[BIGREDDAWG]

Notes after a looooooong drive home...

1) Corbin is very, very (did I say very) good. Prestonsburg is not as bad as we played tonight, but Corbin had something to do with that...:biggrin: Corbin was bigger, stronger, quicker, and more disciplined than the Blackcats tonight. No doubt, the best team won. Congrats to the Redhounds, and here's hoping you guys bring the title home to the mountains.

2) I said last week that if Prestonsburg had as many silly penalties as we did against Middlesboro, then the season would be over. Well..... yeah. It seemed like in the first half we started every drive by jumping offsides. I would love to know how many "first and fifteens" we had... Turnovers hurt, and Corbin capitalized on them like good teams should do.

3) #56 from Corbin is a beast. Enough said. He lived in our backfield all night, and it seemed like he stuffed every run attempt we tried.

4) Corbin's game plan was excellent. They brought pressure hard off the corners, and due to Prestonsburg's formation (empty backfield), Crisp must have gotten sacked about a dozen times. He went out with an injury early in the 4th and did not return. I sure would have liked to seen Prestonsburg keep Collins in the backfield as a blocking back in our shotgun formations. I bet #7 had 6 sacks or more, caused a couple of fumbles, and leaped over a few tall buildings prior to the game. He provided the main pressure off the corner, and was largely unblocked all night. I would have LOVED to have seen Prestonsburg put Griffith in the slot on his side, motion him towards the QB prior to the snap, and have Griffith crackback on him on one of his blitzes. One time may have been all that would have been necessary to slow his rushes.

5) Prestonsburg simply could not get anything going on offense. I don't think we gained a positive yard on a rushing attempt all night. Again, Corbin's defense was excellent, and their game plan worked to perfection. This is the 3rd year in a row these 2 teams have met for the Regional Championship, and the home team won every year. Even though we lost, I hate to see Corbin move to 3A next year, as this was a game any football fan should look forward to each year. Corbin's fans were great, the facilities are awesome (LOVE the grass field...), and I will miss the annual game.

6) Congrats to this group of Blackcat seniors. One of them is my oldest son, and it was hard to watch his HS career end like this, but tonight Corbin was the better team hands down. I have 2 other sons on the team who will return next year, but this year was special for our family. This year's Blackcat team probably exceeded expectations given all we lost from last year. We only returned 1 offensive skill player with any game experience, and our TE started at C last year. So the fact that we had such a successful season speaks well of the program.

7) Football teaches those who play wonderful life lessons: the value of hard work, character, competition, and how to play and act like a champion. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but class is something that should be a part of everything you do as a team. Tonight, there were 2 very good, classy teams giving it everything they had, and although I wish the result was different, it was a pleasure to watch.

Best wishes to all the senior Blackcats and Redhounds. Truly a great group of young men on both sidelines.

Thank you for the kind comments and well wishes. You guys are a class act. You have the foundation to do great things in the next few years. I just wish we could have had a similar game plan last year when we were at your house. But, it was not to be. Where is Michael Burchette and Austin McKinney playing this year? How are they doing? Good luck with everything in the off season as you prepare for next year.