[HAT51]

The bottom line for me on this topic is this. I don't think our style of football as a whole will win state championships vs teams that spread to run and throw. We can beat each other and win here and there in the big games but if we are ever to be consistent, championship level winners we must move away from the run, run, pass, punt approach that we get mired around. Coach Russell took a huge step forward in doing that with Knox this year (see Rockcastle game). As others do the same Knox and others will learn to stop those types of attacks and be capable of winning Region and State championships.

Like so many other things in a sport as complex as football this will require a long term view that includes feeder programs and training plans. The run game will always be the foundation of any great offense. But when it becomes the only threat you represent you will not win championships. Coaches who realize this first will not only have a better shot at winning the big games - but the will develop more complete football players.

Rockcastle be Russell Co by running the ball and playing good defense. What happened to Knox when they played Russell Co? Did they go back to running the ball again? Or not playing defense?

[DSRfan]

Smash mouth runs to set up one of 4 passes in a game. That about sums up the offensive strategy for most mountain teams. But if Mountain teams are ever going to beat teams in NKY and other places that pass more we are going to have to modernize our approach to offense. Its great when you have a scat back like Davenport or Jude who can sweep for TD's against slower corners. But that will not win you state titles any more. It will make you look great in regular season against weak opponents. That is all though.

Mountain teams would serve each other by going to balanced attacks that employ less predictable play calling strategies. Throw from the traditional run formations and spread to throw out of any down. No reason to abandon the run but it has to be balanced. When mountain team start doing this against each other they will be forced to learn how defend these teams who do this so well now and win titles doing it. Until then the king of the mountain will be runner up in the state - no matter if you are 4A or 1A.

Further, with the typical size and strength advantage teams like Harlan Cnty, Bell, Knox, and Clay bring to the line position - if they modified their offense to ensure they are passing at least 50% of the time it would force teams out of 1 deep coverage to 2 deep to defend pass which would open up the run even more. Until this happens mountain teams will not win state championships.

That's not a very apt description of Hazard, a mountain back in a title
game for the 3rd time in half a decade.

And it was Breathitt Co. and Leslie Co. that led the revolution in
offense in Ky hs football. Prior to Tim Couch at Leslie, and to
BC's concurrent run of titles, the h.s. football teams ANYWHERE
in Ky. that had real passing attacks, much less balanced
offenses, were pretty much non-existent. Such few as
appeared now and again were usually gimmicks and no real
threat to go anywhere in the post season.

You're basically looking at Johnson Cen, who had JJ Jude,
and Belfry who has always been a run first last and always offense
under Haywood, as being representative of mountain football.
They are NOT. You'll find just as much varied offense in
the mountains as you do anywhere else.

[DSRfan]

Seems that Haddix had a pretty good collegiate career as an athlete. Just saying.

Haddix was NOT a very athletic player by ANY collegiate standard.
And wasn't even particularly outstanding as a h.s athlete. What
he had was EXCELLENT field vision and understanding of the game.
Haddix was just a little too slow, a little too short, a little lacking in
arm strength, to make it at the highest collegiate level. But
as far as calling the game, reading the D, and getting the ball
where it needed to go, he might be as good as has ever played
in KY hs ball.

[charlie22]

Hasn't Bell Co and Belfry, possibly other mountain teams that run the ball wond a few State titles? I watched Belfry win one year and threw two passes the entire game.

It occasionally happens. No one can deny that fact. But to me, in order to win a state championship just running the ball or just passing the ball, you have to be significantly better than all your opposition. Whereas, I believe if you run a diversified offense you are able to beat your opposition in years where you may not be significantly better than all your opposition. With advances in coaching and scouting, and so many game tapes being available on the internet, I just feel it's become easier and easier for defenses to be set up to stop one dimensional offenses.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

Oh and someone mentioned that JC doesn't have a D-1 QB like Highlands has Towles. You never will unless you develop them. I love, truly love what Matney has done for JC. It's awesome and no one is trying to discredit Matney or take any thing away from what he's accomplished. But (and you knew that was coming) one can still wonder if perhaps JC would have beaten Highlands last year if they had worked on their passing game more. Perhaps if the receiver had had more opportunities to catch the ball in games, he'd have caught that ball. That's fair to wonder, isn't it?

No one responded to my post earlier: wasn't Sanor the kid some JC fans were saying had a really good arm? Someone on the team did I'm sure because I can remember some JC fans talking about it on here or BGP. If true, imagine being a defensive coordinator trying to defend against JC in 09. You put the kid with the arm in the gun; Jude is the one RB next to him. You put Bratton as the TE. You put Dillon and Hall at WRs. Trim up the big o linemen to improve their quickness and work on drills to improve their foot speed. God that would been one dang tough offense to defend. Corners can't think about helping defend runs by Jude or QB keepers around the end because they have tall, fast and big WRs to worry about. LBers have to be very cognizant of passes to Bratton in the hook zones behind them, thus preventing them from playing so downhill. Defensive linemen can't worry about just creating piles to clog up running lanes because they have to be able to put on the pass rush. Plus if it was Sanor with the good arm, he looked like he moved very well so he's another running threat out of the QB position. Heck, I think doing the above makes JC's running game even better because it spreads out the D and forces the defensive players to be very, very concerned about the passing game. Plus with those receivers, I think you have one helluva passing game if you work on it starting in spring ball and all summer.

