Raceland ended the year getting blown out, sadly, again by Pikeville. That being said, the goal doesn’t change as they chase Championship number 1. For all of us who have talked about strength of schedule over years, our wish has been granted. I don’t know the schedule order, but non district games, from what I’ve heard consist of:
Ashland
Pikeville
Danville
KCD
Highlands
I’ve also heard of a neutral site game with Mayfield as a possibility and a home and home with LCA. Pretty sure Highlands is a home and home, as well as Pikeville and Ashland.
The Rams return their QB, leading rusher, several receivers, their LBs, most of the secondary. Some holes to fill upfront, but the off-season program is already working harder than it ever has. Raceland could/should potentially be better in 23 than they were last year. The schedule will definitely be tougher and though I hate to see the rivalry games go, I look forward to seeing us taking the next step towards where we want to be.
I also expect Jaxon Heighton to have more influence on the run game this year. He and Wallace will make a rough 1-2 punch.
According to another thread, Newport Cath is on Racelands schedule.
What about Lawrence County, that seemed to be a good game for both teams?
(01-26-2023, 01:56 PM)Strikeout King Wrote: [ -> ]According to another thread, Newport Cath is on Racelands schedule.
It is NewCath & not Highlands.
I know it’s tough has hell to fill a schedule.
Some of these teams sound great to have on a schedule but….you guys gonna hate me haha. I feel some of these teams are strong teams only by tradition of days gone bye. Danville is in noway the Danville of old. NCC is nothing like the use to be. I know nothing of KCD. I love the new teams though I just don’t know if it’s truly a tougher schedule haha. Hell I would love for Paris to be as good as they use to be. Back in the day Paris was one of the most athletic teams we would play all year. It’s gonna be fun watching new teams this coming year. Excited to see how every thing will pan out!
New Cath may not be the powerhouse they once were but that will be a very solid game for the Rams. Also as Buffs mentioned, I would try to keep that Lawrence Co game scheduled. They have some very nice young talent on the way. They were one of the best middle school teams I watched last year. I honestly think the next 3-4 years Lawrence will be on an uptick. Raceland returns some very nice players and will be a major factor in 1A once again. Front load that schedule thru your first 6-7 games then cruise thru your district and be playoff ready. Should be a very fun year in 1A, I can’t wait.
I will also tell you who is on Raceland schedule as well. Hazard. Rams will be making a trip to H-town!!!
I figured a majority of the big name 1A schools would begin playing each other more in this alignment. That being said, with the new stipulation concerning the Larger schools not being penalized for scheduling down is should balance things out again. But I don’t think that will start until 2025 for Raceland. As I am fairly certain that all their games will be Home/Home contracts.
This is the most class a teams Raceland has ever played in the regular season
(01-26-2023, 02:11 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 01:56 PM)Strikeout King Wrote: [ -> ]According to another thread, Newport Cath is on Racelands schedule.
It is NewCath & not Highlands.
Meant to say NewCath & Highlands.
As of now, the non-district schedule looks like this:
Ashland - Away
Letcher Central - Away
Pikeville - Away
Highlands - Home
New Cath - Home
Hazard - Away
LCA - Home
(01-26-2023, 04:22 PM)RAMDAD50 Wrote: [ -> ]I know it’s tough has hell to fill a schedule.
Some of these teams sound great to have on a schedule but….you guys gonna hate me haha. I feel some of these teams are strong teams only by tradition of days gone bye. Danville is in noway the Danville of old. NCC is nothing like the use to be. I know nothing of KCD. I love the new teams though I just don’t know if it’s truly a tougher schedule haha. Hell I would love for Paris to be as good as they use to be. Back in the day Paris was one of the most athletic teams we would play all year. It’s gonna be fun watching new teams this coming year. Excited to see how every thing will pan out!
I played against the NCC teams from the early 2000’s and they were no joke. Danville during that stretch was a beast too. Both teams aren’t at that level now but are still solid competition for the Rams and I think both teams are a step up from Greenup and Russell. I like having Pikeville, Highlands, and Hazard, and possibly LCA too. Ashland will be really tough next year as well. Raceland will take some lumps next year but I think we will be better for it in the long term. Best case scenario I think we go 7-3 in the regular season with a worst case 5-5 but we will be battle tested when the playoffs roll around.
I hope we don't have to hear Raceland is 9 TDs better than last year for the 10th year in a row. 2023 is their year and if they don't win it this year it may never happen.
(01-26-2023, 11:07 PM)jetpilot Wrote: [ -> ]I hope we don't have to hear Raceland is 9 TDs better than last year for the 10th year in a row. 2023 is their year and if they don't win it this year it may never happen.
This may be an unpopular opinion in Ramland but I think we will take a slight step back next year. That’s not to say we won’t be a top Class A team but we lose a lot of key players that contributed to this past season’s success. Yes, we bring back a lot but we also have to replace much of our line as well as a few key skill players. I think we will be fine once the playoffs come around but I look for the first half of the season to be more about developing rhythm and getting the team to gel.
