking is ruining football in Flatwoods. The days when Russell came off the ball, snapped on people, and drove people backwards is over. Maynard just wants them to go out there and lay on people, CLUE IN why they could not run the clock out against FLEMING! Jesus fellas when will you all wake up? When Russell is turning in losing seasons on a consistent basis?

[THINBLUELINE411]

These predictions are surprising to me. Is Raceland that good or has Russell fell that far off?

Hell Piratefan every time we play Belfry we don't get it across the 50. So you tell me have we? :please: Russell is awful, if it was not for a weak district Russell would be having a losing season. Thank God we are not in Ashland's district, we may not have even made the playoffs, which was not the case 15 years ago.

[RAMDAD50]

Damn...I thought I was tough on my Rams!!! Hehehe....He’s right about the zone blocking though! That’s a joke!! These teams go to camps put on by College coach’s and there is no need for a zone/wash block at the high school level.

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

Rams by eleventy billion!

[nekysportsfan]

Much of what ThinBlueLine says may be true.

However, the program was going downhill under McGlone and it was time for a change. Maynard has some good wins so far with the win over Ashland at Putnam Stadium, 2 wins over Ironton, and last year’s win over Raceland. Granted, though, the 2 losses to Fleming, the loss to Greenup at home, and barely beating Bath at home have nearly nullified the good wins. As far as the playoffs go, he has had the misfortune of running into some of the best teams that Belfry has ever had. No Russell team ever would have competed with the last few versions of the Pirates.

I would wait about 3 more years before passing judgment, though, to see if the current coaching staff can produce good results with the talent they have coming up. Jachimczuk looks to be a good QB, Conley and Sharp can be a formidable backfield, Anderson should be a great football player, and there are some decent sized line players that can be developed.

[nekysportsfan]

As for this game, Raceland should win...not by eleventy billion...but by about 10 points...they are just the better team this year.

[Scotty_Bronson]

It amazes me that just a few years ago, Old man McGlinr needed to get gone and Maynard was goina lead them to the promise land...

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

as for this game, raceland should win...not by eleventy billion...but by about 10 points...they are just the better team this year.

they were the better team last year and they lost.

[Blue_Bird96]

they were the better team last year and they lost.

They were the better team. Rams shouldn't have had much problem last year.

[THINBLUELINE411]

Much of what ThinBlueLine says may be true.

However, the program was going downhill under McGlone and it was time for a change. Maynard has some good wins so far with the win over Ashland at Putnam Stadium, 2 wins over Ironton, and last year’s win over Raceland.

Granted, though, the 2 losses to Fleming, the loss to Greenup at home, and barely beating Bath at home have nearly nullified the good wins. As far as the playoffs go, he has had the misfortune of running into some of the best teams that Belfry has ever had. No Russell team ever would have competed with the last few versions of the Pirates.

I would wait about 3 more years before passing judgment, though, to see if the current coaching staff can produce good results with the talent they have coming up. Jachimczuk looks to be a good QB, Conley and Sharp can be a formidable backfield, Anderson should be a great football player, and there are some decent sized line players that can be developed.

First off any team Russell had from 2002-2007 would have competed and probably beat one of those pirate team especially the 2002 2004 2005 teams, let’s not sell those great teams short of their just due.
Second yes the program was in a rut, but I am telling you if Russell loses to Raceland and then loses at HOME in the first round we will be talking about just when the last time Ivan had a losing season. You might have to go back a couple decades for that!

[Orange Blaze]

I've seen both teams this year and while I think Raceland is better I don't think they are head and shoulders better than Russell. Raceland has been very inconsistent offensively all season and depends too much on big plays. We need to be able to string together long drives to keep the defense off the field. Raceland has had trouble scoring all season and if Russell can play some defense then they should be able to give Raceland all they want.

Defensively Raceland has played good all year but in the games we have lost we have given up too many big plays and we cannot do that of we want to win this one. It will also be interesting to see how Raceland comes out to play after the loss at Paintsville last week. Given how both teams have struggled offensively this year I don't expect to see either side light up the scoreboard. I think Raceland will win but it won't be a large margin like some are predicting.