Am I crazy JC fans or would that have been one heck of an offense back in 09?

[Football1]

That's not a very apt description of Hazard, a mountain back in a title
game for the 3rd time in half a decade.

And it was Breathitt Co. and Leslie Co. that led the revolution in
offense in Ky hs football. Prior to Tim Couch at Leslie, and to
BC's concurrent run of titles, the h.s. football teams ANYWHERE
in Ky. that had real passing attacks, much less balanced
offenses, were pretty much non-existent. Such few as
appeared now and again were usually gimmicks and no real
threat to go anywhere in the post season.

You're basically looking at Johnson Cen, who had JJ Jude,
and Belfry who has always been a run first last and always offense
under Haywood, as being representative of mountain football.
They are NOT. You'll find just as much varied offense in
the mountains as you do anywhere else.

I'm not just considering JC in my opinion here. Team like Rock, Knox (until this year), Bell, Harlan Cnty, Russell, Corbin, Lynn Camp and several others all have enjoyed success with smash mouth football albeit predictable power offenses. But all mountain teams including these are failing on large scale to win state championships, in my humble opinion, due to an inability to move the ball against teams that matter in the big games.

By the time the playoffs (especially deep rounds that matter) happens teams have had loads of time to study and prepare a defense for specific offenses. The tendencies that have brought success to the regular season become the Achilles heel in the big games. A more diversified offense would be tougher to defend - that is my point here.

[Football1]

Rockcastle be Russell Co by running the ball and playing good defense. What happened to Knox when they played Russell Co? Did they go back to running the ball again? Or not playing defense?

What happened in that game, as history will record, is that the MVP for RC wore a white hat. I know that sounds whiny after all these weeks and low class but you asked. And the film told the story then and it tells the story now. That fellow was either an integrity lacking jerk or a really inept official; either way he and a couple of his pals handed that game and the District Championship to the home team.

BTW - no amount of modern or diversified offense can ever beat the officials when they are inept or unethical. Football, more so than any other sport depends on accurate refs as they can literally undo or redo every single play. Please spare me the rebukes for blaming a loss on refs. In 5 years of Panther football I have complained about refs twice and rightly so on both accounts. The fact is so many people cry wolf that when refs (who are human and highly capable of unethical and/or inaccurate calls) really do blow a game, as they did in Russell County this year, not only does nobody care - there are no legit routes for a coach to take to remedy the situation.

[Iam4thecats]

Oh Wow. A mountain team just won a state title with a mixture of wildcat, 4 wide gun, and pro-I. That can't be can it? Mountain teams must run belly and power only, I thought. There is no way a mountain team has the "athletes" to do that.:rockon:

[warmachine]

I guess Hazard finally "moderized" their offense. LOL

[Football1]

I guess Hazard finally "moderized" their offense. LOL

Yeah, your right - I'm wrong - cause - those interceptions had nothing to do with it. It was the total offensive domination that did it.

Look - teams can keep running it up the gut from now til dooms day. Maybe every team can pick 5 off and just go get it done. Despite this amazing offensive display of domination by Hazard, I continue to believe a less predictable offense is a better strategy.

[EKUAlum05]

Yeah, your right - I'm wrong - cause - those interceptions had nothing to do with it. It was the total offensive domination that did it.

Look - teams can keep running it up the gut from now til dooms day. Maybe every team can pick 5 off and just go get it done. Despite this amazing offensive display of domination by Hazard, I continue to believe a less predictable offense is a better strategy.

Do I wish Belfry had a more diverse offense after today? Sure.

Can the fact Belfry had the lead with 3:00 to go on one of the State's Top 10 teams be directly attributed to their ball control offense? Of course.

[Mayfieldsportsfan]

Hazard lined up 4 wide with a empty backfield sometimes. They don't run a everyday type of offense. With that said they could run any offense and done good. When you have a o-line that good you can do anything you want.

[bob green]

Do I wish Belfry had a more diverse offense after today? Sure.

Can the fact Belfry had the lead with 3:00 to go on one of the State's Top 10 teams be directly attributed to their ball control offense? Of course.

Perfect example of how your offense can give you a chance to win a game against a superiour oppenent. Not that Central is so superior but that Belfry fought hard to gain a feild position advantage, keep the Central offense off the field, and put themselves in a position to win the game. Belfry had a physical advantage over Central too, which allowed them to do what they did. Central was very undersized and Belfry had match-up advantages with the running game, and they used the passing game to take advantage of an overly aggressive corner. I will say this, had Belfry wanted to throw much more it would have been a sack party because when Central pinned their ears back, look out.