[BigBlack99]

I think that the bulldogs will have a strong start to next season. Beating there first 5 opponents then i predict they will stomp Green up, Paintsville, and Belfry. To finish 10-0 and travel to the state championship. ))))))))))))):yeah::worthy:

[OutlawJoseyWales]

Love your comedy. you should take it on the road

[DAWG NATION21]

Three things will determine the Dawgs season and how much they improve.(1)Defense...the defense was,for the most part, lousy last year.Played horribly against the pass throughout the season and was poor setting the edges and defending the outside runs. A lot of injuries and a lot of youth rotated in and out of the line up which lead to most of it but also not being aggressive. The bright side is that they return a lot of talented players like Sizemore,Rasnake,Blankenship and others that should have great years.(2)How well can they replace the interior of their o-line? It was no secret that LC liked to run the ball and run it between the tackles. They return both tackles but lost some great linemen in Robertson,Shortridge and Ratliff at the center and both guard positions.(3)Can they develop a passing game? Not saying they have to throw it all over the field but enough to keep teams from loading the box all the time. Hall and Johnson are both tall and fast and have to come up big this year at wr. West needs more work with the passing game and in my opinion the coaches need to help him out a bit more with some shorter, easier routes and make sure he has some check downs or some routes for the tight end so that he can have easier reads and get the ball out faster. The Dawgs will have plenty of weapons this year but have to have some sort of balance to be able to consistently move the ball against great defenses.I think they will continue to improve but don't see an undefeated season.They have enough talent to have an 8-2/7-3 season which would be great to me considering the good teams on their schedule.

[futuredawg34_blue]

i believe the bulldogs will have a great 7-3 record this year under their new qb ashton blankenship. blankenships short passing game has been on point this offseason but his deep throws need some work, but there is always room for improvement over the summer

[Wildcats11]

Op thinks she is funny....

[Scotty_Bronson]

Let the talk begin

[Ramcat77]

Do you guys expect to lose many kids to the new boy's soccer program?

[Wildcat45]

If we lose football players to soccer, I doubt those players would be contributors to the team other than scout team players.

[Fly Like a Duck]

If we lose football players to soccer, I doubt those players would be contributors to the team other than scout team players.

Not exactly true. I’m not what you would call a soccer fan, but you obviously have to be able to run to play soccer and not just for time/distance, but several positions on the field require bursts/sprints just like in football. Show me a good football and soccer team & Ill show you a team(s) w speed.

It will effect Football some, just like it has everywhere (if no soccer, then it’s likely some of those kids play football). It doenst take a whole team full, but 1-3 decent athletes a year who would otherwise be playing football could have an impact on a rural county program like Lawrence County .

[Wildcat45]

I should clarify... I don’t think it will hurt us now... it will likely hurt us later down the road from parents putting more focus on a “safer” sport other than football.... kids who have played football their whole lives will continue to play unless they ride the bench all season

[Fly Like a Duck]

Big Picture for parents/players to think about between soccer and football.

One sport has less positions (and, scholarship money. Much less) and it also is played all over the world.

One has more positions and much more scholarship money, and is only (well, 99.9%) played in America.



(Anybody wanting to bring in the soccer being safer argument; save it. It’s splitting hairs)

[lilwhite69]

The time has come, Coach Wesley booth is officially in full control of the bulldogs defense. As coach once said Offense wins games but grizzly with the pouches sucks a**. Its bulldogs junk yard dogs defense bygod. You've got a fleet of new defensive ends known locally as the "screaming eagles" they are practically f-16s that will terrorize the backfield. You've got a secondary that is like the Mexican border wall. and our safety is essentially a crouching tiger waiting to pounce on any poor soul in his territory. Dont even get me started on the offense, we lead the state last year in rushing yards and we will double or maybe even triple our yards. as long as this team has plenty of insulin and grizzly without the pouches we will be unstoppable.

#boothstroops
#shockthenation

[Wildcat45]

So, are you saying the secondary is full of holes?

[WILDCAT NATION]

If we lose football players to soccer, I doubt those players would be contributors to the team other than scout team players.

It will effect the program much more than you think. It is very hard for a small school (3A and down) to support both and be competitive. Watched programs go from winning districts every other year to not winning one for 20 years.

[WILDCAT NATION]

I should clarify... I don’t think it will hurt us now... it will likely hurt us later down the road from parents putting more focus on a “safer” sport other than football.... kids who have played football their whole lives will continue to play unless they ride the bench all season

Let me give you a breakdown of what can happen initially and the long run and it's bad:
My team over the past 40 years:
4 years prior to soccer - 27 wins/ 2 district titles
8 years post soccer - 10 wins....total with the last of the 8 seasons ending with less than 20 players.
20 years prior to soccer - 128 football wins/ 6 district titles/ 4 district runner up/ 6 regional finals
20 years post soccer - 65 football wins / 0 district titles/ 3 district runner up/ 0 regional finals
......and during that stretch the enrollment increased over 50%. You better rally the football faithful.

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

Grass fairies!

[Redwolf]

Grass fairies!

You’re implying that all the young men who choose to play that game are lesser men than those who don’t play it?