Raceland 20
Russell 14

[T-CATS]

Seen both teams play twice. Pretty even game I think maybe even goes to overtime. I think Raceland is a little better but have a gut feeling Russell wins.

[Slic Ric]

First off any team Russell had from 2002-2007 would have competed and probably beat one of those pirate team especially the 2002 2004 2005 teams, let’s not sell those great teams short of their just due.

I wouldn't sell some of the early 80's Russell teams short either. They were pretty good.That was when Belfry & Johnson Central were in the district, and they were usually overtime affairs against Belfry.

[GoHerd_22]

Raceland has not improved since week 1

[mightydog]

First off any team Russell had from 2002-2007 would have competed and probably beat one of those pirate team especially the 2002 2004 2005 teams, let’s not sell those great teams short of their just due.
Second yes the program was in a rut, but I am telling you if Russell loses to Raceland and then loses at HOME in the first round we will be talking about just when the last time Ivan had a losing season. You might have to go back a couple decades for that!

I may be wrong, but seems like i remember Belfry beating the Russell pretty bad in one of those years. David Jones had a field day. He was a D1 player at UK. But i dont remember and D1 lineman blocking for him. Belfry had several D1 linman in the last few yrs and some other real good lineman and backs. I doubt that team could have competed with any of the last 4-5 pirate teams.

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

Maybe we can get those two idiots that do Paintsvilles games on Paintsville.com to come down and butcher the English language and talk about how mean the Raceland players are

[Patriot1]

Hey Ram-Devil when I watch those games on Around Paintsville I turned the volume off. That one guy and I don’t know him but to me it seems he has no clue about football.

[Blue_Bird96]

Maybe we can get those two idiots that do Paintsvilles games on Paintsville.com to come down and butcher the English language and talk about how mean the Raceland players are

I hadn't got the chance to watch the Raceland game stream is it pretty good?

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

It is if you're a Paintsville fan.

[THINBLUELINE411]

I may be wrong, but seems like i remember Belfry beating the Russell pretty bad in one of those years. David Jones had a field day. He was a D1 player at UK. But i dont remember and D1 lineman blocking for him. Belfry had several D1 linman in the last few yrs and some other real good lineman and backs. I doubt that team could have competed with any of the last 4-5 pirate teams.

Your delusional! Russell beat them 2 out of three years between 04-06!... Russell had two fumbles inside Belfry 20 in the 04 game. Neither team could stop each other on offense. Devils stopped themselves that night, regardless let’s keep focus on the present don’t try to discredit the past to avoid the obvious failings of Maynard now and in the future!

[RHS]

It wouldn’t matter if Nick Saben was coaching there you would still find something to complain about if it wasn’t Ivan. I’ve been around the program for 40 years and consider him a good friend but man give it a rest, if you dislike it so much you should of applied with all that vast knowledge plus you could of played every senior on senior night....

[THINBLUELINE411]

It wouldn’t matter if Nick Saben was coaching there you would still find something to complain about if it wasn’t Ivan. I’ve been around the program for 40 years and consider him a good friend but man give it a rest, if you dislike it so much you should of applied with all that vast knowledge plus you could of played every senior on senior night....

No I don’t think I will give it a rest because one day when he’s lost and botched up too many seasons with too much talent someone on here will give me some credit for predicting this stellar run of barely mediocre twighlight zone that the Russell program will remain in under Maynard.

[RAMDAD50]

:biglmao:

[RAMDAD50]

You guys laughed at me when you hired him from Raceland and I said.....good luck you don’t know what your getting into! Bahahahahah!!!

[FootballGuy]

No I don’t think I will give it a rest because one day when he’s lost and botched up too many seasons with too much talent someone on here will give me some credit for predicting this stellar run of barely mediocre twighlight zone that the Russell program will remain in under Maynard.

Theres just not enough talent right now plain and simple. Yeah the frosh class is good but with all the injuries what could you expect. You're just a hater with nothing else better to do :biglmao: you probably couldn't coach a dog to shit outside.