(01-26-2023, 11:18 PM)Orange Blaze Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 11:07 PM)jetpilot Wrote: [ -> ]I hope we don't have to hear Raceland is 9 TDs better than last year for the 10th year in a row. 2023 is their year and if they don't win it this year it may never happen.
This may be an unpopular opinion in Ramland but I think we will take a slight step back next year. That’s not to say we won’t be a top Class A team but we lose a lot of key players that contributed to this past season’s success. Yes, we bring back a lot but we also have to replace much of our line as well as a few key skill players. I think we will be fine once the playoffs come around but I look for the first half of the season to be more about developing rhythm and getting the team to gel.
I almost started a thread Paintsville Raceland Pikeville Hazard 2023
I think whoever is best in the East will be 1A champs.
Paintsville lost Phelps, Hazard lost Johnson....huge....Raceland lost a lot, Pikeville lost almost everyone who started.
Going to be fun again but nobody can say we will be better with a straight face.
Wide open again.
(01-26-2023, 10:32 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 02:11 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 01:56 PM)Strikeout King Wrote: [ -> ]According to another thread, Newport Cath is on Racelands schedule.
It is NewCath & not Highlands.
Meant to say NewCath & Highlands.
As of now, the non-district schedule looks like this:
Ashland - Away
Letcher Central - Away
Pikeville - Away
Highlands - Home
New Cath - Home
Hazard - Away
LCA - Home
7+4 district=11 Only 10 regular season games,each team has a bye week
(01-27-2023, 12:06 AM)GOREDDEVILS Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 10:32 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 02:11 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 01:56 PM)Strikeout King Wrote: [ -> ]According to another thread, Newport Cath is on Racelands schedule.
It is NewCath & not Highlands.
Meant to say NewCath & Highlands.
As of now, the non-district schedule looks like this:
Ashland - Away
Letcher Central - Away
Pikeville - Away
Highlands - Home
New Cath - Home
Hazard - Away
LCA - Home
7+4 district=11 Only 10 regular season games,each team has a bye week
We only have 3 district games (Fairview, Paris, and Nicholas County)
(01-27-2023, 12:08 AM)Orange Blaze Wrote: [ -> ] (01-27-2023, 12:06 AM)GOREDDEVILS Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 10:32 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 02:11 PM)Slic Ric Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 01:56 PM)Strikeout King Wrote: [ -> ]According to another thread, Newport Cath is on Racelands schedule.
It is NewCath & not Highlands.
Meant to say NewCath & Highlands.
As of now, the non-district schedule looks like this:
Ashland - Away
Letcher Central - Away
Pikeville - Away
Highlands - Home
New Cath - Home
Hazard - Away
LCA - Home
7+4 district=11 Only 10 regular season games,each team has a bye week
We only have 3 district games (Fairview, Paris, and Nicholas County)
Yeah that's right I was thinking 4 but Raceland can't play Raceland, My bad.
(01-26-2023, 11:30 PM)jetpilot Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 11:18 PM)Orange Blaze Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 11:07 PM)jetpilot Wrote: [ -> ]I hope we don't have to hear Raceland is 9 TDs better than last year for the 10th year in a row. 2023 is their year and if they don't win it this year it may never happen.
This may be an unpopular opinion in Ramland but I think we will take a slight step back next year. That’s not to say we won’t be a top Class A team but we lose a lot of key players that contributed to this past season’s success. Yes, we bring back a lot but we also have to replace much of our line as well as a few key skill players. I think we will be fine once the playoffs come around but I look for the first half of the season to be more about developing rhythm and getting the team to gel.
I almost started a thread Paintsville Raceland Pikeville Hazard 2023
I think whoever is best in the East will be 1A champs.
Paintsville lost Phelps, Hazard lost Johnson....huge....Raceland lost a lot, Pikeville lost almost everyone who started.
Going to be fun again but nobody can say we will be better with a straight face.
Wide open again.
Heck Jet, Raceland is basically playing two district schedules this year if we still had Paintsville on the schedule.
Solid schedule for the Rams that should pay a nice dividend when the games matter most.
(01-26-2023, 09:42 PM)RAMDAD50 Wrote: [ -> ]This is the most class a teams Raceland has ever played in the regular season
And yet it will be a tougher schedule than we usually play.
(01-28-2023, 11:33 AM)Scotty_Bronson Wrote: [ -> ] (01-26-2023, 09:42 PM)RAMDAD50 Wrote: [ -> ]This is the most class a teams Raceland has ever played in the regular season
And yet it will be a tougher schedule than we usually play.