[DAWG NATION21]

I don't see soccer taking away from our athletes that would have played football but will give all the kids that prefer a more gentle sport something to do and maybe help the football team gets some kickers. Lack of a kicking game has seriously hurt us, not just on field goals and extra points but on kick off as well.

[Do-double-gg]

Why the hell they don't change up the seasons or one or both of those sports is beyond me. It is basic common knowledge that the two sports attract the same kind of athletes basically. Either way I have seen a slight slack in the strength in the soccer craze in this country the last couple of years especially at the high school level. I think people are slowly discovering the real truth about soccer like flylikeaduck posted. Football even over baseball has become americas favorite sport and I don't see that changing anytime soon.Its just a simple fact that football is much more exciting then soccer.

[PHS DYNASTY]

Anyone have a LC regular season schedule for 2018 ? Pre season scrimmage list ?

[DillyDilly]

After going to KCU and watching this scrimmage, I had a few things in mind. 1. What happened to the O-Line? It seems they lost their intensity. I know LC lost three seniors last year, at the center and guard positions, but what about the tackles? They seem like they're first year players out there, not even firing out and seemingly are scared to have any contact. I had high hopes for the team this year, behind West and Blankenship, you'd think they wouldn't have much trouble with the ground and pound because they are both excellent players. I'm not saying the line is terrible, but I know they have a lot of work to do if they want to compete in their district with foes like Belfry and a tough Floyd Central team.

2. Running backs/QB. I was pleased with the RB and QB play by the dawgs, West is looking like he hasn't missed a step since last season. If the Quarterbacks were live in the scrimmage, I believe West would've ran wild on both teams. Blankenship has improved greatly from what I have seen. We need to utilize his power more, he was hardly on the field last year which was a huge mistake. The younger boys looked very fast and athletic aswell, hopefully will be hearing their names on the intercom a lot this year so I can learn their names.

3. Defense. The linebacking core is looking a lot better than last year, aside from their speed. The reaction time of the core is not up to par, but their tackling is a ton better. Also, the secondary is looking miles better than last year.

Those are my first observations of the team. As it stands now, I am looking for a 4-6 season. Hopefully I am wrong. With the work and dedication , I believe our beloved dawgs can win every game, even against the red giant down in Pond Creek.

[Dawg Family]

Thanks for the update Dilly Dilly I no longer live in the area but still try to follow my family. I also try and make it back for 1 or 2 games each year. I would love to see the dawgs work their self-back into contention at lest in our district. Hopefully this will be the year they start in that direction.

[EsseQuamVideri]

I should clarify... I don’t think it will hurt us now... it will likely hurt us later down the road from parents putting more focus on a “safer” sport other than football.... kids who have played football their whole lives will continue to play unless they ride the bench all season

This really burns my goat. Football, per capita, is safer than soccer, basketball, cheerleading...… Parents listen too much to the media and the natural knee jerk reaction to the news. Drama and scare tactics sell papers and news spots on the news. Are concussions bad? YES! But concussions occur in all sports, especially Soccer.

I am not griping at you, Wildcat. Just getting on my soapbox.

[Theoz]

After going to KCU and watching this scrimmage, I had a few things in mind. 1. What happened to the O-Line? It seems they lost their intensity. I know LC lost three seniors last year, at the center and guard positions, but what about the tackles? They seem like they're first year players out there, not even firing out and seemingly are scared to have any contact. I had high hopes for the team this year, behind West and Blankenship, you'd think they wouldn't have much trouble with the ground and pound because they are both excellent players. I'm not saying the line is terrible, but I know they have a lot of work to do if they want to compete in their district with foes like Belfry and a tough Floyd Central team.

2. Running backs/QB. I was pleased with the RB and QB play by the dawgs, West is looking like he hasn't missed a step since last season. If the Quarterbacks were live in the scrimmage, I believe West would've ran wild on both teams. Blankenship has improved greatly from what I have seen. We need to utilize his power more, he was hardly on the field last year which was a huge mistake. The younger boys looked very fast and athletic aswell, hopefully will be hearing their names on the intercom a lot this year so I can learn their names.

3. Defense. The linebacking core is looking a lot better than last year, aside from their speed. The reaction time of the core is not up to par, but their tackling is a ton better. Also, the secondary is looking miles better than last year.

Those are my first observations of the team. As it stands now, I am looking for a 4-6 season. Hopefully I am wrong. With the work and dedication , I believe our beloved dawgs can win every game, even against the red giant down in Pond Creek.

I believe the tackles from last year have been moved to guard. The tackles this year are first year tackles.

[DillyDilly]

Ah. That makes it better. They’ve still got a lot of room to progress to the level of competition.

[Wildcat45]

I'm with ya EQV... I was just talking about how parents are these days

[Wildcat45]

As for the line, I think they will be fine

[pjdoug]

I think that the bulldogs will have a strong start to next season. Beating there first 5 opponents then i predict they will stomp Green up, Paintsville, and Belfry. To finish 10-0 and travel to the state championship. ))))))))))))):yeah::worthy:

really?

[In the pound]

Been really quite this off-season. Anyone see the Pikeville scrimmage tonight?