Yes haha ….damn that’s sad isn’t it haha
Very. I’m hoping it continues to be the norm though. I hate not having the close rivalry games, but for a rivalry to be worth while, imo it’s got to be beneficial for both teams. Has to provide a good gage and or some sort of preparation. Greenup didn’t supply that it recent years. Russell always did and that’s the one I really hate to lose bc it was a close game that stayed pretty close minus a handful of blowouts either way. Something else I never considered until today though with that game, is Russell may have seen the writing on the wall when it came to realignment. When they were playing in a similar district before, they were competitive for regional championships and making semi state appearances on a regular basis. With RPI the way it is, they could lose points losing to a smaller school. So maybe that had a little to do with it. Just a thought.
I completely understand why WC, RC, and LC dropped us as those games were not competitive on a regular basis by a long shot. These games we have scheduled now will provide us what we have all been thinking that we needed in the regular season. It will be a tougher go in 2024, but by 2025 I look for us to start making noise again. We just gotta keep working and not let momentary fall from being a contender cause us to change our focus. Hope I never see us step away from competition because we “simply can’t be competitive”
Will it be a difference maker in the playoffs? Will it change our competitive level with Pikeville? It remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain. Raceland has changed the off-season program for sure. More kids working and more work being put in than I have ever seen out of our program. There was a Pikeville poster on one of these threads awhile back that made a comment about “being careful what you wish for” when there was so much talk about issues within the coaching staff. I will be the first to admit I have been guilty of dishing out that criticism. But they talked about how Coach Mac found himself in a hot seat early on. Look at what Pikeville has accomplished the last decade! I think we have the prices in place to do what we want to do. We all just need to take a step back and realize what steady and productive growth can produce given enough time. And at the end of the day, my kids wake up every morning happy to go to Raceland and play ball here. That’s the most important thing to me at the end of the day. Just wanted to make a slight PSA lol. Carry on.
Also, there seems to be a heckuva lot more kids getting college looks at Raceland this year. Kudos to the staff for helping these kids pursue their education and still get to play the game they love.
^^^No offense but I have heard more working out etc every year. The game changer for me is improving the schedule 1000%. That is what will close the gap imo. Hazard doing the same. Both teams' schedules in 2023 will make them much better playoff teams.
(02-23-2023, 01:16 PM)jetpilot Wrote: [ -> ]^^^No offense but I have heard more working out etc every year. The game changer for me is improving the schedule 1000%. That is what will close the gap imo. Hazard doing the same. Both teams' schedules in 2023 will make them much better playoff teams.
I think the biggest difference between Raceland and Pikeville in the past 2 seasons was Pikeville simply had better athletes across multiple positions. That’s not to say that we didn’t have good athletes but Pikeville had Jimmie’s and Joe’s that we just didn’t have and strength of schedule wasn’t going to fix that gap no matter who we played.
^^^Agree but weak schedule hurts, it's proved year in and year out.
(02-23-2023, 03:43 PM)jetpilot Wrote: [ -> ]^^^Agree but weak schedule hurts, it's proved year in and year out.
We definitely won’t have a weak schedule this year. This is probably the toughest regular season schedule I’ve seen us ever have. Despite what a lot of our fan base thinks I believe we will have some trouble early on replacing a lot of our key pieces that graduated especially on the line and receiving corps. We should still be a strong team but it will take a few games to get traction.
Oh I agree with the schedule statement as much as I possibly could. It’s easy to get complacent, go through the motions, etc, when you essentially just have to line up and run whatever you want and it’s successful. But the last two times Raceland has seen Pikeville, schedule, imo didn’t matter. We simply weren’t strong enough to withstand four quarters of football against Pikevilles over all team strength and athleticism. I hope Pikeville continues being who they have been. I don’t want an “oh by the way” first state championship. Though I would take ANY title game lol, I would rather see us do it against the best and right now, that’s Pikeville and it’s not even close.
Another thing that some don’t think about when it comes to the strength of schedule, is seeing the atmosphere, facilities, etc of power house schools when you travel. Playing top tier programs goes beyond the game itself when you are trying to build long term success. Especially when you do it with the blue collar mentality that the top teams in all of EKY have done, it’s pretty remarkable.
Raceland is trying to do just that. Pikeville, Belfry, Johnson Central, Bell in their big time, when Breathitt was rolling, Hazard, Paintsville, these teams, to accomplish what they have with the population density, financial struggles of Appalachia, on the field, in the class room, is remarkable. Even comparing apples to apples when we saw the East/West alignment in the playoffs. Mayfield vs Williamsburg, Johnson Central vs Cov Cath, Pikeville vs Beechwood, Beechwood vs Raceland, Paintsville vs KCD. These western teams don’t typically have the resources in the area to support the type of talent pool that those of CKY, NKY, and WKY. It’s a fact.
It’s what I love about small school ball especially public’s and independent schools. Sadly the powers that be are trying to squeeze all they can to make them a thing of the past. I follow all of Hs sports. But HSFB in KY, classes 1-3 are where my heart is. But even for the JCs, Belfry’s, and other big mountain schools to have the success they have is really impressive.